It’s back to school time. As a parent and educator I’ve been involved these last two weeks in preparing for the start of the 2016-17 school year. Buying school clothes, binders and notebooks, correlating curriculum to state standards and setting up a classroom. As a pastor I find myself looking at this annual rite from a different perspective. Our children... READ MORE >
My wife, my kids and I listed everything we were thankful for on a recent trip to Duluth. We said we were thankful for new friends and old, family near and far, a nice home to live in, turkey at grandma’s house. We were thankful for our little dog Wesley, for schools, teachers and books, for doctors and nurses and... READ MORE >
Prior to arriving in Tofte in August, my family and I were living overseas for several years. The last two were spent in Skopje, Macedonia. Living in southeastern Europe had many charms, but certainly one of them was the opportunity to travel to great European cities for very little money. Last March my family and I visited Paris. We saw... READ MORE >
Much has been written about lutefisk. Actually most of what has been written is a repetition of the same thing, but writing about the craziness of the traditional lutefisk dinner has become somewhat of a tradition in and of itself. So I thought, with my congregation, Zoar Church, keeping up this time-honored culinary custom on Saturday, I would give it... READ MORE >
During a recent morning drive I listened to an NPR story reporting recent poll findings that more and more Americans view themselves as “unaffiliated,” “atheists” or “agnostics,” while the number of Americans identifying themselves as “Christians” fell. The most striking changes were among young adults who in greater numbers are staying away from faith communities. Yet interest in Jesus remains... READ MORE >
