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“When God wants to speak and deal with us,” wrote Martin Luther long ago, God doesn’t send an angel but “parents, or the pastor, or our neighbor.”
The message came via Facebook from Haiti: “Dieuse is alive. She is homeless but alive… Pray for her.”
St. Paul is a support network for families, where these young parents have committed to raise their children in the faith.
In this Advent story, pregnancy is a sign of divine blessing. Love is on the way!
A small boy started to clap. “His heart knew the love of Jesus, and he couldn’t contain it.”
A St. Paul stay-at-home mom is compelled by her faith to make a difference in the lives of others.
No Excuses: A Spirit of Servanthood
Everything is a gift of God. In a spirit of servanthood, Deb and Joe James “give back, because of all that God has given to us.”
“I envision that God is holding me from underneath with loving arms. God is underneath me, all around me.”
His very life is a letter that anyone can read by just looking at him. Meet Jim on his mail route in west Davenport.
In the sun-drenched library of Madison Elementary School, Bob reads a book to two small friends. A volunteer literacy tutor, Bob serves in a spirit of love.
Her workspace is littered with the stuff of creation. Hymn verses. Lively verbs. Scripture texts. Books that swarm with monkeys and toucans, elephants and bees.
Working on flood-damaged houses crystallized some things for Kim. “It was a reminder to keep it simple, to keep to the basics. Love God. Love others.”
Scott makes connections between math and music, head and heart, life and faith — traveling to church in Davenport from Morrison, Illinois.
There among 163 Wikipedia footnotes on Lutheranism, something about God’s grace grabbed Jess. And she found her way to church.
This is the story of two retired guys. They are willing and available. They love the church. And some years ago, they started noticing stuff.
Camp Shalom: Raising Kids in Faith
Explore a place of natural wonder that breathes with the rhythm of God’s Spirit.
Tackling Money Issues with Faith
“For us, our motivation is to get our own house in order so that we can go out and help others,” says Dave, letting his faith take the lead.
Meet a woman who found a path to walk in the light of scripture. She’s one of 20 St. Paul people leading small study groups during Lent. It’s all part of a 40-day journey that carries us more deeply into the language of faith.
The Bible was a “foreign” language for Juli. But now it nourishes her spiritual imagination every day. She has a great story to share.
“Music to me is so intertwined with faith. It’s who I am,” says Claire Kuttler. She’s the 24-year-old who sang for President Barack Obama’s pre-inaugural prayer service in Washington D.C.
The “fascinating, transformational power of ideas” has shaped Bob Sorensen’s life and vocation.
Utah pipe organ artisans chat about what it means to craft a magnificent 36-foot instrument for a Davenport church.
Plenty of ways exist to help the struggling people of the world. But the best involve sustainability and self-reliance.
Budget Lessons from a Seven-year-old
“Emma, you don’t have to put all of your birthday money into the offering, maybe just some of it.”
“If you want to have love in your heart and experience peace, you can’t make room for hate to have such a stronghold.”
It's Always Better When We're Together
Witness a teacher’s love for kids and for sharing the faith.
Susie can’t move on her own power — but the power of prayer nourishes her unshakeable faith. When frustrations douse her spirit, she keeps turning to God.
In church, where the word of God takes hold of people and sends them out with love for others, Sharlene gets her oxygen.
Trust others. Stay anchored. Bear with one another. Watch for obstacles. Work shoulder to shoulder. Live with gratitude.
From threading the filmstrip projectors of the early 70s to creating the Power Points of today, teachers Steve and Cheryl Arp leave a trail of kindnesses in the Long Grove community.
It’s a vocation that makes her feel alive. “Listen to my people as they walk. Pay attention to the shuffling of pants legs.”
“My whole goal in life is to use the gifts God has given to me to help people do what needs to be done,” says Don, an “easy-going” guy at home in flannel and denim.
Martin Luther wrote that the true vocation of the Christian is to honor God through service to the neighbor. This St. Paul high-schooler is getting the idea.
Like Our Most Special Neighbor
“We treat everyone like our neighbor, like our most special neighbor,” says RN Sherri Beyer. Her vocation treating people with cancer keeps her poised between grief and hope — and grateful for God’s grace.
From the smallest Head Start child to the proud gowned graduate, kids are Bill Osborne’s passion.
'We Left Them Shining with Hope'
Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, two friends encountered a region devastated by hurricane and poverty. They’re not afraid to step out and serve… “Even at our age.”
“A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives.” — Jackie Robinson, Jim’s first sports hero
Witnessing faith and resilience
“If I had to pick two words to describe the people of Argentina, it would be faith and resilience,” says seminarian Josh Ebener. “The faith of the people here is powerful, constantly acknowledging God’s presence and giving God thanks.”
From Argentina: Our 'pan de cada dia'
Amidst the uncertainty of where the next meal is coming from and the frailness of malnourished bodies, they can eat food. Church is both spiritually and literally the pan de cada dia (daily bread).
Alert for What God Will Do Next
Enter John the Baptist with travel directions for an Advent perspective: “Change your life,” he shouts. “Make the road smooth and straight! Make a clean sweep of your lives.”
Jane's Top Ten List for Single Parenting
Jane’s ten commonsense goals for single parenting resonate with humor, pathos, and hard-fought wisdom.
“I see myself as the church — cultivating and nourishing body, mind, and spirit — so that I can give to others,” says Jim.
“I just know in my heart that things will work, because of the strength of people pulling together,” says Georgeann.
“Mom would cash the check on Friday,” recalls Eric Engstrom of his mother Velma. “The first thing, she’d put money for the church in an envelope, and then she’d put the envelope in the cabinet.”
Love carries Kari into the new sanctuary
“I am going to walk into the new church with the help of God,” Kari thought. And she did!
Voice from Tanzania: Water Stories
Grace flows in water stories from Tanzania: “Free drinks at the Byerlys’!”
“I freely gave her what God had first given me without reservation. No act of kindness is too small when done with love.”
A 25-year-old student at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Paul Bailie grew up at St. Paul in Davenport. Paul is serving his internship year at Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan, New York.
Hospitality in Big Bear Slippers
In his big bear slippers, Steve Hart practices the art of hospitality.
A young Haitian woman learns English fluency and friendship with a Bettendorf family.
Putting Sparkle in Dental Care
Her daily work puts her up-close-and-personal with hundreds of bicuspids and incisors — and people to care about.
Mabel’s easy smile and impish wit surface easily in the presence of this new friend. “I love hearing Mabel’s stories,” says Sharon.
It was Bariki Charles, a five-year-old in green blazer and pants, standing in the arid landscape of Tanzania.
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies,” wrote Mother Teresa. At 94, Helen Reins delights in small beautiful things.
In a 15-hour car ride from Iowa to Mississippi, a handful of St. Paul people experienced the mystery of God.
Sharon learned: “Seventeen months after the worst natural disaster to hit this nation, people emerged with their faith not only intact, but stronger…”
A teacher of literature, a parent of three, a lover of questions, a disciple of connections, Katie Hanson turns to an English novelist for her mantra on learning. “Only connect!”
"I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help God. I ended up by asking God to do God's work through me." ~Hudson Taylor, missionary to China