Simply Giving Mania! From May 1st till June 5th, if you join our automated giving program Simply Giving or increase your current Simply Giving by $5 a month, you will get entered into a drawing to win four tickets. What tickets? YOUR CHOICE! Choices are: Brewers-Twins game at Target Field, an event at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire, or an event at the Mabel Tainter in Menomonie. Pick up a form on the round table in the Narthex or included in this Good News.
Vacation Bible School! Sign-up today for VBS on June 13-17th, 9 am till 12:00 pm every day for ages 4-6th grade. Cost is $10 per student.
VBS Help Needed: Luther Park will not be running VBS for this year. We need help with setting up crafts and helping to watch kids. Please talk to PB or Katie if you can help.
VBS Snacks Needed: Sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for Vacation Bible School in June.
Graduate Recognition Sunday May 22nd at 9 am.
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
“Surely goodness and mercy . . .” Psalm 23:6
If you talk to my friends, they might tell you that I can be pretty negative, especially when it comes to my sports teams. I’m always complaining about them. Of course, I usually have a good reason, but I’m also the guy that states a game is over when my team is down by one early in the game. I’m also pretty negative about my own sporting output, especially on the golf course.
Frankly, I sometimes think we as a society are pretty negative about the world. We look at life and only see . . .bad things. I can’t blame us, with all that is going on. But I also think it is a collective symptom of looking only for the negative. We tend to downgrade the present and romanticize the past. Lord knows I have been known to do it. But then I think of these words almost at the end of Psalm 23: “Surely goodness and mercy.” The key word for that is “surely.” There is a confidence in that statement. Surely there will be goodness and mercy, goodness and mercy provided by the Lord. It is a statement of faith. Surely.
I’ve been trying to remind myself of this. No matter what is going on the world, no matter how much the news I hear makes me fearful or sadness me, in the Lord there is always goodness. There is always mercy. There is the smile of a child. A sunny day. A flower blooming from the ground. The love of family. The snuggle of a dog. A good song, a funny TV show, the delicious bite of a good meal. Surely. We are surrounded not just with suffering, pain, and hardship. I contend that we are surrounded by more blessing, more joy, more gifts then we often see for we take them for granted. Surely.
We need a reset of the way we look at our lives. As I write this, the Wild just lost a playoff game that they really didn’t play well in. I normally would be depressed and sad and ranting. But I’m thankful for a great team to watch, a hope that they will win the next game, and trying to be positive. Why? Surely goodness and mercy. I see the terrible headlines in the news but I also have been trying to find stories of hope, of achievement, of people doing amazing things for other people. Surely goodness and mercy. I’m trying look to see how God is working in and through the people around me.
Take a moment to remind yourself of the blessing of life. Try to see the world through the eyes of your great shepherd Jesus Christ. Try to exist in the world with these words always on your lips and in your heart: “surely goodness and mercy.” Surely. May God bless you this week and always!
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Adopt-A-Highway Saturday, May 7th, 8 am. All ages welcome! Wear long pants and bring gloves. Help us care for our stretch of highway and keep God’s creation clean!
Simply Giving Mania! From May 1st till June 5th, if you join our automated giving program Simply Giving or increase your current Simply Giving by $5 a month, you will get entered into a drawing to win four tickets. What tickets? YOUR CHOICE! Choices are: Brewers-Twins game at Target Field, an event at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire, or an event at the Mabel Tainter in Menomonie. Pick up a form on the round table in the Narthex or included in this Good News.
Vacation Bible School! Sign-up today for VBS on June 13-17th, 9 am till 2:00 pm every day for ages 4-6th grade. Cost is $10 per student.
VBS Snacks Needed: Sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for Vacation Bible School in June.
Graduate Recognition Sunday May 22nd at 9 am.
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
This past Saturday, I had the privilege to be the MC for Boyceville’s Prom. I always enjoy going and helping out, seeing the kids all dressed up, and talking with them. It is always fun and special to be invited into these big moments and it also makes you reflect a bit.
As I was driving home, I thought about the three proms I attended, my Junior prom in 1993, Senior prom in 1994, and then I attended prom at the end of my freshmen year of college in 1995. In my school, only Juniors and Seniors could go to prom unless invited and I went to all three with the same girl, Deena, who was a year younger than me. But as I reflected on those proms this past Saturday, I had a realization. It may even sound cliché, but each of the proms I attended was at a major turning point in my life, where things would not be the same not too long after. Let me explain.
