Hi, friends! 'Tis the second post of the week and I have my music and tea, and I'm ready to write! Last week I wrote about Pope Francis in an attempt to get away from bible characters. You guys deserve some diversity in these posts. Today is David Livingstone. Enjoy!
David Livingstone was born in Scotland on March 19th, 1813 (good month to be born in). He started working at a cotton mill when he was ten years old, as his family was quite poor. He was 23 when he began to study medicine and theology. Finally, in 1841, he went to the Kalahari desert in Africa (mostly covering Botswana and Namibia). A few years later, he married Mary Moffat (very popular British last name), the daughter of a fellow missionary. They had six children.
One time, he set up camp to rest, when he saw there was a young native girl hiding under his wagon. He invited her over and gave her some food. She told him she was an orphan, living with her sister until she died. She was taken in by another family, but left when she found out that they wanted to sell her to a chief to be a slave wife. Livingstone looked up and saw that a native, armed with a rifle, had come to claim the poor child and take her back to slavery. While she told her story, a native man with a rifle came to bring her back to slavery. David couldn't just leave her to this fate, but what could he do? Well, one of his companions, named Pomari, knew what had to be done. He took the beads that the girl was wearing, and gave them to the man. After a bit of persuasion, he took them and left. David took care of the girl until they were safely out of the area. It may be because of this that he started fighting against slavery.
David Livingstone may be better known as an explorer to the rest of the world. He is believed to be the first European to see Victoria Falls, which he named after Queen Victoria. He discovered many more things about Africa that Europe had no idea about. Mostly lakes.
David is an inspiration. He is probably one the most well known missionaries in history, there was even a movie about him. He was a missionary, explorer and liberator. He changed lives and went out like Jesus said to in Matthew 28:19. He really did make a difference.
Sarah
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Pope Francis
Hello, my silly followers! Don't know why you're reading this ridiculous thing, but here you are anyways! And I don't want to let you down. So here's another post to read! If you remember, last week I wrote about two women from the bible. My mother pointed out that I was posting a lot about people from the bible, and suggested that I do a week of less legendary figures. Well, at the very least a bit more modern, as this week's person is... drum roll please... Pope Francis!
If you look at a picture of the average person, you will see a face, and not much more. But for some people, some rare people, a part of their personality leaks through. I think Pope Francis is one of those rare people. Look at pictures of him and you can plainly see joy and peace etched on his face. He's also the coolest Pope so far. From his Twitter and Instagram accounts to having selfies taken with people, Pope Francis is very hip.
I was brainstorming today, wondering who the heck I was going to write about, when the idea came to me that I should write about Pope Francis (although, I probably don't deserve the credit for that; it was all God). But honestly, I don't know much about him (bear with me here). So upon looking him up, I found that he was born in Argentina to Italian immigrants. He became Pope on March 13th, 2013, changing his name to Francis in honor of Francis of Assisi. I remember watching it because it coincided with learning about Popes in a Co-op my mom was teaching. It was fairly uninteresting until white smoke came instead of black. Over time he has done some pretty amazing things, like washing the feet of juvenile offenders, two of which being Muslim. In more recent news (today, in fact), he took 12 migrants in Lesbos back to the Vatican with him.
The Pope is an inspiration to us all, showing us that it is not our job to judge, but to love, disregarding all differences in race of belief. He will continue to do Christ's work, a wonderful display that you can follow God no matter your age. No one can deny that he has made a difference in a broken world.
Sarah
If you look at a picture of the average person, you will see a face, and not much more. But for some people, some rare people, a part of their personality leaks through. I think Pope Francis is one of those rare people. Look at pictures of him and you can plainly see joy and peace etched on his face. He's also the coolest Pope so far. From his Twitter and Instagram accounts to having selfies taken with people, Pope Francis is very hip.
I was brainstorming today, wondering who the heck I was going to write about, when the idea came to me that I should write about Pope Francis (although, I probably don't deserve the credit for that; it was all God). But honestly, I don't know much about him (bear with me here). So upon looking him up, I found that he was born in Argentina to Italian immigrants. He became Pope on March 13th, 2013, changing his name to Francis in honor of Francis of Assisi. I remember watching it because it coincided with learning about Popes in a Co-op my mom was teaching. It was fairly uninteresting until white smoke came instead of black. Over time he has done some pretty amazing things, like washing the feet of juvenile offenders, two of which being Muslim. In more recent news (today, in fact), he took 12 migrants in Lesbos back to the Vatican with him.
