Pastor Jim’s Blog

Let All Things Now Living

Let All Things Now Living

Today’s Word from Karl Olsen... "Let All Things Now Living" by Katherine K. Davis, Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving to God the Creator triumphantly raise, who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us, who guides us and leads to the end of our...

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Finding Sunshine

Finding Sunshine

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... The windstorm that struck our beautiful island early this week was incredible! I’m sure this is one that future generations will grow tired of hearing about. We’ll all have remarkable stories about the weather that we’ve experienced...

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The Lovely Dark

The Lovely Dark

Today’s Word from Karl Olsen... It’s amazing how many timers and clocks we have in our lives. This past weekend when we “fell back,” I’m sure I set nearly 10 different devices around our house, from thermostats to light timers, to clocks. All in the effort to avoid...

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Focus, People, Focus!

Focus, People, Focus!

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... By the time you read this, Brenda and I will have experienced the Andrea Bocelli concert at the completely remade Key Arena, now known as Climate Pledge Arena. The last time I was in that arena it was to watch the Seattle Sonics go down...

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Misplaced

Misplaced

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 Have you ever been lost? Or maybe even just misplaced – like you know where you should be, but you’re not quite sure how to get there? It’s really not a good feeling....

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When Life Gives You Green Tomatoes…

When Life Gives You Green Tomatoes…

Today’s Word from Laura Canby... I enjoy harvesting veggies from my garden this time of year -- a reward to labors during spring and summer. Usually, I have buckets of various red tomatoes: plum, Roma, heirloom, cherry tomatoes, beefsteak, etc.  We enjoy them in...

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Honoring Angels

Honoring Angels

Today’s Word from Trinity member, Ron Roesler... Life is a constant flow of transitions and lessons… When born, we know very little. At eighteen, most of us knew everything. At least I believed I did. Then, it takes a lifetime to learn and realize how little I/we...

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Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou My Vision

Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf Text Origin: Middle Irish Poem “Rop tú mo Baile” Attribution: Saint Dallan Forgaill Tune: Slane (the village from which this Old Irish folk tune was collected) Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save...

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A Promise Made

A Promise Made

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom A promise made is a promise kept. I remember my dad uttering those words while he quietly wept. Some business partners had, years before, made a promise on a handshake, and were now reneging. Through hard work he had kept his side of the...

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What is Your Calling?

What is Your Calling?

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... "Your calling is where your own greatest joy intersects with the needs of the world." – Frederick Buechner I love this quote from Frederick Buechner. I first heard it my Vocation class at Trinity Lutheran College. It was an entry level...

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Renewal in the Wilderness

Renewal in the Wilderness

Today's word from Laura Canby... “…He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.” Luke 5:16 The Gospels tell us that Jesus frequently went into the wilderness (nature) to pray. I like to think that in addition to conversing with His Father, He was refreshed by the...

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Making a Positive Difference in the World

Making a Positive Difference in the World

Today's Word from Trinity member Ron Roesler... I am just one of seven billion people. What can one person do to make a positive difference in the world? What could one in billions possibly do to affect the whole world? I have my own problems and opinions. As good as I...

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An Evening Hymn, This Morning

An Evening Hymn, This Morning

Today's Word from Karl Olsen... One of my favorite hymns, in our hymnal or any other, is an old favorite sung to the hymn tune TALLIS CANON, All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night. Part of my affection for this hymn is its straight forward, wonderful,...

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Uncommonly Common

Uncommonly Common

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... “I’m an idiot!” Not an uncommon piece of internal conversation I have that is never ever to be available for an outside audience. But it is, none the less, a fairly regular piece of ticker tape that floats across my frontal lobe. I mean...

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More Kindness

More Kindness

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “Nothing in nature lives for itself. The rivers do not drink their own water; the trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule...

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Drills – Revisited

Drills – Revisited

During Pastor Jim's Sabbatical, we have decided to revisit some previous missives. They were written in the earlier days of the pandemic. The original publication date has been left on the missive. A Word from Pastor Jim March 18 2020 I remember the drills. Not the...

