Kelmed from Joseph Schmidt.
ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Parochial versus a University Education
LP Cruz was astonished Jay Webber had such a poor grasp of academics. Many Shrinkers have shown the same ignorance in different forms.
All this comes from a parochial education, which is why one WELS leader would like all the parochial schools shut down.
Parochial is synonymous with "close-minded" for a reason. As I mentioned to LP, each Lutheran seminary teaches its students to worship the fill-in-the-blank synod. ELCA too! May God have mercy on those who question the synod, because no one else will.
In the ELS and WELS, the only requirement to teach is an MDiv from their unaccredited seminary. Pope John the Malefactor did not even have an MDiv or a bachelor's degree when he was hired to teach New Testament at the Little School on the Prairie.
Joe Krohn and his bunch howl that I studied at Yale and Notre Dame. But a real university does not seek to convert someone overtly or force a student to share the same concepts as the instructors. That often happens because many graduate students never leave school and gladly follow the easiest path. However, Ralph Bohlmann's claim to fame was a PhD at Yale where he examined the theology of the Lutheran Confessions. They did not ask him to become a Congregationalist or worse.
Likewise, I had Hauerwas (Methodist) and Yoder (Mennonite) and Gleason (Roman Catholic) as doctoral advisors at Notre Dame. They were interested in whether I did a thorough job in research, not in rebaptizing me as Methodist, Mennonite, or Catholic. Was I harmed by having world-famous theologians as teachers? I think not.
I enjoyed discussing Lutheran doctrine in a room full of Catholic students, with two liberal professors leading the class. They were often far more receptive to Luther's doctrine than the ELS, Missouri, and WELS clergy I have known. One priest from that program, a PhD in liturgy, reminds me annually that he is still reading the set of Luther that I gave him.
Those who suffer from a parochial education never get over their need to find security in the canons of their own little group. WELS rests its confidence on the essay files at the Sausage Factory. One essay, on Church Growth, is by an avowed atheist. Another is by New Age theologian Mark Jeske.
The Little Sect on the Prairie (ELS) likes to act superior to WELS, more confessional, etc. They engage in the same tactics.
I have discussed this with several laymen, who scratch their heads over the obvious inconsistencies in ELS/WELS/LCMS arguments for UOJ. That does not matter to the Stormtroopers, because questioning UOJ is the deadly third rail of synodical politics.
"He denies UOJ!" is the ultimate accusation among these poor, deluded, confused Enthusiasts.
Stepping outside their little circle is doom in their eyes, because doom is good for their income.
The clergy are socialistic. If they can reduce their numbers, they have a greater chance to get the plush non-pastoral jobs. "Ah, no more catechism class. No more preaching, except the same sermon over and over as a guest. No more home visitations. Instead, people will visit ME and bow down in humility."
---
Tim Felt-Needs:
"On Contemporary Lutheranism
In terms of contemporary Lutheranism there is nothing new out there to speak too (sic)."
ELCA Follows WELS Pattern of Back-door Ordination: Wauwatosa Lives!
News Releases
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 9, 2010
ELCA Bishops Reach Consensus on 'ELM' Pastors, More Review Needed
10-086-JB
ITASCA, Ill. (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reached a consensus March 8 on a draft proposal for a rite that would bring onto the church's official clergy roster those pastors who were ordained and are on the clergy roster of "Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM)." ELM "expands ministry opportunities for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the Lutheran church," according to its Web site.
The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops plus the presiding bishop and ELCA secretary. It met here March 4-9.
The draft proposal, "Reception onto the Roster of Ordained Ministers," recognizes and affirms the ministry of ELM pastors. It is not the rite of ordination, though it uses patterns and texts adapted from the authorized ELCA rite, including the laying on of hands and prayer by synod bishops. It is intended for use with "individuals who have experienced an ordination that this church has not yet recognized," according to the draft.
The draft proposal will now undergo internal and external review, said the Rev. Robert G. Schaefer, executive for worship, ELCA Worship and Liturgical Resources. After review conference members will be consulted about final form before the proposed rite is sent to the ELCA Church Council for consideration, he said. The council, the ELCA's board of directors and interim legislative authority between assemblies, could consider a final proposed rite at its meeting in Chicago next month.
Schaefer explained that such a rite would have a specific, restricted, limited use. The conference was told that there are 17 ELM pastors who could seek to be on the official ELCA clergy roster.
Under the draft proposal, ELM candidates would be received onto the roster of the ELCA after fulfillment of all requirements needed for approval by an official clergy candidacy committee within a synod, said the Rev. Margaret G. Payne, bishop of the ELCA New England Synod, Worcester, Mass. Candidacy committees help guide all clergy candidates on behalf of the ELCA from the time they consider a call to the ministry through their seminary years. Pastors who were not ordained in the ELCA also work with candidacy committees, though the process may be shorter.
"After formal approval these people would be received at a service of worship, (with) the laying on of hands and prayer by a synod bishop," Payne said on a behalf of a committee of bishops appointed to prepare the draft rite following a preliminary discussion by the conference March 6.
"All of us without exception felt it was utterly important and essential that there be the laying on of hands and prayer as a part of a rite," she explained. "We know there are some people who would like to use the word ordination -- we are not saying the candidates will be ordained -- but we are suggesting that we use words in the authorized rite that replicate the promises of ordination, and will in fact be words from the ordination rite."
The conference took up the ELM issue as part of its work following decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis. That assembly approved proposals that would create the possibility for Lutherans in committed, publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA clergy and professional lay leaders.
