Pastor Jim’s Blog
WITHOUT A VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Without a vision the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18 I would like to give a shout out this day to Steve Schrecengost, Terry Otey, a woman named Ruby, and Gert Tasche. Twenty-eight years ago, Steve Schrecengost was an active member of...
WHAT IS THE POINT?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... He sat in my office, a cup of coffee in his hand, a slight tremor in his little finger. “Tell me pastor, what is the point?” “What is the point of what?” “All of it. I just don’t get it. I wake up every morning and it is the same thing...
MAGIC GENIE, LOVING MENTOR OR VENDING MACHINE?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Exodus 34:5–6 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows...
THERE ALSO WILL BE SINGING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright and poet born in 1898. By most accounts he was one of the most influential authors of the 20th Century. For the German people of Bracht’s generation life would amount to a series of horrific...
SILENT SATURDAY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The events of Good Friday are gruesome and painful. It is not the kind of story that I would tell in detail to our Trinity Preschoolers. The savage violence has always been a regrettable part of the human story and it is sad to say...
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau, Germany (now Poland) on the 4th day of February 1906. At age 21, in December 1927, Bonhoeffer completed his Doctor of Theology degree from Humboldt University of Berlin. He crossed the Atlantic...
SNAILS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24 If the weather conditions are right, he greets me in the morning just outside my office. I knew his parents and...
MONDAY WITH AVA
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was a Monday morning; I stood on the deck of the Kitsap facing the ferry terminal in Mukilteo. Having chosen a bright blue hat for visibility, I waved it high in the air until my three-year-old granddaughter Ava could see it. With...
CORNERSTONES: REVISITING OUR FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... We are living through another unique season in our lives and in the history of our country. Many of us are weary. With romantic recall, we wish to go back to simpler days when civility was the norm, public decorum was valued, and our...
FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim On the 15th day of March 2025 there is considerable anxiety in our community. Our country and our world seem unstable, unhinged, and the nightly news offers little comfort. Five years ago on this date, we were entering into a season of...
BORN TO LEAVE
Today's Word from Pastor Jim “As for mortals, their days are like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Psalm 103 My friends, readers, sojourners on the journey of life, I have an...
IN THE BEGINNING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1 It is the earliest confession of faith among our human ancestors. It is not a scientific explanation. It speaks of intention. God created with intention. Meaning...
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim.... “Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139 When you walk into Payless what do you see? When you walk on the ferry what do you see? When you...
DISAPPEARING RUNWAYS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3 On Sunday, February 9th 40 couples stood before the altar at TLC and renewed their sacred marriage vows. One of our couples had been married...
ALICE LEE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice… for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the...
CHRISTMAS SUICIDES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Just before Christmas one of our TLC families was devastated by the suicide of a beloved husband and son-in-law. He died as the family had gathered to celebrate his wife’s birthday. It is hard to imagine such grief. Suicide is the...
VOWS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? I have not had great luck with New Year’s Resolutions in the past. Given my track record, I decided this year to make two resolutions: I will make every attempt to gain 5 pounds, and I will not...
YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.” Stan Laurel. I realize that many who are reading this have no idea who Stanley Laurel was. He was of course, one half of the comedy team “Laurel and Hardy.” Together, Laurel...
NO USER MANUAL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It is now the 28th day of December. Jesus is three days old. Mary and Joseph have not had a good night’s sleep for a week or more, they are exhausted. The baby is not sleeping through the night. He may be the Son of God, but he is also...
WAITING FOR 1:19
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim.... “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:6 In Biblical times people lived in walled villages, military camps were enclosed with various defensive barricades. The...
UNCLE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was 7:52 am on Sunday, December 8th. The sanctuary was filling for the 8 o’clock service. I had run to my office to grab a scripture reference for a waiting parishioner, paper in hand, one step back toward the door when my phone...
WAITING AND PREPARING: WHICH DO YOU PREFER?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim I called customer service and received an automated response. It seemed that all the customer service agents were helping other clients. After being told how important my business was to their company, the automated voice told me that the...
THANKSGIVING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Your TLC Staff wishes you all a festive, reflective, memorable Thanksgiving 2024. We are thankful for you and for the many ways that you generously support your Church, the Church where everybody’s welcome. The first permanent European...
THERE’S AN OLD MAN ON THE ROOF
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Christmas lights are going up at Trinity Lutheran Church. The steeple is lit up year-round, a beacon of hope shining high above Highway 525. In December each year, the white lights of the steeple are joined by the colors of...
REFLECTION ON THE CHURCH AS HOSPITAL
Today’s Word from Sandra Moore... I was fortunate to make a trip to Italy with a TLC group a few years ago. The day before we reached Rome, we stopped at one of the medieval hilltop towns called San Gimignano. Tuscany is breathtakingly beautiful. The walled town with...
