Reformation Day

Most Protestant Christians observe Reformation Day in honor of Martin Luther and other Christians who removed false doctrine and destructive practices from the Christian church.

Because the Roman Catholic Church was desperate to raise money to complete St. Peter’s in Rome during the Middle Ages, many clergy used fear as a tool to obtain money from poor and unsophisticated people. They told the people that they had to pay money to the church so that their sins and the sins of their families might be forgiven. The people bought pieces of paper called pardons and indulgences from the church so that they could believe that they would go to heaven when they died.

Luther was deeply disturbed by these and other abuses in the church. At the same time he was aware of his own sins and imperfections, and he tried very hard to make himself into a person that he thought God would like. The harder he tried, the worse he felt. He thought he was growing farther and farther away from God, and that it was becoming impossible for God to like him at all.

In despair, he began a deep study of the Bible, especially the letters in the New Testament that were written by Paul, most of all the letter to the Romans, and he began to understand what Paul had told the early Christians over a thousand years before.

In his preaching and writing, Luther began to emphasize two main points: justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers.

Justification by faith means that Christians can never earn God’s love or forgiveness. All that Christians must do is to accept God as God, and God will love and forgive and cherish them.

The priesthood of all believers means that every Christian has his or her own personal relationship with God, reading the Bible and worshiping in his or her own language, and praying directly to God without anyone’s going in between.

So Protestant Christians give thanks to God on this day for the opportunity to lead lives of faith, instead of lives of fear.

Reformation Day is observed on the last Sunday of October, during the Season of Pentecost.

If you would like to read what Martin Luther wrote on his 95 Thesis read here

                                                           




                                                                        

 
As most of you know I am homeschooling  my daughter.  It has worked out so well for us.  The school we belong to gives us all the books, lesson plans and anything else that goes along with the lessons.
 
For the last 5 weeks she has been in B track as they call it.  She goes to school all day on Tuesday and Thursday.  The has been so very good for her.  Now she feels a real part of the school.  I had been homeschooling her previously all five days at home.
 
This is truly the “best of both worlds” to coin a song from Hannah Montana……LOL
She even takes a test now at the end of a packet, which is 5 weeks long.  Today she received her grades from the tests….92% in Science and an 86% in History.  She is doing so well.  We are proud of her and the young lady she is becoming.

The rest of today is our “kick back” day where we just enjoy during no school and getting a treat for doing a great job….she got a McD’s M&M Flurry and I got what else….Caramel Iced Coffee.



  Have a great day all……

“If you want rest come to Christ in Gethsemane, to Christ on Calvary, to Christ risen, to Christ ascended. If you want rest, O weary souls, ye can find it nowhere until ye come and lay your burdens down at his dear pierced feet, and find life in looking alone to him.”

- Charles Spurgeon




Have you ever wanted something so badly and when you finally realized it wasn’t going to

happen, you got so depressed?  Of course you have.  I wonder how many more times I

will look to others to fulfil me……time and time again I am disappointed in people. 

When will I only “look to Jesus” to be my one and only?

Ps 42:5  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.

This was a real shock to me.  Check this link out…..

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=Tvtbo&altl=Tjohcvtdi

  17 years ago today we said I do!!!!!!!

 




As the deer pants for the water brook, my soul is thirsty for you
As every cell in my body needs nutrients to survive, I need your healing power to relieve my blues

As water is essential to sustain life on earth, I need your spirit to flow through my heart
As my heart needs electrical impulses for every beat, this flow cannot ever stop

As I need oxygen from the air to breath, I need your presence so I can live
With every breath taken my chest rises and falls, I need my Savior to be fulfilled

Like when I haven’t eaten and my flesh cries out, with pangs within my stomach
My soul is craving for the living God; only He can satisfy this hunger

As the inhabitants of the earth rely on the sun, to keep us feeling warm
I deeply desire internal comfort and security; I need the presence of the Lord

As the oceans, rivers, seas and lakes require drops from heaven to sustain each of them
I need my Savior, for my very survival, my whole existence depends solely on Him

As the eagles rely on the current of the wind, to spread their wings and fly above the storm
With God, despite my trials, I can hold my head up high and still have strength to soar

As the deer pants for the water brook, my soul is thirsty for you
As every cell in my body needs nutrients to survive, I need your healing power to relieve my blues

Oh, how my soul deeply desires, it craves and yearns for Elohim who created me
My soul cries out day and night for Jehovah-Jireh who supply all my needs

My whole inner being longs for El Shaddai, the Almighty Most High God
These shackles on my soul belong to my Master and Lord; His name is Adonai

With every heartbeat I feel the vibration of His finger taps dancing within my heart
With every breath I feel him blowing His Spirit of life into my nostrils so my blood flow won’t stop
Oh, how my soul thirsts for my Savior, my Lord, Jesus I long for you
I’ll search and knock until you open the door and relieve me from all my blues
My soul, my flesh, every part of me was yearning for the living God
I invited Him in, He was always there waiting, for my heart to become His home

 
 by La Vita M. Weaver

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is

right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if

anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.”

(Philippians 4:8)


Perhaps your day began like mine. When I awoke, I thought about how

my body hurt and where – neck, low back, left leg – I took my usual

inventory. It was a restless night anyway, so I should have expected

it to continue into morning. After taking pain medication, I turned

on the news. I learned, after watching about murders, rapes,

political controversy and traffic jams, that today (October 15)

is “National Grouch Day”. “No wonder!” I thought.


With frustration, I turned to my daily scripture reading in

Philippians Chapter 4. I quickly realized that it wasn’t what was

wrong with the world and with me that was the problem, it was my

attitude.


Philippians 4:8 tells us to focus on what is “lovely, admirable,

excellent and praiseworthy” . As a person with chronic pain, it can

be difficult to focus on what’s right, instead of what’s wrong. It

truly takes conscious effort, especially when the pain and our lives

seem unbearable.


But God gives us His power and strength to deal with our difficulties

(II Corinthians 12:8-9) and He gives us love so great and deep and

perfect that we can be filled with it if we only seek it (Ephesians

3:16-19). Surely these are things that are excellent and worthy of

praise to reflect on often!


And with His perfect love, I can spread it to others – a kind word to

the widow next door; a heartfelt prayer for the little girl with

cancer; a card to the friend who had surgery. God gives us the

ability to change our thoughts to good, giving us things that He

would have us think on, even in the middle of difficulties. If we ask

Him, he will show us those ways to reach out to others with His love.


So may your day tomorrow begin differently if it began like mine did

today. “Rejoice in the Lord Always. Again I say

Rejoice!”(Philippians 4:4).


He Loves You!


Let us start there tomorrow!


I received this in my email and wanted to share….

Do you feel yourself groaning for the time when we will be in our Heavenly home?  Do you think you have to “help” God out to make it faster? 

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Rom 8:24  For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.


The Cross was at once the most horrible and the most beautiful example of God’s wrath. It was the most just and the most gracious act in history. God would have been more than unjust, He would have been diabolical to punish Jesus if Jesus had not first willingly taken on Himself the sins of the world. Once Christ had done that, once He volunteered to be the Lamb of God, laden with our sin, then He became the most grotesque and vile thing on this planet. With the concentrated load of sin He carried, He became utterly repugnant to the Father. God poured out His wrath on this obscene thing. God made Christ accursed for the sin He bore. Herein was God’s holy justice perfectly manifest. Yet it was done for us. He took what justice demanded from us.

- RC Sproul, The Holiness of God (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1998), 121

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen Lord for your free gift of eternal life♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