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We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). This morning I went to our school for Grandparent's Day since Mark's parents (my in-laws) were able to come from Indiana to be with our school-age children. During worship we sang the song, "I'm Trading My Sorrows." It says, "I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my shame. . . . I'm trading my sickness, I'm trading my pain, and I'm layin' them down for the joy of the Lord."

Keywords: 2 corinthians 4:8-10, amish, distressed, lynn miller, mission to amish people, opposition, sorrows, troubled, trust, will not fear what man can do  |   0 comments

David and his life-long buddy, Jonas, stepped into the darkness of night as they left the singing and headed for the barn. Neither one had asked for a date as they stepped into the late winter night. Under the cover of darkness, David cleared his throat and then spoke: "I want to tell you what happened to me about a month ago. I hope you'll understand me better than some did whom I have talked to about it." "Does it have to do with our church rules and regulations?" Jonas wanted to know.

Keywords: amish, forgiveness, godly lifestyle, grudges, hurt, lydia chorpening, map ministry, mission to amish people, regulations, rules  |   0 comments

Dear Friend, I have been receiving your publication, The Amish Voice, for some time. Your publication has a lot to say about justification through faith only. This last one's title was "The Fivefold Appeal to be Justified by Faith Alone." In reading Hebrews chapter 11, the old patriarchs or elders through faith obtained a good report (verse 2). Ironically, it (the good report) came about through the works they did through that faith. Noah in verse 7 says, "By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." How do we know he had faith? I believe it is because of his works that we know he had faith, and the two together need to be evident.

Keywords: amish, amish voice, born again, good news, hebrews 11, justification through faith alone, mission to amish people, noah, paul miller, salvation, saving grace, traditions, works  |   1 comments

It was a good thing that the Christmas carolers has bundled up snuggly in their dark-colored hats, bonnets, boots, and gloves as the snow swished across the countryside. David had been going with the young people to bring goodies and cheer to shut-ins for a few years. He had always loved to sing Christmas hymns with his strong voice, but tonight was different. It wasn't that he didn't still experience the sheer joy of singing, but this time he was not only pushing out words by using his own vocal cords, but it seemed that a voice was calling to him from deep down inside as they sang.

Keywords: amish, christmas, come let us adore him, john 14:6, joy to the world, lydia chorpening, matthew 11:28, mission to amish people, o come all ye faithful, revelation 22:17  |   0 comments

God has been working in my heart recently regarding relationships and respect. Did you know that we teach others how to treat us? Now, wait just a minute, before we take this the wrong way. We can all think of ways we'd love to teach others how to treat us, but those ways would not be beneficial at all. In fact, the results are actually contrary to what we think they will be. This little principle operates using the Golden Rule. If someone has treated me disrespectfully, my natural, human response might be to withdraw (or even to give them a little of their own medicine), because it doesn't feel very safe to be around someone like that.

Keywords: amish, golden rule, heart, mission to amish people, norma miller, relationships, respect  |   0 comments

We all have our own ideas of what we think love is. The apostle Paul writes this on the expression of love: Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things (I Corinthians 13:4-7).

Keywords: acts 17:28-29, amish, god is love, i corinthians 13:4-7, love, marvin hershberger, mission to amish people  |   0 comments

It was time for the returning of Jesus...The Father was sitting on His throne. There were lots and lots of people sitting in the room. Then it was time for everyone to get in line and receive the Judgment from the Father. The line was endless! There were people I knew and lots of people I didn't know. At first I was surprised to see so many people were happy (they were saved.) but then the stream of lost souls (crying and angry) started pouring out of the building. It was a steady stream...double line...it was so sad! The ones left still standing...waiting in line... had to push their way thru the steady stream of lost souls.

Keywords: amish, blood of his son, judgment, lost souls, mission to amish people, power in the blood of jesus, return of jesus, righteousness is as filthy rags, the dream god gave me  |   0 comments

As church goers and claimers of the Christian faith, I'm sure we have heard of the Holy Spirit. But how many of us can really claim to know the Holy Spirit? Even if we claim to know Him, how many of us are experiencing Him in our day to day lives? Is the Holy Spirit real to you? Have you ever sat and talked with Him like you might talk to a spouse or very dear friend? Does He speak to you?