Junior Prom, 1993
My Junior Prom was held on May 8th, 1993, and it was in our high school gym (as all of our proms were). My class actually tried to have it offsite as we had lots of money to spend on prom but the school said no. Our theme was “A Whole New World,” an Aladdin inspired theme, and one of the things I remember was that we got to skip classes to decorate the gym on Thursday and Friday of that week. Also, being who I am, I arrived with my date early and the DJ for our prom never showed, so we hired one quickly on the spot and I was asked to help carry in all his equipment, including trays and trays of CD’s (for our young people, this was how music was listened to back in the 90’s). I remember having a great time with my date and my friends and was disappointed I couldn’t go to post prom, which was held in an “Action City” type of place the next town over because my date’s parents said she had to be home by midnight.
But that is not what made this prom important in my life. I have the date burned into my brain because this was the day I knew that my Dad was going to die. He had cancer, and though he had been diagnosed terminal, we were all hopeful that he was going to last a few more months, maybe even throughout the summer. I went to visit my Dad in the hospital that morning, and when I walked in I found him all yellow with jaundice and barely able to talk. And when he did talk, much of it made no sense. I left after ten minutes as I couldn’t take it and didn’t want to break down in front of him. As I rode down in the elevator, I knew my Dad was going to die sooner rather than later. I knew that my life would never, ever, be the same. On the way to eat with my date, I told her that my Dad was bad and that I was concerned. But I downplayed it and I don’t know how, but for a few hours I tried to forget what was about to happen to enjoy the prom. I put on a brave face and pretended everything was ok, when everything really wasn’t.
He would die two days later, on May 10th, 1993.
Senior Prom, May 1994
There is the cliché that your Senior prom is, outside of graduation, kind of a last hurrah. To appreciate the people and things around you because everything is going to change. At my Senior prom, I knew that to be true. One of the reasons for that is that, in the year since my Dad had died, I had changed. I had grown up. I had to become independent. I had to face some things and I had gotten through to the other side.
But I also knew this: I was scared. I was scared to go to college. I was one of those kids who loved high school. I knew who I was, I enjoyed what I did, I had a great group of friends, and I was successful. College? No clue. None of my friends were going to the school I was going. I didn’t know anybody that went there either. Who would my friends be? Would I meet people? And also, what happens if I fail? What if I don’t do well in school or meet the goals I had set for myself? Being at that Senior Prom was like being in a comfortable position and situation. But afterwards? Fear and unknowns. But mostly fear.
My last Prom, May, 1995.
I walked into prom in May of 1995, home from college from the summer for about a week, and I knew one big truth: I no longer belonged here. Sure, I was with my same date from the previous two proms. My best friend had walked in with his date right before me. I knew almost everyone in the room, in a place I had called my home for most of my life. But I knew I didn’t belong. I didn’t fit. It wasn’t me anymore.
Of course, I loved my friends and my hometown. But I had changed in my year at college. The fear that I had felt during my Senior Prom about going to college had been replaced with confidence. Living outside of my hometown for the first time ever, no longer the principal’s son, I had found myself. I had a great group of friends, was doing well in my classes, and had found a community at the Campus Ministry at Immanuel Lutheran Church that became like a family.
I could just tell that I didn’t quite fit the same way anymore in my hometown, like a puzzle piece that kind of fits but really doesn’t. At first it made me sad, like something was lost. But then it was more of gratitude. My hometown and the people therein had shaped and molded me but had also given me the tools to find myself. And I had. Little did I know that God had already shoved me onto the path that would lead me to becoming a pastor. A little bit after this prom, I agreed to be an interim youth director at my church, handling all the programming for the summer (my twin sister came on board to handle the money part). That would lead me to an idea that would really catapult me: to work at Bible Camp the next summer. And then the rest is history.
Three proms that came each time at a moment when my life was about to change. Junior prom, the loss of my Father, who would shape the rest of my life. Senior prom, confronting the fear of being able to make it on my own, outside of my comfortable bubble. And my last prom, where I left the past behind and where God was about to really show me a new path. Today, I look back and see God’s hand in all of it, and when I go to prom now, I pray that the Lord will be there for our youth, in their joys and fears, sorrows and triumphs, and that one day they will see how God has been at work in their lives, whether through prom’s or not!
May the Lord bless you today and always!
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Me, with my date Deena, my Junior Prom, May 8, 1993
Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till Noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity. All items should be clean and in good condition. Place clothes and shoes in a trash bag and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!
Men’s Band Concert, Sunday, May 1st, 9 am.
Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 1st, 10 am till 11:30 am. Smelt, meatballs, tater tots, homemade chips, baked beans, dessert, beverage. Free-will offering taken to support Trinity missions.
