C. S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis was an amazing author, but he was also an amazing Christian. When his Mom got cancer and died, he prayed that she would be healed. She was not, and he became bitter at God for a long time. Then, in 1917, he became a student at Oxford University. He loved Oxford, and excelled at it. Some of his friends, including Owen Barfield, talked to him about God and tried to convince him to become a Christian again. He finally did become a Christian. After that he graduated and got married. After being married four years, his wife Joy died. However, C. S. Lewis did not get bitter this time. After that, he went on the write the Chronicles of Narnia and lots of other famous Christian books.

Gladys Alward

I read the biography of Gladys Alward. She was a very amazing women who went to China to be a missionary. She led many people to the Lord. When she arrived in China she helped start the Inn of Eight Happinesses, which was an inn for the mule drivers to stay at. Later on she became the oficial foot inspector. She had to go around and make sure that the feet of girls were not bound anymore. War then came to China and it was a very hard time for the people. Gladys went with her 100 adopted children to live in caves. Later they left the caves and went on a long hard journey to get to the trains. When Gladys got there with her children they went of the trains. Gladys got sick from all of her work and decided to go back to England. But she missed China to bad to stay. Gladys went back to China and countinued her missionary work. She was a very amazing women, and she was very dear to many of the Chinease people. I think Gladys was incredible. She never gave up even when it got hard.

Gladys Aylward

Gladys Aylward was an amazing woman of God. She always wanted to be a missionary to China, but she failed missionary training school, so she had to go there herself. When she finally got enough money to go, Gladys got on a train and started out on the greatest adventure of her life. To make a very long story short, Gladys FINALLY got to her destination after almost freezing to death, almost being kidnapped and sent to work for the Soviets, and almost not finding where she was supposed to go in the first place. The destination she was going to was the house of Mrs. Lawson - an elderly missionary lady who needed someone young to help her. Mrs. Lawson wanted to turn her house (which was actually an old inn) into an inn for mule drivers who drove by the village every day. To make another long story short, they DID turn their inn into a place for the mule drivers to stay, and managed to tell them about Jesus while they were at it.
One day, though, Mrs. Lawson fell off a second-story roof and was mortally injured. Gladys was then put in charge of everything. She did a good job, and with no other English person to talk to, learned the dialect of the village very quickly.
To make the final long story short, Gladys adopted hundreds of orphans and cared for them herself. She even went on a week-long journey by foot with all of her children over the border so that they would be safe from the enemy in World War 2.
Gladys never went back to England until she was forced to because of painful migraines. She literally gave up her life to obey God's calling. Gladys Aylward chose to spend the final years of her life in China - her home.

George Mueller

George Mueller became an amazing man of God.... in God.

When he was young, living in Germany, George stole a lot from his own father, tricking other people and stuff like that. He once got arrested and put in jail. When he was a Bible college student, George was still drinking and paryting. He made fun of Christians too.
Once George was invited by his friend to come to a Bible study. George's intention was to go just to make fun of the Christians. But when he went, he found himself enjoying the bible study.He saw people that loved God and he later repented and got saved.
When George got saved, he didn't know that things were going to change. Friends would leave him, his own father witheld his support in George's salvation and so now he didn't have any money to go school.
Thank God George knew that he couln't forsake Jesus and he went back to God and asked him to help him to go to school. One hour later God answered the prayer through his professer and got to freely go to school!
God helped financially George's life but also paved a way for George to start his ministry as soon as he could.
George began an orphanage and was a man that recieved unimaginable provisions from God and the whole way, George learned to trust him.
With 300 orphans, he would bring them to the table with everything but the food waiting for them. He would pray and thank God for the food and just wait. Within minutes, food and drink came to George's door, enough to feed the 300 children.
Nothing is impossible for God!

Corrie Ten Boom

what would you do if your friends were being killed because of their faith in God or the color of their skin? Would you take a stand to help them? What if you didn't even know the people being killed? Would you be willing to risk your own life to save theirs?

this was Corrie Ten Booms and her family's life. they were an outstanding family who took in Jews and hid them from the soldiers. one night the soldiers invaded there home and hit and beat Corrie and her sister. they were not gong to give in and tell them. they said that would rather die then tell the nasty solders where they were hiding. even though the soldiers were poking holes in the wall looking for the "secret place" they never found the hiding spot that was in Corrie's room. she would only do so much cause she was sick with the flu and very sleepy from it. before this terrible night, while she was in harrlem she was well know. she started bible studies and was helping around the town. then that Nazis came in a made life miserable;e for everyone. despite the hard times, Corrie lived through all the struggles and maintained her beliefs as a christian. after the war, she traveled to over 60 countries telling people about gods love and the horror of the conception camps. she lived in California from 1977 till she died on her 91st birthday in 1983.

Not only does Corrie Ten Boom have an amazing story, i was named after her!