ELM pastors follow the same educational process and credentialing procedure that ELCA clergy follow. Many are serving congregations, anticipating the possibility of becoming ELCA pastors when the church changed its policies regarding professional service in the ELCA.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, recommended the draft proposal to his colleagues. He explained that the draft proposal needed to meet specific criteria. One was a desire for reconciliation with ELM pastors "who long to be fully recognized as ordained ministers of the ELCA." Another was that the draft proposal needed to be recognized by the Lutheran World Federation "as consistent with our understanding of ministry as we have understood it in the Lutheran confessions and history." Third, he said it was important that the draft proposal honor the ELCA's six full communion agreements.
The ELCA maintains full-communion agreements with the Episcopal Church, Moravian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church. Full-communion agreements provide for mutual recognition of each other's ministries, provide for exchange of clergy in certain circumstances, and encourage sharing of ministries by the churches.
***
GJ - I am trying to figure out exactly what ELCA wants to do. They seem to want quasi-ordination because ordination would go against their concept of a second ordination. At the same time, they want to insert these people into the roster of ELCA with a patina of respectability. This will only increase the number of congregations exiting ELCA, which is good.
I call this Wauwatosa theology because the same justifications have been used to promote the ordination of male teachers and the crypto-ordination of women. Everyone is a minister in WELS. The Wauwatosa claim is - the Gospel creates its own forms.
An elderly layman put it this way: "This is an adiaphoron. That is an adiaphoron. Pretty soon everything is adiaphora." (Hint for Mequon students: adiaphora means "matters of indifference.") In two words, Wauwatosa means "Anything goes!"
WELS has a woman organizing and conducting a worship service at Latte Lutheran. The women "staff ministers" consecrated and distributed Holy Communion, yet the fake blogger howled that I was lying about women pastors in WELS.
The Shrinkers always howl when I hit the target. Of course, that is like hunting cows with a bazooka.
I think Jay Webber, MDiv, is on the ELS doctrine board. He warns people against paying attention to what I write. But the ELS and WELS could not even condemn the crypto-ordination of women. They only asked for a moratorium, a delay!
That is how ELCA worked out their issue. They backtracked and winked at what was going on in many different congregations, publicly stating they were "under discipline" while confessing later they were working with those congregations as equals all along. All the studies and statements were a delay until they could muster the votes needed. They also wanted a few elderly bishops out of the way.
Suspicions Confirmed - Satan at Work at Antichrist's Home Office
From
March 10, 2010
Chief exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth says Devil is in the Vatican
(Giulio Napolitan/AFP/Getty Images)
Don Gabriele Amorth is the chief exorcist at the Vatican
Image :1 of 2
Ask a Former Calvinist
Extra Nos
Lastly, Brett's point about Election and the quote of Romans 8:28-30 is relevant, of which I thought about this morning. If justification has already occurred for all, outside of faith as OJ teaches, then justification has occurred prior to calling. This contradicts the chain of redemption passage, to wit... whom he foreknew, he predestined, whom he predestined, he called, whom he called, he justified...etc.
If people are justified already, then the order says, whom he predestined, he justified, whom he justified he calls.
Have you studied Calvinism yourself? In Calvinist theology, justification or being saved(along with regeneration) occurs prior to faith. What Walther said - saved to believe.
This is why I respectfully say - as an ex-Calvinist, the way UOJ/OJ is articulated and what it implies is really operating on the paradigm of Calvinism.
Calvinists equate justification with atonement, seeing that justification is particular and since the two are the same, pulls the atonement on the justification side, hence, they conclude atonement must be limited.
UOJ does the same above, but since atonement is universal and since it is equal to justification pulls justification to the side of atonement and hence, justification is universal.
The point I make and why I am in consternation is that UOJ is doing the same effectively as what Calvinism is doing.
I left Calvinism! I do not want to go back to its way of thinking.
LPC
ELCA - The Only Religion Left Is Green
I was speaking to a Jewish engineer once, and he said, "The only religion left is green." That was 20 years ago.
He might have said, "The only Left religion is green."
ELCA has proven that concept.
Lent and Easter, according to ELCA, are all about the environment!
Welcome to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Lenten e-mail series, Living Earth: A 40-day Reflection on our Relationship with God's Creation. This year’s theme, “Joining the Hymn of All Creation” reminds us that our relationship with our neighbors, our world, and all creatures, great and small, is a gift of communion given us by God from creation’s beginning. In Genesis we hear the call to “tend and keep” the earth (Genesis 2:15), but in our sin we have turned our backs on the call to be God’s stewards and have rejected the gift of living as part of one whole, healthy earth community. As Lutheran ethicist Larry Rasmussen notes “[w]e are most ourselves when we are most intimate with the rivers, mountains, forests, meadows, sun, moon, stars, air, soil, rocks, otherkind, and humankind.”[1]
ELCA has been unusually concerned with otherkind lately. And yet they overlook the nature-based argument against their latest policy change. They should spend more time down to the farm.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Humpty Dumpty As UOJ Theologian
The UOJ Enthusiasts have taken their cue from this literary figure:
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
See Extra Nos for evidence.
