Saint Marty's of the tumblr

A Christian community rooted in the Lutheran tradition and open to all. A place to gather as the children of God; to be built up in the faith, and to wade through the sometimes murky waters of the tumblr-sphere and life.together.

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Light Lent 24

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Treasure - Lent 24

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Commitment - Advent 2023

Well, we are coming down the home stretch. As far as I know, everything is ready to go for Christmas, so yesterday, I cleaned up the area behind my desk. It has been converted with stuff since I moved into that office two years ago! So, I took some time to clean things up a bit. How long it will last is anyone’s guess! What I do know is that tomorrow, Saturday the 23rd, we at St. John’s will…

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Exceptional - Advent 2023

This, my friends, is lefse. At its most basic, it is a Scandinavian (particularly Norwegian, from my perspective) flatbread. Nearly every culture has a form of it: tortillas, pita, roti, and so forth. Lefse is made with potatoes, flour, milk, and butter. It isn’t fancy; it is a common basic foodstuff, but to me, in its simplicity, it is exceptional. As I read the passage from Hebrews today, the…

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Restore - Advent 2023

Uff, we are coming down the home stretch! We just held our last midweek worship service, and now it is all just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Tomorrow, I will proof slides for 4 different but similar worship services and hopefully finish up my sermon. You see the two jokers as my photo for today because I honestly got busy and forgot to take a picture. So, here you have it, dogs and cats…

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Refreshing - Advent 2023

Today’s word is “refreshing,” which is precisely what Staff Chapel was for me. With Pastor Lyn’s assistance on percussion, Walter played a series of Christmas Carol arrangements here. They were lovely and just what I needed.  Try as I might to keep myself balanced and healthy this time of year; every now and again, the humbug creeps into my heart, and moments like this are refreshing for my…

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Equipped - Advent 2023

I have to say one of my favorite things in our kitchen is this bright red mixer. But it doesn’t do everything; in fact, it is only one small part of being fully equipped to bake and cook. We have lots of other gadgets, all of which are helpful to cover a wide range of recipes. Our reading speaks of the whole armor of God; it’s about being fully equipped to face life’s challenges and confront…

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Joy - Advent 2023

This may look like an odd photograph for the word #Joy, but as a lifelong #midwestern dude, I was filled with joy as this wasn’t snow or ice. It’s just a gray, rainy day. It’s funny how a few degrees can make such a difference.  It’s a Sunday, so my reflective tanks are low… but I will add a video of a song. Every Advent since I became a pastor, I’ve had a “jam.”” I don’t go looking for them;…

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Produce - Advent 2023

Just the sight of oranges this time of year takes me back. I am just old enough and lucky to have spent my formative years in a small rural town in Southwest Minnesota. A place where when you were done with the Christmas pageant, you ambled downstairs with all your compatriots, and you were given the spoils of your labors… or something like that. We got a paper lunch bag. Filled with peanuts,…

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Perservere - Advent 2023

Fridays are my day off, so sometimes I have to challenge myself to persevere in doing my devotions on those days. It’s easy to get caught up in the business of life. Today, I had a long list of things I wanted to do, as most of us do in our time off. What was not on my list was getting a call from our security company early this morning and then having to go church to unlock the building and…

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Perception - Advent 2023

Perception is a funny thing. Driving through the flat lands of central Illinois in early winter, you might be tempted to perceive that not much goes on out here. You might be tempted to think that little parishes like St. Petri you see pictured above don’t necessarily do much or make much of a difference in this world. But when you’ve been in as many churches as I have, you pick up clues, and…

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Preperation - Advent 2023

I took this photo of one of my favorite Christmas gifts of all time for my sermon last week. The story that goes with it is that my young daughter asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I said, “Peace on earth.” Well, she came through; it is lovely, thoughtful, and one of my most treasured Christmas memories. I don’t know where she got it, but I do know thought and preparation went into this…

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Providing - Advent 2023

I don’t know when they started doing it, but I have been using a Lego Advent calendar for at least the last 6 or 7 years, I think. Behind each door, from December 1 until December 25, there is a little mini Lego Star Wars creation. What boggles my mind is that in each cellophane packet, all the pieces are necessary to make the day’s model. Hundreds of little pieces were provided in groups of 25,…

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Promise - Advent 2023

Sometimes, I think we forget what a miraculous place this world is. I purchased the contents of this box (shhhh they are Christmas gifts) not even a week ago, and it shows up on my front door today all the way from Hawaii. I didn’t pay extra for shipping. This is a normal rate; USPS delivery is absolutely amazing. When I ordered these items, they promised they would be here for Christmas, but…

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Peace - Advent 2023

This is Freyja; she has shown up here before. I love this little fuzz ball, but peace is not always the word that comes to mind when I think of her: livewire, loud, and bossy…yes, but peace, almost never! But today, as I awoke from my post-liturgical nap, there she was, waiting peacefully, not barking, not jumping, not acting up, just chilling. Today, the Gospel is the first chapter of Mark,…

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Recreate - Advent 2023

This is what you get today! I am in serious need of re-creation and, maybe even more importantly, rest! So, just a brief explanation of the photo. I believe these sprinkles are at least 20 years old, if not much older, and we have moved them at least three times! I took this picture not for any profound spiritual reason but because it brought me joy. Well, maybe it is spiritual, for Joy is a…

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Select - Advent 2023

This photo is of the station selector for one of my old radios. I have a small collection of them, and someday, I hope to get around to restoring them, but until then, they just look pretty. While I love my digital technology, there is just something satisfying about a mechanical tuner. This one, in particular, with its design, is quite fun and allows for some finesse and style whilst tuning in…

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