Jim Elliot.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

This statement was given by Jim Elliot himself while living in Equador. This man had devoted his life to reach a people group that had never been in contact with the outside world. They were know, even among other tribes, as the most vicious natives in South America. This tribe today is known at the Waodoni, but then they called them Aucas. Jim along with 4 other men devoted their lives to have the Gospel reach this tribe. After a few years of missions work they all decided it was time to go. Nate Saint (the pilot), along with the other men would fly over the native tribe and drop gifts, while shouting friendly Auca phrases. After some time they decided to land on a sand strip only a few miles from the Auca Village. 3 days after landing, 3 villagers ( 1 man, and 2 women), came to their fort. Everyting seemed to be going well until about 6 days after they had arived. This was the day when several Auca warriors attacked the men with spears killing all 5. A few days later a search team was sent out, and all 5 bodies of the men were found and buried.


When you read stories of these men in depth you find out what true devotion to the Lord means. Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming and Jim Elliot, all died for the cause of the Auca tribe hearing the Gospel. Although armed through the attack none of these men fired upon any of the natives. The reason was because they all made a promise not to kill any unsaved natives. These men are incredible pictures of followers of christ laying down their lives for the furthering of God's kingdom. In less than two years Elisabeth Elliot, her daughter Valerie, and Rachel Saint (Nate's sister) were able to move to the Auca village. Many Aucas became Christians. They are now a friendly tribe. Missionaries, including Nate Saint's son and his family, still live among the Aucas today.

Amy Carmichael

Amy Carmichael was an amazing lady! I had heard her name before but i never really knew who she was until i read this biography! When Amy was younger her family was very rich, but a devastating close in the company changed all of that. Eventually due to worry and stress her father died, leaving Amy and her mother to raise her younger siblings. One day Amy saw a poor old woman walking. She took compassion on her and immediately went and helped her. Through this experience Amy made a promise to God that she would only do things that were pleasing to him. Another incident similar to this one also gave her a true heart for the poor. One day Amy was eating in a restaurant and saw a poor little girl with her faced pressed up against the window, Amy felt very sorry for her and also promised that when she grew up all of the money that she made would go to the poor. Through these experiences Amy went on to be a missionary in India were she helped many little children. Amy Carmichael was a very neat lady who had a desire to please the Lord and a heart for the poor.

MARTIN LUTHER

This guy was pretty much amazing...
When he was a little kid, he got WHACKED multiple times on the hand for speaking German, instead of Latin on the school playground. He did not like his teacher (Master Heindrick, but more like Master Bully.) but he really liked to learn and gain knowledge. When he became a little bit older, his dad wanted him to be a lawyer. So he went along w/ it, because he really did not want to be a monk, like some of his other friends...
But this is the cool part....a part of his story is similar to Paul the apostle's story.
He was traveling to law school...when suddenly, a HUGE storm broke in. A lightning bolt cracked really close to him on the ground..and long-story short...He fell to the ground and said "Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk." So, he ended up surviving the storm...and he became a monk...his dad was pretty upset, because all of the money put towards law school was pretty much wasted...but Luther felt like he made a deal w/ God and he could not break it...
Some time had passed when he got the revelation out of Romans 1:17 that we are not saved by works. He later then saw one of the other monks passing out papers with which you could "buy" away your sins.....Martin thought this was very wrong, so he wrote the 95 theses (reasons) of what was wrong...he did not know that this would start a whole reformation and eventually start a whole new church...
THE END

Fanny Crosby

Fanny Crosby got an infection on her eyes when she was six years old. The infection healed but the damage caused her to be blind. Fanny Crosby was taught many things by her grandmother about nature, life and how to handle not being normal. When she was just eight years old she wrote this poem

Oh, what a happy child I am,
Although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be!

How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't!
To weep or sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot and I won't.

Fanny went on to write tons of hymns and poems.

Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot was a famous missionary who went to the rain forest of Ecuador to preach the gospel to an unreached tribe, the Aucas. All his life he wanted to be a missionary, and he hated to think that so many people die without hearing the gospel preached. Jim and several other missionaries first learned how to speak with the Quichuas, another tribe in that area. They soon became believers, and Jim and his missionary friends decided it was time to preach to reach the Aucas. First, they would fly a plan over the land of the Aucas, dropping goods and supplies to them as a friendly gesture. One day, the Aucas gave a present of their own in the bucket. Then, while flying around the area, Jim saw a beach and decided to land there and set up camp. After a few days, a group of Auca warriors came and attacked Jim and his comrades. Though they all had guns, they had agreed to never kill an unsaved Auca to rescue themselves. So Jim and his missionary comrades died. However, their deaths encouraged many, many other people to become missionaries, and in a few more years, the Aucas became a Christian tribe.

William Tyndale

William Tyndale was one of the first people to translate the Bible into English. Good right? I mean you'd think that people would support you for trying to make the Bible readable to the common everyday farmer. Wrong. Tyndale was branded an outlaw by the King and had a huge bounty on his head. He was constantly pursued by spies and was always on the run. But he continued to do GOD's work. Eventually he was tricked, taken prisoner, and burned at the stake. His last words were: "GOD, please open the eyes of the King of England". His prayer was answered many years later as the King ordered the Bible to be translated into the English language and distributed throughout all England. William Tyndale did what he knew GOD wanted him to do, even though it ment his death. I pray that GOD will give me that kind of obediance, and a love for Him that surpasses anything else.

