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“Light in the darkness” is a phrase I never thought much about until the death of my husband. Everyone said I was so strong. But at the end of the day, I experienced a new, strange feeling. Loss filled with darkness. With prayer, I realized that alth…
For some, Black Friday is a fun time to shop with family and friends, making good memories. For our family it has a different meaning. On Black Friday 2009, our son-in-law, Matt, called to tell us that our daughter, Missy, had died. Missy and Alex, o…
A dark and unfamiliar chapel fills with candlelight and quiet music. One by one, confirmation students and sponsors file in and find a space to settle in for a time of peace and reflection. There’s fidgeting; that uncomfortable time when teens are tr…
A few winters ago I was driving in an evening snowstorm on a rural gravel road near my home. The ditches had already filled up with snow, and with great skill I managed to drive my truck right into one. In between gusts of snow, I could just make out…
Our daughter Emily was baptized in a manner that was very familiar – in our church by our pastor during worship service, with family and the congregation present. When her sister Alison was baptized three years later, it was in a hospital room. The s…
Vi Ramsey opens the door to her home and welcomes Jan Schmidt inside. Four times a year, Jan visits Vi, ready for lively conversation and recollections of a life well-lived. Vi shows Jan the hairdresser’s studio that she worked from before her retire…
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It’s when kids like Carver run into her arms and call her Onana. Or when Teddy smiles a big smile and backs up into her lap in the St. Paul Preschool office. Those are the moments that Joanna Roland cherishes the most. Joanna – known as Onana, JoJo,…
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Editor’s note: Hannah Griggs is a senior at Augustana College. She recently presented at the college’s Symposium Day. This is an excerpt from her work. On the way home from a youth group trip during my sophomore year of high school, our St. Paul Luth…
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On the 500th anniversary of the reformation, the people of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Davenport had an idea. The reformation was when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses, and a division in the Catholic church took place – very simply put…
One of the simple gifts given to each person – infant through adult – baptized at St. Paul is a handmade baptismal napkin created from linen. On Thursday, Nov. 16, artists Sheila Mesick and Terre Klipsch will lead a drop-in workshop from 3-6 p.m. at…
The tapestry of God’s love is deep and richly colored. At St. Paul, we embrace how each strand God twists and winds together helps us move toward a kinder, generous, and just world. On Joy Weekend, Nov. 11-12, come and be wrapped with goodness and gr…
One night, Ashanti Kolwey had a dream about helping a teacher at her school who is fighting a really difficult battle with cancer. A fifth-grader at Walcott Elementary, Ashanti had never had Renee Sinksen for a teacher, but her friends did, and she k…