Mid-Week Lenten Service, Because We Are Not an Emerging Church, 7 PM Central
Mid-Week Lenten Vespers
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central
The Hymn # 436 The Lord’s My Shepherd 1.3
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 23 p. 128
The Lection The Passion History
The Sermon Hymn #149 Come to Calvary’s 1.5
The Sermon – Confession and Betrayal
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45
The Hymn #161 Hosanna 1.8
Confession and Betrayal
In the lesson for tonight, from The Lutheran Hymnal’s Passion Harmony, we have the contrast of confession and betrayal.
Overall the disciples display their human weakness in being afraid, timid, silent, and ready to run. That should not be alien to us, because we all go through the same experiences in various ways, especially in relationship to the faith.
The disciples were not lost to Jesus. They were strengthened and sent out after His resurrection and ascension. There is a difference between them and Judas.
Judas lost his faith altogether. Various motivations are offered for Judas, including his desire to force a Messianic battle between Jesus and the Romans. His secondary name “Iscariot” may be a clue. There was also a “Simon the Zealot.” A lot is made of those associations with the future revolt against Rome.
Such ideas make for interesting books, but no enough is known to say the disciples included potential members of the Zealot revolt. We do know the Jews clobbered the Romans in one battle, and that made them think they could drive Rome out of Israel. The final result, about 40 years after the resurrection, was the destruction of Jerusalem, followed by another revolt and destruction many decades later (Bar Kochba Revolt).
The key spiritual issue is the loss of faith by Judas. He became an unbeliever and betrayed Christ for some silver coins. Ever since the name of Judas has been associated with betrayal of a friend. Everyone knows a Judas is a someone who will betray his own friend for money.
A Judas goat is the animal trained to lead sheep up to the conveyance that will take them to the slaughterhouse. The Judas goat walks up the ramp and down again. The sheep walk up and wonder what happened to their friend the goat.
The disciples were weak in their faith, but that is true of us all. Weak in faith does not mean lacking in virtue, lacking in merit. It means not trusting God in all things. Jesus said, more than once, “O you of little faith!” And yet, even a weak faith receives the blessings of the Gospel.
Someone who is weak in faith may be strengthened by many different trials.
The worst are those when a supposed friend is willing to be a Judas for a better position in the church. Or that person may gain the approval of others for behaving that way. There is a reason we are compared to sheep so many times in the Scriptures. “All we like sheep have gone astray, each to his own way.”
If we give up on the Gospel because of the weakness of man, we are even weaker than those who seem to be belly-servers (Romans 16:25) at the time. The Gospel has such a powerful effect that the moment it takes root and provides a blessing to people, Satan rushes in to exterminate it and drive the flock away.
Wolves from the outside and the inside scatter and devour the flock. But there are remedies.
Church leaders are often wolves rather than shepherds. Their job is to drive the predators away from the flock and feed the flock with the Word. The Gospel Promises are the green pastures (Psalm 23) but the Word is also a sword and shield, protection against the evil foe.
Lupine leaders do not do their jobs. Oddly enough, the big, old, mainline churches call their leaders “bishop,” a good title, and fit them with a shepherd’s crook, a perfectly good symbol of the office. They parade as overseers (bishop in Greek) and shepherds (pastor in Latin) but they betray Christ in their daily conduct.
The ELCA and Episcopal bishops are busy suing their own brothers in the ministry, although some Episcopal bishops are willing to risk everything and leave their apostate group. No serving ELCA bishop has done this, so far.
The betrayal of those people over there should be no comfort to us over here. The same tendencies are found everywhere.
When people trust in gimmicks rather than the Gospel, is that not also a betrayal like that of Judas? When they silence anyone who questions their betrayal, is that any different from the leaders who shouted “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”?
There is an enormous gap between being weak in faith and showing our sinful timidity and being bold in denial of the truth. Those who deny the Gospel even while they claim the Gospel, are always bold, proud, stubborn, and unwilling to bend.
The weak in faith “tremble at God’s Word” instead of the bishop’s crook. They know their shortcomings and confess them. They ask for guidance. They seek and find comfort in the Word of God and His promise of forgiveness in Christ.
Jesus came to seek the lost, to heal the wounded, to lead His flock, those who hear His voice and rejoice at its sound. He knows His own and they know Him. He leads them to the paths of righteousness, through faith in Him.
UOJ Stormtroopers Downunder, Where Women Glow and Men Chunder
Extra Nos is the central meeting place for UOJ Stormtroopers. MDiv classmates Jay Webber (Little Sect on the Prairie) and Paul McCain (LCMS) are dodging issues about their peculiar opinions.
I need to find my loving pigs graphic again, where I show how Pietism unites UOJ, Church Growth, and Receptionism.
Needless to say, neither Paul nor Jay has ever done anything against Church Growth.
McCain supported the biggest church growth location near the Purple Palace, St. John Ellisville (The CORE of Missouri - yes, that bad) and Heresiarch Al Benke. But McCain rejoiced in pulling the rug out from under Robert Preus.
Jay had no trouble working with Shrinker Floyd Luther Stolzenburg via their Church Growth buddy Roger Kovaciny. Stolzenburg was kicked out of Missouri "for cause," forced to resign. The question was not "who and for how long" but "how many and what ages?" In truth, Webber was against working with Stolzenburg until Jay was on the receiving end of the money from that Masonic congregation.
When I asked an ELS list-serve about Floyd never helping with the pro-life counseling agency in Columbus, in spite of his record of meddling in everything else, the list-serve went nuts and shut down. Rule Number One - never ask a serious question in the Little Sect.
UOJ dissolves the conscience but sanctimony remains.
