By Pastor Paul Hauschild Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches Noah built the ark at the age of 600, demonstrating obedience and faith for an aging man! Abraham was called by God at 75 years old to become the father of a great nation, while Sarah, his wife, was 65. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt at 80 years old, after a long life of preparation. Anna, a … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past: Sugar Sacks, Ugly Brown Stockings and Thursday-Evening Ice Cream
Part one of a series Ice cream attracted a crowd. When store owner Reinhold “Rein” Albert Wolter made his weekly Thursday trip from Houston County to La Crosse for merchandise, the last stop would be at the ice cream supplier. The summer best seller was packed into a metal cylinder two feet high and 10 inches in diameter, then encased in a thick insulated container with an … [Read more...]
North Woods Surprise
Summer brings a host of activities for us to enjoy. The warm and hot days also bring plenty of work, but I digress. One activity my whole family enjoys is going up north to the cabin. The cabin is tucked in the forestland of northern Wisconsin. Birches, poplars, tamaracks and pine trees help to cover acres of land. Whether privately-owned or publicly-owned land, such as … [Read more...]
I’d Fallen Prey to the Treachery of an Ambitious Appetite
I made the mistake of ordering two pancakes from a delightful cafe. I ordered nothing more than the two pancakes. The problem wasn’t that they weren’t good. The pancakes were spectacularly toothsome. The problem was that each one was the size of a manhole cover. They flopped all around the edge of a large plate. If I were the kind to take photos of my food, I’d have taken a … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Flashback – County Seat was Coveted Prize in the 1850s
By Joanne Hall, Preston Historical Society The Preston Republican article of July 24, 1958, carried the headline “County Seat Was Coveted Prize in 1850’s”. Minnesota was still a territory in the years 1851 to 1856 so government supervision came from St. Paul. The boundaries of early Fillmore County included parts of what are now Houston, Winona and Olmsted counties. … [Read more...]
Experiencing God Through Community and Nature
By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches One of the great joys of being a pastor during the summer is participating in trips with our young people. I want to share a particularly meaningful story from a trip a few years ago. On the second to last night of our mission trip to the Duluth, Minn., area, our group joined for supper with two other … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – New Families, New Homes for “Take-In” Kids
“Well, we were all in the same boat,” was a common reply when asked about living in Houston County’s Winnebago Creek Valley during the Great Depression of the 1930s. “There was no one nearby with which to compare their circumstances. We had plenty (of) food to eat, and the rest didn’t matter.” Unlike city dwellers, mostly self-sufficient farm folks did not need to earn money to … [Read more...]
Be Careful What You Practice
Mr. Google says it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, but I reckon’ he ain’t never seen nothin’ stick faster than a cowboy drawl, if’n you practice frum sun up to sun down fer just a few days! Google oughta been warnin’ me to mind what I’m practicin’ – ‘cause once it sets in, it’ll stick like a tick on a hound dog! How’s this ol’ cowboy twang sittin’ with ya? … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – God is Our Salvation
Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Even we Christians often fall into the trap of believing that suffering is a sign that God is punishing us. We do not understand that God reveals Himself, reveals His love in suffering, that He uses suffering to purge us, to purify us, to draw us to Himself. We Christians do not seek suffering, but we do interpret … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – The First Worship Service and the Most Famous Person to Live and Die in Houston County
Part five of a five-part series The Swedes who settled the area still known as Swede Bottom, were the first and probably the only group of Swedish Baptists to leave their homeland solely for religious freedom. In 1853, they were led to North America by F. O. Nilsson, who in September 1848, had organized the first Baptist congregation, the first successful “free church” in … [Read more...]