Calling all men! We are looking for workers for the Smelt Feed! Sign-up on the table in the Narthex.
Adopt-A-Highway Saturday, May 7th, 8 am. All ages welcome! Wear long pants and bring gloves. Help us care for our stretch of highway and keep God’s creation clean!
Simply Giving Mania! From May 1st till June 5th, if you join our automated giving program Simply Giving or increase your current Simply Giving by $5 a month, you will get entered into a drawing to win four tickets. What tickets? YOUR CHOICE! Choices are: Brewers-Twins game at Target Field, an event at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire, or an event at the Mabel Tainter in Menomonie. Pick up a form on the round table in the Narthex or included in this Good News.
Vacation Bible School! Sign-up today for VBS on June 13-17th, 9 am till 2:00 pm every day for ages 4-6th grade. Cost is $10 per student.
VBS Snacks Needed: Sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for Vacation Bible School in June.
Graduate Recognition Sunday May 22nd at 9 am.
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco app OR using the donate form on our website.Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
Now that we are a week past Easter Sunday, a few reflections and some other observations . . .
It was nice to have a “normal” Easter again, with the full processional, the confirmation youth making breakfast, seeing the light stream through the stained glass windows, all of the people. It felt like Easter again after two years of modified or online only services.
A couple of highlights for me during the services: Seeing the full processional at sunrise worship; during the second service having someone yell out, “Way to go PB” after I got done playing trumpet (first time in the over 30 years I’ve been playing it), seeing Katie get swallowed hole by all the kids at the children’s sermon; a little boy giving me a picture he colored during communion; watching the confirmation kids and parents work so well for the Easter breakfast; and playing uke with Bob at sunrise and Katie at both services.
Another highlight was the fun that was had by those that came out on Good Friday morning to clean the brass, what I dubbed the “Delores Brezina Memorial Brass Cleaning.” Lots of great help, conversation, and I think Dee was looking down and proud of the fun that we were having (and the shiny look of the polished brass).
I’m a strange person. I have seen the same Liberty Mutual commercial, in which the young spokesperson can’t say the spiel right. I laugh every time he says “liberty biberty.” Every single time.
Special thanks to Stan Larson for the gifts of venison bacon and hunter sticks he gave me. Allowed me to have two types of bacon on Easter!
Sadly, due to snow, I did not get a chance to play my post Easter round of golf on Easter Monday. But we did go out to the first tee and hit a shot in the snow. I actually hit it down the middle (unlike this past Friday when I actually got to play a full round).
Katie is off this week and if you didn’t get a chance to listen to her podcast, “The Word Examined,” I highly recommend it. I enjoyed the puns especially in the resurrection episode!
Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs will be, forever, the best holiday candy ever. EVER.
Wednesday was our last Crew of the year. 68 kids. Even though it can be exhausting, I will never take for granted that 68 kids want to hang out for an hour and a half at church, singing songs, eating food, listening to Bible stories. It wouldn’t be possible without our great helpers (Lonna, Nichole, Trudie, Heather) and all our snack servers. One kid asked me on Friday when the next Crew was and I reminded him that it was done for the year. He said, “Aw.”
In this month of April, we have had three special services, with the Cross Generational Worship, Youth Palm Sunday Worship, and the Holy Week and Easter services. These don’t happen without all those who give of their time and talent to make it happen and our incredible church staff. Thank you to so many who made those services possible!
Since Amy was gone for Easter, I got to eat fish in the house and I made lamb for Easter dinner. It was delicious!
MISSION MADNESS: DOUBLE
TROUBLE! October 31-December 5. Give
towards missions, from October 31st to December 5th, and
you get “double trouble!” Both PB and
Katie will do crazy things at each giving level we reach. Come have some fun, support our mission
partners, and get PB and Katie into Double Trouble!
$500 PB will give up meat for a week and Katie
will give up coffee for a week. GOAL
MET. GOING ON RIGHT NOW
$1000 PB will eat canned
tuna and Katie will eat candy corn (that’s right folks, she hates candy
corn). GOAL MET. WILL HAPPEN ON NOVEMBER 21
$1250 Katie & PB will get a Pie in the face.
You can purchase a ticket for a chance to hit each of us in the face with a
pie. GOAL MET. WILL HAPPEN ON NOVEMBER 21
$1500 PB and Katie will
have a spaghetti eating contest (no hands).
GOAL MET. WILL HAPPEN ON DECEMBER
5
$1750 PB and Katie will ride tricycles around an
obstacle course. GOAL MET. WILL HAPPEN
ON DECEMBER 12
$2000 PB
will wear bicycle shorts in public & Katie will wear her Christmas tree
costume in public for a day. $120 AWAY FROM MEETING
THIS GOAL!