LP asked me why these people are having so much trouble about UOJ. One reason is their theological immaturity. They have not done any study since seminary and it shows. They are still at the repeat-after-me level of education, the goal of parochial schools.
Another reason is the construction of their house of cards. UOJ is a bundle of contradictions and evasions. When someone pulls away one little card (efficacy of the Word, Means of Grace, the work of the Holy Spirit), the UOJ palace falls down.
Book salesman Paul McCain is now so hyper that he lets loose against me, very ad hominem, on Facebook and goodness knows where else.
McCain likes to warn people, but he and Otten agreed on one thing - neither one worked secretly with the other to get Al Barry elected. Both denied it publicly after bragging about it to me. That would make Paul McCain a ...
Birds and Bugs
have people buying mealy worms for them to eat
and birdhouses to live in.
Arkansas hosts them year around.
Birds like to raise their young at a time when the bugs are going crazy in their reproductive cycle. The explosion of bugs provides a banquet for the next generation of birds. One could say the birds keep the insect population lower or the bugs make the bird population higher. The relationship is one more example of an infinite number of dependencies in Creation.
Mourning doves are seed-eaters. They make a milk out of seeds and feed that to their young.
A blend of food will attract the widest variety of bird species. Some foods enjoyed by foods include:
1. All seeds, but especially sunflower seeds.
2. Berries, fruit, citrus.
3. Suet.
4. Bread crumbs.
5. Food up on trays or near the ground. Many put the ground food somewhat above the ground, perhaps on a window screen, to keep it dry.
All birds want fresh water for drinking and bathing. Multiple baths will encourage more birds. Dripping water will entice them to come. A large container with a very slow drip will appeal to birds, who tune in to the sound of moving water.
A variety of plants will house, feed, and shelter birds. Every tree is a feeding station for birds.
A trashy yard is good for birds. They like long grass, quiet places for nesting, bushes, trees, bamboo, flowering plants, compost areas, branches on the ground, and dead trees. An ideal location includes a broad grassy area, woods, and water.
Meet the Hero of Composting
often sold commercially as fishing worms.
Earthworms are all muscle, so they are mostly protein. They grind up soil, digest dead organic matter, and produce perfect manure for potting soil. They are unique in having glands that produce calcium to sweeten the soil. They like sweet soil, and they make it sweeter. Almost all plants grow best in sweet soil, the exceptions being the acid-loving plants like hydrangeas and blueberries.
When earthworms die, they add nitrogen to the soil. While they live, they add it in the form of liquid and solid waste.
Thoroughly modern, they are bisexual, each one have a male and a female gland. They line up like elevens and later an earthworm egg rolls off the outside. Each egg contains many babies. The mature worms are quite fragile and die easily from heat, sunlight, or a lack of water. The eggs survive almost anything, so the spread of compost means the growth of the earthworm population.
The digging and tunneling of an earthworm is very important to the garden. Earthworms pull organic material down into the soil, digest it, and deposit their manure (called castings) in the soil or on top. Their castings are perfect for plant growth, so this must have been planned by the Creator. If not, the plants must be grateful for the cleverness of their vermicular friends. Who better to live near the roots than a guy who aerates the soil, builds tunnels for rainwater to seep down, fertilizes the soil, and leaves dozens of children to continue the work?
Many people make fun of the lowly work of the earthworm, but up to a million worms might be at work in a fertile acre of ground. They collectively move about a ton of soil a day, without damaging the growing plants. They deposit an enormous quantity of castings per year.
Charles Darwin studied earthworms for 40 years and gave them credit for burying ancient monuments by adding a little soil each year to the top. Sadly, he missed entirely the agricultural value of the earthworm.
One of the prevailing myths of gardening holds that sand added to clay soil will make the clay easier to work. Ha. The best addition to clay soil is compost, because compost will multiply the earthworm population and mix the humus material with the clay.
Clay soil is very high in minerals and ion exchange, so the addition of compost will make it the ideal medium for almost all plants, thanks to the earthworm.
Sandy soil will not hold water, stay in place, or support demanding plants like corn and pumpkins. Adding compost will mix humus in with the sand, thanks to earthworms. That will hold water in place, keep the soil from blowing away, and feed plants.
Finished composted will be dark, earthy smelling, and full of earth-worms. A compost pile will finish from the bottom up because of the soil creatures working their way up from the soil at the bottom.
Compost Yourself
Brett Meyer asked for some material about composting, so I used a gag from Fraggle Rock. When the trash-heap got excited, they said, "Compost yourself."
A compost pile is made from a combination of soil and organic material, usually a mix of high nitrogen items (grass, rabbit manure, chicken manure, weeds) and low nitrogen items (wood shavings, dried leaves, cow manure). One item alone can be composted too, such as leaves, but the typical gardener will want to mix the elements to create a blend that will heat up, break down, and turn into compost soil for a wide variety of uses.
Nitrogen is the building block of all life, basic to protein. High nitrogen ingredients heat up and break down fast in compost, because one type of bacterial will attack it. The heating up tends to kill weed seeds and pathogens.
Various creatures are designed by God to eat and be eaten. For instance, damp compost materials will mold, and some creatures eat the mold. Others rush in to eat the mold-feeders. Many creatures live on rot while many others prey upon those specialists. The earthworm is the last to work on compost, because it cannot tolerate the heating up process.
The life cycle of a good compost pile follows the laws of Creation, with some help from man. The same things goes on all the time without us noticing it, but we can make tons of it on purpose:
1. Create a bin in deep shade with a circle of chicken wire. The bottom and top are left open. The open bottom rests on soil or grass, to speed the process.