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Twenty-Fifth Anniversary in Our Sanctuary

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary in Our Sanctuary

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Twenty-five years ago, we were preparing for our first worship service in our newly built sanctuary. We had been planning, fundraising, and laboring for years in anticipation of this day. In August of that year my parents would be...

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Walking in Limbo

Walking in Limbo

Today's Word from Mark Winslow This pandemic time reminds me a great deal of a previous time in my life about forty years ago. Walking in limbo. I was 28 years old and experiencing the happiest day of my life, at that time. I was getting married to the woman I loved,...

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’Til Each Tear Becomes a Rose

’Til Each Tear Becomes a Rose

Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf... Pastor Jim recently preached the good word about Love as the Greatest Commandment—the love of God, the love of neighbor, the love of self. But life and love among we mere mortals can be a tricky business. Human relations are...

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Extravagant Hospitality

Extravagant Hospitality

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:1-2 It was one of those quick church conversations while moving about from office...

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Joy

Joy

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... As I write this, I am listening to our Karl play and sing “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.” Assuming you were blessed by his devotion last Wednesday, the tune “Kingsfold” might still be ringing in your head. This is a favorite hymn of...

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Choose Kind

Choose Kind

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “Nothing beats kindness… it sits quietly beyond all things.” Charlie Mackesy. I was waiting in line at a sandwich shop the other day when an older gentleman in front of me turned to look at me and smiled. He told me that he liked my...

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Happy Birthday Web and Marion!

Happy Birthday Web and Marion!

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... I hope you will join us this Sunday, September 26, for a very special day in the life of our community. We are having a birthday party this coming Sunday for Web Halvorsen. On September 28th, Web will be celebrating his 103rd Birthday....

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Whose is it?

Whose is it?

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The heavens are yours, the earth is also yours; the world and all that is in it -- you founded them.” Psalm 89:11 The flamboyant entertainer Liberace was a remarkable musician, but he was known for his lavish costumes, lavish rings,...

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Providence

Providence

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “The grass withers, the flower fades, surely the people are grass.” Isaiah She approached me after the worship service; the mask covered a face that had weathered seasons of great joy and unspeakable sorrow. There were things about...

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I Am the Vine… You Are the Branches

I Am the Vine… You Are the Branches

Today's Word from Laura Canby... As I did morning slug patrol in the garden, vines of tender, unfolding grape leaves caught my eye. A long-ago memory came to mind – along with a hankering for dolmas. I was a freshman in a Christian college in Northern California above...

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The Art of the Tune

The Art of the Tune

Today's Word from Karl Olsen... “The art of sewing lyrics with the tune is very interesting….” Ankit Tiwari, Indian playback singer and songwriter. Last Sunday we played a song called The Invitation as part of the Prelude music for the church service. If you were...

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9/11

9/11

Today's Word from Pastor Jim...  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 Our nation changed twenty years ago today; our world was changed by terrorism. Our nation has been changed by Covid19; our world has been changed by this pandemic....

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The Spirituality of Craft

The Spirituality of Craft

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... It’s Labor Day. I am laboring on Labor Day. Looking out over Lake Chelan at the masses enjoying the fruits of our last summer holiday, I sit at the computer typing my little fingers off. I’m a laborer. On Labor Day. Now in the interest...

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A Little Faith

A Little Faith

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my daughters and I took some time away recently. Leaving home, when you have a small farm, is a big undertaking. It can sometimes be a challenge to find someone reliable and competent to manage the...

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Love of Neighbor

Love of Neighbor

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... The bubonic plague is believed to have been in existence since at least 224 B.C.E. The plague arrived in Europe in October of 1347. In the five-year period that followed, one third of the population of Europe was dead. The bubonic...

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What If You Only Had a Day?

What If You Only Had a Day?

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... She smiled when I sat down by her bed; she squeezed my hand firmly, her eyes communicated as she was no longer able to talk. Scripture washed over her, the Lord’s prayer rhythmically echoed, the familiar words now touched the deepest...

