Even though I #homeschooled both Charlie and David there are times when I open my email and discover something I didn’t know about, and instead of just moving on to the next message, I find myself stopping to learn more. That is exactly what happened when I received an email about #ReformationDay which became a #teachingmnet for my family about the ten-year anniversary of a book called When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther by Danika Cooley.
I’ll be honest with you. Before receiving that email, I had never heard of Reformation Day. Had you? I knew about Halloween, of course, and I knew October 31 was the day we usually talked about pumpkins, costumes, candy, and all the other things that come with the holiday. But Reformation Day? That was something new to me. And you know me. When something catches my attention, especially when it has to do with faith, family, and learning, I want to find out more. How about you?
When Charlie was younger and we were homeschooling, we spent time learning about the Bible. We even had Bible study in our classroom, and I always appreciated those opportunities to sit down together, open God’s Word, and talk about what we were learning. Homeschooling wasn’t just about getting through lessons and finishing assignments. It was also about discovering things together and helping Charlie understand the world around him.
So when I received this email, I started thinking about what David and I might have learned about Reformation Day if we had come across it while Charlie was still homeschooling. Would it have become one of those subjects we explored together? Would we have found a book at the library or looked up the history and talked about it during our school day? I can’t say for certain, but I do know we would have been interested in learning something new.
That is one of the things I love about learning as a family. We don’t have to know everything before we begin. Sometimes we discover a subject because somebody mentions it, a book catches our eye, or an email lands in our inbox. What matters is what we do next. For me, the next step was finding out what Reformation Day was all about.
Reformation Day is observed on October 31 by many Protestant Christians. The day remembers an important moment in Christian history involving Martin Luther, a German monk and university professor who challenged certain teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church during the sixteenth century.
The story goes back to October 31, 1517, when Luther wrote what became known as the Ninety-Five Theses. His objections focused particularly on the sale of indulgences, which were associated with the reduction of temporal punishment for sins. Luther believed these practices were being misused and wanted to challenge what he saw as serious problems in the church.
According to the traditional account, he posted his theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Historians have debated whether the posting happened exactly as the familiar story describes, but there is no question that Luther’s writings helped set the Protestant Reformation in motion.
The Reformation brought major changes to Christianity in Europe. People debated the authority of the Bible, the meaning of salvation, the role of the church, and how Christian teachings should be understood. The printing press helped spread these discussions to many more people.
Now, I can see why this would be an interesting subject for a homeschool history lesson. There is a person to learn about, a place to find on a map, a timeline to follow, and an important period in history to explore. There is also an opportunity to talk about faith and why people sometimes stand up for what they believe is true.
I think that is a lesson worth exploring with children of different ages. Younger children might enjoy learning about Martin Luther and seeing where he lived, while older students could investigate the historical events and discuss why they mattered.
One of the things that caught my attention in Danika’s email was her discussion of the Bible and the Protestant Reformation. She explained why her family uses Reformation Day as an opportunity to talk about the gospel and the importance of God’s Word.
That brought me back to our own homeschooling days. When Charlie was younger, we made time for Bible study. We talked about Scripture and tried to make learning meaningful rather than simply reading something and moving on. Those moments were important to me because I wanted our classroom to be a place where we could learn about more than reading, writing, and mathematics.
I also know that families approach Christian education in different ways. Some homeschool their children, some attend church and participate in Bible study together, and others are still figuring out how they want to introduce faith and Christian history in their homes.
Learning about Reformation Day doesn’t mean every family has to celebrate it in the same way. But for families interested in Protestant Christian history, it offers an opportunity to explore why the Reformation happened and what it meant for the church. As I read more, I came across the Five Solas, five Latin phrases commonly used to summarize important teachings associated with the Protestant Reformation. They concern Scripture, faith, grace, Christ, and giving glory to God alone.