BUCKETS OF MONEY!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Blessed to be a Blessing, Trinity Lutheran Church is touching the lives of our island neighbors and reaching the far corners of the world. We do it with buckets of money. Every gift to Trinity Lutheran Church falls safely into one of...
Our Leader is Unchanged
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim What changed overnight? I sit in my office early this morning pondering God’s calling. “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” That has not changed. Some post-election...
28 CANDLES AND COUNTING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was a warm humid August day in DeKalb, Illinois. It was the Summer of 1984, after three years of marriage and two years of seminary Felicia and I were headed out on the Oregon trail. Like the pioneers of old we headed west that day...
GIVING THANKS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Trinity Lutheran Church 2024—we are Blessed to be a blessing. We are blessed by God and in response to blessings too numerous to count we seek to give back. We give thanks for the history of our Church and this Sunday we will give...
LUTHER NAILS IT
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 507 years ago, on October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He wished to spark debate among academics, he hoped that honest discussion might lead to honest reform....
MAKE YOUR FINAL STATEMENT IN LIFE CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES THAT GUIDED YOUR LIFE.
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Colonel James Anderson, have you heard of him? He is the man who laid the groundwork for a legacy that would touch every state in the Union and many countries throughout the world. James Anderson was born in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania...
THE OLD MAN OF ISTANBUL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 A week ago today, I was walking the streets of Istanbul, Turkey. It was a Saturday morning in a city that rarely sleeps. The streets...
Sowing Seeds
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:8 As I was walking through the courtyard on Wednesday afternoon, getting everything set up for youth group that evening, I...
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN: A Pastoral Letter from February 19, 2003
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... We live in a confusing world. Advances in technology and the availability of information have made life all the more complex. To make matters worse, we live in a fallen world. We live in a world where sometimes we only have bad...
WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR CHURCH?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into God’s presence with singing.” Psalm 100 What is up with your church? Does your church really encourage folks to dress in Hawaiian garb for a luau...
MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Life is hard for everyone, be kind to those you meet this day! Viktor Frankl had been married for nine months when his family was taken on a Nazi prisoner train to Theresienstadt. He would spend the next three years at in four...
Scholarship Thank Yous
MAKE YOUR FINAL STATEMENT IN LIFE CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES THAT GUIDED YOUR LIFE. Dear TLC and Pastor Jim, I wanted to send a quick note to let you know how deeply grateful I am for the scholarships my son has received these past two years. In many ways they have...
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... He was a 44-year-old Presbyterian Pastor, a husband and father of three. He was a fitness fanatic who exercised regularly. In the fall of 2023 he hosted a meal at his family home. When the meal was over, the dishwasher loaded and the...
WHY WORSHIP?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... A few thoughts about why we gather to worship God. If we are to have this conversation, then it helpful to know what worship will NOT do for us: Your worship attendance will not get you into heaven. Your worship attendance will not get...
TREE STARTS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” The words of Jesus in the Gospel of John. She was old, parts of her were just worn...
YOU ARE THERE!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... What is the connection between the money in the offering plate and abundant life? There are many answers to that question. Your offerings to the church have a positive effect upon neighbors far and near. Their quality of their life is...
THE ABRIDGED TALE OF TWO MARTINS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... For the better part of 50 years Steve Martin has tickled our funny bones on stage and screen. Martin became our favorite “Wild and Crazy Guy” as he entertained millions with a unique combination of music, dance, and slapstick. His...
IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This simple confession of faith is the first to be recorded among humans. Our first story is one of creation. It is a true story; however, it is not a scientific account of God’s activity. Seven days, seven 24-hour periods, is hardly...
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIALIZATION
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... In the second chapter of our first human story, in the Genesis of human history, as God was bringing this wonderful world into existence, it was clear that there was a problem with creation. “God said, ‘It is not good that the man...
SAINT AND SINNER – SIMUL JUSTUS ET PECCATOR
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... She made the routine journey from Maple Ridge to Rite Aid without any problems. Patiently she waited in line, purse in one hand and a cane in the other. She approached the counter, her prescriptions were filled, she presented her...
WHAT DO I KNOW
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the...
GIVING THANKS FOR BREADED FISH
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are a variety of services, but the same Lord. To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” I Corinthians 12 It was the Fall of 1999. People were...
SHARED HUMANITY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.” John 19:20 I have studied four languages in my life: English, Spanish, Greek...
CRITICISM
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I learned very early on that one could not survive in parish ministry without a thick skin. If one is too sensitive or too easily offended, this work will chew them up. We get more than our share of criticism. Most of the criticism is...
A DIFFICULT CONCEPT
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. It...
HONORING THE FALLEN
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for...
HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 2700 years ago, Hezekiah was the King of Israel. The masterpiece of his Kingdom was the Holy City of Jerusalem, the City of David. Built at the top of Mount Zion in the Judaean hills, Jerusalem had one primary water source: the Gihon...