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Love Demands Caution and Sensitivity

Love Demands Caution and Sensitivity

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” 2 Corinthians 13:12 It was the 21st day of October 1989. The next day I would be installed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland. Felicia was nursing four-month-old Kelsi as I shared bedtime...

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When Jesus Calls

When Jesus Calls

Today’s Word from Sheila Weidendorf My daughter, Ada—age 17 and the last of my five children still in my nest—is something of an archivist. We both collect words and phrases, delighting in things people say that are unexpected, or that have never been said to us...

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A Source of Inspiration

A Source of Inspiration

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim...  “What matters is to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.” Victor Frankl I spend a fair amount of time giving pep talks these days, mostly to myself. Victor Frankl’s life story has been a source of inspiration for more than...

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“Shank!!”

“Shank!!”

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... “He’s at a loss for words!” giggled my sister. It was true. I was so stunned by the moment I was left without a single word. Admittedly, it doesn’t happen much, but the sudden appearance of friends wishing me a happy birthday had left...

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Walking in Darkness

Walking in Darkness

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105 My family is taking a little time away before busy schedules resume in the fall. We had originally planned to travel east toward Montana, but wildfires and pandemic...

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Do You Believe in God?

Do You Believe in God?

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim....“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up to the heavens and say there is no God.” Abraham Lincoln.“If there is no God, nothing...

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Speak the Words of God

Speak the Words of God

Today's Word from Pastor Jim...I thought this morning that I would start by telling you a lie and the truth. I am counting on you to determine which statement is the lie and which is the truth.1. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never...

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Grief and Joy

Grief and Joy

Today's Word by Karl Olsen...It is a human dichotomy, that we can experience joy and grief in close proximity, both exceedingly real and life-impacting. One sometimes influencing the other, but ending up perhaps in gratitude, giving thanks for the good...

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Scholarship Thank Yous

Scholarship Thank Yous

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland — who are we and what are we about? We are followers of Jesus. Jesus — who cared for the marginalized, ate with sinners, and touched the untouchable. We are pilgrims on a journey of faith. We do not...

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It Hurts When They Leave

It Hurts When They Leave

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... “By the waters of Babylon we sat and wept.” Psalm 137 It hurts when they leave, and they always leave. The most painful part of parish life and ministry is when they leave, and they always leave. We buried Tom Bast two weeks ago. After...

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Angels Unaware

Angels Unaware

Today's Word from Pastor Tom... I was dumbfounded. He didn’t remember. It was his decision that altered the course of my life and he didn’t remember. “Tom, it was so nice of you to take the time to search me out. After all these years this is indeed a fine gesture but...

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Compassion Camp

Compassion Camp

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... Our theme at Vacation Bible School last week was all about Compassion. That’s a pretty big concept for kids! We talked about kindness and love and taking care of each other. Our chant for the week was: I see your hurt, I feel your hurt,...

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Should I Stop Praying?

Should I Stop Praying?

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me...

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Home is in the Heart

Home is in the Heart

Today's Word from Sheila Weidendorf... If early 20th century writer, Thomas Wolfe, was correct, “you/we can never go home again.” Of course, we can—geographically-speaking—go anywhere we wish these days, even into the reaches of space itself if we’ve sufficient...

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Sabbatical Update

Sabbatical Update

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Sabbaticals in the church, and in higher education, have a long history. For six years I served as the Chair of Academic Affairs at Luther Seminary and our committee regularly reviewed and approved sabbatical proposals. In the ELCA...

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What a Ride!

What a Ride!

Today's Word from Pastor Dennis... “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people.” Well, something like that. Eventually it gets to the people and thus the “church.” Luther once said - among a whole lot of other things - that God works...

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A Word on Worship from Pastor Jim

A Word on Worship from Pastor Jim

Wearing a Mask as a Sign of Unity in Fighting the Pandemic Join us for worship on August 1st at Trinity Lutheran Church. In-person worship will be held at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. For your convenience, the 8:00 a.m. service will also be live-streamed and can be viewed at...

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Leave it to the Amateurs

Leave it to the Amateurs

Today's Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... Soffit… Webster’s, “the underside of a part or member of a building.” Soffits are not typically a topic of conversation. They are not a part of construction that typically captures one’s attention. They are the eaves for goodness’...

