Popular Tyrants

grumpy has left a new comment on your post "Tyrant":

Hmmm....a Tyrant t-shirt.

Is that a Freudian slip?

Actually, Jeske should have worn that during his "become a slave to the state" sermon.

As for quotes, after my prep years I adopted that of Sartre:

"Hell is other people"

Grumpy "Feel the Love" Lutheran

Another WELS Church and Change Operation.WELS Prayer Warriors

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Another WELS Church and Change Operation.WELS Pray...": From their own website: The WELS PRAYER INSTITUTE (WPI) is not an official organization of the WELS. WPI was introduced in November 2004 as another ministry “spun off” from Church and Change. WELS Prayer Network

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18) Prayer does not make anything happen -- God does. Prayer is not a means of grace -- The Word, Baptism, and Holy Communion are. Prayer is not a way to "name it and claim it" -- "Thy will be done," said Jesus. Prayer is a "power tool" which God has given his people. Prayer is a command of God for his people to obey (Matthew 28:19,20, Luke 11:28). Prayer is a time to praise and thank our merciful, loving, generous God. Prayer is a time to totally depend on God for help and blessing. Prayer is a time to invite God's blessing on the WELS, local church people and ministries, your local pastor(s), church leaders, family, friends, Synod ministries, para-church ministries, communities, governments (local, state, national), lost or straying souls in your area and world, the persecuted church, the sick, dying, lonely, suffering... Prayer is a commitment of great love -- which God never fails to answer for the best. Prayer invites divine wisdom, and the Holy Spirit into your life. “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1). “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.” --- 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ---- 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” (Colossians 4:2-4, 12 NIV) “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4).   The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) is a Confessional Lutheran Church body begun in 1850 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin . The WELS has approximately 1,259 congregations with a total membership of 400,622 souls. See www.wels.net for details on the Synod and its various ministries. The WELS PRAYER INSTITUTE (WPI) is not an official organization of the WELS . WPI was introduced in November 2004 as another ministry “spun off” from Church and Change, an informal gathering of WELS pastors, teachers, staff ministers and lay leaders. “Church” refers to the one gospel ministry of Jesus Christ which he has entrusted to all of his people. The word “Change” refers to how we might proclaim the changeless gospel of Christ within the changing culture in which we live. The WPI promotes prayer throughout the Synod in a variety of ways: 1)  Promotes prayer for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. 2)  Connects WELS prayer leaders to one another. 3)  Provides "working models" of prayer ministries for those getting started with prayer ministries. 4) Shares ideas on how to expand prayer ministry in your personal life and local church. 5)  Sponsors Prayer Conferences which focus on praying, education, and encouragement. Contact Information Pastor Steve Witte: Phone# 920-499-7405, email pastorwitte0906@sbcglobal.net Reg Draheim: Phone# 920-497-1000, email regdraheim@hotmail.com  WELS Prayer Network Board of Directors Jim Aderman (Sharon) 121 N. 66th Street Milwaukee, WI 53213-4041 (414) 475-5096 Office (414)771-2530 Cell: 414-403-6224 adermanj@fairviewlutheran.com Bruce Becker (Linda) 4172 Hidden Creek Road Jackson, WI 53037-9114 (262) 677-0058 Office (414)  562-8463 bbecker@timeofgrace.org Matt Doebler (Chris) 1316 Quicksilver Street Round Rock TX 78665 Office (512) 470-2133 matt@ctrtx.net Reg Draheim (Jan) 1096 Reed Street Green Bay, WI 54303-3064 (920) 499-8551 Office (920) 497-1000 regdraheim@hotmail.com WELS Prayer Institute - Church Listing “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” ( Ephesians 6:18) Criterion: These churches are willing to get info from WPI, have at least one person who is praying 30 minutes a week or have at least one specific prayer ministry in their congregation. St. Mark's, Green Bay , WI Beautiful Savior, Green Bay , WI Good Shepherd's, West Allis , WI St. John's , Lannon , WI St. Marcus, Milwaukee , WI Grace (Downtown), Milwaukee , WI St. Andrew, Milwaukee , WI Centennial, Milwaukee , WI St. John's (Howell), Oak Creek , WI St. Andrew, Middleton , WI Trinity, Crete , IL Bethlehem , Oshkosh , WI Fairview , Milwaukee , WI Immanuel, Medford , WI St. Paul 's, Onalaska , WI Sola Fide, Lawrenceville , GA St. Johns , New Ulm, MN Risen Savior, Orlando , FL St. John ’s , Burlington , WI   St. John ’s , Jefferson , WI Grace, St. Joseph ’s, MI St. Peters , Mishicot , WI St. John , Maribel , WI Immanuel, Black Creek , WI St. Paul , Fort Atkinson , WI St. John ’s , Wauwatosa , WI St. John ’s (68th), Milwaukee , WI Prilgrim, Minneapolis , MN Grace, Portland . OR Martin Luther, St. Louis , MO Lamb of God – Madison , AL St. Paul ’s. Muskego , WI Bethany, Port Orchard, WA Keynote Speaker Reverend Paul Prange, Another Love Shack Enabler WELS Administration for Ministerial Education Paul Prange is the administrator for the Board for Ministerial Education (BME) of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The BME administrator coordinates the work of ministerial education throughout the denomination. Prior to assuming this position, Reverend Prange was the president of Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS) in Saginaw, Michigan. He has also served MLS as a tutor and a professor. In addition he has served as superintendent at East Fork Lutheran High School, Whiteriver, AZ and pastor at Risen Savior, Austin, TX and St. Mar- tin, Roscommon, MI. Schedule Friday, June 17, 2011 7:00pm—8:30pm - Gathering for Prayer Our preconference for prayer will focus on the prayer needs of our synod. Bring nothing but a desire to pray for our denomination’s ministry and a heart ready to learn more about group prayer. Saturday, June 18, 2011 8:30am Registration 9:00 am Welcome by Reverend Witte, Drive by DMin, Gordon Conwell, Promoted by SP Schroeder to head of the portable Asian seminary. Check this link about Steve Witte, Church and Change Founder. 9:15 am Keynote Presentation          Rev. Paul Prange, WELS Administration for Ministerial Education 11:45 am LUNCH (provided on site) 12:45 pm Stories of Answered Prayers          (Participants are invited to share their stories too) 1:45 pm Approaches to prayer that participants have found helpful. 2:45 pm Group Prayer 3:30 pm Devotion & Close *Workshop schedule may change

