“The principle of give and take; that is diplomacy – give one and take ten.” Mark Twain Sad but true, we all tend to categorize others, and even ourselves, as a giver or a taker. Both result...

Several years ago, a friend of mine was on a business trip in Kansas City, where he treated a client to a Royals baseball game. They left the stands before the final inning, but not remembering their...

This is one of the preliminary sketches of the growth and renovation project planned at Grace Church. Images courtesy of Grace Church Grace Church Eden Prairie announced a major growth and renovation...

A few years ago, my wife Julane and I were privileged to be guests of friends in Hartford, Connecticut, who took us on a road trip to see the breathtaking autumn leaves around that whole region from the...

During a discussion of DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) at a meeting I was attending, God brought to mind a song titled “All God’s Creatures Got a Place in the Choir.”  Some characterize...

Thinking back over my lifetime, I’m amazed at how common rhetoric around firearms has devolved from the subject of gun safety to gun control to gun violence. I was sitting by the shore of our favorite...

I’m beginning to think the most popular color this summer is orange. It’s not just because my granddaughter, who attends Clemson University, likes to see me wearing orange, which might be a bit...

A few days ago, I was pondering my next subject for this article while, at the same time, the parable of the good Samaritan was approaching on the horizon of my preaching calendar.  Just then, much...

Saturday marked the first time since June 6, 2020 that core members of Interfaith Circle of Eden Prairie had gathered in-person. Their annual Thanksgiving celebrations featuring ethnic foods, prayer,...

It was midsommar in Sweden when the phone rang at 4 a.m. in our Stockholm hotel room.  Because we were just 500 miles from the Arctic Circle on the first day of summer in this land of the “midnight...

Eden Prairie Cemetery. Since 1876 the Cannon Falls Beacon has covered almost every happening in town and the surrounding townships, including two counties that border the city limits. After checking...

Plenty of Catholic priests sing from the altar. Most shouldn’t. Father J. Michael Byron, who died unexpectedly Friday, May 20, was an exception. Father Mike, as he was known to his parishioners at...