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I find song lyrics can be quite interesting. In the uplifting hymn, “O Holy Night,” I love the promise that this anthem delivers! Surely, it offers the “thrill of hope,” and the next phrase about the “new and glorious morn” captures the promise. For…
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I was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church. I have no recollection of my baptism. All I have are photos of the day I was baptized and a baptismal certificate. I was raised in a loving Catholic family. I attended Catholic schools through high…
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“In a dark time, the eye begins to see” -Theodore Roethke Fifty years is a long time to be married, but yet not long enough. Bud and I had hoped for more, with fun plans for the future. One March evening in 2014, we had a lovely dinner out with frien…
Thinking back on memories and traditions help make Christmastime so special. I know I can recall happy memories from my childhood, as well as many magical years of memories Josh and I have had with our three girls. I love watching them come down the…
St. Paul presents….a Christmas light show! Come to the parking lot across the street from the South Lawn, tune into 98.3 FM on your radio dial. A 15-minute program with music and a story, featuring St. Paul people, begins on each quarter hour, from…
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In the words of the famous philosopher, Jon Bon Jovi, “Miracles happen every day, change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.” The birth of our Savior to a virgin obviously qualifies as a miracle. I would love to s…
Like many kids growing up in the west end of Davenport, I enjoyed playing baseball and football and one day hoped to play in the NFL. One of two brothers, separated by less than 13 months, raised by a police officer and a nurse, we were neither poor…
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A few years ago I met a friend for coffee. We ordered our drinks and sat down and my friend cut to the chase. “How are you?” she asked with a certain pointedness that suggested she wasn’t interested in small talk. “Work is hard,” I said. The church I…
As we wait to celebrate the birth of Christ, gather online on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. for Hope in the Darkness: An Advent Cantata. Featuring video of original music by Bill Campbell, contemporary music director, and readings from St. Paul people,…
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As a teenager, I recall the time when our rural church decided to create a Christmas Eve production involving all youth of the church from four or five years of age through high schoolers. For the congregation it was a “big deal” as we had not previo…
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is praised” – Psalm 113:3 During the summer of 2019, I served at a nonprofit mission camp in Tennessee. I worked to serve the Lord, serve the people in the Cumberland Plateau, and the v…
A thrill of hope occurred right before Halloween, during the end of October, and when we had a small dusting of snow across the Midwest. I recall that the snow quickly melted by the afternoon that day, but the thrill of hope that I heard from my youn…