Fox Valley Wit From Joel Lillo

Joel has left a new comment on your post "Thank You Helpers":

YOU had typos????!!!!???? I just don't believe it. My illusion of your perfection lies shattered on the floor! Oh, the humanity!!!

The Purpose of This Volume - Yes, I Kelmed the Concept

You missed the cardinal article. It is one post below. Thanks. This great drawing is by Norma Boeckler.

J-444

Quo propior Luthero, eo melior theologus!

"It is the purpose of this volume to aid in displacing books of Reformed preachers. We would encourage the cultivation of distinctly Lutheran preaching. Therefore, we now appeal to our brethren always to consult Luther when preparing to preach. Quo propior Luthero, eo melior theologus!¹⁹⁴ Let us who are called Lutheran preachers be sure that in every one of our sermons we preach God’s Word and Luther's doctrine pure. It is that preaching which God demands of us, 1 Peter 4:11. It was that preaching which conquered the Roman Goliath, Revelation 12:11. By that preaching we shall truly build the walls of Zion, not with hay, straw, and stubble, but with such stones as all the powers of hell shall never overthrow, Luke 21:15."

Martin S. Sommer, Concordia Pulpit for 1932, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1931, p. ix.

J-445

"Paul... is speaking about methods of preaching the Gospel. He means to say that you can introduce methods into your Gospel work which on the surface do not appear as shameful, but which in reality disgrace the Gospel. He is harking back to 2:17, where he spoke about kapeleuein, about 'selling' the Gospel. To use a coarse illustration: Some ministers in their eagerness to bring the Gospel to the people, resort to entertainment to attract the crowds, in order to get an opportunity to preach to them. If you would tell such ministers that they are ashamed of the Gospel and that by their methods they disgrace it, because they manifest a lack of trust in its efficacy, they would resent the charge. Are they not doing all in order to promote the Gospel? The disgrace their methods bring upon it does not appear on the surface; that is why Paul speaks of secret things of shame."

John P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, pp. 62f. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; 2:17.¹⁹⁵

J-446

"It is not enough that we preach correctly, which the hireling can also do; but we must watch over the sheep, that the wolves, false teachers, may not break in, and we must contend for the sheep against the wolves, with the Word of God, even to the sacrifice of our lives. Such are good shepherds, of whom few are found."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 34. John 10:11-16.

J-447

"The world desires such wolf preaching, and is not worthy of anything better since it will not hear nor respect Christ. Hence it is that there are so few true Christians and faithful preachers, always outnumbered by the members of the false church."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 385. Deuteronomy 29:19.

J-448

"It must be so, the village must be against them; again, the apostles must despise them and appear before them, for the Lord will have no flatterer as a preacher. He does not say: Go around the village, or to the one side of it: Go in bravely and tell them what they do not like to hear. How very few there are now who enter the village that is against them. We gladly go into the towns that are on our side. The Lord might have said: Go ye into the village before you. That would have been a pleasing and customary form of speech. But he would indicate this mystery of the ministry, hence he speaks in an unusual way: Go into the village that is over against you. That is: Preach to them that are disposed to prosecute and kill you. You shall merit such thanks and not try to please them, for such is the way of hypocrites and not that of the evangelists."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 46f. Matthew 21:1-9.

J-449

"But the Lord refutes this and says: Go ye there and preach what does it matter if it is against you? You will find there what I say. We should now do likewise. Although the masses storm against the Gospel and there is no hope that they will be better, yet we must preach, there will yet be found those who listen and become converted."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 48. Matthew 21:1-9.

J-450

"Thus we arrive at the apostle's meaning in the assertion that a minister of Christ is a steward in the mysteries of God. He should regard himself and insist that others regard him as one who administers to the household of God nothing but Christ and the things of Christ. In other words, he should preach the pure Gospel, the true faith, that Christ alone is our life, our way, our wisdom, power, glory, salvation; and that all we can accomplish of ourselves is but death, error, foolishness, weakness, shame and condemnation. Whosoever preaches otherwise should be regarded by none as a servant of Christ or a steward of the divine treasurer; he should be avoided as a messenger of the devil."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 73. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.

