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Misconceptions About the Amish
In my research I’ve come across several inaccurate statements about the Amish—a lot of it in the form of blanket statements. For example I’ve read, “The Amish don’t go to doctors.” The Amish families...
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Enter to win an Amish basket
In celebration of the February release of my novel Minding Molly—inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays—I have a giveaway contest going through this Saturday,...
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Partnering with God and Others
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of...
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Living In God’s Presence
When I was growing up, my mother would tell me not to fill every minute of my day with noise. “You won’t hear God,” she’d say. “You can’t listen if you have background noise on all the time.” The...
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Amish Neighbors
A few years ago while I was in Nappanee, Indiana, doing research for The Amish Bride, co-written with Mindy Starns Clark, I met an older Englisch woman working in a tourist shop. I asked her a few...
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A Father’s Day Tribute to my Grandfather
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. —Micah 6:8 I’ve been blessed with loving men in my...
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On not taking religious freedom for granted
The Allied flags at the Le Mémorial de Caen, the Battle of Normandy Memorial in Caen, France. The Amish are never far from my mind—even atop a double-decker bus in Paris. In late June, I was sitting...
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More Misconceptions About the Amish
Last January I wrote a post on general misconceptions about the Amish. It turns out I had misconceptions about some of the misconceptions, lol. Thankfully readers helped me sort some of those out....
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Where Church History has Led Me
A Quaker Meeting House (public domain); Sabathday Lake Shaker Village I’ve been fascinated by the Amish my entire adult life—a trip to Lancaster County in my twenties and lots of reading fueled my...
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God’s Love & Faithfulness in the Courtships of Lancaster County
As I’m preparing for the release (October 21) of Becoming Bea, my fourth book in the Courtships of Lancaster County, I’ve been looking back at responses to the other books in the series. This is what...
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Autumn and the Amish
Autumn and the Amish I love autumn. The crunch of dry leaves. Crisp mornings. The smell of wood smoke. And the harvest. Years ago, I used to can fruits and vegetables and make applesauce in September...
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Away in the Manger
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:12 As a child, Christmas was a simple endeavor in our home. Although financially secure...
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Do Not Worry
It’s nearly the middle of January. Are you used to writing 2015 yet? My, how the years seem to fly by! My friend Libby often quotes, “The days are long, but the years are short,” to young mothers. It...
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The Amish and the Military | Sneak Peak at ‘Amish Promises’
The Amish believe in non-resistance—not only do they believe in not participating in wars, but they also believe in turning the other cheek in day-to-day conflicts. Several years ago I came up with...
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Amish Cooking
As an author, one of the things I like to do for research is experience the food the culture I’m writing about cooks and eats. That’s easy to do with the Amish! I don’t cook as much as I used to. I’m...
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More thoughts from an Army wife
I’ve been thinking about war a lot lately, which might seem odd for someone who writes about the Amish, who practice nonresistance*. Let me explain. One of the reasons is that April 25th was the 40th...
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On surviving the busy seasons in life
The idea of pursuing simplicity certainly isn’t new. Socrates spoke about it. So did Plato. As did Henry David Thoreau. I agree with all of them. Simplifying everyday life does give us more direction,...
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On reading and writing Amish fiction
I recently asked readers what they like most about reading Amish fiction. Here are a few of the answers: Amish fiction transports me to the simpler life that I wish I were living in with my family....
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