By Pastor Paul Hauschild Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches While waiting at the airport terminal for her plane to begin boarding, a woman sat reading a newspaper. Earlier, she had purchased a package of cookies in the airport snack shop to eat after she got on the plane. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the man sitting next to her was eating a cookie. … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Giving all
By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches Every day when I retrieve the mail from our mailbox there are at least a couple of requests for charitable donations. Organizations around the country need (NEED!) my money. They need me to help protect the children, the trees, the birds, the animals. Other organizations want me to support their … [Read more...]
Worrying productively
By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parishes - Faith United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley I recently tried out some jokes on my family and on the congregation at Cherry Grove Cowboy Church. Despite their reaction (mostly groaning), I thought I’d share a few with you readers. Here are some jokes about farming: Why do cows like … [Read more...]
Is He sufficient?
By Pastor Kevin Barnhart Spring Grove Evangelical Free Who has had this happen…after spending an hour or more at the grocery store getting a million and one things you need and a few things you don’t piled into a cart all the while navigating one two or more kids who are helpfully adding unknown things into your cart, screaming about wanting to go and having a desperate need … [Read more...]
Remember the sabbath
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger In May, my colleague, Pr. Nissa Peterson, reflected on sabbath in this space, and I offer additional thoughts on that theme. Last fall I attended a conference on sabbath keeping in ancient Israel. The presenter’s theme was that sabbath is not merely “taking a break,” but deeply … [Read more...]
Pastor devotion – Guard your speech
By Pastor Stuart Weist First Baptist Church of Preston Have you ever heard someone tell you to “watch your mouth”? Well, I have because unfortunately, in my youth, my tongue would often get me in trouble. Those little backhanded comments to parents, speaking ill of bosses or coworkers, or simply venting my anger though vile language, I have been guilty of it all and once … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion Clothes do make a man, woman and child
By Rev. Debra Jene Collum Chatfield United Methodist In my part of the world, summer began this year when I opened the doors to the costume room at Potter Auditorium in Chatfield. I have been given the privilege and respons-ibility to create the costumes for the summer musical put on by WITs’ End Theatre. A lot of work goes into changing each person that stands on stage … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – Finding love
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Racine/Sumner Center UMC, Stewartville UMC Children’s Ministry Coordinator Genesis 1:1,31 (New International Version) “1 In the beginning God created… 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Is that not just an amazingly inspirational statement! It is the scripture that comes to my mind every spring as our wonderful world wakes … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – “Faith’s Check Book” inspiring and uplifting
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) Uanited Methodist Churches During a particular rough time in my life, I very much appreciated the inspiring, uplifting, encouraging words of a wonderful pastor who lived in England. Charles Spurgeon lived from 1834-1892 and he was a prominent clergyman during this … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotion – That we should be called children of God
By Pastor Michael Harman St. Johns Lutheran Church and School There is great comfort in First John 3:1. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” ESV. God’s Word tells us we can’t earn His love. It’s given. A free gift. By His … [Read more...]