{"id":17334,"date":"2026-03-10T14:09:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:03:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:03:27","slug":"finding-faith-at-the-flea-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Faith at the Flea Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was a child, I loved nothing more than to go junkin\u2019 with my daddy. The markets we\u2019d hit up proved to be a mecca for great finds\u2014and great fun. But the older I get, the more I realize it wasn\u2019t just about toting home a car full of stuff. The life lessons<\/a> I learned at the flea market continue to inspire me today.<\/p>\n

I was around 10 years old, when Daddy and I spontaneously checked out a pop-up flea market<\/a> near our home in West Virginia. Held in a grocery store parking lot, folks were marketing their wares from the trunks of their cars.<\/p>\n

While my father sniffed out the old-timey clocks he resold for profit, I wandered the rows of vehicles in search of something to display on my bedroom bookshelf. I had five dollars from helping our neighbor<\/a> pull weeds in her garden. A metal object shaped like a bouquet of flowers stopped me in my tracks. \u201cThis here\u2019s a gen-u-wine antique cast-iron doorstop,\u201d the seller drawled. \u201cDon\u2019t see these babies every day.\u201d Its flashy colors even matched my bedspread. With nary a thought, I handed over my hard-earned money.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t wait to show my father my find. But Daddy placed his big hand over mine, pointing my fingers toward the garish paint job. \u201cIf this were the real deal, honey, these colors would be softer and worn in places. I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s an old doorstop with a new paint job.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the drive <\/a>home, Daddy said we\u2019d find a dealer who specialized in antique doorstops. That way I could study the real deal; only then could I spot a fake. I didn\u2019t know it that day, but my father and the flea market were teaching me about life. The lesson learned? If you want to know what\u2019s good and true, read The Good Book<\/a>. When you\u2019re steeped in The Real Thing, you\u2019ll spot an imposter right away. <\/p>\n

One of my favorite flea market haunts is held twice a year in the central Texas town of Round Top<\/a>. It\u2019s a global attraction with 2,000 antiques vendors spread over five towns and 21 miles. I\u2019ll never forget the first time I visited. As I steered my rental down a country road bordered by Longhorn cattle grazing in green pastures and fields of bluebonnets, I made a beeline for the Big Red Barn. A mix of Early American antiques soon had me rearranging my family room back home in West Virginia.<\/p>\n

But Round Top folks don\u2019t just create innovative booths and attractions. Recently, while giving a kicked-to-the-curb farm table a second chance in my historic log cabin<\/a>, I returned to a lesson I learned there from a tall, blonde Texan sporting a cowgirl hat with a silver and turquoise buckle. She noticed me admiring her farm table and seemed to know that I was mentally smoothing away its flaws. With a knowing smile she sauntered up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. \u201cWe can\u2019t ever take a table\u2019s story away,\u201d she said. \u201cPerfect is boring. Besides, we wanna always remember where we came from.\u201d <\/p>\n

My own life was full of stories, not always of the inspirational variety. After that encounter I viewed them differently. My trials<\/a> had made me who I was. This was my story\u2014written by the Great Author Himself. No one was going to take it from me.<\/p>\n

Whenever I take advantage of early-bird hours at an outdoor flea market I think of Psalm<\/a> 119:105: \u201cYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.\u201d It\u2019s usually dark at that time of morning, but you can shop by flashlight while the vendors set up their wares. One morning I was so excited I left my flashlight in the car. But a guy on a bicycle had just what I needed: a lantern welded to a wire basket. I followed his light for a while, then trailed behind a lady with a light clipped to a baby stroller-turned shopping cart. <\/p>\n

As my fellow shoppers<\/a> lit my way, I purchased a wooden child\u2019s chair, a blue graniteware stove, and a primitive ladder perfect for displaying the old quilt I\u2019d discovered. When daylight came, I barely recognized my prized \u2018finds.\u2019 The chair was missing a rung. The graniteware stove had more dings than I did, and the quilt was ripped beyond repair. If I\u2019d seen that stuff in broad daylight, I would have walked on by. But in the dark, following the crowd\u2019s make-do light, it had proved irresistible.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t looking for a lesson that day. But as sure as treasures found me, so did a memorable tutorial in faith. I thought back to the times I\u2019d tried to live by someone else\u2019s light. It had always landed me in a heap of trouble. God\u2019s light<\/a>\u2014and the one that burns inside me\u2014would never steer me wrong.<\/p>\n

One of my most heart-tugging flea market moments involves Bob Richter,<\/a> the vintage lifestyle expert best known for his starring role in the PBS series Market Warriors<\/em>.<\/a> One crisp autumn afternoon at the wonderful Burlington, Kentucky outdoor market, Bob told me how his adored Nana had loved Guideposts<\/em> and had left him a basket of her favorite issues when she passed away. The two of us connected immediately, and Bob shared a story which highlights his lifelong fascination with the history and mystery of castoffs. When Bob was a boy he learned about yard sales and flea markets<\/a> from his beloved older brother Johnny. They were forever looking for the bluebird china their family used while growing up. Whenever they happened upon some, they would sense a little \u201cGod nod.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnny died when he was 27; Bob was 15. Bob would always feel Johnny\u2019s presence when he encountered something at a flea market they both had loved. Early one morning Bob decided to wander the aisles at the Chelsea Flea Market in New York City where he resides. <\/p>\n

While perusing the stalls, Bob was drawn, as if by a physical force, to a surrealistic landscape painting<\/a> leaning against a wall. There\u2019s something about that canvas, <\/em>he thought. He walked away, then felt as if he were taken by the hand to revisit the artwork. On closer inspection, Bob noticed the figure in the painting seemed to resemble Johnny. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Grief <\/a>was known to do such things. Nostalgia and loneliness too. <\/p>\n

