This year (October 31, 2017) marks 500 years since Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of the Catholic church, sparking the revolution that resulted in the Protestant Reformation.
I am so grateful, wrapped in the knowledge that God's grace covers me every day of my life.
It's through scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, & to the glory of God alone!
It's through Christ I am redeemed & the glory belongs only to Him!
- Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.
- Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
- Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.
- Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.
- Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.
We celebrate this momentous event in church history by having a big fall party each year!
Every celebration is filled with fun & lots of memory making.
This year was no exception!
We actually hosted this year for the first time, at our new home out in the country.
(And yes, this blog is so neglected that I don't think I've even mentioned that we sold our home, bought a new one, & a 1000 other things in between. Lots of catching up to do.)
We worked for a whole year preparing our property to host this event (that's a whole other story about this excited new adventure that we are living out here in the country!) & it was all very worth it.
It seemed to be the perfect day!
The swinging bridge reflecting in the creek ... much fun to be had crossing this later in the day.
The tent has been set up ... just waiting on the crowd.
Can't have a reformation celebration without a bouncy house.
The children would revolt ... & with as many as we have at our church, that could get dangerous ;)
There's always a hearty bounty of soups, stews, casseroles, & the like.
Everyone's bellies are full when the day end.
I covered the tables in brown paper & labeled each dish ~ made it easy to know what was what.
The fire gets started early in the morning & lasts well into the night.
And I'm absolutely sure this is thee nicest outdoor restroom in the history
of portable outdoor restrooms!
This rope swing was a hit!
There was a constant line of adults & kids alike waiting to swing out over the creek!
Now time for a guided trek across the swinging bridge!
Pastor James (Pops) & our sweet grandson, Henry <3 & his beloved puppy.
The weather was perfect ... high 70s.
Perfect time to just sit around, relax, & visit.
Another fun event is the log saw!
All the guys, little & big, like to try their hand at sawing!
Special games were set up for the little guys too & they loved playing together.
The children are the apple of our eye at FLA.
And the challenge that everyone looks forward to: the straw jump!
I didn't get any pictures of the adults jumping.
That's when we are all praying that no one breaks a leg!
The obstacle course provided lots of fun challenges.
Corn hole competitions going strong!
Ring on a string was a fun, new addition ... how many times til you land the ring on the hook!
The ladies always show their strength with the skillet toss, but I didn't get any pictures of that.
Phooey.
Hope you've enjoyed another year's reformation celebration.
We thank God for a great day.
The weather was wonderful, everyone stayed safe & had fun.
A BIG thank you to every single person who worked to make this come together!
There were countless hours of preparing & planning, but it all paid off.
To hear the laughter, seeing all the smiling faces, & to hear the children begging to stay just a little longer, makes it all worthwhile.
We are already planning & looking forward to next year!