Author: Jon Gauger

Horses clip-clopping along the streets, black wagons in tow.   Women in bonnets and men in suspenders.    You don't need a time machine to see all this.  Just drive three hours east of Chicago to Shipshewana. During vacation season, this northern Indiana town of less than a thousand swells with tourists hungry for a taste of the simple life—along with a heapin' helping of Amish cooking.  The Amish and Mennonite people have set the gold standard when it comes to country roast beef.  Their noodles, fresh breads, apple butter and fruit pies are also stand outs.  Not to be missed: the…

Captain Edwin Musick was a man’s man, a true adventurer. He learned to fly just before World War I and became one of the first pilots in history to log more than 10,000 hours. Known as “Meticulous Musick,” he demanded precision of himself and his crew—from the way they maintained the aircraft to the creases in their uniforms. He was hired by Pam American as their chief pilot and went on to set ten world records, including the first flight to the Pacific aboard the China Clipper flying boat. In recognition of this stunning achievement—and many other aviation firsts—Time Magazine…

Deep inside, I covet having a perfect lawn.  No bald spots…no weeds. Just lush greenness.  But I just don't work hard enough on the weeds. My wife does most of the weeding at our place. Recently, I observed an outbreak of weeds in our hostas.  Unable to resist a pun,  I called it a “hosta” situation.  In a rare moment, I took the bold step of a weed intervention. Level one found me yanking two foot thistles out of the ground.   Thanks to the rain, most all those weeds were easily extracted–roots and all. Level two meant going on hands…

How do you celebrate a two-year-olds’ birthday? For our family—with a grandson who loves trains—that meant a meal at Two Toots Restaurant.   The big draw at this unusual eatery is a model train that runs throughout the place. On the tracks, a locomotive pulls eight flatbed cars, each fitted with a basket that actually hauls your meal right to your booth. So there’s Caleb watching this train hauling burgers and fries. Every single time that train went around the track, he got excited.  Every single time they sounded the horn, he bounced in his seat. Every single time the train…

Heroes rarely get the press they deserve.  At least not in this life. Take Samuel Whittemore, for example. I'd never even heard of the man until I learned that he was one of the men most admired by a friend that I admire. Samuel Whittemore was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1696.  A farmer by trade, he was a patriot at heart. At the age of 78, Whittemore became the oldest known combatant in the War of Independence.   Here's how it happened. British forces were returning to Boston, having just fought the battles of Lexington and Concord.  As you may…

When you run a business, the name of that business is…..well, big business!  Branding experts tell us we want crisp and cool.  Something with a little razzle dazzle.  Something that positions our product or service in a way that people will remember. But in West Africa, they take a different approach.  Traveling through Ghana, the roads are lined with wooden stalls selling everything from fruit to phone cards to photocopies. Most of these so called shops are between three and six feet wide—that's it!  And most all of them are clearly marked with a business name hand painted on a…

Darkness has descended upon Ghana and we are stuck in a poky line of traffic streaming into the capital city, Accra.  The stop and go driving leaves me pondering two signs I saw earlier in our travels to the Cape Coast. This morning, as we cruised along the George Walker Bush Highway (named for the U.S. President that brought financial aid to this West African nation) I saw a billboard that I really liked.  It said, “Behold, I am coming soon.”  And the quote, of course, is attributed to Jesus. “What a great sign,” I thought, as we rumbled down…

What does true greatness look like? I think I saw a glimpse this week. Imagine a training conference for Christian media professionals from all across West Africa. Envision197 participants from 15 countries all gathering in Accra, Ghana to learn practical techniques in radio, video, leadership, and social media.  Moody Radio calls it the “Global Partners Training.”  The conference featured energetic presenters, powerful worship, great preaching at night…not to mention delicious meals.  Over the course of the conference, I figured they served a total of 2000 meals to our group. Unlike typical American conference centers, there were no “built in” facilities…

They say that we either waste time, use time, or invest time. Several weeks ago, my wife and I enjoyed the weekend company of five year old Joslynn, our granddaughters. The little blonde kindergartner is reluctant to leave our house on Saturday.  Doesn’t even like to get changed out of her pajamas. But she loves to make paper airplanes, which we take great pains to color before folding and flying.   Joslynn is not content until we’ve created not just one or two planes, but a fleet sufficient in number to replace an entire wing of the United States Air force.  But…

Toxic baloney.  When it comes to worldwide media coverage of Israel, that’s increasingly the diet we’re being fed.   And that toxic baloney is slowly poisoning the hearts and minds of millions. Example #1: The Land Listening to today’s media, one gets the notion that Israel is a greedy land grabber, reluctant to share with anyone else. The fact is, the Arab world is nearly 800 times the size of Israel. Not eight or even eighty.  But eight HUNDRED times as large.   So why is Israel being pressured to give up the tiny slice it has to the many who have…