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Judging from the photographs taken on Inauguration Day, the Bible in Jill Biden’s hands for the swearing-in ceremony must have been at least 10 pounds. With a five-inch thick binding and metal clasps to hold the pages together, that was one big Bible…
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2-4 p.m. Come play in the snow! On Sunday, Jan. 24, a group of 678 youth will gather for outdoor fun at Snowstar in Andalusia. Families are invited to join them for an afternoon of socially-distanced camaraderie. Families should regi…
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Among the more wondrous moments of 2020 was the appearance of the “Christmas star” in the early evening southwestern sky. People from many walks of life and across the planet took note of that infrequent conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn – the solar…
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On one of the bookshelves in my office sits a small piece of driftwood. I picked it up along the shores of northern Lake Michigan while on vacation several years ago. It was a beautiful long weekend at a cabin with good friends where we enjoyed lots…
“To everything there is a season….” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) The Preacher, as the author of Ecclesiastes is known, penned a hymn to the truth of natural cycles: a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, a time to harvest; etc. As we enter fall,…
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Who do you think of when you think of people with deep courage? I don’t mean gutsy, boastful people full of braggadocio. I mean individuals who possess profound internal trust in whatever their calling is at the moment. When friends and I used to dar…
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Recently on a trail walk through the woods of Scott County Park, my daughter decided to break into an all-out run. After cruising up a big hill, she stopped, panting. She looked back over her shoulder at me and said, “I’m tired!” “Do you want to get…
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One of my children’s favorite books is called Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. It tells of Sylvester, a donkey, who finds a red magic pebble that makes wishes come true. It’s all fun and games until Sylvester wishes himself to be a rock, in order to e…
For four weeks beginning Wednesday, July 10, St. Paul Lutheran Church’s Mental Health Awareness Team will host a midsummer mental health movie series. Come and watch a movie and join in discussion afterwards. Movies begin at 6:30 p.m., popcorn includ…
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There is a strong human desire to reciprocate when it comes to “balancing the score” for victims of mass murder. Executing heinous killers makes significant emotional and intuitive sense. Most of us feel rage when reacting to the awfulness of a crime…
On Sunday, while I sat on the floor coloring giant Disney posters with my children, I overheard my parents telling John what I was like as a child. There were a few chuckles, stories about the oddball things that would come out of my mouth, and the o…
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In the great plains of South Africa, there’s a poor farming community called Nieu-Bethesda. One of the small houses stands out from the rest. The yard is full of statues – cement camels and mermaids, wise men and angels, and lots of owls. They are bi…