2. Layers of leaves, grass, manure, and soil are tossed into the bin. Weeds are no problem. They are full of nitrogen and minerals for the heap. Manure is sanitized by the process and deodorized as well. I would never use dog or cat manure because of shared parasites.
3. Shade is important to keep the pile from drying out. Water is added to keep the dampness close to that of a sponge when rung out.
4. Soil adds beneficial creatures and bacteria.
5. Some aeration is good, but impractical as the help grows in size. In theory, a rotated heap will finish faster. There are tools to facilitate wrenching the back and creating blisters. Or, bamboo poles can be used to create air channels. I let earthworms do their job.
6. The bottom area is finished first and can be drawn out. The clue is the presence of earthworms. They will be busy digesting, adding sweetener to the soil, laying eggs and depositing their own manure. In almost-completed compost they multiply faster than Shrinkers in a dying synod.
Compost gardeners agree that there is never enough compost.
Compost does not have to be dug into the soil. Some people may want to do that because they think back-breaking work is good for the garden. Earthworms will pull the compost down into the top 12 inches of soil. Once that layer is full of compost, the remaining compost on top will act as mulch, protecting the plants from drying out and the invasion of weeds.
Compost has a wonderful earthy smell because of soil bacteria. Compost does not smell like garbage unless leftover food is dumped into the heap. That is a great idea for those who want to breed flies and other vermin.
We knew some city-Mennonites who ran to their "compost heap" and tossed the garbage in from a distance. They were doing it all wrong and likely attracted raccoons, rodents, and other creatures to the garbage pile.
Compost will necessarily spread earthworm eggs to every part of the garden. Red wigglers (which have a lot of names) are the best for this and can be purchased. Dew worms, which are larger and not so red, will also do a good job. The sign of rich garden soil is one earthworm per shovel of soil.
We have composted rabbit manure with soil and had a teaming mass of worms in every shovel. We called it Rabbit-Gro. Mrs. Ichabod thought of placing children's swimming pools under the cages, catching the manure and feeding the earthworms in the soil below. I was the gardener, so I was expected to be shovel-ready at all times.
Another way to create compost on the spot is to place a heavy layer of organic material around plants as mulch. I have used fresh lawn clippings for sweet corn, leaves, newspapers, spoiled hay, and ground up trees. Midland provided free sawdust from their tree removal projects, and I used that around the bushes and other plants. Wood uses up nitrogen at first and then releases it, so it has to be used the right way. I would not mulch a corn patch with sawdust.
After Herman Otten read the Wormhaven book, he used extra copies of Christian News to mulch his new trees. Mulch holds soil moisture in while providing shade for earthworms to work. They hate the sun but like coming up under a moist and shady canopy. Lift up old rotten wood and you will find worms. Leave a stack of newspapers on top of soil and earthworms will gather under it.
The emphasis on rot can promote slugs. One solution is to raise ducks. They seem to be one of the few slug-eaters on the planet. I have had slugs but they never became a problem. They would come up onto a few plants from the mulch and also hide under the cover I placed over some compost. I used an old rug for shade, so slugs rested on the shady side of that rug.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Roses, Suet, Birds, and Squirrels
I received suet for Christmas, and that lasted until March. If I had put out just one bag at a time, it would have lasted all year. I got my reward when the grandchildren watched birds perching on the suet right against the picture window facing the ravine.
Bird watching is so much fun, and easily funded. We saw an impressive inside cage setup at the Mayo Clinic, and I was tempted. Common sense set in and I realized God could do most of the work better and at a lower cost.
Suet is a bargain bird food. A little goes a long way, and suet favors the insect eaters. Like friends who show up whenever they smell baking, the birds will appear for the snack and stay for the real food - insects. We have had cardinals, bluebirds, starlings, juncos, and others feeding. I added Nyjer seed to attract finches in the near future.
I added two birdbaths for another low-cost bird feature. The main bath is a ceramic dish, $7, sitting on a cinder block near the suet. Birds need fresh water more than they need food, so the combination multiplies the bird population.
Mrs. Ichabod enjoys seeing the birds feeding from the kitchen window, so I have one bag of suet hanging in a bush near the kitchen. Birds are territorial, so that allows the front yard birds to enjoy some extra food. I now see cardinals more frequently in the front yard. They are a shy bird, so having one peak in the chapel window is a bonus for providing a little extra care. I will probably set up some water in the front yard too.
I have found that a $100 birdbath will clog up just as fast as a cheap one, so I would rather Go Galt and use the cheapest materials. I used ceramic because Sassy ate one third of a plastic birdbath. They should study the digestive track of a Cattle Dog.
I feed corn to the squirrels each day, and that keeps them away from the bird food. The grandchildren loved seeing the squirrel sitting at his meal, from the dining room window, when they sat down for theirs. He does not even run when I come out on the back deck. He knows I would have to jump from the deck, wait for the broken bones to heal, crawl over to his tree, and struggle getting up - to even be a threat.
When I get compost going, that will also attract birds. The final stage of compost is riddled with earthworms doing a final mix and laying their eggs, so birds love to hang around for a quick protein meal. Compost will be useful for the roses.