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Embrace the Day

Embrace the Day

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. Psalm 57:8-9 My daughter, Lia, sent me the attached picture today. She...

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Masks

Masks

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... “Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common...

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Time is Precious

Time is Precious

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... We arrived at our room, and I took off my watch. I had not taken that watch off for 16 months. I made the decision not to put it back on until it was time to go home. Felicia and I had left the island, all by ourselves. We were...

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What Sweetness Awaits

What Sweetness Awaits

Today's Word from Sheila Weidendorf... If you’ve read any of my missives about Old Tyme music—which I dearly love—you know that I’m NOT a big fan of what I have called “Pie in the Sky” Theology. It’s a kind of “It’s okay if we suffer now because we will be rewarded in...

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A Servant Life

A Servant Life

Today's Word from Karl Olsen... "…anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." Martin Luther King, Jr. "Vocation is the...

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Hurt People Hurt People

Hurt People Hurt People

Today's Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... Luke was a physician, a second-generation Christian. Though he authored the third Gospel (and the Acts of the Apostles) he never met Jesus. Both of his works were addressed to the same individual, Theophilus. His name means “lover...

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Marked with the Cross of Christ

Marked with the Cross of Christ

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... When we are baptized in the Christian Church the pastor says to us, “child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” What a beautiful statement – we have been marked with the cross of...

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Scholarship Thank You

Scholarship Thank You

Today's Word from Pastor Jim and Luc Gandarias... Luc Gandarias and his brother Gabe have grown up at TLC. Luc is a 2021 South Whidbey High School graduate and class valedictorian. Luc was awarded the TLC Ruby Scholarship. His name will be added to the long list of...

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Serendipity

Serendipity

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 My daughters are busy preparing for the Whidbey Island Fair. After not having a fair...

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A Tee Ball Kind of Church

A Tee Ball Kind of Church

Today's Word from Pastor Jim...   Felicia and I went to a Tee Ball game last night. It was a great opportunity to see our grandsons, and to watch preschoolers performing amazing athletic feats while wearing their finest baseball regalia. The sun was warm, the grass...

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To Attain His Feet

To Attain His Feet

Today's Word from Sheila Weidendorf...   For today’s spiritual/musical exploration I want to go back to my beloved India. In a way, there is no such thing as India. The word “India” is derived from the Greek Indus, the name given to a great river that runs across...

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Welcome Back

Welcome Back

Today's Word from Pastor Jim...   “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. Pave paradise, put up a parking lot.” Week by week since April we have been easing back into worship. For thirteen long months the church had been empty...

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Order of Allegiance

Order of Allegiance

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Happy Fourth of July Weekend! The Fourth of July falls on a Sunday this year and I hope that you will be joining us for worship. We would invite you to wear red, white and blue to church. It will be a festive Sunday with songs of faith...

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Touching the Future

Touching the Future

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... His hair was long and white. He wore slim Western ties and cowboy boots. In years past he sat near the front at Trinity Lutheran Church with his wife, Clodagh. They had lived lives of public service working for the states of Alaska and...

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Two Killers

Two Killers

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd...  Ask people to tell you two things they couldn’t live without and the list can get pretty funky. “Air conditioning” makes sense, it’s hot right now. “Cruise control” would be on my list. Beyond the trivial we would find the heart...

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A Change of Plans

A Change of Plans

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... Sometimes things don’t turn out the way that we hope they will. Sometimes we make promises that we fully intend to keep, but later discover to be unrealistic. Sometimes our plans and dreams are thrown off track and we need to make new...

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Pastor Dennis & Jeri Hanson

Pastor Dennis & Jeri Hanson

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Pastor Dennis Hanson was ordained on the 9th day of August, 1964. Topping the music charts in 1964: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles, Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman,” and The Animals’ hit “The House of the Rising Sun.” The Summer...

