The New Technology–Love It?

Tuesday, December 29, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, I can remember from grade school a teacher or a textbook saying that what marks a civilization is the capacity of humans to make the environment adjust to its needs. When the norm is to adapt to nature, civilization forces nature…

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The Mystery of Christmas and the Rest of the Story

December 21, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, In the midst of the stress of the Christmas rush to decorate, buy presents, and prepare food, there is the phrase from Luke’s Gospel, “Mary pondered these things.” Perhaps Christmas more than anything is about pondering—a pondering of faith. Luke begins his…

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Remembering the American Dream

December 14, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, The first six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan was a dark time for our country. Americans watched Japanese soldiers overrun Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, capture Singapore and bomb Darwin, Australia. Most humiliating was Japan’s taking from the United…

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Pearl Harbor–74th Anniversary

December 7, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, Seventy-four years ago today the Empire of Japan attacked the United States by sinking or damaging much of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As a young ensign who served in Hawaii in the early 1970’s, I learned from the…

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Advent and Luke

November 30, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, Happy New Year! Yes, the new Church year began yesterday with the first of four Sundays in Advent. Advent means “coming.” It refers not only to Christ’s first coming with Christmas but also his second coming to close out our current historical…

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In Thanksgiving

November 23, 2015, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, As we look forward to Thanksgiving Day, what does it mean to be thankful? Thankfulness is an Anglo-Saxon word that is of German origin. Gratitude is the French and Latin equivalent. Both words are everyday concepts that are appreciative of the goodness,…

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