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When we moved into our new home in Davenport last summer, one of the things we “inherited” from the former owners was a burned-out light bulb. That should not be a big deal. When it’s a small indoor floodlight in a track lighting fixture on a cathedr…
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It is only February, but already baseball season is right around the corner. Every spring I long for the smell of the fresh cut grass, the sound of the ball hitting the glove, the crack of the bat. Most of us, though, still have to wait for all of th…
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“There are some days I wonder if I even matter.” That’s the sentence I remember most from the lips of the woman in my office reflecting on her post-retirement life. I didn’t spot any classic signs of depression that day. There was some expected lonel…
One of my favorite phrases I learned in seminary is that “God’s economy is not about scarcity.” For the life of me, I could not remember the theologian who first penned these words. And so, curiosity led me to the internet, and Google produced a thou…
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There is a lot about middle school I have, admittedly, forgotten. But some of my most vivid remaining memories come from Mrs. Johnson’s sixth-grade choir class. At Edison Middle School in Champaign, Illinois, every student was required to take a seme…
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On Monday morning, I did something that is not uncommon for me. I headed to 392 Caffé to meet a friend at this one of a kind coffee shop. I got there early, so I was able to snag a table and spread out – I even had a chair *just* for my heavy tote ba…
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Last January, after one of our big snowfalls, our neighbor a few doors down got stuck halfway down the alley. Our alley is never plowed, so it’s always an adventure getting to the road. So, after she tried multiple times to get going, another neighbo…
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Pat Venditte is one-of-a-kind in major league baseball. He can throw a fastball at 85 miles per hour with either hand and with equal skill and accuracy. His ability to switch arms while pitching to the same batter has produced comedic scenes over the…
Twenty-five thousand people turned out on a cold January day in New York City to rally in solidarity with the Jewish community following the December 28 attack on a rabbi’s Hanukkah party. It was an eloquent witness of support amidst ever-growing num…
The power of positive thinking is over- and underestimated. No doubt, our attitude can have a tremendous impact on our circumstances, positively or negatively. You need only consider the smile of someone dear to you, and the effect it has on your own…
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On the morning of New Years’ Day, my wife asked me, “Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions this year?” “No, I don’t think so,” I replied. “You?” I can’t remember whether I made any last year. If I did, they didn’t last long. I understand the draw…
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Mid-Advent, if you were to peep my church office, you’d find a disheveled scene. Fifteen hand soaps in an opened box on my desk, a manger full off socks waiting to go to Family Resources, and a displaced baby Jesus doll resting on an office chair. To…