MOTHER’S WOMB
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:12 I had never met her before that traumatic day in the hospital. I had never met her as the winter of 1959 grew old and the decade of the...
CELEBRATE SUMMER WORSHIP
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy.” Philippians 1:3 I would like to personally invite you to worship on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26th. This will be the...
PRACTICES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Golf is not a game of perfect.” Bob Rotella I grew up on the golf course. In the first decade of my golfing life, golf was about competition. Competition against myself and competition against other players. There are no defensive...
CAN WE TRUST GOD ON THIS?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be...
SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jesus Wherever we find truth we have found a revelation of God. If that “truth” is found in science, it is of no threat to us. If that “truth” is found in philosophy or some other religious...
REFLECTIONS ON THE MIDDLE EAST
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This tiny strip of land connecting three continents has been the site of war and conquest throughout human history. It is the place of great battles, the Pharaohs of Egypt sent chariots to conquer it, Joshua fought the battle of...
COURTROOM OR SANCTUARY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I have appeared in courtrooms many times over the past 40 years. Only once was I on trial. I suppose that is a bit dramatic, somewhat of an overstatement, but I was the defendant in that case. Someone had used the Trinity Lutheran...
THE BIBLE’S CALL TO CELEBRATE
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... 3000 years ago, the Psalmist wrote these words: “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95 Now keep in mind that the life expectancy 3000 years ago was only 25...
SILENT SATURDAY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The events of Good Friday are gruesome and painful. It is not the kind of story that I would tell in detail to our Trinity Preschoolers. The savage violence has always been a regrettable part of the human story and it is sad to say that...
KINDNESS ALL AROUND
Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... Kindness has been a big topic around here lately. We have a group meeting on Fridays to discuss a book about kindness, which has sparked conversations in several other places as well. I have a favorite t-shirt that has the words...
HOLY WEEK MUSINGS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... This Sunday we will descend the Mount of Olives in a parade of palms, as Jesus enters the Holy City of Jerusalem for the last time. There were thousands along the pilgrim path that day. Peasants from small villages and religious...
ANONYMOUS LETTERS
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Thank you for reading, for sending me emails, for your kind words, and for your gentle reminders that I don’t have all the answers. I read every letter, email, and text. I enjoy conversations that are sparked by the power of the written...
LAW AND GOSPEL
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It was drummed into us at Seminary. Each sermon must find a balance between the law and the gospel. The law and our genuine inability to live up to the law, offers us a constant reminder of our human failings. This part of the sermon is...
HANG ON!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Ask them, just ask one of the elders of our community about a dark time in their lives. Their stories of survival will inspire wonder. The human condition is one of beautiful brokenness. No one escapes, no one is unscathed in life, but...
FILES
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... After 38 years of parish ministry, I have a vast assortment of files. Multiple file cabinets, computers and somewhere in the Cloud there are literally hundreds of files. There is a file of thank you notes that bring a smile to my face....
THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO BE HAPPY
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I have officiated at more than 900 funerals and half that many weddings. Weddings are technically harder, there is more choreography, there are more clients to please, the hosts feel an obligation to provide lavish hospitality for their...
I DO IT MYSELF
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “What I've found in my research is that realism and self-honesty are the antidote to ego, hubris, and delusion.” - Ryan Holiday The transition happens twice. The first is rather predictable, the second is most certainly inevitable. In...
PLAYING GOD
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... She was dying. She was also 34 years old. Her two children and her husband were by her side at Whidbey General Hospital. She was dying but she had been dying for some time; fighting cancer, hoping against hope that she could live to...
THIS ETERNAL NOW
Today’s Word from Sheila Wiedendorf... I think a lot about grace these days, and about the futility of trying to organize time (I think they are related matters!). Yes, of course there are schedules to consider—appointments to keep, rehearsals to begin at the...
“DO SOMETHING SON!”
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I played a lot of golf with my father. He grew up on a farm in the Great Depression. It was a family farm; it just did not belong to the Lindus family. The farm belonged to the Watsons. They owned the farm and a few others in Dekalb...
INTENTION
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... To be quite honest, I have no idea what waits for us on the other side. Will the streets be paved with gold? Will there be streets at all? If there are heavenly choirs, would they have room for one like me who cannot carry a tune in a...
WHAT WILL YOU SOW?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... ”Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God...
SITTING SHIVA
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to weep and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3 Felicia was born in Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, New York in the Spring of 1962. The hospital was not...
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The words of Jesus, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29 The year is coming to an end, 2023 will...
Handshake and a Hug, Before It’s Too Late
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... There is no shortage of sad stories, two Kleenex boxes have permanent residence in my office, urns and cremains surround me waiting silently for their slow procession to the columbarium. Every human journey is marked by illness and...
