It’s sad to see them go

October 5, 2026

While driving around Iowa I have noted a continuing decline in the number of barns. Once the monarch of every Iowa farmstead, the barn has given way to more efficient metal buildings and, in some cases, no buildings at all. Things change. As with threshing machines, windmills, the outhouse and the horse-drawn wagon the wooden barn is rapidly becoming a part of our past. And that’s okay, I guess. Things change and we have to learn to change with them. Still, I feel some sorrow in the loss of the barn. So much of what made a farm a farm several decades ago centered on ...

Leadership is a process, so it’s time to start

October 2, 2026

Hamilton County needs you! Webster City needs you. Every city in the county needs their residents to take up the charge to help make their city into a place where we all want to live. We need new people to step in and learn how to become leaders in our communities. It's the only way our communities can grow and thrive. We need to work together to find our younger leaders and recommend them for positions where they can learn to take on roles that are important to all of us. This past week, we have run the lists of committees and boards that have openings in both the city and the ...

Employee appreciation is more than empty gestures

September 30, 2026

I have always believed that if you want good people, you must treat good people like they matter. That sounds simple. It should be simple. But too often, employee appreciation becomes nothing more than words. We tell employees they are valued. We tell them they are appreciated. We tell them they are the backbone of an organization. Then we go right back to doing things the same way we have always done them. And those employees see it, they feel it and they are tired of it. Words matter. But words without action eventually become empty. That’s where we are, already. Real employee ...

Not a Jimmy or Debbie in the bunch

September 28, 2026

Having spent the past 70+ years spelling my name for people who have never heard it before, I am particularly observant of unusual given names. Though I wanted to be a Billy or Tommy when I was a kid, I’m okay with Arvid. It has served me well over the years. My ancestors came to the United States from northwest Germany’s East Friesland region and from the Netherland’s Groningen and Friesland provinces. My mother, named after an aunt, was given the Old Country name Harmina (hahr-MY-nuh.) Harmina Catherina. Mom claimed she didn’t like her name but I thought it was ...

Let not your hearts be troubled…have faith

September 25, 2026

What stills the heart and comforts the troubled conscience? Only the Gospel of Christ Jesus crucified and raised for sinners. Jesus says to His disciples in John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Trouble and worry can come upon us from all sides. Worldly dangers threaten our mortal bodies, temptations bombard us every waking hour, and Satan seeks to undermine our faith with the old evil question: “did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1). Psalm 46 and Psalm 91 remind us of the Lord’s providence and protection. The Holy Spirit says through ...

Is our team broken?

September 23, 2026

I believe in working as a team, I like building relationships, and I like to be open about everything that I do. Ask anyone who has ever worked with me. I give a lot of details. If you read what I write, that is often the case. But I’ve done this in every area of my career. I’ve created financial reports that are easy to read, information that goes to everyone that is involved. Newsletters that explain things in depth. Open conversations. So it’s disturbing when I hear from our elected officials that all the departments need to work together better, then not see them ...