Lately, I’ve been thinking about the ways we feed ourselves. I’m talking about the type of feeding that goes far beyond nutritional guides, food pyramids, and recommended 100+ ounces of water daily. Admittedly, the water thing is one I struggle with myself.   We give a lot of time and thought to feeding a child the right mix of grains, proteins, dairy, fruits, and vegetables to grow their little bodies and minds but sometimes that gets a little lost as we get older, as schedules fill up. The bigger question I’m left with is how do we feed ourselves to grow into the best version of oursel ..read more

“What do I need to do to obtain eternal life?” This is my favorite question that Jesus is asked, and it can be found in the 10th chapter of Luke’s Gospel. Sometimes, we think of eternal life as a destination we reach after death, but scripture teaches us that it’s not just about getting to heaven. Eternal life is about living a life closely connected to God, where every breath and step is a blessing and source of great joy.   The question that was really being asked of Jesus was, “How can I live a life filled with everlasting peace and joy that overcomes death, despair, and evil?” I ..read more

A few goodbyes were shared around St. Paul as two staff members embarked on new journeys. St. Paul social worker and counselor Angie Vaaler is relocating this month and groundskeeper Harris Schneekloth retired in April after more than 30 years at St. Paul. Farewell to Angie Vaaler In 2015, St. Paul had an exciting idea: an on-staff social worker to help serve St. Paul people, Madison families, and the greater community. In 2018, Angie Vaaler, the first St. Paul social worker/counselor, helped bring that idea to life. Angie has spent the past five and a half years guiding clients through diffic ..read more

These days, it feels like nothing makes the news, at least not “above the fold” or before the first commercial, if it isn’t Caitlin Clark, campus sit-ins, the war in Gaza (remember Ukraine?), the Trump trial, or polls in the presidential race. Credit to the QC Times – they do regularly have worthwhile local stories on the front page. But the “regularly scheduled programming” of the top stories, run over and over again, still becomes somewhat deadening. Aren’t there interesting things going on in South America? What’s happening in the art world? What’s the most interesting new building to go u ..read more

I like to take note of people who encourage others. That’s because I’m highly aware of being the beneficiary of the same. I can’t calculate the number of people in my life who have encouraged me – people who have gone out of their way to lift me up in small and large ways. What their supportive words or deeds have done for my life is immeasurable. As far as I’m concerned, encouragement is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. It’s its own form of love. And when it comes to people of faith, we don’t step down in discouraging times or in the presence of disappointing news. We step up ..read more

St. Paul member Samantha Stahle surrounds herself with the things she loves, and dance is at the forefront. Do what you love, love what you do is a phrase Samantha lives by. It’s on the shirt she wears to work. Similar positive messages adorn the walls of her job at Studio A Dance Company. She found her love of dancing at an early age, and it carried on into her adult years, providing her with deep, lasting friendships and new refreshing challenges. “I started dancing at five years old. My mom put my two sisters and me (we’re triplets) in dance to help build our confidence as we got older,” Sa ..read more

What Dr. Jim O’Connell thought would be just one year of his life turned into his life’s work. Tracy Kidder, in his book Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People, takes readers into the life of Dr. O’Connell and this work with Boston’s homeless population. Dr. O’Connell will speak at St. Paul on April 21. Dr. Jim O’Connell was about to finish his residency. He had just received a prestigious fellowship in oncology at Sloan Kettering in New York and knew the opportunity would change his life. Yes, his life was about to change, but not in the way he ..read more

You don’t have to spend much time driving on the interstate before you encounter one of those electronic traffic signs overhead. I’m sure you’ve seen them. They remind you to buckle your seat belt or to reduce your speed in a work zone or warn you of a stalled vehicle on the shoulder up ahead. And often these signs are a bit witty, including funny wording or puns that might make you chuckle as you drive by.   States across the country have used a variety of quirky messages to get drivers to pay attention to the sign, rather than just pass by. Among them: “Use Yah Blinkah” in Massach ..read more

The decline of local news is not news. We all know that journalists and beat reporters are disappearing in record numbers because of the glut of free online content, plummeting advertising revenue, and scores of other factors. The once mighty Los Angeles Times, to cite but one example, has laid off more than 20 percent of its newsroom this year. More than half of U.S. counties no longer have any local news coverage. The list of newspapers and magazines entering the extinction category is long.  What this decline means for local communities is a significant loss of a common culture – a pl ..read more

My mother loves to tell the story of my first trip to an amusement park. I was about five years old when my family took a week to visit Williamsburg, VA. I loved the historic colonial Williamsburg, I splashed all around the local water park, but I was completely terrified of Busch Gardens. The giant Loch Ness Monster rollercoaster that roars over your head as you enter the park didn’t help.  My mom was determined to get me to ride ONE ride. I was determined to do anything but. Everything was big, loud, and scary. Even the simple swing carousel. It didn’t matter that I loved the swing set ..read more