I lived in Spencer, Iowa, for most of my growing up years. My family attended Bethany Lutheran Church, and the church was an integral part of our lives. Attending church was very important to my parents. Even when we were traveling, we always found a…
As a person who has lived his entire working career outside, it’s obvious that light is a very important commodity to me and everyone around me. People use light in many different ways. We keep track of how long the sun will be up every day. When we…
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In households throughout the country, children have been taking part in the annual ritual of early December. They’re writing Christmas lists, full of the toys or books, clothes or gadgets they hope to receive under their tree. While they are writing,…
“The poverty simulation helped me realize how hard it is to not have enough money for daily items.” – McKenna Whitesides “Even though I lost the fast at 26 hours, I’m still hungry, tired, and cold.” – Ryan Thoreson “It’s the second day of the famine,…
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I have often been drawn to the way different words bring on certain feelings and emotions. Language is such an integral part of everything we do. Simply mention “hot chocolate,” and you can immediately make someone feel warmer or cozier. While just d…
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And to think – Ron Huber was not always going to be a pastor. Losing his father at age 15, Ron felt a sense of responsibility to his family farm in rural Minnesota. After farming with his uncle for a few years, a local pastor who had became like a su…
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For several summers I have tended the Madison School garden. The garden softens all that brick, concrete, and the asphalt play area and also serves as a welcome to kids who walk the sidewalk toward the building. The garden is a metaphor for renewal a…
It’s edgy riding a mountain bike trail in the deep dark forest with only the bike’s handle-bar-mounted headlight pushing its single beam through the nighttime darkness. Edgy for the rider whose eyes are straining to follow the never straight but alwa…
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Art by Sheila Mesick, given to raise money for clean water in Tanzania. One task I remember my grandmother attending to each morning was lifting up the window shades. The sunshi…
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This fall marked the passing of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings. Rep. Cummings was born a poor black son of sharecroppers in 1951, who went on to become an attorney and politician. Starting at age 11, he dedicated himself to desegregation and civil rights….
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As a young boy, I dreaded going to bed. My imagination ran wild as I laid in bed conjuring up when and how the monster under my bed or in the closet would strike next. The darkness paralyzed me with fear. By morning, with the sun’s magnificent streng…
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On this national football holiday, it’s hard to know which will get passed more often, the turkey or the pigskin. But somewhere along the course of the day, and the games, it’s almost certain that someone will invoke the time-honored maxim: no pain –…