HERE AT THE CHURCH O THE PINES on Palm Sunday, we have no tropical fronds to lay before an honored Teacher. But snow is beginning to fall and it appears the pine boughs will soon be bending low. Nor have we hosannas to shout—although the blue jays are hollering enthusiastically. But we recall the story of a humble donkey bearing
THERE IS A BATTLE coming which may last for decades, even generations. In fact, the battle is upon us and has already been joined, although many may not fully realize it. It is a contest over values—between those who value money and power and the immediate acquisition of them (and very little else); and those who value more subtle, more
IT’S BEEN A LITTLE WHILE since we’ve seen the cabin-in-the-woods look like this. With more to come. March might turn out to be our first winter month. Koda-the-forest-kitten is not happy. The congregation of the Church O’ The Pines is cold and hungry, so Fellowship Hall is open for business. We think about all our migrating friends heading back home
I SPENT THE LAST FEW DAYS traipsing across the Minnesota prairie. Visiting some nice folks in Austin at the Sweet Reads Bookstore and Hormel Nature Center, then on to the little community of Arlington to see the kids at St. Paul’s School. North of town on Mcleod County Highway #1 I came upon perhaps the smallest pioneer cemetery I’ve ever
WHEN I WAS A BOY, every summer had a 2 week slice of heaven built into it. That was the time our entire family gathered in a cabin on the shores of a beautiful northern Minnesota lake called Kabetogama. Time away from important jobs and studies and school and stuff that I hated, and close to lakes and loons and
ALL THE MEMBERS of the Church O’ The Pines were excited this week, as temperatures soared and spring breezes blew. The eagles chirped loudly from their nest tree, and chickadees sang their two-note, ‘Spring’s here’ mating song. Down at the river bank, male hooded mergansers practiced their sweet little growling sounds to attract the attention of impressionable females. Sparky the
TODAY I SPENT the day at the Twin Cities Young Authors Conference (YAC) on the beautiful campus of Bethel University. About 500 middle school students especially interested in writing are bused from all over the metro area to spend time with professional authors, get tips on the writing process, and simply get inspired. I’ve been invited many times and it’s
YESTERDAY WAS a banner day for mid-March in Minnesota. So after the day’s chores I decided to take the motorcycle out for the first spin of the year. I stopped on a bluff across the river and was immediately struck by the view. Through the bare deciduous branches of shrubs and oaks, I was able to look straight down the
HERE AT THE CHURCH O THE PINES by the great river, the tall, deacon pines have seen many things. The Spanish-American War, two World Wars, epidemics and pandemics, recessions and depressions, the invention of the radio and television, the telephone, the motion picture, the arrival of the automobile and internal combustion engine, men going to the moon, the great, world-gathering
MANY FOLKS HAVE DIFFICULTY understanding the impenetrable mystery of Zen. Millions of words have been written about it. But here is the entire secret of Zen, and of everyday happiness: When you are in the kitchen doing the dishes, be in the kitchen. And do the dishes. When you are walking beside a stream, walk beside the stream. When you