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Editors who are good at titling articles and books look for attention-grabbing headlines. They want to persuade readers to read on. A favorite book title on my bookshelf comes from poet and friend Luci Shaw: The Crime of Living Cautiously. You don’t…
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Today, or sometime this week, many of us will pause to observe Thanksgiving. We will reflect on the blessings we can count in our lives. We will take a break from the humdrum patterns of daily life and from the persistent intrusions of bad news into…
As long as we’ve known each other, we’ve liked to throw a party. Whether it is a birthday, wedding, baptism, or even just celebrating a day that ends in “y”, we love to invite people into our home and share food, fun, and fellowship. Sharing our boun…
St. Paul members Mike and Amy Paustian view themselves as caretakers of the family farmland, caring for the soil and creating opportunities for future generations of farmers. Turning in just past the big blue diesel tank of the world’s largest truck…
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Earlier this fall, Mike Fitz was sitting at his computer gazing at a webcam streaming from Katmai National Park near Kodiak, Alaska. The stationary camera has been in place for years and often catches bears or other animals meandering around the pict…
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On Monday evening, I found myself stuck on I-90 in downtown Chicago. I had been visiting friends at my former university and, much to my chagrin, hadn’t paid attention to the time well enough to avoid the inevitable rush hour traffic. If you’ve never…
Autumn is the season when every St. Paul member is asked to make a financial commitment for the life and work of St. Paul in the coming year. The vitality of the church depends on the involvement and generous giving of every household. The pledges of…
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This weekend, our family went to see a local production by some amazingly talented youth and kids of the musical Matilda. The musical, based on the Roald Dahl book, tells the story of a girl who stands up to a bully schoolmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull. M…
Volunteers celebrate and lift up fair trade vendors in the Book Corner. Out of the Blue granola is tasty, natural, and handmade but it’s the women who bake this granola who are truly exceptional. Mixed into every bag, beyond dark chocolate and honey,…
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Here comes the rain, doo-doo-doo-doo! Ok, it doesn’t quite have the ring of the Beatles song, “Here Comes the Sun!” And sure, sunny days allow for playful outdoor activities without the mess of wet clothes and shoes. Yet, this morning, when I opened…
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Patty Herzberg is just the person you want in a leadership position during a time of change. Her highly organized but compassionate spirit makes Patty an effective leader as she helps to guide the transition to a new senior pastor in 2024, offering s…
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I’m always learning something new, but this week I learned something big. At least it seems big to me. The human eyeball, especially in children (though also in the rest of us), can get physically reshaped by excessive screen time. That screen time w…