Shepherd of the Prairie has a document that is helpful to have filled out for your loved ones as they plan your funeral.
This funeral planning guide is available online at www.bit.ly/SOTPplan or as a hard copy in the church office.
ARTIST SERIES CONCERT
Jenny Lind Ensemble from Augustana College
March 2026
Sundays
Looking forward to our 2024 Craft Show 
Looking for:
All money raised from crafts goes toward paying down our mortgage.
Contact: Annette Kandell quangels2015@gmail.com
Resetting Your Algorithm
It is likely that, by the time you read this, Lent will be over and that the celebration of Christ’s resurrection will be in full swing!
I hope your Lenten journey was one of deep reflection and that you came out of it with a renewed sense of the intimate relationship you have with Jesus.
As you are, no doubt, well aware that we live a world driven by social media. Forty years ago, it took about 24 hours for news to break and spread into our lives. Now it takes only minutes. And there is certainly no shortage of opinions on everything. Scholars have been studying the effects of the rapid news cycle and the effects of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) on our psychological, social, and educational health, and the outlook is not good. However, that does mean it is too late for us to do something about it.
Social media and AI use complex algorithms to analyze what we’re interested in and how we think and use that information to continue to show us more of those things. The dangerous part is that this can lead us into spiral, a bubble that only includes a particular perspective. This has led us, as a collective society, to get lost in isolated bubbles without access to broader world views.
We witnessed this very acutely after Charlie Kirk was killed. Part of the world saw him as kind, open, and collaborative while part of the world saw him as a harsh, confrontational, and closed-minded. Much of this was due to the social media feeds people we exposed to. Charlie, like the rest of us, was a mixture of both, but social media didn’t always allow people to see all sides of him. After his death, I heard a story of two friends who got into an argument over him, but they took a moment to show each other they’re social media feeds. Each was completely surprised. Neither recognized the Charlie they were seeing because neither had been allowed to see both sides of him before. They need to reset their algorithm.
I have an uncle with whom I regularly engage in deep, respectful, albeit challenging discussions about politics. We have some differing beliefs, but it doesn’t stop us from engaging in very meaningful dialogue. We had one of these conversations about a month ago, and he said something I’ll never forget. Something I want to lift up to you as suggestion we might all take to heart.
As we were saying goodbye, he said to me, “My algorithm has gotten all screwed up. I’m only seeing one side of everything. Whenever you find well thought-out posts, can you send them to me? I need to adjust my algorithm. I’ll do the same for you.”
It would be great if more people would take that approach.
We do it very naturally in other areas of our lives without even thinking about it. For those of you who listen to music streaming services, you know what I’m talking about. You may be listening to a playlist or series of random songs and get tired of the artist or genre. What do you do? You pick a new song or genre to change it up, and the streaming service goes down a new path. Before music streaming services it was as easy as putting on a new record or inserting a new cassette or CD.
This past Lent, you likely attempted (and hopefully succeeded) at a reset of one of your life algorithms. Maybe you gave up a type of junk food to help you get healthier. Perhaps you added journaling to improve your mental health. Or maybe you began a devotional series to improve your spiritual health. These are all ways of resetting our algorithm.
Portico, the benefits arm of the ELCA, uses a Wholeness Wheel to illustrate the areas of our wellbeing. The areas are intellectual, social, emotional, physical, financial, and vocational, and at the center of it all is spiritual wellbeing. One, several, or all of those areas may need a reset at any given point in our lives. Every day is opportunity for a reset.
How is your algorithm? Are you being exposed to a broad spectrum of thoughts and ideas? Are you seeking them out? How are your areas of wellbeing? Do any need tweaking? We may be out of Lent, but that means we are in spring cleaning season!
May you the wholeness and renewal of Jesus Christ this Easter season and beyond,
email Pastor Ryan at pastorryan@sotpmail.com
Just a reminder that in 2025 everyone will receive offering envelopes by mail quarterly. We realize that some of you in the past have opted out of receiving envelopes so before you throw these envelopes away, we encourage you to remember a couple of things related to your giving to Shepherd of the Prairie.
When the offering counters receive an envelope which has a check enclosed and the distribution is marked on the envelope, this helps our counters tremendously to quickly account for your gift. We just need to open the envelope, make sure the figures agree on the check and envelope, and put each one in separate piles to be totaled.
When a loose check is received there are several more steps to be taken in order to process each donation.
Our counters must look up the name on the check, then fill out an envelope form which is a copy of the back of the offering envelope, with the giver’s name, envelope number, and gift amount. This is then paperclipped to the check and given to the counter that is opening envelopes that day. As you can see a loose check takes our volunteers much more time to process to be sure each gift is given proper credit to donors. So far, we have processed over 180 loose checks from households that opted out of 2024 envelopes.
Please keep the 2025 envelopes to be used on special services and various things that come up during the year like the food pantry and memorials. Of course, regular giving may be done online which is also a wonderful way to easily give to the ministry we share at SOTP.
Thanks again for your ongoing support. We are surely blessed by the generosity of every gift received!
Contact: Ralph Wehnes
As you may know, we are now publishing our Member Directory with members’ photos. 
If you need to update or add your photo, please send your photo to Donna Kelly donna@sotpmail.com, or Ed Cuttle
edschn28@comcast.net and we will update or add it to the directory.
We publish an updated directory every time we receive new members, so 4 times a year. If you would like to receive the updated
directory via email, please let Michelle Rankin know, michelle@sotpmail.com or you can pick one up at the office or at the Registration Desk.
If you have any questions, contact Donna Kelly, donna@sotpmail.com or through the church office.
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
As soon as [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.