Luther on Music

I, Doctor Martin Luther, wish all lovers of the unshackled art of music grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ!

I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy, the lovely gift of music which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God.

The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them.... In sum, next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits...

Our dear fathers and prophets did desire that music be always used in the churches. Hence, we have so many songs and psalms.

This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God.

However, when man's natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace.

A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.

Shakespeare's Coined Words Now Common Currency

While William Shakespeare died many years ago, the English playwright and poet lives on not only through his writings, but through the words and sayings attributed to him that still color the English language today. So whether you are "fashionable" or "sanctimonious," thank Shakespeare, who coined the terms.

Shakespeare is called the greatest author in the English language not only because his works are in English, but also for his profound and lasting impact on the language itself. Shakespeare coined over 1,500 words by  himself. (Some estimate this number to be closer to 10,000 words!)

Here's a collection of well-known quotations that are associated with Shakespeare:

• Eaten out of house and home
• Pomp and circumstance
• Full circle
• The makings of
• Method in the madness
• Neither rhyme nor reason
• One fell swoop
• Seen better days
• It smells to heaven
• A sorry sight
• A spotless reputation
• Sweets to the sweet
• In my heart of hearts
• All that glitters is not gold

Try the Shakespeare dictionary.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

Does God control the weather? Some have concluded that suffering and natural disasters occur because they are beyond God's control. This is incorrect. God has indeed established certain laws and principles that govern nature, but he remains sovereign over these laws. Psalm 148:8 declares that storms “do his bidding.” He is in control, and has His reasons for all kinds of weather, both fair and stormy. Throughout time, God has divinely directed weather and that has often changed the course of history.

A great example of this is the story about the Spanish Armada…

Over four centuries ago, Philip II of Spain set out to rule the world. His goal was to reunite all of Christianity under the Catholic faith, and also under Spanish control. Philip was a heartless leader who had earlier supported the harsh measures of the Spanish Inquisition. He did not get along well with either Britain or Holland. When the Netherlands declared their independence from Spain in 1588, Philip sailed north with an “invincible” Armada of 130 warships and 30,000 men. Then, while far from home, bad weather hit the fleet. With no port available the ships were forced to anchor at sea. The smaller British fleet under Sir Francis Drake than harassed the Spanish by releasing flaming “tar ships” among the anchored fleet. The Spanish Armada fled north through the English Channel and around the coast of Scotland, where continued fierce storms, which have come to be know as the Protestant Wind,  pushed the fleet onto the rocky shores. Only half of the original Spanish fleet finally limped back home. The battle was over, the English had won!

Queen Elizabeth and her people were jubilant. No more were they a second rate sea power, for they had conquered the fleet of the mighty Spanish Empire. A thanksgiving service was held at St. Paul's Cathedral for the delivery of the country, and a medal was struck with the words "God blew and they were scattered" inscribed on it. They believed that the storm that had besieged the Spanish ships was no ordinary storm, but the work of God.

John Knox - Scottish Reformer

Knowledge of God and of Ourselves

All true and sound wisdom consists of two parts:
the knowledge of God and of ourselves.

- John Calvin

“The Institutes of the Christian Religion”

Each of us must, then be so stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness as to attain at least some knowledge of God. Thus, from the feeling of our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and — what is more — depravity and corruption, we recognize that the true light of wisdom, sound virtue, full abundance of every good, and purity of righteousness rest in the Lord alone. To this extent we are prompted by our own ills to contemplate the good things of God; and we cannot seriously aspire to him before we begin to become displeased with ourselves.

Luther Speech Contest Winners!!!

Great job on your recital of Luther's famous quote.
The winners are: Donald Livingston, John O'Connor, & Laura Swanzy!

"Unless I am convinced by Scripture or by clear reason (for I do not believe in the authority of either popes or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted each other), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen."- Martin Luther

Luther - Coloring Contest

Draw a cartoonist style picture about Luther & the Reformation in the style of Ron Hill's Arm Chair Theologians illustrations.

Coloring Contest Rules:
- Drawings can be black & white or color.
- Drawings must be on paper size 8.5" x 11" or larger.
- Entries must be turned in by Wednesday, October 27th.