church column
- By Pastor Praveen Muthsuamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchJanuary 15, 2025You may have come across the idiom, “All roads lead to Rome.” It means that there are many ways to achieve the same goal or result. It suggests that no matter which path you choose, you will eventually reach your desired outcome. This saying may be true for some areas of life. For example, if someone wants to lose weight, they can try the vegan diet, Keto diet, Paleo diet, carnivore diet, and…
- By Pastor Joe Steenholdt, Christian Reformed Church, LuverneDecember 24, 2024Another Christmas has come and gone, leaving us in this reflective week at the end of the year—an in-between week to consider when to take down decorations and plan for New Year’s. We may feel hopeful about the future or anxious about what lies ahead. The message of Christmas is still fresh in our minds, yet I invite us to reflect beyond just the baby in Bethlehem. In the Gospel of Mark, he…
- By Pastor Jeremy Wiersema, Reformed Church of SteenDecember 18, 2024Are you ready for Christmas? There are only a few days left to get prepared. There are probably presents to wrap, and food to make. For me the shopping is done, and the best part is yet to come. My wife and I get to give gifts to people whom we love. One thing I have learned over the years is that a gift is only given when it has been received. That reminds me of a true story about my friend…
- By Pastor Josh Hayden, Living Rock Church, LuverneDecember 04, 2024Death seems to be the loudest frequency these days, Something that you can’t turn off or change. With the passing of two beloved people, only a couple days apart, It’s a frequency that seems to produce so much pain in my heart. The feeling of joy for them is overwhelming in our souls To know they are free, healed and forever whole. They suffered longer than we knew or could imagine, But…
- By NextGen Pastor Manda Steensma, Rock River Community Church, LuverneNovember 26, 2024Ten acts of kindness to 10 random people each day for 10 days. Reggie Dabbs challenged students at Luverne Schools last week with just that, a 10 for 10 Challenge. If one student completes the 10 for 10 Challenge, 100 people will know they matter. If 10 students complete the challenge, 1,000 people will know they matter. “You have nice eyebrows” started the challenge for every student in…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneNovember 06, 2024As I write this article, it is the day before our national election. When this is published, I hope that the results are clear and defined. Uncertainty creates a lot of tension in our collective hearts. It does not always bring out the best in people’s actions. As I prepare to vote, I am also preparing to preach on Sunday. At the church in which I serve, we follow a lectionary, which is a…
- By Rev. Dr. Steven Voris, First Presbyterian Church, LuverneOctober 23, 2024Halloween is approaching. That’s good and all. I’ll probably eat too much leftover Halloween candy and help the grandchildren with their costumes. Anything involving grandchildren and fun can’t be all bad. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend $11.6 billion on Halloween this year. That averages to about $103.63 per family, making Halloween the second biggest American…
- By Pastor Joe Steenholdt, Luverne Christian Reformed ChurchOctober 09, 2024Seeing the combines out in the field reminded me of a phrase that stood out in a series study on the book of James this past summer, “a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18). As we assess this year’s crop yields, let’s also consider the yields of our lives. Is there evidence of a harvest of righteousness in 2024? The book of James is a lot like the book of Proverbs in showing the value of…
- By Pastor Andrew Palmquist, Bethany Lutheran Church, LuverneSeptember 04, 2024When you’re on vacation and walk down a hotel hallway, what do you often see hanging from the doorknobs? Little signs that say, “DO NOT DISTURB!” Those three little words communicate a clear message. We don’t want to be bothered. Unfortunately, that same phrase is often an accurate description of the attitude many people have toward Christ and the Gospel. Not only on Sunday mornings but every…
- By Pastor Praveen Muthsuamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchAugust 14, 2024If you walk into a grocery store and get to the cereal aisle, you have plenty of options to choose from: Rice Krispies, Cheerios, Special K, Lucky Charms, Cap'n Crunch, etc. If you decide to buy a car, you again have plenty of options to choose from. You have plenty of car manufacturers to choose from: Ford, Chevy, Nissan, Toyota, Hyundai, etc. We who live in North America like choices and we…
- By Pastor Mike Geiger, Crosspoint Church (WELS) Georgetown, TXJuly 10, 2024“Can you believe it?” We often say this when we see or witness something that is seemingly beyond the normal. We might believe it because we witnessed it, but the person to whom we relate the event is a bit skeptical. We might even qualify our reaction to the event with the phrase, “I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it!” Stories that fit the unbelievable category might be an account of…
- By Pastor Josh Hayden, Living Rock Church, LuverneJuly 03, 2024The other week I was able to spend a couple days working with Rock the Edge during their mission week here in Rock County. It is an incredible week with students and adults from different churches in Rock County serving their community through different projects. Decks were built, buildings were painted, and over 20 beds were made for people in need of one. On Wednesday I was privileged to help…
- By Praveen Muthusamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchMay 29, 2024Officially Memorial Day is a federal holiday to celebrate the heroes in the United States Armed Forces who died serving our country. Unofficially many see this day as a start of summer and travel to different places with family. It is a comfort to know that wherever we go this summer, God is always there with us. The last time I wrote on March 14, 2024, we considered the first six verses of…
- By Pastor Walt Moser, First Baptist Church, LuverneMay 15, 2024Let me share several verses of scripture that remind us of who the great and mighty God we serve is. The Lord of lords, and King of kings, the only true and living God describes himself in many wonderful ways. Enjoy these verses. “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2) “…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneMarch 27, 2024My name is Pastor Sarah Zender and I’m the new pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. It is an honor to have space in a local newspaper to share thoughts about life and faith. I would like to share a little about myself first. I’m a big believer that knowing a little something about the person who is writing can help create greater understanding amidst the words which I’ll share. I was…
- By Pastor Michael GeigerMarch 20, 2024“He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites — all their sins — and put them on the goat’s head.” Leviticus 16:21 A scapegoat by definition is one who is made to bear the blame of others. Whenever someone is blamed for something they didn’t do and treated as the guilty one even though they are not, they are a…
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