Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Is That You, Katie?



Baby Bee needs to spell-check her rants.


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "We Love the Lies":

About Susan Boyle, and your posts in general. I have noticed that all too often you leave out whatever facts you want to make a point. I suppose any rediculous (sic) extremist would act the same way though, so why would one expect less from you?

She never said she did not have training. In fact, she has said many times that she started out furthering her education towards perfomance arts, but due to family situations, she left school to focus on those issues. Obviously, she held her family's well being as a higher priority than furthering her creativity and career at the time. Whether she has faith or not, that is the sort of behavior that should be inherent in all christian (sic) families, but unfortunately is pushed aside in this day and age. You should know, since you claim to be such a traditionalist.

Almost anyone can record their (sic) singing with any sort of chorus or instrumentals backing them up. All they need is the right people behind them, such as a church or those she knew via her, old but probably still there, ties to those who also are musically inclined. Does not mean she was ever given the chance to become a big hit.

Also, it is a sad fact that you acknowledge within yourself, vicariously through the tarnishing words towards this older woman, that you obviously hold a host of a show up on a pedestal and feel that he is not a human who can be spoken to freely, if one choses (sic). She has confidence, and has come to realize that Simon is not some godly untouchable being. For one who has no qualms about preaching his faith, you holding an entertainer up so high that you feel that when someone talks back to them that it obviously could not be real, should make you step back and re-evaluate the key points in your own life.

- Caitlin

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GJ - Sadly, Susan Boyle is a younger woman, from my perspective. She is about the same age as Simon, if everyone is telling the truth. From now on, I will believe every set-up on that show. Katie has informed me that I am wrong about everything, including show biz, so I need to repent.

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DK has left a new comment on your post "Is That You, Katie?":

Back when I used to tuter gradeschool kids and correct there papers more oftener than not I used to read kids writings who were in the 5th grade then but not anymore because they grew up but these 5th grader could have written better than Caitlin accept she's an adult in the workforce no less! Added to her poor spelling she's got terible sentance construction.

Muddled writing is evidence of muddled thinking.

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GJ - DK is a hoot. I was going to post a corrected version of his comment, because there were so many elementary mistakes in it. On the fifth or sixth one, I started to laugh. Great parody, DK. You pranked me.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Is That You, Katie?":

Have you talked to Katie? Or are you once again trying to present false assumptions as fact? Let me help you out, I highly doubt it is her (sic). She has many better things to do with her time than write comments on your blog.

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GJ - I assume you mean Katie the pricey executive assistant? Have you talked to her? Besides, I did not say it was the suffragen bishop at the Popcorn Cathedral. Of course, some might infer that. We have to assume, Anonymous, that you don't have anything better to do, since you are posting about something that does not concern you.

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Spel Czech has left a new comment on your post "Is That You, Katie?":

While we are on the topic of elementary mistakes...

"I was going to post a corrected version of his comment, because there were so (sic) elementary mistakes in it."

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GJ - Totally awesome, dude. I omitted one word. I make more mistakes than all of you put together, but that is because I publish more - and I sign my name.

PS - Someone has written (Anonymously, of course) to say he knows who Caitlin is. He wanted to pile on and make a bunch of anonymous accusations. Is this a father/daughter thing? If so, then the apple does not fall far from the tree.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "We Love the Lies":

We too enjoyed the Susan Boyle video immensely. But we need to remember that this "reality/audition" show is big business and there's no way they're going to let an unknown rank amateur on stage. Britain is too big to not screen the stage (maybe in A-town.)

Everyone on that stage has been screened by junior producers just like on the audition rounds of American Idol. Surely the judges are at least told "she's a ringer." Note Simon's questions ahead of her song which prop her up for a crash-and-burn failure. Those questions aren't asked of each act. As she walks on the stage, she uses an exaggerated swinging of the hips, undoubted encouraged by the goons offstage telling her to "sex it up a bit" and she carries through with the uncharacteristic "and that's just one side of me" embarrassing hip-swivel.

The big picture is that she'll get some time in the limelight and she'll sell a few albums. It's a nice story, but again, just more media manipulation.

+Diet O. Worms

How I Celebrated Earth Day



The endangered elephantbird is threatened by fresh air, purified water, and solar-powered yogurt factories.


  1. I shopped at Wal-Mart.
  2. I took the groceries home in plastic bags.
  3. I left the water on in the garden while we were shopping.
  4. I let the car idle extra long, with the AC on high.


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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "How I Celebrated Earth Day":

Ok, you have finally made Obama's watch list.

Drill Down with the Senior Management Team at Granger



Don't laugh. They trained The CORE staff. I love the lingo: "drill down, senior management team, do life."
$7500 for two days. Don't fail to miss this one.


Leadership Live

May 6-7, 2009
Granger Community Church

Ever wanted a front row seat to how Granger’s Senior Management Team leads the church? How they plan for the future? How they decide which series to present and what direction to go? This event will give 24 leaders a chance to spend two full days with the Senior Management Team at Granger Community Church.