Whigs

Our study guide mentioned a little about Whigs, and I found out that they were one of the two main British political parties (the other being the Tories). They supported aristocratic families and Presbyterians, and later evolved into the Democratic Party. The name came from the Scottish Covenanters, who were called Whigs. I've also read that the name might have been an acronym for We Hope In God, but I'm not sure if that is true or not.

woops

oh, that's not my weekly post that'll be coming later today...lol

WE WIN

i am going to say that the English people's view of the colonists as Rebels won...right?

Thomas Paine

I found another really cool website about Thomas Paine from Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine

It gives an overview of his life. The website also says that he influenced the French Revolution. I thought that was cool.

thomas paine...and some of his veiws

Ok so when i was reading the thing on him and his writings i found out alot of very interesting stuff. One thing i really enjoyd was the part named The Monarchy and Hereditary Succession. I thought this whole part was the most interesting because he really shares his veiws on religion. He talks alot about how he thinks God views monarchy and how he believes it a practice for heathens. Its crazy how he talks about the jewish people and how he believes that they were the beggining of this evil way of rulership. I agree with some things and don't with others. One thing i think it right is that because of Gods jealousy for humans he wants to be the main ruler of our lives, but i also think that God has set men and women over us because he knows that without leaders we will become rebelious. I thought this while section was great and if you get a chance you should go back and read it again. : )

Random Cool Fact

Hey guys! Did you know that the Revolutionary War had a traitor? Probably you did... but here's some more info on him that I got from http://www.americanrevolution.com/ppl_benedict_arnold.html

Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) > The Treason of General Benedict Arnold American Revolutionary general and traitor, b. Norwich, Conn. As a youth he served for a time in the colonial militia in the French and Indian Wars. He later became a prosperous trader. Early in the Revolution, his expedition against Fort Ticonderoga joined that of Ethan Allen, and the joint command took the fort. Arnold pushed on to the northern end of Lake Champlain, where he destroyed a number of ships and a British fort. In the Quebec campaign, he invaded Canada (1775) by way of the Maine forests. The march proved incredibly hard, and the force was exhausted when it reached Quebec. Richard Montgomery arrived from Montreal, and the two small armies launched the unsuccessful assault on Dec. 31, 1775. Arnold was wounded but continued the siege until spring, when Sir Guy Carleton forced him back to Lake Champlain. There he built a small fleet that, although defeated, halted the British advance. In Feb., 1777, Congress, despite General Washington's protests and Arnold's service, promoted five brigadier generals of junior rank to major generalships over Arnold's head. This and subsequent slights by Congress embittered Arnold and may in part have motivated his later treason. Although he soon won his promotion by his spectacular defense (1777) against William Tryon in Connecticut, his seniority was not restored. In the Saratoga campaign, his relief of Fort Stanwix and his brilliant campaigning under Horatio Gates played a decisive part in the American victory. He became (1778) commander of Philadelphia, after the British evacuation, and there married Peggy Shippen, whose family had Loyalist sympathies. In 1779 he was court-martialed because of disputes with civil authorities. He was cleared of all except minor charges and was reprimanded by Washington; nevertheless he was given (1780) command of West Point. He had already begun his treasonable correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton in New York City, and he arranged to betray West Point in exchange for a British commission and a sum of money. The plot was discovered with the capture of John Andr, but Arnold escaped. In 1781 in the British service he led two savage raidsone against Virginia and the other against New London, Conn.before going into exile in England and Canada, where he was generally scorned and unrewarded.

Also, I read this really, really good book on him when I was homeschooled in sixth grade that is super fun and entertaining called:

Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold

Check it out at the library for some GREAT reading.

Hmm...

OK so I'm not really sure what we actually need to blog about, so I'm going to talk about the packet we had to read and the questions we had to answer.

over all i thought the packet was good and it was very interesting to read about him. you would think so many things about him that are not true. its tricky cause you would think he is a christian but he is not. i personally think that he just wanted to reach everybody and try to fit everybody views by saying things he did not really believe. he would say he agreed with the bible in some areas but than slander another part. i do have to give him props for being so smart though. it is a shame that he could have used his intelligence on Christianity.

the questions were good i thought. although they may have been a little hard, i think it was good for us to figure out and really think about them. for me. i can say it helped me because i know understand that not everyone believes in god! yes of course i already new this but it just gave me a reality check... that's what i thought about this assignment.

rebels

I think that the colonists were being rebels for the reason that I stated in class. Basically they didn't want to pay the extra money for taxes for a war that was fought in their defense. This is kind of ridiculous, and I think that the colonists were just being selfish.

Thomas Paine and Common Sense

I found a little cool fact about Common Sense.

In class we were talking about how thomas was really brilliant and also a bit prideful and other things.

we commented on what he named his pamphlets, "Common Sense", it sounds really stuck up but i found that he had actually named it plain truth which is bold too. but his friend Benjamin Rush suggested the name Common Sense to Thomas and that's what he went for.