J-451

"Paul in Romans 12:7-8 devotes the office of the ministry to two things, doctrine and exhortation. The doctrinal part consists in preaching truths not generally known; in instructing and enlightening the people. Exhortation is inciting and urging to duties already well understood. Necessarily both obligations claim the attention of the minister, and hence Paul takes up both."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 9. Romans 13:11-14; Romans 12:7-8.

J-452

"If Satan were only prudent enough to keep quiet and let the Gospel be preached, he would receive less injury from it; for if the Gospel is not attacked it completely rusts and has no occasion or reason to make its power and influence manifest."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 300. Matthew 22:15-22.

¹⁹⁴"The closer to Luther, the better the theologian."

¹⁹⁵"It is the same thought as that expressed in 2:17. Some preachers, like hucksters, are ready to dicker about the Word of God as though they can discount something to make a sale, as though the deal is between them and men alone. This is what Paul also means by adulterating the Word of God, mixing in unrealities to make the Word acceptable to men." R. C. H. Lenski, St. Paul's First and Second Letter to the Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1957, p. 957. 2 Corinthians 4:2. 2 Corinthians 2:17.

More Cardinals - Fewer Popes

Attracting Cardinals to Your Back Yard

October 20, 2010

Understanding a few facts about cardinals can make the difference between whether you’re able to attract these birds–or not! Cardinals usually are the first birds to feed in the morning and the last to feed at night. Be sure to have your feeders filled during these times of day. And the type of feeder is important too. Cardinals like feeders with a roomy trays or open platform  feeders. They like to be able to perch comfortably and won’t tolerate feeders that sway in the wind or are otherwise unstable, such as feeders with perches that are too small for them. Cardinals often feed from the ground, so if cats or other predators aren’t present, you may consider a ground feeder for these birds.

Cardinals eat a variety of foods: sunflower seed, safflower seed, cracked corn, suet, suet mixtures, peanut hearts, peanuts and nutmeats of all kinds. Try Cardinal Delight, a seed Duncraft formulated especially for these birds. They also like melon seeds, pieces of raisins and banana and even cornbread.

If you want to set up a feeder for just cardinals and maybe some small birds such as chickadees,  try setting your feeder in the midst of a bush or shrub. Cardinals nest in bushes and they love to eat in a secluded place. Replicating a cardinals’ preferred habitat by your feeding set-up is one way to keep them coming back and also discourages other large birds, such as doves and pigeons. These birds are too large to use a feeder that’s located in the middle of a lot of branches!

Water also plays a very important part in attracting cardinals and other birds, both in summer and winter.  So be sure to have a bird bath filled with fresh water if there isn’t a natural water source nearby.

If you are lucky enough to have more than one pair of cardinals at your feeding station, you may see one or two males trying to keep all the others from the feeding tray. This is very common among finches – the family of birds to which the cardinal belongs. However, sooner or later every one gets its turn. Even the male cardinal who won’t let his mate eat with him all winter eventually relents. When spring comes he begins to regard his mate in a new light. Instead of chasing her from the feeding tray, he now begins to offer her shucked sunflower seeds and other choice tidbits. When the cardinals have their young they will bring them to the feeder and teach them how to feed themselves.

***

GJ - Duncraft had a great article, so I kelmed it. I have seen three male cardinals at once around the feeder, which is next to a large bush. As regular readers know, I also have a bird-bath nearby, hidden behind some - ouch! - holly bushes. What I do for those birds!

---

Bruce Church has left a new comment on your post "More Cardinals - Fewer Popes":

They suggest a post for feeding cardinals for stability, but if you keep your feeder near the house, the wind can't get at it as much. That seems to keep our cardinal pair happy. Some years we get 2 or 3 pairs for a short while.

The article is right about cardinals feeding at dusk and dawn. Often you can't even see the red color it's so dark out. How they manage to eat so seldom is they eat a lot at one sitting.

We have 100% safflower seed in our box feeder, and the cardinals love it. It didn't take any adjustment period at all for them to take to it.

