By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) A BRAND NEW GRANDDAUGHTER!!! Recently, my wife and I became grandparents again! We now have five awesome grandchildren. As of this writing the youngest one is only about a month old. She is a precious, sweet little girl. I love holding her in … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Let Go and Let God
By Pastor Bridget Sheely Co-Pastor of Prairieland Parish Fall – to lose the old, to have its proper place. This is just part of the many definitions of what the dictionary says “fall” is. What I find fascinating is that the dictionary is talking about fall like “I fell down,” not fall like “the season” and yet how appropriate the definition is. I love fall!! … [Read more...]
Real Hope and Change!
By Pastor Marke Geselle Valley Christian Center We’re having the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Choir in our morning service this Sunday! I’m always blessed to hear the stories of those going through this life changing, drug and alcohol program. In those months in the program, lives and eternal destinies are changed. Those with life controlling substance abuse, … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Summer’s Lease Hath All Too Short a Date
By Pastor Jeff Jacobs Unity Lutheran Parish - St. Paul, Saetersdal and St. Matthew’s, Granger No, that’s not a quote from Scripture, but Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. And at mid-August, I’m sure many of us feel summer is flying too quickly – again! The prophet Isaiah had his own spin on transience: “The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Do You Ever Feel Lonely?
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) Traditional, Christian hymns have much to offer our world today. In about 1855 Joseph M. Scriven composed the words to a great Christian hymn. From time to time, I believe we all feel lonely, discouraged and sad. For our devotions today, I’d like … [Read more...]
For the Beauty of the Earth
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish Churches: Spring Valley: Faith, Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston (and Lenora) A few nights ago I was out in the yard transplanting some flowers that I had rescued from a construction site. I like digging in the soil. I like planting in the cool, rich, moist dirt. As I planted the wild lilies, I got to thinking about the beauty … [Read more...]
If You Build It, He Will Come
Like many things, it all started with a dream. The difference with Upper Room is that it involved a literal dream. Seven years ago, Eric Corson had a vivid dream about hearing music and then seeing a musician playing worship music in the old Curt’s Standard building on Highway 52 in Preston. As the dream ended, he found himself looking down a stairway that went from 100 feet … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – Broken and Contrite, Purified and Restored
Rev. Peter J. Haugen St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church We hear at the beginning of St. Luke 5 about a great catch of fish, and about our Lord Jesus calling His first disciples. We see here the power of the Word of God. At the Word of Jesus, St. Peter let down his nets. Jesus spoke with the authority of God, and Peter was filled with fear – not of fish or water threatening … [Read more...]
It’s a Vine Life
By Rev. Deanna Woodward Maple Leaf Parish - United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston and Spring Valley Several years ago I toured a garden where massive pumpkins were grown – the type people grow to compete for a prize. Remember that old rhyme “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater. Had a wife and couldn’t keep her. He put her in a pumpkin shell. And … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – The Water of Life
By Pastor Nissa Peterson Chatfield and Root Prairie Lutheran Churches A whole lot of being a human revolves around water. We need water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and washing. We use water for swimming, gardening, farming and more. This past year living in an agricultural area, we have especially had a lot of stress around water. Last year, it was drought and not … [Read more...]