Podcasts about Minnehaha Academy

What is the difference between a mission and a vision? Six weeks ago I kicked off our series “We Are Cities Church” by talking all about our mission, and today I'm gonna close the series talking all about our vision — and so what's the difference between those two words? When we talk about mission, we're talking about what we're sent to do.Vision is what it looks like if we get it done.Mission is assignment, vision is success.Mission is action, vision is the result of you fulfilling the action.So, let me connect this to our passage this morning, Revelation 7, verses 9–12.Revelation 7 ConnectionThe whole Book of Revelation is basically all vision (John is describing what he sees in the future, and the purpose is to encourage us). So in Revelation 7, notice what he sees, verse 9:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”This is a scene. John has seen this, and we're supposed to see it with him. That's what vision does. Vision is meant to be envisioned.So what are we envisioning here? What do we see?It's a crowd of people from all over the world — every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages are altogether. And what are they doing altogether?They're saying with a loud voice, verse 10:“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”These people are saying this to the Lamb, before his throne — and the Lamb, of course, is Jesus. So see this: these people are worshipping Jesus along with the heavenly host.Who again are these people?They're people from all nations worshiping Jesus. Revelation 7 is a vision of Jesus-worshipers from all nations. Can you see it?Back to Matthew 28This vision is the result of some action that's been fulfilled. But what action? What assignment must have been done in order for there to be Jesus-worshipers from all nations?Oh, we know this one! Matthew 28:19, the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”See that's the mission! That's what the church is supposed to do — make disciples of all nations — and when the church is ultimately successful, when the church gets that done (which she will get done!), these disciples of Jesus from all nations will be worshipers of Jesus from all nations forever.The disciple-making mission of Matthew 28 is what leads to the Jesus-worshiping vision of Revelation 7.What you do — mission; what it looks like when it's done — vision.In the ultimate sense, Matthew 28 and Revelation 7 is our church's mission and vision. And it's the mission and vision of every faithful local church. This is non-negotiable. To be a real church means to exist with the mission to make disciples of Jesus for the vision of Jesus being worshiped forever.That's why we're here. And we are here.Applied Here and NowWe live in a particular place and time — we live within a particular culture with it's particular challenges and opportunities. The “first half of the 21st century in the Twin Cities” has its unique provisions and needs, resources and limitations, blessings and burdens. And the question is: How do we apply that non-negotiable mission and vision to when and where we are?Well when it comes to our mission, we've tried to capture that with more details in the form of a statement. What do we mean exactly when we say “make disciples”? We mean that we want to make joyful disciples of Jesus who remember his realness in all of life. And that word “disciple” includes a four-fold calling:We are Jesus worshipersWe are joyful servantsWe are generous disciplersWe are welcoming witnessesThese are the kind of disciples we want to be and make. This is our mission. And when it comes to our vision — that Jesus is worshiped forever — how does that look now? How does that future reality get reflected here?That's what I want to tell you in this sermon. With the Book of Revelation as our ultimate vision, I want to show you five facts about our vision here. And these facts are not part of a statement — I don't expect you to memorize these things — but I'm trying to paint a picture for you. This is what it would look like if we are effective in making joyful disciples of Jesus who remember his realness in all of life.1. We are a healthy, vibrant church entranced by God as our all-satisfying joy. Again, this is something you have to imagine. We're talking about a vibe here. And the vibe is that we are a happy people. It's something that you just feel in the air when you're here and you're around us. We have joy — and it's not joy in our circumstances, because those are changing everyday — but we have joy down deep in our souls because God loves us. And we know God loves us because he has proven it to us — it's that when we were still sinners, dead in our sins and undeserving of anything good, Jesus Christ died for us. Jesus took the punishment for our sins! Jesus removed all of our guilt and shame! And on the third day, he was raised from the dead. Jesus has secured our eternal life and freedom in him. He has given us his Spirit as our Helper, to guide us in his truth. Jesus has drawn us into the joyous fellowship that he has had with the Father before the foundations of the world.We are now “in on” the divine smile that is behind everything.And do you know what that means? It means that we can smile here.Hey, it's gonna be okay. We are the richest people in the world! Did you know that even the hard things in your life are being used by God for your ultimate good? Look, there's not a hair that falls from your head without the will of your Father in heaven, in fact, all things must work together for your salvation! God sees you and knows you and loves you, and he wants you to know that he loves you. Because the more you are assured of his love for you (and how much you don't deserve it), then the more you're gonna be humbled and filled with joy, and then the more you're gonna be poured out in love, and this all amounts to magnifying the glory of God. And that's the point!The purpose behind it all is that God's glory be magnified in our being satisfied in all that he is for us in Jesus.We're a happy people because we have God — “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy!” (Psalm 43:4)Can you see it? We are a healthy, vibrant church entranced by God as our all-satisfying joy. Also …2. We are deepening our knowledge of God for a life of faithful discipleship and gospel advance.We're a people happy in God, and we're a people who seek him.“4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation … (Psalm 25:4–5).We want to know God and the ways of God, because our faith is according to knowledge. The more we know about God, the more we can trust him. This is why Jesus says that making disciples means that we teach one another all that he has commanded us. We're supposed to learn together how to follow Jesus.So get this: we don't learn to get fat heads. The end-goal is not what you know, but it's who you are becoming, shaped by who you know. Christ clear for Christlikeness.We will be a well-taught church, able to discern truth from error, not tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of human doctrine, but we're gonna speak the truth in love and we are gonna be transformed (see Ephesians 4:14–16). We are a truth-telling outpost that serves as a refuge from the world of lies that surrounds us, but even more than that, we are a church that lives in the wonder of who God is. Yes, we will defend God's truth, but first we are amazed by God's truth! This is what The Cities Institute is trying to do.It's a recovery project to bring back the primacy of teaching in the local church, because that is the church's history. In the earliest days of the church, people were coming to Christ from all kinds of different religious backgrounds. That's what mission to the Gentile world meant. You had all the pagans who were getting saved and they had no Bible background. And so the church realized: if we don't teach these people sound theology, they're gonna mix some stuff up and eventually it's going to ruin our witness, so the early church had a “teach or die” mindset. They were just listening to Jesus, because Jesus said to teach. That's part of what discipleship is. So that's what we're going to do. We're going to seek to know God, to be amazed by him and transformed by him, to faithfully follow Jesus and be his witnesses.Do you see it? We are deepening our knowledge of God for a life of faithful discipleship and gospel advance. 3. We are actively organizing our lives to share our joy in Jesus with others. One of the great things about church planting is that sharing the gospel is on the front-burner of how you live. Every encounter with other people could turn into a spiritual conversation. You know God ordains divine appointments, and so you're just looking for them. I remember when we first moved into our current neighborhood. It was 12 years ago — Elizabeth was five. Melissa and I taught her that the reason we lived where we did was to tell our neighbors about God. I remember Elizabeth actually told our neighbors that. Not kidding. People would be out walking their dog out in front of our house and Elizabeth would be like “Hey, we're here to tell you about God.” And it was true! And all of us thought that way. But here's the thing: we're all just so busy now. There's so much going on, and over time, sharing Jesus is not on the front-burner, but it gets moved to the back, over to the side, and before you know it, you're just running through the motions like every other lost person in these cities. I'm not saying don't be involved in stuff — be involved, plug in, be active, but do it as a Christian. Everywhere we go we are a welcoming witness to Jesus Christ. We are opening wide our arms to make Jesus known, which means we want to double our joy. I remember a story years ago that Pastor John Piper told about his dad. His dad was a passionate evangelist who had been in ministry for decades, and one day, toward the end of his life, Pastor John asked him, “What the key to your joy?” How have you remained so happy for so long?And his dad said: “soul winning.” Leading other people to Jesus.See, when you're happy in Jesus, you wanna share that happiness with others, and when you do, your happiness doubles and deepens. It's like a fountain that just keeps overflowing.We say to God, Psalm 4:7, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound!”And that's never gonna satisfy them, I want them to have this joy that I have in you!That's the prayer we take everywhere we go. That's what we're looking to do … in our neighborhoods, and in our work relationships, and at those school events, and through all those youth sports — we want to share Jesus. We want more people to be happy in God. And they will be.Through our witness, more and more people will trust in Jesus and be baptized. Because baptism is that symbol. Jesus gave us baptism as the way to declare that we are alive in him. And right now we have baptisms three or four times a year, but what if we had baptisms 12 times a year? What if so many people start coming to Christ through our witness that we start having “Baptism Sundays” every month!Can you see it? — we are actively organizing our lives to share our joy in Jesus with others. Also…4. We are deliberate to invest in the faith of future generations.We believe children matter. All children matter: pre-born children, little children, growing children. Children matter and families matter. And we all believe this whether we're unmarried or married, have a house full of kids or no kids at all, whether we're empty-nesters or newly-weds — we all share this conviction because of the Bible.And when we think about where we're headed as a church, I don't know if there's anything more important to remember than this: At some point, we're going to be handing the torch to our children. And we need to be preparing for that hand-off now. This is a new way of thinking for us compared to how we thought ten years ago when we first planted this church. When you're planting a church, you're just trying to get off the ground. You're starting something brand-new and that takes a lot of attention, and so we poured a lot into that, and we also had kids so we did ask: “Hey, what do we do with the kids?” But see, that's not the question we're asking anymore. In those early years, we were trying to build something, and we thought What about our children? — but now we're trying to build something for our children. Does that make sense?We're better now at thinking more long-term. And that's certainly the case with this steeple project. What we've done here is no “flash in the pan” restoration, but we've done it the way we have for our children's children. That's the way we're thinking now. We're building something for future generations. We're investing in the faith of those who will come after us.And this is something that comes naturally to women as cultivators and nurturers, but now this is something our men must think more about as builders. I just had a conversation last week with a few of our men in their thirties; they're all business leaders who've been transformed by Jesus; and they want to use their skills and expertise to start companies and create jobs and to build a legacy of generosity. See, it's thinking big picture. Long-term. I heard a story years ago about the Reformer Martin Luther, and I can't actually verify that this conversation really happened, but supposedly, somewhere at some point, Luther was out walking with some of his students one day, it was a beautiful fall day like today, and little Hans spoke up and said, “Herr Doktor, if you knew that the world would go to pieces tomorrow, what would you do today?”And Luther looked at him with a smile and said, “I would plant an apple tree.”His point was that he would do something most of which would not immediately, directly benefit himself — he wouldn't sit under the shade of that tree and he wouldn't eat any of its apples — but those who come after him would. And that's how we're thinking now. Can you see it? — we are deliberate to invest in the faith of future generations. And speaking of planting, fifth and final:5. We are a healthy, vibrant church with a high priority and capacity to multiply more churches in the Twin Cities who are entranced by God as our all-satisfying joy. In other words, we are a church who plants more churches like ours here.Since the very beginning, this has been the way we talk about vision. We want to multiply people, multiply Community Groups, multiply churches. And overall, to date, we've sent out six church planting couples to start new work, and countless couples to support new work. And I miss these people. Our budget misses these people. But we believe in Spirit-led sending — it's a value of ours — and we want to do more of it. Wherever you wanna go in the name of Jesus, we're gonna get behind you!And when it comes to our vision for here and now, it's to plant more churches in the Twin Cities metro, and there are a few reasons why:1. Growth leads to spreading.We learn this from nature. As an oak tree grows and matures and is healthy, it produces more oak trees. There comes a point when that oak tree itself is not going to get any higher and wider — it's solid and full and maxed — but it's got these acorns, and that's what will make the one tree become two and three and four — this is where forests come from. And that's the way we see it here. We're gonna use every square inch of this building for our church — and we do have some room, and we will make some room — but we want to see God work in the lives of more people than we can fit in here. So we're gonna multiply this and do it more places than just here. We've been planted, rooted, and now we're branching out.2. Spreading (or multiplication) makes a bigger impact than centralization.One strategy might be to move this whole thing to a third-ring suburb, get a smoke machine, and try to triple our size. See, this is the thinking: let's just make this bigger, whatever it takes (it's centralization). But that's not the long-term thinking. Multiplication, not centralization, makes a bigger impact for a longer period of time. We want Jesus to be impossible to ignore in the Twin Cities. If you come to these cities, we want it to be Jesus in your face. And you may not believe him — like our state government right now you may reject him — but you will not be able to ignore him, and you will recognize that these cities are saturated with churches of men and women and boys and girls who believe and live like Jesus is real. Multiplication.3. Planting reminds us that this whole thing is so much bigger than us.This vision to plant more churches in the Twin Cities is both impossible and possible at different levels. At the level of impossibility, it's just us. I don't know about you, but every morning I wake up I'm just happy to be here for another day. I made it for another one! That's a lot of us, right? We're just trying to survive — I'm just trying to get my kids to school on time and not forget that they have to be picked up — and here I am talking about starting a multiplying church planting movement that aims to make more people happy in Jesus forever — it feels impossible, at one level.But then at another level, we remember God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do no exist, and he is often pleased to bring his people to places where he must be who he says he is. …It is possible with God that he put it in the heart of a man and his wife to lead a new church plant, and then that he'd put it in the hearts of others who would plant with them. It is possible that they could build a team of 20-30 people who would want to branch out and be a new church. God could do that — God could do it once, twice, six times, fifty times — north, south, east, west — and before you know it, there is a movement of churches everywhere you look in these cities entranced by God as our all-satisfying joy. Can you see it? Impossible, and possible — and certainly way bigger than us. That's where I want to live. Don't you? If we're going to multiply, we need God to be God!That's our vision, church — but remember it's our vision here and now, until Jesus comes back. We can't forget the ultimate vision.Longing for New JerusalemThere may be just a few of you in here who were there on December 14, 2014. We were less than a month away from officially becoming a church, right at the starting line, and we had a meeting in the cafeteria at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. And I gave a short message about our vision and I want to read to you what I said. Here are the exact words from December 14, 2014:Church plants can be high-adrenaline work. Many of us have been meeting since August, others since March, and some have been dreaming of this thing for five years, and we are getting close. I mean, this event right now [in the cafeteria] is a testimony to God's faithfulness to us, to his blessing on this vision and this church and what we want to do in the Twin Cities for his name. And with all this waiting and anticipation, with Cities Church just about to get off the ground, let me remind us (me!), that we have not arrived. That is the temptation, you know. As God blesses this thing, and we pray he does, there is going to be this subtle thing that happens where we want to start patting our ourselves on the back. We're going to feel like we've made it! Here we are! This is the dream! But no, it's not. Because, you see, our goal — our ultimate goal — is not a new church plant, but a new Jerusalem.Amen to that ten years later. And may we say that ten more years from now, and ten more years from then — and if Jesus hasn't come back yet, may our children's children say that! Because what we most want to see…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”Jesus-worshipers from all nations. That is where we're headed, Cities Church. That is what we want. And that's what brings us to the Table.The TableHere at this Table we remember the death of Jesus for us, and we give him thanks. We come to this table to rest in him and to worship him together. And because of what this table means, it's only for those who trust in Jesus. If you're a Christian, we invite you eat and drink with us. But if you've not yet trusted in Jesus, let the elements pass, but look: you can become a Christian this morning, if you just put your faith in Jesus. Right now, turn from your sin, and ask Jesus to save you.

