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Super Hero Martin Luther

10/30/2011

It was October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg Door, protesting some abuses that were occurring in those dark days of the Roman Catholic Church.

This act changed history and Western Europe would be part of a struggle between denominations from that moment on.

Martin Luther, born to a German peasant family, put himself to school by singing. He had a great voice and loved to sing all his life! Have you heard of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"? Martin Luther wrote that song!

One day, he found himself caught in a terrible thunderstorm. He promised the Lord that if God let him live through the storm, he would serve him for the rest of his life. The Lord let him live and Martin Luther became a monk.

He struggled to overcome his sin and become a good Christian man, but the more he struggled, the more he seemed to lose. Through the counsel of a loving father in the faith and his own personal study of the Word, Martin stumbled across this principle: THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. This truth changed Martin's life forever!

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One Year Adventure Novel Review

10/28/2011

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I have fallen in love! Yes, it's true! I have fallen in love with a writing curriculum that I received in the mail to review. You are going to love this curriculum. Your high school teens are going to love this curriculum too.

Daniel Schwabauer, an award winning novelist and playwright, has created an amazing one year writing course for high school. At the end of the year you have your very own adventure novel.

This is a practical course on fiction writing. It covers all the basics and provides strong parameters and boundaries for novel writing. The finished production is an adventure novel. So, along with teaching about plot, setting, characterization, and proper writing technique, this course teaches your budding novelist how to build suspense in his/her novel.

Your child will be writing a Heroic Quest. What an exciting way to spend a year of writing! But, the best thing about this course is that it is written from a Biblical worldview and upholds our Christian values.

The One Year Adventure Novel kit comes with a textbook, The Compass, a workbook, The Map, and a set of DVDs.

I love the DVDs! Each video segment opens with an Indiana Jones-type intro complete with action music and clips from old adventure movies! Three questions are asked, "What makes a story a story?" Why do we look for truth in books?" "Could it be that our thirst for story and our search for meaning are somehow related?" and "What if purpose just be another word for adventure?" Then we move to a beautiful study filled with lovely old books where our author begins to teach the lesson. There are 78 lessons on 7 DVDs.

The complete homeschool writing curriculum package includes The Compass, The Map, 7 DVDs, a teacher's guide, and a copy of the novel, The Prisoner of Zenda. There is also a bonus DVD disk with 26 quizzes and 14 classic adventure novels (Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, The Blood Ship, Captain's Courageous, Black Rock, Tarzan, Rupert of Hentzau, King Solomon's Mines, Wulf the Saxon, Peter Pan and more).

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Making Christmas Stars

10/26/2011

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"Can I start decorating my house for Christmas yet?" Brock asked.

'No, it's only July," Jenny Rose admonished him.

He continued to ask month after month, so I wasn't surprised when he invited us over last week for hot chocolate, Christmas treats, a Christmas movie, and ornament making.

We made these lovely stars out of construction paper, card stock, or scrapbooking paper.

I made the mistake of thinking that the stars were made out of one piece of paper so I brought 12" x 12" scrapbooking paper in different colors. Turns out that you use 6 pieces of paper, so I ended up with a HUGE star of mismatched colors. I will have to make more--more smaller stars.

But, I have to tell you, making the large ornament got me in the mood for Christmas. I don't know if it was the movie or the fellowship or the craft. But, it was such a lovely, relaxing evening.

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Celebrate Holidays to the Glory of God!

10/25/2011

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Cookies baking, laughter in the air, and a sense of expectation in every heart...holidays bring joy to life! More than national celebrations, these special days can provide refreshment, strengthen family relationships, instill godly values in our children, and be celebrations of the goodness of God! Some holidays are truly holy days, set apart by Christians to celebrate God's grace. We can make every holiday holy, setting it apart and celebrating in a way that honors Christ.

Holidays Can Provide Refreshment

We are all thankful to be alive and have the strength to serve the Lord. Many of us, though, have stressful lives, and burdens that we carry. We may have a difficult marriage, an elderly relative to care for, or a house full of little ones that demand our constant attention. A holiday is a break from the routine! If we are careful not to run ourselves ragged in the pursuit of the Ideal Holiday Menu, each holiday can be a time of refreshment where we break away from the dreary routine and enjoy the company of family and friends. View holidays as a time to RELAX and unwind from the pressures of life.

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15 Yard Penalty

10/25/2011

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We were watching my son, Jimmy play football against the biggest 13 year-olds I have ever seen. They were giants.

I wanted to go rescue my son, take him off the field.

But these mighty Lake Mary Dolphins held their own

But there was one upsetting moment for me. One of the opposing team's players grabbed the boy running with the ball, lifted him in the air, twirled him around and around, and dropped him on the ground.

I was furious! I wanted justice.

"Horse Collar. 15 yard penalty," The ref yelled.

"Yeah!" I felt better. That rotten boy had humiliated my son's teammate, but he had been put in his place by the penalty.

Sometimes, I feel like that boy who was twirled around and dropped with a thud. Satan toys with me, tricks me, or fills my mind with lies. I feel like I am lying on the ground battered and bruised.

But, then the Lord steps up and says, "15 yard penalty, devil. Go back to where you came from. Leave my daughter alone!"

Just a reminder, spiritual warfare is not a battle of equals. Jesus won the battle 2,000 years ago on a dirty cross. He paid the price, the game is already won. We are on the winning side! Jesus has all authority in Heaven and on earth!

Next time, you feel beaten up by the devil, just remind God to give him a 15 yard penalty!

