Our friend Jared Kennedy teamed up with illustrator T. Lively Fluharty to write a biography of Martin Luther. Gretchen Ronnevik wrote its companion piece: a biography of Luther’s wife, Katie. Aimed at younger readers, the books trace the life of the monk and former nun through their marriage and ministry. The Lord’s grace is evident throughout it all, highlighting how he works through everyday lives.
We asked Isaiah Marshall’s daughter Olivia (age 11) to read these two books and tell us how they influenced her as a middle schooler. Below you’ll find a brief interview in which she shares her reflections. Both books are sold on Amazon (click here to read Martin’s; click here to read Katie’s).
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If you spend the day with the Luther family, what things would you like to do with them? And if you could ask Katie, Martin, or their kids any questions, what would you ask?
I would like to see their daily routine because they always had a lot of people in their house. It seems like that would be fun, because you would have a lot of people to hang out with. I would ask the Luther kids how they felt about it—I know not everyone likes having that many people in one area.
Were Katie and Martin good parents? What did you learn about a Christian family from reading about the Luthers?
I think Katie and Martin were good parents because they followed God with their family. They would pray every night and every morning with their kids and before every meal. Martin would read the kids part of the Bible. They also provided for them, loved them, and spent time with them. I learned three things about a Christian family from reading about the Luthers. The first thing I learned is that Christian families should read the Bible together. The second thing is that Christian families should pray together. Lastly, I learned that Christian families should spend quality time together.
Name three things about Katie and three things about Martin that surprised you or impressed you.
Three things that surprised me about Katie is she escaped being a nun by hiding in the back of a carriage and risked her life doing it. Another thing that surprised me about Katie was her marrying Martin,because his plan was to set her up to marry someone else but they ended up getting married to each other. And the last thing that surprised me is the number of kids she and Martin had.
There were three things that surprised me about Martin.The first thing was that he wanted to be a lawyer, because he’s known as the world’s greatest monk. The second thing that surprised me about Martin is how he became a monk. He was in a deadly storm and said “if I become a monk, maybe God will save me” and he did. The third thing that surprised me about Martin is his last words before he died. He recited John 3:16 over and over again which says,“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
How did following Jesus change Katie and Martin?
I believe following Jesus changed Katie by making her more generous. She let orphans live in their house and kids whose relatives live too far away. If Katie had not followed Jesus, she probably would not have done this.
I believe following Jesus changed Martin by making him more caring as he helped Katie and the other nuns. If Martin did not follow Jesus, he probably wouldn’t have helped Katie and the other women escape.
What did you learn about God in reading these biographies?
I learned several things about God by reading these biographies. God helped Martin and Katie in hard times. He cared for them by providing for them. He was present with them by helping Martin realize that he doesn’t have to go to a priest to pray, he can have a personal relationship with God. God protected them from the harm that could have happened when they escaped.
How do you benefit or learn from reading Christian biographies?
I think we benefit from reading Christian biographies because we learn about God and how others followed God. I think middle schoolers should read about the Luther family because it is a really good story about a family who went through hard times but prayed and listened to God to get through them.
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Inspired by Martin and Katie? Want to grow in your parenting? Check out Rooted’s family discipleship video curriculum on Rooted Reservoir.
