Since it is All Saints Day, I thought it would be a great time to talk about Super-Hero Saints from the olden days. 

​These men inspire me to follow Jesus with all my heart and make a difference in my generation. I hope this post will make you want to learn more about these amazing saints!

​Saint Polycarp (69-155), bishop of Smyrna, was mentored by Apostle John the Beloved. He pastored his flock faithfully in the midst of terrible persecution, but managed to make it to the age of 86. At this point, the Emperor decided to execute Polycarp, but gave him permission to recant his faith in Christ. When he heard he was a wanted man, he refused to flee, but waited patiently for the soldiers to take him to the arena. When asked to recant, he replied, "86 years I have served him and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior. 

Saint Eusebius (260-340), bishop of Caesarea, is considered the Father of Church History. He escaped execution during Emperor Diocletian's "Great Persecution," but was imprisoned. After Emperor Constantine's Edict of Milan, Eusebius returned to pastoring his flock. Today, we remember him for ​Ecclesiastical History​, a 10-volume work covered Church history from Jesus to his time. I read this book and I love it! It's so awesome to read about the early church! In addition, he wrote a 15-volume work explaining how Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Christ. He also wrote a history of the world.  

Saint Nicholas (270-343), bishop of Myra in Asia Minor is remembered for his kind heart and generosity. He loved children and they loved him. During the "Great Persecution" of Emperor Diocletian, he was imprisoned and exiled. Saint Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea, a defender of Orthodoxy, defending the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, and Incarnation of Christ. He boldly denounced the heresies of Arius. 

​Saint Athanasius (296-373), the Archbishop of Alexandria, was exiled five times for his strong stand on the Deity of Christ and the Trinity. When the Church was divided over the heretical teachings of Arius who claimed that Jesus was not always one with the Father, Saint Athanasius firmly stood his ground on the Word of God. Throughout Christendom, there were fierce arguments. Emperor Constantine finally had enough and he called for a church council at Nicaea where the Nicene Creed was hashed out as a answer to Arius' heresy. Athanasius' works on the Incarnation of Christ helped to lay a strong foundation for sound doctrine in the Church. 

Today we celebrated the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses on the Whittenberg Door. It was a list of things he wanted to dialogue about, concerns he had about the state of the church. 

My husband, Pastor Mike came dressed as Apostle Paul. He started the service off by sharing Paul's testimony and the truths he taught about Christ Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, and To God's Glory Alone. 

More heroes followed. First, a Roman lady talked about the early church, martyrdom, and the conversion of Constantine, making Christianity legal. Next, Lady Matilda from the Middle Ages talked about the changes in the church during the Middle Ages where some of the truth of the Word of God were watered down. 

John Wycliffe spoke next about his adventures as a student at Oxford and his attempts to call the church back to the truths of the Bible. His followers were called Lollards, so we passed out lollipops to help us remember their name. 

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Henry Stanley, the newspaper reporter asked the Scottish doctor. "The whole world is looking for you." 

​"I'm not lost," the doctor replied in his hearty voice, that belied the illness he had been fighting. 

Dr. David Livingstone (1813- 1873), born in Scotland, spent most of his childhood working hard in a mill. His heart was set on being a doctor, so after his long days at the mill, he took night classes, eventually graduating with a medical degree.

​One day, David heard a missionary doctor speak about how missionaries with medical knowledge were needed in China. As David prayed about it, he felt called, not to China, but to Africa.

​David spent many years in Africa, traveling to places that no white man had ever gone before. It was quite an adventure! One time he was attacked by a lion! Another time a terrible accident destroyed his left arm. Best of all, he discovered beautiful rivers and majestic waterfalls.  

After I finished reading The Secrets of Ancient Man, I had to read The Genius of Ancient Man.

I found this book equally compelling.

​Like his other book, it was easy-to-understand and beautifully illustrated book with charts and graphs to make things clear for me as a reader.

I was blessed to learn more about the Bible, ancient history texts, and archaeology.

