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Thoughts and Prayers regarding Rick Partain and Family - July, 2010
Refreshed in God's Presence - June, 2010
Easter - It's a beautiful day - March, 2010
A Simple Pastoral Christmas Letter - December, 2009
Some thoughts about life and dying - November 12, 2009
What is it about places like this? Summer, 2009
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Thoughts and Prayers regarding Rick Partain and Family
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This is one of those very hard letters for me to write. Many of you probably already know that Rick Partain was killed in an accident while working on a car. It is such a shock to the family and to all of the friends who knew and loved him. I know that Rick and Marlene have loved and influenced for Jesus so many people in Trinity and in their community. Their love for God and for people was so evident. I expect that those of you who knew him felt the fun and the life that flowed out of Rick. He made you glad to be alive.
I am the pastor. I know I’m supposed to have answers for all sorts of questions. I don’t have an answer for the “Why?” in this one. Like Job who didn’t get an answer to his questions, I expect we won’t know all the reasons behind this until we see the Lord face-to-face. But again, even though we may not know why, I will keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). That is what I hope you will do as well. That is what brought Job through the agonizing pain he went through. Seeing God changes things.
Yes, there have been and will be lots of tears. But in talking with Marlene and other family members, we don’t weep as people without hope (1 Thes. 4:13). Those of us who know the Lord will see the Lord and will see Rick again. I am so thankful we have that confident hope.
At this point arrangements for a service that will honor Rick and point people to the Lord are still pending. We’ll let you know when some plans have been made.
What can you do to help? So many of you have already asked. Thank you for those sentiments and those desires to show your love. Most certainly, pray! As we become aware of needs, we will let you know. Marcee Edwards is coordinating meals for them. If there is a need, she may be calling some of you. ZuZu’s Petals, the flower shop where Marlene works, will be closed until next Wednesday. If you desire to send flowers through their store, Cindy Johnson will be taking all those orders through her cell phone (480-395-1895). Beyond this, at this point in time, I would just ask you to be sensitive to the family. Love them. Bear their burdens with them (Gal. 6:2). Pray for them. Be there for the family in the days, weeks and months down the road.
Rick was a great friend. I loved him. I miss him deeply already. I expect it is the same for many of you. May we all find the grace of our Lord to be sufficient for such a time as this (2 Cor. 12:9).
With His compelling love,
Pastor Doug
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Refreshed in God's Presence - June 28 to July 4, 2010
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I have asked several of you to pray for me especially during the week of June 28 to July 4. To all of you reading this, I would like to ask you to pray as well. During this week I will be praying, planning and studying to prepare for the next several months’ messages and direction of our church. I long for this to be a time when I can listen to the Lord and to be focused on what He has to say to me as an individual and as a pastor of one of His churches. Please pray that I would be sensitive to what the Lord wants to say to me. Pray that I will have ears to hear and a heart that is receptive.
For a week I will be at a cabin of some friends in Montana. No internet connection. No cell phone reception. I will drive to a place where I can make calls and check emails on some of the days. But for much of the time it will be just me, my Bible, some books and the Lord. Of course, it won’t hurt that the scenery nearby looks like this.
 In fact, this spot is just a few miles from where I will be. May the Lord use it to inspire and refresh my soul. He has in the past. I think many of you have found the same. When you see His handiwork and you are away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it often does help to open your eyes, ears and heart to something He wants to say to you. Yet I can distract myself even with the beauty and surroundings. So to be accountable I will promise you that I will not take out the fly rod and head to the river when I am actually supposed to be studying and planning. You can ask me about that when I get back.
Two things that I will be preparing for and that I am quite excited about:
- First, in August and the beginning of September I expect to be doing a series of messages dealing with our spiritual growth process. As the staff, deacons, ministry leaders and I have talked about this, it has become something I am all the more energized to have everyone in Trinity do. We have almost completed putting together four 7-week classes entitled “Discovery – Finding God’s way in your world”.
 These classes are made up of solid discipleship material that is heavy on application and designed to be utilized in smaller groups or classes of eight to fifteen. The messages in August will be designed to preview these classes and motivate you to go through it. I hope and pray that many of you will go through this material this coming fall and in the spring. Eventually we will want everyone in Trinity and every new person that comes to Trinity to do this. It is what we will do as a family and how we help new people to become better followers of Christ.