On January 25, 2015, I preached my first sermon as a pastor at Cities Church. We were at Minnehaha Academy, and I assume it was very cold outside. The following Sunday, we would begin our first sermon series in the book of Acts, but this Sunday was the second part of our formal launch and so I preached from Romans 12:1-2 (“Present your bodies as living sacrifices…”). The main thrust of the sermon was to connect worship and mission. Worship is the heartbeat of the church that pumps blood to the rest of the body. We worship Jesus so that we can serve one another and seek the good of the Cities. We gather weekly and walk through the five C's of our liturgy, as God calls us into his presence, and we confess our sins and receive his pardon, and then we are consecrated through song and sermon, and we have communion with him at the Lord's Table, before we are finally commissioned out to be salt and light in the world. That regular worship frees us from being conformed to the world, gives us discernment and wisdom, humbles us so that we self-assess rightly, and then binds us together as one body with various gifts on mission together. It was under 30 minutes. And as I preached that first sermon as a pastor of Cities Church, God knew that eight and a half years later, I would preach my last sermon as a pastor at Cities Church today, on July 2, 2023 from Psalm 66. And just like that first sermon, I (and we) need his help for this one, so let's pray.Part of our goal in annually preaching through the psalms is to help orient you so that you can mine the psalms for the riches they offer. Our hope is that you would grow in your ability to meditate and reflect on the psalms in order to feed your soul. This means sometimes noting connections between psalms so that you see the Psalms as a book, and not just a random collection of isolated songs. For example, Psalms 65-68 are each called “a Song” in the superscript. That's part of why they are clustered together. There are also thematic links between these psalms. Let's just note some of them between Psalm 65 and 66.Awesome Deeds “By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation” (65:5) “Say to God ‘How awesome are your deeds!'” (66:3) “he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man [sons of Adam]” (66:5) Global Focus “The hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas” (65:5) “Shout for joy to God, all the earth…All the earth worships you…Bless our God, O peoples” (66:1, 4, 8) The Temple and Vows and Sacrifices “To you shall vows be performed…you atone for our transgressions…We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple.” (65:1, 3, 4) “I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you” (66:13) Prayer “O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come” (65:2) “Blessed be God because he has not rejected my prayer” (66:20) These thematic links between psalms are opportunities for us to meditate and enlarge our vision of God and what he's done. On top of the themes, we also want to help you to notice structures that organize the psalms. Psalm 66 breaks down into five sections, each introduced by an exhortation or call. 1) Shout for joy (1-4)2) Come and see what God has done (5-7)3) Bless our God, O peoples (8-12)4) I will come into your house (13-15)5) Come and hear, all you who fear God (16-19)“Blessed be God” as closing exclamation.As we walk through each of these sections, I want you to pay special attention to what God has done, and the possible human responses that the psalmist considers. 1) Shout for joyThe psalm opens with a cascade of exhortations: Shout! Sing! Give Praise! Say to God! These exhortations are addressed to everyone (“all the earth”) and fills out the content of the praise. “Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds…All the earth worships you and sings praises to you.'” This is a triumphant note to begin the psalm, celebrating God's power and might. The word “awesome” in older translations is “terrible.” God's power produces fear and reverence in his people.Note that God's power is so great, that his enemies come cringing to him, like a dog that knows it's in trouble. This response is not the one that the psalmist is aiming at. He's after joyful praise and glorious worship. To come cringing is to come simply because God's power terrifies you. This is the sort of obedience that always looks for the exit, for the escape hatch. But it's important that we recognize it: it's possible to come to God, not because you've tasted his goodness and desire his holiness, but simply because you don't want him to crush you. The language here provokes a question: if God's power is so great that even his enemies come cringing, how will his friends come to him? What will their response be?2) Come and SeeHaving exhorted all the earth to shout joyfully and say to God, “How awesome are your deeds,” the psalmist now invites us to come and see these awesome deeds. And he has a particular story in mind: “He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever.” When the psalmist wants us to see the awesome and glorious and terrible deeds of God, he takes us back to Exodus, when God made a way for his people through the sea. And he takes us to Joshua, where God splits the Jordan River so that the armies of Israel pass over to take possession of the land. This reminds us of how important it is for us to know the stories of Scripture, to learn them by heart, so that we catch these allusions and references and can call to mind what the psalmist is doing. We won't say to God, “How awesome are your deeds,” if we don't have those deeds before our minds.So the psalmist invites us to remember the people of Israel, desperate at the Red Sea, with the armies of Pharaoh in pursuit, and then God parting the sea so that they pass through on dry land and then rejoice together at God's deliverance. If you need a refresh, I'd invite you to read and meditate on Exodus 14-15 this week, and then turn to Joshua 3-4 and behold God's awesome deeds at the Jordan River.But again, this section invites us to consider an alternative response: “let not the rebellious exalt themselves.” Now, if we're at the Red Sea, and you hear a reference to a self-exalting rebel, who do you think of? Pharaoh. In fact, both the stubborn self-exaltation and the cringing obedience likely refer to Pharaoh. Remember that during the plagues, Pharaoh would frequently relent and ask Moses for relief, promising that he would let the people go worship God. But as soon as the relief came, he hardened his heart and took it back. In other words, his obedience was a lying, cringing obedience until he could find the exit, until he thought God was no longer watching. So with Pharaoh in mind, we remember that God's awesome deeds don't merely bring salvation for his people; they bring destruction to his enemies. That's what Israel celebrates when they rejoice in Exodus 15: 1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.2 The LORD is my strength and my song,and he has become my salvation;this is my God, and I will praise him,my father's God, and I will exalt him.3 The LORD is a man of war;the LORD is his name.4 “Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea,and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.5 The floods covered them;they went down into the depths like a stone.6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power,your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;the floods stood up in a heap;the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.'10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;they sank like lead in the mighty waters.11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?Who is like you, majestic in holiness,awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?12 You stretched out your right hand;the earth swallowed them.13 “You have led in your steadfast love the peoplewhom you have redeemed;you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.14 The peoples have heard; they tremble;pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.16 Terror and dread fall upon them;because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,till your people, O LORD, pass by,till the people pass by whom you have purchased.17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode,the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.” Come and see what God has done; he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. 3) Bless our GodThis section still has the nations in mind. “Bless the Lord, O peoples. The Lord keeps watch on the nations.” Now notice the reasons here. God has kept our soul among the living; he has not let our feet slip. In other words, “We're alive. We made it.” But then we get a surprise. Notice the word “for” in v. 10. Why should the peoples bless God? “For you, O God, have tested us.” Listen to the imagery for God's testing:You have tried us as silver is tried (that is: you melt us to the boiling point in order to remove the dross, the junk).You brought us into the net (that is: we're trapped).You laid a crushing burden on our backs (like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress).You let men ride over our heads (this image comes from battle with horses and chariots. If you're wounded in a battle, the horses and chariots just ride over you and crush you).We went through fire and through water (that is: we were burned and we almost drowned).I was trying to think of an image to help us get this, and I know that there are films that depict this sort of thing well. Like Dr. Leo Marvin in What About Bob? At the beginning of the film, he's put together and in command, and after Bob's awesome deeds, he's a wreck. That's the image we're looking at. I wonder if you feel the tension in this section. It's the tension between “You've not let our feet slip” and “You let men ride over our heads.” So picture this scenario. You've got a guy who is singed and soaking wet. He's bent over double with a burden on his back, and he has tire tracks on his face. He looks like he tried to rob Kevin Macalester's house at Christmas. This is Marv and Harry. Now imagine if that guy looked at you and said, “Praise God my feet didn't slip.” What do you mean? Your scalp was burned with a blow torch, you have a branded hand, your feet are bloody from nails and micro-machines, your face was smashed with a paint can and a hot iron. What do you mean your foot didn't slip?Here's what he means: he means he is more concerned about his sin than he is about his suffering. That's what “foot slipped” means here. “I didn't bow up. I didn't rebelliously exalt myself in the face of God's awesome deeds.” The psalmist's main concern is not the fire and the water and the battle and the net and burden and horses trampling him. His main concern is “Did I honor God? Did I remain faithful to God? Did God keep me faithful to God through the hardship and testing?” And he did. “Bless our God, O peoples, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.”4) I will come into your houseNow let's follow Marv here. Picture him limping, with missing teeth and a singed and smashed head. Where are you going, Marv? “I will go into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.”Here at this church, we know what this is. We've studied Leviticus. The burnt offering, the ascension offering, the offering of total surrender. “All of me, to all of you, O God.” That's where Marv is going. Because he made vows. When he was in trouble, when God was testing him, and he was trapped in the net and the men were riding over his head, he made a vow to God. “If you bring me through this – if you keep me alive and keep my feet from slipping – I will give all of me to you, O Lord. I will offer fattened animals, rams, bulls, and goats as an expression of my total surrender.”This is fundamentally different from cringing obedience. Cringing obedience comes when threatened, but is always looking for the way out. The psalmist desires to draw near to God, to dwell in his courts, to live in his house. As Pastor Mike showed us last week, “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple” (65:4). 5) Come and HearNow let's finish the picture. Marv is limping, beaten, burdened, burned, snared, soaked, and smashed. And as he limps, he says, “Bless God. He did it. He tried me, and he kept me.” And then he goes to the altar, “All of me to all of you, O God, just like I promised.” And then he turns and looks at all of us, and says, “Anyone here fear God? Come and hear, you who fear God. I have something to say to you. I want to tell you what he's done for my soul.”Now notice the shift there. Earlier, it was corporate. It was about us. God kept our soul, and has not let our foot slip. He tested us, and tried us. But here, Marv gets personal. “Let me tell you what he did for me.”So you're looking at this guy with missing teeth and branded face, soaking wet, bent double, and bleeding, “Let me tell you what he has done for my soul…He heard me. He heard me! I cried to him with my mouth, and he heard me. When the horses were trampling me, his praise was on my tongue, and he heard me. When I went through the fire and water and called out to him, he heard me, and he answered me. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, if I had treasured my sin, he wouldn't have listened. But he kept my feet from slipping, and so he heard me. He attended to the voice of my prayers. He inclined his ear to me. The living God – majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, working wonders – surrounded by myriads of holy angels crying “Holy, Holy, Holy!, when I cried to him, he said, “Quiet! He needs me.”And this is what I want Cities Church to hear in my last sermon. I know that many of you are in the thick of it. You're being tested and tried. You're harried by day and haunted by night. Anxieties pile up in your soul, and you get stuck in your own head and can't find a way out. You're sad and frustrated that life isn't going the way you expected. The path before you is not the one you would have chosen. You're burdened; you feel overwhelmed, like it's all too much. Or you feel trapped and stuck, like there's no way out. Maybe there are people in your life who are punching you while you're down. There are men riding over your head and horses stomping you while you're wounded. Here's what you need to know.First, God is the one doing it. It's clear as day in 66:10-12. He did it. He tested us. He tried us. He brought us into the net. He put the burden on our backs. He let men ride over our heads. All of these trials and hardships and suffering are God's doing. They are his awesome deeds. There's no hint here of God's absence when the hardship comes. Don't try to get him off the hook. The sovereign and good purposes of God in these trials is part of the hope of this psalm, and of the whole Bible.Second, why is he doing it? Well, it's testing; he's trying you in the furnace of affliction. He's purifying your faith. To be more specific, he's brought you into trouble so that you will give him your all, so that you will offer yourself as a living sacrifice to him, holy and acceptable and pleasing in every respect. And so third, you have three options before you, three possible responses. You can come cringing; you can offer superficial obedience with your tail between your legs, and then bail when he sends relief. That's how his enemies respond when he shows his power. Or, you could rebel and exalt yourself. You can bow up and shake your fist at him, and harden your heart like Pharaoh. You can blame and accuse God of doing evil to you, and justify yourself in his sight. That's possible, in the face of his awesome deeds.Or, you can bless him. You can shout for joy to him. You can give him glorious praise and sing to him in worship. You can gladly surrender all that you have and all that you are to him, taking refuge in him, knowing that his steadfast love is better than life and that the goodness of his house is supremely satisfying. And as someone who has been there – who has been overwhelmed and distressed and oppressed and weary and terrified, I just want to tell you what he's done for my soul. “My head got crushed, but my feet didn't slip. I had a crushing burden on my back, but I didn't cherish iniquity in my heart. God did not reject my prayer or remove his steadfast love from me. He heard me. He truly listened to me. He answered me, and he kept me. Blessed be his name.” One final note as we come to the table: a few weeks ago, Pastor Jonathan taught us that, any time we read a psalm, we should ask three questions. We've answered two of them already: What does the text say? And how should I respond? But the third question is this: Where does the text show us Jesus?Jesus is speaking here. He is calling for us to join him in his joy, in singing the glory and praise of the God who does awesome deeds. He invites us to come and see what God has done, to consider not only the deliverance at the Red Sea, but the greater deliverance at Calvary. There we rejoice in God, who rules by his might forever. God tested and tried the Lord Jesus. He brought him into the net and delivered him into the hands of wicked men. He carried the crushing burden of sin and sorrow – plus a Roman cross — on his back. His own people and the nations of the world beat him and flogged him and kicked him while he was down. He passed through all manner of suffering, but his foot did not slip. After his death, his soul was found among the living, and God brought him into a place of abundance. And now he speaks to all of us and says, “All you who fear God, let me tell you what he has done for my soul. He heard me. He heard me every time I prayed. God heard me in the storm on the seas. He heard me at the tomb of Lazarus. He heard me in the Garden of Gethsemane, when I said, “Thy will be done.” He heard me on Golgotha's hill, when I cried out “It is finished,” and “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.” He heard me in Hades, and he heard me on Easter morning when I shook off the shackles of death. And he still hears me, when I intercede for you. I always live to make intercession for you.”And so, come and see, come and hear, come and taste what God has done. Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.

