By Rev. Timothy Sandeno St. Johns Lutheran Church and School The past couple of decades have brought forth a number of television singing competitions. One such show is The Voice. It is not limited to our country or even just English viewing. It is has spread to more than 70 countries and regions with some 150 global commissions and spinoffs. Music can be powerful. Often … [Read more...]
Buy Acme Windows – Get a Free Bucket of Invisible Paint
Home Sweat Home. That's what the wall hanging said. It was obviously crocheted by someone living in a home without air conditioning or by a fabric artist who eschewed spellcheck. Coming home is the best part of most vacations. Home is that place where you keep all the junk you might use one day, but probably not. Home is where you can eat over a sink, yell for … [Read more...]
Goodly Heritage – He is Super
He is Super Everywhere we look we can find evidence of a Super-Scientist, a Super-Planner, and a Super-Artist. Although the word “super” means superior and extraordinary, it does not relate how really great God is. But for the sake of this article, it will suffice. He knows what our lives need to survive and provides them. He makes the heavens work like clockwork. He … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – Gander Versus Gobbler in Barnyard Brawl
Part one of a two-part series Wild turkeys fly better than domestic ones, but his mother’s farm-bred Bourbon Red turkeys could fly well, too, maintained Sumner Sheldon when writing about his early-1900s boyhood in Houston County. His mother Ada Sheldon, who raised turkeys during most of her lifetime, often used broody hens (chickens) as incubators, for her turkey eggs, … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Flashback – Held Captive – Part II
By Bretta Grabau Fillmore County Historical Society On October 5, 1930, the communists swept through Henan province, taking Kristofer Tvedt captive in Luoshan. At that time, Clara (Sethre) and their children were in another part of the country. Their friend Rev. Bert Nelson was also taken. At first Bert told his family he was well treated, while villagers were … [Read more...]
I Felt Like a Bag Of Hammers But Not as Smart
I grew up happily roaming gravel meant for travel, because I knew that one day, I’d be flying my own car like George Jetson. I dragged my dented fenders through an airport. It’s a battered backpack in slightly better condition than I was. I felt like I’d been built from recycled parts, Play-Doh, silly string, silly putty and duct tape. There was a time when my mother … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – In the Bulb There is a Flower …
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) I had the privilege and blessing to attend Garrett-Evangelical Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois on the shore of Lake Michigan. Those were indeed holy days. My life was enriched by an inspiring … [Read more...]
Around the Moon – But What About the Sun?!
Guess what?! We’re a quarter finished with this trip around the sun! How’d it go? Usually I’d hate this question, and feel guilt from anyone who asks it, but I’d like to think I’m growing up, so I can ask myself the question without breaking out in hives. Craig Groschel said that you cannot change what you have not defined, which is just a fancy way of saying you’ll be … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past – “Mebbe Bedbugs Et Him!”
By Lee Epps “They were warm and comfortable as fine a house as anyone needed. Just a dandy place to live,” replied a Houston County man (born in 1855) when asked, “What was it like to live in a log house?” Then his wife chimed in, “They were just wonderful, weren’t they? Small, dark, cramped and crowded with rough walls and floors. And let me tell you, they were especially … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Flashback – Held Captive – Part I
By Bretta Grabau Fillmore County Historical Society Occasionally someone walks into museums with a treasure trove of stories. This happened not long ago when a local resident told me a fascinating story of how a woman from Fillmore County unintentionally found her family in the middle of an international spotlight. It was a thoroughly intriguing story, compelling me to … [Read more...]