- Second, the other series of messages that I am thinking about now will have something to do with “The Difficulty with Jesus.” Don’t get uptight with me yet. I know there is not problem with Jesus. But when I think about how He dealt with certain people, they thought there was a problem with Him. Think about it. Jesus often did not do what you would expect someone to do. He doesn’t tell the rich man point blank how to be saved (cf. Luke 19:16-23). He doesn’t go after many of the disciples who left Him after they heard some of His hard teachings (cf. John 6:41-66). And, if I am honest with myself, sometimes Jesus does not act the way I think He should. Sometimes following Jesus just seems difficult and problematic. I’m looking forward to seeing where God leads us as these messages develop.
I know I will be working on these two series. To develop these and what to do after these will necessitate hearing from the Lord. Pray that I will so that I will be able to lead and preach in yet better and more Christlike ways this coming year.
Two Trinity family events are coming up this fall:
- Our Trinity Family Camp over Labor Day weekend, September 3-6. I hope you will come. It is a great time of growing together and growing in Christ.
- Our Community Outreach Weekend on October 2-3. This is a time for us to focus on the community where God has called us to be His physical visible representation and learning about how we can do this better.
Have a great summer. I hope that you, too, will be able to get away somewhere where you heart will be refreshed in God’s presence and where you will be able to rest, relax, renew, and play with family and/or friends.
Yours with expectations of what God is going to do among us and through us,
Pastor Doug
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Easter – a beautiful day.
Easter. It is a beautiful day. As I write this, Easter 2010 is still some three weeks away. So it’s obvious I’m not talking about something as trite as the weather on that upcoming day. I am talking about Easter being a beautiful day because of what happened on that day nearly 2000 years ago. On every Easter since we are reminded that the grave is not the end. On every Easter since we are reminded that life can be different now.
That first Easter changed peoples’ lives. Mary was crying at Jesus’ grave. The tears dry up and life is changed when she meets the resurrected Christ (John 20:10-18). The disciples are huddled together in fear and uncertainty. But when they meet the living resurrected Christ, the fear and uncertainty disappear and their lives are changed forever (John 20:19-23). Thomas missed out on that first meeting with the resurrected Jesus, so he remained a man with doubts. But when he later meets the resurrected Christ, the doubts disappear and his life is changed forever (John 20:24-29).
Easter was a beautiful day that changed lives for those early followers of Christ. Easter is still a beautiful day. That day still gives people hope for life beyond the grave. Still helps people deal with the tears they have. Still helps people deal with the fears they have. Still helps people deal with their uncertainties and doubts.
I know the events of that first Easter have changed my life. It has given me a whole new purpose and hope. I know you and I have been sent by Christ in the same manner that the Father sent Him. This is how Christ said it: Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”(John 20:21) As Christ was the physical visible representation of the living invisible God, so now we are to be the physical visible representation of the living invisible Christ.
And thank God, He didn’t leave us to do this on our own. He did not leave us as spiritual orphans. He breathed His life, His Spirit into us: And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”(John 20:22) We have the mission and the gifting to be His representatives, His ambassadors in this world wherever we live, work and play. What a fantastic calling.
Easter – it was and is a beautiful day! We’ve got every reason to celebrate on this day. I hope you will. And if you don’t have somewhere to do it, join us for a beautiful day at Trinity.
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December, 2009 - Christmas Letter
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This is a simple pastoral letter to wish you all a Christmas that is filled with Hope, Grace, Peace and Joy. May the light of the Advent candles become a reality in your life and home through Christ our Lord.
I hope Christmas is still an amazing time for you. It is for me. Think about what He came to do.
- The Creator became a created One in order to walk with us and die for us so that we could live with Him (Ephesians 2:5).
- The Ancient of Days who was there before history began became new so that He could make us new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- The One who overflowed all skies became manger-bound so that He could set us free (Galatians 5:1).
These He did and so much more. We really have experienced God’s good news. We certainly have a lot more than “Season’s Greetings” to give people. As you talk with people, wish them a very merry Christmas. And as you interact with people, give them as much heaven as you can with your gracious attitude and Christlike spirit.
Thank you again for your faithful service at Trinity and in our community. So many of you have been actively involved in God’s kingdom endeavors. Bless you! Thank you as well for your generous giving that has made the ministries of Trinity possible. Keep it up! And as we give, serve and pray, let’s trust the Lord to use us in greater ways to transform people into followers of Christ through the power of the Spirit.
Be assured of my prayers on your behalf. May you and yours have a fantastic, joy-filled, holy holiday. A very merry Christmas to you! On behalf of my family and all the staff in the Trinity office, I am . . .