A little under 15 years ago, Donna Harris made history when she was hired to be the president of Minnehaha Academy — a private, pre-K-12 Christian school in Minneapolis. Harris became the first woman and the first person of color to lead the school in its 100-year-plus history, but her path to lead the Christian academy wasn't something she planned.  Before, Harris was working as an assistant superintendent in northern California, also with Christian roots, until she started to receive a number of recruitment messages from Minnehaha Academy. The phone calls were often brushed off, until she decided to visit the Minnesota school and she saw what it was all about. The academy left an impression on her and she says she could not get the academy out of her mind. Gallery: Minnehaha Academy Harris has said that she answered “a calling” to lead the academy.  In 2017 one of the most traumatic chapters unfolded in the school's history. A massive explosion killed two beloved staffers and leveled the middle section of the academy's high school. MPR News host Angela Davis talks to Donna Harris about her leadership at Minnehaha Academy and guiding the school through some of its challenging moments — rebuilding from the 2017 explosion and the COVID-19 pandemic.  Guests:  Donna Harris is the president of Minnehaha Academy. She holds a doctorate in education.   Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

A little under 15 years ago, Donna Harris made history when she was hired to be the president of Minnehaha Academy — a private, pre-K-12 Christian school in Minneapolis.Harris became the first woman and the first person of color to lead the school in its 100-year-plus history, but her path to lead the Christian academy wasn't something she planned. Before, Harris was working as an assistant superintendent in northern California, also with Christian roots, until she started to receive a number of recruitment messages from Minnehaha Academy.The phone calls were often brushed off, until she decided to visit the Minnesota school and she saw what it was all about. The academy left an impression on her and she says she could not get the academy out of her mind. Gallery: Minnehaha Academy Harris has said that she answered “a calling” to lead the academy. In 2017 one of the most traumatic chapters unfolded in the school's history. A massive explosion killed two beloved staffers and leveled the middle section of the academy's high school.MPR News host Angela Davis talks to Donna Harris about her leadership at Minnehaha Academy and guiding the school through some of its challenging moments — rebuilding from the 2017 explosion and the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests: Donna Harris is the president of Minnehaha Academy. She holds a doctorate in education.  Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

The crew are back, this time joined by Prep Hoops Content Creator & Maple Grove Assistant Coach Jared Martinson, to break down last week's thrilling State Boys Basketball Tourney! They start by diving into Wayzata's thrilling run to their second State Championship in three years (5:40), including the iconic shot of the tournament by Hayden Tibbits in the Semis and junior Jackson McAndrew's complete takeover of the title game in the extra period. They break down standout stars and discuss all eight teams in the large school division! Moving to Class 3A at (26:30), they discuss the Totino-Grace dynasty and how Ohio State commit Taison Chatman brought his best to the big stage after an up-and-down senior season due to injury. They also talk about a bright future on the hardwood in Alexandria and Nasir Whitlock's herculean efforts for DeLaSalle. In Class 2A (35:30), they talk about Minneaha Academy's suprise upset over favorites Holy Family before talking about Albany eventually taking home the title. Class A Champs Russell-Tyler-Ruthon are also discussed at (44:40), before the guys make their predictions for the "Mr. Basketball" award announcement.

In celebration of our 10th anniversary season of EDTalks, Achieve presented this special event where five past EDTalks speakers gathered in conversation around our 2022-23 season theme, “What's Next? Where does education go from here?" Speakers reflected on their past EDTalks topics in light of the present day: What has or has not changed? What are they more or less concerned about? How has the pandemic or other recent events shifted the way(s) they see their topic? What do they think is in store for us? Panelists included Dr. Keith Brooks, Former Student Services Director, Anoka-Hennepin School District; Jason Bucklin, LGTBQ Education Specialist at the Minnesota Dept of Education; Dave Eisenmann, Director of Technology, Minnehaha Academy; Salma Hussein, Principal, Gideon Pond Elementary; and Erin Walsh, Co-Founder, Spark and Stitch Institute. EDTalks is co-presented by Achieve Twin Cities and Graves Ventures, a project of The Graves Foundation, in partnership with The Citizens League. Learn more at www.achievetwincities.org/edtalks or follow us on Twitter at #EDTalksMN​. This special EDTalk event was live streamed from Icehouse in Minneapolis on March 8th, 2023.

Logan, Matt, & Bill return for one last show of theoreticals as they get you set for Week 1 of high school football, including games of the week in 6A and 5A and how they suss out another loaded Metro Gold South division featuring the likes of Eden Prairie, Lakeville South, Shakopee, and Prior Lake. Finally, "North of the River Bill" makes his final prediction on who will walk away at the top of the Metro Gold North division this year. With a week of high school soccer in the books, the guys close out the show with a discussion about teams and players to follow on the pitch in both boys & girls this year (26:50). Teams discussed include Mounds View, Maple Grove, Lakeville North & South on the boys side. For the girls, they discuss Edina, Mahtomedi, Minnehaha Academy, Centennial, Blaine, and more!

Introduction: Host Michael Rand goes "micro" on a couple of fringe moves by the Vikings and Twins on Thursday. First, he takes note of the Vikings' decision to keep rookie punter Ryan Wright instead of veteran Jordan Berry. How does it impact kicker Greg Joseph, who had Berry as his holder all of last season? Plus the Twins signed veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton to a minor league contract. Rand wonders why the Twins didn't make any sort of outfield depth move even sooner. 10:00: Wild General Manager Bill Guerin joins the show with a free-flowing conversation from the State Fair. Guerin touches on the dicey offseason situation involving Kirill Kaprizov, how he and head coach Dean Evason have changed their postgame communication and expectations he has for young players trying to stick on this year's roster. 27:00: Wolves forward Taurean Prince was arrested Thursday; former Minnehaha Academy standout and No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren is going to miss the entire NBA season with a foot injury.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand notes that the NBA Draft lottery, normally a major event for Wolves fans, passed without as much as a whisper on Tuesday because Minnesota was a rare non-participant. Orlando ended up with the No. 1 pick, which could mean Chet Holmgren is reunited with former Minnehaha Academy teammate Jalen Suggs. 6:00: Star Tribune writer Jerry Zgoda joins the show to help break down Minnesota United's struggles to finish chances this season, part of the reason the Loons sit No. 10 in the Western Conference standings heading into an important home match on Wednesday. 18:00: The Lynx broke through with a big win over Los Angeles after an 0-4 start. Will they have a similar turnaround as they did last year? ... Bill Guerin says the Wild has a plan to deal with the impact of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, but that plan might include re-signing goalie Marc-Andre Fleury? ... And Kellen Mond, the forgotten man, talks about his progress.

