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While in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a few years ago, my wife and I stepped into a small church for Sunday worship. With thirty or so other people there also to praise the Lord, we sat together beneath the hum of ceiling fans, sneaking occasional peeks at…
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Nestled into the northwest corner of our building here on Brady Street is a grand old house. While offices take up much of the house these days, the living room of that house continues to be called the living room. Various groups of people meet there…
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One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving (second only to canned cranberry sauce) is the chance to make hand-drawn turkeys by tracing around my fingers and thumb. It’s easy. It’s fun. And you can decorate your turkey with a theme of your choice. M…
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It’s getting colder, and quite a few snowflakes fell in the Quad Cities on Sunday. Christmas carols are beginning to play in homes and cars, shops and offices. We all know people who prefer to hear absolutely no Christmas music before Thanksgiving. S…
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“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” This is what Jesus says in John 6, the day after he has fed the multitude, when a crowd comes after him looking for more to…
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Over the years, I’ve acquired a collection of bibles. Not really on purpose. And yet there must be close to 30 or so that sit on the shelves in my office. Some received as gifts, others purchased to use with preschoolers or our confirmation class. Ea…
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In preparation for this coming weekend, a member of our communication team asked me for my favorite Martin Luther quotes. We will be commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the day the Luther, a monk in Germany, nailed 95 Theses to his town’s church d…
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I didn’t sleep well last night. Monkey mind was in high gear, swinging from branch to branch, project to project, and person to person. I’m grateful we’ve evolved past most primate behaviors, though I wish monkey mind would disappear into oblivion. I…
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Like many of you, my heart is heavy. It feels like we wake up morning after morning to countless images of lives destroyed. Families are exhausted from going weeks at a time without power and basic necessities, knowing they have no physical home to r…
As with many old books, its character doesn’t come just from being old and worn but from the clues it gives about the people who first read it. According to the loopy cursive inside the front cover, a Miss Mary Nelson spent 25 cents on this tiny hand…
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There is a lot of chatter in the world. Does it feel that way to you, too? We have round-the-clock news on television and radio, and social media is just a finger’s-length away at all times. Some people never stop to take a breath. I wonder, though,…
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Over the weekend, I presided at my father’s funeral. My father’s name was Tom, and he was a unique character. He never met a stranger. He would talk to anyone anywhere any time about anything. One of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood was…