In Which I celebrate Church History and Great Christians | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Shining Faith in Action: Dirk Willems on the Ice

Anita Mathias — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 21:04:14 +0000

Each time, I hear or recount the story of Dirk Willems, a Dutch Anabaptist hero of the Reformation, I find myself moved to tears. And so I wrote down his inspiring story in a little book, The Story of Dirk Willems. The opening pages are here. And here is the climactic scene: When Dirk Willems […]

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The Story of Dirk Willems: The Man who Died to Save His Enemy

Anita Mathias — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 19:56:56 +0000

I am inspired and moved by the story of Dirk Willems, one of the heroes of the Reformation, each time I hear it, and have written a little book on him. I hope you like it. Here is the opening section The Story of Dirk Willems: The Man who Died to Save His Enemy The […]

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The True Fairy Tale of the Life of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

Anita Mathias — Tue, 10 May 2016 20:46:21 +0000

He had been “the shyest, most unhappy-looking boy you could imagine,” –so journalist Charles Moore recollects Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, a fellow-student at Eton, and Trinity College, Cambridge. The alcoholic father, who had custody of him was, The Telegraph had revealed, a conman, a trickster, and (to Welby’s surprise) German-Jewish, not upper-class English. His […]

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When I almost missed the Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Anita Mathias — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 23:36:16 +0000

The Doni Tondo, a rare canvas painting by Michealangelo. Scroll down for more images. I spent the first Sunday of January 2106 at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It was free, and advice online, as well as unsolicited advice on Facebook warned me that the lines were horrendous. But visiting Florence and not spending a […]

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On Planting Secret Seeds for the Kingdom and for the Love of Jesus. And on a Role Model of Christian Leadership

Anita Mathias — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 12:25:56 +0000

I am fascinated by the Moravians founded by the reformer Jan Huss, remarkable for their 24/7 prayer which led to a worldwide burst of missionary activity, remarkable for sacrificial exploits like selling themselves into slavery to be able to credibly preach the Gospel to slaves. Comenius, a Moravian Bishop (selected by Life magazine as one […]

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Making a Difference Through Prayer and Writing: In Praise of Julian of Norwich

Anita Mathias — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 12:11:58 +0000

I read the papers and stress rises. So much injustice! 21 million people enslaved (14 million of them in India), land-grabbing, starvation, destruction of ecosystems, precious species going extinct, the restavek system in Haiti, slavery in Qatar, and the plight of the Palestinians. My heart sinks. I am just one girl of limited energy. I […]

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When the Lack of Joy Constitutes an Emergency: Martin Luther on Prayer

Anita Mathias — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 19:57:12 +0000

Martin Luther’s barber, Peter, asked him how to pray. Luther “ without doubt, at the time, one of the busiest and most hard-pressed men in the Electorate of Saxony, if not in the whole of Europe,” goes home immediately, and replies to this humble, unimportant parishioner. Such, such are men and women whom God blesses! […]

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10 Reflections after Listening to Heidi Baker

Anita Mathias — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 20:50:19 +0000

Heidi Baker is, I believe, the closest to the heart of Jesus of any living Christian. Christianity Today wrote a rapturous cover story on her. I heard her in Birmingham, and here are my notes, reflections and resolutions. 1) “Always, always, always, say YES.” Heidi: “I got so yielded that I didn’t have much more […]

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In Praise of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Walter Brueggemann

Anita Mathias — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:47:33 +0000

Walter Brueggemann Martin Luther King Jr. Some of us are old enough to remember the balcony in Memphis, the sanitation workers’ strike, the shot that broke flesh, the loss of Martin, and then the mule-drawn wagon, and the funeral, and the riots, the violence, the fear, and the failure. All of us know the crowd […]

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A Rhapsody on Heidi Baker, one of the most inspiring Christians alive!

Anita Mathias — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:07:00 +0000

Labels Heidi Baker So I will be hearing Heidi Baker twice this month at River Camp in Gloucestershire and at Revival Alliance in Birmingham. Heidi Baker is one of the most inspiring Christians I know, along with Dick Woodward, the quadriplegic Pastor Emeritus of our old church, Williamsburg Community Chapel, who, while confined to his bed, […]

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