By Pastor Marke Geselle Valley Christian Center “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14 I guess so!!! I went to my high school class reunion on Saturday and there were a bunch of old people there! A get together to celebrate (if that’s the right term) 45 years. 45 … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Flashback Where are the Altar Paintings?
By Cheryl Boyum Eaton Peterson Station Museum Board member As a young child growing up in the Peterson area in the early 1950s, my family attended the Peterson Evangelical Lutheran Church. Occasionally, we attended a function or service at the other Lutheran Church in town, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. What was the reason for two Lutheran Churches in this small town? The … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Grounded in Creation
By Pastor Kris Hertsgaard Kincaid Christ Lutheran Church, Preston God continuously creates and there is much to enjoy in our natural world. During the summer I love the depths of green growing throughout the driftless region. I love the changing flow of the rivers as water rains down and fills them or dry weeks lessen their flow. I love the wildflowers blooming, the … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Created Equal
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” You’ll undoubtedly recognize this from the Declaration of … [Read more...]
Old “er” Age Shouldn’t Stop You
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...]
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...]
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...]
Pastor Devotions – Jesus is the Light of the World
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) On October 2, 2024, my beloved wife, best friend and partner in ministry passed away from an undiagnosed heart condition. I was shocked and devastated by her passing. Pastor Deanna Woodward was truly a ray of sunshine and light in my life … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Ordinary Days
By Pastor Pam Seebach Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches Students and teachers (for the most part) have been released from school for the summer. Ahead of us stretches a long expanse of summer days, an expanse of time which, as a child, seemed endless. Long days of doing nothing, interspersed with trips to the library or the swimming pool. Beautiful, … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Let it Grow
By Pastor Kevin Barnhart Spring Grove Evangelical Free James 5:7–8: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it re-ceives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient” John 12:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the … [Read more...]