One of the big things that he first did was post the 95 Theses of Contention to the Wittenburg Church door. This was important because he was the first person to realize that some of the things the church was doing was wrong and actually do something about it. These Theses really got people talking because noone had done something like this before. Another big thing he did was translate the New Testament into German. This was also a big thing to do because no one had done this before. People thought that if the Pope and people in the church couldn't understand the Bible, then the peasants for sure couldn't. Translating the Bibe into German would allow more people to be able to read the Bible and understand God. The translation also helped to develop a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. His marriage to a former nun aso began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions. He got his masters in college and then entered law school, but one day when he was walking home from school, a lightening bolt struck close to him and he cried out, "Help Saint Anne! I'll become a monk!" Luther kept this bargain and dropped out of law school and entered the monestary.
Some of his strengths were that he was not afraid to speak up for what he believed in. If he had a problem with something, we would go to the source and tell them how he felt. Although he prayed and spent a lot of time with God, he struggled to keep peace with God. The more he tried to do for God, the more aware he became of his sinfulness. In 1507 he was ordained to priesthood and begane teaching theology at the Unversity of Wittenburg. I would say the movie was pretty accurate about his life;however, they seemed to somewhat show that the catholic church was all around terrible for making indulgences and things like that. Every church has its own problems. I don't think the catholic church is as terrible as they made it seem. They did do wrong things though like has indulgences, but our churches today do things that aren't right either. We need to have people stand up to the wrong things our churches do, like Martin Luther did.
Once Luther posted is 95 Theses, they were declared heretical by Pope Leo X. Luther was tried and asked if he still believed what he had posted. Luther asked for more time, and it was given to him. Luther asked was asked the same thing the next day, and he apologized for the harsh tone of the theses, but still believed what he taught was right. This is what he said: "Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen." On May 25 Luther was declared an outlaw.
Luther had many friends among the princes of Germany. A masked man captured Luther and carried him to the castle in Wartburg and he stayed there for about a year.
In conclusion Luther was a powerful man and stood up for what he believed in. He is a great example for Christians everywhere!
Works Cited!!!
http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Chapter 8 "Don't Waste Your LIfe"
What struck me the most about this chapteris how much I don't make much of Christ when I am school. This chapter talked about how we need enjoy Christ throughout the day at our jobs. Since school is like my job right now, I need to be exalting God throught the schoolday. I do a terrible job of this. I complain about having homework, how tough the classes are, etc. Instead, I need to be happy I have the opportunity to learn new things because a lot of kids in other countries don't even get that chance. Also, I need to have a better attidtude about school. Most mornings I wake up dreading the day and thinking to myself how terrible it's going to be. I need to wake up and praise God that he gave us another day and try to make the best of the day. Even if things aren't going my way, I can still have joy and praise God through it.
Another thing that stood out to me is the idea that God is unique and made the way I am for a reason. When I was younger, I was fat and kids made fun of me all the time. It affected me for a really long time and i felt no self worth. But knowing that God made me unique and loves me the way I am was really encouraging for me.
The book also talked about giving God thanks through all things. I also have a very hard time with that because when things don't go the way as planned, it is hard to thank God for that. We also need to thanks God for the gifts he has given each and every one of us. He has given us all different gifts, and we need to thanks him for making us all differently.Thanking God for things throughout the day is a big way you can enjoy God all day. \
Another thing we must do is show God is our work habits. Many of us will have secular jobs when we grow up, and that's okay. God tells us to be in the world, we just need to make sure we aren't OF the world. We need to thing of our job as our calling, and everyday at work we need to be showing people Christ, not just through our words, but through our actions also.
Another thing that stood out to me is the idea that God is unique and made the way I am for a reason. When I was younger, I was fat and kids made fun of me all the time. It affected me for a really long time and i felt no self worth. But knowing that God made me unique and loves me the way I am was really encouraging for me.
