Art credit: The Field of the Cloth of Gold with Henry VIII and Francis I, 1520 by John Gilbert

Meet Cardinal Wolsey. "The world will be better or worse for what he will do..."

Today, how a simple piece of paper nailed to a door can change the world.

Art credit: Luther Posting His 95 Theses in 1517 by Ferdinand Pauwels

Today, Martin Luther arrives on the scene. Once again, as his story unfolds, we get a picture of how the ideals of one man can influence the whole world. Ideas are powerful!

I've been in Westminster Abbey--it's simply amazing. But, wow, what a price tag.

It's amazing how much of history has been shaped by individual choices. Today we begin to see how King Henry VIII's love life changed a nation--and the world.

Today we are reminded that all kinds of people were needed to lay the groundwork for freedom's home. We may condemn these men for their greed and their brutality, but in all the pages of history, can we find a greater example of courage and persistence against overwhelming difficulties, hardships and suffering?

Now we reach a more familiar part of the story. As we get a clearer picture of what was happening in Europe, we can see why the timing of Columbus' discovery of a New World was perfect. It would take another hundred years for other brave, yet ruthless and imperfect men, to pave the paths and open the way, but liberty could, at last, find a home and shine its light to the rest of the world.

Art credit: Columbus Before the Queen by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze

Today's chapter is not for the squeamish as we turn to the Inquisition. Warning: the writer did not spare details. It's hard to fathom what people had to endure in the name of 'purifying' Spain. It's compulsion taken to an extreme, yet aren't we seeing a version of that compulsion in today's world? If you aren't in line with politically correct ideas, you stand to lose your career, your livelihood, your good name. It's the same spirit of force, isn't it? An intolerance for diversity of ideas and beliefs?

​Art credit: The Grand Inquisitor Torquemada by Emilio-Sala Frances