In New Mercies I See, Stan Purdum does for the ministry what James Herriot did for veterinary medicine in All Creatures Great and Small. Set in rural Ohio churches, Stan's stories are humorous, poignant, thought-provoking, pathos-filled, and heartwarming. But above all, they are hopeful. Whether it's sudden rain falling on a pain-wracked young man clinging to his brother's coffin, the guilty woman whose love for an abused baby brings resurrection to them both, or the overly enthusiastic pastor who has to serve communion with walnut juice freckling his face, these accounts recognize that the persistent grace of God is never far from any one of us.

I began to read New Mercies I See because I lived the pastorate for nearly forty years and have loved it all my life, but as the stories unfolded I found I was enjoying the book because I love God, love life, and love people, and these stories were increasing that love.

J. Ellsworth Kalas

Professor of Homiletics, Asbury Theological Seminary

Author of New Testament Stories from the Back Side

New Mercies I See is a wonderful book, easy to read and hard to put down. Stan Purdum writes with a simplicity and honesty that is matched by the characters he develops in story after story. In a culture that reeks with cynicism and despair, Purdum pulls back the curtain to show not a simpler age long past but contemporary vignettes which remind us that at the core of things, people are very human, struggling to make the right decisions, and some of them are fortunate to have a hard-working pastor, a person of integrity and good will, to help them along the way. You'll laugh, cry, and smile as you follow Rev. Tom Payton, the shepherd of various Ohio congregations, minister to, cope with, and comfort the lost, fallen, and sometimes bleating sheep of his United Methodist flocks. Enjoy!

Timothy Merrill

Senior Editor, Homiletics

Stan Purdum, pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Waynesburg, Ohio, is also a writer, editor, and journalist who has written for both the religious and secular press. His published works include material as varied as a study of the Gospel of John, a how-to manual for newsletter editors, direct-mail campaigns, adult Sunday school curriculum, short stories, family humor columns, and bicycle travel-narratives. In addition, he is the editor of the preaching journal Emphasis.