A weekend with the Amish

Posted by Jonny | Filed under All

I spent this past weekend with the good folks from Millersburg, OH. We had a great time as I led worship and shared my songs with over 150 men from the area. Then, on Sunday morning, I had the opportunity to share for a local church service. They entrusted me with the worship time, and I shared “Hold Me” and “Sarah Jo” while they took up the offering. You might have noticed a lack of Tweets (the verb form of twitter) coming from my cell phone. Reason being… I was literally in Amish country with no cell phone service at all. Now, not everyone near Millersburg is Amish (my CD sales might have been low… get it… because they don’t have CD players haha), but there were buggies, long dark dresses, and wide brimmed hats everywhere. I learned SO much about the Amish people and their culture. I have to be honest… it just seems really stupid to me. And, no, I’m not scared I will offend any Amish people by writing this… they’re not going to read it I promise. Here are some things I learned:

1. Amish is not a religion. It’s simply a lifestyle that they feel called by God to live.
2. There is no ONE way to be Amish. Each small group of Amish families has a bishop. The bishop decides what rules they’re supposed to follow. Some Amish clans (for lack of a better word) use absolutely no electricity or motors. They can’t even put a reflector on the back of their buggy (even though it’s very dangerous without) because it’s a bright color. Other Amish clans will use tractors, but not use cars. I don’t understand why one type of motorized vehicle is ok, but the other isn’t.
3. Most Amish families are not allowed to have a telephone in their house, so they solve it in 2 ways. First, they install a land line in their barn (yes, I’m serious), and second… most Amish have cell phones. I have no idea how they charge them!
4. Even the strictest Amish (no electricy at all) still need freezers for their food. So, they run power to their barn or shed and have a freezer our there. They follow the letter of the law saying “no power in your home.”
5. Some Amish teenagers put subwoofers and neon lights in their buggies (no joke)
6. The Amish women are very competitive. They strive to work harder than the other Amish women. Monday is “wash” day for the clothes and sheets. So, Amish women will wake their husbands up insanely early so they can be the first ones to hang the sheets out to dry.
7. Although very few Amish think it’s ok to own or drive a car, they will call for taxi service whenever they need a ride.

These are just a few of the intriguing facts I learned about the Amish people this weekend. Much of it makes no sense to me. That’s why when the teenagers go experience the world during rumspringa, they rarely return home to the Amish lifestyle. It just makes no sense. Although I’m perhaps more confused about the Amish than I was a week ago, one thing is certain. I’m so glad that we have a God who saves us by grace and grace alone. Our salvation is not dependent upon following the letter of some crazy rules. Our salvation only comes from what Jesus did on the cross. Amen and Amen!!!

Permalink | April 29th, 2009

5 Responses to “A weekend with the Amish”

  1. Angel Luis Bracero Says:
    April 30th, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    Hi Jonny, I shout AMEN with you at your closing after the AMISH blog. Just got introduced to your music via TANGLE. Great sounds. Curious though – why do you pronounce the ‘i’ of your last name in English instead of the Spanish ‘i’ sound? Anyhow, wish you much success – God bless you…

  2. Amber Allen Says:
    May 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    Hey! Its great to see that you were in the little area of Millersburg. I’m not far from there, and grew up with Amish neighbors. It was common, as a child, to see them drive by several times a day say hello. But they started moving out of the area and there arent any left around my parents home. I’m so glad you got to be a blessing, and be blessed by this culture in our community. God Bless!!

  3. Lisa Says:
    May 6th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    Hi there, Jonny. I was reading your blog on the Amish. I enjoyed your comments and of course, I am blessed by the music the Lord has entrusted you with. I have to say that the Lord convicted me of my generalizations about the Amish when I started to learn more about the Amish lifestyle. And just like any “religion,” some are following just the lifestyle in legalism; and yet some are following the lifestyle out of love, as born again believers, new creatures in Christ with great passion for Jesus Christ and with a heartfelt relationship w/ their Saviour. I’ve met such Amish families whom not only walk their walk, but have deep close relationships w/ Jesus. God convicted me not to stereotype this religion, as I have the utmost respect for their desire to not succumb to the modern lifestyles, which can corrupt one’s character to “be ye holy as therefore He is holy.” When you get a chance, and if you are married w/ children or will be married w/ children some day, check out http://www.nogreaterjoy.org. It’ s awesome. Have a great day in the Lord!

  4. Julie%9 Says:
    July 11th, 2009 at 4:49 am

    I dont normally post comments to blogs, but I have to say Music is just such a great part of my life thanks for this blog post.

  5. kristen Says:
    November 30th, 2009 at 11:11 am

    i love your song called more beautiful you

    not lonly because im 14
    but because i love this music no mater what

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