These books led me to other resources and further study. In preparing to teach a homeschool co-op class on Ancient Times, I found The Genius of Ancient Man and The Secret of Ancient Man ​to be invaluable resources in class prep. 
 
Let me share a little bit from the book to whet your appetite.

Trusting God

I love telling you about great books to put on your library shelves. But, don't leave this one on the shelf. Pick it up and read it cover to cover!

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is a Christian classic that was written in a jail cell. John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Puritan pastor in the seventeenth century (1600’s).

​John was arrested for his faith and teaching which did not line up with the Anglican Church viewpoint at the time. From his jail cell, he wrote down a dream. Wow! What an intricate dream!

This allegory (symbolic story) follows Christian, the hero of the story and a pilgrim on a journey from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly City. An allegory is a story on two levels. On the first level Pilgrim’s Progress is a literal adventure story with all kinds of twists and turns. But, there is a second level to the story. The symbolic story is the story of every Christian who tries to live a pure Christian life. We each have our own adventure of trials, temptations, and tribulations.

John was not a godly little boy or young man.

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​Since we were studying Ancient History again in our home school, I thought I would do a little investigating on my own to find new stories and archaeological discoveries.

The title, The Secrets of Ancient Man, grabbed my attention and as I leafed through it, I was intrigued.

​After finishing the easy-to-understand, beautifully illustrated book, I was grateful. I learned new information about the Bible, ancient history texts, and archaeology.

Not only was the book easy-to-read and understand, it was packed with beautiful illustrations, charts, and quotes. 

I was so excited as I read through it and just had to tell you about The Secrets of Ancient Man.
 
Let me share a little bit from the book to whet your appetite.

"What is a Quiz Pack?" I wondered aloud. 

I clicked on  the E-book and scanned quickly through the contents. I was interested. 

"Wow! It covers a lot of information...in great detail." I had just finished teaching Ancient History and came across things I hadn't covered. 

This is a set of quizzes and puzzles to test your middle and high school children's knowledge of Ancient Egypt. Information tested includes famous pharaohs, dynasties, daily life, family life, and geography of Egypt. 

There is another way to use this quiz book. I would like to use it to get ideas of what to study when I am beginning a unit study of Ancient Egypt. It give me all of the major things I need to make sure we learn. I like that!

I took some of the tests myself and checked them with the answer key. Oh dear, it's time to do more studying of Ancient Egypt. 

Restoring America's Biblical Foundations​ by Pilgrim Institute is a DVD course for high school students and adults on a topic that is dear to my heart: Truth. 

Over the years,  history has been taken out. Godly men are glossed over or their faith is hidden. Many people have only heard revisionist history--they know nothing of the truth of our Christian heritage and biblical foundation. 

I applaud the Pilgrim Institute for speaking out!

This course covers the biblical view of government and a Providential view of history. God gives a plan for government in His Word which the founders respected and tried to follow. The Lord intervenes in the affairs of men. Our Founding Fathers believed both.

​As Christians, I believe it's time to teach the truth to the next generation, starting in our home schools. Restoring America's Biblical Foundations is a great start! 

​Let me tell you about the kit.

When you think of Ancient Egypt, what immediately comes to your mine? Pyramids and mummies? Me too.
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While we study Ancient Egypt at our homeschool co-op, we want to bring it alive for young and old alike. We watched David Down’s archaeology video Pyramids of Ancient Egypt to learn more about various dynasties, pharaohs, and pyramids. 

I told the children about the mummies I saw at the British museum. It was fascinating the way you could see inside the clothes with an X-ray machine. How on earth did the Egyptians know how to preserve a body so that thousands of years later, you it would still hold its shape?

The next step was to make our own mummies.
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Don’t worry! We did not use real people or animals. We used my old Barbie® dolls. ​

​We divided the children in groups of two or three and gave them each a Barbie® or Ken® doll, some organ cut-outs, a roll of toilet paper, a straightened-out paper clip, and a face mask cut-out.

