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“May you go from strength to strength!” This blessing, echoing a phrase from Psalms 84:7, is one of many gifts I have gained over the years of my dialogue and partnerships with Jews. The sentiment of the phrase seems clear, at least to Merriam-Webste…
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When our family traveled to Tanzania a few weeks ago, I packed an embarrassing amount of snacks. I was convinced that our children would need peanut butter crackers or granola bars, just in case. My husband kept telling me that we wouldn’t nee…
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St. Paul partners with the Appalachian Service Project (ASP), a non-profit organization in rural Appalachia. ASP focuses on home repairs to help people stay warmer, drier, and safer throughout the county. Every year, St. Paul sends a group of volunt…
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I’m feeling particularly grateful for three specific people right now. I’ll keep their names out of this blog, but that doesn’t take away from the gratitude I’m feeling. Three guys, about my age, said “yes” (again) to volunteer coaching fifth grade…
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Several weeks ago, as the back-to-school season approached, I was reminiscing about family summer vacations over the years. One of the standout favorites was a mid-summer trip to northern Minnesota. I was in my early teens when my parents, sister, an…
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Thinking ahead from writing this, I realize that many of you will be reading it on the day it comes out in St. Paul’s e-News, when we also have one of our Theology Pub outings. That St. Paul institution is one I inherited when I arrived in 2019. I to…
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This week, I had the opportunity to hear a series of lectures from one of the Lutheran bishops of Hungary, Bishop Dr. Tamás Fabiny. When he began his talks, Bishop Fabiny shared that when one Hungarian Lutheran sees another Hungarian Lutheran, they s…
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I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights, but the opportunities to catch them were few and far in between since city lights have surrounded me. When that rare chance appeared over Labor Day weekend, I searched out this natural wonder, hoping to…
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On March 23, 2011, my basement flooded. I know the date because it was my wife’s birthday. A flooded basement is NOT a good birthday present, by the way. At the time, Malie was teaching for an online high school and, living in a split-foyer house, h…
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Earlier this year, you might’ve heard about an earthquake that rumbled across southern California. Yes, earthquakes are pretty common in that area. But even though the 5.2-magnitude quake wasn’t particularly notable for any widespread damage, it was…
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A recent dinner that included chips and salsa gave me an opportunity for reflection. Imagine scooping up a chip full of salsa and biting into it – what happens? Unless you have a superpower of which the rest of us are incapable, you see the chip brea…
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Earlier this week, just after rushing to take photos of my kids on their first day of school, I walked through our neighborhood seeing other families doing the same thing. Kids stood on front porches or on the school’s front lawn with big smiles, ner…