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He seldom met a meal he didn't like

Local Columns

One word you won’t read in my obituary is “gourmet.” Not that I have anything against fine foods and good wines; it’s just that I’m content with meat and potatoes. Or casseroles. Or pizza. Or cheeseburgers. I wasn’t aware that people ate fancier foods until I was a teenager. By then I was hooked on Mom’s meat and potatoes home cooking which, by the way, I’ll put up against any other in the Midwest. Shortly before I left home, I foolishly began to tire of Mom’s cooking. Restaurant menus seemed more exciting. I’ll never forget the first time I visited my parents ...

What Ebeneezer Griper learned in school

Local Columns

My grumpy old buddy Eb Griper and I were chewing the fat in the post office parking lot when a big yellow school bus drove by. “Sure glad I’m not on that thing,” I said over the rumble. “You’re not alone,” Eb said. “I hated school.” “They had schools when you were a kid?” I teased. “Don’t be a smart aleck,” Eb snapped. “Of course they did. I went to Superior Township No. 3. A one-room school house out in the country — two outhouses, a swing set and a merry-go-round. And I learned more than kids do today with all their voodoo games.” “I think ...

The joys of fatherhood

Local Columns

One of the many joys of fatherhood is bringing home the occasional gift for my 2-year-old daughter. Most days when I walk in the door, she runs down the hallway to greet me, hollering “Dad!” the whole way. On those occasions when I come with something in my hand, she stops in her tracks when she sees the present and invariably asks in eager anticipation: “What is it, what is it?” Her joy and excitement in welcoming me home and her desire to know what I’ve brought her are treasured blessings. Our Lord Jesus Christ says to His disciples in Luke 11 that earthly fathers, ...

Protect the tax credit that makes homes safer and energy bills lower

Letters to Editor

To the editor: I’m a fifth-generation Iowa farmer, and I’ve been renovating the home my grandfather and great-grandfather built in 1955. Like others in my community, I recently had a close call with carbon monoxide poisoning. After getting severe headaches and numbness, I knew I had to make a change — I didn’t want gas appliances in my home anymore. We’ve since electrified the entire house. We rebuilt the kitchen with electric appliances, including an induction stove, replaced our old propane furnace with a heat pump system, and added an EV charger circuit in the garage. ...

To spank or not to spank; that is the question

Local Columns

Driving down the highway several years ago I remember listening to a radio talk show host debate with his guest the merits of spanking children. The talk show host was a bigger proponent of spanking by parents than his guest. The host also argued in favor of corporal punishment in public schools while his guest disagreed. I was not in a position to call in and share my opinion but I definitely had one. I still do. I believe a parent has an obligation to lovingly discipline a child. At a young age, when reasoning doesn’t work, spanking — sparingly and wisely applied — can be ...

Not my will: The heartbeat of Resurrection living

Local Columns

As most of the world pauses to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, millions reflect on more than just a religious tradition — they remember a story that has forever altered history. This is not merely a holiday. It is a call to encounter the deepest love humanity has ever known. The final week of Jesus Christ's life, often called Holy Week, is not just a page in Scripture — it is a collision of divine purpose and human pain, of heaven's hope and earth's brokenness. At the very heart of this sacred journey lies a moment of raw, gut-wrenching surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane — a ...