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This Sunday at Trinity

This Sunday at Trinity

Tee Shirt Sunday & Holy Communion This Sunday and every Sunday, come and worship dressed as you are. There are no dress codes at TLC, and all are welcome. If you have a Trinity tee shirt, slip it on. If not, find your favorite funny, happy, or school colors tee...

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Pike’s Peak

Pike’s Peak

Today's Word from Karl Olsen... When an English professor, poet and writer finished spring classes at Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1893, she headed west on a train, seeing sights including the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the plains of Kansas and the...

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A Simple Golden Band

A Simple Golden Band

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... It was a simple golden band, safely nestled in the palm of my hand, waiting to be placed by a young bride on the ring finger of the man that she had chosen to spend her life with. This simple golden band had been resting silently in a...

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Promises for Life

Promises for Life

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... What do you know when you make promises for life at the age of 22? What does better, worse, richer, poorer, in sickness and in health mean when you are 20 years old? This promise to love someone and live with someone for 60 or more...

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We’ll Understand it All By & By

We’ll Understand it All By & By

Today's Word from Trinity Keyboardist Sheila Weidendorf... Farther Along is a very popular southern gospel song, covered by everyone from Ike Turner to The Byrds to Willie Nelson to Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris on their 1987 album...

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A Part of the Lifecycle

A Part of the Lifecycle

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Sometimes I have serious conversations with God; beyond prayer, I find myself offering some advice. Sounds arrogant, does it not? I was never all that successful in school, not the most accomplished in my class, in fact, until...

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Staying Connected

Staying Connected

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... Our staff made a promise to you 455 days ago. Our promise, at the beginning of the pandemic, was that we would stay connected though we were apart. We would continue to be the church together. We promised to produce content every day:...

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Down the Hall and Out the Door Vol. 5

Down the Hall and Out the Door Vol. 5

Today's Word from Felicia Lindus... Last Thursday night we had an outdoor graduation (of course!) for 10 students. Under blue skies and some wind (for an air of authenticity) we celebrated our students and this unusual year. As graduation began, I shared a few words...

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Making a Difference

Making a Difference

Today's Word from Arne Bergstrom... I spent 35 years working in international community development and disaster response with the Christian organizations World Vision and World Relief. It was a calling to be the hands, feet, and voice of God to suffering people in...

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New Beginnings, Bittersweet Endings

New Beginnings, Bittersweet Endings

Today's Word from Pastor Jim... It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon on Whidbey Island. June had arrived, the sun-bathed green landscapes were accented by blooming flowers and the ever present yellow of scotch broom. In a brief four-hour period, I would take part in,...

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The New Kid

The New Kid

Today's Word from Deacon Amy... Have you ever been the new kid? It can be pretty overwhelming. My daughter, Ava, finally got to bring her new kid home this week. You might remember me writing about this little goat a few weeks ago when Ava was trying to choose a name...

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A Rose by Any Other Name is Still a…

A Rose by Any Other Name is Still a…

Today's Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... Picture an early 80-year-old, diminutive frame (maybe 5 feet) with flaming red hair. She probably weighed maybe four pounds more than her age. She walked like she should have been there five minutes ago. Always. Never slower. Lucy...

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A Moment in Time

A Moment in Time

Today’s Word from Mark Winslow... A few days ago, I had to make a trip over to the mainland. A list of things to do called me over to that frenzied world. Normally Colleen and I prefer staying here, on our little island of paradise. Like everyone else, we have our...

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Life’s a Twinkling

Life’s a Twinkling

Today's Word from Karl Olsen, Minister of Music... Two days ago, Pastor Jim gave some sterling advice in his sermon. Basically: • Don’t be overwhelmed by the many problems of the world. • If you do get overwhelmed, take a breath and pick issues that you can have a...

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Blessed to be a Blessing

Blessed to be a Blessing

This Evening's Word from your TLC Endowment Committee... “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21 The TLC Endowment started as one man’s vision over 22 years ago. Church member, Steve Schrecengost, created hope for the future - to...

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“Am I Safe? Will I be Judged?”

“Am I Safe? Will I be Judged?”

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... Jesus said to the religious people, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.” Matthew 21:31 The question comes up from time to time: a question born in pain, rooted in...

