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Last week, on one of those evenings when it was just too muggy to do much of anything outside, my son asked to have a family art night. We all love to make stuff, but my son, Amos, is the only one among us who has any drawing skills. So, to make it m…
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I recently found myself sitting with friends around a firepit for the first time this season, and I was captivated by the simplicity of the moment. Faces illuminated with joy. Laughter came from every direction as people reconnected and caught up. Th…
Four St. Paul members and Quad Cities Honor Flight guardians and veterans share what it means to spend a day in service to those who served. Every May, June, and September, a charter flight lifts off from the Quad Cities International Airport in Moli…
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I’ve been thinking a lot about a podcast I listened to this past week, The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos. It was a re-aired episode from earlier in the year and a topic that often comes up in conversation with friends. This episode features yo…
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Deacon Joel Moore returns to St. Paul staff with a heart shaped by care, healing, connection, and 20-plus years of belonging. Joel grew up in a tight-knit, non-denominational church that steeped him in Scripture and community, then studied psychology…
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“Be like Locust Street, always working on yourself.” That was the text to the first Quad Cities-themed meme I saw after moving here. Surely it can’t be THAT bad, I thought. Two years in, maybe there is some truth in that meme. Just this week, as I…
Originally from Cedar Rapids, Rod spent much of his career in restaurant management, beginning in food service at 16 and stepping into leadership by 20. Over the years, he worked with Heart of America restaurants, including Thunder Bay Grill and Iowa…
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This week I celebrated 14 years of teaching Jazzercise. Jazzercise is a dance-based fitness program that has been around since the 1960s. It’s evolved from classic jazz dance aerobics into a full body fitness program. As an instructor, my role is to…
Today’s library is a community living room — filled with children, humming with purpose, stacked not only with books but with computers, DVDs, cake pans, instruments, karaoke machines and, yes, even a ghost hunting kit. Two women who know this better…
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Just over three weeks ago, a rather intriguing news alert came across my phone. The headline read: “For the first time in its 84-year history, the New York Times Magazine has printed an unsolvable crossword puzzle.” I’m not quite sure that was worthy…
St. Paul member Andrea Weter has been bringing creativity, faith, and service to St. Paul’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) for over a decade. Here’s the woman behind the felt, fabric, and fun. Andrea’s mind is on summer and has been for a few months alr…
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Scripture guides us to “be still” (Psalm 46:10) and trust. This is not an easy task and often takes some self-convincing when life throws us a curveball. Outside of our everyday anxieties and worries, there are moments in life when our heart feels he…