Nothing Has Changed - Nothing Will Change - The Big Lie

We studied Norse mythology in world literature. I remembered the stories from childhood and reading them again to LI.

One concerns Thor using his mighty hammer to no apparent effect. The reason was the enchantment cast, so he only imagined nothing happening. The giant put a hill between his face and the hammer, or he would have died from the hammer blow. Everyone was quaking in fear about the power of the hammer, but they fooled Thor for a time.

The Word of God is like that hammer. The scoffers want everyone to think that it does not matter, only the reputations of Holy Mother Sect. If Holy Mother Sect is hurt, that sin must be paid for, again, and again, and again. If souls are murdered and sheep are scattered, well - boys will be boys.

WELS would like everyone to think that nothing has changed with the latest revelations about clergy abuse of members. One pastor, who dislikes being named, sang the same tune - but I do not believe it. They are quaking that all the lawsuits they deserve will be filed in the next few months and years. They fear the loss of members. They worry about the long-term effects and the loss of their luxuries, trips, and assets.

Their turn is next. The Catholic Church has created many legal precedents for liquidating assets to pay off damages to victims and to benefit their lawyers. The same attorneys can address the problems of WELS, Missouri, and the ELS.

SP Schroeder and the Coven of Presidents should kneel down every day and pray that the statute of limitations in their state is very short for these crimes. They are not going to change, but the Word of God can shatter their little glass cathedrals of corruption and vice.

The denials are just a mask for their chattering teeth and knocking knees.

Infinite Beneficial Dependencies Gourds, Tomatoes, Spinach, Roses, Beans.

Pole beans contribute usable (fixed) nitrogen to the soil.
Fungus cuts a deal at the root level.

Fungi are often mentioned once...and forgotten, Scientists have just discovered that every plant tested so far has a beneficial fungus growing within it. Besides that, soil fungus is especially important in establishing exchanges of chemicals, with the plant roots governing how fungi respond.

The fungi build tunnels through the soil as they grow, connecting with the surface at times and also with other plants. That is why I enjoy the benefits of wood or paper mulch on the soil. I am providing a banquet for fungi, soil creatures, and the earthworms.

I am fascinated with the bacteria being able to pump food in through their cell walls while pumping waste out. Since the period at the end of this sentence has room for 500,000 bacteria, the microscopic engineering is impressive. But there are many more engineering spots in one bacterium to take care of other tasks, like reproduction.

Bacteria reproduce at an incredible rate, too. But other organisms (fungi) make sure bacteria do not take over the world.

Bees pollinate, as we all know, but so do hummingbirds as they dip their heads into tubular flowers. Instead of buying hummingbird feeders and sugar water, I have a butterfly bush to attract and feed them with plant-made nectar.

A collection of plants will provide constant blooms for birds, bees, and butterflies.

My chain-link fence garden is holding up pole beans, Malabar spinach, and gourds. That was wasted land, hard to mow, until I ran rows of seed along it. The natural mulch gathered from autumn leaves made the ground easy to till.

Application
The Christian Church was created by God, the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son. The unifying energy is the divine Word, which conveys Christ and His Gospel to the world.

This creates an infinite number of dependencies. Pastors and teachers disciple the next generation. Missionaries spread the Gospel to all nations. Missions of mercy spring up from the Gospel. Those who meet and marry through the Church find the blessings of forgiveness and teach this to their children, first through baptism, then through teaching the Word to them.

When the wolves and foxes guard the flocks, many souls are scattered, while others are murdered. Everything is according to God's design. When men are unfaithful to the Word to carry on their worship of Mammon, great damage is done.

WELS Will Do Everything Possible To Continue the Abuse

District President Kudu Don Patterson.
Yes, his email name was Kudu Don,
because he went to Africa to shoot Kudu deer.
No joke. I do not write satire - just the facts.

WELS is an abusive sect, as shown by recent events and past crimes - all covered up as much as possible.

SP Mark Schroeder, DP Don Patterson, and DP Engelbrecht cut a deal where they would violate their own rules for CRM status (notifying pastors, unanimous support from the district praesidium) and give Ski status for an instant call in Patterson's district.

Patterson contacted Lillian Armstrong - The Shattered Pulpit - and tried to silence her by claiming she sinned against Holy Mother WELS by telling the truth.

Whenever someone tells the truth about WELS, a hate-storm brews up to crush the facts and bury them under a pile of foul accusations. Various clergy and laity join in the fun and practice the arts of deception and abuse they learned from WELS hazing rituals, climaxing in GA - now called HB. Even the name change is a lie.

WELS still considers clergy adultery to be a minor fault, easily forgiven without repentance. Lillian's previous pastor had been removed before, so he was given a new call where he could offend again. That is where his alcoholism and promiscuity fell upon Lillian's family. The only problem is telling the truth about the people involved.

These criminals - the WELS leaders - need to be sued in court so the victims can receive just compensation for the negligence of the clergy supervisors.

DP Robert Mueller was very unhappy that he had to start filling out forms about his pastors not being sex criminals. The insurance companies were tired of paying out large sums to victims through the WELS and congregational policies.

