autobiography

Breakthrough Summer: When Disappointment Led to Discipleship

Biography, Doug / By

In the spring of 1976, Doug trained hard with his high school track team and planned an epic cross-country bike trip from Georgia to Maine. After winning a bronze medal at a rainy track meet, he fell seriously ill with mononucleosis, forcing him to miss the final weeks of school and cancel his dream bike tour. What began as devastating disappointment transformed into unexpected hope when his father gave him an old guitar, leading Doug to discover songwriting and a deeper faith during his recovery.

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Bonanza Steakhouse

Biography, Doug / By

Doug Vos recounts his teenage summer job as a dishwasher at a Dearborn Heights Bonanza Steakhouse in 1975, where he worked in sweltering conditions washing dishes, preparing salad bar lettuce, and learning to “puff up” baked potatoes while navigating the fast-paced kitchen environment. The job evolved when the cigar-smoking manager entrusted 16-year-old Vos with keys to open the restaurant early for cleaning duties, highlighting both the manager’s desperation for reliable help and Vos’s unexpected responsibility despite his admitted lack of cleaning expertise.

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The Day A Police Officer Drove Me Home

Biography, History / By

When I was in 7th grade in 1972, my green Schwinn 10-speed bike was stolen from the school bike rack. A police officer arrived to investigate and drove me around the neighborhood in a squad car searching for the bike, but it was never found. The officer then gave me a ride home, where my mother was happy to see me, and joked about me arriving home in a police car for a few years afterward.

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Ice-Cream Man in Detroit

The Day An Ice-Cream Man Saved My Life

Biography, Doug / By

In 1975, Doug Vos and his friend Danny Wassenaar were attacked by four young men while cycling through an unfamiliar Detroit neighborhood, with one assailant wielding a table leg. Doug used his bike as a shield and Danny jumped in with a daring karate kick, but the situation remained dire until an ice-cream man intervened, stopping the attack with support from neighbors. The timely arrival of the ice-cream man, coupled with Danny’s bravery, allowed Doug to escape shaken but grateful, reflecting on the incident as a moment of divine protection and grace.

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Joyful Deacon memories. OPC Deacon Summit IV. Conversations around the firepit.

Deacon Memories

Biography, Life / By

40 Years of Deacon Memories What are my earliest Deacon memories? When did my Deacon training begin? Why did I want to serve as a Deacon in the church? I’m writing down most of the things I can remember after serving as a Deacon for the past 40 years, before these memories totally fade away.

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The Thing That Would Make Everything OK Forever – Book Review

Biography, Books / By

I just finished reading ‘The Thing That Would Make Everything OK Forever’ by Ashley Lande, published by Lexham Press in 2024. It’s an autobiographical journey through Ashley’s psychedelic search for transcendence. The author takes you through a labyrinthian maze of her magic mushroom memories. The book consists of a prologue and 11 chapters, weighing in

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