Luther's Catholic Feud

How much do you know about Martin Luther?
How about Trinity Lutheran Church or small group ministry?

We created this game as part of the reformation party, and it now available to play with your friends and family. The top 25 small group leaders were surveyed. The top answers are on the board. Click the numbers to reveal the answers, or click the boxes to produce a "X"!

Let's play Luther's Catholic Feud!

www.trinitymhd.org/Fued

God, is that you?!

It's been a couple weeks now that we've been reading "Surprise Me." And it has proven to be just as delightful as I'd expected. But, Terry Esau, after 2 weeks into his experiment described in the book the tough question he was dealing with... How do you know which events in your life are of God? Which surprises are God's?

He asked this because of his fear that readers would take his book and turn it into a Prayer of Jabez, prosperity-gospel. He worried that people would see a "trivial train of 'blessings'" and assume that each $5 bill found on the ground, close parking space at the store, and rebate on the big item purchase we were going to make is all a result of God's surprising favor for us.

Is God in the mundane, sure. But we can never be sure what exactly IS or ISN'T of God.

So, what do we do with that?! (It's not very helpful, Mr. Esau!)

He encourages us to trust. To trust that God is in our lives helping us to be the best we can be. Is God there to make our business or bank account flourish? No, but God promises to be there to help US flourish... Living with that kind of trust is hard, though. And it is usually only with hindsight that we truly see which actions and opportunities in our life (however mundane or monumental) were of God.

So, we were asked the question-- which seemingly insignificant moment or event at the time turned out to be life-changing? A part of God's big plan to make us flourish in life and love and joy... Well, as I think back, there are lots of those moments:

• When I was in kindergarten, my parents wanted to sign me up for a summer school "camp;" my choices were like cheerleading or Spanish, and for whatever reason I chose Spanish... that seemingly random decision led to a love of the language which I later studied from 6th-12th grade, brought me to Spain in my senior year, allowed me to take on leadership roles in several mission events in Mexico during college, enabled me to study abroad in Spain and Mexico, minored in Spanish, and helped me use the language during internship where I even got to preach in Spanish. All because of a 6 year old's foray into Spanish one summer!
• While on a youth trip in the mountains in Wyoming, I was partnered to be "tent buddies" with a girl from my grade. She and I weren't exactly friends. But, through the course of the trip, we ended up leaving as best friends and she is one of my closest friends to this day!
• One evening during high school I was driving home with my youngest brother (who was in 8th grade at the time), and we were talking about school, friends, and life. When we got home, we stayed in the car to finish the conversation. We were discussing his plans for high school and future. We didn't know it at the time, but it ended up being a very important conversation-- not only in terms of high school selection, but also for our relationship.

See, God really does use small, singularly "insignificant" moments to do incredible things! Which shouldn't surprise us since God also seems to use seemingly insignificant people to do them! :)

Surprises

During Lent, a group of ladies began meeting for a Small Group "Sampler." Short term commitment, long term impact.

Well, our one-off, short-term group, morphed into another "Summer Sampler." Seems there's something to this relationship, faith-building together thing! :)

We decided that we wanted to gather to talk about where we see God active in our lives. We all shared that life gets busy, and we are pulled in so many directions that it is sometimes difficult to see the surprises God sends our way. So, I offered a suggestion to journey through Terry Esau's Surprise Me, a 30 day faith experiment. In his book, he decided to begin every day for a month with the prayer: SURPRISE ME, GOD! And the book is his observations, ruminations, and reflections. We are going through this book, journaling on our own, and gathering weekly in Bible study and prayer around where we see God surprising us.

Now, I have to admit. I hadn't been as disciplined in the daily reading and journaling as I'd hoped to have been. I went for several days without reading at all. But I kept the words, "Surprise Me" as a refrain, humming along between my conscious and subconscious...

And this may come as no shock, but God was there. Beginning to look for God and paying attention to where God is prompting and guiding has been a blessing. And where have those surprises come? Terry Esau describes it plainly: "What I'm saying is, surprises seem to be largely a product of our contact with people and God." It comes as no real shock that this Incarnate God of ours chooses to surprise us with love, mercy, joyfulness, and hope in and through our relationships with others.

