By Brennus Braaten I have learned a lot in the last couple of months about life and how I should live mine. Now I am not saying that I am any sort of genius when it comes to this, believe me, I understand that I have only lived a quarter of my life and still have a lot to learn. However I do believe that I have learned some very valuable lessons that I will hold on to for … [Read more...]
Back When the World Smelled Like Theater Popcorn
I like movies. I grew up during the Dark Ages. They were the grim times before cat videos were available 24/7. Cat videos were then available 0/7. Social media consisted of papers tacked to a strategically placed bulletin board. I spent my boyhood in a home with three TV channels and zero TV remotes. There were three movie theaters within a comfortable driving … [Read more...]
A Bus Plus Potholes Equals More Bounce to the Ounce
My mother put another shovelful of instant coffee into her cup. “Have fun at school,” she said. Fun? How could we have fun? We couldn’t even Google anything yet. A school bus was bliss and despair on wheels, a consistent and reliable conveyance to amazing learning opportunities. Serenaded by the sounds of a door opening with a mechanical clunk and creak, I boarded … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – House Calls Might Last Many Hours – or Even Days
Part two of a two-part series When making house calls, Dr. Giles James Sheldon would stay until the crisis was over. The first medical doctor in Houston County, Minnesota, was known to stay at the home of a patient overnight or even several days. In 1861, he remained with one patient from November 22 to December 2. The doctor left a handwritten journal that provides an … [Read more...]
Thyme & Again – Contemplating Currying Favor
By Angela Denstad Time and again, odd coincidences spring up as patterns of thought lead to unlikely connections and serendipitous insights. As I was trying to curry favor with my finicky feline, brushing the little lion soft as a lamb, I wondered how March might unfold and where this Year of the Horse might lead us. Weather-wise, the groundhog predicted more winter, … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Reflections on the Lenten Journey towards Holy Week
By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches When I was young, the Lutheran church I attended performed a yearly passion play - a drama of Christ’s arrest, trial, and crucifixion. I participated as one of many children by singing, waving palms, and being in the crowd. This play taught me a lot about Christ’s death and resurrection that we … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Meeting Jesus
By Pastor Kevin Barnhart Spring Grove Evangelical Free Like a young plant growing in dry ground, no form or majesty, no beauty, despised rejected a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, one from whom men hide their faces, despised, carried our sorrow, stricken, pierced, crushed, and wounded for our transgressions. And so it begins, our journey towards the cross. … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – The First Doctor to Practice Medicine in Houston County
Norwegian immigrants in southeastern Minnesota lived in mostly one-room dwellings “so tight that air is almost excluded.” Light came only through one window. Wrapped in woolen blankets, they kept as warm as possible around a large wood-burning stove. That was the observation of a doctor that made house calls during the 1860s while visiting the Gunderson family in Crystal Valley … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – Race to the End
There’s glitter and sparkles everywhere. Power tools and saws are running, and paint and decals are being applied liberally. What is going on? My kids are making pinewood derby cars. This is one of the things they look forward to all year. This is the weekend they race their five-ounce cars down a wooden track and see where they place against their AWANA friends. If your … [Read more...]
My Wife Thinks a Car for Her Husband is a Good Trade
“How many miles do you have on your car?” I told him. It was a substantial number. “It’s almost broken in,” I added in a feeble attempt at cleverness. The man chewed on that for a moment before saying, “It’s almost broken.” That was unfair. It’s a dependable car. The good kind of dependable. I’ve had a dependably bad car. Each time I shoved a key into the ignition, … [Read more...]