Here are some census numbers from census.gov that begin to paint a picture of rural life in America. Rural areas in this country cover about 97 percent of the land. A little over 19 percent of the population (60 Million) live on this land. A significantly higher percentage of families
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I have experienced the goodness of God. My husband and I married eight years ago this summer. There is much that could be said about our first six years of marriage and where we have been. But, that’s a story for another day, so, I’ll fast forward to the weekend
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The Center of Hope first opened its doors in 1985 in a rented room next to a laundry mat in downtown Livingston to respond to the physical and spiritual needs of low-income families in Polk County. A significant reason for starting the mission was that several churches in the area
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For the first two decades of my life, as I sat in the pew during worship, I turned to the last printed page in The Lutheran Hymnal and read, “A Short Form for Holy Baptism in Cases of Necessity.” The very brief and simple instructions said: “In urgent cases, in
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A number of years ago I came across an article that spoke to church leaders about fostering positive momentum in the church. The author wrote about indicators of victory and indicators of defeat. If a congregation focused on the negative, what it lacked and where it failed, listeners would very
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I am happy to share with you that Dr. Keith Loomans was my mentor and friend. I first met Keith as a member of the review committee when I was hired into church work, and he acted as my part-time boss and advisor for a number of years. For those
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I sat with a man I’ll call Diego at a recent gathering of a newly launched church. The church is gathering at a local rehab center. Residents join with people from around the community for worship, conversation, relationship building, prayer and fun. The rehab center residents invite family and staff
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Fifty years ago, a rural school district in south Texas ran into a predicament. One of the students lived in such a remote area, no one wanted to drive the school bus all the way out to his home to pick him up or drop him off. The student’s name
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According to Dictionary.com, “Intercession” is defined as: 1) an act or instance of interceding; 2) an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person; 3) a prayer to God on behalf of another. If you’re like me – and I’m guessing most Christians are – you tend to think of
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David Ross is a retired professional baseball player with two significant World Series victories on his resume. In 2013, Ross drove in a winning run in game 5 and started as catcher in the clinching game 6 of the Boston Red Sox World Series win. In 2016, Ross played a
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