Opinions
On an average day in Minnesota, more than 7,000 children are living in foster homes.
Last year, a total of 11,235 children and young adults in our state experienced out-of-home care because they could not safely remain in their own homes. Some were housed with another family, others in group...
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33
Spring Greetings!
This past week, I mowed my grass for the first time of the 2023 season. At this time of year, it always looks so lush,...
At one time, vacations to distant places provided a chance to finally get away from it all. You left behind your job, the usual things from home and the people you interacted with on a daily basis. It was a change from the normal.
Families were trapped in a car for hours and for better or for worse...
I spent all day last Saturday at the Synod Assembly for the Southeast Minnesota Synod of the ELCA. As a result I did not check the news feed on my phone until I got home in the evening.
When I did look at it the first thing that popped up was a headline about a mass shooting in Texas. Another...
As president of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) I travel across our region nearly every day visiting people and places in the 20 counties that we serve. Over the 16 years that I have worked at SMIF, I have watched farming practices change and adapt.
As someone who comes from a...
The ability to do it yourself often is a badge of pride for many people. If you can do it yourself, you can eliminate the need to call in somebody else and can save yourself money. And if you don’t know how to do it, there is probably a YouTube video that can give you step by step instructions....
From the muddy fields of Vietnam to the sands of Afghanistan and Iraq, our servicemembers and veterans have always answered the call, fighting valiantly for our country at great personal risk. Over time, we have seen the severe and lasting consequences of their sacrifices—and in particular, their...
Minnesota is about to become the 23rd state in the nation to approve the use of recreational marijuana by adults. Both the Minnesota House and the Minnesota Senate approved legalization last week. The bills now go to a conference committee to work out the final wording of a bill that will again...
The month of May is here and it is so wonderful to drive around and see farmers out on their fields planting their seeds and people getting more and more out of their homes, enjoying the fun activities that come with this season.
Pretty soon, our family will be out in our back yard in our little...
For about two weeks in March, my wife and I escaped the frozen ground, wind chill, and snow of Minnesota and headed to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We were like so many others from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, who wanted something different.
When we walked into our rented condo from...