The Pope is an inspiration to us all, showing us that it is not our job to judge, but to love, disregarding all differences in race of belief. He will continue to do Christ's work, a wonderful display that you can follow God no matter your age. No one can deny that he has made a difference in a broken world.
Sarah
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Mary, Mother of Jesus
Hello, and welcome to the other ladies week post! Saturday I wrote about Queen Esther with the promise that today's post would be about Mary. I hate to break promises, so here you go. Again, I'm writing about a bible character that is in a human video, but I'm playing her. Yay! My first real role in a human video!
Mary's story sort of starts in the old testament. God has promised a Savior to his people and as I said in the last post they seem to need a lot of saving. Well, He says that the savior, or Messiah, will be a descendant of King David and also be born of a virgin. Now Mary, a young girl (it is speculated that she was 12-14), met all the requirements to give birth to Him. And it says that God favored her. So it was settled. All that was to be done was to tell her. An angel was to appear to her one day, and tell her all about this plan. She was freaked out, I mean, this was an angel. That would be crazy, just to have someone who perhaps sees God on a daily basis in your house. He told her to not be afraid, and he said that she would give birth and to call her Son Jesus. They talk a bit more, and then Mary says this: "'I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled.'" (Luke 1:38a NIV) Is it just me, or does she sound really weary? This is a huge responsibility, and death during childbirth was a lot more common then.
As you probably know, she did survive, and the Messiah came into the world. But soon after his birth, they had to flee to Egypt to get away from King Herod, who didn't like the idea of the Jews having a new King. When the danger was over, they came back. Jesus grows up, right now He's about twelve, and Mary is looking all over, trying to find him. She can't find Him and starts to panic. Where could He be? Well after three days, they finally find Him, in the temple. He's teaching the teachers, and obviously knows more about God. How many twelve-year-olds do you know have that kind of spiritual maturity?
Mary was one of the strongest women in the bible. She was a young mother and wife. But perhaps the most amazing thing, is that she watched her Son die. I don't quite know how this would feel, but a child dying before it's parents is one of the worst things to live through. It just seems wrong in every way possible. Yes, having a parent die is never easy, but there are few things that all cultures seem to agree on, and one of those things is that a mother's love is ridiculously strong. (If you have read Harry Potter, you would know.) To see your Son taken away from you would be more than heartbreaking.
Mary is probably the most well known woman in the bible, and a very influential figure especially in Catholicism. She gave birth to our Savior, and is an incredible role-model. She is proof that it's not easy, but good things come out of trusting God. Mary truly made a difference.
Sarah
Mary's story sort of starts in the old testament. God has promised a Savior to his people and as I said in the last post they seem to need a lot of saving. Well, He says that the savior, or Messiah, will be a descendant of King David and also be born of a virgin. Now Mary, a young girl (it is speculated that she was 12-14), met all the requirements to give birth to Him. And it says that God favored her. So it was settled. All that was to be done was to tell her. An angel was to appear to her one day, and tell her all about this plan. She was freaked out, I mean, this was an angel. That would be crazy, just to have someone who perhaps sees God on a daily basis in your house. He told her to not be afraid, and he said that she would give birth and to call her Son Jesus. They talk a bit more, and then Mary says this: "'I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled.'" (Luke 1:38a NIV) Is it just me, or does she sound really weary? This is a huge responsibility, and death during childbirth was a lot more common then.
As you probably know, she did survive, and the Messiah came into the world. But soon after his birth, they had to flee to Egypt to get away from King Herod, who didn't like the idea of the Jews having a new King. When the danger was over, they came back. Jesus grows up, right now He's about twelve, and Mary is looking all over, trying to find him. She can't find Him and starts to panic. Where could He be? Well after three days, they finally find Him, in the temple. He's teaching the teachers, and obviously knows more about God. How many twelve-year-olds do you know have that kind of spiritual maturity?
