Love you forever, Ken

To know Ken Hofer was to adore Ken Hofer. It was a simple as that, really. His smile lit up a room. He loved to dance and give hugs. He cared deeply for family and friends. His faith in God was true.  He really loved to learn about the lives of other…

From butterfly to cyclone

One of the really cold nights this week, Joanna Roland received a phone call. “Miss Joanna?” the voice on the other end of the line said. “It’s Tyler.” And Miss Joanna smiled. The first time Joanna met Tyler was when he was about 4 years old. She was…

An experience in centering prayer

A candle flickers in the middle of a circle of people. It’s Thursday evening in an upstairs classroom at St. Paul, and Brenda and Dave Kuster are two of the souls gathered with others for Centering Prayer. Leader Dick Jensen reads a passage from the…

A contemplative pathway

Darkness fills the Sanctuary. White candles are anchored in white sand in wooden boxes surrounding a large wooden cross down by the altar. One by one, people come through the doors and make their way to a space in a pew. They are scattered throughout…

Parenting with promise

Talking by phone, you can hear the really big smile on Shelley Klaas’ face when she talks about her two adult daughters. She talks about family meetings when they were growing up, and stealing moments of conversation in the car, and how she needed to…

About Entanglements

David Crowe and Jason Mahn have a lot in common. They are fellow Minnesotans, and neither of them can shake their interest in Lutheran religious questions. In January at St. Paul, they will co-teach a three-week Sunday morning learning session – Enta…

Ordinary Grace

Ordinary Grace, a novel from American author and crime writer William Kent Krueger, is the 2015 All St. Paul Reads selection. St. Paul members and Augustana faculty members Katie Hanson and David Crowe will lead a discussion about the book on Thursda…