Last chance to directory photography on December 7th.
Spots available! You can sign-up online Monday-Friday at www.ucdir.com. Enter the church code of wi128 and the
password photos and then follow the instructions.
Calling all 3rd
thru 6th Graders! The Crew is back! We will meet on November 17TH
from 3:30pm-5pm. We are excited to have
you back!
Deer Hunter’s Worship
Service on November 17th at 6 pm. Wear your orange and
camo!
Spaghetti Feed, November
17th, 5 pm till 6pm. All are welcome! Served by church council.
Community Thanksgiving
Worship Sunday, November 21st,
7 pm, at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Boyceville. Bring a non perishable food item for the food
pantry.
Poinsettia’s for Christmas
Eve. Cost is $9.50 per plant. Make checks payable to Trinity. Deadline is December 12th. Look for the forms in the Narthex, in the
bulletin and Good News, and posted on the website.
Lefse making December 8th
& 9th, starting at 9 am both days. Sign-up sheets in the Narthex. Help us with
the Trinity tradition!
Pre-order your lefse! Sign-up on the table
in the Narthex or call the church. $4
per package with three lefse per package.
Deadline is December 5th for pre-orders.
Silent Auction items needed for the Youth
Gathering Silent Auction on December 11th! New items only
please. Please have items to the church
by December 8th.
Snacks are needed for The
Crew. If you would like to supply snacks, please sign up on the
sheet on the table in the narthex. Plan for 65 kids. Want to volunteer? We would love to have your help at Crew! Talk to Katie or PB if you are willing. Please feel free to partner with another family.
Snacks and teachers needed
for Sunday School!Sign-up
on the table in the Narthex or stop in the Sunday School hallway to
volunteer.
Don’t
forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the
donate form on our website.Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
A few things happened today as I write this on
November 14th. The first is
that I took a nap. The second is that Amy and I decorated the house for
Christmas (save your judgement. We love
Christmas). The third is that today is
the 15th anniversary of the my Mom’s passing from lung cancer. As I was putting some of my childhood
ornaments on the tree, I thought of my Mom who loved Christmas and I always
think of her when I put a particular ornament on the tree, which is a bell that
has a shepherd in the style of Precious Moments. I think of my Mom because she
loved Precious Moments and when I look inside the bell I see her handwriting,
which says “Brad 79” on it, which was the year I received it. It is one of my most “precious” (see what I
did there) ornaments and I always put it in a prominent spot where I can see
it.
I miss my Mom, but today isn’t necessarily a
sad day. It is a day to remember, a day
to give thanks for the wonderful Mom who everyone said I looked like, who
taught me the faith, encouraged me to be myself, who told me what took me so
long when I told her I felt the call to be a pastor and who, when I had to
chance to leave Boyceville after Trinity separated from Our Savior’s that the
town and me were made for each other and that I should stay. And as I’m on the 6th of 7 days of
not eating meat, I’m reminded of all the sacrifices my Mom made for my sisters and
I and for her students. My Mom taught
all of us the importance of service, to your family, your community, and to
God. She got up at 2 am to make our
lunches and do our laundry but also stayed late at school for meetings and to
take care of students as a guidance counselor.
And despite the hard things that happened in her life, losing a son and
a husband, she always kept the faith and knew that Jesus loved her and blessed
her. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind
for the things she was passionate about and sang in the church choir until she
died.
This upcoming week, many people in our area
will get ready for deer hunting, where they will pass on traditions from
generation to generation. People will be
getting ready for Thanksgiving, time spent with family and also remembering
those who aren’t there. Maybe you will
be putting up Christmas stuff like we did and thinking about those whom you
have loved and who have loved you. No
matter what is happening, take a moment to remember and to give thanks for the
people who have shaped and impacted you in life. Take a moment to remember the faithfulness of
God, a God whose faithful love spans from generation to generation, whose
saving grace through Jesus Christ means we will see those we remember in glory
one day. Finally, remember that in life it isn’t the things that we accomplish
in life aren’t nearly as important as the love we share with others.
May the Lord bless you and keep you today and
always!
Sign-up
to schedule your photography appointment for our new Church Directory! You
can sign-up at church on Sundays or online Monday-Friday at www.ucdir.com Enter the church code of wi128 and the
password directory and then follow the instructions. Photography dates are November 3rd-6th and each
family photographed gets a free 8×10 and a directory.
Calling all 3rd
thru 6th Graders! The Crew is back on September 22nd!