I am grateful to have had numerous significant spiritual mentors in my life, but one of the most significant mentors in my young adult years was Dr. Jeffrey Crafton. Dr. Crafton is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, an adjunct professor at North Park Theological Seminary, and a Sacred Studies teacher at Minnehaha Academy, teaching classes in ethics and faith formation to eleventh and twelfth graders. This year, Dr. Crafton is retiring from Minnehaha Academy after 26 years of mentoring thousands of high schoolers as they wade through pivotal faith-related questions. In my time with Dr. Crafton, we tackle some of the same issues and themes that arise in his classes, including issues of faith and doubt, how he sees science as complimentary to faith, and, after studying the uniqueness of Christianity for decades, what he believes to be most captivating about the person of Jesus. Spiritual mentors don't offer easy answers but bring us hope and grounding in an often-chaotic world. My hope is that today's conversation will do just that.

Mike Max talks with Minnehaha Academy BBB HC Lance Johnson about Chet Holmgren, Jalen Suggs, the tourney and more.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Josh Thurow, the athletic director at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, he explains how he got involved in officiating multiple sports, what he sees as problems and potential solutions involving referees in youth sports, and reflections on two Minnehaha alums, Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren, who are shining in the national spotlight. Winning Is Not Everything is a podcast aimed at bringing sanity back to youth sports with conversations with blue-chip athletes and coaches.

Minnehaha Academy's Jalen Suggs is now a member of the Orlando Magic. Mike Max joins John Hines to recap the draft & talk about what the Twins might do at the trade deadline. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 1 of our conversation with Josh Thurow, the athletic director at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, he shares the highs and lows of his sports journey from Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, to the Twin Cities, when he realized he would not fulfill his dream of playing Major League Baseball, why he loves his job and keys to being a great student-athlete. Winning Is Not Everything is a podcast aimed at bringing sanity back to youth sports with conversations with blue-chip athletes and coaches.

Today is said to be a time when high school officials are dropping off and there is not enough replacements coming up to fill the need.  For this episode Matt connects with someone who can speak to this topic.  Josh Thurow is currently the athletic director at Minnehaha Academy, has also been a girls varsity basketball coach and is currently a basketball official, football official and baseball umpire.  He has a wide view of this topic with experience in all of those different areas.Matt and Josh discuss what is currently causing the shortage of officials, why there is concern in the numbers for the future and ways to help this from becoming a larger issue in the future.We also hear from Josh on two well known Minnehaha Academy basketball players that have become very familiar to many in Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren. 

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Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Michael Rand for a breakdown of the Gophers football team in the midst of spring practice. As a result of planning, one-time transfers and extra eligibility because of COVID, the Gophers have an abundance of experienced players on their roster this season. While other Big Ten teams could have the same benefits, the Gophers should be primed for big things in 2021 after having the momentum from their 2019 season derailed a season ago. Scoggins and Rand also look at Chet Holmgren's decision to attend Gonzaga on the same day that his former Minnehaha Academy teammate Jalen Suggs announced he was leaving Gonzaga for the NBA -- and whether Suggs might wind up either with the Wolves or Warriors. At the outset, Rand marvels at Kirill Kaprizov but notes that in breaking the Wild rookie record for points in a season (37) on Monday, Kaprizov revealed as much about the team's history of low-impact young players as he did about his own excellence. Plus the Twins are set to return to action on Tuesday after a three-day COVID pause. And a Vikings wager for those who dare.

Mike Max talks with 2021 Minnesota Mr. Basketball Chet Holmgren from Minnehaha Academy about the award, the influence his parents have had, challenges this season, has he made college plans, and David Hedberg talks about the work that goes into the award.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Max talks with Minnehaha Academy Athletic Director Josh Thurow about Jalen Suggs, what he's been most impressed with, Master P, dealing with COVID-19 over the past year and more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Star Tribune men's college basketball writer Marcus Fuller joins the show to break down Baylor's 86-70 win over Gonzaga in Monday night's NCAA title game. While Gonzaga came up short in its pursuit of a perfect season, freshman Jalen Suggs from Minnehaha Academy scored 22 points and has a bright future ahead of him. What is his next move? And can the Gophers under new head coach Ben Johnson recruit a player of that caliber in the future? At the outset, Michael Rand breaks down a newsy 24 hours. Vikings corner Jeff Gladney was arrested and accused of assaulting a woman in Texas. The Timberwolves and Wild both welcomed back fans into their arenas -- with the Wolves getting a win while also welcoming back D'Angelo Russell while the Wild lost again to Colorado. And the Twins seem to be firing on all cylinders in Detroit. Plus: Who won the Sam Darnold trade?

Telia Graham admits she isn't the most talkative athlete on Minnehaha Academy's girls basketball team, but her growth has spoken volumes, including a captain's assignment for her junior season. We discuss her family lineage in basketball, her passion for scary movies, and her interests in painting and poetry as a means of creative expression. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tsbtelevision/support

This interview was recorded the day before Bria Sandifer officially committed to play college volleyball at William Penn, the next leg of an historic journey. Bria was a member of the first North St. Paul team to reach the class AAA state tournament, earning a bronze medal. Thanks to her family connections, you could consider her an "honorary graduate" of Minnehaha Academy too. We explore all of that in this episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tsbtelevision/support

Join Bob Rathbun and ESPN's Paul Biancardi as they discuss the Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Players of the Year and All-America selections!Boys HS POY: Chet Holmgren, Minnesota (Minnehaha Academy)Girls HS POY: Raven Johnson, Georgia (Westlake HS)Plus the latest on the NCAA Tournaments!  WANT TO SUPPORT A TROPHY LIFE?Leave a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback only helps make the show better, and we appreciate your support!For more information about the Naismith Trophy Award, visit our home on the web.http://naismithtrophy.com/This Episode's SponsorsJersey Mike'sCitizen 

Hey everybody!Sorry for the delay in getting a new episode out. But today, we have a really good one!We were joined by Stewartville, Minnesota Activities Director, Tim Malone. We discussed a bunch of things including his state championship run with the Braham Bomber girls in 2011, and the backstory behind how their game with Minnehaha Academy that was aired on ESPNU came to be.You can find us on:Twitter: @theASpodEmail: alongsidespitefulpod@gmail.comIGAnd we have a new website! http://alongsidespiteful.com/Please subscribe, rate, and review!

Stephanie continues the Agile Leadership series with a conversation with Dr. Donna Harris, superintendent of Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis.  In 2017,  a gas leak caused an explosion that killed two employees and destroyed major portions of the school.  Listen to her powerful story about leading after this devastating crisis.  The Agile Leadership series is sponsored by Bethel Seminary in conjunction with the seminary class of the same name.  For more information about Bethel go to www.bethel.edu/leadstories Connect with Lead Stories, Jo and Steph Instagram & Facebook: @LeadStoriesPodcast Connect with Jo at www.josaxton.com @josaxton Connect with Pastor Steph at www.pastorsteph.com @pastorsteph Subscribe on iTunes to have the podcast automatically download to your device every week or listen at www.leadstoriespodcast.com www.leadstoriesmedia.com Lead Stories resources at: www.leadstoriesmedia.com/resources Other podcasts produced by Lead Stories Media: www.leadstoriedmedia.com/podcasts    

In the first episode of the new year Doogie unloads his latest notes on the Vikings and Twins before welcoming on Vikings DT Michael Pierce (11:40), then ESPN's Brian Windhorst joins the show to discuss the Wolves (32:30). Minnehaha Academy senior Chet Holmgren (1:08:06) and junior Prince Aligbe (1:12:56) round out the episode and touch on the excitement of getting back on the court.

*Our apologies for some of the audio difficulties during this episode* In this episode of the High School Basketball Happenings Podcast, Paul and Zain connect with the #1 Player in the 2021 ESPN Rankings, Chet Holmgren. Chet talks about: - tips and tricks to being an elite shotblocker - what part of his game and body he has been focused on improving the most - how Minnehaha Academy will have to adjust after the graduation of Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) to replicate the success from last year - how his life changed after he received the coveted #1 player ranking - his thought process as he evaluates his final seven colleges + the G League - his favorite dishes to cook You can follow Chet on Twitter at @ChetHolmgren and Instagram at @chet_holmgren

What would you do - as a leader - if you were traveling on business and found out there was a major explosion at your workplace and two employees were killed? This happened to my guest, Jason Wenschlag. As a high school principal, he had to deal with this unimaginable situation. As he watched his school burn on CNN, he had two thoughts: What do I need to do now? AND How are we going to move forward? His story is incredible and how he led through this crisis is inspiring. Jason is the Upper School Principal at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. He has been an educator for over 20 years, serving in both public and private schools as a teacher, coach, and principal. Jason Wenschlag on Twitter Minnehaha Academy NY Times Story About the Explosion _____ Learn more about my bestselling leadership book "I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following" here. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter here. Follow me on: Twitter Instagram YouTube

In our conversation with Minnehaha Academy guard Jalen Suggs, we discuss his insights into college recruiting, what he thinks before “big games,” his must-listen tip on social media, and his message to young athletes and sports parents.   Winning Is Not Everything is a podcast aimed at bringing sanity back to youth sports with conversations with blue-chip athletes and coaches.

