Fri 2 Apr 2010
“Amish Grace” Movie – Forgiving the Unforgiveable
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish School Shooting
[9] Comments
Thursday night the Lifetime Movie Network re-broadcast its new movie, “Amish Grace”, loosely based upon the 2006 Amish school shooting in Lancaster County, PA. (See our earlier post from March 30th.)
Since I am writing from Lancaster County, there were a few obvious production errors in this movie. The Amish buggies in the movie were not the same buggies used by the Lancaster County Amish. The Amish clothing styles were not correct for Lancaster County either. (Amish communities around the country often have their own unique distinctions from one region to another.) The Amish mens’ beards were too neatly trimmed and looked unnatural. And the Amish spoke like they were ‘English’ in Amish clothing.
Some of the details from the actual school shooting were changed in this script, and at times the plot seemed contrived. But that aside, the movie did convey the horror of this tragedy that gripped Lancaster County for weeks, and the emotional devastation that confronted the families of both the victims and the killer alike. The movie also explores what became the dominant story of this tragedy – the Amish forgiveness of the killer and the Amish grace toward his wife and children (see our account of this Amish forgiveness from 2006).
One scene in the movie shows three Amish men calling on Mrs. Roberts to comfort her after the loss of her husband (the killer). After quoting Matthew 6:14 (“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”), one of the Amish men said to Mrs. Roberts, “We will not allow hatred into our hearts. We know you will be facing harsh judgments and we would like to offer our help. We are your neighbors. And if you or your children need anything, we hope you will let us know.”
The movie characters also remind us of the emotional turmoil that can result if we harbor bitterness and anger in our hearts. An Amish father talking to his surviving daughter about the killer said, “He did do an evil thing, and I don’t blame you for hating him. And you can hate him as long as you like. But tell me, this hate that’s inside of you, how does it feel? Does it feel good?”
His daughter replied, “Not very good.” The father continued, “No. Hate is a very big, very hungry thing with lots of sharp teeth and it will eat up your whole heart and leave no room left for love. We are lucky that God understands this. He is the one that will hand out the punishment so that we don’t have to carry this terrible hate around inside of us if we don’t want to, if we are willing to forgive.”
In agony, one of the Amish mothers whose daughter was killed exclaimed, “My daughter is dead, too, and I want to scream at the world. But more than that, I do not want to make my heart a battleground between hate and love. It hurts too much. We have suffered enough damage. We must do what God asks. We must choose love.”
And finally, when refering to the killer, an Amish man stated, “Our forgiveness isn’t about Charlie. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. It doesn’t even mean a pardon. We know that Charlie will stand before a just God. But we also know that if we hold on to our anger and resentment, then it is only ourselves who are being punished.”
There is much we can all learn from this heart-warming story of love and forgiveness. Life is too short to let the burdens of anger and bitterness control our lives. We all need to learn to forgive and to love one another.
Evil exists in this world. Sooner or later we will all come face to face with it, and we’ll have to learn to live with its consequences. Life’s lessons can indeed be painful. But forgiveness and love can help us move on to a new day, a new life.
During this blessed Easter season, don’t forget the ultimate act of forgiveness when God sacrificed his own son Jesus on the cross. He did this to pay the penalty for our sins. By acknowledging our own need for forgiveness, we can each find peace with God and experience His great love firsthand. It is a free gift offered to us all.
Tue 30 Mar 2010
“Amish Grace” Movie on Lifetime Network
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish School Shooting
[7] Comments
Hollywood has once again taken on story-telling within Lancaster’s Amish community. The Lifetime Movie Network has produced the movie “Amish Grace”, which first aired over the Lifetime Network last Sunday evening to over four million viewers.
The film is based on the book, “The Amish Grace: How
Scene from "Amish Grace" movie
Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher. The book described the details of the Amish school shooting of 10 young Amish girls at the Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County in October 2006. Five girls died in that tragedy.
The Lancaster Amish community was the center of international attention as media from all over the world swarmed to Lancaster County to cover the event and its aftermath. The resulting depiction of Amish grace and forgiveness received worldwide attention and amazement.
According to the Associated Press, the authors did not want movie rights sold for this book out of respect for the Amish community affected by the shooting. However, the book publisher, Jossey-Bass, sold the rights over the authors’ objections. The authors will donate their proceeds to charity.
In the movie, Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim, and Father of the Bride 1 and 2) portrays an Amish mother whose daughter is one of the victims killed in the school tragedy.
The movie is scheduled to air again this Thursday evening, April 1st, at 8:00 pm EDST on the Lifetime Movie network. Or, watch it anytime at www.mylifetime.com/movies-amish-grace. Let us know what you think!
Sat 19 Dec 2009
Horse Drawn Sleigh Alert
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Winter in Lancaster County
[21] Comments
It’s snow! Lancaster County is being hit by the same snow storm that’s blasting the rest of the east coast. 5-6″ so far where we are, and more on the way. This is the kind of snow that might bring out the horse drawn sleighs. Look for them in the Amish farmlands along our back country roads. Very picturesque!
But, since snow doesn’t stay on the ground very long here, they may not be around for long.
Sat 3 Oct 2009
Amish Barn Raising (continued)
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish Barn Raising, Uncategorized
[71] Comments
An Amish barn north of Lancaster, PA burned to the ground on Friday, September 25th. Construction on the new barn began almost immediately. We showed pictures of the construction progress three days ago.
