When we plan and prepare for Sunday School—be it for adults, high school youth, or children—we know the first step is prayer. It is foundational for all curriculum choices, programs, and activities.
Our small church, situated under the towering James River dam,
“My favorite part of the Christmas program is afterwards, when we get to open gifts!” Her eyes danced with anticipation, though our program was still weeks away. At first, I was a little disappointed. Why wasn’t the child more excited about the songs and the message of Jesus in the program we had been practicing week after week? And
Life on the farm in the summertime bustled with activity and chores. Participation of all family members was required and valued. Yet no matter how much our help was needed on the farm, my parents prioritized time and money for me and my siblings to attend Bible camp every summer.
Anticipation of a Reformation road trip to Germany last summer drew me to revisit the life of J. S. Bach through two books, one a biography and the other this discussion of Bach in the context of theology: Bach Among the Theologians by Jaroslav Pelikan
This edition of the Book of Concord is relatively new to me. I purchased a copy of it at a store across the street from the church where Martin Luther was a member in Wittenberg, Germany, when I was there last summer. The copy of the book that I had used
For many of us, it would be difficult to imagine a service at church that did not include singing music together. Yet at the time when Martin Luther was beginning the journey upon which the Reformation would follow, it was quite common.
There has been lots of talk about the Reformation this year. But no matter how much you’ve heard about it, there’s still always more to learn and more resources for you and your congregation to discover.
“The family that prays together stays together.” “Prayer changes things.” These are prayer truths we decorate our homes with, prayer truths we occasionally quote for Christian encouragement.
The Barber Who Wanted To Pray, a children’s book, begins mysteriously as the local barber anxiously watches a wanted criminal come into his shop
Martin Luther’s Christmas Book edited by Roland H. Bainton is a brief, readable collection of some of Luther’s thinking on Christmas and the meaning it holds for believers. Bainton has culled excerpts from approximately 30 years’ worth of Luther’s sermons and has organized them in a somewhat sequential manner representing the progression of God coming to earth as man.
This book is an excellent overview of the very fascinating and inspiring life of Martin Luther. It is intended for teenagers and young adults, but is very useful for adults who want an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand description of this adventurous monk within the Catholic Church of sixteenth-century Europe.
Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (Viking, 2017) by Eric Metaxas sets out to make a bold statement about the life of Martin Luther. As the title indicates, Metaxas sees the impact of Luther’s life and theology extending beyond his religious influence and into the larger world—an influence he repeatedly underscores.
As we focus on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation and Martin Luther’s enormous impact, we should not overlook the importance of his Small Catechism. Luther is reported to have once commented that if he were to be remembered after his death for anything he had written it would be for his Small Catechism and The Bondage of the Will.