In this bonus episode, Larry Suggs - father of Minnehaha Academy senior guard Jalen Suggs - tells us about his own sports experience, what he emphasizes to his three children, the way he challenged Jalen, and his advice to young athletes and their parents. Winning Is Not Everything is a podcast aimed at bringing sanity back to youth sports with conversations with blue-chip athletes and coaches.

In our conversation with Minnehaha Academy guard Jalen Suggs, we discuss the impact his parents had on his sports journey, his pride in helping to elevate his school into the national spotlight, and the lessons he learned after an agonizing defeat in a state championship game. Winning Is Not Everything is a podcast aimed at bringing sanity back to youth sports with conversations with blue-chip athletes and coaches.

David Hoffner, director of faith formation at Minnehaha Academy and friend of Thor Benson, shared the value of deep friendships as we walk with God and others.

In this episode, Annika Johnson interviews Amy Barnard, Minnehaha Academy's marketing and communications manager, about her experiences living in China for eleven years. The interview is also available in video format in both English and Chinese at http://www.redhawksonline.com/chinasota-podcast/.

In this episode, Annika Johnson interviews Amy Barnard, Minnehaha Academy's marketing and communications manager, about her experiences living in China for eleven years. The interview is also available in video format in both English and Chinese at http://www.redhawksonline.com/chinasota-podcast/.

A leader sets the tone for the culture of a community. A leader models the ethos of a place and of a community. This could certainly be said of Dr. Donna Harris, president of Minnehaha Academy, a private K-12 Christian school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On August 2, 2017, unexpected tragedy befell the over century-old school when an explosion leveled the middle portion of the Academy’s high school. In the midst of losing two beloved employees and the ensuing grief and uncertainty, Dr. Harris forged ahead in wisdom, fortitude, and faith. That same steadfast faith characterized my time with Dr. Harris. In our time together, she spoke of how to see beauty at work in the wake of tragedy and how a community can emerge from such an event with renewed vigor for loving one another well.

A conversation with Minnehaha Academy film teacher and theater director Nicholas Freeman about his career in film, acting and teaching. They discuss the 2018 film Eighth Grade from the studio A24, the subject of a recent Talon newspaper feature.