Mary was one of the strongest women in the bible. She was a young mother and wife. But perhaps the most amazing thing, is that she watched her Son die. I don't quite know how this would feel, but a child dying before it's parents is one of the worst things to live through. It just seems wrong in every way possible. Yes, having a parent die is never easy, but there are few things that all cultures seem to agree on, and one of those things is that a mother's love is ridiculously strong. (If you have read Harry Potter, you would know.) To see your Son taken away from you would be more than heartbreaking.
Mary is probably the most well known woman in the bible, and a very influential figure especially in Catholicism. She gave birth to our Savior, and is an incredible role-model. She is proof that it's not easy, but good things come out of trusting God. Mary truly made a difference.
Sarah
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Esther
Hey, all! My mom suggested today that I do a ladies week. I agreed, so Wednesday will be Mary and today is Esther! I'm really excited for this one, because I love Esther's story. Here goes! These first paragraphs are getting shorter.
Esther starts with Xerxes having a big party. A really expensive one with lots of rulers and nobility. Well Xerxes is a tad bit drunk, and he calls for his wife, Vashti. She says no. Xerxes gets angry, so he banishes her from his presence and gets a new wife. But there's so many beautiful young ladies to choose from! How can he pick the perfect bride? He holds a contest for 'Miss Persia.' Or at least that's how it seems. Now Esther (first named Hadassah) was an orphan, brought up by her cousin Mordicai. She was taken to Hegai, who was in charge of the women, and he immediately liked her. He gave her special treatments, food, seven attendants from the palace and moved her to the best room. Hegai's care had worked, because Xerxes chose her over all the others. So Esther became 'Miss Persia.'
Mordicai sat at the palace gates, and one day he overheard a certain conversation. It was a conversation between two of Xerxes's officers about a plot to assassinate the king. Mordicai told this plot to Esther, who relayed it to Xerxes, making sure to tell him that it was Mordicai who found it out. Well, the king wasn't happy about this and had the officers impaled.
But not everyone liked Mordicai. Haman, one of the king's advisors, wasn't happy with Mordicai because he didn't bow to him. So he decided to have a decree made to kill all of the Jews. This was very bad news for Mordicai and he went into mourning. Esther asked someone to find out why he was so depressed. Esther is told about the decree and Mordicai tells her that she has to plead to Xerxes to change his mind. Esther goes to the king, and asks him to come to a banquet she made for him and Haman. At the banquet, Xerxes asks what she wants, and she tells him that she will answer that if he and Haman will attend another banquet tomorrow. Xerxes consents, probably wondering why she was acting so strangely. We have seen in the past that Xerxes is perhaps not the most patient man, but when in comes to Esther, he waits very patiently. I think that's interesting. Well that day Haman went home quite happy. That is, until he sees Mordicai. He boasts to his friends and family and tells his wife how much he hates Mordicai. She, being a completely decent person, tells him to have the king impale him on a pole.
Meanwhile, the king is not sleeping well, so he decides to do a little reading about his life. He comes across the plot for his assassination and thinks that Mordicai should be honored. Ironically he asks Haman what to do about it. Haman tells him, thinking that Xerxes was talking about him. So Mordicai is honored, then he goes back to mourning at the gates. Next day, the banquet is prepared, and Esther tells Xerxes everything. He decides to have Haman impaled on the pole that he set up for Mordicai. (Oh, the irony.) The decree is called off and, thanks to Esther and also Mordicai, the Jews were saved once again. (That seems to be a recurring theme in the bible.) She made a difference by saving her people. And she started out as a poor orphan.
Sarah
Esther starts with Xerxes having a big party. A really expensive one with lots of rulers and nobility. Well Xerxes is a tad bit drunk, and he calls for his wife, Vashti. She says no. Xerxes gets angry, so he banishes her from his presence and gets a new wife. But there's so many beautiful young ladies to choose from! How can he pick the perfect bride? He holds a contest for 'Miss Persia.' Or at least that's how it seems. Now Esther (first named Hadassah) was an orphan, brought up by her cousin Mordicai. She was taken to Hegai, who was in charge of the women, and he immediately liked her. He gave her special treatments, food, seven attendants from the palace and moved her to the best room. Hegai's care had worked, because Xerxes chose her over all the others. So Esther became 'Miss Persia.'
Mordicai sat at the palace gates, and one day he overheard a certain conversation. It was a conversation between two of Xerxes's officers about a plot to assassinate the king. Mordicai told this plot to Esther, who relayed it to Xerxes, making sure to tell him that it was Mordicai who found it out. Well, the king wasn't happy about this and had the officers impaled.
