Pastor and writer Lloyd Mattson, 88, uses the Internet and e-mail to publish his Godly wisdom and insights to readers.

It’s the dead of the night in Duluth, Minn. In a soundproof, cozy room, complete with books, recording equipment and snacks, 88-year-old Lloyd Mattson taps away at his computer. His son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law, Tena, sleep in another part of their home, undisturbed. They are accustomed to Mattson’s nightly stirrings.

Paul Walsh / Living Stones News/address> Lloyd Mattson of Duluth, Minn., started Hole News as a way to fill the “holes in his nights.” Now his e-mail ministry is enjoyed by more than 200 people across the U.S. and the world.

Mattson calls the hours of sleeplessness his “holes in the night.” These holes started developing back in December 2002 when Mattson’s wife, Elsie, fell and injured her spine, severely limiting her mobility. Friends and family converted the Mattsons’ attached garage/family room into a handicap-accessible living space, and Kevin and Tena moved into the house to help Mattson take care of Elsie.

Mattson became a full-time caregiver for the next five years. As he tended to Elsie’s needs, the days and nights blended together, upsetting his natural sleep rhythms.

“I slept when she slept — never long at a time,” Mattson wrote.

But he did not complain.

“It was my privilege,” he said.

Elsie had been the “love of his life” since they met on a blind date at Bethel Junior College in St. Paul, Minn., and married in 1942. She had been his patient, loyal, Godly partner as he pastored six churches, worked in camp ministry and wrote, edited and published books. She did not complain when money was scarce, when they lived in drafty parsonages, when Lloyd traveled and she was left alone to care for their five children, or when they moved from state to state.

Elsie also fully supported Lloyd’s retirement dream of writing and publishing his memoirs, Alaskan adventures and other projects through their nonprofit at-home ministry called Wordshed Mission.

Over the years, Mattson had written more than 20 books, and they had given away thousands of books or sold them for pennies above their publishing costs. After Elsie’s accident, Wordshed Mission was put on hold as Mattson devoted himself to his wife’s care.

Elsie’s health continued to decline and, in 2007, she was admitted into the Chris Jensen Health Care Center in Duluth. In his memoir, “All the Days of My Life,” Mattson wrote, “When the hard time came to tell her that Chris Jensen would be our new home, she added, clearly and simply, ‘and our new ministry.’”

In mid-December 2008, as his beloved wife of 66 years grew weaker, Mattson began sending a nightly group e-mail to a dozen family and friends to keep them posted about Elsie’s condition. After Elsie died on Feb. 14, 2009, Mattson continued to write his nightly e-mails, venting his grief and filling the inevitable “holes in the night.”

By then, his e-mail list had grown to 30 people. The 30 people shared Mattson’s e-mails with friends. Soon there were 50, then 100. At some point, Mattson began calling his nightly e-mail the Hole News. No one was more amazed than Mattson himself when his e-mail list continued to grow.

“Spontaneous combustion, I call it. I still can’t account for it,” he wrote.

In an e-mail, his longtime friend, Bob Gilmore, explained what draws him to Mattson’s writings. “Lloyd Mattson, maybe without his knowing it, is showing me the ropes for living the last third of my life,” he wrote.

Today, the Hole News has 245 members from coast to coast and around the world.

“The Hole News has given me the biggest congregation I have ever served,” Mattson wrote.

Mattson continues to draw and hold the attention of a widely varied “congregation” that includes friends, family, complete strangers, members of the clergy and atheists.

The Hole News also appeals to many age groups. Jeannine Sawall, a 44-year-old friend of Lloyd’s granddaughter, became part of the “Hole Gang” after her mom passed away. “His daily e-mails were filled with encouraging and wise words; words my heavy heart was in need of,” she wrote. “I have been continually blessed ever since.”

Mattson’s blog entries are eloquent, but never predictable. With tongue-in-cheek and the Scriptures to back him up, he tells of his weekly “ministry” to the widows at the Chris Jensen home, including his former high school sweetheart, Barb.

His entries contain unique observations about nature and the Bible, referring to them as “God’s two books.” He encourages people to study both of them.

“God gave two books, and those books know no conflict,” he wrote. “The creation speaks intuitively of God’s power, majesty, beauty and order. The Bible speaks of God’s care for mankind and the creation.”

Mattson writes about the ironies of growing old — both the joys of having old friends and the sorrows of losing old friends. He refers to death as a promotion, but with his vigorous good health, it may be awhile before the 88-year-old receives one.

“On Tuesday morning, dear Dr. Nisswandt worked me over, my annual physical,” he wrote. “I may have to change doctors: She never finds anything.”

With his background in broadcasting, it is only natural that Mattson records his blog entries, making them available to a few blind members (whom he affectionately calls his Three Blind Mice) and anyone who prefers the audio version.

His entries are full of insights, humor and deep theological thoughts, yet there is a simplicity in his faith that he claims comes with age. Whether he’s attending Emmanuel Baptist Church in Duluth or his Presbyterian church in Tucson, Ariz., he has no patience for the denominational differences that cause squabbles among Christians.

“When you get old, you quit fussing,” he wrote. “I live in that tune from childhood, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’ I love my friends, my churches north and south, and my folk religion. I covet for everyone the peace that daily sustains me, a peace that transcends religion.”

To read the Hole News or join the Hole Gang, go to www.holenews.org.

The Hole News is also available via e-mail. Mattson welcomes your calls at 1-520-309-0178, or you may e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text83972 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .