Evan Gaertner

I am a husband, father, pastor, triathlete, soccer player, and hopeful that all of that will fit into every day.

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

USA! America plays soccer today!

[Jonathan Petzold @J_Petzold]

I think that I'm going to end up more disappointed in our Synod than in whoever wins the election. The things people are willing to say about brothers in Christ are things that shouldn't even be thought...much less posted openly online (mostly on Facebook).

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

The amount of spam texts and phone calls I’ve received in the last week has skyrocketed. What gives?

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

What will just war look like? https://t.co/RoRIZQm4fj

[USMNT Only @usmntonly]

The USMNT vs. Belgium game is gonna be tough to watch with both teams wearing white 😭

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

I find the white backside of the USA jerseys hard to distinguish from the Belgium jerseys when the camera shows the players facing away from the camera.

[S.🎧 @1ssve]

apple there has to be a better way to add an iPhone app to a folder than chasing said folder round the screen as it carries out fighter jet level evasive manoeuvres

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

I am tired of made up quotes and stories on this app that cause me consistent doubt about what people post. Sadly, satire and parody are not as easy to discern in this age of wacky events.

[Brian Allen @allenanalysis]

Mitch McConnell just said the quiet part out loud on Greenland:

We already have everything we need.
Greenland already cooperates.
Our Arctic access already exists.

What Trump is proposing isn’t strategy, it’s burning allied trust for nothing.

“Incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies” is not strength. It’s self-sabotage.

[Morgan Tencza @morgantencza]

For all my MLS friends who got MLS Season Pass through T-Mobile last year, it’s set to auto renew and charge $99 if you don’t cancel 🚨🚨🚨

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

Sicario is a good movie. I like the tension of wanting to do everything and the feeling nothing will make a difference.

[Chris Paavola @chris_paavola]

🔻 July is the lowest–attended month of the year for churches.

Pastor, emotional health means:

DON’T:
- blame yourself
- blame your team
- count who isn’t there
- catastrophize

DO:
- give thanks for who comes
- work hard for them
- be present
- enjoy the slower pace
- pray

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

@PastorSharp Maybe bring your own knife sharpener

[richard @richard_normal]

if you respond to emails and teams messages quickly then you can get away with basically anything at work

[McNeil @REFLOG18]

“On Sunday when the nation has work off all day we will play half the March Madness games after 9 pm.”

“Why not just play them all during the day?”

“Nobody knows.”

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Q&A on Ash Wednesday

Q: Why do Christians observe Ash Wednesday?
A: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance and reflection. It reminds us of our mortality and our need for Christ.

Q: Why do people have ashes placed on their foreheads?
A: The ashes, in the shape of a cross, are a visible sign of repentance and a reminder of the words spoken: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Q: Isn’t it strange to have ashes smeared on our heads?
A: It may seem strange, but it is a deeply meaningful act. From baptism onward, we daily practice dying to self, and Ash Wednesday is a public acknowledgment of that truth.

Q: Didn’t Jesus say we shouldn’t disfigure our faces when fasting (Matt. 6:16-18)?
A: Yes, but his warning was against hypocrisy, not visible signs of faith. If applied to Ash Wednesday, it would also forbid outward Christian marks such as cross necklaces or Bible-verse clothing. Wearing a cross—whether on our forehead, our neck, or in our front yard—is a way of proclaiming that we belong to Christ.

Q: What does Ash Wednesday teach us about life and death?
A: We remember that we, mortal creatures, beset by sin, weak and failing and falling apart, will one day join those innumerable others who have gone before us, whose bodies now lie beneath the soil. We live in repentance and faith, knowing that one day, to dust we shall return.

Q: Is Ash Wednesday only about death?
A: No. The ashes also remind us of Christ’s sacrifice. Just as the cross is traced on our foreheads, a crown of thorns was placed on his brow as he bore our sins.

Q: How does baptism relate to Ash Wednesday?
A: The same heads that bear ashes today were once washed in baptism. We are dust, but we are dust that has had water poured upon it, Spirit breathed into it, so that in Jesus we became the ever-living, ever-forgiven, ever-beloved children of our Father.

Q: What makes Ash Wednesday both strange and beautiful?
A: It is a day of contrasts—mourning our sin yet rejoicing in salvation, acknowledging our death yet remembering eternal life in Christ. It is a day to repent, reflect, and rest in the love of God.

[Hans Fiene 🦬 @HansFiene]

I get the sense that a lot of people didn't know before a couple days ago that religious charities get a bunch of government grants and, ok fine not a big deal if you didn't know that, but probably not a great idea to say it's a terrible thing we gotta kill just cuz Elon said so

[Travis Grulke @TGrulke]

We begin one of best weeks of the school year! For those that celebrate in March, that's one of our favorites as well:) #LuthED

[Evan Gaertner @therevev]

@chris_paavola About $3,350 per attendee per year for 2023-2024 fiscal budget at Our Shepherd in Birmingham, MI.

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

In all my years of pastoring, I have learned this lesson: a person’s spiritual maturity is not truly visible until they DON’T get their way. Then you see the person.

—@ErikReed