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Local Columns

Experiencing the Glory of Christmas

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14 This is an early Christmas greeting. This is the only time I can and will be writing an article during the month of December. A Blessed and ...

Dengler Domain: Don’t Put It Off

When I knew I was not going to farm anymore, I needed to cheer myself up. I decided to ride Amtrak. Due to a bomb cyclone cancelling my ride from Seattle to St. Paul, I ended up riding the California Zephyr from Emeryville, Calif. to Omaha. As a child, my mom and I rode a partial version of ...

Laity Reflection: Resolving to an Attitude of Gratitude

As I begin to prepare for our Thanksgiving celebration, I usually find a book on my shelf called, Thanksgiving, “A Time to Remember,” by Barbara Rainey. As she says on the book jacket, "A holiday for celebrating faith, family and freedom, Thanksgiving Day is both distinctly Christian and ...

Let Us Give Thanks

It’s that time of the year again when we all pause to give thanks. For the farmers, it is a thankful time for the Harvest that has been brought in. For others, it is for health or family, or maybe just because we are told to be thankful this time of the year. Whatever you are thankful for, ...

Dengler Domain: Driving

My wife and I attended a wedding in the Okoboji area this past weekend. From our house, there were no direct routes. It meant a lot of backroads and two-lane highways. This is the perfect type of travel to see the past. The harvested fields gave off a dreary look as machinery was parked on the ...

Lord of the Harvest

Sunday, November 17th at our church is Harvest Sunday, our annual giving Sunday, a celebration of God’s generosity over the previous year and an invitation to give generously back to God and His Church. Most churches have some form of a “giving Sunday,” but money can be a difficult topic, ...

Dengler Domain: FTC

No matter what happens in this election, the government should work for the people. The government may not be perfect, but it should be here to help us on a federal, state, and local level. While the federal government can feel far away, a little-known part of the Biden administration is ...

Dengler Domain: The Final Harvest

Harvest has always been my favorite part of farming. Riding in the combine and watching the crop feed into the combine is pleasurable. As the monitor shows the yield going up and down throughout the field, it is fun to watch. In years past, this was a suitable time to evaluate farm management ...

Pastor’s Column: Rev. Brad Braley

Recently I was hunting high and low for something, which led me to look in the pockets of everything I’ve worn recently. When I put my hand in the inner pocket of a suit jacket I hadn’t worn all summer, I found a piece of paper. The paper was similar to one that I sometimes receive from ...

Iowa Outdoors

Success during the 2023 pheasant season has Iowa hunters eagerly awaiting this year’s opening day and with bird population estimates similar to two years ago, hunters are expecting another great fall afield. Pheasant hunting has been an Iowa tradition spanning generations. This year, it ...