Sarah read the real mummification process aloud and we adapted it, giving directions to the children who acted it out with the dolls.
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By the way, we left their clothes on to keep everything modest. We laid the cut-out body organs on top of the dolls where they belonged. ​

Step One: Insert a hook through a hole near the nose and pull out a large section of brain.

We just put the paper clip near the nose and pretended to pull out the brain. Then we moved the brain off the face.

Step Two: Remove all the internal organs through an incision on the left side of the body near the waist. Leave the heart inside the body. The Egyptians believed that the heart was where the soul resided.
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Step Three: Let the internal organs dry.

​After making a sundial out of cardboard at homeschool co-op, I discovered a human sun dial during a trip to Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange with my friend. The human sundial was in the midst of a beautiful garden. Stones were carefully laid out. These stones were labeled with numbers. Other stones were labeled with the months of the year.


To tell time, you had to stand next to the month stone and face the number stones. Your shadow would fall across the number, revealing the time. If daylight savings time was in effect, you had to add an hour.
 
I tried it out and it worked! I was so thrilled. 

​A sundial is a device used since ancient times to tell the time of day based on the apparent movement of the sun across the sky. It has a flat plate or dial with numbers on it. There is a also a gnomon, or shadow casting apparatus, to cast the shadow across the dial numbers.
 
Sundials work by casting a shadow across the correct time. Though we are the ones who rotate, the sun appears to move across the sky at by 15̊every hour. As the sun “moves” across the sky, the position of the shadow changes, thus revealing the time.
 
Sundials are easy to make. We used a flat foam board and a cardboard tube. 

Where did Halloween come from anyway? Here is a brief history of the second most popular holiday in America. Most of the sources I have used for research are secular and some are from witches themselves.

Halloween has its roots in the Celtic new year festival of Samhain in ancient England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. This was considered the beginning of winter. Herds left the pastures for the barns, and tenant farmers renewed their leases.[1] Their pagan priests were called Druids. “Now on or about the first of November the Druids held their great autumn festival and lighted fires in honor of the sun-god in thanksgiving for the harvest.”[2] Druid priests fostered the belief that ghosts and witches were more likely to wander around on this night, more than all other nights during the year. The Celts lit bonfires on hills to frighten spirits away because they believed that “on the eve of this festival, Saman, the lord of death, called together all the wicked souls that within the past twelve months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals.”[3] “During the Samhain festival the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes, and those who had died during the year were believed to journey to the otherworld.”[4]

The Celts lit bonfires to frighten away evil spirits because they were afraid they would cause harm or death. They also put on “masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present. It was in those ways that beings such as witches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons came to be associated with the day. The period was also thought to be favorable for divination on matters such as marriage, health, and death.”[5]
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When the Roman Empire spread out to include Great Britain and Ireland, Roman festivals were added to the Celtic celebration.[6] Under the 400-year Roman rule, the festival of Samhain came to include the Roman festivals of Feralia and Pomona. Feralia was “a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead.”[7] Pomona, the Roman goddess of the harvest, fruit, and trees, was honored in another Roman celebration. The symbol for Pomona was the apple and this “probably explains the tradition of ‘bobbing’ for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.”[8]
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But the Celts did not stay in darkness. The Gospel came to their land and many Celts abandoned their pagan practices to serve the True and Living God. Some Druid priests also gave up their pagan practices to serve Jesus. Celtic Christians were devoted to the Lord, but those who resisted the Gospel continued these pagan practices of Samhain along with the added Roman celebrations.

​Bertie’s War by Barbara Tifft Blakey takes you back in time to the early 1960’s when America was facing the Cuban Missile Crisis.

It was a stressful time for everyone, but especially for our protagonist, Bertie, the youngest of three children. Her father is strict and Bertie tries very hard to please him, but it is the threat of missiles pointed at the United States that is hard for Bertie to understand.

When her father builds a bomb shelter for her grandparents, she is baffled. Why isn’t her father protecting his wife and children too?