Got My Gausewitz, Original Recipe, Today.The UOJ Fraud Is Beginning To Unravel

Students at The Sausage Factory are forbidden to read this post. They are forgidden to read the justification by faith quotations, in their slug list for dog class, because the orthodox quotations are "misleading," according to the faculty there. Mequon students, you are paying these clowns to teach you such garbage?

My Gausewitz catechism, 1943, came in the mail today. It cost me about $10 and had 10cents marked on the cover. Nice mark-up!

The volume is compact, easy to read, and still in excellent condition. Nothing is said about Gausewitz. The emphasis is upon the Small Catechism of Luther, upon Biblical quotations in the second part to support each section.

WELS had not laid their corrupting hands on the text yet, although I hear that the "improved" version is not bad. I have one of those ordered too.

I will do a more detailed discussion later. I can find no hint of UOJ in this edition.

Readers may recall my pilgrimage to Kokomo, Indiana, where I talked to the two families kicked out of WELS for believing in justification by faith and rejecting UOJ.

Pastor Papenfuss admitted to his members that he had never heard of UOJ until he reached the seminary at Mequon (aka The Sausage Factory). That testimony is consistent with the Gausewitz catechism teaching everyone justification by faith until the David Kuske UOJ catechism replaced it in 1982. Nice switcheroo and fraud, Mequonites. The members who remained faithful to Luther and the Bible were kicked out, while the Shrinker UOJ Enthusiasts were promoted, praised, and protected.

I have posted his class photo below, so people can see the vast amount of UOJ propaganda forced upon the innocent in those days. Look at the faculty members - UOJ Stormtrooper generals! The dregs of the Shrinkers came from the same class - no shock at all.

