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I heard a story last week about a preschooler named George who would play a game he called Poison Meat Eater. To play, he would bare his teeth, put his hands up like claws, and make his way towards other kids in the classroom, looking like he was goi…
St. Paul is happy to welcome youth ministries intern, Haley Rhoads, to the St. Paul staff as the new full-time associate youth director. Haley has been a huge asset to growing the youth programming at St. Paul. The associate youth director is a newly…
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St. Paul youth and mentors renovate Youth and Booth Rooms In early January, youth ministry intern Haley Rhoads, along with congregation member Jack Miller, submitted a proposal to renovate the current Youth Room and Booth Room — two Lower Level rooms…
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Early in the pandemic, a musical theater duo known as The Bengsons recorded a simple song at their dining room table. In the “Keep Going on Song” they sing of losing their work as performers and moving in with their parents, but still, somehow, remem…
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After returning from a weeklong vacation several years ago, my wife and I were unloading the car inside our attached garage. After carrying in an assortment of luggage, Susan thought she spotted a rodent out of the corner of her eye. By her reckoning…
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A group of 20 freshmen and sophomore youth at St. Paul went through Youth Peer Ministry training during the month of February. Utilizing The National Peer Ministry Training Center’s curriculum, the group learned effective conversational and communica…
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I recently shined some of my shoes for the first time. The toes were scuffed every which way, and different cracks and creases had become more visible. In one spot the leather was even peeling away. The first step for me was figuring out what to use….
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Throughout this season of Lent, I have been taking time at the end of the day to pray. The goal was two-fold, to make space to listen to God, and to avoid absentmindedly scrolling through my phone at bedtime. It turns out that prayer is much better,…
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Lake Charles, La. On Aug. 27, 2020, St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lake Charles, La., was struck by Hurricane Laura. The damage to their building was immense. Their sanctuary was fully destroyed and the damage to their Fellowsh…
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“Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.” –2 Corinthians 7:10 It was a most curious feeling. After I received my first vaccination shot, I did not want to shout it out as a m…
On the Ice, The Lassers family If you happen to drive through this quiet northeastern Davenport neighborhood, you’ll notice something in the backyard of the Lassers family. Could it be an inground pool? They sure hope not. Two winters ago, Alex Lasse…
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Whenever it’s pizza night at our house, the biggest decision we usually have to make is whether to go with Canadian bacon & pineapple (the obvious, best pizza topping choice) or some other option. Sometimes we debate what size pizza we’ll…