Treasure Valley Prays

Reimagining Church Together
SHARING STORIES AND EXPLORING SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

We are ELCA leaders and pastors from the Treasure Valley and Northwest Intermountain Synod.
Together, we are reimagining and revisiting what it is to be church together.

Fullness and Emptiness

Justin Tigerman April 8, 2021 1 Comment

So many voices…so many perspectives…so many programs…so many to-dos… Just. So. Many. You’d think with as many things as we tend to have going on in our lives, ears, and schedules, that we would be filled by the abundance. Yet, so often, I feel drained and emptied. Maybe it’s the secret introvert in me, but

Finding Peace in the Chaos

Sara Manning April 7, 2021 No Comments

We recently marked one year since everything shut down initially here in Idaho. This past year has brought many moments of chaos and uncertainty as we have navigated life through a global pandemic. I often refer to riding the rollercoaster of pandemic life, riding the ups and downs that this year has brought. There are

The Smell of Love

Kelly Loy April 6, 2021 No Comments

How does this Easter smell to you? I am writing this as the smells from Easter dinner still fill my home, with leftover potatoes and ham, tart apples, and cool hard-boiled eggs of many colors. Outside the air seems to tempt me with whisps of spring’s freshness mingling with winter’s dry air, as some of

Christ is Risen!

Mary Riedl April 5, 2021 No Comments

Alleluia! He is Risen! He is risen, indeed!But could they see Jesus? In the days after the resurrection Jesus appears to people over and over again without fanfare, in their ordinary moments. And time after time, people who knew Jesus well don’t recognize him, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for hours. Jesus appears to

New Life

Diane McGeoch April 4, 2021 1 Comment

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Where in your surroundings do you see new life? In nature? In your relationships? In the stirring of the Holy Spirit? Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Alleluia! How can your prayer life rise up? Are there new rituals or practices you can try? Christ is

Joy Comes with the Morning!

Keith Hammer April 3, 2021 No Comments

Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.Psalm 30:5b Today we are in the midst of the Easter Three Days, the high point of the liturgical year beginning the evening of Maundy Thursday and continuing until the evening of Easter Sunday. These three days are a single celebration that mark the

Good Friday Worship – Region 1 ELCA

tvprays April 2, 2021 No Comments

We welcome you to this Good Friday service, shared with you by the bishops of Region 1 of the ELCA. You are encouraged to find a comfortable place to sit, light a candle, warm oil or burn incense. (Go to video)

Love received. Love shared

Heidi Gainan April 1, 2021 No Comments

“Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair…” John 12:3 “(Jesus) rose from the supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin

Running on Empty

Kathryn Baerwald March 31, 2021 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but for me, I’m running on empty spiritually. Here we are, half-way through Holy Week, and I’m feeling spent. As with most Lenten seasons, I start out with the best of intentions. I no longer use Lent as a time to lose weight or walk more as a discipline. I

Older

Linda Worden March 30, 2021 No Comments

I’ll start with a compliment to Culver’s restaurant in Meridian. A friend and I recently indulged in the turtle sundae at Culver’s, and I have nothing but praise for that taste treat. The employee who took our order gave us the “young lady” discount, which we happily accepted. As we took our sundaes to the

Jesus driving the merchants from the temple

Into The Temple And Beyond

John Hergert March 29, 2021 1 Comment

“Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Mark 11:11 This is the concluding verse of yesterday’s Palm Sunday Gospel. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and made his way to the pinnacle, the very

What is Holy Week For You?

Bob Parrish March 28, 2021 1 Comment

In the church I grew up in on the West Side of Chicago, a church that worshipped about twelve hundred people on a Sunday in the mid-summer, Palm Sunday marked the ramping up to very busy week. There were twenty-four services beginning at seven in the morning of Palm Sunday and ending at one in

God’s Best Work

Susan Bruns Rowe March 27, 2021 3 Comments

One of my heroes—both in writing and for her spiritual wisdom— is a woman by the name of Pat Schneider. Recently I wrote a profile about Pat for the online magazine Literary Mama. During this past week of Lent we were looking at what it means to be in community with people on the margins. Pat

Expectation Versus Reality: the Passion Story

Di Seba March 26, 2021 No Comments

Sunday will be Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion. Growing up, Palm Sunday was one of my favorite Sundays of the year. I loved waving palms, I loved how the children in the story played such an important part, and I loved the celebration. Who can resist a parade? Especially one with all the bright promise