June Newsletter

Dear Family and Friends of Trinity,

   I am going camping over the Memorial Day Weekend.  I am sure many of you are thinking that is a great way to spend the weekend. Unfortunately, I hate camping.  My idea of “roughing it” is the Holiday Inn without room service. I have never liked camping which meant I always felt like such a liar on the Sundays I was suppose to promote church camp to kids and tell them “It will be one of the best experiences of your life”.

My church camp days were awful, totally awful.  AND, I have never understood the charm or taste of grilled foods or foods cooked over an open fire either, the exception being a hot dog burnt black and smothered in mustard.

  So,  you may be asking, “Why are you going camping?”.  The answer is simple: because as much as I dislike camping, I truly care about the people who have invited me to go with them, and I would not hurt their feelings for anything .They are so excited that I am going with them, I couldn’t say “no”.  Many years ago, when I was a college chaplain, and the woman was a student, I helped to save her life, and she is very important to me, as is her family.  Camping is important to them, they are important to me, so I am going camping.

 We often do things for people we care about even though, in all honesty, we would rather be somewhere else, doing something else.  I have a dear friend who truly dislikes county and state fairs, and livestock shows of any kind but her daughter loved showing livestock at all of them and so for years my friend went to every show in which her daughter was an exhibitor.  One of the happiest days of her life came when her daughter became too old to exhibit in 4-H or FFA!  Wives often cook foods they dislike because they know it is a favorite of their husband or children.  Husbands put up with throw pillows on sofas and piles of pretty pillows on the bed because they are important to their wife’s sense of décor.  We go to plays and movies we would rather not see and listen to music we would rather not hear, because it is important to someone we love.

   Jesus did not want to die—if we think He did, we misread Scripture and misunderstand His humanity.  In the Garden of Gethsemane  He prayed that He might not have to die.  BUT, He loved His Father and was obedient to Him and His will for us.  Jesus died because He loved us!!  Jesus rose from the dead because He loved us…and loves us still.  Next time someone asks you to do something you really don’t want to do, if you love them, think about that.

  Pastor Penny