Reformation Trivia

My husband turns 40 this year.  His birthday is near Halloween and for several years he has talked of throwing a "Reformation Day" Party.  Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door at Wittenburg on October 31, 1517. (Cue Munsters theme song - thank you Comm. Central memory songs!)

This year we're making it happen.  It's an adult-only Reformation-education style party.  He's dressing as Monk Martin and I'm his bride, Katie, a former nun.

Today I was researching a bit for the party and decided it would be beneficial if I read through the 95 Theses.

Near the end of the document, #92, caught my attention: Away, then, with those prophets who say to Christ's people, "Peace, peace," where in there is no peace.

The phrase "Peace, peace," where in there is no peace rang in my ears.  I could hear the voice of my son reciting memory work from Comm. Central but I couldn't remember which piece it was.  I asked omniscient Google who told me it is actually from the Bible, in Jeremiah 6:14 & 8:11.

But we haven't memorized that passage from Jeremiah.  Where was it from?!!

Anyone remember?

See if this jogs your memory:

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace ­ but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

The question remains, "Was Patrick Henry quoting Jeremiah or Luther?"

I suppose it doesn't really matter, I just thought it was cool to make the connection.  Without Comm. Central, I would not have been able to put the two together.

Happy to see fruit of my labor,
Julie

Kon-Tiki {rafting adventure across the Pacific}

My husband read this book review on Kon-Tiki then reserved a copy of it from the library.

It's a true story of how six men traveled 2,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean in 1947 on a raft made of balsa wood to prove a theory that Polynesians migrated from Peru.

I was hooked after reading this paragraph from the reviewer:

Kon-Tiki is not a monotonous log or diary of a voyage; it is an amazing adventure. It is not a typical living geography book, though it does describe in vivid detail the people and terrain of Peru, the ocean currents, the South Pacific islands and their respective inhabitants and culture. It encompasses a vast array of other subjects: history for one, with its interesting description of the world after World War II, the technology, industry, and interests of the young men who survived the brutal realities of that war; worthy literature, as Heyerdahl masterfully employs excellent language to tell his tale with admirable literary flair; anthropology, as he enthusiastically justifies his pet project to prove a theory about the relationship of the Peruvian Indians to the Polynesians is contagious enough to awaken interest in that field; even government as he negotiates and pulls strings to get the project underway.

Because I am a mother of two boys, I'm thinking of buying a copy of this book for them to read again and again.  You can buy a mass-market paperback for $5.  I'm not an expert at gauging reading levels, but I would put this one on a high-school level.  For my fourth-grader, I will pick passages for him to read - specifically surrounding the crew's observations of marine life.  Already I have read several passages to him aloud.  It's not that the story line or words would be too hard for him to read, I think he would be lost on some of the details (that I find engaging!)

If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch a one-hour documentary [from 1950] free. In 2013, Hollywood made another version.  I've not seen either because I want to finish the book first.

What books are you reading?
-Julie