Strength to Strength

Strength to Strength  welcomed Ryan J. A. Hoover to share stories, observations, and lessons learned from leadership in crisis. In August 2003, 55,000,000 people in eight states and Ontario lost power – some for several hours, some for multiple days – because of three trees and a computer glitch. The ensuing cascade jammed traffic, released toxic chemicals into rivers, flooded subways, closed airp...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Hector Troyer to survey causes of and solutions to interpersonal conflict. Hector will look at healthy and unhealthy responses to conflict-triggering situations. Even more importantly, he will be exploring simple techniques that can reduce the negative power of conflicts in our lives. An interactive question-and-answer period follows. Recommended book:   “Radical Col...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Lisa Peters to discuss their family’s journey into the unchartered territory of homeschooling. My husband and I were both public schooled, I never even dreamed of homeschooling my own children… that is until our first child was born. The love and responsibility we felt to train him up in the Lord weighed heavily on our hearts, and we only wanted what was righ...

Strength to Strength  welcomed John D. Martin to share some words of Jesus as a reminder to those who diligently seek Him. The Sermon on the Mount presents Jesus’ ideal, a colony of Heaven on earth as visualized in the Lord’s prayer, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In Matthew 7, Jesus presents four rules of life for those on the kingdom road: “Judge not” “Do not cast your pearls b...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Natasha Sweazy to contrast the worldviews from women in the Bible to the world today. From the cries of women saying, “give me children or I will die” to “give me children and I’ll die”. No matter what stage of life you are in, whether it be women with a lot of small children, a child who has walked away from God, or women unable to have children of her own,...

August 6, 2022 Strength to Strength  welcomed five brothers on an off-Saturday to introduce and discuss ministry opportunities. 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, you can rest assur...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Darvin Martin to discuss what Peter meant when he said: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts…” 1 Peter 3:15a The primary command that God has given us is to love Him with all of our being. But how can we love a God whom we mistrust? From the garden of Eden to our present day, Satan’s scheme has been to deceive people into believing that God is not working in the...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Lynn Martin to discuss how we can encourage intellectual sustainability in our thought processes. Are thinkers necessary to Anabaptist culture? Should we care that the most talented young people often leave the Anabaptist community? This talk will address these questions. Lynn suggests ways that our communities can support better thinking without losing our values an...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Conrad Eby to discuss his experience in understanding and dealing with behaviors resulting from trauma. Trauma, defined as any extraordinary disruption of a person’s inner world, can be the beginning of emotional distress and mental illness. Anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be a result of trauma. Scrupulosity is a form of OCD that get...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Marvin* to discuss the story of the Bible as the story of God’s love towards his people, in which God condescends—takes on weakness—to form a special people set apart to him. This paradigm of God’s purposes being accomplished through seeming weakness, is also the paradigm adopted by Jesus, Paul, and the early church. It is also the paradigm that we are called to foll...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Bernice Troyer to share lessons from the experiences of Sarai and Hagar. Full of frustration with her own her faulty plan to help God, Sarai deals hardly with Hagar. Hagar runs to the desert to escape the abuse, but the Lord’s angel asks her to return to her mistress and submit under her hand. (Genesis 16) Why? And how does this apply to the difficult relatio...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Conrad Eby to discuss his experience in understanding and dealing with behaviors resulting from trauma. Trauma, defined as any extraordinary disruption of a person’s inner world, can be the beginning of emotional distress and mental illness. Anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be a result of trauma. Scrupulosity is a form of OCD that get...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Marcia Zimmerman to share about seeking God’s heart for ways to minister in the brokenness that comes with trauma and prenatal exposure to substance abuse. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

Strength to Strength  welcomed Brackin Kirkland to share his life testimony. In Brackin’s own words: I grew up in a Christian home, but I made many bad decisions in my teenage years, which led me into a life of sin and rebellion. But the Lord was with me all along the way, and His grace brought me back to life again in my early 20’s. As a result, now I’m thankful for the opportunity to share His g...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Adam Boyd to discuss the dangers of dispensationalism, and how a Biblical perspective can inform our understanding of where we are in God’s plan. Part 2 is a critique of the teachings of Classic Dispensationalism based on the teachings of the New Testament. An interactive question-and-answer period follows.

Strength to Strength  welcomed Adam Boyd to discuss the dangers of dispensationalism, and how a Biblical perspective can inform our understanding of where we are in God’s plan. Part 1 is an overview of the teachings of classical dispensationalism, particular as it relates to Israel and the church. An interactive question-and-answer period follows. This was the first part of a two-part S2S Event he...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Christina Baer to share her life testimony. Christina grew up in a home with her mom and younger sister in Calgary, Alberta. She had little religious influences and God was not part of their home. Christina struggled with depression and in her search for joy, she found it in a place she didn’t even think of looking, Jesus Christ. Join us as Christina shares h...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Bryant Martin to discuss how we can be ambassadors of radical welcome. What on earth is hospitality anyhow? Is it a hallmark of our King and his kingdom? If so, how are we going to remove the bottlenecks to be obedient citizens? My goal is to convince you that at the heart of Christianity and kingdom advance is bringing-heaven-to-earth hospitality. There are two mand...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Edsel Burdge to discuss God’s vision of how economics should work within His nation. Where is your treasure? This survey of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles will demonstrate a consistent attitude toward economics and the accumulation and distribution of riches. His talk highlights some of the teaching  he presented in this four-part serie...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Bill Shiley to share about Christian singlehood. Is singlehood a season to be endured? Does God, in fact, place a premium on marriage? Is the common perception that singles need to “find their fulfillment in God” an adequate response? In this presentation, Bill shares about where the New Testament teaches fulfillment is to be found. An interactive question-and-answer...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Linda Miller to share on how God redemptively lightens the dark journeys of our lives. In a world of brokenness, we experience pain and hardship. We shy away form suffering, longing for healing and relief from the pain. How can there be beauty in my difficult circumstances? Can any good come out of the hard situation I’m in? God is our Redeemer; He makes all...

Strength to Strength welcomed Josué Moreno to share his testimony of faith as a disciple of Jesus in Mexico.  Josué tells his life story of growing up in a happy evangelical home. Growing up, he experienced doubts and fears, and departed from the Lord for a season of his life. He came across the Anabaptists at age 15.  In his words, “The Lord brought me home again. I just want to follow and serve...

Strength to Strength  welcomed Shawn Miller to share an overview presentation of the kingdom of God. To be a “kingdom person” means to be under the reign of God. Like earthly nations, Jesus’ kingdom has four components including a leader, constitution, domain, and citizens. However, in contrast to the nations of the world, Jesus’ kingdom is international. He came as a King with all the intended co...

Strength to Strength Sisters  welcomed Darla Weaver for a practical topic for women of all ages. What happens when we bring God into the secret longings of our heart? What does emotional purity look like for a young woman? How does God fit into that vulnerable part of our life and what do we do with these desires for intimacy and connection? Join us as we talk about God’s heart for purity, His des...

Strength to Strength  welcomed four brothers from four different countries on an off-Saturday to join us to discuss the current Ukrainian crisis. Each of the four brothers are directly involved in providing assistance through various channels. Jesus’ words in the Judgment scene are a reminder that while we serve others, we are serving Jesus: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one...