But not everyone liked Mordicai. Haman, one of the king's advisors, wasn't happy with Mordicai because he didn't bow to him. So he decided to have a decree made to kill all of the Jews. This was very bad news for Mordicai and he went into mourning. Esther asked someone to find out why he was so depressed. Esther is told about the decree and Mordicai tells her that she has to plead to Xerxes to change his mind. Esther goes to the king, and asks him to come to a banquet she made for him and Haman. At the banquet, Xerxes asks what she wants, and she tells him that she will answer that if he and Haman will attend another banquet tomorrow. Xerxes consents, probably wondering why she was acting so strangely. We have seen in the past that Xerxes is perhaps not the most patient man, but when in comes to Esther, he waits very patiently. I think that's interesting. Well that day Haman went home quite happy. That is, until he sees Mordicai. He boasts to his friends and family and tells his wife how much he hates Mordicai. She, being a completely decent person, tells him to have the king impale him on a pole.
Meanwhile, the king is not sleeping well, so he decides to do a little reading about his life. He comes across the plot for his assassination and thinks that Mordicai should be honored. Ironically he asks Haman what to do about it. Haman tells him, thinking that Xerxes was talking about him. So Mordicai is honored, then he goes back to mourning at the gates. Next day, the banquet is prepared, and Esther tells Xerxes everything. He decides to have Haman impaled on the pole that he set up for Mordicai. (Oh, the irony.) The decree is called off and, thanks to Esther and also Mordicai, the Jews were saved once again. (That seems to be a recurring theme in the bible.) She made a difference by saving her people. And she started out as a poor orphan.
Sarah
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Moses
Hello, friends, enemies (I don't think I have any but you never know) and undetermined acquaintances! How are you doing? It's been a week since I have seen my eldest brother. How the time flies. Anyway, remember when I wrote about Paul and said that my drama team is doing a human video about him? (Come to Apex May 14th!) Well we have another one about Moses. So I thought I'd write a post about him!
So I'm sure you know about little baby Moses in the basket, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. Ha! When Moses was born, the Pharaoh was a bit paranoid. He decided that if the Israelites had sons, they would grow up try to overthrow him. It might have been true, but what he did was a bit drastic. He made a law against them having sons and had them all thrown into the Nile. Well Moses's mother didn't want this to happen to her son, so she hid him until she couldn't anymore. Then she put him into a basket and let him go off on the Nile, hoping that he would be found and saved from a watery grave. Well someone did. The Pharaoh's daughter (named Bithiah according to Wiki) did. Moses's sister Miriam was following him (I often wonder if she was supposed to or if she just wanted to make sure her little brother was safe) and she asked Bithiah if she wanted her to get a Hebrew woman to nurse him. Miriam seemed to be cunning, because she got her own mother to do it.
He grew up and probably found out that he was an Israelite at some point. (Go watch "Prince of Egypt" because it's probably completely accurate. Yeah. Totally 100% accurate.) One day he saw an Egyptian beating up an Israelite (aka Maddy and me). He acted quickly, and ended up killing the Egyptian. Ashamed, he fled to another land and got married. He was most likely going to settle down and live a quite and happy life. God, on the other hand had big plans for him. It wasn't long (just kidding, it might have been years, I don't know) before he saw a burning bush that told him he would be freeing the Israelites. Moses wasn't very good at talking, so God had him buddy up with with his bro, Aaron. So they went and talked to Pharaoh, who probably laughed in their faces. He wouldn't be laughing for long. God sent horrible plagues to Egypt including water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, diseased livestock, boils, thunderstorm of hail and fire, locusts, darkness, and the death of the firstborn child. Pharaoh finally let them go, but changed his mind soon after. If you want that story, read the Bible. I'm not going to write about that.
Well, the Israelites didn't always do what they were supposed to and God had set some rules into stone (yes, literally). Even then, they still didn't listen. Moses had to convince God to not destroy them multiple times. If he hadn't, things might have been different. And all this from a man who couldn't speak well. God can change things through you no matter what your problems are. He can make a difference in you.