The book also talked about giving God thanks through all things. I also have a very hard time with that because when things don't go the way as planned, it is hard to thank God for that. We also need to thanks God for the gifts he has given each and every one of us. He has given us all different gifts, and we need to thanks him for making us all differently.Thanking God for things throughout the day is a big way you can enjoy God all day. \
Another thing we must do is show God is our work habits. Many of us will have secular jobs when we grow up, and that's okay. God tells us to be in the world, we just need to make sure we aren't OF the world. We need to thing of our job as our calling, and everyday at work we need to be showing people Christ, not just through our words, but through our actions also.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
"Don't Waste Your Life" chapters six and seven
The first thing I would like to talk about is television and how much it affects the people who watch it. The biggest problem to me is that most shows show that doing bad things is okay. Like a lot of shows say that it's okay to have sex outside of marriage. If you spend all of your time watching those bad shows and not putting any of God's Word into you, you will begin to act like the people on the tv show. In my life I have some examples of this happening. About four or so months ago, I was on a Christian high. I did my devotions every day, paid attention in church, and I felt so close to God. Then I started to watch shows that were probably not the best choice to watch. I slowly started drifting back away from God, and I started making dumb choices with my life because I let the tv show influence me instead of watching good shows and spending time with God. Also, watching so much tv takes away from time you could have spent with God.
If someone was to keep track of how much time i spend reading the Bible and how much time I spend watching tv, they would notice that my source of satisfaction comes mainly from tv and worldly things. I really need to work on this because I have drifted so far away from God, and that is so bad. I have started to act more and more like the non-believers, and I really need to start focusing my life on God again.
What stood out to me the most in these chapters was when in chapter seven on page 109 when it talks about the ways we should be spending our money. We need to be giving a majority of our money to missions or to poor people who need it. It frusterates me when you see these huge billionares who buy more and more and dont help people, when, instead, they could be using the money to build homeless shelters or to give to kids in oversees countries who need schooling, or things like that. But then I started to examine my own life, and even though I'm not a billionare, I still don't give the majority of my money to what I should be giving it too. Also, in this section it talks about how God loves the poor people too. Many times(or at least for me), I short of think that God only saves the rich people, but often it's the poor people who have a better heart and listen to God more because they don't have much else. The best example of this I can think of is the story where the lady brings in a few coins or less to give to the church, and then a guy with a bunch of money comes in and gives a lot, but it's only a portion of what he has, and then Jesus said that the woman actually gave more because she gave all she had. That is a PERFECT example of how we should be giving. I understand that people need money to pay bills and things like that, but how many times do we waste our money on stupid things that we don't really need. We should be giving that money to people who need it more than we do. .
If someone was to keep track of how much time i spend reading the Bible and how much time I spend watching tv, they would notice that my source of satisfaction comes mainly from tv and worldly things. I really need to work on this because I have drifted so far away from God, and that is so bad. I have started to act more and more like the non-believers, and I really need to start focusing my life on God again.
What stood out to me the most in these chapters was when in chapter seven on page 109 when it talks about the ways we should be spending our money. We need to be giving a majority of our money to missions or to poor people who need it. It frusterates me when you see these huge billionares who buy more and more and dont help people, when, instead, they could be using the money to build homeless shelters or to give to kids in oversees countries who need schooling, or things like that. But then I started to examine my own life, and even though I'm not a billionare, I still don't give the majority of my money to what I should be giving it too. Also, in this section it talks about how God loves the poor people too. Many times(or at least for me), I short of think that God only saves the rich people, but often it's the poor people who have a better heart and listen to God more because they don't have much else. The best example of this I can think of is the story where the lady brings in a few coins or less to give to the church, and then a guy with a bunch of money comes in and gives a lot, but it's only a portion of what he has, and then Jesus said that the woman actually gave more because she gave all she had. That is a PERFECT example of how we should be giving. I understand that people need money to pay bills and things like that, but how many times do we waste our money on stupid things that we don't really need. We should be giving that money to people who need it more than we do. .