I met with the altar guild and decided to go wholesale on flowers - grow my own. Thus empowered and enabled, I ordered some aromatic roses from Wayside Gardens. I was disappointed in the offerings at Jackson and Perkins and unable to find some of my previous suppliers. Wayside is a great catalog, a favorite of mine along with Dutch Gardens. I almost ordered some tender bulbs but decided roses would be the best purchase, bloom for bloom. I will have enough to share with the entire street (two other homes).
Roses enjoy garlic or chives as a companion plant. Rosarians swear that garlic improves the aroma of a rose while keeping bugs away. The more pungent the garlic, the better.
Garlic is also a good herbal for blood pressure and the immune system. Fresh garlic carried by every Roman soldier may be the secret behind their amazing success in war, why enemies fled before them.
Out of the Closet at Extra Nos
The UOJ salesmen are coming out of the closet at Extra Nos.
This is my basic plan for the Justification by Faith book:
1. Efficacy of the Word.
2. Enthusiasm.
3. Pietism.
4. Justification by Faith.
More will probably be involved, but those are the basic divisions. I am finishing three online classes at once, so I will have more time now. God willing, the draft will be available later in March.
WELS Schools in Serious Trouble
thanks to bequests.
The profs love every doctrine, except Luther's.
The Shrinkers snuffed out Northwestern College in the name of saving money. Now Martin Luther College is going down. The Watertown campus began as the seminary, evolved into the college and prep school, and now exists as Luther Prep - after absorbing the Shrinker experiment at Prairie du Chien, now a prison.
GJ - This just in - the WELS synodical schools are in serious financial shape.
Michigan Lutheran Seminary is the worst, bled dry by the Gurgle-Mueller dynasty, their recruitment based on "No, we are not going to close next year." An auto-based economy does not help the district, nor does the location of the school.
Ex-SP Gurgle, who is now the campaign manager for Kudu Don Patterson in Texas, blew $30 million on closing Northwestern College, spiffing up Dr. Martin Luther College a bit (removing the "Dr."), and giving away the Prairie campus.
The Watertown campus got a facelift. Some say that the old Toppe regime made it look like a WWII barracks, but no one said it was going to close in those days. Northwestern College in Watertown had a unique identity in being focused on getting men ready to become seminary students. Merging with DMLC, based on a host of lies, was like getting a big shot of estrogen. The coursework was feminazified, languages weakened, and Church Growth fanned into flames. The Watertown profs did not like CG, but MLC is hotter than Georgia asphalt for it.
Can college students get jobs in New Ulm? That was another great move. How do they afford a $60,000 education with no jobs?
Most likely:
1. Michigan Lutheran Seminary will close.
2. Luther Prep will close.
3. Martin Luther College will close.
Meanwhile, millions are spent on weak world missionary efforts scattered around the globe, to make WELS look international. The same visionaries shut down their original efforts among the Apaches. That's right - in the name of saving money.
Plus - WELS has blown $500,000 or so on The CORE, with no discipline for the miscreants involved.
I expect another version of The CORE to erupt soon, since WELS learns nothing from experience.
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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "WELS Schools in Serious Trouble":
You wrote: "This just in - the WELS synodical schools are in serious financial shape."
How solid is this information? What constitutes "serious"? "Serious" is relative, just as a recession is when my neighbor gets laid off, and a depression is when I'm laid off.
MLS is so small, I don't think it could withstand another layoff. I could imagine mass lay-offs at Luther Prep and MLC, but closing either one seems far-fetched.
New Ulm is being helped out by the Schroeder stimulus program--building the new chapel. I think the MLC chapel dedication is still on for Apr 10+11:
http://www.mlc-wels.edu/home/about/webcams/chapup20100223/
***
GJ - I should tell you my sources to prove how solid? Solid. And it all makes sense. The new pledges were lower than last year's. Idiots run the government, pressing for a $1 trillion dollar program when layoffs continue. I see another drop coming, a W recesssion, they call it.
It's a bad sign when WELS adds a building to a campus.
Chris Jackson Reports ELCA Income in the Tank
News Releases
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 8, 2010
Despite Challenges, ELCA Churchwide Organization had Net Income in '09
10-083-JB
(Updated)
ITASCA, Ill. (ELCA) -- Despite the financial challenges of 2009, much of it the result of the downturn in the U.S. economy, the churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) finished the year with net income of $3.9 million.
Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, reported to the ELCA Conference of Bishops meeting here that current operating income to the churchwide organization in 2009 was $76.5 million, down nearly $7 million from the previous year. Current operating funds expenses were $72.6 million, down by $7.6 million from the previous year. The ELCA's 2009 fiscal year ended Jan. 31.
The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church, consisting of the ELCA's 65 synod bishops plus the presiding bishop and ELCA secretary. It is meeting here March 4-9.
A key reason for the reduced income was a decrease in mission support to the churchwide organization to $59.7 million, a historic low. Mission support funds are shared by congregations with synods, which commit a percentage of their funds for churchwide ministries.
Jackson-Skelton reported that in 2009 mission support income was reduced by 64 synods, 53 with decreases of greater than 5 percent, and 19 of those with decreases exceeding 10 percent.
***
GJ - I can imagine another reason for ELCA income reaching a new low. Their figures do not even account for inflation. It's even worse than they admit. Twenty years ago, they aimed at $130 million.
This Chris Jackson is not Mrs. Ichabod, as you probably guessed, but I enjoy using the name for ELCA's bad news.
Lower income means fewer false teachers infecting America.