This episode is based on a reader suggestion that we received from Michelle in Ham Lake, Minnesota: I enjoy the Bryghtpath podcast. It lets me use a completely different part of my brain and challenges me to apply the ideas to various organizations, not just items of crisis management, but even everyday team operations. As I read accounts of the Minnehaha Academy explosion and thought about kids going back to school. Would you consider a parent focused episode about how to talk to children (and practice with children) prior to events? We let schools like Teddy Kids train our kids, but do we follow up? Do we think about how our kids would respond to a crisis in a way that helps the adults who manage situations? In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & CEO Bryan Strawser and Senior Consultant Jennifer Otremba discuss how to talk with your children about a disaster situation. Topics discussed include starting with preparedness at a family and personal level, leading your family through a tragedy, and long-term recovery for families with children. Episode Transcript Bryan Strawser:                   We got mail. Jen Otremba:                        We did. Bryan Strawser:                   Reader mail. Michelle from Ham Lake, Minnesota. A local reader. Local listener. Jen Otremba:                        I love mail. Bryan Strawser:                   Michelle says, "I enjoy the Bryghtpath podcast. It lets me use a completely different part of my brain, and challenges me to apply the ideas to various organizations. Not just items of crisis management, but even everyday team operations. As I read accounts of the Minnehaha Academy explosion, and I thought about kids going back to school, would you consider doing a parent focused episode about how to talk to children, and how to practice with children, prior to events?  Our schools train our kids, but do we ever follow up? Do we think about how our children will respond to a crisis in a way that helps the adults who manage situations?" Jen Otremba:                        Thanks, Michelle, for sending that in. We'll talk about those things. This is actually really relevant, because those of you that have not been paying attention, there was a explosion at the Minnehaha Academy. Bryan Strawser:                   This is a charter school. A very large and well regarded charter school in Minneapolis. Jen Otremba:                        Yes. It was very scary, although it was summer months, so weren't that many people around, fortunately, but there were some fatalities. Bryan Strawser:                   Right. So it's like they were moving ... There's an additional report that just came out this week. This explosion happened a few weeks ago, now, but it appears that they were doing some gas line work in preparation for moving gas meters, and something caused a leak in the gas line. The gas, of course, filled the building, and then, in the process of some people trying to effect an evacuation, there was an explosion that resulted in some significant destruction of a large portion of the building, and a couple fatalities that were a result of that. So it's a really timely topic, given what's happened here in Minneapolis. I think that story was covered nationally when it happened. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah, it was a big deal, and I think at least one of the fatalities was due to some rubble collapsing on them. It's just really a very unfortunate situation. Bryan Strawser:                   It was tragic. It was tragic. The school is relocating, it sounds like, to another city while the building is being rebuilt as a result of this tragedy. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah. It's a historic building too, I believe. Bryan Strawser:                   It is. Jen Otremba:                        It's really unfortunate on so many levels, so this topic comes up, and we'd be happy to talk about some of these things that you've asked us to talk about, Michelle. Bryan Strawser:                   It's a very difficult topic, because as a parent, it's really hard to think about my children, who are still very young, they're four and six, having to go through the kind of situations that their parents have seen, since my wife and I both work in crisis management, and this overall field. Jen Otremba:                        I think while we're taking care of ourselves, oftentimes, the little ones can get forgotten, and bringing them in. Very important topic. We'll talk about a few things here, maybe what to talk about in preparation, during an incident, and then after an incident. How about that? Bryan Strawser:                   Let's start with what we know happens here in Minnesota, from a school standpoint, because in her email, Michelle referenced that. I'm sure every state has some requirements in place for planning, and exercises, and drills, as schools tend to call them. There's three types of drills that are required here in Minnesota for all K through 12 schools, public or private, to do. That is, they're required to do fire drills, and they have to do five during the course of the school year. They're required to do lockdown drills, so this was enacted after the Columbine school shooting incident in Colorado. Jen Otremba:                        And five of those, too, right, per school year? Bryan Strawser:                   Five lockdown drills. What's interesting to me is they're not really active shooter drills. They're lockdown drills. It's not the run, hide, fight that we think of today. It's just the hide part of that. Lastly, they have to do a tornado drill, and only one, because we are here in Minnesota, where we have a lot of tornadoes during storm season. Jen Otremba:                        Tornado Alley. Bryan Strawser:                   Tornado Alley. We even had one in the winter, this last winter. Jen Otremba:                        Which is a whole other podcast in and of itself. Bryan Strawser:                   Winter is its own problem. Jen Otremba:                        Yes. Bryan Strawser:                   But Michelle points out that there are drills, and our kids learn about crises from this standpoint, in school, but how many parents take the time to think about, as we've talked about family and personal preparedness, how many parents do this with their kids? Jen Otremba:                        Or maybe even know that they do all these drills. I mean, that's 11 drills a year. Bryan Strawser:                   Yeah. Jen Otremba:                        That's a lot. Bryan Strawser:                   Out of the six months or so that you're in school, from September to ... I guess it's nine months. September to June. Jen Otremba:                        But still, that's a lot. Bryan Strawser:                   So as we talk through this, you're going to hear us refer to the term multiple times, and that's going to be just age appropriate involvements and messaging, because when you're thinking about disaster planning, and exercises, or practice drills with your kids, there's a huge difference between when your children are young, and what you want to tell them, and the level of involvement you want them to have, and when they are teenagers and young adults, and they can be more involved and take on more personal responsibility. So, we're going to talk about that a lot. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah, and we're not talking a specific age as in a number, as in what year is it appropriate to talk about certain things, because each child is different, right? Bryan Strawser:                   You really will need, those of you that are parents, guardians, you'll need to decide what that is. So, as we think about preparedness, we've talked before about personal and family preparedness, and we absolutely believe that children should be a part of that process in your home, as you make those plans, or build your kit, but there's a couple guiding principles that we think are important through all of this. The first is just to be honest. Instead of trying to use fear to drive them in the course of preparedness, just be honest about the threat. I think about my four year old, who right now is just deathly afraid of storms, and thinks that when it rains, that means there's going to be a thunderstorm, and then there will be a tornado, in every rain storm, because they have had a tornado drill, and it scared her. Jen Otremba:                        Sure. Yeah, or there was a storm at some point in time that scared her. Bryan Strawser:                   Yeah. Yeah. Fortunately she doesn't remember that one. That was one that should have scared her, but she was only a few months old. Be honest with them. You have to tell them the age appropriate truth. Instead of scaring them, we should be teaching them an age appropriate lesson about what that is. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah, and I think much like adults, you start with the whys, why do we have to do this, because kids are all about, "Why are we doing this? Why is this?" Bryan Strawser:                   "Why? But why?" Jen Otremba:                        Yes. Mm-hmm (affirmative). Bryan Strawser:                   You should explain to them why you're preparing, and how you're preparing, and what that means, again, in an age appropriate way. Then, if you have a family emergency plan, you should share that with them, or build it with them, if you're constructing it for the first time. You can also teach your children about things you're noticing in your surroundings, as you're going about the normal day, that you can point out to them about preparedness or emergencies. For example, maybe one of your neighbors is climbing a tree to cut a branch off, and not doing it in a safe manner, or is up on a ladder and leaning way off of the ladder as they do something. You have to teach them- Jen Otremba:                        Working around electrical lines. Bryan Strawser:                   Live electrical lines. Jen Otremba:                        Yes. Digging in certain areas they shouldn't be digging in. Bryan Strawser:                   As you're traveling to a mall, or a movie theater, or a baseball game, you can point out exits, and signing, and rally points, police officers, firefighters, the things that you see. Jen Otremba:                        Security guards. Bryan Strawser:                   Security officers. We were at Target Field to watch the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. It was the first game for our kids to go to. First major league baseball game. The kids were fascinated that there were police there. Jen Otremba:                        Oh, really? Bryan Strawser:                   To see that there were, as we walked