You
are invited to be part of The Crew meeting at Trinity every other
Wednesday. We will have games, activities, faith time, snacks, and much more. The
Crew is meant to be somewhere your kids can hang out, grow closer together,
grow closer to God, and become stronger in faith. Friends are welcome to attend
with you. Our first meeting will be Wednesday, September 22nd from
3:30pm-5pm. We are excited to have you back!
Crew Snacks needed! See sign-up on the
table in the Narthex
Bibles will be distributed
on Sunday, October 3rd at 9 am. Please let Sunday
School or PB know if your child needs a Bible.
Mission Trip Presentation
has been moved to October 3rd at 9 am.
2022 ELCA Youth Gathering
Informational Meeting is Sunday, October 3rd at 10:15am. All youth currently in high school are eligible to attend the
Youth Gathering in Minneapolis on July 24 – 28, 2022.
Oktoberfest Craft &
Vendor Fair. Saturday, October 9th, 9
am till 2pm at Tiffany Creek Elementary.
Sponsored by the Women of Trinity!
Fall Family Fest, Sunday,
October 10th, 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm Inflatable, food, games, and more! All ages are welcome!
Don’t
forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the
donate form on our website. Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
Today the NFL season begins and I’m very excited
because I love watching NFL football (yes, I know the first game was
Thursday. But it really starts to today. To me at least). There is a weird thing going on amongst the
fan base of my beloved Chicago Bears: hope.
Why is there hope? Well, the
Bears drafted a new quarterback in the first round named Justin Fields who had
an incredible career at Ohio State and seems to have a lot of the skills needed
to be a successful quarterback in the National Football League. I’ve been asked my many of you what I thought
about this new player and my response is always the same: I assume that since
he is wearing a Bears jersey he will stink.
I know, a glum take by me.
However, the overall fan base is not feeling that way. They are full of hope, believing that Justin
Fields is the answer to our decades of terrible quarterback play (want to know
how bad it is? Check out this article right here: Ranking All 45
Bears Quarterbacks Since the Team Last Won the Super Bowl – The Ringer). They are thinking that Fields is going to be
the savior of our franchise and help us to get to the Super Bowl. Justin Fields has brought them hope and hope
is a powerful thing.
You know who brings hope in our daily lives? The actual Savior, Jesus Christ, the
Messiah. This Jesus comes defeating sin
and death, forgiving us of our sin, promising to be with us always till the end
of the age, and reminding us that he is our resurrection and life. Jesus comes every day to you to lift you up,
give you strength, comfort you in the midst of your hardship and grief, and
bearing your burdens. Jesus is a real Savior
who day after day gives his life for your life, day after day reminds you that
you are loved, day after day giving you grace and mercy. Jesus has come to save you and give you
hope. Always.
Look, I don’t know if Justin Fields is going to lead the Bears to the
promised land of a Super Bowl victory, but I do know this: my Savior Jesus
Christ will bring me to eternal life. I
know that as I cry after another Bears defeat to the Green Bay Packers, the
Lord will be there to comfort me. I know
that in Jesus I always have hope, for my faith resides not in a quarterback but
in the Son of God, the Word made flesh, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. May you place your faith in this same Savior
and receive the hope that all receive in Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!
Lunch & Pie Social
Sunday, August 22nd, 10 am till 4 pm. Sign-up to work or donate
in the fellowship hall. We appreciate
all you do to make this Trinity tradition happen!
Float riders needed! We are looking for people of all ages to ride
our “May the Lord Be With You” float in the Sunday Pickle Fest parade! Kids get a candy bag and get to keep the
inflatable light saber they will have for the float! Contact PB or Lenny Lange
if you or your child is interested.
Float will be near the end of the parade this year.
Fire Pit Worship Service,
Wednesday, August 18th, 6:30 pm.S’mores
will be served after worship!
No Wednesday worship on August
25th.
Join the Men’s Band at First Lutheran in Cumberland at 6 pm. Corn Boil prior at 5 pm.
Confirmation Parent Meeting,
September 1st, 6:30 pm. This meeting is for all confirmation students
and parents in 7th & 8th grade for this school year.
Don’t forget that you can
support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the
donate form on our website. Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS
FROM PASTOR BRAD
1 Kings 19:4-8
But Elijah himself went a day’s journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He
asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord,
take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down
under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to
him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked
on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down
again. The angel of the Lord came a second
time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too
much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength
of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.
I have always gotten a lot out of the above story. Elijah is one the run, running for his life. He wants to give up. He is tired, he is exhausted, he has had
enough. He has given up. Have you ever felt like that? Like everything has become too much and what
is the point of it all? I know I
have. There were moments, especially
during the pandemic, where I wondered if anything mattered at all. There have been times when it seems like I
won’t be able to get to the next day, or the next one after that. I think that is one of the reasons I resonate
with this story. Sometimes everything
just seems to be too much.
