Talk With the Preacher

By Amy Butler The snow has stopped falling here in Washington. At least for the moment. After almost two weeks, we are still digging out from a few weeks ago when whoever is in charge of weather patterns mistakenly thought…

By Amy Butler Depending on whom you ask, people around here are calling it “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowmaggedon” or a variety of other things, which I will refrain from listing here. I am referring to, of course, the recent dumping of…

By Amy Butler It is not uncommon to encounter me, on occasion (okay, very frequently, actually), complaining bitterly about all the things I did not learn in seminary. In fact, I do have a comprehensive list of such things somewhere,…

By Amy Butler When I left seminary, I was just dying to get into a pastorate so I could try out all the good ideas that had been germinating through all those hours and hours of sitting in a seminary…

By Amy Butler Like many of you, I had the opportunity to spend significant time with my family this holiday season. By “family,” I mean not my immediate family with whom I live everyday, but those whom I only get…

By Amy Butler I don’t know if you feel it this time of year like I do. But in the midst of the twinkling lights, all my eyes seem to focus on are the burned-out bulbs. And rushing crowds outside…

By Amy Butler My oldest son is a very gifted artist. There is much wondering about exactly how and why this is the case, given his genetics. Nevertheless, he produces some incredible work. Watching him learn his craft at a…

By Amy Butler If I were being completely honest, I would tell you that the whole idea was a little, tiny bit self-serving. Having recently completed my doctor-of-ministry degree in preaching, I, strangely enough, managed to maintain my passion for…

By Amy Butler I have a bone to pick with the Coen brothers. After preaching a 3-week series on the book of Job, I was looking forward to a new take on Job’s story when I went to see the…