Blessed to Be a Blessing

The life story of Ken Jipping

As told to Nancy Vander Meer · Published 2015

or try night crawlers · outhouse · Cushman · Grandma Martha · the cottage · Joyce

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The photographs

Tap any picture to see it large, flip through all of them, or jump to its page in the book.

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Browse by kind of story

One hundred stories, sorted by kind. Titles are a reader's signposts; everything behind them is the book, word for word, and every story opens from its beginning.

Mischief & pranksThe shenanigans, from the barn to the boardroom.14 storiesAccidents & close callsWhy Brandon called him “always in need of a Band-Aid.”9 storiesIngenuity & figuring it outA farm boy's answer to every problem: build one.10 storiesMaking a dollarThe corn-borer empire and everything that followed.9 storiesFarm life in the fortiesHow the family actually lived on the Graafschap farm.9 storiesKen and JoyceFifty-one years, from a hayride to the last chapter.8 storiesThe cottage and the waterBig Star Lake: skiing, fishing, and Sunday rules.12 storiesGrandpa and the grandchildrenWhat the youngest generation remembers.7 storiesFaith in actionChurch, catechism, missions, and the work of serving.9 storiesLines worth keepingThe things he said that the family repeats.8 storiesThe hard things, told honestlyIllness, loss, and the parts Ken did not skip over.5 stories

The twenty chapters

Read straight through, from a farm in Graafschap to the last page.

1Sons of Dutchmen1–142Graafschap Farm Boy15–343Mischievous Lad35–474Insecure Student49–645Happy Husband65–846Working Man85–997College Classman101–1128The Teacher – and Various Summer Occupations113–1309Home Builder131–14610Big Star Innovator147–17211Friend and Sportsman173–20112Successful Businessman203–22613Entrepreneur: Sound-Off and Spin Offs227–25214Entrepreneur 2: FireCap, PERMEATOR, and POW253–27715Entrepreneur for Missions279–30516Mentor and Leader307–31917Father and Grandfather321–33618Joyce: Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Believer337–35419The Next Chapter355–37520Man of Faith in Action377–397

Other ways in

All 116 photographs Every picture in the book, with the caption that ran beneath it. The timeline Dated moments from 1852 to today, in the book's own sentences. Who's who Every person in the book and the pages they appear on. The family tree Johan Jipping in 1600s Drenthe, down to the youngest grandchild.

Everything here is the book, word for word. Nothing was rewritten, shortened or summarized, and every line you find carries the page number it was printed on. This site was built directly from the original print file, page by page, and then checked character by character against it: 414 of 420 pages match exactly, and the six that differ are the title and copyright pages plus three hyphenated words correctly rejoined.

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