Randall Schultz - On Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post ""This Is Where We Came In" - Seeing Hans Solo Live...":

As a historical side note, Jackie Robinson went through a lot when he played for the Dodgers. Jackie was not well liked in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers were always battling at the top of the National League in the 1950's. The Braves had hammerin' Hank Aaron and the fans loved him. Both Jackie and Hank had a good work ethic. Jackie stole home base 20 times in his career. That is a feat that is unheard of today. Jackie played in both the infield and outfield. Hank was a good outfielder known mostly as a heavy hitter. Major league sports were not the gladiatorial diversions back in those days. The players were not the whining highly paid sniveling brats that some are today. That good work ethic made the blue collar folks look up to them because of the good example that they set. Many of the players had to return to the work force in the off season to supplement their income.

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GJ - The baseball cards and heavenly baseball gum contributed. We all wanted to collect cards, trade cards, and chew that bubble gum.

Today we were talking about the degradation of Wrigley's gum. The Spearmint and JuicyFruit flavors are awful, and the "gum" is plastic. Doublemint is tolerable, but tainted. Old Man Wrigley never allowed night games for the Cubs at home or fake mint flavoring. I used to drive by fields of mint around Sturgis, Michigan.

Baseball has gone downhill, too, with steroidal giants pouting and wanting to go on strike.

When I took kids to Cubs games, going from Sturgis to Chicago, the trip and tickets were reasonable. It was a great experience to be there.

The kids laughed when I told them to bring jackets. The cold wind off the lake was persistent, and they suffered for their mockery, high up in the stands. LI and I stayed warm.

Aaron was a surprise guest, so the audience went nuts when he walked out. He was modest and never talked about himself. He spoke with great respect about Robinson.

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quercuscontramalum (http://quercuscontramalum.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Randall Schultz - On Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaro...":

If you suffer the unfortunate circumstance of watching a baseball game, observe how many multi-million dollar salaried players don't even bother to race all the way to first base. Little leaguers are always told to go full steam through the first base bag on a single no matter what. But if a big leaguer cracks it to the shortstop, observe how quickly his lethargy sets in, overcoming his sportsmanship and vocation. He slows to a jog, negating any possibility-however remote- that a first baseman's bobble will keep him on base.

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GJ - I saw my junior high gym teacher playing softball. He ran for first base full speed. The first baseman either tripped him on purpose or it just happened by accident. Mr. Lopez went flying headfirst, tucked into a front roll, and came up on his feet like nothing happened. That is the way to play.

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Bryan Lidtke has left a new comment on your post "Randall Schultz - On Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaro...":

Even with the steroid age, there is nothing better than a good baseball game. The steroid age is coming to a close anyways (minus A-Roid). Minor League baseball especially is great. I've gone to at least 12 different minor league ballparks, most of them spectacular. I've also gotten autographs from countless players, some who have even gotten to the Majors. With tickets at $10 for the most expensive seat, you can't beat a MiLB game.

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GJ - A lot of people love winter baseball in Phoenix. The costs are very low and they can talk to players who are untouchable during the season.

We took LI to a Yale sponsored game in Cleveland. We have great photographs of him there, toddling around the players, about age two.

"This Is Where We Came In" - Seeing Hans Solo Live at Walmart Meeting.Hank Aaron and Drew Barrymore

Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford came to the Saturday Morning Meeting at Walmart Headquarters
to promote the new movie about Jackie Robinson.

Hammerin' Hank Aaron joined the meeting to talk about his experiences
playing against Robinson and enjoying integrated baseball games.

Long ago and far away, in 1977, I wanted to watch the new science fiction movie, Star Wars. LI, four years old, wanted to see "For the Love of Benji," reciting the words of the ad verbatim in the announcer's tone. He won and we all saw a movie filmed in Greek and dubbed in English.