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Small Joys

Small Joys

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy...  “For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” Psalm 92:4 Pentecost Sunday was an exciting day for our family! We had been watching our pig, Julia, for a few weeks, knowing that she was...

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Companions – Furry and Otherwise

Companions – Furry and Otherwise

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b Dr. Toole’s words have never left me, “Tom, the only one I am treating here is you.” There was nothing more he could do. Sir (that was his name) had been...

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It’s Not Complicated

It’s Not Complicated

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... It really was not complicated. It was quite simple. Thanks to Covid-19 uncertainty, I needed to cancel a reservation and rebook on another date. How simple is that? I tried online, but there were a host of unanswered questions. If I...

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Pentecost, Life, Loss… and Hope

Pentecost, Life, Loss… and Hope

Today’s Word from Karl Olsen... It’s Pentecost! That season of the church year associated with tongues of fire, and a sound, as on a rush of wind! 3,000 baptisms! The birthing of the church! Or, as I sang in church the other day (tune in online or come to church—you...

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Life in a Dumpster

Life in a Dumpster

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish.” Ecclesiastes 2:18 Both vaccinated, we hugged before the worship...

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All One Family

All One Family

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 We raise several types of poultry on our little farm: chickens, ducks,...

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Who’s Your Daddy, or Mommy?

Who’s Your Daddy, or Mommy?

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... Even non-golfers recognize the name St. Andrews - the place, not the person. St. Andrews is a beautiful and historical city in Fife, Scotland. I have been blessed to visit this beautiful university city. Situated on public ground...

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Just My Name

Just My Name

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim & Carter Castle...   What does it mean that each human is unique; like a flower or a snowflake or a sunset, and at the same time, in almost every way, we are identical? What does it mean that we are all children of God and yet each...

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Surely, God is Weeping

Surely, God is Weeping

Today’s Word from Karl Olsen... Surely, God is weeping. God’s desire for all to experience abundant life sometimes seems to fall on deaf ears. Perhaps it’s the explosions—or the tears of grief. Until recently, this spring had been a time of religious celebration in...

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Be Brave! Show Your Smile!

Be Brave! Show Your Smile!

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” I Corinthians 13:12 We gather in a sanctuary. What is a sanctuary? It is a safe place. A bird sanctuary is a safe place for birds. A wildlife sanctuary...

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Mail Call

Mail Call

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Corinthians 1:4. In Sunday School this weekend, we’re going to be learning about Paul’s letters. That got me thinking about...

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The Tyranny of Numbers

The Tyranny of Numbers

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom Kidd... On one of my better days, the girls and I will go down to the beach for sunrise prayers. But to be quite honest, often my prayer life sucks. I’m supposed to be a professional pray-er and there are days that go by and it dawns on me...

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May God Be With Us

May God Be With Us

Today’s Word from Pastor Jim... “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 His wife has recently died. He was alone now, for the first time since college. We spent the afternoon together, sharing grief and recalling...

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Why Me, Lord?

Why Me, Lord?

Today’s Word from Trinity Keyboardist Sheila Weidendorf... Ah, such times in which we live! Political tension, racial injustice, misogyny still apparent in all directions, nations pit against each other, poverty and hunger still rampant the world over. How many of us...

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Perspective

Perspective

Today’s Word from Deacon Amy... As you may have guessed from my previous writings, I was a horse-crazy kid. I had posters of horses on my walls, horse figurines on my shelves, and a plethora of horse toys of various types and sizes. I can remember getting angry when I...

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Trust

Trust

Today’s Word from Pastor Tom... Every year, as a part of our confirmation program, I would take those students preparing for their Affirmation of Baptism to a high ropes course. Safety is the critical word for this experience. Every participant is double-linked to a...

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Assurances from the Crabapple Tree

Assurances from the Crabapple Tree

Today’s Word from Susan Shira, Trinity Member... The first thing I set to do when we moved into our house 23 years ago was upgrade the meager landscaping, and I knew just where to start…the flower bed in front of the French doors facing the street. I took inspiration...

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