All Posts By

Steve Mathonnet-VanderWell

Blog

The Hollander Fires

• Clannish, insular immigrants who refuse to assimilate • Large families and achieving kids that quickly overshadow other residents • Loyalty given to foreign, even

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Blog

Ten Things Christmas-y

Christmas—so much to mock, so little time. For most of December, I carry that outlook. Now, in these quiet, unhurried days of Christmastide, my cynicism

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Blog

Giving Tuesday

Yes, I know. I’m two weeks late. Two weeks ago, December 1, was Giving Tuesday—joining the ranks of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber

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Blog

Grace Helps

Here it is, the Tuesday after the Paris attacks and I almost feel obligated to say something about it. To say nothing might imply that

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Blog

Small Conversations

The web is a rough and tumble place. That’s an understatement. It is often vicious and dangerous. Last month, Jessica Bratt wrote “Of Popes and

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Unsexy Reformed

Pious little towns often have such a character, maybe even three—the irreverent skeptic, the loudmouth agnostic, more well-read and agile than the typical small town

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Blog

The Ever-Bigger Welcome

Twelve things I saw preaching through the Acts of the Apostles, chapters ten to fifteen This past summer, Sophie (my wife and co-pastor) and I

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Blog

The Horserace

Now a bulletin from our Iowa desk: To most Americans the presidential election is still more than a year away. At this point it’s only

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