![]() He’s just keeping his mind strong, my mind strong. ![]() He just felt like that was the better school for him, I just felt like this was the better school for me. We go home whenever we can go home, but we’re so determined separately as people. “Whatever he goes through, whatever I go through, we’re always communicating. “It’s my brother, you know? We talk to each other every day, so it doesn’t feel like he’s too far away,” Josh said. Especially with everything going on beyond the football field. We always talk about those type of things.” “And with us being far away from home and far away from each other at this moment, we always send each other film or ask how today went or ask what rep we could have done better. And I know that pushed him as well, when he’d see me get better or he’d see me fix something that I once struggled with, I know that just pushed us both,” Akilian said. “Just seeing him get better and seeing his results, that pushed me. Both tentatively admit they were probably split decisions, but each wanting to claim they won more.Īnd in a way, the ultimate victory came with the scholarships – Josh taking his bus to MSU, and Akilian becoming a Bronco in Boise. That meant going against each other, one on one, during practices at West Mesquite High. Akilian developed into a 3-star wide receiver. Josh migrated to cornerback, becoming a 4-star prospect. “All day every day.”īoth played running back as kids, then gradually went their separate ways on the football field in high school. “I have four brothers, and all we did was literally compete,” Josh said. After the Gospel Coalition’s Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics published an article about the similarities between sexual intercourse and the church’s union with Christ, which was an excerpt from Pastor Joshua Ryan Butler’s brand new book, both he and TGC received unprecedented pushback. They grew up around a big extended family in which competition was both expected and embraced, which has continued whenever they go home and work out with and against each other. That was always fun, that was a great memory that we always cherish.” “We might play three games every Saturday for three different leagues and just traveling, changing uniforms and (Steven) just getting us ready and stuff. “Me and Josh growing up, we never played for just one team,” Akilian, also a fifth-year senior at Boise State, recalled. I feel like I handled it well, I did what I had to do in regards to everything. “You can’t do nothing – death is a part of life. “It’s pretty much just keeping everything I’ve learned (from them) and just keep moving forward,” he said. Both of his parents’ memories as close to his heart as they can get on a daily basis. On his left shoulder, he has the ribbon to symbolize breast cancer awareness tattooed. I couldn’t argue with it.”Īround his neck, Josh Butler wears a chain with his father’s crematory tag. “It was definitely quick, but it was her time. And that’s definitely something we got from her. Our faith was strong, but her faith was definitely strong. “Just from previous years, just prepping ourselves and keeping ourselves within each other and upholding each other. “It definitely happened quick, but we prepped ourselves for it,” Akilian said. Butler and his family would bury her May 3. Learn more about their Bible Course here.He also set up another GoFundMe to help defray her medical costs, raising more than $16,000, but it was too late. Thanks to the Canadian Bible Society for supporting this episode. Through the trial and uncertainty of that time, he talks about how it formed in him a greater love and recognition for the gift it is to get to pastor. Thankfully, he hasn’t lost sight, but he has a clearer vision for his calling as a pastor. Contemplating what it would mean to continue life without the ability to read, see his kids, and have the same independence, Joshua shared how he journeyed closer to God in that season. Since then, he has continued to write, with his second book exploring what it means to pursue and love Jesus fully.Īs they closed, Joshua shared about how in 2020 he started to go blind and that doctors feared he would soon be without sight in both of his eyes. This is what led him to write his first book, The Skeletons in God’s Closet. In his 15 years there, Josh developed a keen awareness of what it meant to be missional in a post-Christian city.Īnother learning from his time in Portland was how to listen to and journey with young people as they wrestled with challenging questions about the bible, God, and Christianity. ![]() That church, Imago Dei, has a beautiful history of creative work in their city to serve and minister to their neighbourhoods. They discuss Josh's story of coming to faith, entering vocational ministry, and his time working at a church in Portland doing mission and outreach in their city. This week, Jason had a great conversation with Joshua Butler, pastor of Redemption Tempe in Arizona.
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