Strength to Strength

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Joy Weiler to discuss living with purpose and intentionality, and avoiding an aimless wandering through life. For many people, the young adult years are a time of discovering who we are, what we are passionate about, and what gifts and abilities God has given us. Scripture calls youth to be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit,...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Lynn Martin to examine the claims of the oldest Christian denominations. Today, many Christians are drawn to the ancientness of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, who claim to be the very church that was established by Jesus. This is an opportunity to bring people to kingdom Christianity, which is rooted in the true original faith. This talk will tea...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Paul Garber to help us refocus our vision to better read Paul’s epistles in their historical context. When we open our Bibles and read Romans, Ephesians, Colossians or Galatians, (or any book of the Bible for that matter) we must realize that these letters or books are part of a larger story, and that to properly understand their message we must read them as part of...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Edith Burkholder to discuss how to move on from difficult situations, make peace with our past, and grow through it all by learning to forgive eachother as God has forgiven us. As we live and serve with other people, there are sometimes misunderstandings and problems in relationships. Edith will share about things that have helped her in times when she felt s...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Seth Mattson to discuss the intersection of Jesus’ constitution with Biblical counseling and Christian psychology. The world of Christian counseling, ranging from integrated Christian psychology to direct biblical counseling, has a vibrant and ongoing history, although not without controversy. What do Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount as well as early Chris...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Kyle Stoltzfus to discuss God’s perspective of our bodies He has given us. What does your body have to do with your relationship with God? When Paul argues for a spiritual body in I Corinthians 15, does he mean a ghostly, disembodied spirit? We respond in this session by laying out the contours of biblical reflection on human bodies. Then, we evaluate five Christian...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Kristi Mast to share on the importance of discipleship among sisters. If women are told to be silent in the church, keepers at home, and meek and quiet, what does it look like for them to participate in the life of the church? Why does the church need women to study God’s Word if they aren’t preaching and teaching the body? And what’s the connection between t...

Strength to Strength  welcomed David Bercot to explore the books of the Old Testament apocrypha. These books from the so-called intertestamental period, largely written in Greek, have had a strong influence throughout the history of the church. This extended to Anabaptism in Europe, and significantly was a part of the King James Version of 1611. The Apocryphal books were often printed with the KJV...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Micaiah to discuss the benefits of fidelity in prayer, fasting, solitude, and community. In this Talk, we discuss the benefits of a disciplined life in the throws of our present cultural anarchy and spirtual numbness that has deadened our walk and service to the King. The fidelity to daily rythyms of prayer and other practices will cause the life of the Creator to bl...

January 21, 2023 Strength to Strength  welcomed three brothers on an off-Saturday to discuss what their lives look like being a disciple of Jesus. The unsung heroes of Jesus’ kingdom are the faithful disciples who serve their Lord without fanfare or applause. Whether you are a warrior in secret prayer, a widow who casts in the last two mites, or a worker advancing the bleeding edge of the kingdom,...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Laura Kuruvilla to share her journey in the area of modesty and headcovering and addresses some of the pressing questions that surround us in this age. Why does God want us to dress modestly? How do we even come up with a definition of modesty? Is modesty defined by the culture in which we live? Are pants permissible for women? Join us to explore God’s heart...

Strength to Strength  welcomed John D. Martin to discuss Jesus’ ultimate purpose of coming to this world. God created a perfect humanity. All of us still carry the ideals of that humanity in our hearts. But attempts to fulfill those ideals in a fallen world usually end in disillusionment. Have these ideals been left to mock fallen man, or has God given us a way for their genuine fulfillment? An in...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Micah Hozen to share his testimony of faith with us. From the suburbs and beaches of Southern California, to the forests and rivers of Oregon, I was restless, always looking for something, for somewhere to belong, for what truly pleased God. But my sin was always there confounding my search. This is the story of how God brought me to the end of myself, set me free, a...

Strength to Strength welcomes Kyle Stoltzfus to discuss God’s perspective of our bodies He has given us. What does your body have to do with your relationship with God? When Paul argues for a spiritual body in I Corinthians 15, does he mean a ghostly, disembodied spirit? We respond in this session by laying out the contours of biblical reflection on human bodies. Then, we evaluate five Christian c...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Crystal Miller, Susan Schlabach and Charlene Stoltzfus for a panel discussion on ways sisters can serve others in specific roles. Crystal will be sharing on members on the foreign fields and the vital roles that sisters can play. Susan will speak on those in leadership positions and ways sisters can walk alongside, encourage, be there for, and minister to. Ch...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Adam Boyd to explore the different manuscript families of the Greek New Testament and to present the case for why the text preserved in the vast majorities of manuscripts is to be preferred. It is apparent that something is amiss. In Matthew 6:13 the King James Version concludes the Lord’s prayer with the words, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Arthur Nisly to speak on the problem of sexual addiction among conservative Anabaptists.  In Part 2, he speaks about the tools and concepts that he has found most helpful in working with over 40 men who long to be free from sexual addiction. He has invested more than 1,000 hours in the trenches. An interactive question-and-answer period will follow.

Strength to Strength  welcomed Arthur Nisly to speak on the problem of sexual addiction among conservative Anabaptists. In Part 1, he speaks to church leaders and those who want to help sexual strugglers, but don’t know how. He gives suggestions about how churches can make it safe to give help and to deal redemptively with those who come forward. An interactive question-and-answer period will foll...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Mariel Frost for a discussion of their family’s spiritual journey. Leaving the culture in which we were raised can be unsettling. Finding our way to a Kingdom lifestyle is often especially difficult for us women. So, what is the secret to success? How can we help others in this transition? How can we ensure that our own journey won’t begin with enthusiasm but...

Strength to Strength welcomed Chuck Pike to explore Jesus’ Bible with us. Have you ever wondered why Jesus and the apostles misquote Old Testament texts? Are these sloppy quotations, sketchy transmission over the millennia, or shoddy translation in modern times? Or perhaps New Testament authors were trying to revise the Old Testament text to better represent their goals? For example, Isaiah says,...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Dan Ziegler on an off-Saturday to discuss the politics of Jesus’ nation. According to  recent research from Barna Group , more practicing Christians believe the government is responsible to create meaningful change, rather than the church. Dan’s essay,  “A Question of Power,”  provides an outline of Jesus’ relation to the world as a model for His followers. With Elec...

Strength to Strength welcomed Lamar Showalter to discuss God’s desire for relationships within the church. What does it mean to bear with the weak? Am I weak or am I strong? The differences between the weak and the strong can cause some tension in church life. But as we read in John 13:35, it is critical that we learn to work together and support each other. This talk will share some thoughts and...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Greg Weaver to introduce this series about God’s written revelation known as the Bible. Note how the apostle Paul brilliantly illustrates the path to faith: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 NKJV Join us as we explore foundational concepts in our approach to Scripture. Consider these statements and ask yourself how you would...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Jamila Kurtz for a conversation in missional hospitality. Do you spend your days changing diapers, washing dishes and sorting through piles of laundry? Does doing something to advance the kingdom of God seem like an elusive, distant dream? My life was changed forever when I began to see our home as one of my greatest tools in bringing the kingdom of God to th...

Pablo Yoder  has dedicated his life to the furtherance of the kingdom of God. For the past twenty-seven years, he has worked among the Nicaraguan people to bring a message of Jesus’ love. On August 15, 2022, he was diagnosed with stage-four kidney cancer. Now, in the sunset of his life, he shares life lessons he has learned with those of us who remain. Pablo grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Vir...