ET Phone Home: The importance of checking in.
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... My mother spent a lot of time worrying. She worried every time her children left home. After 9/11 when I set off on a tour to Europe she sent me a sweatshirt bearing the flag of Canada. She said, “I will feel better if you wear this...
THE LITURGY OF GIVING
Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... There is a gentleman I play golf with who is what I might generously refer to as “methodical." Others refer to him as agonizingly slow, as in, “Hit the flipping ball, let’s go!”. If someone dares mutter such a comment that’s the...
Favored
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Lord God created them male and female in God’s image. It is our earliest shared human story, our genesis from the book of Genesis, our beginning in the heart of a creative and loving God. Creation is not some accident of an...
Touching the Future
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.” Proverbs 13:22 Ruby Knudson lived a simple life, dedicated to her family, her church, and her community. She was a teacher and the mother of two boys, Lydell and...
Nothing Matters
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Since we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we are justified by God’s grace as a gift.” - The Apostle Paul. “Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more... And grace means there is nothing we can do...
Unintended Consequences
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Felicia and I were sitting in a hot tub soothing our tired muscles after hiking ten miles through Zion National Park. The Sun was getting lower in the sky as we talked about the beauty of God’s creation while planning to visit Snow...
Living in the End Times
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I have been reading my Bible and watching the news and I am most certainly convinced that we are living in the end times. The war in Ukraine, the war in Israel/Palestine, natural disasters, Congressional leaders, UFO sightings, and the...
The War to End All War
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... My writings come out like clockwork at the sixth hour of the sixth day of the week. Each Saturday morning, they greet you as you wake, sitting by your first cup of coffee, they offer you the opportunity for reflection, perhaps on...
On this Veteran’s Day Holiday
We thank all of our TLC Veterans. We invite you to wear your service uniforms this Sunday November 12th. You served with honor and distinction. We give thanks for your faithful service.
The Mystery of Coincidence
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I believe that there is such a thing as pure coincidence. Random things happen all the time. If Felicia and I show up at a function in the same color of clothes, trust me it is a coincidence. If we show up in the same clothes, it is an...
Party, Party, Party!
Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Blessed to be a Blessing! We have been blessed richly by God, but we are never blessed in isolation, we are blessed that we can be a blessing to others. For 70 years Trinity Lutheran Church has stood at the crossroads of South Whidbey...
We Are Not Alone
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 It was sometime during our four-hour technical hike in the wilds of Snow Canyon State Park in Utah that the thought occurred to us. As we...
Small but Significant
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Felicia and I had the privilege of biking and hiking through Zion National Park on a crisp clear October day. The journey began by renting bicycles, adjusting our helmets, and proceeding to the National Park entrance where I was...
A 70th Anniversary Celebration!
On November 1st, 2023, Trinity Lutheran Church will mark 70 years of ministry in Freeland! This little church began with the vision of our 37 Charter Members, most of whom were children. They had no land, no money, no staff, and they shared a pastor with our mother...
Off to College
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I spend a lot of time with the spoken word and in correspondence thanking you all for your generous support of the many ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church. In 2022 your church gave away more than a half million dollars. This money...
Before There Were Roads
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The August 31st publication of the journal “Science” reported on a new study done collaboratively with scientists in China, Italy, and the United States. According to their research, 900,000 years ago planet earth had a human population...
Do you hear voices?
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I am guessing that most of us have a wide array of voices echoing through the vast expanses of our gray matter. Some of those voices echo sweet, tender words, words that we hold onto like treasure. It was a day that I never will forget,...
Angels and Priests
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Priesthood of all Believers is active at TLC. What does it mean to be ordained as a priest in the waters of baptism? Don’t stress, no one is going to ask you to give up your spouse or take a vow of poverty. Martin Luther’s...
Imagine
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Imagine if you will, Whidbey Island without Trinity Lutheran Church. There would be no cross illuminating the sky high above Freeland. Preschoolers would have no place to go. Families would experience heightened anxiety. Some of our...
Standing on the Shoulders
Today’s Word From Pastor Jim... Who said we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us? Sir Isaac Newton, the famous English Scientist, was by all accounts a genius. Born in 1642, Newton was a visionary genius who helped lead the Scientific Revolution and...
Born on Second Base
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The Mariners are fighting for a playoff spot. Many of us are old enough to remember the Mariners “refuse to lose” season in 1995. Making a remarkable playoff run and then beating the Yankees seemed like a miracle. In that final Yankee...
Afflict the Comfortable
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...“I will rejoice and be glad in your gracious love, for you see my affliction and take note that my soul is distressed.” Psalm 31:7More than a hundred years ago, Finley Peter Dunne coined a phrase that was meant to epitomize...
Most People are Good!
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...The brief order for confession and forgiveness that many of us grew up with began with this statement:“Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and...