Our next cinema adventure was Star Wars, where Harrison Ford dominated. We have enjoyed science fiction together and Harrison Ford movies ever since. In the old movie theaters of my youth, we were dropped off when it was convenient for our parents. We came in the middle of the film and watched until it repeated and got to that point again. "This is where we came in" became a common saying of the time.

So there I was, in movie theater seats, at Walmart Headquarters, watching Harrison Ford live with LI. We did not have popcorn, but it was fun. The place was packed at 6:45 AM. Children strained to catch a glimpse of Ford.

Later we had an enjoyable time with the whole family.

Drew Barrymore, with Olive, talked about becoming a mother
and developing her own business.

Intrepids - Zero.Ichabod Two.No - Make It Three. Three to Zero.

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Ingredients, the Church of Rome, and UOJ":

I noticed that the Intrepid Lutheran blog site hasn't posted the latest of faithful Pastor Paul Ryckeci's translations which defends one Justification solely by faith alone.

Paul Rydecki's books are linked here.

It may be an oversight. The downside to being abundantly fruitful in the public defense of God's Holy Word is that people have been conditioned to expect a low yield. Specifically the low yeild produced by those suffocating from the false gospel of UOJ and it's terminal effects. By the grace and mercy of God such low yield is no longer the case with Pastor Rydecki. His recent translation of Gerhard is outstanding and continues the Juggernaut defense of Christ's pure Gospel and Chief Article of Christian faith.

Regardless of the reason why the Intrepid Lutherans haven't posted his article I would recommend posting it again. Twice on Ichabod - Zippo on Intrepid.

http://www.faithalonejustifies.com/gerhard-on-justifies-the-ungodly-romans-45/

Paul McCain and his Romish fan-club should read Chemnitz, eh?

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narrow-minded has left a new comment on your post "Intrepids - Zero.Ichabod Two.No - Make It Three. T...":

One has to wonder when the Intrepids will follow suit of the Steadfast Waltherians and officially declare the JBFAers as "morons." Perhaps it has already happened and I missed it. If the WELS papists run Intrepids, as the LCMS papists run Steadfast, it's only a matter of time.

Steadfast is mostly the bells and smells faction of UOJ in the LCMS, whereas Jesus First is the Babtist-wannabe faction. The Steadfasters are just happy their guys are in power; and like Barry's tenure, the "confessional" wing of the LCMS will tolerate errors. The cushy Concordia Plan is the carrot dangling in front of the clergy.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Intrepids - Zero.Ichabod Two.No - Make It Three. T...":

I recently shared Intrepid Douglas Lindee's email to me with Pastor Jackson. I thought it was a veritable window into the machinations of those who operate the Intrepid blog. I left it to his discretion if he wants to post it. We all have a different approach to the apostasy in the Lutheran Synods and that is as it should be. It provides a wider breadth of exposure and perspective.

I don't believe faithful Pastor Rydecki's confession regarding the Chief Article is the norm for the other Intrepid founders and from my perspective he may not be as influential as he once was because of it. To be faithful to Christ's Word and identify UOJ as a false gospel is a complete game changer - something that many are unwilling to deal with.

When reading the statements of those who publicly sit on the fence regarding Justification I always remember Luther's statement posted on Ichabod:

Martin Luther to George Major:
"It is by your silence and cloaking that you cast suspicion upon yourself. If you believe as you declare in my presence, then speak so also to the church, in public lectures, in sermons, and in private conversations, and strengthen your brethren, and lead the erring back to the right path, and contradict the contumacious spirits; otherwise your confession is sham pure and simple, and worth nothing. Whoever really regards his doctrine, faith, and confession as true, right, and certain cannot remain in the same stall with such as teach, or adhere to, false doctrine; nor can he keep on giving friendly words to Satan and his minions. A teacher who remains silent when errors are taught, and nevertheless pretends to be a true teacher, is worse than an open fanatic and by his hypocrisy does greater damage than a heretic. Nor can he be trusted. He is a wolf and a fox, a hireling and a servant of his belly, and ready to despise and to sacrifice doctrine, Word, faith, Sacrament, churches, and schools. He is either a secret bedfellow of the enemies or a skeptic and a weathervane, waiting to see whether Christ or the devil will prove victorious; or he has no convictions of his own whatever, and is not worthy to be called a pupil, let alone a teacher; nor does he want to offend anybody, or say a word in favor of Christ, or hurt the devil and the world."
Martin Luther, quoted in Bente's Historical Introduction, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 94.

