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EMPTY NEST

Curt Turns 78, Life is Great! An orange sunrise, to rival the Buck Full Moon, greeted me on Tuesday, July 28, like the Signal Corps sending a message, “It's Curt's birthday, he's 78 and feels great, dang straight!” I knew it was going to be a spectacular day when I saw a finch at our window feeder feeding his or hers two baby finches thistle seed. I didn't know finches could do that, and took it as a good omen of the day to come: feeding new life. The two fledglings fluttered their wings and opened their tiny beaks in anticipation of the nourishment to come. So cute, a blessing of ...

Making my bed isn’t about productivity, it’s about kindness

While visiting my mom, my son asked, "Why do I have to make my bed at Grandma's house?" I smoothed the quilt over the mattress and answered without thinking, "Because Grandma likes it neat and she deserves a nice space." My response surprised me. What did being tidy have to do with ...

Ask Augustine

Since doctrine divides, why do you emphasize doctrine so much in your columns? Shouldn’t peace and unity be paramount? The axiom of our day is the expression “doctrine divides,” and, indeed that is true. Doctrine does have a tendency to divide, but it does not seem to divide as much within liberal churches and among liberal theologians as it does within the more conservative churches and among the more conservative theologians. I suspect that the reason for this is because the more liberal a church or a theologian is, the more able they are to tolerate a wide variety of doctrines ...

Welcome to Wellness Month

Wellness is more than simply being free from disease and illness. Wellness involves balancing different aspects of life to achieve overall well-being. Instead of focusing only on physical health, the wellness model focuses on 8 dimensions that contribute to the quality of life. The 8 dimensions are: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, environmental, and financial well-being. Each dimension influences the others. Physical wellness refers to the ability to maintain a healthy body through regular exercise, proper nutrition, sufficient sleep, and healthy ...

Election integrity or intimidation?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about election integrity, especially from the Trump administration. What’s disturbing is that the rhetoric doesn’t seem to be lining up with his administration’s actions. Take for example the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Created in 2002 after ...

Iowa’s economic future depends on a stronger, more resilient electric grid

The recent stretch of prolonged, extreme heat across our region underscored a reality that should matter to every Iowan: electric reliability and affordability isn’t an abstract policy issue. It affects the air conditioning in our homes, refrigeration in our stores, technology we rely on ...