October 26, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Mission Madness 2023: Support our Mission Partners by donating to Mission Madness. PB will do the assigned tasks only after you hit these financial goals. You can donate in worship, send in an offering, or use the giving portal at www.trinityboyceville.com. Scroll down and select “Mission”
$500 PB sings “I’m a Little Teapot” in front of the congregation. (Goal Met. Will happen on November 5)
$1,000 PB dresses as Packers fan or player for Halloween (Goal Met. Will happen at Trunk or Treat on Halloween)
$1,500 PB gets pelted by water balloons after the Men’s Band concert in November. ($490 away. Must be met before November 5)
$2,000PB wears an inflatable dinosaur costume ($990 away)
$2,500PB dresses as a clown one morning for crossing guard. ($1,490 away).
CURRENT TOTAL $1010
DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 5TH.
Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, November 5th, 9 am.
Potato Pancake Meal, Sunday, November 5th, 10 am till 11:30 am. Potato Pancakes, Kielbasa Sausage, Apple Sauce, Bars, Beverage. All funds raised go to Trinity Missions. We are also looking for workers so please sign-up in the Narthex or show up at 9 am.
New Member Class, Sunday, November 5th, 6 pm. If you or someone you know is interested in joining Trinity, please join us on November 5th. If you can’t join us, contact Pastor Brad.
Mitten Tree is up! Bring in your hats, mittens, gloves, scarves for those in need. Let’s decorate that tree!
Crew November 1st for all 3rd-6th graders from 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm.
Lagers with the Lord Monday, November 13th, at 6 pm at Buckshot’s. All are welcome!
Sign up to bring snacks for Crew and/or Sunday School. Any and all are very much appreciated. Sign ups are on the table in the Narthex.
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
The other day I had an issue. My left shoe kept coming untied. It would come untied while I was walking. It would come untied while I was sitting. It would come untied even if I triple knotted it. And I was vexed. Perplexed. Cantankerous. (I just wanted to use some big words here). Confused. Why was this happening? Was a ghost secretly untying my shoe? Do I lack the skill to tie my shoe correctly? Was it the laces? I had no idea.
But then it got weirder. The next day my RIGHT shoe kept coming untied. All the same things were occurring. I was even wearing the same shoes. What was going on? I felt like I needed to hire some investigator to figure out why one of my shoes would come untied, no matter what I did, no matter the situation. It made me perturbed. Irked, if you will. Just constant danger of tripping and falling over my untied shoelace. BTW, I have never fallen or tripped because of that. I have fallen and tripped over air, but never my shoelace. Why was this happening?
Have you ever asked that question? Why is this happening? I know I have, and in situations much graver and difficult than the fact that my shoe kept coming untied. When things happen, we often want to know why they are happening. There must be a reason, right? And when we can’t find an answer, it upsets us. Disturbs us. Can even make us angry. There must be a reason. There has to be.
But sometimes there isn’t an answer. Or, if there is, it is elusive and evades us. Sometimes things just are, without explanation. I first realized this after my Dad’s death. I searched for a why for a long time. Why did he get cancer? Why did he die? Why did he die despite my prayers and many other people’s prayers? The thing was there was no answer. There was no why. There just was. It was what it was and there was no explanation, no matter how hard I tried.
But the thing was, when I stopped trying to find the explanation, when I just accepted that there was no answer, no explanation, it freed me to heal. It freed me to begin to live again. It reminded me that even when there isn’t an answer, there is a Savior who is walking with me. Comforting me. Strengthening me. Healing me. Sometimes the best answer is that there is no answer at all.
When I do Q&A’s with people, I always say that I reserve the right to say “I don’t know.” Because there is not an answer for everything. But there is a God who is there in the midst of our questions, in the midst of our doubts, in the midst of our wonderings and frustrations and hurt. And that God, that Savior is with you today. In the midst of your unanswerable questions. In the midst of the things that make no sense. Your God is there.
Today, if you have struggled with something that just doesn’t have an answer, an explanation, give it to the Lord, who carries your burden. Ask God to let you be ok with an “I don’t know.” Ask the Lord to strengthen you and lift you up. I may never figure out why my shoes kept becoming untied. But I know this: my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is with me always. And this same Jesus is with you. May God bless you today and always!