Here's a tip. Box feeders come with a tray or perch. If you want a larger tray for cardinals, close up one or two sides of the feeder so no seed can come out, and then move the tray over so it's all on one side. That will probably require a drill and screwdriver. Sometimes the seed trough can be closed up merely by sliding the plastic side out and turning it upside down and then optionally using some tape. Then hang it so the tray side is toward your window, or edgewise toward your window, so you see the side or back of the birds.

***

GJ - Cardinals feed on the ground, too, so I scatter extra seeds there. Some squirrels may get it, but other birds will too.

I had no trouble getting birds to eat safflower - I just found it expensive.

When Ordering Multiple Books

Norma Boeckler designed this cover.

This is where you order my books from Lulu. 

Orders are printed once they are requested.

If you want a bunch of books at once, I can send them to you at a discount. I would rather see more books get around than make a few more dollars. As Jack Preus said about writing theology books, "Don't quit your day job."

My not-so-secret email is gregjackson1948@qwest.net

My spam filter will get rid of the silly spam sent because I post the address.

All PDF downloads are free and they can be shared with anyone.

Justification is almost ready for ordering. Early-birds are welcome to send me their list of typos found. No printed books has ever been free of printing errors, so I laugh when a humorless drone has a hissy over my typos. My gruff but likable editor kidded me about mistakes, but made one of his own while laughing at his own humor. I did not hesitate a moment to return fire.

Thank You Helpers

"Will this book ever get off the ground?"
That is a common thought during the writing effort.

I want to thank all my helpers for moving things along during the final stages of Justification and the Thy Strong Word re-publication. There are many forms of encouragement.

One WELS member said, "I want signed copies of both when you are done."

Another one sends me a list of typos, missed by the editor and me.

Another adds artwork - Norma Boeckler.

Still others send encouraging messages. If I thought about the Lutheran leadership of today, I would quit. They are shameless and clueless. Issues are finessed rather than addressed.

We are supposed to defend sound doctrine and question leaders, as the Bereans did, studying the Word to verify the teaching. Today people defend Holy Mother Synod and question the Word, while ignoring the Book of Concord. The results are inevitable, because God hates the Lutheran synods as constituted and mis-managed today.

But - signs of hope. I now find the youngest generation interested in Lutheran doctrine. They are starting almost from scratch, because their congregations and schools and synods have chosen to leave them ignorant and to train them in synod-worship. But they are eager to learn, willing to work at it, and Berean in studying the issues for themselves.

On Children and Grandchildren - From Thy Strong Word

Men who teach the Word of God to their family go against the natural impulses of the world. The opportunities in the family are endless. Children are naturally curious and eager to learn, so they want to hear about the Word and they absorb lessons readily. The Small Catechism was written expressly for the training of children by the head of the household. The father can make that responsibility seem like taking out the garbage, mowing the lawn, and cleaning the basement, or he can show his children how he delights in the teaching of God, Psalm 1. The term law should not be interpreted as only the commands of God, but as the teaching of God, because that is the meaning of the Hebrew word torah. We might translate the phrase as follows: His delight is in the doctrine of the Lord.¹⁷⁷

KJV Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law [torah] of the LORD; and in his law [torah] doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

J-342

"Chastize them when they deserve it, but accompany the correction with affectionate words so that they do not become disheartened and expect nothing good from you. It is very bad if a son loves someone else more than his father. The father should give some sort of proof that there is no intention entirely to crush the child. The Law alone serves no good purpose; in fact, it is intolerable."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 142. V. Dietrich, 1533. Ephesians 6:4.

J-343

"The first destroyers of their own children are those who neglect them and knowingly permit them to grow up without the training and admonition of the Lord. Even if they do not harm them by a bad example, they still destroy them by yielding to them. They love them too much according to the flesh and pamper them, saying: They are children, they do not understand what they are doing. And they are speaking the truth. But neither does a dog or a horse understand what it is doing. However, see how they learn to go, to come, to obey, to do and leave undone what they do not understand... These parents will, therefore, bear the sins of their children because they make these sins their own."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 139. November, 1516 sermon Fourth Commandment.