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lord, save us from your followers
I thought this movie was pretty good. It made me think about a lot of different things. The way that most of the non believers view Christians was somewhat shocking. Many of the people they interviewed about what they thought of Christians said that most Christians in America are bad, Christians don't ask like Jesus, Christians are hypocrites, and things like this. Well, actually this wasn't very shocking, I just never realized what other people thought about Christians. But yes, I would have to agree with a lot of the things that the non-Christians said. Christians in America do no represent God well at all. I mean we go to church and say we believe, but when we go to parties with our non-Christian friends and drink and do things the world says to do, we really aren't set apart from the world, and it would be very easy for someone to think we are hypocrites if Christians are doing this. It's not wrong to hang out with non-Christians, but it's when we start to do bad things that they do, then it is wrong. One guy said in the video something thay was very true. He said that maybe if we called ourselves Christ-like instead of Christians, we would remember to live like Christ. This really stuck out to me because i don't how many times I've said to someone that I'm a Christian and then they ask me to do something wrong, and I fall into that sin. I know that they sin is wrong, it's just I forget who I'm representing. I really need to work this. I mean there are a few non-Christian friends I talk to and hang out with quite a bit, and I often end up doing the things that they are, and they know I'm a Christian, so I'm sure they just think I'm a hypocrite.
Another thing that really stood out to me in this moive is how we need to be careful how we spread God's Word because many Christians have came off offensive to others. One person said in the movie that, "The followers of Christ have managed to hurt and scare the ones it needs to reach." This is SOOO true. Most of the time, we just go up to people and tell them they are wrong and they will go to hell if they don't become a Christian. This could be scary to a lot of people. We need to treat people with love, not just tell them all the things they are doing wrong. People don't like to be torn down. Another person in the movie said that we have no idea what we sound like to other people. I never really thought of this. I mean, how crazy would we sound if we told the story of Jonah and the whale to a person that had never heard of God. I'm sure they wouldn't believe us. So, we need to be really careful about how we spread God's Word, and we need to be cautious about how we sound to other people.
Another thing this movie made me think about was how I often I judge people who aren't like me. For example, in the movie when Mother Timothy(i forgot her name) came out, I just started to laugh and was like are you serious?! But I felt so terrrible that I judged her when Dan talked about her life. I mean, when I first saw her, I didin't take into consideration that she had been abused and a lot of other things as well. We really need to think about that if someone is different that doesn't mean they aren't a person too. We also need to not judge people so harshly when we don't even know about their family life. A lot of those people are the way they are because they haven't felt special and loved. Maybe if the Christians loved on people more, people wouldn't be hurting so much. When they talked about the boy that hung himself, it was so sad because NOONE had befriended him. A lot of times, it's the Christians that make fun of people and judge people. If we would stop doing this, people would like us more.
Another thing that really surprised me was how many Christian girls get abortions. That is the probably one of the biggest things that make people think we are hypocrites because non-Christians know that in the Bible it is wrong to murder, and if they see Christian women having their babies killed, they will think we are hypocrites and they will get abortions too. We need to stand up for abortion. Maybe if enough Christians KINDLY told others about the sanctity of human life, more people wouldn't get abortions.
Another thing that was really cool was the confessional booth. It was awesome that Dan confessed what he had done to the people instead of the other way around. Also, it was amazing to see the people's reaction when he said he was so sorry for what Christians. and himselft, had done to people who aren't believers. Many of them said thanks and said that they wished there were more Christians like him. That is SOOOO true. If there were more of us like him in the world, Christians would have such a good reputation, and people would actually listen to us.
Another thing that really stood out to me in this moive is how we need to be careful how we spread God's Word because many Christians have came off offensive to others. One person said in the movie that, "The followers of Christ have managed to hurt and scare the ones it needs to reach." This is SOOO true. Most of the time, we just go up to people and tell them they are wrong and they will go to hell if they don't become a Christian. This could be scary to a lot of people. We need to treat people with love, not just tell them all the things they are doing wrong. People don't like to be torn down. Another person in the movie said that we have no idea what we sound like to other people. I never really thought of this. I mean, how crazy would we sound if we told the story of Jonah and the whale to a person that had never heard of God. I'm sure they wouldn't believe us. So, we need to be really careful about how we spread God's Word, and we need to be cautious about how we sound to other people.
Another thing this movie made me think about was how I often I judge people who aren't like me. For example, in the movie when Mother Timothy(i forgot her name) came out, I just started to laugh and was like are you serious?! But I felt so terrrible that I judged her when Dan talked about her life. I mean, when I first saw her, I didin't take into consideration that she had been abused and a lot of other things as well. We really need to think about that if someone is different that doesn't mean they aren't a person too. We also need to not judge people so harshly when we don't even know about their family life. A lot of those people are the way they are because they haven't felt special and loved. Maybe if the Christians loved on people more, people wouldn't be hurting so much. When they talked about the boy that hung himself, it was so sad because NOONE had befriended him. A lot of times, it's the Christians that make fun of people and judge people. If we would stop doing this, people would like us more.
