Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the great civil rights leaders of our day. This week is a great time to learn about his life and work.  Here are some helpful suggestions and resources. Hope you choose a few and enjoy them with your family!

1. Learn about Martin Luther King's life.  The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King  has a short video biography you can watch, and some cool stories about him.  Discover how Martin Luther King made a better world in just 10 years.  

2. Listen to and discuss one of Dr. King's speeches.  Here is a link to an excerpt from his  I Have a Dream speech.  (The text of the full speech is there too.) Did you know that Dr. King, along with being a leader for civil rights, was pro-life and was an active advocate for the unborn?

3. Make posters / pictures of your dreams for America. Discuss how you can make them come true.

4. Read Martin Luther King's Pledge.  Talk about how he and his followers agreed to govern their lives with love.  Point out that they were able to change the world because they were willing to change themselves first.  

5. Create your own Family Pledge.  Discuss rules and principles your family would like to live.  Talk about how those rules can help your family and those around you.  Write up your Family Pledge and review it regularly. 

6. Read (or listen to) all or part of  Dr. King's earliest recorded sermon in which he said, "Now that’s what we’ve got to do in our world today. We’ve left a lot of precious values behind; we’ve lost a lot of precious values. And if we are to go forward, if we are to make this a better world in which to live, we’ve got to go back. We’ve got to rediscover these precious values that we’ve left behind."

7. Learn about the lives other people who worked for equal rights, including Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and John Newton.

8. Learn lessons about leadership and entrepreneurship from the life of Dr. King.  Love these insights on how great leaders inspire action.  And here's a great article on four lessons entrepreneurs can learn from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  

9. Explore other activities your family might enjoy at Apples4theTeacher.

10. Choose a way your family can make a difference in your neighborhood or community.  Talk about people who could be struggling, how they might feel, and how you can help.  You could help an immigrant family, befriend an elderly neighbor, help a child who is struggling in school, or assist at a local shelter.  

If we each make a difference in our own unique way, we can make the world a better place!
 

BONUS ACTIVITY  

An inspiring article, The Wrath of a Great Leader, tells how Dr. King had to wrestle with his anger and what we can learn from his example.  You might want to read the article with your family, or tell a few stories from the article and discuss the principles and some of the questions at the end.  

The article shares a very valuable perspective on how we can transform anger into a powerful and positive source of motivation  It's a very useful skill for us all to learn!  And it's a good opportunity to teach our children that if we seek Him, God can transform our weaknesses into strengths!

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​Did you know that the United States has a National Religious Freedom Day? It's January 16th!

Few people are aware of this important day because, unlike people in many other parts of the world, we have long been blessed with abundant freedom to live and worship as we desire.

It's a day when we celebrate religious freedom and the adoption of Thomas Jefferson's historic Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. 

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, says about Thomas Jefferson's legacy:

"If you've ever toured Monticello, then you know that Thomas Jefferson had very strong opinions about what his legacy should be. 

"He wanted to be remembered as the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence and as the 'father' of the University of Virginia. 

"Both are inscribed on his tombstone, along with his second proudest achievement--authoring the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom.

"That might surprise Americans today, who wrongly believe that our third President wanted to divorce the government of all religious expression. On the contrary, what Jefferson wrote in Fredericksburg some 230 years ago was such a groundbreaking defense of freedom that the men who drafted our Constitution relied on it for the framework of the First Amendment. 

"'No nation,' Thomas Jefferson said years later, 'has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be.' He understood then, as we do now, that religious freedom is fundamental to every other freedom on earth. Maybe that's why, despite all of his other accomplishments, Jefferson considered the statute one of his greatest legislative feats."

But today, many of us take our legacy of religious liberty for granted -- like the air we breathe, it has always been a part of our lives.  

Thanks to the faith, vision, wisdom, and courage of the Pilgrims, our Founding Fathers, and others, America is a beacon of hope for countless immigrants who have fled to her shores because they longed for the freedom to worship God as they believed was best.

Lately, as our rights have been questioned, it's more important than ever for us to appreciate the sacrifices so many have made to preserve religious freedom in America, and to take our turn to protect and pass on this noble heritage.

In the words of President Trump, "The free exercise of religion is a source of personal and national stability, and its preservation is essential to protecting human dignity.  Religious diversity strengthens our communities and promotes tolerance, respect, understanding, and equality.  Faith breathes life and hope into our world.  We must diligently guard, preserve, and cherish this unalienable right....

"I call on all Americans to commemorate this day with events and activities that remind us of our shared heritage of religious liberty and teach us to secure this blessing both at home and abroad." 

Learn More

• Text of the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom
• Religion is Essential for Freedom  (Clayton Christensen - 1:39)
• The Genius of Thomas Jefferson  (David McCullough - 9:20)
• Goodness and Religion Are Essential for Liberty (Quotes)
• President Trump's Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day, 2020
• President Trump's Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day, 2021
• Why America Must Recommit to Religious Freedom

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"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.”  ~George Washington
 

"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.  The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our people, in a greater measure, than they have it now, they may change their rulers, and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty.”  ~John Adams
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