This is the second of three guest blog posts by Gary Buterbaugh. Have you ever heard of being plutoed? We’re not talking about Pluto the proper noun, but the verb to pluto—the American Dialect Society’s 2006 word of the year. Many of you probably remember learning about Pluto as the ninth planet in your grade […]
There was both good news and bad news when I ran in my first 5K in over 25 years. The good news was my potential to win a medal. The bad news is that I would have needed to compete as a 75-year old woman in order to place! As much as I just want […]
I wonder if you’ve noticed. We live in a cruel world. From playground bullies to the inner city gangs to oppressive governments, we lack no shortage of people who will not hesitate to inflict pain on others for their own personal pleasure or benefit. What’s the prerequisite for being a recipient of such treatment? Weakness. […]
Have you watched the news recently? The increased frequency of natural disasters is insane! April of this year marked a record number of tornadoes across the U.S. and unfortunately far too many deaths. Crazy happenings in an increasingly unstable world! The natural instability of our climate seems to correspond with the political and spiritual instability […]
My son was a wrestler in high school. Wrestling is a grueling individual sport. When you’re out on the mat, there’s absolutely nobody to hide behind! If you’re skilled and well prepared, everybody knows it. If you are not, well, you know how that goes. From day one wrestlers are taught about stance and positioning. […]
Were you one of the 111,000,000 viewers who watched the Super Bowl on Sunday? I was. Not a bad game. Of course, it would have been better had the Steelers won, but overall we were entertained. Professional football is now a multi-billion dollar business. Gone are the days of leather helmets and crumbling stadiums! Let’s […]
Like many of you, on New Year’s Eve I watched a ball slide down a pole to commemorate the end of the old and the beginning of the new. Or perhaps you participated in a ceremony that was somewhat more creative. In Atlanta it was a peach instead of a disco ball. But Pennsylvania towns […]
In thinking of bitterness I would venture to guess that most people consider it an issue of being hurt or wronged. And while this is certainly true, there is an interwoven thread that so often colors the dynamics of our interpersonal relationships – CONTROL. Almost from the very beginning of time as we know it, […]
In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) Jesus spoke of four types of responses people have in receiving the life of God’s word. Some have become hardened from being trampled by the world—they understand nothing. Others receive the word with excitement, but lack the depth of resolve to stand the rigors of opposition. The […]
Sam the intern and I were privileged to spend some time last week in upstate NY at Elim Fellowship’s annual leadership conference—an encouraging event for sure. I came away with many good things, especially what I believe is a renewed perspective of the big picture of the U.S. church. Including, but certainly not limited to […]
