Mennonites love history. It's the 502th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, All-Hallows Eve, and there's high winds and a tornado watch, but tonight we're enjoying a lecture on the streetcars of Lancaster County. I'm at the Martindale Mennonite Fellowship Center, sitting in an audience of about three hundred and eighty people. Our speaker is eighty-three-year-old Herb Fisher. Mr. Fisher uses his version of a Powerpoint (Windows Photos, with verbal instructions for his helper to … [Read more...] about Streetcars & Photoshop
Faith
Abiding in the Word—A Weekend Well Spent
"You aren't packing that heavy Bible, are you?" Dad asks. He's confused why I'm adding the biggest Bible I own to my overnight bag rather than the numerous travel Bibles we have around the house. "Dad," I chuckle as I lower the ESV study Bible with its crumbling leather cover into my bag. "This is a heavy-duty Bible conference. I think I'm going to need a heavy-duty Bible." I've been looking forward to this weekend for months, ever since I first learned about the Abiding Women's … [Read more...] about Abiding in the Word—A Weekend Well Spent
Tour Guide Teamster: My Friend Susanna’s Unusual Side Job
The wagon, loaded with Tennessee tourists, rolls forward, pulled by a pair of horses named Champ and Nicholas, guided by a tour guide teamster named Susanna, who lectures us on the Amish life as we take a buggy ride through Lancaster County farmland, in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Tourist buggies, which are the size of covered wagons, are a common sight in the tourist areas of Lancaster County. I've seen them for years, and today, I'm taking a ride on one of these buggies for … [Read more...] about Tour Guide Teamster: My Friend Susanna’s Unusual Side Job
Book Review: The Myth of the Dying Church by Glenn T. Stanton
It's a book that seems too good to be true: Christianity isn't declining, in fact, authentic Christian faith is on the rise, both in the United States and globally. This is the message of The Myth of the Dying Church: How Christianity is Actually Thriving in America and the World (Worthy Publishing, 2019). The author, Glenn T. Stanton, is a researcher, columnist, lecturer, and debater, and directs the Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family. He makes his living doing research … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Myth of the Dying Church by Glenn T. Stanton