In this era of computer search engines, it doesn’t take much effort to learn what words and phrases do the heavy lifting in our language. The frequency with which certain words get used reveals a great deal about the culture we inhabit. Three psychol…
It was a pretty big crash. Jackie Chalmers was training for RAGBRAI – that big annual bike ride across the entire state of Iowa. She was on the Mississippi River trail on the Illinois side of the river. Her back tire hit a bump, and she went flying….
In an exploration of God’s faithfulness, commands, blessing, and legacy through the people of Israel, Katy Warren and Peter Marty will preach from excerpts of the Book of Deuteronomy — Aug 1 – Aug 23. Deuteronomy is a series of sermons preached by Mo…
Hiking. A visit to McDonald’s. Moutaintops. Playing outside. A salt mine. A castle. A farmer’s market. Ice cream. The Bergert family – David, Ewelina, Jonathan, Jacob – sunk themselves into all sorts of experiences during their summer vacation this y…
From the Turkish marble city where the Apostle Paul spent three years of his ministry, to the Greek city of Corinth which inspired his most important letter, and countless beautiful places in between, Pastor Peter Marty will be the lecturing host for…
Ryan Bailey will begin work on Sunday, Aug. 9, as the director of faith formation. In that role, Ryan’s daily life will mean time spent with confirmation students, adult learning on Sundays and throughout the week, and guiding the programs that engag…
He calls it Taco Hector. Hector Reyna loves to cook. He makes enchiladas and tacos and sandwiches and all sorts of other delicious things. He smiles big when he talks of his creations. “Some people have Taco Bell,” he said. “We have Taco Hector.” The…
Albert introduced himself as a homeless man living on the streets of Detroit after a fire in his apartment. He was eager to tell his story of what life was like living on the streets. We were patient listeners until he came to his pitch about donatin…
ChurchJazz, a Chicago-based jazz ministry, will come to paint the town jazz at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Sunday, July 26. This group of veteran musicians will play the Chicago Jazz Mass at the 9:20 and 11 a.m. services at St. Paul. It is free and o…
Poetry, she says, allows her to focus on little things that are overlooked, to slow down. Holly Norton writes about the satirical, the funny, the sad, the joyous, the absurd. “You slow down and end up really learning about the people around you. You…
It’s just a simple brown metal shed on the outside. Along the gravel road of Camp Shalom, the Craft Barn is tucked into the trees. A creeky door greets visitors. And so does Emily Crowe. “Welcome to the Craft Barn!” she says as a crew of kids on thei…
Under a blue sky, surrounded by green fields, little ones took turns climbing on the green and red tractors. They were welcomed to the Paustian family farm north of Walcott by Mike and Amy, and their kids Zachary, Elizabeth, and Madeline. The crew of…