ELCA Partners with Missouri and Just About Everyone Else
- Rev. David Eck
- Asheville, North Carolina, United States
- I'm an ordained Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] pastor who serves Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Fairview, NC, and has been with my partner, Gary, for 16 years.
Controversial Firing of Principal in Baraboo
at Wisconsin Lutheran College? You have broken fellowship
with Holy Mother WELS.
Story
Sauk County's Daily Newspaper
Monday, March 8, 2010
St. John's to vote on principal's future: Parents offer Hartwig support
By Christie Taylor / News Republic
Members of the congregation at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baraboo will decide the fate of the principal of the parochial school, John Hartwig, whose employment might be terminated following a vote later this month, though some parents are protesting that firing Hartwig would be unjust.
Church leaders announced to the congregation in mid-February that Hartwig would undertake a voluntary leave of absence to study doctrine. Then, in a letter to school parents Tuesday, church pastors announced Hartwig’s suspension, "for promoting materials" questioning the church’s teachings, and "conduct unbecoming a called worker."
Because Hartwig is not "at one" with the practice of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the letter states, he cannot serve as principal at the school, and the church council is recommending that his position be terminated.
The congregation’s male members will be asked to vote in a special meeting on the 21st.
***
GJ - I have no details at the moment so I cannot shed any light on the reasons. Normally they just sandbag a church worker before anyone can find out. Holy Mother WELS is never wrong, so instant shunning sets in. However, prevenient shunning warns him that someone has already decided his guilt and passed the word.
Note that Becker, Stroh, Kelm, Ski, Glende, Doebler, Gunn and many more are still fully employed, leaving many to conclude that something is rotten in the State of Denmark.
Good Discussion on Extra Nos
Fuller grads need some extra help in theology.
Extra Nos has a good discussion on Universal Objective Justification. LP Cruz is good at sorting out arguments because he comes from a non-Lutheran background. He is analytical, fair, and patient.
Many Lutheran clergy think they know non-Lutheran doctrine because they remember a few slogans from their MDiv classes. Since they repeat these slogans to one another, they think they know Protestant doctrine.
I thought WELS was bad with their repeat-after-me doctrinal classes, but Missouri is just as bad. Making no intellectual progress, 20 years after graduation, is nothing to brag about.
This verse alone defeats UOJ:
KJV John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The UOJ Stormtroopers would have us believe that everyone in the world is justified, forgiven, absolved. How can the wrath of God remain on those who are justified, forgiven, and absolved?
He is already forgiven.
Directions for OpenID
Directions for using OpenID are here. Note - DMins should ask someone to read the directions to them and help them with the keyboarding.
Anyone with a blog account, and that includes Sassy, can use that for OpenID.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Oculi, The Third Sunday in Lent
Oculi Sunday, The Third Sunday in Lent
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn # 477 Lord Jesus 3:90
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #354 In the Cross of Christ 3:84
No One Takes Away Our Joy
The Communion Hymn #307 Draw Nigh 3:72
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 50 Lord Dismiss Us 3:86
KJV Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
KJV Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Third Sunday In Lent
Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast sent Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh, that He might overcome the devil, and defend us poor sinners against the adversary: We give thanks unto Thee for Thy merciful help, and we beseech Thee to attend us with Thy grace in all temptations, to preserve us from carnal security, and by Thy Holy Spirit to keep us in Thy word and Thy fear, that unto the end we may be delivered from the enemy, and obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
No One Takes Away Our Joy
John 16: 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
We have to wonder how the disciples faced the Roman Empire, after the crucifixion, without their Teacher being visibly present. The hostility was building up so much as they traveled toward Jerusalem that the disciples thought they would die there.
The Gospel of John is full of paradoxes, seeming contradictions. One is that the words and phrases are so simple that any first year language student can read John in a new language, almost from the start. On the other hand, John’s Gospel contains so much spiritual wisdom in those simple phrases.
Another apparent contradiction involves love and hate. The world hates God and everyone who believes in Christ, but God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.
The paradox in this passage is sorrow and joy. Jesus is predicting His death on the cross, when they will be consumed with sorrow. However, their sorrow will be turned to joy.
The illustration for this teaching is one which no one can forget. Even today, people try to lessen the impact of labor. Mrs. Duggar, who has delivered 19 children, said, “Every one has been difficult.” More than one mother has said, “There is a reason it is called labor.”
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
When a child is born, people do not dwell on the labor pain and the uncertainties, but on the joy of having a new baby. The memories are not exactly erased but they are overwhelmed by the happiness of new life.
That has been trained out of our society – that children are a great blessing and a gift from God. As long as people see children as a cost rather than an asset, they will rob themselves of the joy God freely offers in children. The more childbirth is qualified, the more this joy is lessened. If it must happen at the right time, with the right gender born, with perfect health and every possible benefit, then the parents should be joyful – that is unlikely. It is like waiting to have enough money to get married.
The paradox taught by Jesus is that the disciples would be crushed by sorrow at His death, but it would be a brief time. So we think that the disciples should have known at the time, because they were taught so carefully. Nevertheless, they were a tiny band united by one thing, the mighty Roman Empire carried out a death sentence against their Teacher, and the religious authorities gladly went along with it, even encouraged it. They were isolated and alone, both through the powers of the State and the influence of their religion.
There is a reason why Lent means spring. A short time ago, we thought winter would last forever. That is especially difficult where people are used to warm weather coming in February. December here was so warm that I washed and waxed the car and noticed the bulb flowers emerge from the soil. After that we had our worst snow-storm, which meant people did not even try to escape the ravines and winding hilly roads of this Ozark area. An icy drive down a steep road would make it more like Bon Voyage than Bella Vista. Suddenly it was warm, the crocus were up, and winter was almost forgotten.