Sarah
So I'm sure you know about little baby Moses in the basket, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. Ha! When Moses was born, the Pharaoh was a bit paranoid. He decided that if the Israelites had sons, they would grow up try to overthrow him. It might have been true, but what he did was a bit drastic. He made a law against them having sons and had them all thrown into the Nile. Well Moses's mother didn't want this to happen to her son, so she hid him until she couldn't anymore. Then she put him into a basket and let him go off on the Nile, hoping that he would be found and saved from a watery grave. Well someone did. The Pharaoh's daughter (named Bithiah according to Wiki) did. Moses's sister Miriam was following him (I often wonder if she was supposed to or if she just wanted to make sure her little brother was safe) and she asked Bithiah if she wanted her to get a Hebrew woman to nurse him. Miriam seemed to be cunning, because she got her own mother to do it.
He grew up and probably found out that he was an Israelite at some point. (Go watch "Prince of Egypt" because it's probably completely accurate. Yeah. Totally 100% accurate.) One day he saw an Egyptian beating up an Israelite (aka Maddy and me). He acted quickly, and ended up killing the Egyptian. Ashamed, he fled to another land and got married. He was most likely going to settle down and live a quite and happy life. God, on the other hand had big plans for him. It wasn't long (just kidding, it might have been years, I don't know) before he saw a burning bush that told him he would be freeing the Israelites. Moses wasn't very good at talking, so God had him buddy up with with his bro, Aaron. So they went and talked to Pharaoh, who probably laughed in their faces. He wouldn't be laughing for long. God sent horrible plagues to Egypt including water turning into blood, frogs, lice, flies, diseased livestock, boils, thunderstorm of hail and fire, locusts, darkness, and the death of the firstborn child. Pharaoh finally let them go, but changed his mind soon after. If you want that story, read the Bible. I'm not going to write about that.
Well, the Israelites didn't always do what they were supposed to and God had set some rules into stone (yes, literally). Even then, they still didn't listen. Moses had to convince God to not destroy them multiple times. If he hadn't, things might have been different. And all this from a man who couldn't speak well. God can change things through you no matter what your problems are. He can make a difference in you.
Sarah
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Abraham
Hey everyone! So I'm officially brotherless. TJ left for Germany Wednesday, so be praying for him and also, as always, Jon. Thank you again for reading my silly little blog. It means a lot to me. Alright, without further ado, Abraham.
One day Abram was just minding his own business (whatever that might be), and God told him to leave his family and home. And he said, "Heck naw! I'm staying right here." Actually, no. He said yes. He was probably quite comfortable in his home, with his wife and nephew. And it's not like he was a young guy. "Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran." (Genesis 11:4b NIV) Imagine that. So he left, old man that he was, with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. God promised Abram that his descendants would have Canaan, which said a lot (heh heh, sorry, bad pun), because Abram didn't have a son. Okay, God.
Quite a but later, Abram is ninety-nine and he and Lot separated a while ago. God shows up and says that Abram is now to be called Abraham and Sarai, Sarah (fabulous name). He also says that they are going to have a son and they are to call him Isaac (file under "God naming people's sons"). Well Abraham thought this was ridiculous. But God assured him that it was true. A few days, weeks, or maybe months later (it didn't say), Abraham received three visitors and he of course was very hospitable to them. One of them said that Sarah would give birth soon. She heard and laughed. God must have been taken aback by this, because he asked her why. She got nervous so she lied and said that she didn't laugh. God got real sassy, and said "Yes, you did laugh." And that section ends there. Because no one messes with God.
God keeps His promises, and soon Sarah did have a son and he was named Isaac just like God told them to. Years go by, and Abraham's faith gets tested to the max. God tells him to sacrifice Isaac (don't try this at home, kids). Wow. You told him that through his son there would be a huge nation, and then You tell him to kill that son? The crazier thing is that Abraham agreed. So the next morning they go up to a mountain and Abraham sets up an altar. He is just about to sacrifice Isaac when God tells him to stop. He says that He was just testing Abraham's faith, and He provided a ram for them to sacrifice instead.
Abraham was incredible. Would you sacrifice someone you love because God told you to? I honestly don't think I could. Abraham might be a bit overlooked in Christianity, although he means so much to the Israelites. His life shows that God keeps His promises and that if you keep believing God's favour will be on you. God made so many promises to the Israelites and they held on to them whenever they were in trouble. We can learn so much from this individual's life. He had such a willingness to obey God and God made a difference through him because of it.