Here is what the new barn looked like yesterday, only one week after the original barn burned down:
And here is what it looked like today, only 8 days after the fire:
New Amish Barn, Only 8 Days After a Barn Fire
Fri 2 Oct 2009
Amish School Shooting – Third Anniversary
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish School Shooting
[4] Comments
It was three years ago today that gunman Charles Roberts entered the Nickel Mines Amish School in rural Lancaster County. In this tragic Amish school shooting, he shot to death five young girls and wounded others before killing himself.
Some of the families who lost a daughter that morning have since given birth to new children.
The school was subsequently torn down and the ground plowed under to do away with the visual reminder of the tragedy. A new Amish schoolhouse, the New Hope School, was built at a different location a few months later to serve the children in that district.
While this tragedy received national coverage, it was the subsequent story of Amish forgiveness toward the killer and his family that amazed so many people.
Thu 1 Oct 2009
Amish Barn Raising In Lancaster County
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish Barn Raising, Amish People
[7] Comments
You’ve probably heard about the Amish and their work ethic. How hard working they are. How they pull together as a community to help one another during times of need.
Amish Barn Raising - Lancaster County, PA
There was a barn fire in Lancaster County last Friday, September 25, 2009. Local volunteer fire companies arrived quickly to battle the blaze, but there was no way to save the barn. They were able to save the farmhouse and the other farm buildings and silos.
Well, as I said, the Amish are hard working. And fast! These pictures were taken Thursday, October 1st, only six days after the fire. As you can see, the new barn has already been framed and the roof is half finished. Amazing! (How long do you think it would take government bureaucracy to accomplish what these Amish did in six days?)
For fascinating video footage of an Amish barn raising sequence, see the video “The Amish: Back Roads to Heaven”. For more detailed information on the Amish people and their lifestyle, see our Amish Information pages.
Tue 29 Sep 2009
Amish School Shooting & Amish Forgiveness in Print
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish People, Amish School Shooting
[34] Comments
An Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, PA
On October 2nd, 2006, Charles Roberts broke into the Nickel Mines Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, PA and killed a number of school girls. The story of that tragic Amish school shooting made national news. But the resulting Amish forgiveness displayed in the lives of the entire Amish community made international headlines.
The events at Nickel Mines and the story that followed have now been described in three fascinating books. These books describe the faith and love that brought healing three years ago and can still bring healing to our society today:
- “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy” by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher (Sept. 2007)
- “The Happening – Nickel Mines School Tragedy” by Harvey Yoder (Sept. 2007)
- “Think No Evil: Inside the Story of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting… and Beyond” by Jonas Beiler and Shawn Smucker (Sept. 2009)
Mon 20 Jul 2009
Amish Asked to Pick Up after Horses
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish buggies, Wisconsin Amish
[28] Comments
The above was the headline in a story from the Vernon Broadcaster in Vernon County, Wisconsin. It seems that some residents from the city of Viroqua have complained to local officials about horse manure on city streets.
The city has asked a local Amish community elder “if the Amish could use a sling device that would catch manure before it hits the ground”.
Another suggestion was for the buggies to carry a bucket and a shovel. Can you imagine what that would do to congestion on city streets if the buggies had to stop every time a horse made a deposit? And what if the buggy had only one occupant and there was no place nearby to tie up the horse so it didn’t run off?
Here was our reply to their dilemma:
Here in Lancaster, PA, living alongside the Amish is a way of life. The Amish are good neighbors. Sure, their horses do occasionally make a mess on the streets. But after a few days it either dries up or the rain washes it away. Horse manure is far more tolerable, and smells less, than what dogs do. And it’s a lot easier to get off your shoes!
Wed 15 Jul 2009
Seifert Column: Listen to this Amish Lesson
Posted by Gordy Harrower under Amish People
[15] Comments
The following blog comments were by Ken Seifert from Andover, MA (http://www.andovertownsman.com/education/local_story_176123626.html?keyword=secondarystory):
“Since 1990 I have been very fortunate to have become good friends with an Amish family near Kinzers, PA. [Kinzers is about 10 miles east of Lancaster city.]
“Christ, pronounced Chris, is the father of 10 children and the bishop of his community, His wife, Elsie, is the wonderful model of what a wife, mother and grandmother should be.
“On one of my visits I had the opportunity to share a conversation with Christ on the serenity and quietness of most Amish people I had observed. He is a very humble man and it was quite difficult to get him to talk about himself. I asked if he could tell me the reason for such characteristics…. He began by telling me there was a good reason why God gave us two ears and only one mouth. Yes, one should listen twice as much as one speaks. Then he gave me his blueprint for listening to people. When he meets people for the first time, he listens to whether the person is telling, sharing, questioning or just talking. I asked what does “just talking” mean. He said that is when a person is using words but saying nothing….. Christ said if a person is sharing and questioning then they are usually very nice people. If they are telling and talking then they probably have issues. He then cautioned me that one should be patient and see if there is a pattern to the way a person communicates. If however the person is a teller and a talker, then he gives them common courtesy. He would rather spend time with a sharer and questioner.
“I have applied the model many times since the revelation, and must say his observation about people by what and how they speak is right on the money…. As a devoted family man and one who recognizes the importance of community, I can say my association with that special Amish family has been life-altering.”