Ken Frantz

Uniontown

Columnist at South Platte Sentinel

Columnist at Sterling Journal-Advocate

Physical Therapist. Go Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and Penn State.

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Articles

Re-writing the parables

3 weeks ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

Some of the most impactful short stories come to us in the form of parables. Pithy, challenging, durable, and relentless, they encourage us to consider different ways of living and loving and being in a world gone mad. Timeless and enduring, the parables of Jesus, especially in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), can be challenging and inspiring. They include stories and lessons regarding lost coins, sheep, displaced family members, charity, love, fairness, intellect, and forgiveness.
Mad as a March hare

1 month ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

It is dangerous at times to use idioms or phrases that come to us from the cultural sphere we inherited. It always surprises me to chance upon a word or saying that makes perfect sense in my mind but that garners a blank stare from the listener in return. Such was the case of a younger family member getting tickled over my suggestion that a certain group of young kids were wilder than March hares. Of course, everyone knows about March hares, don’t they?
Finding the proper attitude

1 month ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

In the long slow scheme of things, seldom do we uncover a word or phrase that we immediately adopt as being formulated perfectly for who we are: the perfect fit of a glove, the right word in the right moment, the delightful discovery of the perfect dessert that no one else wants. Is it just for me? Truly? It’s enough to make one feel that they have gotten away with something. At least that was my working theory until we began anew on finishing the trim work in an office and living area.
The more things change, the more they stay the same

1 month ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

We have been here before, political uncertainties clouding the horizon and raising concerns for up-and-coming generations. The towering egos in play are formidable, to say the least, grooming the public to believe all is broken and that Christian nationalism is the key to applying a fix. Practiced and particularly egregious are faith groups in the […] Subscribe to continue reading this article. Originally Published: March 10, 2025 at 8:33 AM MDT
ChatGPT and I

1 month ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

An interesting demonstration regarding AI, ChatGPT, and a simple inquiry was raised during a small group discussion on a recent Sunday morning. The emergence of AI, and the speed at which it is evolving, is startling in many respects and somewhat intimidating for many of us. We thought demonstrating its use in our own group […] Subscribe to continue reading this article. Originally Published: March 3, 2025 at 10:58 AM MST
Going slow in order to go fast

1 month ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

Straight from a bit of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage comes the phrase, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” My maternal grandmother was fluent in Pennsylvania Dutch but was said to eschew its use in order to avoid being cast as the ‘other’ in the new world politics of the early 1900s. Perhaps five-year-olds were wiser than we imagined our ancestors to be. As in other agrarian economies, time was measured by seasonal demands of tending to crop cycles and the care of livestock.
Seeking normalcy in an uncertain world

2 months ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

What a dark landscape we inhabit these days. Discontented and deeply divided, voices of reason are often fleeting, victims of the dumbing down of American politics on both sides of the aisle. Opinions are perceived as dictatorial, while recipients are at a loss regarding ways to appropriately respond. The sure answers of campaign promises are anathema to others. How, then, to uphold and encourage the need for community?
Angles of Repose

2 months ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

Growing up in a household where there was plenty of exposure to home construction cultivated a fascination with dirt and sand piles, necessary components of many varied projects in which a parent was involved. Digging, shaping, and molding freshly excavated soil fed our imaginations, especially with the advent of small-scaled model cars that have withstood the test of time. The best gift ever for this young mind was a yellow metal toy dump truck and backhoe.
The church needs more whimsy

2 months ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

This article was originally posted in 2013 but seems grandly appropriate today given the current theological and political theater that is playing out! Something on the lighter side by request. Every now and then, words pop up that make us stop and consider their meaning, especially when they do not inhabit our everyday vocabulary. “Whimsy” is just such a word. Its definitions include descriptive terms such as fanciful, playfully expressive, capricious.
Out-Jesus-ing one another

2 months ago | journal-advocate.com | Ken Frantz

Living and growing up in a multi-lingual household is remarkably advantageous for those who pull it off. Enhanced educational and vocational skills often result, and well-roundedness is more likely to be innervated over a lifetime. While children learn languages more quickly than many adults, an early aha moment for older students is that translation is rarely, if ever, a word-for-word affair.