But just as Elijah has reached his limit,
when he ready to give it all up, the Lord appear through an angel. The Lord feeds Elijah and gives him something
to drink. Then the Lord does it
again. The Lord strengthens Elijah so
that he can make it to the end of his journey.
The Lord helps Elijah and not only renews him in body but also in spirit.
The same is true for us. The Lord feeds us, feeds us with his word,
his Spirit, his hope. The Lord brings
people into our lives to help us keep going, our own “angels” if you will. Even in the midst of the hardest times of our
life, the Lord is there to strengthen us for the journey. I have felt this many times in my life,
finding strength and hope where I thought there was none there. That didn’t come from me. It came from my Savior Jesus Christ, my Lord,
the living bread from heaven.
It is so easy to give up. Sadly, I have given up too many times in my
life, forgetting that my Lord was there for me. I forgot that we have the
promise of our Lord who will sustain us, strengthen us, and guide us. No matter how bad it gets, no matter what
despair we find ourselves in, we are not alone.
The Lord is there to feed us, to give us something to drink, a drink of
hope, love, strength, and grace. We can
get through anything because our Lord is there with us. Every moment of every
day.
Today, I pray that no matter what journey
you are on, no matter how hard it is, that you will see that you do not travel
alone. Your Lord is with you. Your Lord is feeding you, strengthening you,
and your Lord will be there. To be your
strength. To be your guide. Today and every day. For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity
through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website. Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
Recently Amy and I were having some time with some friends when the subject
of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” came up. During the conversation, we all agreed that
the movie wasn’t very good and was possibly the least favorite of the Indiana
Jones movies (though “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is pretty bad). After that conversation, later that night,
Amy and I decided to watch “Temple of Doom” again. And, though it still doesn’t vault over the
original or “The Last Crusade,” it was better than I remembered. I found myself really digging some parts of
it a lot more than I had before. I had
given it another chance and was surprised.
Sometimes
we make judgements about things in life and we never give something a second
chance to have our mind changed. I do
this a lot with food (shocking, I know).
For years, I hated cold pasta salad. A staple of funeral meals, picnics, and the
dinner table of my youth, I really disliked it and tried to avoid it. Yet, the other day Amy made a pasta salad I
really enjoyed it! I even had
seconds! I gave it a second chance and I
was pleasantly surprised.
Too often we make a judgment about something and never give it a second
chance or thought. Our minds are made
up. Maybe it is due to pride or
stubbornness, but we might be surprised when we give something a second look or
opportunity. Especially people. We make a judgement on a person and that’s
it. But that is not how the Lord works.
The
Bible is littered with stories of people who didn’t always make the best
decisions or did wrong things and yet the Lord gave them a second chance,
forgave them and changed them. Peter denied Jesus and yet is the chief of the disciples. Paul persecuted Christians and yet became the
greatest of proclaimers of Jesus. After all, the Lord doesn’t make his mind up
about you. Despite your sinfulness, your
mistakes, your wrong choices, the Lord always gives you another chance when you
come to him in repentance. Through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is always grace, forgiveness, and
renewal close at hand.
Give
some second chances. Take a chance that you
might be surprised. And remember the
second chances you have in your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who loves you,
forgives you, and will always have a place for you. For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”
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Comments Off on Trinity Tidings June 6, 2021
Thank you to everyone who
bid on the Mission Trip Silent Auction! The
youth raised over $4,300! Thank you for
your support of our youth!
Ultimate Crew! THIS Wednesday, May 26th, 3:30 pm till 5:00
pm for all 3rd-6th graders. Snacks,
games, music, and more! All your
favorite things about the Crew!
Small group activities can
be without masks if everyone participating is vaccinated.
Starting June 6th,
8 am worship becomes mask optional.
Starting June 9th,
Wednesday worship becomes mask optional
Starting July 1st,
all activities at Trinity will be mask optional.
Starting on July 11th,
Sunday worship will only be at 9 am inside, mask optional.
Wednesday Worship moves to
6:30 pm starting in June.
Congrats to our 2021
graduates!
Vacation Bible School June
14-18. You can register for Vacation
Bible School now online at: https://lutherparksummer.campbrainregistration.com Please
put in TrinityDayCamp when you register.
