By Emilie Bouvier Last summer, I wrote in awe and gratitude how “being church” in Calvary’s narthex looked different than it ever had before in the wake of the uprising following the murder of George Floyd. It was lovely seeing that space usually staged with lemonade and coffeecake then overflowing with an emergency supply of [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Parker Palmer calls himself a “contemplative by catastrophe,” writing “I’m most likely to go deep only when I slam into a wall or fall off a cliff.” I might speak about myself in a similar way. You might as well. For me, the practices of prayer and meditation have received uneven [...]
By Brenda Blackhawk I’ve just returned home from the 155th annual Homecoming Powwow in Winnebago, Nebraska. I knew when my family packed up the campers and vehicles 10 days ago that I would be writing a blog about the trip, so I had it in the back of my mind to notice the way God was [...]
By Pastor Craig Pederson My 17-year-old son Evan sometimes finds it a challenge to get going in the mornings. (Can I get a witness?) On school and work days, thankfully, he gets up to speed pretty quickly. But on other days, he ambles down the stairs from his bedroom with his eyes half open, heads [...]
By Bishop Ann Svennungsen Sitting by a Minnesota lake over the Fourth of July, I marveled watching my daughters with their friends. College friends had flown from Philadelphia and Indianapolis with their babies to be with my younger daughter. My older daughter was circled by two families whose friendships were made stronger because of the [...]
By Pastor Norma Malfatti My grandmother was a night owl. From the time I was old enough to stay up past an 8:30 bedtime, I learned that my grandmother never went to bed before midnight and she never, ever went to bed without reading her Bible. As a young adult, when I would come quietly [...]
By Meghan Olsen Biebighauser Later this week my family and I will be taking a beach vacation near my hometown on Long Island, New York. I’m so excited to introduce my kids to the sounds, smells, and sights of the ocean beaches that I grew up swimming in. I was an adventurous swimmer, always going in [...]
By Pastor Craig Pederson Last week I returned to my hometown in west central Minnesota (Starbuck) to officiate and sing at the funeral of a beloved neighbor of my family. Joe Hoium died of heart complications at the age of 95. He was vigorous and alert until the end: He was doing push-ups until two [...]
By Pastor Norma Malfatti One of my New Testament professors in seminary regularly assigned an integrative project for the end of the semester. This project required that students create some practical application of using Scripture, beyond writing a sermon, of course. One friend of mine wrote a graphic novel, and another classmate connected a piece [...]
By Madeline Troyer I have been loving Minnesota lake culture. During the winter months, the lakes have a unique appeal. But it’s really warm weather that draws me to them. I grew up going to my great grandpa’s lake cottage in Michigan where I have fond memories of family gathering around plates full of summer [...]
