Ken Frantz

[The body of this article was first shared some fifteen years ago, and it continues to generate robust conversation whenever the topic arises. We have ceremonies to properly dispose of worn flags. Might there be something similar for old Bibles? Oh well, into the abyss once more!]

Far too many politicians speak to desires of owning the electorate, blinded in part by suppositions of sweeping mandates that are crudely called forth but lack definition. A weariness has descended on us this election cycle, a reflection of being reduced to categories of color, age, gender, faith, sexuality, nationality, and any number of unnamed groupings that presumably ...

We all have seen it. We just didn't know it had a name. “It” is the angular gothic-styled Germanic lettering called “fraktur” that is often discoverable on bookplates, manuscripts, handbills and similar artifacts from the mid to late 1700s and early 1800s. One of the earliest stylistic schools of fraktur ascended from the Ephrata Cloister […]

After fifty-two years, the water well supplying the house we live in decided to retire, which is a polite way of saying the casing collapsed. There is never a right time to dwell on such happy events, so we looked instead to brighter elements of the situation that might ease our pain.

Religious belief is an emotional arena that encompasses the very fiber, the core, of who we are. It touches us in elemental ways, uniquely defining our personhood. The threads of our lives, if we are fortunate, are wonderfully drawn, combined with color, experience, textures and smells, and then finely woven with those of others, creating within us the fabric of amazing pattern and durability. In the same manner, our contribution to the faith product of others adds warmth and dimension to their lives in both predictable and unanticipated ways.

Advent is a time of expectant promise leading to the hope of something better. At its core, it is buoyant and uplifting, something that fills the voids that we, integral participants of the human race, often bring upon ourselves. At its least desirable are “if only” moments lived from positions of regret and remorse, times […]

It's one of those jobs you simply can't think too hard about. You know it's going to be hot, itchy, dusty, dirty and downright wearing on a person. And it doesn't matter how small the job is, when it is finished, you'll be wanting to clean up. “It” is the tear out of lath and plaster which usually begins by pulling down regular drywall over plaster over lathe over 2 X 4 wall studs. Once the rock w ...

Each year, the commercial success of the holiday season is scrutinized, analyzed, and pondered over. Waiting for the numbers to reveal themselves can be a nervous time for economists whose job it is to gently nudge fiscal policy in the most productive directions. It is no easy task. If policy was comprised of logical straightforward […]

The holiday season comprised of secular and religious elements is winding down. It would be nice if the overarching themes of newness, fresh starts, hope and happiness would permeate the remainder of the year as well, but perhaps we simply run out of energy and resources. “Home for the holidays” is a current theme that […]

Competing voices in life are generally a good thing. They help orient who we are and what or how we believe. In community, we test personal conclusions against one another resulting in affirmation or refutation. One of the first steps in making such comparisons is to listen through the noise that buffets popular culture. What is helpful? What poses hindrances? What is valuable to the process itself?