On Sunday, I had the opportunity to worship with the community at the contemporary worship service of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. St. Andrew’s is a congregation much larger than Trinity, but I would describe their congregational culture and style as being very similar. They have a beautiful, giant sanctuary, and then a … More Worshiping at St. Andrew’s Lutheran in Mahtomedi
On Sunday, after I worshipped at North Point Community Church, I had a chance to connect with Pastor Andrew Lewis, his wonderful spouse, Suzanne, and their 10 month old baby, Junia. Many of you will remember that Pastor Andrew was once “Intern Andrew” at Trinity, and was a wonderful and deeply appreciated part of our … More The Martin Luther King Center
A question I wonder about a lot is: “When God imagines Trinity in the days to come, what does God see?” Our leadership has spent a lot of time thinking…and praying about this question. We are confident in our mission, (Remember the mission? “Through Jesus’ love we welcome, connect, learn and serve.”) But what does it look like to be … More God’s Vision for Trinity
If you drive along Minnesota’s north shore, 30-40 minutes up highway 61 past Duluth, you will come to the lovely little town of Two Harbors. When you get to Two Harbors, you take a right onto Waterfront Drive, and go until you get about half-way down the hill, towards Lake Superior. You will come to the intersection … More Them and Us
In the spring of 2014, our family was living in Maple Grove, when I was in the call process to become the pastor here at Trinity. Shortly after the call process was complete, and we knew that our family was moving to Owatonna, Pastor Peter Strommen, who was the interim pastor here at the time, invited … More A Change in Perspective
This week, we’re continuing our 8-week sermon series called “Truths Along the Way.” Our series is focusing on the truths Jesus taught through the parables. In today’s Gospel reading, you may recognize the story of “The Parable of the Talents.” It is a parable about a master who entrusts his servants with his property before heading off … More You’re Going to Need a Bigger Box
“If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see … More Seeing Each Other
At their confirmation retreat a couple of weeks ago, our 10th graders had the opportunity to ask faith questions about things they were still wondering about. We discussed as many as we could, but I said that I would try and answer the questions that remained on my blog over the next few weeks. Here … More 10th Grade Faith Questions Part III
Life is interesting in the Buegler household, right now. With Nathan being a high school senior this fall, he is in the thick of the college search process. Every day brings 4-8 pieces of mail from colleges and universities all over the country, trying to catch his attention and make their case that their campus … More Through God’s Eyes
Trinity is a high-energy congregation, and it seems like everything is changing…all the time. And that’s ok. Change doesn’t scare us…we embrace the ongoing movement of God’s Spirit in our community. But I want to make sure that in the midst of transition, we communicate well with the congregation about what is going on, and … More TableTalk on Sunday Morning
Test Driving Theology 