3 Topics in 1 Blog Post:
It’s the 500th Year of the Reformation,
My Brother & I wrote a Hymn
& I’m Writing a New Book!

In most of my blog posts I talk a lot about the “stead” part of my blog name. Homesteading this, chickens that, and on and on…

Today we’re tossing that topic aside and going to focus on “Reform.” Why? Because 500 years ago TODAY Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses for debate to the church door of Wittenberg Germany. 

“Long stood the church in darkness slept, so blinded in her eyes, 

Then God awoke one feeble monk who shook the earth with cries: 

Sola fide! Sola fide! “The just shall live by faith.”

Sola fide! Sola fide! Only faith and faith alone.” —Sola Fide (Latin for, Only Faith)

So goes the first verse of a hymn my brother and I wrote for the 500th…

Hymn: Sola Fide

My sixteen-year-old brother Elijah wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics to our new hymn, Sola Fide (meaning Only Faith in Latin). We give all glory to God for the results of this piece and hope it will bless and help others to praise His name.

My brother has the music and words formatted in the traditional hymn sheet music and he also arranged it for our small *well, very tiny* “orchestra” (piano, two violins and SATB choir—soprano, alto, tenor, bass). 

You can download the hymn version here for free.

Or you can visit Elijah’s website to check out the arranged version (which he has for sale).

Here is a recording of some friends and us performing it for our church’s 500th Reformation day service (By the way, Elijah--the composer--is the tall redhead in the dark green shirt sining tenor, the third from your right).

I’m Writing a Book!

Yes! There is more than one exciting thing in this one short post. Now I’m going to tell you about the new book I’m planning to write. :)

In a way, it kinda has to do with the Reformation. A modern reformation, you might say. 

Lord willing, I’m going to write a history of the Family Integrated Church Movement. Family Integrated Churches (FIC) are churches that keep family members all together during the service, don’t have the age-segregating Sunday schools and programs, encourage fathers to disciple their children, and observe other biblical requirements. The Family Integrated Church Movement is a movement back to Sola Scriptura (Only Scripture in Latin), which is the practical application of all of Scripture to all of life.

Our family has been involved in founding and growing in and with our local FIC church for the last fourteen and a half years. I’ve grown to love the stories of our churches founding and early years and learned that there are many other people with similar stories all over the US. 

These stories are about ordinary families…many of whom ran into problems with churches not liking what the families saw as a biblical application of bringing their children with them in the service…these stories are how God brought many Family Integrated Churches together to help families in their time of need…

These stories are a part of church history. His-story of of Revival, Reformation and Sovereignty in even the tiniest details of life. Read more about the soon-coming-book here—>

Happy Reformation day!!!

“This glorious cry of ages past has stood the test of time; 

From dawn unto life’s final breath, saints sing this timeless rhyme.

Sola fide! Sola fide! “The just shall live by faith.”

Sola fide! Sola fide! Only faith and faith alone.” —Sola Fide

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