Barbara takes us inside Bertie’s heart to feel her struggles and fears. We see the world through her eyes. We meet the people she loves and those she struggles to relate to. Children and young adults reading the book will relate to Bertie and her inner thoughts. 

Celebrations are never complete without stories.

And our American Thanksgiving is full of stories.

Here are two chapter books that are lovely to read aloud to your children or grandchildren during the week of Thanksgiving.

Divide the chapters up so that you can finish the whole book in a week. The children will love these books and they give them a look back in time to the very first Thanksgiving.  

​Celebrations are never complete without stories.

And our American Thanksgiving is full of stories.

You can Learn from the Pilgrims and Puritans in my blog, but there are many more picture books and chapter books that are lovely to read aloud to your children or grandchildren.

Here are some picture books to read aloud.

Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters with Photographs by Russ Kendall (Scholastic 1989) is a lovely picture book with photographs taken at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum. Samuel sailed over on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims. At the beginning of the book, you meet Samuel and he shows you his village. Then we go through his entire day with him, from putting on his stockings to doing his chores, from helping with the rye harvest to gathering mussels for the evening meal.

My children loved this book when they were little. Children love to learn about other children! Samuel is obedient and prays before he goes to sleep. The family says a blessing before their meals. It’s refreshing to see prayer included in a Scholastic book. I don’t know if this has been edited out of more recent versions. The photographs are vivid and attractive. There is a also a section in the back where you can learn more about Samuel Morton, Plimoth Plantation, and the rye harvest at the back of the book. 

​Plimoth Plantation by William Bradford is a history of the local church in Scrooby that fled to Holland and later crossed the Atlantic Ocean to settle at Plymouth Plantation. William Bradford served for many years as governor of the first settlement in New England. Plimoth Plantation is a detailed history of Plymouth Colony from 1621 to 1646. You will learn about key people in the colony too. William is considered the Father of American History.

Similar to other books you will read from the colonial period, William compares the events that occurred in Plymouth with events from the Bible. You will learn about the Mayflower Compact, early colony laws, and treaties with the Indians. I find it interesting that Mr. Bradford very carefully shows you details of the Lord’s blessing and judgment. I learned things in this book that I had never heard before in history class. 

The stores are filled with hearts, chocolate, and roses in every shade of pink and red imaginable. As a lover of pink, chocolate and roses, this just may be my favorite time of year to shop!  It's St. Valentines Day! Yes, St. Valentine's Day--I know that sounds a little odd to your ears. When I was a little girl, that's what we called it. But in recent years, as all holidays are secularized and materialized more and more, St. Valentine's Day became Valentine's Day. 

Who was St. Valentine and why do we celebrate love on the day we've set aside to remember him?  Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome during the reign of Emporer Claudius. He was know for his kindness and selfless love. He was arrested for his faith and imprisoned, but managed to send and receive letters from his friends and fellow Christians. Emporer Claudius tried to convert him to Roman paganism to spare his life, but Valentine shared the Gospel with the emporer instead. Before he was martyred for his faith in Jesus, he healed the eyes of his jailor's blind daughter.  

In the Late Middle Ages, when courtly love and romance became the rage throughout Europe, St. Valentine's Day became associated with love and romance. Both romantic love and Christian martyrdom are things to celebrate.  St. Valentine stands in the "great cloud of witnesses," in Hebrews 12, cheering us on! St. Valentine's Day can be celebrated in either direction, or both directions. We can celebrate the romantic love we share with our sweethearts or we can remember those who have given their lives for the Gospel of Christ.

If we are celebrating St. Valentine's Day with our sweetie, there are many options.  He, of course, can buy us a dozen long-stemmed roses and a big box of Godiva chocolate.  We can go out to a lovely dinner and gaze into each other's eyes.  But, of course, those things cost money.  So, what are some inexpensive ways to celebrate the romance you share with your husband?  Here are some things Mike and I have done:

• Pack china, crystal goblets, a tasty lunch, and sparkling grape juice. Go on a picnic in a pretty spot.  Bring a beautiful comforter to sit on and be careful with the china and crystal!
• Buy a package of Valentines for children.  Write little notes to your husband on each one and hide them throughout the house.  Make most easy to find, but hide some so that they won't be found until later
• Make a CD of romantic songs and dance outside on the patio in the moonlight
• Make a scrapbook of your relationship from its conception until now. Look at it together. 

