Birds We Love To Watch - Check Out the Beaks

We had two males and one female cardinal feeding in the warm, somewhat sunny weather today.

Here are some good photos of common backyard birds.

Beaks
The beaks of birds determine how they eat, which suggests they were created that way. I find it comical to imagine this developing over millions of years, with the right beaks rewarding birds with full bellies and healthy children.

Cardinals are spectacular for two reasons. One is their distinctive plumage, whether muted in the female or bold in the male. The other is their powerful beaks. The birds with tiny beaks (chickadee, titmouse) grab one seed and flit to safety to peck it open, holding it in their feet while they crack it with a quick jab from their beaks.

The cardinals use their enormous beaks to break open the seeds and enjoy them on the spot, without leaving the supply. Since they are larger, they also tend to dominate the scene.

The combination is fun, because the little ones dash in and out when they can, while the cardinals eat and seem to smirk, looking at the window for excess movement. They tolerate some movement in the room and quickly return to feeding when disturbed.

An undisciplined bush grows near the feeder, so that serves as the waiting room. I trimmed it to make room for the feeder, so some shoots grew extra long. The small birds will use one fragile branch as their crow's nest. They have a great view, and the branch is too weak to support feline threats or another creature. Our bonus is seeing a chickadee, titmouse, or finch swaying on his watchtower.

The safflower seeds lasted a long time, but they were expensive per pound. Mr. Squirrel has abandoned attempts at the bird feeder altogether. Now the pure black oil sunflower seeds are being fed from the protected feeder. They are the best buy, especially in 25 and 50 pound bags. I am going to use a plastic garbage can for the opened bag, to keep it dry and vermin free. The squirrels and chipmunks found the bags last year and left me with pounds of seed hulls to clean up.

Mixed Seed
The mixed seed bag is being used for the front door area, so birds can feed on the ground in the rocks and also at waist level. The squirrel visits the flower box and selects sunflower seeds from the mix. I left an ear of corn for dessert, but he ignores that. Cold weather will make him less fussy. The backyard deck area has the old corn feeder, which the squirrels from the woods empty on a daily basis. I would rather not corrupt their greedy souls, but I wanted our grandson to see the squirrels feeding again. I put on a fresh one for today's family gathering, but the flint-hearted squirrels left it alone. They may be skipping corn in the back for sunflower seeds in the front.

I also scatter seed by the garage door, which is where I leave to do feeding chores. Last winter I always left a donation there. Today I forgot, so when I came back with the mixed seed bag in hand, birds were exploring the ground for their food. They are not dense. I have learned that birds will hint about their needs, becoming suddenly visible and noisy when they feel neglected. I left them a double helping for their trouble.

Window Ledges
That is also why I leave feed on window ledges. When they get used to food appearing there, they will light more often and look around. Birds are more easily enjoyed when they appear close-up at different windows. An ideal window location will also have a bath. Birds love to sip water with their food and take a bath to help preen their feathers. Multiple bath locations also increase the visibility of birds, especially in very cold and very dry weather.

Sheltered Areas
After one very cold night in Phoenix, all the doves were lined up under the deck roof, cuddling one another in bunches, against the warmer windows. They were still asleep and clueless when I saw them all. They managed to stack themselves for warmth.

A roofed area open to birds will always be attractive for nesting and shelter. We have had two nests near the grill, tucked into lights, since the metal holders form a structure for the nest. The blue jays also built a nest in the bush outside the bedroom window. We got to watch them feeding their young, the nestlings trying their wings, and an empty nest on Mother's Day, 2010. I began bringing seeds to that area during the nesting. The parents would take turns with one as a sentinel as I approached. I knew how nasty jays could be with their young at risk. However, these parents knew I was bringing seed. They were wary but never attacked. Whether they nest again in the same bush will be fun to determine. If they do, I will probably spring for peanuts.

Peanuts
A peanut feeder can be a lot of fun. A hinged lid will challenge a squirrel to open it, and he will. Blue jays love peanuts in the shell, too.

