A Knight's Blog

The Puritans were a group in England that believed the Church of England needed to purge all Catholic traditions and conform to complete Reformed theology and doxology. For the Puritans the Anglican Church had not reformed enough, and so they sought to conform the Episcopal Church through their protests via their black clothing, and influence via the political circles.  The Puritans were never recognized as a distinct denomination of Protestantism, rather they were movement within the English Church comprised of many reformed Christians from various denominations that all sought to remove Roman Catholicism and its influence from the Anglican Church. Part of this was a direct response to the violent reign of the radical Catholic Queen Mary I of England, known as Bloody Mary who killed 300 Reformed Christians, and the papist pyres that burned Protestants.  The Puritans were Calvinists who believed all their beliefs should come from the Holy Bible, which they believed was God brea

The Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation with their own reformation. Prior to Martin Luther, there had been voices seeking to reform the Romanite Church. The most persuasive  voice  came from the Devotio Moderna Movement (14th Century) which called for a return to apostolic renewal though sincere piety in the form humility, obedience and simplicity of life [Henry David Thoreau would revive this  in a secular way, “simplify, simplify, simplify” Walden Pond].  Geert Goote, a Dutch Deacon, is considered to be the Father of the Devotio Moderna movement. He was dismayed and dissatisfied by the state of the Church, particularly the erosion of monastic tradition and the decline of morality among the clergy. Goote sought to restore the church to genuine piety and good religion. While Goote may have been the father, the voice or mouth of the Devotio Moderna Movement was Thomas A Kempis who penned the Bible of the movement, and one of the most read devotionals, “The

In the Church of San Damiano, near Assisi, Italy, St. Francis of Assisi was led to prayer, “One day out in the countryside to meditate. Finding himself near San Damiano, which threatened ruin, old as it was, driven by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, he entered to pray. Kneeling in prayer before the image of the Crucifix, he was invaded with a great spiritual consolation and, as he affixed his tearful eyes on the cross of the Lord , with the ears of his body he heard a voice descend to him from the cross and say three times Francis, go and repair my church which, as you see, is all in ruins! . On hearing that voice, Francis remained astonished and trembling, being in the church alone and, perceiving in his heart the power of divine language, felt kidnapped of his senses. Finally returning to his senses, he girded himself to obey, concentrated everything on the mission to repair the church of walls, although the divine word was referring principally to the Church which Christ purcha

As Christians we often get caught in the trap of striving. Despite that our faith is in Christ alone to save us (Philippians 3:9), somehow we find ourselves striving to appease God, to please God, to seek God, and to become more regenerated. But the Lord spoke and said, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10). Why is to so hard to cease striving? Why do we persist in trying to do something to make God satisfied when He already is? Did not Jesus our Lord say this to the religious leaders?,  “But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION (Mercy), AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners: For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Matthew 9:13).  Christ says He desires Compassion, not sacrifices. And yet church history is full of people trying to offer sacrifices to God throug

We are told that Christ is always the same, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). In a world of perpetual change, our One Hope and God does not change. As social norms are eroding and people are compromising values for what is politically “expedient,” we hold fast to our Lord Jesus who remains the same, “You, Lord (Jesus, Philippians 2:4-11, Romans 10:9), in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same.” (Hebrews 1:10-12 NKJV).  The heavens will pass away in the fire of God’s Wrath (2 Peter 3:10-11) and this world too shall be remade (Revelation 21:1-4), but our God and Savior shall always be, He reigns from Age to age, “to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all t

This time of year can be tedious for some. Christmas is over, the celebration is over and the lights come down. What comes next is deluge of snow and rain that turns the landscapes into either in to white wonderland or hills as green as Ireland. If skiing and “singing in the rain,” aren’t your thing, these months can make you blue. But that is not how it has to be! Winter can be a wonderful time, and here is how. While it seems cliche, going for a walk in the snow or light rain can be very comforting, the air is very crisp and pure. During these solitary walks is a great time to contemplate and spend time with Christ through enjoying his creation and nature. You can pray or talk casually with the Lord as you navigate His Creation or just enjoy the quiet, “Be still (cease striving), and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." (Psalm 46:10).  Another great use of this wintry lull, is to study Scripture, read devotional

In France, and parts of Europe, pharmacies are designated with green lighting and a green cross. But why? The main reason is, “The easiest question to answer is when did this convention start. The green cross as symbol of the Conseil National de l’Ordre des Pharmaciens was registered in 1984. Although owners of pharmacies are not obliged to use this symbol, the registering of the green cross meant that no-one else working in a similar profession could use it. Why though did they choose this particular shape and colour? The cross is obviously a reference to the 'Croix-Rouge', the international humanitarian movement set up in Geneva in 1864 with the goal of assisting those injured in wars and conflicts. Indeed, many pharmacies in France did originally display a red cross on their shops, up until 1913 when a law banned such usage of this symbol and colour.” (Invisible Paris: Challenge 3: Why the Green Cross).  The reason the red cross was probably banned as a symbol is to not