Mark in Yellow and Avoid

Students Papenfuss, Manthey, and Curia have been UOJ advocates, along with David, Kuske, Sig Becker and A. Panning as faculty cheerleaders for UOJ.  Joel Gerlach was an early CG Enthusiast, studying at Fuller Seminary, but writing about fellowship principles in the parochial school. Students Mark Jeske, Elton Stroh, Robert Schumann (now an atheist), Richard Starr, Mark Braun, and James Wittt are all  known Shrinkers.

Tyrant

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Deputy Doug Englebrecht Is Accountable.So Is SP Ma...":

When an elected official declares himself beyond criticism, and demands that his handling of public matters be kept confidential, and then threatens to accuse those who criticize him of violating the Law; then that elected official has become a tyrant.

Supporting link:
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/04/glende-is-now-plagiarizing-hisself.html

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It is a violation which has obsessed the tyrants of the twentieth century. They do not want simply to kill their opponents, but to liquidate them, to deny that they have ever existed.
Helen Dunmore

Clever tyrants are never punished.
Voltaire

Ignorance has always been the weapon of tyrants; enlightenment the salvation of the free.
Bill Richardson

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/tyrants.html#ixzz1IsfcYGk0

Deputy Doug Englebrecht Is Accountable.So Is SP Mark Schroeder

All Elected Officials Must Be Accountable

April 5, 2011 by Rick

When an elected official declares himself beyond criticism, and demands that his handling of public matters be kept confidential, and then threatens to accuse those who criticize him of violating the Law; then that elected official has become a tyrant.  Elected officials are supposed to be servants, not overlords; and therefore, their job performances are supposed to be subject to review and even criticism by the electorate.
Luther, in the Large Catechism, teaches us to put the best construction on everything, while still telling the truth.  He also teaches that we must honor not only our mothers and fathers, but also all those in authority over us.

However, would it really be a violation of those commandments to honestly critique the job performance of Wisconsin Governor Walker?  Would it be a violation to criticize the foreign policy of President Obama?  Would it be a violation to truthfully report on, and strongly disagree publicly with Obama’s intervention in Libya?  His handling of the war in Afghanistan?  His position on abortion?

Are we allowed to say: “Obama has been doing his job incompetently”?  Do Lutherans really teach that that is inherently a violation of the Fourth and Eighth Commandments?

For now, in the United States, our elected officials do not threaten to accuse citizens of violating the law simply for reporting and criticizing.  In fact, public officials have even less protection from criticism of their job performance than private citizens.  This is because they are elected public officials, and therefore the electorate is entitled to engage in vigorous public job performance reviews.
Do not employers get to review employee job performance?
Jesus said to his disciples:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  [Matthew 20:25-28, NIV1984].

The Apostles are among the greatest of men in the Christian Church, and yet their Servant told them to not lord it over others.

Therefore, the elected officials in the WELS are not beyond criticism.  And the elected officials in the WELS have no authority to demand that others remain silent about their inept handling of public matters.  All elected officials must be answerable and accountable to those they serve.  (Galatians 2:11-14).
The rights and principles of freedom were given by God to all people, including Christians.  All people have the right to speak truthfully about the public matters affecting their lives, including Christians.  Even more, when the gospel is at stake, all servants of the Lord must speak publicly.  (Jeremiah 20:9, Galatians 2:14 & 1 Timothy 5:20).

The elected officials in the WELS need to be open and transparent about their positions and actions (or lack thereof) regarding public matters.  Or they must publicly explain why such public matters should be handled privately.  It is not a valid excuse to say: “Handling these matters privately makes our job easier because we do not like our job performances to be subjected to criticism.”  Those who refuse to be criticized should not hold elected office.  Those who refuse to serve, should not hold the office of servant.

Cornerstone for the Taj Mahal of Your Future

A creeped-out Katy Perry posed with a excitable Ski in front of the Taj Mahal, to remind WELS-Missouri that the expensive building in the background is a tomb, like the project that will bury their congregation in debt.

A layman emailed about Cornerstone Ministries in reference to the 007 blog post. 

He didn't think it was right for folks to get rich off the offerings of God's people (Matt 21:12). 

