In the spring of 1987 we moved to Mt. Vernon, Ohio to pastor a little village church. The church custodian was a widow named Dorothy Hall. Dorothy was a servant like Dorcas in the Bible. (Acts 9:36-42) She was a true friend to me and to my family. She would ask us what foods we […]
Pleasant Valley Bible Camp
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 […]
A Frightening Encounter
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, […]
“Punkin”
A classic re-post from 2003 “As a follower of the One who couldn’t look on a crowd without weeping, I have a long way to go.” There is a street character around here who calls himself Punkin. He stops by the Inn and makes himself at home whenever he can get away with it. He […]
Known and Loved
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 a wonderful setting for a seminar. On Saturday the seminar is all day. I had to leave […]
Make it Take It
I have been a student of Christian teaching almost all my life and I have noticed that Jesus usually introduced a truth in the form of a paradox and illustrated it using a parable. A paradox is abstract, a truth that seems false on the surface. A parable is concrete. It is a simple story, […]