pandemic Archives - Treasure Valley Prays

That They Might Lovely Be

Post author:Kathryn Baerwald
Post published:April 13, 2022
Post category:Kathryn Baerwald REFLECTION
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16th Street NW in Washington, DC, north of the White House and to the Maryland State Line, is sometimes referred to as the street of churches. There are Catholic and Orthodox churches; synagogues and a Christian Science Reading Room; just about every variety of Protestant churches you can imagine, as well as gathering places for people of a variety of beliefs. 16th Street is also a meridian from which surveyors in the 1700’s and 1800’s measured the distance between north/south roads. It is…

What We Have Learned

Post author:Meggan Manlove
Post published:February 9, 2022
Post category:Meggan Manlove REFLECTION
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I read an article online that encouraged congregations to not let the current moment pass by before taking some time to reflect on what we have learned during the last year (or two). Here’s a share-out from meetings/gatherings during January, 2022 at Trinity Lutheran, Nampa:Worship Altar Guild and MusicWe’ve become adaptableThings can be simplerCommunion adaptations have gone wellWe are now ready to bring back some thingsGospel and GrowthWe need repeated, frequent contact with God and our church family; that contact was maintained through…

Hope Arising…

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:January 28, 2022
Post category:DEVOTION Keith Hammer
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“… (Jesus) passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” Luke 4:30 In recent months I’ve had the occasion to interact with persons in our health care system—from the persons who greet me when I check in for an appointment to the those who care for me in the hospital and examination rooms. I’ve been struck numerous times with this thought: “This terrible pandemic has actually made these persons better people!” They interact with me in caring, committed, professional, and…

Your Hands Care for Us

Post author:tvprays
Post published:November 4, 2021
Post category:REFLECTION tvprays
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AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS from the Treasure Valley Cluster of Churchesof the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America This letter first appeared in two local Boise, Idaho papers, The Idaho Statesman and The Idaho Press on October 1, 2021. Though we would wish it otherwise, it remains relevant, and we hope it will continue to be an encouragement for those who care for us, and for us to care for them. In our daily work as pastors and faith community…

Transition!

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:May 30, 2021
Post category:Keith Hammer
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As you see in the previous post, we are in transition here at TVPrays.org this summer as to the frequency of the posting of these devotions. Beginning tomorrow, May 31, we will be posting devotions Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week through the end of August.Living with and in transition is often a disquieting and uncomfortable experience. We have been learning that acutely since the pandemic officially began now more than 15 months ago.While the pandemic appears to be subsiding in our communities…

Spring of 2020

Post author:Linda Worden
Post published:May 25, 2021
Post category:Linda Worden
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This is a story about how I found spiritual support on the internet during the first part of the Covid crisis. First, I make a disclaimer. Social media activities that work for me may not be helpful or appropriate for you. Please use the internet with discernment and caution!In the middle of March, 2020, the Treasure Valley started a Covid lockdown. We all experienced abrupt changes. The last day I worked as a substitute teacher was March 12. Our lockdown was announced a…

sign of the fish

Trust the Road

Post author:Heidi Gainan
Post published:April 21, 2021
Post category:Heidi Gainan
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“Trust in the Lord, with all your heart,on your own intelligence rely not;In all your ways be mindful of God,And God will make straight your paths.”Proverbs 3:5-6The pandemic is officially over a year old and hasn’t it been full of unknowns and surprises? Think about what was going on in our lives one year ago. Things were suddenly closed down. Grocery store shelves were empty. A scary disease, we didn’t know anything about, lurked behind every cough or sneeze. Information seemed to be…

budding daffodils

Bread and Daffodils

Post author:Linda Worden
Post published:April 20, 2021
Post category:Linda Worden
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Spring has come again. The earth is like a child, who knows poems; oh, so many . . . Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus Last fall, I planted daffodil bulbs in the front flower bed of the house I had just purchased. I was so excited about having my own home, and being able to plant bulbs again, I sent away for over 200 bulbs. When they arrived, I started digging holes, and discovered that the bark mulch was covering a concrete-like…

Finding Peace in the Chaos

Post author:Sara Manning
Post published:April 7, 2021
Post category:Sara Manning
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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 times when the chaos of it all can feel overwhelming and it is hard to see a light at the end of this tunnel. When we are in…

Lenten Presence

Post author:Sarah Henthorn
Post published:March 1, 2021
Post category:Sarah Henthorn
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Usually, Lent is my favorite season of the church calendar. I enjoy the weight of it. It’s a time where we embrace the sweeping grandeur of the Christian story. Lent feels like we are trying to embrace both the beginning and the end while holding space for all the messiness of the in between and you never quite know if your arms will stretch that far. It’s a time where we speak hard truths and tell long stories. We remind each other that…

Nothing Left to Give.