Bob\u2019s eyes travelled to the lower right hand corner of the frame. It couldn\u2019t be. These things only happened in movies. <\/em>But it was so. Before his very eyes was Johnny\u2019s signature. The painting was of <\/em>his brother and by <\/em>his brother. While Bob had known Johnny had once painted, there were very few examples of his work. Even their mother only owned two of them. Did Johnny paint this canvas one summer when he was home from art school <\/a>and perhaps sell it then? <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t go looking to find a piece of artwork done by my brother that day,\u201d Bob says. \u201cBut that\u2019s what I found. Or, I should say, \u2018That\u2019s what found me.<\/em>\u2019 It\u2019s an example of the spirituality, the unexplainable, I encounter at flea markets. The events that connect the past with the present in a marvelous way.\u201d<\/p>\n

It goes to show that all who wander (even the aisles and stalls of flea markets) are not lost at all. Especially when their Heavenly Father is leading the way at these wonderful vintage venues.<\/p>\n

Today, Bob,<\/em> likes to tell flea market devotees: \u201cPay attention when you are unexplainably drawn to something. These objects were loved, valued, and kept. There is emotional worth to that. They provide comfort, connection, and continuity.\u201d Bob also is convinced that if something seems<\/em> special while shopping, it likely is. \u201cThe great underappreciated value at flea markets is emotional and spiritual<\/a>. Financial value fluctuates based on trends, tastes, and style. Always trust that inner voice,\u201d he urges.<\/p>\n

Bob was not the only person touched by the divine mystery of that painting. \u201cThe dealer was blown away by the absolute miracle,\u201d he says. \u201cI still see the man who sold it to me, and we always recall our sacred moment with a smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, his brother Johnny\u2019s self-portrait has a place of honor in Bob\u2019s home, a symbol that God will go to any lengths to comfort His children. Each time I recall Bob\u2019s story, I feel God\u2019s care for me <\/em>as well. I also remember that not all who wander\u2014especially the aisles of a flea market\u2014are lost.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as author Willa Cather once observed: \u201cWhere there is great love, there are always miracles.\u201d Mystery and miracles. Even\u2014and especially\u2014on that walk of faith called the flea market.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was a child, I loved nothing more than to go junkin\u2019 with my daddy. The markets we\u2019d hit up proved to be a mecca for great finds\u2014and great fun. But the older I get, the more I realize it wasn\u2019t just about toting home a car full of stuff. The life lessons I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":27356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[55],"ppma_author":[646],"class_list":["post-17334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-of-faith-and-hope","tag-inspiration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFinding Faith at the Flea Market - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding Faith at the Flea Market\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I was a child, I loved nothing more than to go junkin\u2019 with my daddy. The markets we\u2019d hit up proved to be a mecca for great finds\u2014and great fun. But the older I get, the more I realize it wasn\u2019t just about toting home a car full of stuff. The life lessons I […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T14:09:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-10T06:03:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1580\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"860\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Roberta Messner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Olivia Abel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec5d876c8fcf12ec376ce4e395fe05d4\"},\"headline\":\"Finding Faith at the Flea Market\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T14:09:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:03:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1503,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Inspiration\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Stories of Faith and Hope\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/\",\"name\":\"Finding Faith at the Flea Market - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T14:09:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:03:27+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg\",\"width\":1580,\"height\":860},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Inspiring Stories\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Stories of Faith and Hope\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Finding Faith at the Flea Market\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec5d876c8fcf12ec376ce4e395fe05d4\",\"name\":\"Olivia Abel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0f6fde36ba310be2a54366cf84afdc6019a175fffe458bf422ee4c4af330556?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g07d8a5ad4ca2c84526a039d2aa92217a\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0f6fde36ba310be2a54366cf84afdc6019a175fffe458bf422ee4c4af330556?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0f6fde36ba310be2a54366cf84afdc6019a175fffe458bf422ee4c4af330556?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Olivia Abel\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/livabel\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Finding Faith at the Flea Market - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Finding Faith at the Flea Market","og_description":"When I was a child, I loved nothing more than to go junkin\u2019 with my daddy. The markets we\u2019d hit up proved to be a mecca for great finds\u2014and great fun. But the older I get, the more I realize it wasn\u2019t just about toting home a car full of stuff. The life lessons I […]","og_url":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-10T14:09:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-10T06:03:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1580,"height":860,"url":"http:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Roberta Messner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/"},"author":{"name":"Olivia Abel","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/ec5d876c8fcf12ec376ce4e395fe05d4"},"headline":"Finding Faith at the Flea Market","datePublished":"2026-03-10T14:09:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:03:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/"},"wordCount":1503,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg","keywords":["Inspiration"],"articleSection":["Stories of Faith and Hope"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/","url":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/","name":"Finding Faith at the Flea Market - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-10T14:09:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:03:27+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bobrichteredit2-1.jpg","width":1580,"height":860},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/finding-faith-at-the-flea-market\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inspiring Stories","item":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Stories of Faith and Hope","item":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Finding Faith at the Flea Market"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/ec5d876c8fcf12ec376ce4e395fe05d4","name":"Olivia Abel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0f6fde36ba310be2a54366cf84afdc6019a175fffe458bf422ee4c4af330556?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g07d8a5ad4ca2c84526a039d2aa92217a","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0f6fde36ba310be2a54366cf84afdc6019a175fffe458bf422ee4c4af330556?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0f6fde36ba310be2a54366cf84afdc6019a175fffe458bf422ee4c4af330556?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Olivia Abel"},"url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/author\/livabel\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":646,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"roberta-messner","display_name":"Roberta Messner","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17334"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=17334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}