imprimis
Filed under: Church history, biblical authority | Tags: biblical authority
It it interesting to note that those countries which were part of the Roman Empire before 500 A.D. remained loyal to the Roman church. These nations included Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and Austria.
Those countries on the border of the Roman Empire were divided between Protestant and Roman Catholic beliefs. They included the Netherlands, the Rhine Valley, Switzerland, and the upper portions of the Danube River. In these countries the southern territory closest to the Roman border remained Roman Catholic; the northern areas became Protestant. The rest of Europe became Protestant as well.
Before the Reformation, European Christianity appeared to present a united front to the world. After 1572, European Christianity was divided into two major groups – Protestants and Roman Catholics. The Protestants have divided into many denominations. This has given Christians the opportunity to find a form of worship that agrees with their individual beliefs.
Reformation Wall – Geneva, Switzerland. (l-r) William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza & John Knox.
Martin Luther confessed daily, trying to earn salvation. Once while studying the Bible, he saw the passage in the Book of Romans that said: “The just shall live by faith.” Suddenly he realized his good deeds, fasting, and confession would not earn him salvation. He believed man could never be good enough to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift from God.
And so Martin Luther, probably the best know Reformer uttered these words that lit the Reformation which blazed across the Continent:
“Unless I am convinced by proofs from scripture or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I cannot and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to go against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
Happy Reformation Day everybody! Let’s give thanks for this day, because without the Reformation, we would not have the Bible as we know it.
Filed under: 1
Yesterday was a special day at our church, in that it was the 58th anniversary home-coming celebration! The weather was gorgeous and the crowd was outstanding!
My Dad’s parents came up from Dallas, it was nice as always to see them and visit.
Mr. Newland was our guest preacher, having been a former pastor of the congregation we invited him to come and speak at this event. He had some interesting stories to share with us during the Sunday School hour about his time as a child of missionaries in Tibet & China. The really interesting thing for me was when he spoke about the dis-like between Chinese & Tibetans, I had just finished a book about China and the author mentions this fact.
The crowd was larger than what we’ve been having lately, which was a boost, most of them stayed after the service to partake in the tasty fellowship meal.
The weather was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l, God blessed us with clear blue skies and sunshine all day! It didn’t start getting colder until last evening, and it is COLD today!
After the service, Johanna came up to me and said that there were some Ron Paul supporters there and did I want to talk to them. I was only to happy too, and we had a lovely conversation. Come to find out, they are long time acquaintances of my grandparents and my dad (they were in college with my Aunt Becky). They are the Covington’s and are homeschoolers, with 9 children! I was SO excited to meet them and talk with Mrs.Covington. They didn’t stick around for the meal because they were visiting with their daughter who lives nearby with her family, but we exchanged blog addresses and emails, and so it will be neat to see what comes of that encounter! 
Last week, two birthday’s were remembered here at our house: our dear friend & adopted Uncle Larry had a birthday. The funny thing was that when we tried to call him he didn’t answer, but we left a message on his voice-mail… “this is the last call to let you know that your car insurance is expiring… HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU…!” We all started hooting, it was really funny!
Yesterday was my Uncle Jim’s birthday! I got to talk to him, although by the time we spoke it was already Monday, he lives in Tubingen, Germany with our Aunt Naomi as missionaries to international students. It was good to talk, even for a short while. I am looking forward to seeing him November when he’s to come for a Missionary convention.
I just finished China Road: A Journey into the future of a rising power by NPR correspondant Rob Gifford. It’s a very intimate perspective of what modern China looks like, and even though it is not a Christian book per se, it does offer a glimpse into the religious views of different sects there including Chinese Christians.
We spent quite a bit of time cleaning the house on Saturday, and it looked really nice it looked wonderful! Of course, that always seems to be the way right after you clean it!
Phoebe made some super tasty pumpkin pie & peach cobbler, and we had some last night with ice-cream, it makes my mouth water to think about it.
Last night, we watched Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ, which is really well done and thought provoking. I especially enjoyed the “faith stories” of the scholors who were interviewed. All in all it was a wonderful week and a beautiful Sabbath.
Soli deo gloria!
~Abby
From the creators of Facing the Giants comes a wonderful story of love, forgiveness, and resoration… Fireproof – Never leave your partner behind.
I would encourage you to go see this wonderful, God honoring film about the importance of keeping your marriage covenant. Kirk Cameron (Way of the Master) stars as Caleb Holt, the firefighter who’s a hero to everyone but his wife. His wife, Catherine is played by new-comer Erin Bethea.
A suspense filled drama, this film will move you to tears and keep you on the edge of your seat.
Watch the official trailor and other media available here.
It is currently listed as one of the top-10 movies at the box office right now. It is being shown at several local theaters. I would strongly urge you to go see this film… you won’t be the same.
Filed under: a lovely home, fall, food preparation | Tags: Food, recipes, Seasons
Here is a yummy soup recipe that I decided would be quite appropriate since the weather has turned colder today.
Potato soup -
1 large stockpot with sufficient water.
4 large baking potatoes (or as many as you want, just make sure your pots big enough).
Thoroughly rinse / scrub potatoes, then cube (I like mine to remain peeled, but that’s totally up to you).
Cook until potatoes are firm – turn off burner let cool.
With a slated ladle, scoop potatoes and place in food-processor. Add potato juice liberally, I put Curry powder & chili powder in the soup along with Coconut oil (at the end) and Soy-milk for flavor.
Blend and add juice or soy-milk until desired thickness. Once all potatoes have been blended, place them back in the pan and add salt & pepper for flavor if desired. Salt for sure, but not everybody enjoys pepper.
Warm soup and serve with desired bread, veggie & meat (if you aren’t a vegetarian.)
I hope to post a bread recipe later on this afternoon. If you have any further questions, please leave your comments and then check back, because I do reply to them in the comments section.
Happy Fall!
~Abby
Here in Texas, early and absentee voting began today. Find out more information about when the polls open in your state and then get out and VOTE!!!
~Abby
P.S. I hope to post some fall recipes tomorrow.
October 21, will see the official release of the DVD version of Expelled: No Intelligence. You can pre-order it right now through one of my favorite ministries, Answers In Genesis.
Of course, for those of us who didn’t get to see the movie while it was in theaters, this is pretty exciting! Our family will be purchasing a copy soon, and we can’t wait. My older brother Joel & one of his friends went to see it while it was playing, and they both said it was very well done.
The list price at AiG is : $26.99, but right now it’s on sale for only $18.99! Anyway, if your interested in supporting a Revolutionary documentary that needs to be seen all across this country, then think about
Plus while your at AiG’s site, check out their new series on Top 10 Myths about Evolution – you will be both blessed & challenged!
~Abby
