Martin Luther

On Wednesday nights at church I have been going to a church history class. For the most part it has been interesting although it not an in depth study. There isn't enough time in 1 hour a week to get too in depth.
Tonight the subject was Martin Luther. I really didn't know much about Martin Luther except that he is credited with founding the Lutheran denomination and that he caused some people to get upset way back when.
The documentary that we watched was from PBS and we only watched about 1 hour of it, we wll watch the restof it next week. For the most part it was interesting and I did learn a lot. Martin Luther started out becoming a monk and really got into the life of a monk. He seemed to enjoy the rigid lifestyle and went as far as to sleep outdoors in the snow without a blanket until his fellow monks would drag him indoors so he wouldn't die. The film said that in later life Luther complained about the monk hood ruining his health. It seems that some people don't think that maybe their actions cause some of their problems.
The most inspiring thing I learned tonight is how Luther became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and discovered on his own the gift of salvation. I was encouraged by the fact that over 400 years ago Martin Luther would search the scriptures and find that salvation is a free gift. There doesn't need to be anyone to intercede or hoops to jump through-it is a simple gift.
The message of the Bible has not changed. The verses in the Bible that I read are the same verses that Martin Luther read. Salvation: a free gift of eternal life that is made possible through the life of Jesus Christ.

Liz

VOTE

I voted! Have you?

Liz

You Mean There Is A Country Named Georgia?

This week I substituted one morning for a teacher that has one class of "yearbook"-you know, the ones that are supposed to go and take the pictures and put together the yearbook. When I was in middle school we didn't have a yearbook. Now every elementary and middle school has a yearbook.

Anyway, this class is made up of good students, although they are chatterboxes. One of the girls came into the class and asked me if I knew there was a Georgia close to Russia. I let her know that I was aware of this because it had been in the news just a few weeks ago. It seems that in their U.S. History class they were talking about Russia invading Georgia and this girl was confused. She asked the teacher why Russia would be invading the state of Georgia. That is when she was told that there was also a country named Georgia. Boy was she surprised!

The next day I was in a different classroom and this same girl walked by and told me she had just found out that Alaska was next to Canada. I also enlightened her to the fact that Russia can been seen from Alaska. I knew that if she hadn't heard about Russia invading Georgia that she she had never heard Sarah Palin talking Russia. In fact I am not sure that should would know who Sarah Palin is.

She had always thought that Alaska was next to Hawaii. Obviously she wasn't paying attention in elementary school when they were teaching the state locations. In most maps of the U.S. Alaska is shown floating around in the ocean next to Hawaii. I don't know if that excuses her from making that mistake but it does make me wonder how many other students think that Alaska is next to Hawaii.

Liz

Fall

My Mantle

I enjoy fall. In Texas this time of year is not the prettiest. There are a few trees changing colors but not like it is in other areas of the United States. The best part of fall in Texas is the fact that it finally cools off and gives us relief from the heat of the summer.

When we lived in Kansas fall was always a great time of year. It was getting cooler and you knew that snow was just around the corner. The trees were changing and were just beautiful. There was this one house down the street from us that had the most beautiful tree in the front yard. The leaves on it would change to a bright orange and at certain times of the day it would almost look like it was glowing.

Since I don't live in an area where there is an abundance of fall color I have to make do. I try to decorate my mantle and fireplace area with fall leaves (although they are fake) and this year I did something different-I decorated the top of our entertainment center. At least when I am inside my house I can see fall colors.

Liz

Woolaroc

Woolaroc was Frank Phillips ranch home. There is a museum as well as his lodge along with a petting zoo and beautiful scenery.

The museum has quite a collection of Native American artifacts. There are also many other western related exhibits. The only known privately owned dinosaur egg is on exhibit. There is also a plane, that's right, a plane in the museum. It seems that Phillips Petroleum sponsored a plane in a race from Oakland to Honolulu. The plane won and the pilot received $20,000 for his feat. The plane is hanging in the museum and it is the only model left in the world.

The lodge is very rustic. It is large because the Phillips entertained many politicians and entertainers. There is a variety of stuffed animal heads and horns on the wall. The docents are quick to point out that Mr. Phillips was not a hunter and that most of the heads were animals that died of natural causes on the grounds.

Mr. Phillips bought several different exotic animals for his ranch. Many of the animals that are seen on the grounds today are descendants of the original animals. There are buffalo, deer, elk, and cattle (some are longhorn) there.

In case someone wonders about the name Woolaroc it is a name that Mr. Phillips came up with. It stands for WOOds, LAkes, and ROCks. These are the 3 things that drew him to the area.

Liz

My Sentiments Exactly

Go here http://mygardenhat.blogspot.com/ and read the entry for today. I share her sentiments and wish I had written it.

Liz

Frank Phillips Home

Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips Petroleum, lived his adult life in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He and his wife were originally from Iowa but had found their way to Oklahoma and like so many others struck oil.

The home is beautiful but it is unique in the fact that 95% of the home is original. The home was built around 1909 and enlarged in 1930. It is approximately 9000+ square feet. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips lived in the home until they died.

When Mr. Phillips was having the home built his lawyers advised him to put the house in his wife's name to protect his assets. Due to the fact that the house was legally hers Mrs. Phillips made the decisions when it came to the interior. The living room and dining room have the original gold fabric wall paper. Some of the wall coverings have been restored to the original coverings or color. The home also had an elevator installed at one point and it still works.

The Phillips' had one biological child, a son, and 2 foster daughters. The daughters were never legally adopted but were always treated as their own daughters. The 2 girls never knew that they were not legally adopted until Mr. Phillips death.

Mrs. Phillips died in 1948 and she stated in her will that Mr. Phillips would be able to live in the home until his death. Upon his death the home would go to her oldest granddaughter. When the granddaughter moved in she was grown and married and brought her own furnishings. She had the original furnishings stored in the carriage house.

After many years of living in the house the granddaughter gave the house to a historical society and told them that the furnishings from the house were in the carriage house. The historical society has also turned the carriage house into a museum . They ask only a $3 donation to tour the house and museum-it is well worth the $3.

Liz