Another thing that really surprised me was how many Christian girls get abortions. That is the probably one of the biggest things that make people think we are hypocrites because non-Christians know that in the Bible it is wrong to murder, and if they see Christian women having their babies killed, they will think we are hypocrites and they will get abortions too. We need to stand up for abortion. Maybe if enough Christians KINDLY told others about the sanctity of human life, more people wouldn't get abortions.
Another thing that was really cool was the confessional booth. It was awesome that Dan confessed what he had done to the people instead of the other way around. Also, it was amazing to see the people's reaction when he said he was so sorry for what Christians. and himselft, had done to people who aren't believers. Many of them said thanks and said that they wished there were more Christians like him. That is SOOOO true. If there were more of us like him in the world, Christians would have such a good reputation, and people would actually listen to us.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Jesus Camp
At first I thought this movie was just werid, but then I began to think that it has a lot of positive things in it as well. For example, the director of the camp, Becky Fisher, is very passionate about spreading God's Word. I do not agree with all the ways she does spread the Word though. I think she uses more of a brainwashing process then actually letting the kids think about what they really believe.
Also what I thought was strange was when Becky and some of the cousnelors were praying over the microphones and electricity saying they hoped that there were no technical dificulties. Yes, it would be great if nothing went wrong, but maybe God wanted them to have a worship service in the dark.
One thing that Becky said really stood out to me. She said that if you don't do spiritual things, you will get weaker, and you have to pray everyday, and go to church every week. This statement is very true. Altough, we should WANT to pra everyday and go to church every week, it shouldn't be a thing we feel forced to do. If we love God enough, we will want to pray and take every opportunity we have to learn and grow closer to him.
I'm not sure that all the kids in the movie really understood what was going on. Although, I think that Levi(the kid with the mullet), had an understanding of what he believed. He was also a good speaker. One thing he said before he was about to speak one night at the camp was that it wasn't going to be him speaking, it would be God. This is very true. I'm not sure if he really thought that or if we told that though. One of the girls in the movie said that God only goes to churches that are enthusiastic(like dancing, saying amen alot, etc). I'm not sure this is completely true. I believe that God is in every church. I don't think that if you go to a church where you don't dance in the aisles and say amen after everything that God won't be there. Some people just like to worship in different ways, and God likes all kinds of worship.
Near the end of the movie when she was interviewed for a radio show, the man asked her why children are such a big deal in spreading the Word, and she responded by saying that kids are easy to use because they retain so much. The man then said that that is true,but we need to not brainwash the kids, but let them make their beliefs their own. She said she was not brainwashing. I believe, however, that she is. She tells these kids all these things, and doesn't really ask them what they believe.
Although I disagree with her method of preaching, I do think she has a good heart. She is one of the most passionate people I have seen. She really likes to spread God's Word to children, which is a thing people need to do. Also, there is probably more to her church than what we saw in the movie. We have to take that into account too. In the movie it made some things seem scary, but they may not have been as scary as it seems. Oh, some other things that I think she made the kids believe is that we have to pray in tongues. I don't believe we do. God will accept a prayer in any language, it doesn't matter to him, so I don't see why have to pray in tongues. It is kind of cool though, but it's not necessary. Another thing I thought was funny was when she was doing her hair and prayed that her hairspray would hold, and then later that night, she asked everyone if her hair looked good. I thought that was really funny! Altough, it awakened me to the silly things I pray about too. I mean sometimes I pray in a way in which I expect God to do something in the way I want, although that is not always his will. For example, about 4 years ago my grandma had an aortic disection, and I prayed to God that she would be healed. She eneded up passing away though. This was sad and upsetting to me at the time and I was mad at God because things didn't go as planned for me, but now she's in heaven with God:)
In conclusion, this movie was strange, but it did have some good points and made me think about things. We realy need to be on fire to spread the Word to people like she is, we just have to be careful how we do it.