in. They were like, "Mommy, it's a police officer." Jen Otremba:                        Yeah. Bryan Strawser:                   There were a lot of police officers there. To them, that's not something they see every single day, so they were excited to see right there. Jen Otremba:                        That's a good opportunity to explain why they're there, right? Bryan Strawser:                   Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jen Otremba:                        I think it's good, with kids especially, to take the opportunity, when it presents itself. They have a lot of questions, so that's a good time to start answering why. Bryan Strawser:                   If you're building an emergency kit, or you're doing- Jen Otremba:                        You mean when you are. Bryan Strawser:                   When you build your emergency kid, if you haven't already, or you're updating it, because I'm sure all of you already have one [crosstalk 00:09:01]. Jen Otremba:                        Yes, you should already. Yeah. I'm sure you do. Bryan Strawser:                   You can involve your children in that. In fact, you can have your kids make their own kit. Jen Otremba:                        Yes. Bryan Strawser:                   My kids would want their own kit. I can see this already. It would have to be in a My Little Pony or princess purse. Jen Otremba:                        Nothing wrong with that. Bryan Strawser:                   Right. It'd have to be a perfectly branded bag for them, but they'd want their own kit. Jen Otremba:                        I think it's great. I think that's a really good way to get them involved, and to get them thinking about things. Not only while you're at home, but when they're not with you, they're going to be thinking about these things, because you've already introduced it to them. Bryan Strawser:                   Another way to get them involved is to have, once you have your kit ready or updated, and you have your plan ready or updated, is to practice that, and involve them in that practice. I mean, they're doing evacuation drills at school. They're doing fire drills at school, about how to get out. Do they know how they would get out of your house? Do they only think about your house as, "I can only get out through the garage or the front door," but really, you might need to go out the back door. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah, or this window here- Bryan Strawser:                   Or a window. Right. Jen Otremba:                        ... That's on the first level. Bryan Strawser:                   Or, here's the emergency ladder in the little folding thing, if those are still a thing. I don't know. Jen Otremba:                        They might be. I don't know. Bryan Strawser:                   We're not prepared to that extent quite yet.  You can do those drills, and I think they would think that was cool. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah, and I think it's good to keep them involved, as in asking them questions. "Well, what else could you do? If you couldn't get out there, where else would you go? If you couldn't hide there, where else could you hide?" Bryan Strawser:                   Right. Jen Otremba:                        Kids are the best at hiding, by the way. Bryan Strawser:                   Far better than I. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah. It's also a good opportunity for parents to get involved with the schools, and acquire from the school what their plans are, so that when you're making your home plans, and involving your children in the home plans, you can incorporate those plans as well. Bryan Strawser:                   Mm-hmm (affirmative). So, during the disaster, the emergency, if you've practiced these things, then hopefully your children will remember. Really, at this point, for you as the parent, as it's happening, and your child is there with you, this is really a lot of just ... This is going to be put on you, that your child's not going to know how to act in the moment, as they're going through this traumatic situation. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah, they're going to be looking at you. Bryan Strawser:                   They're going to be looking at you, and so you have to manage your response to that situation. Whether you're experiencing it or you're watching it, like you're watching 9/11 on TV, for example, you have to manage your response, because your child's going to mirror it. Finding a way to not show alarm, and to demonstrate a level of calmness when you're with your child is going to be important, because that's how they're going to know how to act. Jen Otremba:                        Right, and this is, ironically, very similar to managing with adults. Bryan Strawser:                   It is. Jen Otremba:                        Same kind of concept. Bryan Strawser:                   Right. Jen Otremba:                        But more so important, I think, because kids are, like you said, they're definitely looking to you to how to react to something. Bryan Strawser:                   Right. There's also the issue ... It's not the issue, but if you've practiced the things that you want your family to do in an emergency, then your children should be doing that when it happens because you've practiced it. You have a fire in your home, they know that they can evacuate, and where to go. Jen Otremba:                        And where the rally point is. Bryan Strawser:                   Right, where you're going to regroup as a family. Jen Otremba:                        You ultimately want them to execute those plans without you, without having to look to you to know what to do. Bryan Strawser:                   Right. The most difficult time, as a parent, will probably be after the disaster, whatever that is. Whether you've experienced it or you've watched it, and your children are aware of it, it will be about that post disaster recovery, and there's a lot of things that can happen here. We expect younger children, in particular, are going to be anxious, and confused, and frightened, because they've seen the world kind of turn upside down, in terms of what they've been through and what they're watching. You might find what'll seem like strange behavior to you. They might regress and do some things that they've outgrown. For a young child, sucking their thumb, or looking for their pacifier that they gave up two years ago. Jen Otremba:                        Wetting the bed. Bryan Strawser:                   Wetting the bed. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah. Bryan Strawser:                   We actually see that with adults post disaster. The most important thing you can do, as a parent, during this time, is to be there to support your child's emotional needs, and understand that their response is really going to be centered on that aspect of the disaster. You're going to want to shield them from news coverage of what you've either watched or just have experienced, because it's difficult for them to separate you're watching old news coverage of something that has already happened and is over, versus they're watching this and thinking it's new. Jen Otremba:                        Right. This is happening right now, and it scares them that much more. Bryan Strawser:                   So it's certainly a situation where you should not be afraid to seek professional help by talking to your doctor, your pediatrician, and a child psychologist, a counselor. Jen Otremba:                        At school, they may have people you talk to. Bryan Strawser:                   Right, or start with your pediatrician, or family physician, and then have them refer you to an age appropriate specialist to help with that. That's not unusual. People that are crisis professionals and others do this, because of the things that we all deal with. Jen Otremba:                        Right, and it's helping. Bryan Strawser:                   Yeah. Jen Otremba:                        It's a good idea to get ahead of that, too. Even if your child is not responding the way you think that they're going to, it might be a good idea just to touch base with your pediatrician and explain to them what had happened, and they may be able to help guide you through that. Bryan Strawser:                   It doesn't have to be the 9/11 event. It doesn't have to be the Minnehaha explosion. I had a coworker at our old employer who was just in a bad car accident. It was the four of them. It was he, and his wife, and their two children, and their dog. They got rear ended on the highway, but at high speed. It killed their dog in the accident. Jen Otremba:                        Don't tell me that. Bryan Strawser:                   I'm sorry. Their dog was killed in the accident. Everybody was okay- Jen Otremba:                        Except for the dog. Bryan Strawser:                   Yeah. Dogs don't wear seat belts. There's that problem. Jen Otremba:                        Yeah. Bryan Strawser:                   But there was some broken bones amongst the family, but nothing- Jen Otremba:                        Some definite emotional trauma, right? Bryan Strawser:                   Huge emotional trauma. That was the most difficult thing that his family had gone through. It was really difficult for his kids to work through this situation. They had to do some counseling, and they had to do some kind of family group therapy to kind of talk through, for quite a while, about what had happened. Jen Otremba:                        I don't even think they have to be involved. I've seen where their parents were involved in something, and they just heard about it, so they just know the story. They weren't actually there. They weren't involved, but it's very traumatizing, or it can be. Bryan Strawser:                   What we want to end with is, in the end, as a parent, that all this is really about making sure that your children are prepared in an age appropriate way in advance, that you practice some things, and involve your children in that preparation. You make them accountable, as they get older, for their own preparation and their own personal resiliency is really what we're after. During the incident, your role as a parent is to model the behavior that you want your children to follow. After, it's about making sure that you're caring for the emotion impact that this has had on your child. Again, don't be afraid to seek professional help for yourself or for your children, following an incident like that. Do that, and you'll be the best parent that you can.

The head coach at Minnehaha Academy, Chris Goodwin, talks Gophers chances of getting Lockett, Suggs or Johnson!

