Silence can be difficult. I know. Several years ago as Evy and I leisurely ambled around Newtown, a very historic town just north of Philadelphia, we came upon a quaint Friend’s meetinghouse. The next day was Sunday, and since we were in town for the weekend, we decided to take in the service. Eleven...
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There was once a steeplejack who fell from his lofty perch while on the job and was severely injured. As the ambulance was rushing him to the hospital, the injured man told the attendant that he was definitely switching careers. ‘When did you make your decision?” the attendant queried. “About halfway down!” was the...
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Around the world, there are various “strongman” competitions that are staged yearly. In the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, for example, contestants compete in a multitude of events for top time, top weight, or top distance. At the end of the competition, judges total the individual feat scores and then announce a...
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Have you ever thought about writing your own obituary? Alfred Nobel did. The Swedish chemist had made millions by inventing and manufacturing dynamite. In 1888 Alfred’s brother Ludvig died in France. As Alfred read the obituary in a French newspaper, his grief turned to dismay and consternation. What he was reading was not his...
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My maternal great grandfather, Spencer S. Beaver (1845-1921), was a well-known Brethren pastor and evangelist. (Regarding evangelistic work, the October 29, 1921 edition of The Gospel Messenger states that, “in this field of service he was very successful, holding ninety-two series of meetings during his long ministry.”) Great grandpa was sometimes called to do...
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During my growing up years, Elder Bard Kreider was on the ministry team at my local church. I remember hearing him say, “If you want me to preach a long sermon, call me a week in advance, but if you want to me to preach a short sermon, call me a month in advance.”...
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Many of us become nostalgic as we think about how things used to be, when things were simple, uncluttered and serene, and when red tape was almost nonexistent. I’ve wondered many times over-if Jesus were with us in person during these days, how would His ministry be carried out in the midst of our...
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Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The folks were rude and refused to allow the angels to stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead, the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As the angels made their bed on the hard floor,...
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In every church, in every family, in every workplace and in every classroom there are skeptics-those who say it can’t be done, or those who lack faith and pour cold water on the ideas of the visionaries. In the mid 1800s, an eloquent authority declared that the introduction of the railroad would require the...
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There’s a story of a rooster who crowed every night toward morning, and sure enough, it always became light after he had done so. The rooster was haughty as he proudly strutted around with puffed out chest and inflated ego. But alas, one day the rooster became deathly sick. So weak he was unable...
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