Baptists don't exactly bless each other very much.

When I started going to a Lutheran church with my darling wife, all of the formality felt a bit odd.

But it has grown on me. I like saying "The Apostle's Creed" and "The Lord's Prayer" every week -- they remind me, respectively, what is the core of my church's beliefs and how to pray.

Lifelong Belle Plaine resident Larry Bratsch fought off cancer once, but it’s back.