Post author:Sara Manning
Post published:February 21, 2021
Post category:Sara Manning
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We are quickly closing in on a year since the world as we knew it changed out from under us due to a global pandemic. Throughout this year we have ridden the ups and downs of ever changing recommendations and restrictions to how we live our daily lives and how we interact with others. We have lived the ups and downs of mental and emotional exhaustion brought by living through a pandemic. Finding many moments when we feel like we have nothing left…

Allowing Time in Lent

Post author:Kelly Loy
Post published:February 18, 2021
Post category:Kelly Loy
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The season of Lent began yesterday, did you make it to one of our local Lutheran churches who did “Ashes on the Go” for your Ash Wednesday? Or did you find a time in your home or workspace to remember the day? Or did the day move past you in the usual fashion, and perhaps now you are feeling a twinge of regret for missing it, as I mention it? I always will remember one Ash Wednesday when I was living and working…

Called to Community

Post author:Susan Bruns Rowe
Post published:February 17, 2021
Post category:Susan Bruns Rowe
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. In our Lenten services and readings we are going to be hearing about community—how we are called not only to be in communion with God, but to live in community with each other and with all of creation.When I was in graduate school I took a course on political theory. I remember studying two opposing schools of thought. One, called communitarianism, held that the well-being of a community should be a higher priority than the…

Migration and Movement

Post author:Diane McGeoch
Post published:February 15, 2021
Post category:Diane McGeoch
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What would it mean for Christians to rediscover their faith not as a system of beliefs, but as a just and generous way of life, rooted in contemplation and expressed in compassion, that makes amends for its mistakes, and is dedicated to community for all? Could Christians migrate from defining their faith as a system of beliefs to expressing it as a loving way of life? Brian McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration The word migration has deep meaning for me. In a sense,…

Simple Serving

Post author:Kelly Loy
Post published:January 29, 2021
Post category:Kelly Loy
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I am thinking about my Grandma today. And I am thinking about Communion. I miss Communion in our churches, all of us coming together at the Lord’s Table for the Holy Supper with our hands and hearts open to receive. I miss the regular connecting with Jesus, in/with the bread and the wine, and feeling the presence of all the saints also with us in the meal as I rub shoulders with others next to me. I miss kneeling and expressing my heart’s…

The Path Behind and Ahead

Post author:Kat Tigerman
Post published:January 19, 2021
Post category:Kat Tigerman
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"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1b-3a)Sunday was Faith Lutheran Church’s annual meeting. We held it…

Mini Lop Rabbit Breed

All Creatures Great and Small

Post author:Kelly Loy
Post published:January 9, 2021
Post category:Kelly Loy
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Did you grow up learning children’s songs at church? One of the earliest hymns I learned was “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” whose words were written by Mrs. Cecil Alexander around 1848 in a collection of hymns for children. The tune I learned is often paired with the words she wrote, a melody coming from a century earlier than that. You can find it in our blue “With One Voice” hymnal #767, and the final verse is “God gave us eyes to see…

TV Prays Story

Post author:tvprays
Post published:January 8, 2021
Post category:tvprays
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Friday, March 13, 2020, marked the start of something new. Pastor Meggan Manlove at Trinity Lutheran Church in Nampa, Idaho, received an email that the regular regional meeting of pastors, deacons, and youth ministers scheduled for the following Monday would be switching from in-person to Zoom. When the meeting arrived, the leaders had plenty to talk about. Most of their congregations had just pivoted to online worship the day before as the world entered a pandemic. But because they were already curious about…

All Shall Be Well

Post author:Kent Schaufelberger
Post published:January 6, 2021
Post category:Kent Schaufelberger
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During my college career I sang with a variety of choral groups. During my senior year I had the opportunity to sing with a small group of 16 men. I recall one short piece which included the words “…and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” These hopeful words came from the writings of the 14th century mystic, Julian of Norwich, who evidently was the first woman to write a book in English, a book she rewrote twenty…

Epiphany Blessings

Post author:Gretchen Bingea
Post published:January 5, 2021
Post category:Gretchen Bingea
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Since the pandemic I have officiated at three baptisms. These baptisms didn't look like any other ones that I’ve presided over before. They weren't held during a regular Sunday morning service. Instead, they were smaller gatherings with mostly just family members present. Two of them were held outside in the Immanuel courtyard and one inside the sanctuary. All of them were with masks and social distancing. What I missed about them, was having the congregation present to be able to offer their promise…

The Embodiment of Hope

Post author:Sarah Henthorn
Post published:December 27, 2020
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“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (God with Us!)

