That Amazing Junk-man: The Agony and Ecstasy of a Pastor’s Life

That Amazing Junk-Man is a collection of nearly 75 stories and sermonettes drawn from Truman Brunk's forty years in the ministry. The stories reflect Brunk's desire to help churches become open and welcoming, instead of exclusive and shunning. The story of Cap'n Jack, the oysterman living "outside the walls" of the Mennonite Colony and welcomed into Brunk's home church at Warwick River Mennonite Church, provides a memorable illustration of this. As the stories show, Brunk learned from parishioners and others. At Eastern Mennonite College, he witnessed a miracle when students "set the campus afire." From a mother on her deathbed unable to die, he learned the necessity of giving a family blessing. From Joey he learned the power of relationships to build people up. From his own mother, who once told his father it didn't matter how he voted because "when we go to the polls I plan to vote for the other side," he learned that marriage partners can be different yet still thrive together. Each of these succinct accounts, and scores more, makes a point readers will long remember.