I enjoy feeding the birds. In my rational mind, I understand that the birds instinctually come to the feeders for the millet, the safflower and the thistle. However, in my heart, I feel they come because we are friends. We count on each other. We mee…
November 19, 2015 We are shocked and dismayed by the terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut, Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East, but also in Nigeria, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Senseless acts of terror will maim and forever have an impact…
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The songs began on a Tuesday evening in September. A few of the members of the Open Spirit contemporary ensemble – which provide worship leadership for St. Paul’s 11:45 a.m. service – got together at Hans Schnekloth’s house. Chris Ryan had created a…
On the weekend of Nov. 13-14, St. Paul will host two nights of fun: a game night for parents and an intergenerational trivia event. Parents’ Game Night is Friday, Nov. 13, 5:30-8 p.m. Come for dinner and get ready to laugh out loud with other parent…
As he filmed a series documentaries focused on the issues of immigration, Luis Argueta noticed the consequences, especially for kids, of familial separation. During one of his trips to the Midwest (Argueta also produced a documentary about the large-…
Dressed in brown and white robes, the monks of New Melleray Abbey enter the chapel. Mid-day light pours through the arched windows of the expansive place, made of limestone and wood. They do not speak to each other. Instead, they chant together. Glor…
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On the ping pong table in his family’s basement, Thompson Teasdale creates art. Specifically, the beautiful watercolor paintings that now hang in the Luther Loft at St. Paul, are the work of Thompson. Using photographs of the St. Paul Memor ial Garde…
Consider three major transformations in the nation’s religious landscape – increased religious diversity, the growth of the religiously unaffiliated, and changes within the main Christian traditions – with Peter Kivisto, Augustana College professor,…
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Like so many beautiful things in life, Pamela Hardiman’s work came to be because of something that wasn’t working quite right. A quilt-maker at the time, she was creating a quilt she wanted to call Fire and Ice. The fire part was great, but putting i…
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At 3:45 p.m. on Thursday afternoons, Dan Pepper’s classroom fills with the music of middle school students. Three dozen or so kids pluck away at ukuleles, more or less in unison, learning an instrument that has joy embedded in its strings. Dan, who t…
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My father, “the Good Reverend” as I called him, lived 84 magnificent, fulfilling years. This weekend we will have the opportunity to honor and celebrate a life very well lived. While it is normal to be sad on these occasions, I take tremendous comfor…
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An 11-pound bowling ball with purple and blue swirls rolled down the alley and toppled every single pin in its path. Carma Schwarz stepped away from her throw and says with a smile: “They just felt sorry for me and fell.” Carma is 89 1/2 years old. S…