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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…
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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…
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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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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…
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Nearly every year since I’ve been on staff at St. Paul, the annual Golden Agers event, a worship celebration for members of the congregation 75 years and older, has seen rain clouds. This year, the rain held off until nearly every guest had left. But…
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On my shelf I have a fascinating book with the title, Descriptionary. I’ve come to appreciate it more and more as I’ve grown older, since it’s designed to help people find things for which they can’t quite come up with the word. If I can’t rem…
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I walked into a boutique store the other day – the kind that sells things I’m pretty sure I don’t need, but that make for pleasant gifts. Fancily wrapped soaps. Scented candles. Dried flower arrangements. You know the kind of place. Men don’t hang ou…
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Each time I drive home from church, my path takes me past Brady Street Stadium. Nearly every day, there’s one school practicing and another playing a game. On evenings when I get home late, I’m treated to the Friday night lights as everyone enjoys th…
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A few weeks ago, my nephew and I were playing a classic game of “Would you rather?” The premise is pretty simple. I would make up silly questions for him, with two different options. And he would have to choose between them—which would he rather have…
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Competition is in the air. Regular season football commences tonight, along with the highly popular interstate football rivalry game of Iowa vs. Iowa State. Soon, many of us will throw on our preferred colors and root for our team of choice. Subseque…
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I lost my watch this summer. I had just arrived at a Benedictine monastery in Minnesota, where I planned to write as much as I could. At first, I was worried that without my watch I’d miss when they were serving meals and the times of daily prayer. B…