Seedy Suet
The little suet basket has proved to be a better buy than the gourmet suet ball from Duncraft. The raccoons stole the suet ball twice in a row, ending a lucrative relationship between Duncraft and our household. Instead I bought a wire basket and cake of seedy suet, for $3, at Walmart. The birds have pecked at that for weeks, with plenty left for another month or more of feeding.

If all goes well I will upgrade to mealy worm suet for the blue birds. Blue birds are the beauties who enjoy a free lunch on their looks alone. They are worth it. Blue birds are abundant here, but getting them close to the house is the reason to pamper them.

Frugal Feeding
The most frugal feeding methods, attracting the most birds for the least amount of money are:

1. Large bags of black oil sunflower seeds, available at hardware, farm, and other stores. A squirrel-proof feeder is a good buy; cheap feeders - goodbye.
2. Wire baskets of suet, for woodpeckers and other insect eating birds.
3. Scraps of food enjoyed by birds: old fruit, berries, grapes, bread products, and good old-fashioned suet in a citrus bag.
4. Water in shallow pans.
5. Food on the ground and at waist level.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Birds We Love To Watch - Check Out the Beaks":

Squirrels will eat sunflower seeds over walnuts and corn any day, and I suspect over acorns. The reason is black sunflower seeds have 10 times the oil content (see links below).

A problem is all the feeders SAY they are "squirrel-proof." Only some are. For instance, one had a cage fence around it, ostensibly to keep the squirrel from eating with its mouth, but that only made it easy for it to hold on and feast hand to mouth.

Claims of being squirrel proof is similar to how they have to put a cardinal picture on all the bags of seed or anything bird-related, or they don't sell. Also, they won't tell you on seed bags that they are even better at attracting squirrels and chipmunks.

Now that the 10 inch long Hairy Woodpeckers are coming to the suet, it only lasts a month. The smaller Downy Woodpeckers don't put much of a dent in the suet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_Woodpecker

If one puts a shiny galvanized chimney pipe over the pole going up to the feeder, that helps. Then one doesn't need a squirrel-proof feeder, or feeders. Everyone should have at least two, I think.

We have one squirrel that really likes suet, and he saw we had some chunks in our tray under the suet cage/basket. He studied how to get up there for days, sitting on the picnic table sizing the situation up. He's the same squirrel, I think, that meant the end of hanging a feeder from the garage eave. It found two ways of getting to it climbing the garage, and the other way was jumping five feet over and two feet up from the picnic table. Quite the long jumper!

Last week we made the error of putting the shepherd's crook with warm water within five feet of the feeder. We knew he could jump five feet, but figured the sway of the pole would cut short his jump. One acrobatic jump later he's steeling suet cubes. So we had to move the bird watering pole. That took heating a gallon of water and pouring it out on the ground to unfreeze a new spot in the yard.
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http://www.oilmillmachinerysuppliers.com/oil_seeds_sunflower.html

The oil content in sunflower seeds is 32-40%

soybean have oil content ranging from 18-22%

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plymouth/cropsci/docs/high_oil_corn97.html

regular #2 yellow corn. Typically #2 yellow corn has from 3.5 to 4.0% oil. Ideally, high oil corn should contain 7.0 to 8.0% oil.

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GJ - Bird food companies can extra money from customers two ways. One is the squirrel-proof feeder. The other is selling squirrel food and squirrel feeders to bird lovers, who are encouraged to entice the rodents away from the sunflower seed.

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bored has left a new comment on your post "Birds We Love To Watch - Check Out the Beaks":

speaking of Squirrels: Elton Stroh accepted a call to St. Andrews Middleton. Source:the Church and Change listserve.

Not that this case is particularly interesting or surprising, but when I read about it I was struck by something Big Picture: I have never seen a so-called Divine Call that wasn't completely the result of off-stage political machinations by the people involved. Divine? um... yeah...Right.

I don't believe that God calls a false teacher via a false congregation.