J-344

"The apostle does not mean to say that children are not to be rebuked or beaten, but that they are to be chastised in love; but parents are not to vent their furious temper on them, unconcerned about the way to correct the error of their children. For when the spirit has been cowed, one is of no use for anything and despairs of everything, is timid in doing and undertaking everything. And, what is worse, this timidity, implanted during the tender years, can almost never thereafter be eradicated. For since they have learned to be frightened at every word of their parents, they are subsequently afraid of even a rustling leaf or a tree."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 140.

Parents often become frustrated with the difficulty of raising their children. The cuddly baby turns into a ferocious two-year old in record time. This stage is a not a burden to be thrust onto child care providers, but a time for parents to help in a significant turning-point in the growth of a child. Children have their first impressive tantrums at the age of two (and even before), so the parents have a chance to teach their children self-control. We heard the child of one friend say in his evening prayers, “Forgive me Jesus for cying and frowing myself on the ground.” When self-control is not learned at the age of two, the tantrums are worse at age four. If the tantrums go unpunished, the teenage years turn children into angry tyrants who terrorize adults. When I was visiting an elderly person, her great-grandchild came home and announced grandly that she had told off the dean of students at her school with a stream of abuse she shared generously with me and the others. I tried to point out that being respectful would be far more fruitful, but I was talking to granite. I wondered what would happen to such a wild person.

J-345

"You see, then, that by nature all children are disobedient to father and mother. Therefore if a child is to honor father and mother from the bottom of its heart, as this Commandment requires, the Holy Spirit must bring this about through grace; nature is not equal to the task."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 143. Exodus 20:12.

J-346

"Love toward their mother is not so great in children as the love of their mother toward them, as the proverb has it: Amor descendit, non ascendit, Love is a plant that grows downward rather than upward."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 138.

We can recognize the Old Adam in our children, even when they are so-called innocent children. Our daughter Bethany blew squash all over the face of her favorite nurse and then laughed. Bethany had a sheepish grin when I asked her if she used tantrums to get her way at the nursing home. Erin Joy learned to use the medical system to her advantage as well. One time she shrieked at the top of her lungs. Five nurses raced into her room. She grinned. She was lonely and wanted some company. When our granddaughter Josephine, at age two and a half, sat on a tricycle at the mall in Mankato, I strolled along with her while she toured the Sears store. Suddenly she raced out into the mall hallway, moving with a sense of purpose. Mystified, I followed her until she completed her transit of the second hallway. Then her beloved carousel appeared, with lights and music. She steadfastly set her face toward her goal, raced through the crowd, and jumped off the tricycle, getting on the carousel before I could pay. Since I wanted to be strict with her, I limited her to eight rides. However, when I tried to take her back to a meeting place to see her parents, I witnessed the fury of a two year old.

Children always view their mother as the sole obstacle standing in the way of their happiness. Sons can be very difficult at a younger age, daughters in their teen years. Nevertheless, love is not always expressed in hugs and kisses. Children do not want to give away how much they love their parents. In time this love becomes evident and the source of enormous happiness.

     

Grandparents

God rewards parents by making them grandparents in due time. Being a grandparent is like riding the best roller coaster in the world, with all the thrills and none of the fears. No one has invented a drug that will generate the excitement and contentment of one tiny grandchild, boy or girl. If a pharmaceutical company could package a fraction of the power of grandchildren, they would have a nation of contented but goofy people. People are nostalgic about the thrill of falling in love for the first time. They think they cannot recapture that feeling. They are wrong. Holding grandchildren, watching them play, talking gibberish with them, blowing a paycheck on their needs and desires: all this can make all the years collapse and the happy memories flood the mind. We remember the events that led up to this happy moment, the blessings of God, the warp and woof of the family genetic code. One of the greatest blessings of God is to see our children’s children.

KJV Psalm 128:1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. 2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. 4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. 5 The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

KJV Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; 18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

KJV Proverbs 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

Funniest Comment about the Arkansas, Ohio State Game

Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame coach

Just before the Arkansas-Ohio State game, Lou Holtz was introduced as an announcer.

Mrs. Ichabod said, "He gets a lot of money to watch a football game in a suit."

I get to hear humor like that all the time.

Arkansas played extremely well and almost beat the Buckeyes. The expert announcers had the Hogs written off early, but they came within 5 points on some brilliant plays.