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity
through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website. Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
This time of year, with
graduations happening, I always find myself looking back a bit to my childhood
and my time in high school and college. My
elementary and middle school years were in the 1980’s and my high school and college
years were in the 1990’s, so I lived in a glorious time. Nowadays, 90’s trends are coming back and my
own Goddaughter over the past few years has asked for movies from those time
periods for Christmas and birthday gifts (I’m incredibly proud).
So I thought it would be fun to
share some of my favorite pop culture items from that time period. We are all shaped by the time and place we
grew up in. Remembering that past can
bring us joy but also inform how we are in the future. From the embarrassing fashion (there is much)
to the impact of movies, TV, and music, we look at the world through the lens of
those influences and that time and space.
I hope these lists either give you chuckles, make you say “What is he
thinking?” or inspire you to check this stuff out for yourself. Have a blessed week!
My Top Ten Movies of the 1980’s:
Note: two Star Wars movies were
made in the 1980’s. They are not included
in these lists because Star Wars movies, even the really bad ones, are better
than any other movies ever).
Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off
Indiana Jones and
the Last Crusade
Footloose
Karate Kid
Dirty Dancing
The Breakfast
Club
Die Hard
Top Gun
Say Anything
Bull Durham
(I can think of at least ten more movies I could easily add here that I
didn’t. I picked these because these are
the ones I tend to watch the most or stick with when they are on cable.)
Top Ten Non-Ballad Songs of the 1980’s
Jump-Van Halen
Sweet Child O’ Mine-Guns
‘N Roses
Walk this Way-Run
DMC with Aerosmith
Let’s Go Crazy-Prince
The Way You Make
Me Feel-Michael Jackson
Footloose-Kenny
Loggins
Back in
Black-AC/DC
Fight for Your
Right-Beastie Boys
Old Time Rock
& Roll-Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Bust a Move-Young
MC
Top Ten Ballads of the 1980’s
Lost in Your
Eyes-Debbie Gibson
You’re the
Inspiration-Chicago
The Lady in
Red-Chris De Burgh
Carless
Whisper-George Michael
Time after Time-Cyndi
Lauper
Wonderful
Tonight-Eric Clapton
She’s Like the
Wind-Patrick Swayze
Angel Eyes-The
Jeff Healey Band
Angel-Aerosmith
In Your
Eyes-Peter Gabriel
Top Five Hard Rock Songs not listed above
You Shook Me All
Night Long-AC/DC
Panama-Van Halen
Nothing But a
Good Time-Poison
Livin’ on A
Prayer-Bon Jovi
Welcome to the
Jungle-Guns N Roses
Top Five Songs I Love Now but Never would have admitted it in the 1980’s
so that I would be thought of as cool
Only in My Dreams-Debbie
Gibson
Hangin’ Tough-New
Kids on the Block
I Think We’re
Alone Now-Tiffany
I Wanna Dance
with Somebody-Whitney Houston
Sister
Christian-Night Ranger
Top Movies of the 1990’s
Goodfellas
Silence of the
Lambs
Dazed and
Confused
10 Things I Hate
About You
Tombstone
Heat
Happy Gilmore
The Matrix
The Usual
Suspects
The Shawshank
Redemption
Top Ten Non-Ballad Songs of the 1990’s
Sabotage-Beastie
Boys
No
Diggity-Blackstreet
Big
Poppa-Notorious BIG
Give It Away-Red
Hot Chili Peppers
Ants
Marching-Dave Matthews Band
All Apologies-Nirvana
Mmm mmm mmm-Crash
Test Dummies
The Sweater Song-Weezer
7-Prince
Shoop-Salt ‘N
Peppa
Top Ten Ballads of the 1990’s
More than
Words-Extreme
One-U2
It Must Have Been
Love-Roxette
Everything I Do,
I Do it For You-Bryan Adams
Nothing Else
Matters-Metallica
I Don’t Want to
Miss A Thing-Aerosmith
Kiss From a
Rose-Seal
It Must Have Been
Love-Roxette
Bed of Roses-Bon
Jovi
To Be With You-Mr.
Big
Top Five Songs I Love Now but Never would have admitted it in the 1990’s
so that I would be thought of as cool
Graduate Recognition Sunday is Sunday, May 23rd, at
the 9 am worship service.
Ultimate Crew! Wednesday, May 26th, 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm for
all 3rd-6th graders. Snacks, games,
music, and more! All your favorite
things about the Crew!
Wednesday Worship moves to
6:30 pm starting in June.
Vacation Bible School June
14-18. You can register for Vacation
Bible School now online at: https://lutherparksummer.campbrainregistration.com Please
put in TrinityDayCamp.
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity
through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website. Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
I found this poem looking through some old stuff. Thought you might all like it.