Keywords: (galatians 5:16-25), (john 14:16-17), (john 3:3-6), 2 peter 1:20-21, amish, born of the spirit, holy spirit, joe keim, mission to amish people, new birth, third person in the trinity  |   1 comments

What does Christmas mean to me? It's more than gifts beneath the tree It's God's love so rich and free Sent to this earth for all to hear and see

Keywords: amish, baby jesus, christmas, god's love, liberty, lydia chorpening, mission to amish people, victory  |   0 comments

The following article shows some of what often happens in the life of Joe Keim. It tells how he and a young Amish man have been communicating by texting over several months, some of the challenges involved, and why Mission to Amish People is so much needed. Some of the names and locations have been changed for privacy reasons. The bold font contains the words of Alvin Martin, the Amish man, while the regular font shows the communication of Joe Keim.

Keywords: baptism, born again, joe keim, joining the church, kingdom of god, leaving the amish, need of mission to amish people  |   3 comments

Life is like a journey where we learn a lot of lessons to prepare us for the life to come. These lessons come as experiences and tests along the way. God says that if we are faithful over a few things, He will make us ruler over many things.

Keywords: amish, change, god, heart, lessons, life is like a journey, map ministry, mission to amish people, norma miller, tests, unconditional love  |   0 comments

I believe we have entered a crucial time of decisions. The decisions being made today are setting the stage for our eternal rewards-or the lack of them. The final harvest is upon us. We see this depicted in the church of Laodicea as this article will show.

Keywords: amish, ben girod, joel 3:14-15, laodicean church age, multitudes in the valley of decision, valley of decision  |   0 comments

"Oh, it's so strange," Mattie began. "Last night I had a disturbing dream but I didn't tell you about it, and now I've dreamed it again." "Well, what did you dream?" "I hate to admit it, but remember how you have been telling me that we can only be saved by the grace and love of God toward us?"

Keywords: amish, jesus, love, lydia chorpening, prayer, saved, the dream  |   0 comments

Steve Stutzman and his wife Dorcas are currently serving in ministry at Strait Paths Foundation. They are based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and much of their outreach is focused around Biblical mentoring, teaching and training; they offer personal and group sessions with a heart toward discipleship and leadership that is Biblically founded and Christ-centered.

Keywords: christ, daughters, fathers, god, god's order, inner city youth, map ministry, mission to amish people, protected, questions, salvation, security, starving, steve stutzman, wounded  |   0 comments

Sadly though, many parents stop short of teaching their children anything about sex, pregnancy, and newborn babies. To some parents, these topics are forbidden outside a closed bedroom door and should only be discussed between husband and wife. To others, using the word "sex" in front of a young single adult is almost as bad as swearing.

Keywords: children, christian, dating, daughter, father, joe keim, love, marriage, marriage and family, mother, parenting, sex, son  |   1 comments

When we seek our own things first, and try to put them before our children, husband, or God, we only end up spinning our wheels and becoming exhausted.

Keywords: children, christian living, husband, map ministries, mission to amish people, mom, motherhood, norma miller, parents  |   0 comments

Those who have children who turned out well know how much time it took. It takes much prayer and spending time together as a family, but in the end it is well worth the effort. You see, you are not only raising one generation, but you are also impacting generations to come. If you do it right, your children will do it right. And if your children will do it right, so will their children.

Keywords: children, dating, daughter, family, joe keim, love, marriage, marriage and family, parenting, relationships  |   1 comments

In the great coming harvest, God will be calling forth an untold multitude that He has been grooming in the wilderness. These unknown men and women, coming from the most unlikely places, will go into the fields boldly, bringing in the harvest.

Keywords: amish voice, anabaptist, ben girod, bible discussion, god, harvest, map ministry, mission to amish people  |   0 comments

Jonathan Edwards wrote this about pride over 250 years ago: Pride is much more difficult to discern than any other corruption because, by nature, pride is a person having too high a thought of himself. Is it any surprise, then, that a person who has too high a thought of himself is unaware of it? He thinks the opinion he has of himself has just grounds and therefore is not too high. As a result, there is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable. The very nature of it is to work self-confidence and drive away any suspicion of evil respecting itself.