Those are big ideas, especially when you’re explaining them to children. But they can also lead to meaningful conversations. You can talk about why Christians study the Bible, what it means to have faith, and why grace is such an important part of the Christian understanding of salvation.
Ephesians 2:8–9 is one passage that families can read together when discussing grace and faith. Rather than expecting children to understand everything in one sitting, parents can read the passage, explain it in age-appropriate language, and give everyone an opportunity to ask questions. That is the kind of learning I remember appreciating when we homeschooled. We could take a subject, explore it together, and keep learning as questions came up.
If we were planning a homeschool lesson around Reformation Day, I would start with the story of Martin Luther rather than trying to cover everything at once. I would want Charlie to understand who Luther was, what he objected to, and why October 31, 1517, became an important date in church history. We could find Germany on a map, locate Wittenberg, and put a few important dates on a timeline. That would give us a little history to work with before moving into the discussion about faith.
From there, I would bring out the Bible and read a passage together. We could talk about what it says, what it means, and why Scripture was such an important part of the Reformation. I would want the conversation to be comfortable enough that Charlie could ask questions without feeling as though he had to know the answers already.
And because I believe learning together should be enjoyable, I would probably find a way to make the day a little special. Maybe we would bake something, sit around the table with our Bibles and notebooks, or make a small history booklet with the dates and people we had learned about. A simple activity can help children remember a lesson without turning the entire day into a complicated project.
I would also look for a book that could help bring the history to life. That is one reason Danika’s mention of When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther interested me. A historical novel can give students another way to imagine the people and circumstances of a different time, provided we remember that a novel is not the same thing as a history textbook.
I would want to look at the book’s age suitability and contents before deciding whether it was right for our family. For older students, it could be a starting point for further reading about Martin Luther and the Reformation. Of course, our homeschool days with Charlie are behind us now, but that doesn’t mean I have stopped appreciating opportunities to learn. I can still discover a new subject, share what I find, and encourage another family to explore it together.
The email that started all of this came from Danika Cooley, an author and Christian education writer whose work includes books and resources for families and homeschoolers. Her book When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther was published in November 2015, and the email was celebrating its tenth anniversary.
I appreciate learning about books that help families explore subjects they might not otherwise encounter. Christian history can seem like a big subject when you first approach it, but a well-chosen book can give parents and children somewhere to begin.
If you’re interested in learning more about Danika’s work, you can visit Thinking Kids Blog or explore Thinking Kids Press.
I haven’t reviewed the book myself, so I can’t tell you from personal experience whether it would be a good fit for your family. But it is one resource to investigate if you are looking for a book about Martin Luther and the Reformation.
As I sit here thinking about everything I have learned from one email, I am reminded that we never reach a point where we know everything there is to know. There is always another book to read, another piece of history to discover, or another subject that can lead to a good conversation around the kitchen table. I didn’t grow up knowing about Reformation Day, and it wasn’t something we celebrated when Charlie was younger. But now that I have learned a little about it, I can see why families who study Christian history might want to set aside time to explore it.
If you homeschool, perhaps this is a subject you can add to your history lessons. If you enjoy studying the Bible with your children, it may give you another way to talk about Scripture and the history of the church. And if you are simply curious, there is nothing wrong with starting where I did: by asking what Reformation Day is and why people observe it.
You don’t need an elaborate lesson plan to begin. You can read about Martin Luther, look at a map of Germany, open your Bible, and start a conversation. You might discover that your children have questions you hadn’t thought to ask yourself.
That is one of the blessings of learning together.
I’m grateful that Danika’s email introduced me to a subject I had never explored before. I’m thankful for the opportunity to keep learning, even though our homeschooling years are behind us. And I’m blessed to be able to share what I discover with you, in the hope that it might encourage another family to spend a little time learning together.
Because around here, learning doesn’t have to stop when the school day ends. Sometimes it starts with an email, a question, and a willingness to find out more. And that, my friends, is a teaching moment worth being grateful for.
Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