I asked God for strength, that I might
achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn
humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do
greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do
better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be
happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be
wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the
praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel
the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might
enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all
things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but
everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken
prayers were answered.
Adopt-A-Highway May 15 at
8 am. All are welcome as we do our part to clean up
Hwy 170. Please wear pants and bring work gloves.
Graduate Recognition Sunday is Sunday, May 23rd, at
the 9 am worship service.
Ultimate Crew! Wednesday, May 26th, 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm for
all 3rd-6th graders. Snacks, games,
music, and more! All your favorite
things about the Crew!
Wednesday Worship moves to
6:30 pm starting in June.
Sign up for VBS snacks! You can sign-up in the Narthex or email PB if
you are willing to provide snacks for VBS.
You can donate whatever you want for 50 kids.
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity
through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website. Download the free app, search for Trinity
Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there!
MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD
Today is Mother’s Day, a day in
which we celebrate our mothers or mother like figures in our lives. It is a day
in which families get together, loving kids go to church with their Mom, where
wonderful buffets are consumed, flowers and cards are given, and the mother and
mother-like figures in our lives are rightly honored, celebrated, and
appreciated.
I must admit, however, that
Mother’s Day is not necessarily a day of joy for me. It isn’t because I didn’t love my Mom. My Mom was awesome and she did has an impact
on me daily. Same is true for my
mother-in-law Carol, who was the best mother-in-law a guy could ask for. One of the reasons Mother’s Day isn’t as
joyful as it could be is because these two amazing women are no longer here and
Mother’s Day reminds me how much I miss them.
I always think of those I know who have lost their Mom and how this
holiday can be difficult. But if I’m
being honest, for the past 28 years, which is much longer than my Mom has been
gone, Mother’s Day has always had a veneer of sadness.
May 8th, 1993 was
the day before Mother’s Day. It also
happened to be the day of my junior prom.
That morning, I headed to the hospital to see my Dad who was there
having received a terminal cancer diagnosis.
I came to spend a few hours with him, talk sports, tell him about the
baseball game from the night before, and then go home and get ready for prom. It had been a couple of days since I had seen
him and I was not prepared for what I would encounter. My Dad was yellow. Yellow, due to the jaundice that was setting
in as the cancer had spread to his liver from his pancreas. He was incredibly weak. I mean, weak. I had never really seen my Dad weak, this
tower of strength I had known my whole life, and it really shook me. Even worse, he couldn’t really talk or make
sense. There was already fluid coming to
his lungs from the cancer and he was breathing heavy and not making much
sense. After about 20 minutes or so, I
just couldn’t take it. I was going to
lose it and I didn’t want to cry in front of my Dad, so I said by and left the
room.
As I walked down the hall, I
could hear him trying to call to me, and to my shame I was ignoring it. I was almost at the elevator when I nurse
grabbed me and told me to go back in there.
At that time, tears were already coming for while in that room I finally
knew the truth: my Dad wasn’t coming back from this. He was going to die. I composed myself and went back into the
room. My Dad looked at me in the eye and
with a lot of effort, got out the following words: “Did you get your Mom a
Mother’s Day card?” That is what he
urgently wanted to tell me. Did I get my
Mom a Mother’s Day card. I said I had
and he relaxed and I left. 48 hours he
would be dead.
So the last words my Dad ever
said to me what whether I got my Mom a Mother’s Day card. We would find in his drawer after he died
Mother’s Day and birthday cards for my Mom (whose birthday was on May 5th). Ever since then, I can’t separate that moment
from Mother’s Day. It will always have a
twinge of sadness. It will always be
difficult, even when my Mom was alive.
Yet, in that moment, I realized that my Dad was giving me my last lesson,
teaching me one last thing. Life is
about caring for the people you love. It
is about putting them first and not yourself.
I believe that my Dad knew his time was very short. Even though he fought to the end, I think he
knew. And he wanted to make sure to
remind me that you need to care for the others in your life. That they come first.
So Mother’s Day always has
sadness attached to it for me. I hope on
Mother’s Day you will do two things. I
hope that you will give thanks for your mother and for the mother like figures
in your life, past and present. I will
remember my Mom, my mother-in-law, my grandmothers, the Mom’s I’ve had in the
congregation that have passed like Lois Oakland and Mary Slind and those who
still take care of me. I also hope that
you will send a prayer for those who will be hurting on this day. For those that are grieving or who maybe
didn’t have positive mother figures in their lives. Most importantly, I hope that you will
remember to care for those you love, not just on the holidays, but every day,
and living as best you can to our Savior’s command to love one another. May God bless you today and always.
