Trinity Tidings- Dec 1

Posted on: December 2nd, 2024 by Brad Peterson

December 1st, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crew on Wednesday, December 4th,  3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3rd-6th graders!

Sunday School Christmas Program practice starts on Sunday, December 1st at 9:45 am!

Women of Trinity Winter Gathering December 7th at 9 am!

Lefse Making!  Come be part of the annual Trinity Tradition!  Everyone of all ages and abilities can help! 

Wednesday, December 11th, 7 am till 11:30 am (Potluck Lunch), then 11:30 am till we are done for the day.

Thursday, 7 am till 11:30 am (Potluck Lunch), then till we are done. 

Come for an hour or stay all day! 

Lefse Pre-orders!  Order your lefse today to guarantee you get this delicious treat!  3 pieces for $5.  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office.

Voices of Praise, every Wednesday night at 7 pm.  Come join us to sing together in praise to the Lord!

Join the Men’s Band at Knapp United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 7th, at 6 pm

We are looking for items for the Silent Auction!  Help our youth go to St. Louis for their 2025 Mission Trip!  Bring in new items or craft items by Friday, December 13th, for the Silent Auction. 

Spirit of Christmas, Saturday, December 14th.  Lefse/Bake Sale 9 am till 2pm.  Silent Auction 9 am till 3 pm.  Homemade Soup Lunch 11 am till 2 pm. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Recently, Amy and I completed a quest.  It was an important quest, one that we started at the beginning of the year and had the goal of finishing before Thanksgiving.  We were diligent at it, completing tasks for it during the week, on the weekend, at all times of the year.  And when we were done, completing it on Monday night, there was a sense of satisfaction, of a job well done, of having a goal and seeing it through to completion.  What was this goal, you may wonder?  It was to watch all of the Walt Disney Animation Studio films in release order.  And we did. (There are no Pixar movies in here.  We are starting that quest in 2025). 

  We started with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and we ended with “Wish” in time for us to see the newest one, “Moana 2,” in theaters on Wednesday night.  (Aside: Moana 2 was decent.  Love the story.  Animation was spot on as to be expected.  What wasn’t as good as the music.  Loved one song.  Another song was ok.  All the others just fell flat on me.  But that is just one man’s humble opinion).  We got to appreciate revered classics, surprised some that we had dismissed over the years, saw ones we had never seen before, and slogged through some duds. Doing this reminded me of the time I read through the entire Bible in one year: there were some highs, some lows, but glad I did it overall.  Here are some thoughts below:

   My favorites really haven’t changed.  “The Little Mermaid” is still my favorite of all the Disney animated movies.  (There will be a list below).  But I grew in appreciation for the classics.  Things like Snow White, Bambi, Cinderella, Pinocchio.  Just the amazing artistry that went into these films and realizing when they were made is just amazing.  I know it won’t really happen again, but I would love for them to do another full hand drawn movie, like they did with “Princess in the Frog.”

  There were some real dark days for Disney Animation Studio’s there in the late 70’s till mid 80’s.  Some of those movies were better than I thought they would be, but I can see why there was a chance the studio was going to shut down.  It is a reminder that story always matters and sometimes you can’t just do things on the cheap. Same goes for the early 2000’s. 

  Lastly, I do like that they sometimes take chances.  Some of my surprises are movies that did something different or they took a risk.  Also, the great ones don’t shy away from a little darkness and danger.  Many of the classics have some really scary and dark moments in them, moments that really could scare a child.  But life can be scary.  Showing how to get through those scary moments is also important too.

  Alright, here are some lists and rankings because I know you all care a ton:

My Top Ten Disney Animated Movies

  1. The Little Mermaid- the best.  Will always be the best. 
  2. Aladdin-may have the best soundtrack of any Disney movie ever. Plus, the Genie?  C’mon. 
  3. The Jungle Book-my favorite of the classic era.  Just so much fun and I always think of myself as Baloo
  4. Tangled-has some of the best lines that Amy and I say to each other all the time.  “You broke my smolder.”
  5. Beauty and the Beast-there is a reason it was nominated for Best Picture.
  6. Cinderella-beautiful animation and my second favorite from the classic period. 
  7. Mulan: this movie always seems incredibly underrated.  Could even be underrated on this list.
  8. Frozen: This movie takes some swings and that is what makes it work, besides incredible music.
  9. Moana: the music in this movie just makes it soar.  And the story is good too.
  10. Encanto: really fun and I enjoy all the gags from the house and some of the songs later in the movie are really moving. 

Honorable Mentions: Raya and the Last Dragon & Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs

Amy’s Top Ten

1. Tangled

2. Cinderella

3. Aladdin

4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

5. Beauty and the Beast

6. Emperor’s New Groove

7. The Little Mermaid

8. Hercules

9. Frozen

10.  Mulan

Honorable Mentions: Sleeping Beauty & Aristocats. She also wanted to mention the Goofy Movie, which came from Walt Disney Television Animation, but we also watched for this endeavor. 

Movie that should be on Brad’s, but I have hard time ranking: The Lion King.  Look, it is a stone cold classic.  No doubt.  Just an absolute banger.  But I have very complicated feelings about this movie.  It came out a year after my Dad died and when Mufasa dies, I absolutely lost it in the theater.  It is always tied to that emotion and so, because of that, I have a hard time watching it. 

My Top 5 Least Favorite

  1. The Black Cauldon:  I mean, this thing is just inexplicable.  Some fun animation but the story makes no sense and there was a reason it almost ended the Studio.
  2. Chicken Little. As I watched this movie, I just kept asking myself this question: why?
  3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) & Winnie the Pooh (2011): Fun fact: I really dislike Winnie the Pooh.  You know what Winnie the Pooh is?  Poo
  4. Home on the Range: One I had never seen.  One I never need to see again.
  5. Alice in Wonderland: Look, I know it is beloved.  One of Amy’s favorite rides at Disneyland.  But as a movie, especially in the midst of the classics that are around it?  It is a miss for me. 

Top Five Surprises (ie, movies I thought I would hate that I really liked in the end)

  1. Treasure Planet: I remember seeing this in the theater and hating it.  It was pretty fun on rewatch!  Give it a shot! 
  2. The Rescuers: Also one I had never seen. Was also pretty fun.  The sequel isn’t as good (The Rescuers Down Under), but this was good.
  3. One Hundred and One Dalmatians: I also had never seen this, though I knew the story.  Was also really fun and the animation is really crazy and awesome.  Cruella is an all time baddie.
  4. Atlantis: the Lost Empire: Another one I saw in the theater and disliked but liked a lot on rewatch.  Again, Disney doing something different.  
  5. Robin Hood: I like the music in this one and the whimsy is just really fun.   

So, there you go.  Hope this gives you some ideas of ones to try (they can all be found on Disney+) and maybe some ones to avoid.  Maybe you think I’m crazy (Amy sure has some problems with my list!)  Either way, it was a fun quest.  Have a great week!