Columnists

On a mission in the year 2023

What is missional living? From a young age I prepared to go into missions work. It was my goal to tell people about Jesus and help them form into churches to continue the work. My undergraduate degree was in Missions and that education helped form my ideas on what a church is and how it should...

How many books did Al bring to F&C days

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting My dog can find anything I ask it to. What kind of dog is it? It’s a LabraGoogle. Driving by Bruce's drive I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Deep thoughts occur as I drive past his drive. The sun was shining as I put soil in with a plant...

Turning dreams into results

I struggle to dream. I am not talking about when we go to sleep at night and dreams come, well, I struggle with that too, but I am talking about the preferred future dreaming. Think about your future, what do you want your life to be like in the next 20 years? Is that too far? What about 10...

Turkey vulture or peace eagle?

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting I dropped my watch into the Le Sueur River and a year and a half later, it was still running. Your watch was still running? No, the river. Driving by Bruce's drive I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Deep thoughts occur as I drive past his...

Fond memories of past Independence Days

Another Independence day, July 4th, is in the books, it has come and gone. I have so many fond memories of the celebration. When our kids were young we’d get together with friends, have a wonderful afternoon grilling and stuffing our tummies with food, and heading down to Clear Lake park just...

Liberation by forgiveness

Forgiveness, as the ultimate expression, is (or should be) the action identifying a Christian. The theology of what we profess as little Christ is based on the forgiveness offered by Christ through the life [and not only the sacrifice] of His son, Jesus, and also through the forgiveness we offer...

Forgetting the unforgettable

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting Do you still have that book I gave you for your birthday? Of course, I do. I just started reading it. Well, it’s due back at the library next week. Driving by Bruce's drive I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Deep thoughts occur as I drive...

Energy questions answered (mostly)

Over the past decade there has been a tremendous move to wind and solar energy. The reason; the windmills and solar panels don’t pollute our air and they transfer new energy to a grid representing the definition of renewable energy. The grid is the transmission and distribution lines operated by...

Not from here, nor from there

These days while visiting my parents, Rodolfo Enrique Cabral Camiñas, known in the art world as Facundo Cabral, who at the time defined himself as a "first-class vagabond,” came back to my ears. He could tell stories with his guitar, which I believe is lacking in our days, for he taught while...

Don't give up on doing good

Wisconsin, I am in Wisconsin. When will this end? When will I be home for more than 48 hours in a week? I am blessed to have my wife with me on most of these trips, but I am longing to be home. Paul reminds us to not give up or grow weary of doing good, and that is where I find myself today...