Keywords: bible discussion, eli stutzman, humility, james 4:6, jonathan edwards, mission to amish people, nebuchadnezzar, pride, satan, uzziah  |   0 comments

Have we compared Jacob Amman's life to the life of JESUS? From some of the history that I have researched, Jacob left the church he was in because he wanted to shun the ones that left. The elders of that church did not agree with him or believed it to be the right thing to do. That is why there was so much chaos when he started shunning. Jacob was sometimes harsh, stubborn, unreasonable, and self-righteous. For those that are in doubt of what I just shared, please research it yourself. Jesus, however, was kind, compassionate, and loving. Matthew was a hated tax collector, but JESUS accepted him! JESUS ate with the sinners. Yet Jacob Amman believed that it was wrong to eat with the ones that left his group.

Keywords: amish life, amish voice, jacob amman, map ministry, marvin hershberger, mission to amish people, offensive love, shunning  |   1 comments

With so many modern families affected by divorce, unhealthy marriages and relationships, it is good to look again briefly at the Biblical model of a family. Due to our sinful natures, we still have disagreements and we still get irritated and even angry at times, but our goal ought to be to become more like Jesus every day—leaving the sin behind and becoming a loving, forgiving, happy, healthy, godly family.

Keywords: amish voice, children, divorce, family, husbands, map ministry, marriage and family, mission to amish people, paul miller, relationships, wives  |   0 comments

Throughout Christian history, no event stands out as sharply as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many in that day could not believe that such an event really took place. In all the funerals you and I have witnessed, death has always been final. Simple reasoning tells us that the resurrection is impossible. But God had a plan. Death would lose its sting, and the grave would lose its victory.

Keywords: amish voice, bible discussion, death, eli stutzman, map ministry, mission to amish people, resurrection  |   0 comments

Times are tough right now, and many of us are learning to distinguish what we really need from what we merely want. Many of us need to wait when we would like to DO something, like buy flowers or clothes. Sometimes we are at the end of the money, but not nearly at the end of the needs. Then one more need occurs to make the situation look even more impossible. Sometimes we become anxious and worried, and our blood pressure rises, and we cry out, "God, what are we going to do?"

Keywords: amish voice, believe, christian living, faith, headship, lynn miller, map ministry, mission to amish people, provision, seek, worry  |   0 comments

To know just how much the Lord loves us, we need to take a look at what love really is. Quickly: what is the opposite of love? Like nearly everyone else, you probably said, “Hate is the opposite of love.” Actually, according to 1 John 4:18 fear is what we have when we don’t have love. ...but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. “Really? Fear?” you say. Think about it. Because God is love, if we don’t have Him, what do we have?

Keywords: amish voice, bible discussion, enemies, fear, jeremiah martin, love, map ministry, mission to amish people  |   0 comments

“Mother, we are planting good seed here, aren’t we?” “Why, yes,” Sadie answered. “It’s the same seed that always yields praise-winning produce.” “That’s just it. In Genesis I read that God made everything to produce fruit after its own kind. Can’t I believe that if I read God’s holy Word that it will help me produce godly fruit?

Keywords: amish voice, bible studies, christian living, christianity, fruit, harvest, lydia chorpening, map ministry, mission to amish people, promises, scripture  |   0 comments

We may be holding onto grudges in spite of our intention, And feel some resentment towards the one who dares mention, It’s always our own sins that are the hardest for us to see, And we must kindly forgive one another if we want victory.

Keywords: amish voice, forgive, forgiving, heart, map ministry, mission to amish people, orva hochstetler, poetry, salvation, victory  |   0 comments

Defining faith as it pertains to a Christ-based belief can be a challenging task. What faith means to one person is not necessarily what it means to another. After centuries of Christendom, there are as many definitions of faith as there are denominations or even people.

Keywords: amish voice, faith, leander keim  |   0 comments

We would do well to pause for a time from our many activities and consider where we stand in our spiritual life, to see whether or not we've made any progress in the last year, or years.

Keywords: amish voice, church, felty yoder  |   0 comments

The apostle Peter wrote his second epistle to stir up the people's pure minds by way of remembrance (2 Peter 3:1). My heart's intent, as I begin to write this letter, is to stir up the minds of God's people, especially the brethren among the Amish and other Anabaptist descendants who attempt to preserve the faith of our forefathers.

Keywords: amish voice, duane troyer, revival  |   0 comments

Sometimes I stop and wonder why God in his merciful love Sent His only son, Jesus, down from the beautiful heaven above. Was it because our gracious God could see beyond that huge loss, And this was the only way to teach us to accept our own cross?

Keywords: amish voice, orva hochstetler, poetry  |   0 comments