I can't wait to see what the next days will bring, for me and my fellow "Samplers"... how will God surprise us next?

Opportunities

When I talk with my friends who are in their first calls, they are often startled to learn about the many "perks" my position has. The TiM program at Trinity allows me lots of additional continuing ed, learning, and support opportunities. Many of my friends barely get continuing ed, much less have a strong peer group and intentional monies and resources devoted to pastoral development and personal growth.

As a part of the TiM program we have been able to travel to the churches of our first-call colleagues in EaND synod, share meals together, attend convocations, and most recently travel to Holden Village. There at Holden we had the chance to worship, pray, sing, learn, eat, and play in community. The opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime.

Purple Mountain Majesty

Holden. Heaven smiled upon this place.

Nestled here in the Cascade Mountains is a place so beautiful, not 1000 words nor even my picture can capture it. A place majestic, and yet humble at the same time.

Mountains towering above me. Soil and rock tinged with copper. Stately pines climbing a hundred feet in the air, reaching towards the bright blue sky. Happy, bubbling water rushing to find a home in the lake below.

I'm so glad we've made it!

A fawn has just approached from behind. Trepidation in its gentle footsteps. Nibbling on the tall grasses. She looks up and sees me perched at the waters edge. She looks me in the eye. I try to convey that I am here in peace. She isn't scared off and continues to graze. Such elegance.

I'm so glad we've made it!

Holden.
Heaven smiled upon this place.

Water, Water, Everywhere...

I had never taken the train any long distance in my recorded memory. Making plans, I was excited about the adventure of a long train ride into the mountains. But, as our departure day neared, I became a little nervous. Because of flooding in western North Dakota, the train lines were shut down for the 3 weeks before our departure date. Will we be able to go? Will the trains be up and running by the time we need to leave?

Funny how I wasn't thinking too much about the people and towns actually being affected by the flooding. Nope, just about whether our travel plans would be secure...

Then we got the news that the tracks were open and that the trains were running again. We were on the first train heading west from Fargo. As the trip began, I was shocked by what I saw: water, water, everywhere... Church's Ferry, Devil's Lake... swallowed in water. And the farther west we went, the worse it got.

At times, all we could see in any direction was water. It was like the train was gliding on the water. In some places the tracks had been raised up from the water, and in others, dikes had been built up to protect the tracks. But there were moments when I looked down out the window, and I couldn't see anything but the water. The watery tracks plus the heavy train traffic (after it'd been shut down so long) caused us extensive delays. We lost a day because of it.

Days later, as we were readying ourselves to come back home, eastbound, we got the news that again the tracks were shut down. The levee in Minot was breached. Half the town was evacuated. Waters were over-taking much of the city and neighboring towns. Our first thoughts, though, were not: "Poor Minot; what will they do?" Instead they were, "How are we going to get home? What are we going to do?" The trains would only take us part-way through Montana, then what would we do?

Finally it hit me-- it really isn't that big of a mess. Not for us. Yes, an inconvenience. But, it could've been worse. Much worse. We could be in Minot. Our homes, schools, churches, parks, libraries, favorite restaurants... all in danger of being washed away in a tide of muddy waters.

Our drive home through eastern Montana and North Dakota was punctured by news stories from Minot and vistas of standing water all around. Water, water, everywhere...

I pray that in these devastating waters, peace can be found. That the waters of life and opportunity flow in and through these towns and peoples...

Fire, Smoke, and Celebration

This morning I woke up to the scent of woodfire smoke on my pillow. The lingering scent of the bonfire which began our Easter Vigil last night... And it struck me that that was the perfect way to wake up on Easter morning! There, with the scent of the fire still in my nostrils, on my hair, in my clothes, there to remind me of the celebration that had already begun.

Our Vigil worship began as most do, gathered around a fire as we christened a new Paschal Candle for the year whereon we processed into worship, following the light in the darkness, to hear stories of our faith, welcome the newly baptized while remembering our own baptisms, and celebrate a grace-filled meal around the altar. Rejoicing that the pain, darkness, chaos, bondage, and death we experience is defeated by the promise of healing, light, order, freedom and life of the resurrection!

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

ALLELUIA!!!