A Personal Hope...for all of us.

(image from http://pennsylvaniaflyfishing.blogspot.com/2007/11/beartooth-mountain-serenade.html)

On Friday, I had the great honor of being invited to speak at Travis Engstrom's funeral. He is the man who died at Crown Butte (pictured above) last weekend. Kelly, his lovely wife, and his 5-month old son, Kaden, were at Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, MT. Surrounding them were friends, in-laws, family and acquaintances. It was a great and comforting thing to see. During the service, several people got up and commented on what a giving and loving person Travis was. I have never met Travis, but as I looked around that room, I saw over 350 people there for one person. Most of them were around 35 years old and almost all of them considered Travis a good friend. In the center of all of this sat Kelly with Kaden. My hope and wish as I sat there would be that all of us could have that kind of impact and support in a tragic situation. Better, after having lived a full and fulfilled life, that all of us would have 350 people at our funeral or memorial service. I was touched and moved deeply. Even though I have never met Travis, through him I got to know his wonderful family and was able to see a powerful example of what it means to be loved and loving in this world. May peace be with Travis and may blessings and peace surround his family and friends.
Peace!
Pastor Seth

PS: Comments have been fixed to allow anyone to comment. Sorry for any confusion!

Wild Week In Cooke City

Our little town had a crazy week that unfortunately ended in tragedy.
On Wednesday night, the house at Elkhorn Lodge blew up. You read that right. There was a propane leak and something triggered an explosion that several people in town thought was an earthquake. The explosion pushed out the floor and the bottom of the house, moving the whole thing off its foundation. Jan and I went into town after hearing about it. The woman who was in the house, by the grace of God, had only a bruised hip...after being thrown across the living room into the opposite wall. She walked out of the house. That was a good ending to what could have been a horrifying accident.
The horrifying accident happened on Saturday night when the Crown Butte avalanched. It was a huge break and it took a new father with it as his wife watched from below. It took several hours of searching to find him. 35 people were on the mountain - everyone who could in Cooke City went out to help. I was deeply moved by how willing people were to help out. A few people even came in on Saturday asking if there was any way they could help. The wife had friends and family here and I stayed with them until they left town. It was a very sad, very troubling situation, particularly since the snowmobilers were highly experienced and well-trained.
So if you are reading this, please include our little town in your prayers - prayers of thanks for protecting those who work here and prayers of healing and comfort to those who lost a loved one this weekend.
Peace!
Pastor Seth

-27 And Sunny

We have had several snowstorms over the past 2 weeks. The clearer photograph is from a week and a half ago. The fuzzy picture is a picture of Cooke City during the storm on New Years Eve. We went to Buns n' Beds for their delicious New Years Eve dinner. It was crowded and fun. Jan and Leo made an excellent dinner of prime rib, potatoes, salad, bread and cheesecake. It was a fun way to ride out a powerful winter storm. The winds picked up to about 45 mph sustained with gusts of 65-75 mph. Rhiannon was a little frightened by it all, but I went out into the adventure to snowshoe on New Years Day.

This morning, it was -27 when I woke up. The dog would have nothing to do with it and she went back to bed, probably the smartest one in the family. I was impressed though, that the Cooke Pass contingent braved the cold for church this morning. They had to snowmobile into town, then they all climbed into one truck. It was the only one that would start.

But the sun was bright and the skies were clear, so it seemed warmer than it was and it made everything look sharp and beautiful.

This morning we talked about God's will and intent for us in our lives. We can only understand this when we understand Jesus as God incarnate and what that means for us. First and foremost, it doesn't mean a bunch of rules, a perfect doctrine, the right church or a really good preacher. It means a relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God - directly.

I try to update the website with the sermon text and announcements every week. If you see something that needs to be changed or you would like to see something else over at www.mountrepublicchapel.org, just let me know.
Peace!
Pastor Seth