Also what I thought was strange was when Becky and some of the cousnelors were praying over the microphones and electricity saying they hoped that there were no technical dificulties. Yes, it would be great if nothing went wrong, but maybe God wanted them to have a worship service in the dark.
One thing that Becky said really stood out to me. She said that if you don't do spiritual things, you will get weaker, and you have to pray everyday, and go to church every week. This statement is very true. Altough, we should WANT to pra everyday and go to church every week, it shouldn't be a thing we feel forced to do. If we love God enough, we will want to pray and take every opportunity we have to learn and grow closer to him.
I'm not sure that all the kids in the movie really understood what was going on. Although, I think that Levi(the kid with the mullet), had an understanding of what he believed. He was also a good speaker. One thing he said before he was about to speak one night at the camp was that it wasn't going to be him speaking, it would be God. This is very true. I'm not sure if he really thought that or if we told that though. One of the girls in the movie said that God only goes to churches that are enthusiastic(like dancing, saying amen alot, etc). I'm not sure this is completely true. I believe that God is in every church. I don't think that if you go to a church where you don't dance in the aisles and say amen after everything that God won't be there. Some people just like to worship in different ways, and God likes all kinds of worship.
Near the end of the movie when she was interviewed for a radio show, the man asked her why children are such a big deal in spreading the Word, and she responded by saying that kids are easy to use because they retain so much. The man then said that that is true,but we need to not brainwash the kids, but let them make their beliefs their own. She said she was not brainwashing. I believe, however, that she is. She tells these kids all these things, and doesn't really ask them what they believe.
Although I disagree with her method of preaching, I do think she has a good heart. She is one of the most passionate people I have seen. She really likes to spread God's Word to children, which is a thing people need to do. Also, there is probably more to her church than what we saw in the movie. We have to take that into account too. In the movie it made some things seem scary, but they may not have been as scary as it seems. Oh, some other things that I think she made the kids believe is that we have to pray in tongues. I don't believe we do. God will accept a prayer in any language, it doesn't matter to him, so I don't see why have to pray in tongues. It is kind of cool though, but it's not necessary. Another thing I thought was funny was when she was doing her hair and prayed that her hairspray would hold, and then later that night, she asked everyone if her hair looked good. I thought that was really funny! Altough, it awakened me to the silly things I pray about too. I mean sometimes I pray in a way in which I expect God to do something in the way I want, although that is not always his will. For example, about 4 years ago my grandma had an aortic disection, and I prayed to God that she would be healed. She eneded up passing away though. This was sad and upsetting to me at the time and I was mad at God because things didn't go as planned for me, but now she's in heaven with God:)
In conclusion, this movie was strange, but it did have some good points and made me think about things. We realy need to be on fire to spread the Word to people like she is, we just have to be careful how we do it.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Don't Waste Your Life(Chapter Three)
1. Boasting in the cross only happens when we are totally focused on God and don't care about the world and we are dead to the world. This means in my life that I need to be dead to the world and the world dead to me. I need to not focus on worldy things and the possessios I have, but on God and his truth. I should spend my time with God and not worrying about silly earthly things.
2. It makes sense to say I died, but yet I live because the old you who died is the old ways you used to act. When you become a Christian and give your life up for Christ, the ways you used to live are now dead, and the new you is the new way you act. Key words I find in the scripture that disguish between the old you and the new you are "the life i now live in the flesh, I now live for Christ." This is saying that the life we used to live living in the flesh, we now live for the glory of God.
3. Some areas I am living by faith are not worrying about what I'm going to do tomorrow. I trust God to lead me to do something good for him, and some areas I'm not living by faith are with my future. I want to control what I do when I get older, and I need to give that up to God and let him lead me to what I should do.
2. It makes sense to say I died, but yet I live because the old you who died is the old ways you used to act. When you become a Christian and give your life up for Christ, the ways you used to live are now dead, and the new you is the new way you act. Key words I find in the scripture that disguish between the old you and the new you are "the life i now live in the flesh, I now live for Christ." This is saying that the life we used to live living in the flesh, we now live for the glory of God.
3. Some areas I am living by faith are not worrying about what I'm going to do tomorrow. I trust God to lead me to do something good for him, and some areas I'm not living by faith are with my future. I want to control what I do when I get older, and I need to give that up to God and let him lead me to what I should do.
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