How about it Dr. Jackson? And to that end, how can a church ask Laymen to believe in something named the "divine call" when son follows father to the ministry? Wouldn't that be more like a divine guild?

And if the WELS pastors have not really been Divinely Called, but rather encouraged by Dad, how can we have any confidence that these pastors have a legit right to lead the church?

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GJ - Guilds happen for a reason. My family is heavily invested in teaching. Was it genetic or nurture? I grew up in a classroom, often going early with my mother. Sometimes a school library baby-sat me during a teachers' meeting, so I was weaned on C. S. Lewis, historical biographies, and Freddy the Pig. We often discussed the public school system and teaching at home.

However, I have been impressed (negatively) by all the politicking for calls in the ELS, WELS, and micro-minis. The meddling that goes on is shocking and disgusting, causing great harm. Why would the previous pastor get involved in calling the new pastor? It happens all the time in those sects. Deals are made. One alcoholic is protected by his connections. Another one is canned for being a drunk - OK, not likely in WELS. As they say, there is no such song as "What shall we do with a sober sailor?"

One deal in the ELS and WELS is giving an adulterous pastor a call after being caught in the act. Or, there is a two-year waiting period before resuming another adulterous call. The official ELS rule is "Two strikes and yer out." That means anyone kicked out for adultery is already on his second mistress.

The Syn Conference splinters do not believe in a divine call because they do not believe in the efficacy of the Word. They think in terms of feeding their fat tummies, so there is a divine call, but they do not observe the divine mandate.

That is their punishment for electing spineless nice guys who reward their pals and respond to blackmail. Only do not question them, because the Left Foot of Fellowship is just quivering to spring into action.

The guild is keen on shunning anyone judged outside the fellowship for attitudes unbecoming a robot. These guildings or geldings are quite serious about enforcement, but never show the same censorious attitude toward those unfaithful to the Word.

ELCA Pastor Arrested in Sting - "At Least He's Straight!"

 

 NWA News

A man arrested in a prostitution and solicitation sting had recently started his new job as senior pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Bentonville, according to jail records, the church’s website and his website.
A brief statement from the church said Robert Joseph Burnham has resigned.

“We are saddened to hear of the charges brought against Robert Burnham,” the statement said. “Clearly we do not condone this type of action.”

Burnham, 36, was cited in connection with sexual solicitation and loitering, both misdemeanors. He is identified as Joe Burnham on his website and the church website. He was booked under the name Robert Burnham.

AT A GLANCE

Sexual Solicitation
A person commits the offense of sexual solicitation if he or she:
• Offers to pay a fee to a person to engage in sexual activity with him or her or another person
• Solicits or requests a person to engage in sexual activity with him or her in return for a fee
Source: Arkansas Code

He and six others were caught in a sting operation at a Bentonville hotel Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to a news release from the Bentonville Police Department.

By Friday, Burnham’s website, Twitter page and the church’s website had been closed to the public.
However, the previously public versions of those websites were stored by Google, where they were still accessible Friday.

“Believing there’s something more to life, I seek to look at the world from unique angles, see what could be instead of what is, and live as if I already am where I will someday be,” he wrote on his website. “I do it as a husband, a father, a pastor, and a student.”

According to his website, Burnham has been the pastor at Faith Lutheran since November.
He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Concordia Seminary, and was working toward a doctorate from George Fox University, according to his website.

According to his wife’s website, they moved to Bentonville from Denver at the end of November.
His website mentions attending St. John’s Lutheran Church in Denver, and his LinkedIn page stated that he was a pastoral assistant at St. John’s.

Michael Eckelkamp, the senior pastor at St. John’s, did not respond to voicemail and e-mail messages sent Friday afternoon.

Mike Ingersoll, a member of the local church’s board of directors, said Burnham had been there about a month. Ingersoll declined to answer further questions, referring to the prepared statement.

Burnham’s past experience included a stint as a professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwayne, South Africa, according to his LinkedIn page. He had also been pastor or assistant pastor at other Lutheran churches, according to the page.