Michigan Pastor Fred Adrian and WELS earned a $400,000 judgment for the victim of their incompetence and lying. Juries do not wink at a married vicar grooming and having an affair with a minor girl. Fred was quite chipper about the lawsuit. He wrote the congregation - "The insurance company is paying - and we are appealing the judgment." What a guy. No wonder John Seifert put him back in the pulpit after Fred resigned from the ministry.

The in-crowd in WELS - they are the drunken adulterers who hardly do a lick of work. They receive all kinds of money and protect from their fellow godfathers. The honest clergy have to do the real work. They are like the truffle-hunting pigs who find the elusive fungus in the forest, but remain on a leash and get kicked away for their work while the gourmands enjoy their labors.

The WELS Bethel Bible Series -
each graphic has meaning.

Lillian Armstrong's Pastor Speaks Out - Supports Her Story

Parlow, Jeske, Kelm, Patterson.
The same Church and Changer names keep coming up.

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-word-from-lillians-safe-pastor.html

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

A Word from Lillian's Safe Pastor

Lillian is a real person. I first met her about a year ago when she worshiped with our congregation for a number of weeks. She always slipped quickly out of the narthex after church. I didn't have a chance to shake her hand. That was okay, I figured. She kept coming back to worship.

Eventually she contacted me via email. All I knew then was that she was a former WELS member who was trying to find her way spiritually. She wanted to please God, but I soon found out that she didn't know quite how to do it.

When finally we had a chance to meet face to face and have a discussion, Lillian began to slowly peel back the reasons why she and her family had left a local WELS congregation. But after a number of times together, and the more she began to trust me, Lillian poured out from her soul a story too vile to make up. It was a story of betrayal by a veteran pastor. It was a story of how this pastor had taken advantage of his position of authority to groom a hurting woman to feed his overwhelming need for sex. And all the while, as this woman starved for God's forgiveness, the pastor kept telling her that her only way to find relief from stress and trouble was in his arms.

Throughout the many times Lillian and I met those first months, I was taken aback each time she was amazed that I answered her questions and counseled her by taking hold of the Bible on my desk and reading directly to her from God's Word. "That's what I always wanted him to do," she would say referring to the pastor who had abused her. "But all he ever did was tell me that only he, and not God, could relieve my stress. And he did it his way."

What I'm now about to tell you may answer the questions of those who haven't read all of Lillian's posts on this blog, or those who even now doubt the veracity of her story. When Lillian seemed stable in her relationship with me as a pastor, I encouraged her to speak with the district president of our WELS district. She agreed to do so, and because she trusted me as much as she did, she even allowed a second member of district leadership to be present.

There were several reasons why I wanted her to speak with these men. First, they needed to know that such a thing had happened in their midst over the course of a decade and a half. Secondly, I wanted them to know who the abusive man was, so they could assure Lillian that he would never again receive CRM status in our synod. You see, this man had resigned from the ministry a number of years ago.  I did indeed know the offender, though not very well. He is still in our area and attending a WELS church served by a man who has been a friend of his since their college days. I'm not sure what if anything he's told his pastor/friend about his "secret life."

Lillian began to write Shattered Pulpit as a way for her to express her feelings. She was surprised by how many people became interested in "her little blog." It's become a source of empowerment for her as she receives correspondence from a number of WELS pastors and laypeople. She's touched when other victims of abuse reach out to her. And because of the caring woman she truly is, she wants to help each and every one of them.

That's what has led to Lillian asking "Jane" to share her story on Shattered Pulpit. After corresponding with Jane over a number of weeks, it became apparent to Lillian that Jane hadn't the same opportunity as she to "tell her side of the story." Doing so, Lillian thought, might also help Jane heal from her wounds and empower her to rise above her situation. And maybe--just maybe--people all over the WELS would understand the injustice that had taken place so publicly, yet so silently, during the course of the past year.

Lillian's empowerment is becoming a burden to her. She wants to be a leader, but is realizing that leadership brings with it many responsibilities and even difficulties. Lillian wants to help each and every victim who writes her, but then she realizes that each victim's story drags her back into the muck and mire of her own troubling past. And she still  has not recovered fully from her past troubles.

Lillian wishes to help district and synodical leaders fully understand what victims of clergy sexual abuse need, as well as help them know just how many women have been abused and need help. Yet, Lillian is now all too well aware that some synod leaders don't see her as helpful. And despite the fact that she is no longer a WELS member, she still has extended family members who are quite involved in the WELS. That's why she fears emails from leaders that seem less that supportive.

So, where does this leave Lillian now?

Well, she's physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired. She's trying to be so much to so many that she really wants to close up the Shattered Pulpit blog altogether. Yet, deep down, I know that she does want to continue her fight to overcome her own abuse and help others do the same. All the while, "this little blog of hers" could very well be a turning point in how we in the WELS view, discuss, and correct clergy sexual abuse among us.

Lillian has accepted my offer to take some of the burden off of her for now by helping her administer Shattered Pulpit. I hope you understand if she is slow to respond to some of your correspondences. If she doesn't post for some time, please know that she hasn't given up. She simply needs some time to regroup and recharge.

As her safe pastor I do all I can to encourage her in the study of God's Word. Still, I know that undue pressure will only lead her further from me and her God. So, I support her in her recovery and pray for her best. I'm sure you do the same.