OCTOBER 31 -- A DAY OF FREEDOM

**This is one of my favorite BP columns from a few years ago! Happy Reformation Day!


Thump. Thump. Thump. Does that sound like the bells of freedom ringing? There is nothing melodious about a thumping sound, but today, I'm thinking about the thudding thump of a hammer in the hands of a young monk. He was pounding tacks to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg exactly 486 years ago, Oct. 31, 1517 -- Reformation Day. His name was Martin Luther.

It was the custom of scholars in Luther's day to post their dissertations on the church door. Luther was posting the "Ninety-Five Theses" he had written accusing the Roman church of abuses of power and wrongful teaching. Within this document also was a revelation of sorts. Luther had been studying St. Paul's epistles in the New Testament, and he had come to a powerful conclusion. While the Roman church taught that good works paved the way to salvation, Luther had discovered that the Word of God proclaimed that a person is saved only by faith in Jesus Christ.

"God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ," the apostle wrote in Romans 3:22-24 (TEV). "God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence. But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with Him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free."

It is five centuries later, and we remain indebted to Martin Luther for his courage in publicly revealing the truth of the Word of God. Yes, it took courage. Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther. When Luther was ordered to recant what he had said and written, he refused. "I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted," he said, "and my conscience is captive to the Word of God." Four years later, the emperor signed an edict stating that Luther was an outlaw whom anyone could kill without punishment.

But the "damage" had already been done. Luther's "Ninety-Five Theses" had sparked the Reformation, the religious movement of the 1500s that gave birth to Protestantism. His paper, written in Latin, was copied and translated into German. John Calvin helped establish Protestantism in Switzerland and then France. Two hundred years later, John and Charles Wesley took the message of grace from England to the American colonies.

Today, my faith hinges on being justified, or put right with God, by an act of His grace -- His unmerited favor. I don't deserve it; I can never earn it; I cannot borrow, bribe or barter for it. It is a gift, a free gift. So God gets all the glory; He gets all the praise.

When my children were born, each came home to a comfortable house, a furnished nursery and a ready supply of nourishment. Not one of them had earned it. What a ridiculous notion to think of a baby earning his keep! There is absolutely no way. A baby has neither the ability nor the tools to do anything for himself. It's not possible. In the same way, it is just not possible for a person to earn her way into right standing with God. But what is impossible for us is possible with God. He knew that we couldn't make things right on our own, so He sent His Son Jesus to make things right. And He did.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Those are the bells of freedom ringing, as a soldier pounds the nails into the innocent hands of the sinless Savior. Hallelujah! FREEDOM! I am celebrating freedom today. I am celebrating the saints who paid the price. I'm celebrating the Risen Lord of the harvest today. How about you?

2003, BAPTIST PRESS Rebecca Ingram Powell

I VOTE FOR LIFE

Hey Everybody,

We're getting down to the wire on this thing, and I have never been one to hide my views. I am unashamedly Republican and I'm voting for the McCain-Palin ticket. I was sent the video below by a friend, and although I am not a Catholic, I love how the Catholics who produced this film got down to the foundational elements of this election. I've been too busy to post much lately, but I'm posting this wonderful film today.

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN, JIGGITY JIG!

Hey y'all!

I am back from an incredible week! Last Sunday, my family and I headed for beautiful Orlando, FL, where I was presenting two workshops on middle schoolers at the LifeWay Kids Conference (LKC)! It was so much fun! I had been so focused on my workshops and what I wanted to share with the many children's workers and children's ministers who were there, that I never even stopped to think about what the Lord might have in store for me!

Let me just say here that the LifeWay folks know how to put on a conference! It was almost, in some ways, like going to camp--except it was totally the way that I'm gonna like camp: held in a beautiful hotel with wonderful cushy rooms and fabulous food! But the camp or I guess I should say "retreat" aspect was there in that we had a camp pastor each morning (Dr. David Uth of FBC Orlando) and great praise and worship with composer Jeff Slaughter. Y'all--it was so wonderful. I remember commenting to someone that sometimes you don't know how hungry you really are until you stop and sit down to eat! Does that hit home with any of you?

I loved being with the people who are out there doing the Kingdom work week in and week out in their churches, ministering where there are very few words of thanks and little to no perks! These folks are the salt and light, and they are precious to me and to the children they serve, and to the One in whose Name they do what they do: JESUS!

If you work with kids, the LKC is something you might want to check out! Word on the street is that this event will be held in Arlington, TX, next October!

ATTITUDE CHECK!

Have you ever had a memory to just sort of take you by surprise? The other night, at my sons' basketball meeting (yes, around here we don't go from summer to fall, we go from baseball to basketball), the coach was trying to make a point about the importance of attitude. Immediately, I remembered something I learned long ago from the late Reggie White...and just as that memory began to take shape in my mind, the coach began talking about Reggie White! He heard Reggie speak once, and he began to share with the boys the football superstar's famous saying, "Attitude check!"