The disciples were strengthened by their knowledge, and Jesus remained their Shepherd during the dark days before the Resurrection. But they knew fear, sorrow, and desolation. They shared the experience of the cross and knew their own guilt in being afraid, in denying Jesus, in doubting. Rejoicing came from what God did, how He raised Jesus from the dead, and showed them the meaning of the cross and empty grave.
These labor pains of the disciples strengthened them and deepened their trust in Christ. The Holy Spirit brought to their remembrance all the things taught to them by Jesus. The more they saw how correct He was in everything, the more they trusted in all He taught them. That gave them the courage to face the Roman Empire and the hostile religious authorities.
The disciples were not saints who were far and above what we are today. They were ordinary men who were purified by the Word and taught by the Savior, refined in a refiner’s fire so that the dross was burned away. What shines brightly in the pages of the New Testament are the results of this divine activity of the Word and the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in them.
We have similar sorrows, although not as dramatic. Even without the current drama of the economy, we have losses and difficulties and conflicts. Most Lutherans today have detailed stories about being misled, deceived, slandered, and shunned.
1. Some say, “I am disillusioned.” That is a good thing, because we should not live on illusions.
2. Many are disappointed in their religious leaders. That is even better. Five centuries ago, Luther said it was good to be disappointed in religious leaders, because that makes us trust in the Word alone. There has been too much trust in people rather than the Word, choosing personalities over Scriptural doctrine, deciding against the Confessions in favor of a false unity and fake peace.
3. We are often disappointed in various events, from injustice and harm done to us, especially because of the Word. If it were not painful, it would not be the cross.
When Jesus was beaten, He was probably too weak to carry the cross. Another man carried the cross. He probably became a follower, since he is named along with his sons in Mark.
KJV Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
KJV Luke 23:26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
KJV Matthew 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
We also bear the cross because the Word of God generates hatred in all those who believe in their own righteousness.
Someone complained in my class that America tolerates every religion except Christianity. I responded, “We are the Roman Empire all over again. Every god is tolerated except the one true God – the Savior Jesus.”
No one can take this joy from us, although they might try very hard at times. The harder they try, the more God turns it into joy. I was smiling over the job interview I had in Phoenix. I knew I would not be hired to teach world religion because the job went to atheists alone. It would have meant total security and benefits, but it also would have tied me to Phoenix for years to come. Thanks to atheists, I was able to move near our grandchildren.
The Biblical meaning of joy goes far beyond getting what we wish. It also means appreciating what we have at the moment, being thankful to God for those blessings.
Luther did not think our lives should be so wonderful that we would cling to this world. He thought it was better to long for the next life. His trust in the Word was complete, so he taught justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law. He prayed in trust, because the Promises of God never deceived.
This is what Jesus taught in the midst of revealing the sorrows and joys of being His followers:
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
ELCA Benefits Reflect ELCA Policy
ELCA's new health plan policies will reflect the doctrine of the apostates. They have been paying for abortions under the plan, showing the real nature of their compassion. Now they will add same-sex clergy spouses. They have invented a lot of new church worker categories, so those spouses will be covered too. Nobody told ELCA that same-sex health coverage is an exception in the big corporations - not for lack of coverage. The rules make it difficult for people to qualify. They have to show they are together for more than a brief fling and they have to apply for it.
Nevertheless, ELCA is hastening to remind its fleeing congregations why they are hitting the exit doors as fast as they can. The new rules and health plan are a matter of pure justice, in synodical minds, so there is no reason to listen to any other position.
Ralph Bohlmann's daughter must be rejoicing, because she is now a UCC minister and living with her female partner and adopted children. Bohlmann was the Otten choice for LCMS Synod President.
We should judge synods by their policies and actions, not by their claims. The late Father Richard J. Neuhaus labeled himself "confessional Lutheran" until the moment he became a Roman Catholic priest.
In spite of what WELS claims about its doctrinal stance, this is what its practice and policies show:
- Women pastors are legitimate and there is nothing in the New Testament against this trend, which is routinely accepted by members, pastors, and Doctrinal Pussycats.
- Open communion is good, but should be "Don't ask, don't tell" open communion.
- The liturgy is bad. So is the name Lutheran. And "church."
- Rock music and entertainment are much better than the liturgy and hymns.
- The Book of Concord is obsolete and irrelevant.
- Synod leaders should attend as many non-Lutheran worship gatherings as possible, because those people know how to do real evangelism.
- The worst false teachers make the best leaders at the synodical schools.
- Doctrinal discipline is for those who appeal to the Scriptures and the Confessions.
- Pastors should be divorced and remarried, because they make better ministers, just as they claim. But the facts should be hidden, lest the weak in faith be offended.
- When a rich man divorces and marries his mistress, it is a "Scriptural divorce."
---
Former LCA Bishop James Crumley on his disagreement with ELCA and PB Hanson. Interestingly, I had lunch with Crumley after I left the LCA, at the Ad Fontes conference where I met Neuhaus. Crumley glanced at my nametag and knew I was in WELS already.
Remember how rad I was for saying things like this about the LCA? Now Crumley is saying as much. Remember that, WELSians and ELsians, when you trash-talk this blog. I was 22 years ahead of the boss then, too. I still am, and people are catching up.
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