• Tell your children how you met, how your husband proposed, and other fun stories. Your children will love this!
• Wait until the children are in bed and have a romantic dinner by candlelight ALONE!
• Read old love letters out loud to each other!

The Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical Greek and Roman art, literature, and culture that took place mostly in Southern Europe. 

The Reformation was a spiritual rebirth that took place in hearts as they rediscovered the Truth found in Scripture: Salvation through Faith alone. The Reformation took place mostly in Northern Europe. 

As these earth-shaking movements were happening across Europe, men were bravely sailing to the New World.

​What an exciting time to study! How thrilling to see God moving through time and history to glorify Jesus and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth!
​

When I first heard the term apologetics, I immediately thought of apologizing. It sounded like Christians were saying, "I'm sorry for what I believe." But the term apologetics refers to intellectually defending the faith. As believers in Jesus, we are commanded to give a reason for the hope that we have, to answer the intellectual questions of our day. The Bible does have an answer for the questions the world is asking.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of your slander," (I Peter 3:15-16NIV).

Teens Defend Their Faith

People will ask you and your Christian teenager questions such as "Why do you believe the Bible?" or "Why do you think Christianity is the only right way to believe?" Is your teen ready to answer those questions? Maybe you are thinking, "Golly, I'm not ready to answer those questions." That's okay. You and your teen can learn together.

Where do we start in teaching our teens to defend their faith? Set apart Christ as Lord. Set Him aside as the Supreme Master of your life and home. Whatever He says goes! His Word is Truth. His commands are obeyed. He is the One we live to please, not the world, our friends, or our college professors.

Training

Next, we receive preparation or training so that we can be prepared to give an answer to those who ask. This preparation can be in the form of a class with you or your spouse. There are many wonderful books available on the subject of apologetics such as More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell or Know Why You Believe by Paul E. Little. My husband taught an apologetics Sunday School class that we have adapted for our teens. It covers the following topics.

• Reality and Uniqueness of the Bible
• Creation and the Evolution Scam
• The Flood
• Archeology
• Prophecies of Cities' Destruction
• Prophecies of the Coming Messiah
• The Trilema: Is Jesus, Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
• Jesus' Resurrection

"The American people have spoken," I heard over and over on election night. I wondered just exactly what the American people had said. I realized how polarized our nation was as many states came down to the wire. Of course, Wyoming, Texas, and other staunchly conservative states voted overwhelmingly Republican and more liberal states like Massachusetts and New York were strongly Democratic. Our state, Florida was a close call. 

The election results made me sad. Not just another four years with Obama who has led us straight to socialized medicine, economic ruin, and unfathomable debt, but I grieved over the amendments passed throughout the nation. Socialized medicine was held up here in Florida. Colorado legalized recreational drug use. Surprised these things were on the ballot? No. Surprised at the results? Yes. 

Where is the America Dream?

I grieved all day Wednesday. I don't recognize this nation anymore. I remember a speech my friend, Kathy gave in high school at an Optimist Club oratorical contest. It was on the American Dream. She was amazing and won the night! Like most young people, I didn't pay attention to the message, only the delivery. She looked pretty and spoke well. 

"Like a lamb led to the slaughter," I kept hearing in my mind. People, so foolish, think they can get something for nothing. Promised the moon, they will end up with only an illusion. Voters will lose far more than they will gain. 

National Sovereignty

Socialism is about more than high tax brackets. It is about the loss of national sovereignty, the loss of freedom, the destruction of the Constitution. 