So that's all for now, I should have another post Wednesday. Thanks so much! You are all amazing people and I'm unbelievably lucky to know you!
Sarah
Saturday, March 26, 2016
St. Peter
Hello! Another Saturday, another post. Firstly, I want to say happy Easter, have a spectacular one! Now to my post. I realised last week while writing the post about Jesus that I should be doing that one today. But I was too far to do much about it by the time I noticed. So instead I'm going to write about Saint Peter!
Peter was one of Jesus's diciples, and probably one of the better known ones. He is also known as Simon Peter, and is considered the first pope of the Catholics. I think he is probably the easiest to relate to. In the Gospels he never seems to stop putting his foot in his mouth. There are a few times that he says something great, but only a short time later, his foot is back in his mouth. Luckily, the Holy Spirit comes in and in Acts he does some pretty cool things.
Peter first meets Jesus in Matthew 4:18-20 and John 1:40-42 (NIV). Let's do Matthew first. "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed him." John says it a bit differently; "Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter )." So (according to John) the first thing Jesus does is tell Simon that now his name is Peter. ("Jesus: King of first impressions.") Somehow he still decided to follow Jesus after that. He was probably a bit confused but intreagued by this strange Man.
His ministry seems to begin when Jesus sends the diciples out to preach and preform miracles (Matthew 10, Luke 9 and Mark 6, appearently John couldn't care less). This is little more than mentioned, although Jesus does give them specific instructions. Then he gives a phenomenal sermon at Pentacost (Acts 2:14-36) when the diciples are filled with the Holy Spirit after cowering in safety, scared that they would be persecuted. The Holy Spirit came and all that fear left. They weren't afraid for their lives and they openly preached in languages they didn't actully speak. Peter became a sort of leader to the diciples, which is most likely why he is now the first pope. He did miracles, he preached, he had visions, this guy pretty much did it all.
His story is still making a difference in people's lives, he is proof that Jesus can take someone who makes the stupidest mistakes and make him into someone who is so influental to the world. Being one of the very first Christians, it was important that he (and others) told as many people of Jesus's sacrifice, he took that responsebility seriously and it paid off. If he hid his faith, I might not be here, writing this blog.
So that's all for this post. Have a wonderful Easter and thank you so nuch for reading. It means a whole lot to me. God bless!
Sarah
Peter was one of Jesus's diciples, and probably one of the better known ones. He is also known as Simon Peter, and is considered the first pope of the Catholics. I think he is probably the easiest to relate to. In the Gospels he never seems to stop putting his foot in his mouth. There are a few times that he says something great, but only a short time later, his foot is back in his mouth. Luckily, the Holy Spirit comes in and in Acts he does some pretty cool things.
Peter first meets Jesus in Matthew 4:18-20 and John 1:40-42 (NIV). Let's do Matthew first. "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' At once they left their nets and followed him." John says it a bit differently; "Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter )." So (according to John) the first thing Jesus does is tell Simon that now his name is Peter. ("Jesus: King of first impressions.") Somehow he still decided to follow Jesus after that. He was probably a bit confused but intreagued by this strange Man.
His ministry seems to begin when Jesus sends the diciples out to preach and preform miracles (Matthew 10, Luke 9 and Mark 6, appearently John couldn't care less). This is little more than mentioned, although Jesus does give them specific instructions. Then he gives a phenomenal sermon at Pentacost (Acts 2:14-36) when the diciples are filled with the Holy Spirit after cowering in safety, scared that they would be persecuted. The Holy Spirit came and all that fear left. They weren't afraid for their lives and they openly preached in languages they didn't actully speak. Peter became a sort of leader to the diciples, which is most likely why he is now the first pope. He did miracles, he preached, he had visions, this guy pretty much did it all.
His story is still making a difference in people's lives, he is proof that Jesus can take someone who makes the stupidest mistakes and make him into someone who is so influental to the world. Being one of the very first Christians, it was important that he (and others) told as many people of Jesus's sacrifice, he took that responsebility seriously and it paid off. If he hid his faith, I might not be here, writing this blog.
So that's all for this post. Have a wonderful Easter and thank you so nuch for reading. It means a whole lot to me. God bless!
Sarah
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