Yours because of His compelling love (2 Cor. 5:14),
Pastor Doug
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November 12, 2009 - Some thoughts about life and dying:
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November 12, 2009 - Some thoughts about life and dying:
I’ve just returned from seeing my mom. She’s 88 years old with advanced Alzheimer’s. Before I say anything else, let me say “Thank you” to many of you who have been praying for me and for my mom. That has been a real source of God’s encouragement.
I’ve been reminded of some things during this time. I’ve had many years with a mom who loved me and had tremendous class. My mom grew up during the Depression, was a young married mom during World War II, wrestled with all the changes going on in our culture, and put up with all my brothers’ and my shenanigans. She went back to school in the ‘60s to get her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, became a teacher, then a principal and then the Director of Elementary Education. After retiring a couple years early she headed to Botswana, Africa with the Peace Corps. As I said, she had class.
My mom had a belief in God earlier in her life. But it wasn’t something that had a lot to do with her life on a personal level. It wasn’t until she went through a traumatic time in her life that she came to understand how a personal faith in Christ made a relationship with the living God a reality. Isn’t it odd how the hard times often turn into the events God uses to yell loud enough at us to call us to Himself? And through them our lives and our eternities change forever and for good.
So regarding life, I have so much to be thankful for that God has given to me through my mom. She helped me to think and to take responsibility for my actions. She went through some hard and horrific times, but by God’s grace came through them wiser, stronger, better and eternally-changed. She and our family had many wonderful years and made great memories. She took on challenges and didn’t shrink back. Forget about just living a comfortable life. Do something with your life that will help build others up. I have much to thank God for from my mom’s life.
 Now mom is dying. She didn’t recognize me when I was with her this last weekend. She is not eating much. Her once very hard-working body can’t even sit up now. Skin and bones describes her. This was a hard thing for me to see. I knew her as someone who could do almost anything from filleting a fish, to leading a tough inner-city school, to going by herself to one of the poorest countries of the world and learning to live in a new culture at 60+ years of age. I cried when I left her. I expect this was the last time I will see her alive on this earth.
I am very glad I went to be with my mom. But it reminded me again about what many of you already know about dying. Seeing this again, as I have with my wife’s parents, my dad, my brother, and many dear people here at Trinity, I saw again, “this ain’t home.” (Excuse the English.) God has something better for us. We all have “tents” that are gradually wearing out but that one day God will rebuild into a permanent, beautiful and indestructible “home.” This is what He had written down for us to remember: Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. (2 Cor. 5:1-2)
Grieve we will when our tents give out. But I am remembering again, and I hope that you will as well, for those who are in Christ this tent is not our home. There is something better to look forward to. The Architect of our eternal home waits. And He also orchestrates and shares our journeys in the here and now. As hard as it can be for those yet tied to their tents, dying will be a good thing for those in Christ who are going home.
Yours in Him,
Pastor Doug
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What is it about places like this? It may not be backpacking in the mountains for you. Perhaps it is time at the beach. Perhaps it is some quiet time with a cup of coffee listening to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” or some worship music. Maybe it just spending time with your family in a park watching the kids discover something new. I’m not sure what does it for you, but I know it is needed for each of us.
For Susie and me, spending time in the mountains, breathing fresh air, seeing some of God’s outstanding art work, picking fresh wild raspberries, walking or sitting by a rushing stream does it for us. Our souls get renewed. We get back to the basics of just surviving in the wilderness, listening to God, talking about nothing and everything with each other.
I didn’t know Susie was taking this picture. It has become a favorite for me. You can probably see why. Susie blew it up and put it in a frame for me already. On the hike when Susie took this picture we were going about 11 miles, mostly up.
If you were there walking with us, in another 300 yards around the corner to my left you would come to Gunsight Lake – a beautiful cold lake nestled in a cirque with mountains rising sharply up from its shores and multiple waterfalls rushing down trying to fill it. If you had walked on with us, you would have climbed another 1100 feet in 3 miles above the south side of the lake to get to Gunsight Pass. Along the way you would have walked through some snow, even though it is early August and 75 degrees. You would have had to stop because a momma mountain goat with her kid was staring at you from the middle of the trail just 15 feet ahead of you. Actually, we had to stop many, many times to enjoy the glory, but mostly to get our breath. Our 50+ year old bones just can’t keep up with our kids anymore. That is hard for me to admit.
But as long as the Lord gives us health, I think we will continue to go back to places like this. It helps renew my soul. It helps me to remember what is important and not be tyrannized by the urgent. I hope you have some places like this in your life. May the Lord use them to draw you to Himself and to renew your first love. Go to that place with Him.
Yours in Him,
Pastor Doug
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