When I was in high school, in Knoxville, TN, we had the privilege of having a Christian coach/gym teacher who did his best to influence us kids for Christ. He often brought in football players from nearby UT to speak at our FCA meetings. Reggie White was one of those players. He was on fire for Jesus even then! At one of those meetings, Reggie talked about how critical attitudes are when it comes to achieving any kind of success in life. And then he went on to explain to a bunch of teenagers that praising God, for anything and everything that is going on in life, is the key to obtaining and maintaining a good attitude.

I can still see that big hulk of a man standing in front of the bleachers in the gym explaining, "So when I say Attitude check! you say Praise the Lord!"

Attitude check!
Praise the Lord!
Attitude check!
Praise the Lord!

I have found that to be so true, in everything I do. My attitude makes a difference. Do I praise God because He is God, whether or not things are going my way? Do I praise God because He is so good, whether or not my circumstances are "good"? Do I praise God because He is the Lord of all, especially when things seem to be out of control?

My mother is fond of saying, "Your attitude determines your altitude." How high do you want to go?

FRIENDS, FUN, AND FIFTEEN POINTS!

Elaine and Becky

Hey Everybody,

Above are two of the wonderful new friends I made this past weekend at the LifeWay Christian Store in Hendersonville, TN! The book signing was so much fun, and part of that was because this LifeWay store is a very special place. Each of the employees considers their position at the store not just a job, but a ministry! Elaine and Becky are two of the friendly, warm faces who welcome all their customers like friends and family!

I'm just going to post a few pics from my fun day! My friend Janet, here in the pink, is a gift from God. I will never forget my introduction to Janet's family. Our kids were going to be playing softball together (this was years ago), and during sign-ups, I was the person who was going around getting everyone's name. When I got to Janet's husband, Don, I said, "What's your child's name?" And he responded, "JEREMIAH--like the prophet!" I knew immediately that I was going to like this family!



My dear friend Sherry (with Rich and me) is the gal who did all the graphic design in my Bible studies! Sherry has such a gifting in arts and organization. Sherry and her husband and Rich and I used to teach a Sunday school class together many years ago for young married couples. From that one class, God has done so much and transformed so many lives! Rich and I, for sure, wouldn't be doing what we're doing now if it hadn't been for the training ground of the Open Door Class!

This precious young woman bought FOUR books! :) This is my beautiful friend Sondra! She (along with my friend Ginger) were the inspiration for Baby Boot Camp! Sondra, you sweetheart, you have always been so supportive of me and my work! Thank you for that!

Jeri, who is also an original member of the Open Door Class, stopped by with her kids who are TOO CUTE, and I had a surprise for this gal. She is on page 141 of the book! She has been instrumental in the lovely's life in that she was her first piano teacher! (get it? instrumental? LOL!) Jeri and her husband Stephen are so precious to us. Stephen was called into the ministry, and the two of them ran away to seminary :) , but now they serve at a church close by. God is so good!

My sister-in-law and her beautiful girls came by (of course, I didn't have the camera out then) and so many other sweet folks, including several of my students--and each one will receive a whopping 15 points for taking time out of their Saturday to come by and see Mrs. P! I hope that one day in the future I get to go to a book signing for one of them! THAT would be something!

My Favorite Book Signing

Since I am so excited about my book signing today, I wanted to share with y'all my favorite book signing memory from my Baby Boot Camp days. I was at a LifeWay in Alabama, and I had gotten promoted on a radio show and in the newsletter of a very large church, so I was hoping that the book signing would be well attended. I was looking forward to meeting lots of new and expecting moms, and I had told the Lord that I wanted to pray for as many of those new moms that I could!

A sweet young woman, and she was tiny, too--you know those petite little women who don't even show from behind, they just look like they swallowed a basketball--it's all out in front? Yeah, she was one of those! She had driven in from a nearby town because she had heard the radio interview. She was due in just a few weeks, I think, and I said, "Oh, let me pray for you!" She was good with that, so as I began praying over her, I heard the Lord tell me to pray, "Take her to the cross." Well, who really wants to pray that for someone who is about to deliver her first child? I imagined horrible suffering, because I was specifically praying about her delivery! And I just thought that what the Lord was telling me to pray sounded kind of scary. I didn't want to do it! But He was insistent, and so I did. I'm telling you, I wouldn't have wanted someone praying that prayer over me as a mom-to-be! But when I finished, and I looked into the glowing face of that beautiful young woman, she was smiling. I just trusted God to do whatever He needed to do with that prayer.

Several months later, that young woman, by then a new mom, sent me an email. In it, she said that her delivery had been difficult. As she stared up at the hospital ceiling, crying and praying on behalf of herself and her baby, she noticed that the tiles were held in place by crosses. She remembered what I had prayed (what God had told me to pray!). She said she realized that God was calling her to come to the cross. He was taking her to the cross early in her life as a mother, and so she leaned on Him, and she trusted Him right then and there with her baby's life. Soon, both mother and baby were doing fine.

God is so good. I am always learning to trust Him more, aren't you?

Friday!

Hey Everybody!

I have had a full week, as I'm sure so many of you have! I invite you to read my column on BP today by clicking HERE.

My local book signing is tomorrow, so I'm excited about that! I hope to see many of you at the Hendersonville LifeWay tomorrow!