Alcoholism and the Clergy

And I thought the Abraham, Example of Faith, fourth chapter in Romans
was proof of UOJ.

Yale Divinity School offered a chance to study in their famous program aimed at alcohol and drug addiction.
It was a quarter of clinical pastoral education and included a week at Yale Medical School where I also worked as a lowly librarian's assistant.

We learned a lot about the medical aspects of alcohol addiction, because physicians were part of the training program. We had a library at the training center and I had access to the federal program where all journal articles on a topic could be accessed and listed. Daily I went into the bowels of the Yale Medical Library, sometimes with LI in the baby carrier. Mrs. I worked at the Yale Child Study Center, so our work and research overlapped. I could look up my topics and hers at the same time.

Alcoholism is a slowly developed addiction, and that is the biggest problem. Someone can be a steady drinker and not become physically addicted for 20 years. We were taught to ask some diagnostic questions to see what was really going on. Needing a morning drink is one sure sign of addiction, more alcohol to cure the morning shakes, a withdrawal symptom.

DTs, hallucinations, and black-outs are other signs of addiction.

WELS had a short-term effort aimed at its alcoholic clergy some years back, an article or two in the magazine, plus a little speech by the never-married synod staff member/social worker.

The best illustration of the alcoholic personality decline was a chart I saw in one of our books. It was a U-shaped graphic, showing the downhill steps. Left unchecked, the alcoholic often destroys his career and his family. But that can take decades. The improvement does not begin until someone finally says, "Choose me or the booze." Sometimes a child provides that alarm, as one Episcopalian priest told us about his own conversion to sobriety. In other cases, the spouse forces the decision.

I do not know much about the LCMS clergy as a whole, but the WELS pastors are known for their alcoholism and the trouble caused by that addiction. It used to start at Northwestern College, with out of control drinking by minors. The State of Wisconsin is the best place to get away with drunken driving, and drinking by minors.

There is also a permanent "boys will be boys" attitude in WELS. The leaders like weak, addicted clergy who mirror their own spiritual muddle. If a pastor tries to mate his car with a power pole, he is sent off to world missions in Russia, where people are even drunker. As long as he does not criticize Holy Mother Synod, he is A-OK.

Daryl Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Alcoholism and the Clergy":

There was a secluded gravel parking lot off in the corner of the Northwestern campus where the tennis courts used to be. As a kid, every Saturday morning after finishing my Milwaukee Sentinel paper routes, I'd pedal my bike over there and clean up the mountain of empty beer cans from the night before, being careful to step around the used condoms. I must've paid for a year of college that way. The Lord provides.


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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Alcoholism and the Clergy":

While only 50% of alcholics experience symptoms of withdrawal, maybe 75% are meaner and pugnacious than they otherwise would be:

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

In the U.S., fewer than about 50% to 60% of alcoholics will develop any significant withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of alcohol intake, and of these, only 5% of cases of acute ethanol withdrawal progress to DT.

Ingredients, the Church of Rome, and UOJ

LPC has left a new comment on your post "A Corrupt Tree Brings Forth Evil Fruit. UOJ at Wor...":

Right on Brett.

There are RCC sleeper cells in the SinCons.

There are implants embedded in their midst.

Notice how these clergy salivate when the Pope is mentioned.

LPC

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GJ - On Facebook someone brought up my father's bakery in downtown Moline. My father semi-retired, reluctantly, and went back to making candy at home - a unique style of peanut brittle he developed over the years.

