Nice 👌 🎉🎉🎉🎉

This is fantastic news and a great goal for our future! We are grateful for the generous gift and for many others who are passionate about our ministry! Pondering what this will mean to us. 👍

Braiding Sweet Grass. One of my favorite reads.

So beautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing!

I have never thought about this but I will be pondering on it all day!!

This is one of the reasons I have so much gratitude for the ELCA educating our pastors. It is so important when reading the Bible to know the history and the context, and so many things that we just don’t know. Thank you, Pastor Sue for putting in the four years plus the year internship that it takes (beyond the four years bachelors degree) to become an ELCA pastor

This sermon!! Thanks so much Pastor Sue!! So much to ponder...

haha!! Yup, Kim's a scary one! I do get the disciples hesitation to ask questions though. :)

I’m so excited for Toren & Gavin to experience this opportunity! The speakers & events at the dome in San Antonio opened my eyes to many things that I still think about.

Hi , nice video 😊👍 i wish all of you happiness 💕

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones too Pastor Sue. Thank you for all you do, including Patio Ponderings. I look forward to each one!

This leaves me speechless.

Hear: I think I'd hear more of the voices/conversations around me in public places/church. See: I'd like to think I'd see more clearly the hurting people and the healing/helping people. Feel: I can imagine feeling VERY frustrated! At least at the beginning. First words: "Hallelujah"!!! Do first: Run around to all my family and loved ones, one by one to tell them "I love you". PS I wouldn't be surprised if every imagined scenario I just thought through would be completely different. 😄

I had a friend encourage me to start reading the lessons in church when I was in my mid 20s. It was so scary but eventually I got comfortable with it. I realized in college though (I went to college in my 30s), that getting up and reading someone else's words compared to reading my own words was a whole different ballgame. I think it's because the fear of public speaking comes down to worrying what people think of me. It was easier for me to get over the hump of mispronouncing "Capernaum" than it is to get over the fear of what other people think of my personal thoughts and speech writing abilities. (PS If you want to get over the fear of mispronouncing a word here is my unsolicited advice: My friend advised me "If you don't know how to pronounce something, say it with confidence and no on will know it's incorrect because most people listening don't know how to pronounce it either".)

Welcome to worship! Today bulletin:files.constantcontact.com/bf53e267501/63e6e8d2-ee4a-4225-b47c-5e9424a6145f.pdf?rdr=true

Having experienced the death of my mother in law, and mother in the last 2 years, I found great comfort in the preparations of rituals ( planning the funeral by picking the readings, music, etc). Those selections spoke volumes to the kind of person the deceased love one was, during their lifetime, and to their legacy, living in us, the survivors. Personally, I am not a fan of the long drawn out 4 hour ordeal one day, and a funeral the next day. My mom didn’t like it either, so she opted for a “visitation” for one hour, before her Catholic mass. We were overwhelmed by the amount of people that came to give their last respects, celebrate her farewell journey, and share in a communal meal afterwards. It was such a blessing to have all of that, because we heard so many stories of the impact my mother had on others, that we did not even know about. To carry those stories in our hearts, to honor her and remember her by is a treasure. The same can be said of my mother in law’s funeral, here at Trondhjem. The people who shared those rituals with us gave us great comfort. And the Trondhjem community, many that day that we did not even know, made us feel welcomed, shared our grief, and made me want to experience more of that welcomed, caring spirit. Some say rituals bring closure, but to me, it is a part of learning how to keep your loved one’s memory alive, and close to your heart. I look at death now as yes, your loved one is gone, but really they have just gone before us, to create and save a space for us when we will join them again. I find comfort in that; knowing someone has gone before me and will be waiting for me when it is my turn. (( and I want the rituals, but the short version 😊)).

I'm catching up on my PP this morning and this one has got my mind reeling! I didn't know that about your story and I'm so surprised! The part of you that I know has never given me even a slight clue of where your public speaking started out from. I have so many questions... what am I not recognizing in my potential- what have I not been open to? What have I missed in other people and what their journey has been? What assumptions have I made about others, about myself-about my "talents"? How do I make sure I'm being open to God's call? One thing I noticed is that even though you didn't know the outcome of the journey, (and maybe even fought it?) by following the call, you have landed in a place you didn't imagine or plan for, but wow, a place that has affected so many lives and has personally opened my world up to so many new ways to see God. I am certain that I am only the tip of the iceberg and there are SO many others who have met God through you. I'm going to be pondering this one for awhile!

