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A little less than a month ago, a pregnant, endangered whale captured international attention. The mother orca is part of a pod being observed by the Center for Whale Research near San Juan Island, just northwest of Seattle. The organization works to…
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If someone were to ask me to tell them about grace, I’d probably try to explain it. I might talk about love that is unearned and unexpected. Or maybe I’d borrow from the apostle Paul who wrote how grace is unearned, a pure gift of love. Or I’d quote…
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When my two grown kids surprised me with a visit home last weekend, we got in a game of tennis. It was a blast. Depending on which of the four of us you ask about the game, however, four different perspectives will emerge. Mom’s shots were awesome. O…
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We are living in ordinary times – at least according to the church. What I mean to say is that the church goes through seasons just like the natural world. The big four church seasons are Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. But now, from May 27 unti…
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Most of us, I would imagine, are creatures of habit. We have our usual morning routines. Or our typical bedtime sequence of events that tells our brains it’s time to sleep. Or we might drive the exact same route to and from work each day. While varie…
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Along with heat and humidity, the season of summer offers predictable sounds: rolling thunder, occasional fireworks, and outdoor concerts. One of the loudest sounds of summer comes from the buzzing cicadas. It is a high-pitched, electrical song that…
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It’s late in the night on the Fourth of July as I write this. My beloved neighborhood is fully embracing “the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,” lyric of our national anthem. It’s so very loud. Thankfully, the rest of my family is sleepi…
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I don’t know for certain, but I feel as though once a hint of spring emerges in the Quad Cities, we’re all off to the races. Running, biking, swimming, or remote control boating – if it’s an active endeavor, there’s a race for it. I went to my first…
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Droves of Americans have been digging out their Bibles in recent days. They’re hunting for the Romans 13 passage that attorney general Jeff Sessions quoted when arguing for the administration’s policy on separating migrant children from their familie…
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This year the theme for St. Paul’s Vacation Bible School is Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus. It is a fun way to get young people thinking about their faith. Imagining that we are all stranded on an island for the week, we have been reflecting on our re…
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Running isn’t exactly for everyone. Many of us might have memories from our younger years, participating in the elementary school field day activities. That end-of-the-year celebration where everyone gets a ribbon for attempting a track & field e…
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A few weeks ago, I was riding in a Land Cruiser through rural Tanzania heading to a Maasai village called Nadaruru. I saw a sign for Nadaruru, and our driver, William, slowed down and turned on his blinker. But there was no obvious place to turn off…