I worked there as soon as I could do something worthwhile. I remember spending Saturday mornings there, at age 8. I was still working there just before college graduation and marriage, so I literally grew up there, washing dishes, mopping floors, making doughnuts, serving customers.

The shop has been gone for 25 years or so, but people talk about it. He made the best doughnuts anywhere, and I have tried them all.

The inescapable first step at Melo Cream was finding the best ingredients. No matter what the ingredient was, several grades could be purchased. He bought the finest grade of coconut, peanuts, and walnuts. No one sees those on bakery products now. Walnut halves are so much better than crumbles.

Chocolate icing should begin with cocoa. We bought squares that we melted with warm water underneath the metal pan. The vanilla icing was poured on top the melted squares and stirred to make a rich, chocolate icing. Many bakeries use a substitute or a hybrid with a chocolate look and little taste. Carob is so handy for that - the pods that the Prodigal Son wanted to take from the pigs when he was down and out.

I used to laugh whenever someone explained that cookies made with margarine were just as good as ones made with butter. Why argue with someone lacking taste buds? Cheaply made goods taste cheap.

That remains the situation today - in the food industry and in the church. When people are served up mediocrity, they develop a taste for it. In time, they demand it and turn away from richer fare. If the SinCons based their work on Luther and the Confessions, everyone would laugh their recent contributions off the stage.

But look at how they prove their case. They begin with their false assumptions--God has declared the entire world righteous, with false citations--and quote their own faction endlessly. Every so often they declare, "Oh my! We just found another UOJ quotation in Luther - or Calov - or the Book of Concord." A cursory examination shows that the passage concerns the atoning death of Christ, followed by, but left unquoted, justification by faith.

People must get past their loyalty to Holy Mother Church and realize that their leaders are nothing more than wolf-preachers who feast on mutton daily.

One indication should be enough. Missouri and WELS are happy to work with ELCA, even while ELCA pastors slaughter their own children with abortion coverage in their health plan. ELCA uses their lobbying system to protect abortion on demand from any pro-life measures. WELS and Missouri support this genocide by sleeping with the enemy.

Twenty plus years ago, Slick Brenner would say, "WELS is piling up sins for Judgment Day."

To paraphrase Luther, they would not pay $1 for a Gausewitz justification by faith catechism, so now they pay $20 for a Kuske UOJ catechism. Gausewitz was Biblical and concise. Kuske is...weird and verbose.

The District Pope who publishes in favor of plagiarizing false teachers will surely overlook lewd, alcoholic behavior. The brethren, as they call themselves, will definitely pounce on anyone who shows signs of leaving the cell-block, going over the wall to freedom. Plagiarists have a unity they cherish - "thick as thieves" as the saying goes.

But one cannot defy natural law forever. The price will be paid. I predicted that obvious fact to DP Robert Mueller, who became red-faced with anger. Soon his district was forking over $400,000 to a girl abused by one of their vicars.

Do members of WELS and Missouri know how much overhead is built into their contributions? Attorney fees, lawsuit settlement costs, higher insurance rates? Those little details are nothing compared to the human cost, the souls destroyed.

The Church of Rome has that cost already calculated into their budgets and theology. They have been taking hits for 25 years, out in the open, with one enormous settlement after another. Many assets have been sold, others hidden, to deal with final disposition of cases that never seem to stop.

Missouri pastors know that as they join Rome. The Whore of Babylon is indefectible, they say. Even if the pope runs off with Cardinal Secretary of State, Rome itself remains pure and spotless, because the Holy Spirit would not tolerate anything less. In fact, the turpitude of the clergy is used to highlight that fact.

WELS says it a slightly different way, laughing, "We are not good in sanctification." When faith sanctifies, and they deny faith, sanctification is impossible.

I will take one thimble of Luther over the entire Wawautosa set or the laughable Our Great Heritage. But I never liked Hostess doughnuts or moon pies.