My Testimony — Atlee Miller

Atlee Miller shares his life testimony of God’s redeeming work through years of depression, family difficulty, and a long search for a genuine New Testament brotherhood. Raised Amish in Cashton, Wisconsin (with roots in Holmes County, Ohio), he describes an insecure childhood, struggles in school, migraines, and a fearful, uncommunicative relationship with his preacher father. Baptized in the Amish church at 17, he grew hungry for Scripture—especially the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount—while longing for the close, mutual life of the early Anabaptists that he did not find around him. He recounts counseling in Holmes County that broadened his view of the wider body of Christ, a courtship that ended, and his eventual marriage to Barbara. Together they moved through many states and churches—Roberts (Montana), Cincinnati (Iowa), and Boston—searching for a faithful church, before finding help and stability near Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, through Brother Elam. He closes with counsel for those leaving the Amish: don’t view your heritage with only bitterness, learn to forgive, beware a "works don’t matter" Protestant theology, and keep your eyes on Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount. A moderator ties his story to the parable of the sower and Luke 9:62.

Key Points:

– Atlee’s early years were marked by depression, insecurity, school struggles, and a fearful, communication-starved relationship with his father.

– Baptized in the Amish church at 17 in sincerity, he developed a deep hunger for the Bible—loving the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount—and a longing for early-Anabaptist-style brotherhood.

– Counseling in Holmes County, Ohio, broadened his perspective, showing him that faithful Christians exist beyond the Amish and helping him communicate and heal.

– After marrying Barbara, the family searched many states and churches (Montana, Iowa, Boston) before finding help and stability near Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, through Brother Elam.

– Counsel for those leaving the Amish: don’t see your heritage only negatively; there is real good (honesty, work, memories) to acknowledge and forgive—he recommends David Bercot’s message "Forgiving the Watchtower."

– A warning against adopting a Protestant "our works are only filthy rags" theology that erodes any reason for kingdom living; keep your eyes on the King, hands to the plow, and heed the Sermon on the Mount.

Scripture References: Luke 9:62


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