Because I enjoy exploring Amish history and rooting my stories in situations the Amish wrestled with in the ways they interact with the outside world, I find myself drawn to tidbits that are “firsts” in Amish history. Here are the first ten entries into a list I suspect will be ongoing. 1. 1564: First publication […]
I love January. It’s one of my favorite months. Yes, it’s cold and usually snowy here in Ohio. The days are short, and the nights are long. Despite the frosty temperatures and the darkness, January is full of promise because it signifies a New Year and my birthday month. I love new beginnings so to […]
“The gateway to Ohio’s Amish Country.” That’s a common moniker for Sugarcreek, Ohio, that appeals to the tourists or the simply curious. Located where two highways meet on the western edge of Tuscawaras County, the Amish population in and around Sugarcreek flows into adjoining Holmes County, one of the largest concentrations of Amish families in […]
There is still the better part of two months left in 2015, but as Thanksgiving approaches and the end of the year, I can’t help but reflect on what a year this has been. And I am thankful for it. At the beginning of the year, I knew that I was under contract to write […]
The savvy readers who follow this blog know that not all Amish groups are the same and that they are not to be mistaken for the Mennonites. There are about forty different Amish affiliations, from the largest and most familiar in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to groups that have only a few churches. But how did […]
I have an Amish friend in Pennsylvania whom I call from time to time when I need to check my facts about the Amish. Her name is Priscilla. She has three little girls and a husband who does housework, and she occasionally owns a cell phone. I say occasionally, because she gets a cell phone […]
I had the pleasure of being part of the five-author anthology Amish Christmas at North Star released by WaterBrook Multnomah. This collection begins with the birth of four Amish children all delivered by the same Amish midwife twenty-five years ago. Each novella tells the story of where that child is in the present day. Spoiler… […]
The story behind The Bishop’s Son goes back to the days when I first decided to write Amish fiction. Some of my writer friends were very surprised. They had questions. Had I examined the Amish faith? Was I sure they were “true” Christians? What about the fact that they don’t evangelize? Aren’t we called to […]
For many Christian groups, especially those that came out of the revivalist or evangelical traditions, conversion points to a moment in time when an individual experiences a change of heart and chooses to follow Jesus. Someone giving a testimony might call this a “salvation experience.” The Amish have always believed that Christians experience salvation in […]
The first time I had dinner in an Amish home, my Amish friend Susie Riehl served us an absolutely delectable meal of baked chicken, noodles, green salad, homemade bread, and buttered corn. Susie also made a layered Jell-O dessert in fluted glasses, one for each of us. The whole meal reminded me of my growing […]