By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches My social media feeds in the month of November is often full of friends doing a “30 days of thankfulness challenge” where they post one thing they’re thankful for each day in November. Social media is already often a place where people show off a perfect-seeming version of their lives, and this focus … [Read more...]

By Pastor Kevin Barnhart Spring Grove Evangelical Free Before the sun rose in the east, before the land began to stir before others were awake and before His day of ministering, traveling, and teaching began to dominate the minutes and moments Jesus woke and went to the mountain to pray.  What it must have been like to be one with the Father living in heaven and now … [Read more...]

By Rev. Anders Nelson Mabel-Henrytown Tri-Point Parish - Mabel First Lutheran Church, Scheie Lutheran Church and Henrytown Lutheran Church Body: In the mainline protestant tradition, the first Sunday in November is All Saints Sunday, the Sunday immediately following All Saints Day, the day in which we remember those who’ve died both in the immediately preceding year, as … [Read more...]

By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist We had an unusual All Saints Sunday at Chatfield UMC on November 2. While we always celebrate the saints who have gone before us and who now surround us a great cloud of witnesses; this Sunday we also baptized a newly named saint of God. As we lit the candles of remembrance for the saints we were honoring who are no … [Read more...]

By Pastor Bridget Sheely Co-Pastor of Prairieland Parish When life swallows you up with sadness, hurt, frustration or fear. When you begin to be led by the hand to the dark side of life.  Where do you go or how do you find your way back to peace?  Who do you turn to for help when you can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders any longer? The fall season gifts … [Read more...]

By Rev. Tim Sandeno St. Johns Lutheran Church  and School, Wykoff I have heard many say that autumn is their favorite among the seasons. While maybe not yet peak for our area, the trees are changing and the reds, yellows, and oranges of fall are making their appearance. I pray that God provides abundantly for those who love this season. I have seen during my walks that … [Read more...]

By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith  Churches (and Lenora)  As many of you know, I have great respect for the theology expressed in traditional Christian hymns.  Recently while reading some devotional material, Harry Emerson Fosdick’s great hymn from 1930 really spoke to me in light of all the … [Read more...]

By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith  Churches (and Lenora)  In 2007 I received a book written by Bishop Rueben P. Job.  It was not a big or lengthy book, yet it was a book of transforming power and love.  THREE SIMPLE RULES lifted up a powerful life and world changing way to live.  Quoting … [Read more...]

By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish -  St. Paul, Saetersdal and  St. Matthew’s, Granger “Vanity of vanities!  (Eccles 1:2b)  The Hebrew literally means vapor of vapors, but it’s translated many ways:  “utterly meaningless,” “all useless,” “nothing but smoke.”  That’s Ecclesiastes’ conclusion about much of life – its toils and gains are vapor. Authorship … [Read more...]