All socialists believe in one world government. Do we really want to cash in national sovereignty. Do we really want to surrender our freedom to the federal government? We are on a path of destruction. Does no one see? This is far more than economic woes and higher taxes (though they will come in full force!). Individual rights will cease to exist. Yes, they will disappear slowly and many will not even notice. 

Corruption of Power

I gave my heart to Christ at the age of sixteen. I love Him and would lay down my life for Him. He is my boss. I trust Him completely to make wise decisions with my best interest at heart. I do not trust the federal government to make decisions with my best interest at heart. I do not want the federal government to be my provider either. I already have one. I do expect the federal government to provide me a justice system and a strong military that will defend the nation should we be attacked by a foreign government. 

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We are giving more and more power to the federal government, With that power comes more and more corruption because power is like a drug--you just want more and more. Giving more power to the federal government will mean less freedom for families, businesses, educators, and individuals. 

With great sorrow, I still commit myself to honor our president and do my best to be a responsible American. I trust in God's sovereignty, in His discipline.   

Now, I mourn the loss of the American Dream. There is no Canadian Dream, no Venezuelan Dream, no Dutch Dream. Good-bye American Dream, hello American Nightmare. 

"Look a watch shop," I said to Julianna, Shine, and Jimmy.

Ten Boom Watch and Jewelry  was written in Dutch and English on the large store front window. Clocks, watches, and jewelry glittered in the window. I smiled.

​Corrie ten Boom was the daughter and granddaughter of a watch maker. In fact, Corrie was the first registered clock and watch maker in the Netherlands.

It Started with a Prayer Meeting

Three generations of watch making symbolized before me, but more importantly, three generations that loved Jesus Christ with all their hearts. In 1844, Corrie's grandfather, Willem was approached by a Messianic Jewish pastor who asked Willem to start a weekly prayer meeting for the Jewish people. That was strange because back then there was no nation of Israel and the Jews were scattered throughout the world. But, Willem began weekly prayer meetings for the Jewish people that continued for 100 years.

We were ushered in by our tour guide up some narrow steps to a charming living room. I felt like I had stepped back in time to the early twentieth century. Unlike other museums, we were able to sit down on the ten Boom furniture and listen to our guide.

Life in Amsterdam

​“Lord's day, Oct. 19. ‘In the morning I felt my soul hungering and thirsting after righteousness. While I was looking on the elements of the Lord's Supper, and thinking that Jesus Christ was not "set forth crucified before me,’ my soul was filled with light and love, so that I was almost in an ecstasy; my body was so weak I could scarcely stand.

“I felt at the same time an exceeding tenderness and most fervent love toward all mankind; so that my soul and all its powers seemed, as it were, to melt into softness and sweetness. But during the communion there was some abatement of this life and fervor. This love and joy cast out fear; and my soul longed for perfect grace and glory. This frame continued til the evening, when my soul was sweetly spiritual in secret duties.,”

(from the Diary of David Brainerd)

Would you like to learn more about this Colonial American missionary to the Native Americans?

The year we studied American History this year, five families united to  coop every Tuesday in my living room, kitchen, backyard, and nearby park. We  listened to numerous books read aloud, shot arrows from bows, worked on timelines, recited famous speeches, and created many hands-on projects. The fascinating thing to me about American History is the deep devotion to God that once lived in the hearts of men and women in this nation. Even those who rejected the Gospel admitted that God had His hand in the formation of this great nation.

Today, my heart aches for a nation that has turned away from the Lord and looks to the government to solve its problems, seemingly unaware that we are experiencing judgment as a result of our rejection of the God of the Bible and His moral laws. I am saddened to see how far we have strayed, yet hope cannot keep from rising inside me. God can still bring revival, changing the hearts of men and women once again, so that they seek His face.

This hope is tempered by the realization that it not only takes loving God, but knowing and obeying HIs Word to make a nation great. We must seek His Wisdom, found in Scripture on how to govern a nation, enact moral laws, and transform our evil culture. God speaks about history, law, politics, leadership, culture, and justice in His Word.