From the heat of flames and twisted metal, an America rose from the ashes of 9/11; an America that was strongly united in spirit if not in direction. “Never Forget” signs were everywhere. Even at 11 years old, I knew I would never forget. I will remember the brave men, women, and rescue dogs as they risked their lives to save people inside the burning buildings, and then later … [Read more...]

By Aaron Swaaartzentruber Greenleafton, MN “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” (Jeremiah 1:5) “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mothers womb.” (Psalms 139:14) God has a lot to say about the unborn. Apparently He knows each one of the over 60 million precious little … [Read more...]

It’s been many decades now, but I still remember a piece of advice I got not long after entering Congress. It came in passing from a prominent journalist as we were talking about the bewildering array of issues Congress faced. Every day, he told me, I should ask myself a simple question: “What’s the most important thing to be doing today?” He was raising what may be the … [Read more...]

At Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) we sometimes joke that we are our region’s “best kept secret.” But it is true that despite the fact that we are regularly out in our 20-county region visiting with partners and facilitating trainings, we find that there are still many people who do not know about SMIF. Unfortunately, that could mean an entrepreneur who doesn’t … [Read more...]