One day, Dan Dickens was listening to National Public Radio’s eTown podcast. Every week, the podcast features someone who is doing good in their community. This particular week, the story was about a woman who started collecting socks for the homeles…
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Most experiences in my life have been educational, exciting, and positive. For example, when I left home to attend college it was the first time I had been away from home to be on my own. Like walking through a wilderness, I was unsure what my experi…
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As mom waved good-bye to us in the doorway of her farmhouse last June, I looked longingly at her through the car window. Living alone on our family farm at age 88 was becoming more difficult for her, and it was becoming harder for me to leave with ea…
The prophet Isaiah foretold of the ministry of Jesus when he declared a voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill…
We were so overwhelmed with our transition to the Quad Cities 27 years ago that we decided to tell my husband’s parents that we wouldn’t be traveling to visit with them on Christmas. We felt we needed to spend our last Christmas in the only house our…
I struggle with control. I’m the first person in the room to pull out my planner. To use the word micromanaging is a bit of an understatement when it comes to the preferred method of living my life. These acts give me some sense of calmness and some…
During the summer, I work at Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp, which is nestled in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Because of our beautiful surroundings, we are often a destination camp for youth groups from all over the United States. Two summers ago, I had…
The year was 1982. My father had died. At the funeral my mother remarked, “But he was my eyes.” You see, mom’s eyes were failing. This began eight years of decisions – what shall we do? Should we add rooms on to our house for mom to move in? Buy a di…
The Christmas spirit comes alive each December at St. Paul, with objects,sounds, and sights. Here, we share some of the items that hold specialmeaning or stories for this most precious season. ORGAN The St. Paul organ marks 10 years this month of ins…
Each year, St. Paul children and youth gather items for people who are having a difficult time. This year, the gathering will be for socks, both adult and child sizes, to be distributed to shelters around the Quad Cities. Items will be collected in t…
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A big part of my faith is serving others. About a month ago, I attended the 8th-grade confirmation retreat here at church. To give you a bit of background on what we did, the retreat featured seven different pathways that encouraged us to ask the “es…
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St. Paul Lutheran Church will offer its Blue Christmas worship on Friday, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m. This service of hope is designed for anyone in the community who may not feel like celebrating. During the holidays, grief, illness, aging, depression, lonel…