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Local Columns

Somalian residents should be respected as true Americans

In the past several weeks Minnesota’s Somalians have come under political attack originating in our nation’s highest office. President Trump and his radical conservative supporters have asserted that Somalians defraud the government and send money to terrorists. He’s called them ...

Thinking about food

My wife Pam says that I think about food a lot. Once I get this column started, I plan to eat a pumpkin muffin that is out in the kitchen. I’m looking forward to that. At various times in my life, I’ve been chunky to a tad overweight. You don’t get to be that way without thinking about ...

Hurtful words are a bold time for people of faith to act

As a pastor who lives in a state that is home to as many as 84,000 people who are of Somalia descent, hearing our president call them “garbage” goes beyond disheartening. In fact, it’s immoral and can in no certain terms be likened to how Jesus lived his life, nor what he preached to ...

Very young kids dealing with trauma

What bad things could possibly happen to children in their first five years of life? What dramatic experiences could possibly happen to a child between birth and 5 years old? It turns out that there are many situations that can expose young children to trauma. Early victimization that can ...

There was a time

There was a time when all of us were a child. As we all know, the years flow by quickly, and soon the youngster we were is gone. Or, is that child gone? Let’s explore that a bit... There was a time when we were young, and all decisions were made for us. Now, we make the decisions that ...

High-tech piracy hits home

Ok, so that was unexpected. It wasn’t unexpected to receive a random email from an unknown sender who presented themselves as a New York law firm. Just another chunk of junk mail to chuck. But just for the heck of it I decided to read the missive before dumping it in the digital dustbin. ...