The NORTHSTAR of Freedom

Paul Nyhius, Physicist & Pastor, is a retired college professor who spends his free time operating a prison ministry in Minnesota. Here we discuss his work, which he personally listed as the following:

MS in physics University of Minnesota 1966.

Teacher of the Year award from students at Concordia College 1968.

Outstanding Educator award from students at Inver Hills Cmty College 1980.

Outstanding Faculty Person of the Year award from the faculty of Inver Hills Cmty College 1999-2000

National Science Foundation Award to study Nuclear Spectroscopy at Univ. of California, Berkeley summer 1968

National Science Foundation Award to study Computers in Physics at Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, summer 1998

Backpacking in BWCA (6), Wind River Mtns (2), Beartooth Mtns, Sierra Nevada Mtns (2)

Done much hiking, cross-country skiing and bicycling.

What is like to live as an Orthodox Christian? What are their habits & routines like? How could this have relevance in today's world? Our friend Noah takes us to the culmination of his faith journey, and how it enriches and fulfills his life today.

Men find themselves in prison through a series of poor decisions and unfortunate events, but once presented with that gauntlet choose a new path for their life. Instead of a life of dependency and poverty, they choose industry and bounty; instead of sloth and hedonism, they choose integrity and responsibility. What path would you choose? Why?

Here we take a deeper dive into the history of the Orthodox Christian faith, its intersections with other denominations, and the history of Christianity in general, revealing some of the relevance that Eastern Orthodoxy continues to carry for some today.

What draws people in our modern times to ancient traditions and beliefs? Why do some people follow such seemingly strict rules and dogmatic faith? Why is there a growth in the Russian Orthodox Church in America today? We explore all of these topics through the lens of Noah’s life, a tale worth telling.

What happens when a man of prominence is sent to prison? A fall from grace is a fall from a greater height to be sure. What happens to those we dont think of as typical criminals in prison? How do these atypicals return to society? To what do they return? All of these questions are explored.

Here we discuss the transition from close to medium custody prisons, the COVID-19 pandemic in prison, and Prison Fellowship Academy

A former inmate of mine describes his initial encounter with the criminal justice system and the role that his faith led him through some very difficult- life threatening- times.

A brief interview with my mom about my incarceration

This is a test run of our system