Two messages left on Burnham’s church voicemail Friday afternoon were not returned, nor was an e-mail message to his wife.

Church Growth Seminaries Use Failing Business Model

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "The Boomers Got Their Cheap Seminary Education, On...":

The synod killed the seminary M.Div. business model, not only by making it so expensive, but also by making it so risky. The debtor student wonders whether he'll receive a call. They should have plenty of slots to fill come Call Day, and this would attract more people into the M. Div. programs, so that every pastor has a M. Div., but they don't have many slots, and they wash people out unnecessarily because they want to trim the number of candidates. The reason for so few slots is first, they allowed pastors to work and receive their pension so they they never retire, and they also promote DELTO and SMP alternative routes to the ministry. If you go through six years of the M. Div. route, and then they don't "like" you on vicarage or something arbitrary like that, you won't receive a call. The people making these decisions about who gets a pass or a second chance are far removed from the consequences to the seminary business model, and consequences to that individual. That individual will tell others how costly and risky the process is, and soon there's hardly any M. Div students at seminary anymore:

SMP
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=13117

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Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "Church Growth Seminaries Use Failing Business Mode...":

Don't put down the DELTO and SMP programs, or you will be labeled as a "hater." Don't ask me how I know this. No languages are required, not even Greek, as I recall. Pastors I have talked to have told me that about half of their education is having lunch with their profs, going to the houses of the profs for parties, and being around them outside of class. This is lost in the distance programs, not to mention having no fellow-students with whom to interact. There is no daily chapel to help strengthen one's faith (of course, with CSL introducing pietistic small groups, chapel must not be considered important anymore).

What is the main reason this is bad? Have you ever heard a pastor say he received too much education? I know guys that still felt unprepared after staying another year or two, some for the STM. Nearly every pastor is greeted by a major crisis the first day of his new call. I know one that had to immediately deal with a suicide upon starting his new call. Many will deal with broken churches. Are "crash courses" going to help these guys? I think it's unfair to the SMP guys to put them in this position. Would you want your heart surgeon educated with "Cliff's Notes?"

While I realize that many SMP guys will remain in their home parishes (BTW, I seem to recall something about a prophet not being well-received in his home town), if they complete the MDiv or move somewhere else, I am afraid they will be ill-prepared.

With the sems' tuitions going sky-high, I think the unfortunjavascript:void(0)ate result is that the SMP (which will supercede DELTO when those guys are ran through) will become more common. Since there is no pastor shortage, one can easily conclude the reason for this is the eventual closure of one of the sems (and we know which one). With the new hierarchical structure, this is just a "Jesus First" SP away.

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SMP Specific LCMS Page

The 1932 Brief Statement Was the Swan Song of the LCMS, the Triumph of Pietism

UOJ, Church Growth, and doctrinal chaos are well represented in this holy icon attributed to Thoughts of Faith.

Here are some reasons given for why Missouri went bad after the 1930s:
1. They called it a church instead of a synod.
2. They stopped teaching Latin.
3. They stopped using German.
4. Pieper died.
5. The evil liberals stole the synod out from under the noses of the orthodox.
6. The leaders did not enforce the Brief Statement.

Someone called the Brief Statement a union document. I need more information about the work and its origin - an honest, analytical work, not the usual hagiography.

Missouri had previous Brief Statements. Didja ever see them mentioned or quoted? Why is the 1932 effort the Summa Theologica of the Lutheran Church, surpassing the Book of Concord, Luther, and the Bible?

I have another argument. The Brief Statement was the time bomb that blew up the entire Synodical Conference, destroying any chance it might be Lutheran one day.

The Brief Statement established error as the central doctrine of the Syn Conference. Like papal infallibility, its minions began working to enforce this error--UOJ--in the publications and the schools.

The Reim essay on the history of the terms reminded me about how recent this way. The BS of 1932 does not even use the term OJ or UOJ, but the anti-Christian quasi-Universalist world-absolution is there, plain as day.

After that, more terms clustered around the cancer cells planted by Pieper and Company. General Justification became Objective Justification, and OJ became UOJ. The concept remained the same. WELS loves the term UOJ now.