For this episode I interviewed Longine Deng, a Junior at Minnehaha Academy. She has studied at Minnehaha since Freshman year and hopes to attend college in Boston.

This episode introduces some stats and information about Chinese immigration in America. It profiles Jing Li, a Chinese teacher who teaches at Minnehaha Academy.Contents:0:00 – 1:00 Introduction (English & Mandarin Chinese)1:00 – 2:05 Chinese immigration background (English)2:05 – 3:15 Chinese immigration background (Mandarin Chinese)3:15 – 3:30 Introduction of Jing Li, Chinese teacher (English)3:30 – 7:45 Interview with Jing Li (Mandarin Chinese)7:45 – 12:00 Interview with Jing Li (English)12:00 – 12:20 Credits

Doogie kicks off the show with a Wolves POBO news; interviews with Derek Falvey, Blake Cashman and Ryan Connelly with also an update from Minnehaha Academy star Chet Holmgren.

Doogie is here with another Scoop! Eric Harris Gopher Men's Basketball advancing, Minnehaha Academy's star PG Jalen Suggs on his future, and Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Billy Turner on the NFL offseason and free agency

Doogie is back for the second episode of The Scoop for the week and he's got a ton of guests joining him on this one. We start off with Vikings DB coach Jerry Gray who has a ton of talent in his group this season. Doogie follows that up with updates on Pat Elflein and Brandon Zylstra. Next up for the podcast Doogie talks with a couple future Gophers in QB Cole Kramer then OL Tyler Cooper. The guests are rounded out by the foursome from Minnehaha Academy who all have Power-5 football offers: Jalen Suggs, Kaden Johnson, Terry Lockett, and Craig McDonald. Plus notes on the Wolves and the Twins. All that right here on the 167th episode of The Scoop!

This week: Minnehaha Academy-one year later, Primary election preview, U of M's First Kiss apple, PGA in MN.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode is divided into three segments and features seniors Hannah Pope, Grace Kirkpatrick, and Erik Ostrem. Pope and Kirkpatrick were at north campus the day of the explosion for cross country practice, while Ostrem was on the soccer field. All three seniors reflect on their experiences on August 2 and the impact that the explosion had on their school year as a whole.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode is divided into three segments and features seniors Hannah Pope, Grace Kirkpatrick, and Erik Ostrem. Pope and Kirkpatrick were at north campus the day of the explosion for cross country practice, while Ostrem was on the soccer field. All three seniors reflect on their experiences on August 2 and the impact that the explosion had on their school year as a whole.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features Minnehaha chef Laura DuBois. Laura was in the school kitchen when her husband Don called over the radio that there was a gas leak and that they needed to get out. Laura escaped the building about ten seconds before it exploded. She was later reunited with her husband. This interview was recorded on May 11, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode is a shortened version of an interview with Minnehaha chef Laura DuBois. Laura was in the school kitchen when her husband Don called over the radio that there was a gas leak and that they needed to get out. Laura escaped the building about ten seconds before it exploded. She was later reunited with her husband. This interview was recorded on May 11, 2018. To listen to the full length version of this episode, listen to "August 2 Stories #10A: Laura DuBois."

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode is a shortened version of an interview with Minnehaha chef Laura DuBois. Laura was in the school kitchen when her husband Don called over the radio that there was a gas leak and that they needed to get out. Laura escaped the building about ten seconds before it exploded. She was later reunited with her husband. This interview was recorded on May 11, 2018. To listen to the full length version of this episode, listen to "August 2 Stories #10A: Laura DuBois."

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features Minnehaha chef Laura DuBois. Laura was in the school kitchen when her husband Don called over the radio that there was a gas leak and that they needed to get out. Laura escaped the building about ten seconds before it exploded. She was later reunited with her husband. This interview was recorded on May 11, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features Minnehaha parent and Executive Director of Covenant Pines Ministries, Dave Cairns. Cairns was in his office in the Northwest Conference house (located on the north end of the back parking lot at north campus) when the explosion happened. He yelled for someone to call 911, then ran into the cloud of debris spewing from the rubble, ready to start looking for survivors and help in any way he could. This interview was recorded on March 19, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features Minnehaha parent and Executive Director of Covenant Pines Ministries, Dave Cairns. Cairns was in his office in the Northwest Conference house (located on the north end of the back parking lot at north campus) when the explosion happened. He yelled for someone to call 911, then ran into the cloud of debris spewing from the rubble, ready to start looking for survivors and help in any way he could. This interview was recorded on March 19, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features science teacher Nancy Cripe and technology support employees Sam Terfa and Jonathan Bird. Cripe, Terfa and Bird were together in the library computer lab when the explosion happened, and together they watched as the library floor fell away after the blast. This interview was recorded on February 26, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features science teacher Nancy Cripe and technology support employees Sam Terfa and Jonathan Bird. Cripe, Terfa and Bird were together in the library computer lab when the explosion happened, and together they watched as the library floor fell away after the blast. This interview was recorded on February 26, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features Minnehaha Athletic Director Josh Thurow, who was in the gym at north campus when the explosion happened. In this interview, Thurow reflects on having gone through this experience with his girls' basketball team and how he has moved forward personally. This interview was recorded on January 29, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features Minnehaha Athletic Director Josh Thurow, who was in the gym at north campus when the explosion happened. In this interview, Thurow reflects on having gone through this experience with his girls' basketball team and how he has moved forward personally. This interview was recorded on January 29, 2018.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. This episode features band/orchestra teacher Diane Hallberg and choir teacher Karen Lutgen. Both Hallberg and Lutgen were in their offices in the fine arts wing of north campus when the explosion happened, but didn't realize the full extent of the destruction until they went outside and saw the gaping hole in the building. This interview was recorded on January 25, 2018.

MSHSL.org prep writer John Millea and Jim Souhan visit Minnehaha Academy and athletic director/girls basketball coach Josh Thurow. Statewide hoops, recovering from a tragedy, and a gymnast who uses one arm, via MNSPN.com

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. Our guest for this episode is Minnehaha college and guidance counselor Kristen Overton, who was in her office meeting with a student when the explosion happened. Overton was pregnant at the time but has since delivered a healthy baby boy. This interview was recorded on December 5, 2017.

This week: a year-end review of some big stories--Officer Yanez trial, legislative lawsuit, Minnehaha Academy explosion, Sen Franken resigns.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. Our guest for this episode is Minnehaha Academy President Dr. Donna Harris, who was thrown to her office floor when the explosion happened and then escaped through her window onto the roof. This interview was recorded on December 4, 2017.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. Our guest for this episode is Buildings Supervisor Curt Bjorlin, who heard about the gas leak over his radio and then tried to warn his other colleagues to leave the building. Bjorlin was near the main office area when the explosion happened. This interview was recorded on October 26, 2017.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. Our guest for this episode is Administration Assistant Mary Kate Fretheim, who heard Don DuBois' call to "get out" and then tried to warn others. She was in the student services office off of senior hallway when the building blew. This interview was recorded on September 26, 2017.

"August 2 Stories" is a Talon podcast series designed to allow members of the Minnehaha Academy community that were in north campus when the explosion occurred on August 2, 2017 to tell their stories. The series is hosted by M.A. senior Emma Melling. Our guest for this episode is Maintenance Manager Don DuBois, who was in north campus when the explosion occurred and ran through the building warning others to get out. He has since been called a hero. This interview was recorded on September 28, 2017.

Which means that right now, God is not dwelling at Minnehaha Academy. Last Sunday morning God was dwelling at the Riverview Theater, and then at Hiawatha School Park, and right now God is dwelling here, in this room, where his people, filled by his Spirit, are gathered in his name. And when we leave here, he goes with us. Because now, God's presence isn't a holy place that his people must go to, but his presence is in his people who go everywhere.

Brian Tyner-Assistant Fire Chief, Minneapolis Fire Department The natural gas explosion at Minnehaha Academy was devastating news this week. We look at tips to keep safe around natural gas through detection and what actions to take when we detect it. Paul Douglas-Meteorologist, Weather Businessman and New Afternoon talk show host The Pacific Northwest is being roasted by intense heat. What is causing this and how long will it last? Then, the new afternoon drive hosts, Paul and Jordana talk their new show! Jordana Green-New Afternoon talk show host The new afternoon drive show!

A Pedantic Moment about Facebook's winking emoji. Some talk about the tragedy at Minnehaha Academy including: Go Fund Me, the speed of emergency vehicles are allowed to go, a psychic suggests possible Islamic terrorism, are we sure God will help, and another Pedantic Moment. Stop The World The Teabaggers Want Off is fake news. Melania Trump's ability to speak five languages disputed without evidence. Dimland Radio Science Hero: John Oliver (again). And Three Cool Things.The show notes for this week's Dimland Radio are up at http://dimland.blogspot.com/2017/08/dimland-radio-8-5-17-show-notes.html

This week: Minnehaha Academy tragedy, MN healthcare rates, MST3K's Joel Hodgson, KFAN's Paul Allen previews Vikings season