BY BRIAN JACK

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH

In the fourth chapter of Luke’s gospel, Jesus returns to his hometown for an election and is nearly killed for making the wrong choice before he “slipped through the midst of them and went on his way” (v.30). What went wrong? Who did he elect that caused such a stir?

I was honestly kind of hurt when I didn't get picked to be a groomsman.

We had a wedding celebration this last Friday, Oct. 4 — the wedding between an old college friend of mine, Lucas, and his partner, Kyra. Of course, I'd known about the wedding for years at that point — a long time ago, in a city far, far away, Lucas and I had been chatting about his prospects of marriage and how I was going to be his best man.

BY BRAD HICKS

SPENCER DAILY REPORTER

I didn't water the plants in our yard as much as the last couple of years, thanks to the reduced intensity of our prolonged drought. The sump pumps in my house, during the summer, operated for the first time since April 2020, so I assume the groundwater supply is somewhat replenished.

Watering plants is an interesting process.

Sometimes you need to water the ground.

More than three years ago, the world watched in horror as President Biden – in conjunction with Vice President Harris and advisors on his national security team – orchestrated the botched and disorganized withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. This colossal failure of leadership cost the lives of 13 brave American servicemembers, portrayed weakness on the global stage, and left more than $7 billion in U.S. military equipment behind, which has since fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

Q: What new option do Americans have to renew their passports?

On Sept. 20, Summit Carbon Solutions (SCS) and the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) completed a lightning round of 23 CO2 pipeline informational meetings in 23 counties over 25 days.

After years of inflation, high interest rates, increased energy costs, trade uncertainty, and bureaucratic red tape, the outlook for the farm economy is bleak. U.S. farmers and producers continue to face drops in farm income, regulations like WOTUS still pose the threat of punitive and costly fines, and inflation has made the cost of doing business more expensive and forced producers to delay new equipment purchases.

Q: How are you supporting families who are struggling with infertility?

JENNIFER HESEBECK

FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH & EXCELSIOR UMC

For decades, China has threatened our national security through both overt and covert measures. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and affiliated individuals and entities have rapidly increased purchases of American farmland, stolen valuable intellectual property and other critical technologies, infiltrated our schools and universities, and violated our trade laws with impunity.

Q: What’s the history behind Farm Safety Week?

In 2017, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) – the single largest and most comprehensive reform of the tax code in decades. As promised, this legislation boosted our economy, strengthened our global competitiveness, and let American families, farmers, and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money.

Q: What comes to mind with the 9/11 anniversary this month?

BY GARY LAMBERT SR.

LIGHT OF THE LAKES FRIENDS CHURCH

Ever feel like you’re "The Lone Ranger?" – Like you’re all alone? Forgotten? Like nobody cares about you?

My wife passed away two months ago – we’d been married for 54 years. I know what loneliness feels like.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times people have asked me, “Does Jesus Care?”

In 1894, Congress passed legislation to make the first Monday in September a federal holiday honoring the American worker. In recent years, the three-day holiday weekend has marked the unofficial end of summer as families gear up for busy back-to-school routines, football season and the fall harvest in America’s Heartland.