Winning the Battle with you!
Merey
(Meredith Ludwig Curtis)

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A Clear Perspective on Money & the Economy

10/23/2011

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Making color copies recently at Office Max (because they were only 29 cents!), I was horrified to discover that I had left my money, checkbook, and credit card at home.

Standing at the cash register, I hunted throughout my purse for money that had dropped out of my change purse or been tossed in.

After several embarrassing minutes, I scrounged together enough money to sheepishly pay the patient young man.

Financial Challenges & Fears

Lately, it may feel like you are scrounging around in the same way at the end of the month to pay your bills. The economy has hit our family business hard. Many of our friends are looking for jobs or find themselves working for a paycheck that doesn't pay the bills. Maybe your family has been hit too.

Maybe there has always been a little more month than money. Or maybe you are simply fearful, worried about what MIGHT happen to your family's finances.

The economy is a huge topic of discussion this year! More importantly to you, though, is the condition of your personal finances and how the economy is affecting you. This is important to God too! He cares about us. His heart is for us and He longs to give us good gifts. Our Heavenly Father LAVISHLY provides for our enjoyment! Yes, He does! If God cares about us and wants to bless us, what should our response to Him be?

Surrender

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Alternatives to Celebrating Halloween

10/22/2011

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To celebrate, or not celebrate Halloween was not a difficult question for our family.

There were just too many pagan practices in the America version of this un-holy-day.

We decided to use it as a time to evangelize unsaved family, friends, and neighbors.

In the past, we have passed out candy and tracts about Jesus. But, then, I would watch my children serving other children dressed as goblins and witches who were getting candy, while my children just sat and passed it out.

I felt really uncomfortable with the decorations, costumes, and history of the holiday, or should I say Un-Holy day. I really didn't want anything to do with promoting such a negative day with its emphasis on ghosts, witchcraft, and scary things.

However, there are some wonderful things to celebrate that have nothing to do with the powers of darkness.

There are 3 different options that we have tried and all have been fun, and I believe, pleasing to the Lord.

We have celebrated Reformation Day, celebrated All Saints' Day, and enjoyed Fall Festivals.

Celebrating Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door and the Reformation officially began! Reacting to the present corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the sale of indulgences and its slipping away from teaching salvation through faith alone, not good works. Luther taught about the amazing grace he had received through faith alone!

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Get Ready for Christmas Early this Year

10/21/2011

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Yes, I know it's only October, but the kids are back in school and before you know it, it will be time for Thanksgiving, and then, Christmas.

Like most Americans, you will probably spend more on gifts during the Christmas season than at any other time of year.

Hopefully, unlike most Americans, this year you will spend less, not more, than you want to spend on celebrating Christmas!

Christmas is a holiday that enchants us!

Who can remain unmoved by the God-King who laid aside His glory and became a helpless baby lying, not in velvet and satin, but a manger filled with straw? We can almost hear the angels singing.

How we long to go back in time and see a baby-King who would change the world forever! We would have worshiped at His cradle, brought Him gifts like the wise men did, and spread the news of His birth along with the shepherds.

The simplicity of His birth amazes us--once again we realize that God's ways are higher than our ways.

So, how did His simple birth turn into such an elaborate celebration? If you are like me, there are times that the wonder and miracle of Christmas has been lost in the hectic busyness of the celebration. I have discovered that the earlier I begin planning and preparing for Christmas, the more enjoyable the season is for everyone in my world. Early planning and preparation leads to a nicer and calmer me.

My family, friends, and worship team all appreciate the nicer, calmer me.

Set aside an hour this week to make a plan for this year's Christmas celebration. Christmas will come and go whether you do this or not, but consider controlling your Christmas celebration, rather than letting Christmas chaos reign supreme.

Before you begin, keep in mind that holidays can provide refreshment, strengthen family relationships, provide opportunities to instill godly values, and allow us to celebrate the goodness of God. Or holidays can wear us out, drain our pocketbooks, and strain our relationships. Planning ahead can help the former, rather than the latter, to occur. So here is a plan for you to start this week.

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Welcome to My World

10/16/2011

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One of my favorite stories about Jesus takes places after He is baptized by John the Baptist.

Two of John's disciples show interest in Jesus and ask Him where He is staying. Jesus invites them to come and see.

The three men spend the day together and when the day is over, Andrew says to his brother, Peter, "I have found the Messiah. You have to come and meet Him." Well, Andrew says something like that.

Jesus' heart was: Welcome to my world! He opened His heart to those who wanted to know Him.

I want to imitate that day in this blog. I want to invite you to come home with me and see where I live. Meet my family, meet my friends, meet my precious Savior, Jesus.

So, welcome to my world! Sometimes, my world is a gentle, peaceful place of pink roses, white picket fences, and cheerful smiles. Sometimes, it is a rough-and-tumble place of conflict, mess, and confusion. Most of the time, it is both. My life is filled with sticky kisses, mistakes, successes, good books, walks around the block with people I love, and new lessons learned all the time.

Here is my new blog and website. Make yourself at home here. Take a look around and get to know me. I hope to get to know you too. Hope that this is the start, or rekindling, of a beautiful friendship.

Recepcion a mi mundo!
With love & affection,
Merey
(Meredith Ludwig Curtis).

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Super Hero Martin Luther

One Year Adventure Novel Review

Making Christmas Stars

Celebrate Holidays to the Glory of God!

15 Yard Penalty

A Clear Perspective on Money & the Economy

Alternatives to Celebrating Halloween

Get Ready for Christmas Early this Year

Welcome to My World

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