Halle promoted UOJ before Walther touched America's shores, and American Evangelicals (soon to become the mainline liberals embracing evolution) embraced it. They reprinted it and studied it the entire 19th century - Knapp's prolix and boring theology lectures. Double justification is laid out in clear English.

After 1932
After the BS, the LCMS and Syn Conference:

1. Abandoned Luther and the European theologians.
   
2. Grew close to mainline Protestants (who read the same Halle lectures earlier).
   
3. Treated orthodox pastors and theologians like dirt.
   
4. Went soft on evolution and grew shy about Creation.
   
5. Ran from inerrancy.
   
6. Cuddled up to the future ELCA partners in various pastoral conferences and seminary cooperative efforts.
   
7. Fell for secular counseling methods via clinical training.
   
8. Embraced Fuller Seminary training for world and American missions.
   
9. Let false teachers ran riot everywhere while discipline was reserved for conservatives alone.
   
10. Allowed homosexual pastors in all synods, not just the future ELCA partners.
    

Given UOJ, nothing matters in doctrine, worship, or practice.

The 1932 BS was the beginning of the end of Missouri, WELS, and the rest. They are so invested in forgiveness without faith that they cannot deal with justification except to repudiate their infallible past.

Ebenezer Lutheran Church, San Francisco--HerChurch--Was the Mother Church of the Augustana Synod, West Coast

The facts have been buried.
Try to find a history of Ebenezer in the old days.
This is where Pietism leads the so-called conservative Lutherans.

Yes, herchurch, San Francisco, is purple (and periwinkle)!

herchurch was blessed PURPLE on March 8, 2009

to honor the Goddess and Divine Feminine!

to be in solidarity with empowering womenand all persons who are oppressed,

and denied equal rights!

to advocate for marriage rights for all people!

 Join us for worship on Sunday at 10:30 AM

 and/or the Goddess Rosary Wednesday at 7 PM 678 Portola Dr.  SF -

A few images from our blessing of the purple...

     (by Inge Horton)

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ALPB

Glad you're not saying that, Jerry, because it wasn't.  

Ebenezer was the "mother church" of the Augustana Synod on the West coast.

Things have changed a bit since 1882, when Pastor John Telleen and his flock planted that vibrant Augustana congregation in San Francisco.

In a book published by the Augustana Synod in 1910 to commemorate its 50th anniversary, Pastor G. A. Brandelle wrote that the Synod would "never recede from its position on Christianity, morals, and education." I don't know how long "never" is. But we now know that it is something less than 100 years.

[Incidentally, in the 1910 book, the Synod stated that the pastor "is the chief member of his congregation and its leader. The members are to respect him, follow him, obey him, and to provide for his proper support." In addition, the pastor knew coming in who had supported his call and who had not. "The voting is done in the following manner. The presiding minister calls the names of the voters and each person gives his yea or nay, a two-thirds vote of this present being required for election."]

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GJ - Augustana tried to merge Pietism and Lutheran Orthodoxy and never hid its Pietistic heritage. The amalgamation failed because Pietism degenerated into political activism. ELCA Bishop Herb Chilstrom (Augustana Seminary graduate) led the new church body into homosexual activism.

The old Syn Conference has never been honest about its Pietism. As a result, the Little Three (LCMS, WELS, ELS) and the micro-mini sects are non-Lutheran and anti-Confessional. The Pietists won several decades ago.

Why else would Fuller and Willow Creek be the favorite training grounds for Missouri, WELS, and the ELS?

Aging Pietists become ardent hedonists, once they throw over the traces. That switch explains why a Pietistic college like MLC can film and broadcast a homosexual video (lying about it) while looking down their snouts at ELCA for being...get this...homosexual.

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Minister of EMBODYMENT (sic) Judith Lavender Dancer Claire - Liturgical Dancer photo by Angelina Cantada

(c) Photo by Deborah Hall The Rev. Stacy Boorn, 23 years an ordained ELCA pastor, graduate of Christ Seminary Seminex-PLTS Associate Pastor Megan Rohrer Director, The Welcome Ministry .

