By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches A common phrase, when one doesn’t understand what the person in front of them just said is, “Come again?” In effect, you are asking them to repeat what they just said so that you might hear, and understand, the second time. We just experienced the coming of the Christ Child, a joyous event for those … [Read more...]
Your Flying Farmer – Brain Rot
Well, we did it again! How are we doing here at the end of 2024? I heard that the Oxford word of the year is “brain rot.” If the infant world of 2024 would have made a destination plan I don’t know that brain rot would have been on the itinerary. However, if we look at the ingredients being poured into the pot, our educated guess should have been like my brother who always knew … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Empty…
By Pastor Kevin Barnhart Spring Grove Evangelical Free If your Christmas is different this year … the words caught my attention as I sat staring into the frost on the windowpane. I don’t know why my heart grabbed hold of this song; music had been playing all day long. Each tune a bliss filled sonnet of God’s great wonder, melodies saturated with the joy of the coming of … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Nordic Nighttime Escapades of the Past (and Present?)
Julebukking, part three Kathleen Stokker, author of “Keeping Christmas; Juletide Traditions in Norway and the New Land” discovered that Norwegian-heritage settlements in the Midwest United States had widely engaged in julebukking (pronounced “YEW-luh-booking”), also known as “Christmas Fooling.” At the time, Stokker was not aware of any julebukking in her hometown of … [Read more...]
A Goodly Heritage – “It’s Not Santa’s Job”
Excerpts from a play by Wenda Grabau©2014 Santa: “What a night! What a job! Everybody wants something from Santa Claus. Some kids are just out-right greedy. Some freeze when they get here and say nothing. Still others need a lot more than what they are asking for. (Sighs loudly and shakes his head.) I wish I could do more or those kids. I can say Santa will help, but he … [Read more...]
Nothing Says “Merry Christmas” Like Saying “Merry Christmas”
What child doesn’t love a tube of lip balm for Christmas? That’s because no child wants to miss a single minute of school because of chapped lips. Lip balm is better than bunny slippers. I received a pair as a gift one year and learned that they’re fiercely territorial. Some kids, after weeks of dedicated research, discover that if they really want something, they should … [Read more...]
Home Alone When “Creatures” Crowd the Kitchen
Part two of a series She was home alone that night when she heard some footsteps in the house. Her husband was away on a call as a veterinarian. No one in Spring Grove locked their doors back in the 1970s. Soon, 15 to 18 “creatures” entered the kitchen and formed a circle around her – surely alarming. No one said anything until finally, one approached and whispered that she … [Read more...]
Fresh Off the Farm – Prepare Him Room?
I do not want to write this article. I mean … usually I do … but not today. Today is much too busy, with more “to-dos” than I can count. I’ll probably even add more things to the list as I’m doing them throughout the day so I can bask in the twisted mental high of running my pen through those burdensome beasts. (I know I’m not the only one who does this!) Trouble is, I … [Read more...]
Noses are Red, Fingers are Blue. I Like Winter, How About You?
The wind blew another partridge out of a pear tree. Winter has trouble doing the right thing. It’s not the snow that gets you when you live in a snow globe. It’s the shaking like a chilly Chihuahua that happens before the snow falls. My wife and I gathered around the light bulb for warmth and read about global warming on a night as cold as a cast iron commode with wind gusts … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project – Honesty — a Virtue or an Excuse?
By Audra Otto We’ve all been taught the difference between right and wrong, what constitutes an admirable moral, and how to act in a virtuous manner. Many times, honesty is one of the first traits that will come to your mind when thinking of qualities of a “good person.” I agree wholeheartedly - honesty is the right choice, 99% of the time. However, I have noticed a trend … [Read more...]