WHO:
If you’re a church planter, a pastor or senior-level ministry leader, you won’t want to miss this chance to get an inside look at the day-to-day happenings at Granger.

WHAT:
Spend two full days with the Senior Management Team at Granger Community Church. Talk about any ministry area and find out what happens behind-the-scenes.

You’ll drill down on…



How they do life together

Administrative issues and decision-making

First Impressions and guest services

Creative brainstorming and planning

Spiritual development and training

Missions impact and partnership models

Cost includes all meals and lodging.


Product Code: WSLEAD



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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Twitter Tattle-Tale: Ski and the Orlando Speakers":

$1500 is not that atypical for a two day conference.

You must be pretty insulated from the real world to be shocked by that figure.

(Liked the DeForest Kelly shot, though).

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GJ - Insulated? I fail to see the value. If I wanted to see how frambulators were made at AAA Auto Parts, or learn how they converted the Twinkies division from LIFO to FIFO accounting, that would be a bargain.

Denominational conferences are usually about $100, but these CG guys think they are far more valuable. They want 24 people to give them $1500 each. I doubt whether most congregations are that loaded this year.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Drill Down with the Senior Management Team at Gran...":

A fool and their money will soon be parted. Better yet if it is someone elses (sic) money.

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GJ - No kidding. Look at ex-SP Gurgel. He had the MilCraft estate, the Schwan loot, and Thrivent grants - and WELS still tumbled into insolvency during a time of prosperity. Gurgel has laid his consecrated and consecrating hands on Kudu Don Patterson, anointing him as the SP-in-Waiting.



Forensic accountants should offer a report on where the money went during the 14 Gurgel years. World Missions, Home Missions and Evangelism sent people routinely to Fuller Seminary. Home Missions paid for training at Willow Creek. Money was shoveled out the door while WELS shrank and went broke.


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Anonymous
has left a new comment on your post "Drill Down with the Senior Management Team at Gran...":

Pastors would straighten up and fly right very quickly if they had to really work a real job for a living. Sheltered from the realities of life they make no mistakes. They shift the responsibility to church members time and again. Instilling business acumen in them at a two day conference is sheer fantasy.

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GJ - Here is a comment from a retiring bishop who believed in the efficacy of the Word - "Those who enter the ministry late in life often leave again because of the way ministers are treated."

Members of a church can get away with worse behavior in their congregation than they can in higher education or work. As one funeral director mentioned to me, "Men who are miserable at work and miserable at home can take it out on the pastor, because he is a safe target."

I believe most ministers start out wanting to work hard, do well, and be faithful. However, members have a way of giving 1.5% and asking why the bills are not paid, overlooking the 8-10% giving by the pastor's family. And - if a pastor is active in doing those things people say are important, the bills actually increase, so they are picked over at each council meeting. I heard a group of men discuss how much chicken to order for 45 minutes straight.

The CG conference addicts are another story. WELS starts to brainwash the men in college, if not before. All the wrong people are held up as examples at the annual Church and Change bash at MLC. Faithful pastors and laity have been pilloried for decades by the loving Church Shrinkers.

The Sausage Factory is even worse, completely dominated by Fuller, Willow Creek, and Trinity Deerfield alumni. An ambitious young pastor is going to continue in the path set by his teachers for 8 years. Those suspected of conservatism have not been given vicars. Three WELS boards are 100% trained in Enthusiasm, so a significant chunk of pastors, officials, and professors point the new pastors in the wrong direction and get them money for addition career-enhancing brainwashing at Granger, Exponential, Church and Change, Willow Creek, Fuller, and Trinity Deerfield.

Ski is no different from a lot of WELS pastors. He is just too candid about it. The Shrinkers do blame all their problems on methods because trust in the Word has been trained out of them. Can anyone imagine going to Stanley's Baptist Church, Granger Community Church, and Catalyst (Stanley-Groeschel) and having a single Biblical thought left? Those guys are all show-biz, a topic I know nothing about, according to Katie.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Drill Down with the Senior Management Team at Gran...":

Pastor Jackson, your points are well taken. For the first time I begin to understand why WELS is such a mess.

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GJ - Enthusiasm in WELS is not new and definitely not hidden. Fred Adrian and Wally Oelhafen popped their corks when I criticized Church Growth and Fuller back in the 1980s.

The Church Shrinkers would gush about their ideology but deny it three times when pressed about details. The supreme example is David Valleskey in the Northwestern Lutheran and in the Quarterly, slobbering over Church Growth while denying he went to Fuller Seminary. So they made him the seminary president. When a sect is small and ultra-conformist, that creates a Reformation (on the bad side) without a vote, a meeting, or a study.

Sad to say, the typical WELs pastor is not trained to deal with doctrinal issues. The Doctrinal Pussycats represent that failing...flawlessly.



We appointed Valleskey to study Church Growth.