The Complete Christmas Story

   The lovely Kaitlyn from The SoCal Gal invited me to do a guest post for her blog series: 12 Days of Christmas. I was more than happy to oblige. Hope you enjoy!

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   The little girl slowly opened her eyes. The sun had yet to peep over the horizon. She was about to snuggle back into the covers when the faint smell of bacon caused her to sit up.

Why is Dad making breakfast so early? We don’t have to do school… oh!”

Suddenly remembering the significance of the day, she leapt out of bed and ran to her siblings’ rooms.

“It’s Christmas guys, get up!”

Three pairs of feet tumbled down the stairs and breathlessly wished their parents a “Merry Christmas!” before carefully examining the presents beside the tree.

“Eat your breakfast first kids,” their mother said, smiling at their eager faces.

Breakfast was dutifully consumed, but there was yet one thing left to do before tearing into the colorfully wrapped presents. Picking up a Bible, their father led them to the family room where they all sat next to the fire and listened as he read the Christmas story.

   This scene is one which replays every year at our house, as it undoubtedly does in numerous other Christian households. While we no longer exchange gifts, one tradition still remains: reading the opening chapters of Matthew or Luke. I heard the Christmas story so many times growing up, that I knew it by heart.

   At least I thought I did.

   Several years ago, I decided to read through the Matthew account on my own. To my surprise, Matthew doesn’t start with the familiar words, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:” No, the opening verses of Matthew are, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar;…”

   The Christmas story starts with a genealogy!

The 5 Sola Heartbeat of Luther's Message

   In this second post of a three-part series celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, my sister Victoria explains the heart of Luther's message and what the Reformation is really about.   

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     The heart of Martin Luther’s message is dynamically portrayed in the five Solas of the Protestant Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Fide, Sola Gracia, and Soli Deo Gloria. They identify our final authority on spiritual matters, especially in determining how man is justified (made righteous before God). Written during the Renaissance period, these Solas countered the Church’s mandate for universal submission to Roman Catholicism’s three-fold authority: church leadership (consisting of the Pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests), tradition, plus the Scriptures—in Latin. When tradition contradicted the Bible, tradition overruled. Of course, the Reformers strongly disagreed and wrote Biblical rebuttals, resulting in the five Solas. These succinct doctrines express what we Protestants believe, give discernment between truth and error, and help us defend our faith.

God's Man in God's Time - Reformation 500

   In this second post of a three-part series celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, my brother Gabriel shares some interesting information about the man behind the Reformation.  

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     Martin Luther was a man that had a profound influence on the Reformation. Martin Luther was born in Germany to Hans and Margarethe Luther on November 10, 1483. His father, Hans, worked diligently at a copper mine. Mr. Luther had plans for his oldest son, Martin. He sent him to Latin school for a time and then to the University of Erfurt at the age of thirteen. Martin’s father wanted him to be well educated in order to become a lawyer. Martin, however, wanted none of this. Though Mr. Luther knew that his son did not like training for a lawyer, he still enrolled him in law school.

     One day, as Martin was going to the University, he was overtaken by a mighty thunderstorm. Before he reached his destination, a lightning bolt struck near. In his distress, he cried, “Help! Saint Anna, I will become a monk.” The thunderstorm subsided, and he was able to make it to safety. True to his word, Martin stopped school and put everything away to become a monk. His father was enraged. He complained that he spent money on his education, and Martin wasted it. However, Martin Luther did not listen to his father’s words. He focused on living the religious life of a monk.

The Stroke Heard 'Round the World - Reformation 500

   In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, I'm temporarily breaking my blogging fast to share a series of posts over the next two weeks on the impact of the Reformation, who was behind it, and what the Reformation's main message is. 

Hope you enjoy!

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     Flickering candles cast irregular shadows on the room’s walls. A mouse cautiously emerged from a hole in the corner and scanned the floor for crumbs. All was silent except for the soft scratching of a quill pen being applied to parchment. A stout monk sat hunched over his writing desk laboriously working out the details of his document. His face was twisted in concentration. Years of studying the Scriptures had brought him to this point. He could no longer stay silent. With a final stroke, Martin Luther laid aside his writing instrument. Tomorrow morning, he would nail his treatise to the church door.

Taking A Break - 3 Reasons Why

     I'll be taking a temporary blogging hiatus over the next school year. But don't worry, I'm not dropping off the blogosphere completely! However, my posts will become more irregular and you may notice some changes on the blog. Why am I taking a break?


1. College

     While I graduated high school a year ago, I decided not to enter college immediately. Instead I took a Gap year. During that time, I grew this blog, helped my dad start creating a website for his teaching ministry (check it out here), and worked on a very special project (more on that later). All the while, we prayed for the Lord's direction in choosing the right major and searched for an online Christian college. The Lord has finally made the path plain for me. Last month I started college with Lumerit Unbound pursuing an Information Technology major. Your prayers would be appreciated as I start the next phase of my education.


2. Taking time to improve this blog

     For years I've tinkered with this blog's layout, design, colors, and content, but have never been able to get it quite how I'd like it. Hopefully with the skills learned from Computer Science, I'll be able to perfect this blog to my liking.


3. A special project

     I can't say much about this yet as it's still in the early stages. The Lord planted an idea in my mind during worship services one Sunday morning. Hopefully within a year or so I'll be able to tell you all about it!


     Please, please, please pray that the Lord would guide me as I seek His will for this project and for my future career. Thank you all so much for your support!

 - Gloria

Soli Deo Gloria