Congratulation on Season 3!

Very interesting thoughts ❤

I can't hardly imagine the wonderful changes that would happen in this world if we really listened to the experiences of other people. Understanding and feeling compassion makes it hard to hate...

I'm so grateful I wasn't brought up in a high demand religions~ I've always questioned, even as a kid. So glad TLC is a place that encouraged questions, growth and change. <3

So glad you're back! I've missed watching Patio Ponderings. Thank you so much for doing them.

A fantastic message of compassion and justice for the least of these. Thank you.

Pastor Sue, thank you for loving us enough to be willing to step into our brokenness, aka garbage. TLC is a healing home when suffering. ❤

This was so insightful! Such a new way of looking at the story with so much to think about.

Love you Sue! Nice job. Keep them coming. I enjoy them.

I love it when I’m in a setting where I can see the sun rise while the moon is setting. This week God used science to heal our daughter!🎉

P R O M O S M 😻

I got so excited when I realized where you were going with this! I'm not sure why the light bulb just went on that Jesus and the devil were using the same bible to make opposite arguments! 1) "The bible can be used to make any argument" and 2) believers who claim to know the one true answer have both been a bit of a thorn in my side- I find it frustrating. I've grown to appreciate the Jewish way of approaching the scripture- delving in, arguing the meaning and not expecting it to be concrete. I love how this PP opened my mind. I may not even get so frustrated anymore!

Years ago a Trondhjem friend who loves the theatre encouraged me to have a one line part in our lent service. MeMoRiZeD line. I decided to buck up and do it. I was so nervous that when I sat back down, I had NO memory of it. I had no idea if I even said my line. This same friend encouraged me to read the lessons during church. My fear, I told her, is that I'll come upon some crazy old testament name and not know how to pronounce it. She said "Just speak it with confidence and everyone will think you know". Well, it took time and practice but now I can read the lessons without any fear. These encouragements set me on a path to do many things at church that I wouldn't have DARED years ago. thanks Kristin! Granted, many of the things DO still make me nervous but I just decide to do it anyway. There are still times I haven't conquered the fear and have fallen WAY short of sharing Jesus' love, his radical inclusion when it's needed most. But I'm working on it...

No need to apologize. Your message came through beautifully along with a secondary message of embracing and appreciating imperfection. ❤ What a beautiful day. Thanks for sharing.

I'm kind of at a loss for words, but thank you for giving me a lot to think about.

Pastor Sue, your awareness of today's world and ability to see the important details in the scripture that connect to today's world never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for this pondering.

I needed this today.

Thank the confirmation kids for expressing what I was wondering. I was really struggling with the whole "punish children for their parent's sins". I'm still not 100% comfortable with it but maybe 50% closer. Thank you for not being afraid to dive in to the hard stuff.

Thanks for caring enough to share some of the word, god bless you

Go REI!! This makes me want to shop more there!

What's up with some Christians' compulsion to assume the stories in the Bible are literal history rather than teaching allegories? The Genesis Flood story contains many literary clues that its writers were not intending to narrate an actual series of historical events. The Noah story employs the literary device known as “hyperbole” throughout, describing a massive ark which holds representatives of “every living creature on Earth”, and a flood which flows over the tops of the highest mountains in the world. These are not meant to challenge readers to figure out the practicality of such descriptions, but rather they are important clues that we are dealing with a theological story rather than ancient journalism. And as for technical reality, the scientific and historical evidence is crystal clear: there has never been a global flood that covered the entire earth, nor do all modern animals and humans descend from the passengers of a single vessel.

Amber’s testimony was absolutely beautiful. She is already making quite an impact on the youth she has been called to serve. Having a heart for youth myself, I’m so inspired and pleased to know the Trondhjem has been part of her story.

What a great group of young adults!! You guys rock!

Thank you so much, Pastor Sue. Your words have touched my soul, and given me clarity. I've felt lost with these mass shootings, heartbroken for our neighbors who now suffer loss, and trying to figure out, as a human being and Christian - how to help, and what to do. Thank you!

Thank you for doing this video Pastor Sue. It's obvious that it was very difficult for you. Thank you for addressing this issue and for finding the words I needed to hear. God bless you.

I know that place really well. A peaceful, beautiful place.

I like the idea that they are visiting family. :)

Love the sound of the powerful wind in the background!

💧