Steve Rausch - Minister of Music Organ, Piano, Cantor, Choir Director Susan Solstice (R), President With partner Andrea, and children - click picture to enlarge Kathryn Wagner, Minister of Stewardship

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"Jesus' redemptive power lies ultimately in ideal liberated-humanity, not in his maleness.  Christ's maleness is significant only insofar as he renounced the privileges that accompany it."

RECOMMENDED Reading:

Cross Examinations: Readings on the Meaning of the Cross

Marit A. Trelstad (Editor)

Minneapolis, Fortress - 336 Paperback

Consider Jesus - Waves of Renewal in Christology

by Elizabeth A. Johnson

Crossroad, New York

The Chalice and the Blade

by Riane Eisler

Harper

Everyone welcome in this communion!

Stacy Boorn is the pastor of herchurch, San Francisco which is an emerging liberating feminist congregation in the Christian-Lutheran denomination.

Stacy, an ordained Lutheran pastor for 21 years, claims her malestream theological education opened the door to her presently building a Goddess inclusive congregation and ministry.  Her tradition, which teaches a good-news grounded in liberating love and free grace from the Holy Other, provided a rich soil for growing a new vision.

Pastor and congregation were first challenged by what it meant to lead a liturgy – sacred ritual and community building – that truly included the voices and experiences of both women and the divine feminine.  This led to more than just changing words and putting a feminine face on the icons.  Of course this “rocked the boat,” creating an a fertile ground for new growth and transformation.

The voice of the Divine Feminine is not only being mined in the pages of scriptures and the stories trapped between the lines but also from ancient and modern Goddess traditions.  A few members of the congregation joined Carol Christ in Crete for a pilgrimage in a land where Goddess and women lead a peaceful civilization. 

herchurch initiated a new ritual:  The Goddess Rosary.  Using the numeration of the Anglican Rosary congregants bead rosaries and use them in their personal devotional life and every Wednesday at 7 – 8 PM during a public reciting of the Goddess Rosary which includes prayers that are liberating and empowering (Our Mother Who is within us by Mariam Teresa Winters, a Roman Catholic Feminist and Hail Goddess Full of Grace by Carol Christ a Goddess Feminist). 

During the hour Tibetan bowls, bells, incense, water, she-icons, Goddess Rosaries, candles, stones, and sacred space are provided for individual meditation and movement. Minister of Embodiment Judith Lavender Dancer teaches movemt for the Our Mother and Hail Goddess prayers. She also brings sacred dance and the body into the Sunday liturgy.

Individuals from all over the globe have visited www.herchurch.org and fund (sic) hope for finding a spiritual journey that need not be oppressed within or trapped by a domination or patriarchal system or presentation of “faith/God”.  To help connect these folks and enrich their spiritual journey herchurch coordinates, onsite, an annual Faith and Feminism, Womanist, Mujerista Conference (feast) in November.  The next conference will be November 6-8, 2009

The liturgy, community and ministry of the congregation reflects diverse thealogical (sic) works and voices hoping to be a part of the prophetic voice of the divine feminine that will deconstruct Christianity and other patriarchal religions so that both a new paradigm and worldview may emerge that truly creates egalitarian just society and eco-sensitivities that tend to mending the web of life. 

Many Christians, even those who are a part of the progressive movement, often question the congregation’s Goddess focus.  But more important are the voices of persons who had felt alienated and isolated by the church prior to learning about the work of herchurch.

Pastor Stacy, and the congregation, who are embodying the Goddess, are convinced that the nature of the sacred and divine presented in feminist-inclusive understandings can and will help facilitate a caring culture. 

The present church building is being painted purple and periwinkle in hopes to help proclaim this liberating love. Sacred dance and chants, classical hymnody with liberating lyrics, beautiful art, children everywhere and engaging faith conversations and acts of justice are a regular part of this worshipping (sic) community.