Last night we returned from Pleasant Valley Bible Camp near Traverse City. We drove up Friday. The snow thickened with every mile. Within twenty miles of the camp the pines were laden with snow. As much as we love our life and ministry in the Inn it is refreshing to be able to get out for the weekend and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. We love to travel into the North Country and there is nothing I love more than preaching to camps, conferences, …

We all have our fears and phobias. For some of us it is heights. Children are usually a little afraid of the dark. Most of us are at least a little uncomfortable around snakes. We have read that most of them are harmless. They eat rats and mice and they are good to have around, but we still are a little uneasy around them.

In the busyness of life and the continual distraction of daily responsibilities it is easy to allow vital relationships to go unattended. That error is as common as it is tragic.

One day I was driving a group of friends to a family seminar in Holmes County, Ohio. The village of Berlin was about an hour from our home. The seminar was held at a Mennonite Church. It is my favorite setting for a Basic Seminar.

We have had a wonderful week at the Character Inn. The Verity students are arriving from around the country to begin their new term of study. The staff are returning from their holiday. Friday we were preparing for my brother Nathan and his family to visit when I got word that a very special family was stopping by for a visit. Helen and Reinhold Barth, their daughter and two granddaughters wanted to tour the Inn.
I was thrilled. Helen Barth was my mother’s favorite …