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:December 19, 2020
Post category:Keith Hammer
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O come, O come, O Lord of might, as to your tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times you gave the law in cloud, and majesty, and awe. Rejoice, Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel. You may recognize this verse as one from the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” a hymn that is beloved by many of us. The words of the hymn come from the “O Antiphons” that have been sung in the church since at least the…

Unexpected Blessings

Post author:Kelly Loy
Post published:November 25, 2020
Post category:Kelly Loy
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Have you ever been traveling and found that you did not have the money you needed to get where you needed to go? When I was in seminary years ago, I had the good fortune to travel abroad for a cross-cultural class. Pastor Jerry Schmalenberger had been teaching at the seminary in Hong Kong and led a class for us there during the month of January. Part of our experiences included meeting several Lutheran missionaries who were assigned to Hong Kong and facilitated…

Hope Springs Eternal

Post author:Gretchen Bingea
Post published:November 17, 2020
Post category:Gretchen Bingea
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It was the first time in months that I saw a medical doctor smiling on TV while talking about the corona virus. The news had just broken that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine may be 90% effective. In a world desperate to bring the deadly outbreak under control, this was "hope in a bottle," as the doctor put it. And then today, just as I was about to write this devotion, another company, Moderna, reported that their vaccine, at 94%, had been tested as even…

Love Your Neighbors

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:November 2, 2020
Post category:Keith Hammer
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Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31 “…the justice/righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. Romans 3:22 This devotion is being written ten days before the US election and is intended to be posted the day before the election, November 2. However, because it will serve as a backup, it is possible that it could be…

God Bless You With Foolishness

Post author:Susan Bruns Rowe
Post published:October 25, 2020
Post category:Susan Bruns Rowe
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Last weekend I attended (virtually) the consecration of Deaconess Sara Manning, youth director and member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. It has been a privilege to get to know and serve with Sara on the board of Luther Heights Bible Camp for several years. As I listened to Sara take her deaconess vows and sang along to hymns with more than 70 people watching the service on Zoom from around the world, I felt uplifted by the ceremony and renewed. Watching…

Holiday Havoc in Pandemic Times

Post author:Kelly Preboski
Post published:October 19, 2020
Post category:Kelly Preboski
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My heart is a bit heavy these days in anticipation of the next few months and all the holidays that will also likely be disrupted by the continued COVID-19 pandemic. We simply have missed so many events and traditions already, from graduations to summer vacations to back-to-school activities. It is a lot to take in, process, and move beyond. In the coming weeks, my family will engage in conversations about the holiday traditions we love most. My crew is likely to roll their…

A Place for Everything

Post author:Casey Cross
Post published:October 17, 2020
Post category:Casey Cross
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There are so many things I love about this time of year – the weather, the trees, the crisp days and scarves. I just love it all. One of the things I have been embracing this fall is my deep-rooted desire to organize. This organizing, structured side to myself is always around, but I don’t think I usually let it step up as much as it has lately. I am sure one big reason for this is that I realize it is a…

Pandemic’s Lesson

Post author:Paul Olsen
Post published:October 13, 2020
Post category:Paul Olsen
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https://youtu.be/xmIHqbO6_Ig Matthew 20 21, 22 Well, this week in Lutheran churches, Jesus gets into politics again. Seems like Jesus was always breaking that social rule about avoiding religion and politics in polite company. Of course, the company was anything but polite in the gospel story we will hear on Sunday— or rather, it was polite to the point of saccharine, as the religious and politic leaders of the day try to trip Jesus up with a tough question: Is it lawful to pay…

Evergreen Stories

Post author:Gretchen Bingea
Post published:October 9, 2020
Post category:Gretchen Bingea
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We are now well into fall, and as the name of this season rightly describes, the leaves have begun falling from the trees. I always get a wistful feeling at this time of year. The hopefulness of spring when green buds emerged and grew, has now given way to colorful displays of yellow, orange, and red, which will soon die and fall to the ground leaving bare branches behind. Winter is on the horizon and with it will come colder, darker days. Yet…