These guys have served 160 Lutheran groups...mostly churches and have raised in excess of $62 million.  They charge a flat fee of around $37,000 - 39,000 plus office supplies and air travel which comes out to $43,000-$46,000 expense to the group.  But if they don't raise the goal amount and the flat fee is greater than 10%, they will give a refund of the difference.  You do the math...these guys have probably made $6 - 7 million since 2002 and they are not non-profit.

Little Pieces of Life

What is cuter - the caution on the face of the little one, Dani,
or the loving smile of her older sister, Josie, and her feather-duster eyelashes?

I have email conversations with people from my hometown, almost every day. We are getting ready for the 45th high school class reunion. They loved hearing that a boy waved at me when I was with Sassy and said, "Hi old man!"

Many of them have serious health problems. My best friend from the neighborhood became a cardiologist and is now deaf, so he cannot really work at his chosen profession. I looked at my 6th grade class photo because Mom kept everything. Five of us have died from that group, 20% of the kids in the photo, and that is based on the people I know. We lose track over 50 years.

Most of us have done whatever we might hope to have accomplished, and many are retired. We often discuss grandchildren and display favorite photos. Granddaughters are going to the prom in sherbet colored dresses, and marriage photos are being posted.

I just talked to one of my mature students who was in my undergrad and grad student classes. He works for a university and we exchange ideas every so often.

He is 10 years younger and just left the rat race, a horrible work environment. I said, "In 10 more years your attitude will change about everything. You will not want a bigger place, but a smaller one. You will want to give away things instead of keeping them. You will be enjoying the little things in life."

If I took all the things that mattered to me in this life and put them in two bags, the largest one would be the memories of those little pieces of life: walking to the movies as newlyweds, because we had movie money or bus money, not both; getting our children to laugh about outrageous stories I made up on the spot; vacations in Chicago and New England; tutoring LI in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. The little bag would contain the things that seemed important at the time and receded in significance.

Abused and neglected children grow up to be bigshots in the lower-archy of all denominations. I talked to a pastor from India, who was treated like dirt by his bishop. I thought, "This is an international problem."

We should be sad that these thieves, adulterers, and false teachers try to steal the important things in life from others, to satisfy their wounded egos, to assuage the memories of their tragic childhoods.

The Lutheran sects are quickly following the bad examples of their larger sisters in apostasy-land. The ELS, according to its own study, will be a footnote in history in only 20 years. WELS is no different. Missouri will take just a little longer.

The time will come when men will no longer ask whether they should go to one of the Concordias or the Sausage Factory or the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie. The four schools will be tombstones instead of seminaries. People will go back to the earlier models, which produced such men as Gausewitz (ordained at 21) and Hoenecke (who mostly overcame his education at Halle).

You will not find zillions of hours spent at an over-priced Fuller franchise seminary for those men. They will be serious scholars of the Word, not salesmen for Groeschel and Stanley products.

Have you gone to Catalyst, Dirt, Granger, Trinity, Willow Creek, Exponential, or fill-in-the-blank? That conference will energize you, anoint you with the Holy Spirit, grow your church, and take your team to a whole new level. You will find energy you never had before. You will wake up every morning with a new mistress, saying "Halleluia!" looking forward to a new day of work. You will transform your life. God cannot do it without you.

That is seminary education today.

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California wrote:

Enjoyed your remarks re: "Little Pieces of Life". Moving along as an octogenarian, those little pieces of life keep floating to the surface of the memory bank. I think my generation may have come from physically hardier stock, for when attending the 50 high school reunion of the 1947 graduating class from a mid west school, about 53% actually attended from all corners of the world, and some still living didn't attend. I still keep in touch at least once a year with three or four of friends from high school, all alive and active into their 80's. I'm not so sure the urge to get rid of possessions happens to everyone, for my definition of what some call pack rats is that they may be "preservers of the culture". I have written a few monographs for my grandchildren, i.e.,"I Remember Christmas", "I Remember Easter", "I Remember the Day the School Burned "....to capture the essence of "little pieces of life" from my memory bank for my grandchildren. I am considering another one I will title: "I Remember Church".