Not from The Onion Satire Website - But from The CORE - Conflict Resolution

Who has caused more conflict than The CORE?

Who pushed their over-funded and under-supervised carbuncle on Green Bay, one block from a real urban ministry?

Who excommunicated a St. Peter's member for telling the truth about plagiarism when Glende lied about it?

Who sued the husband of their former staffer for telling the truth about abuse, porn, and drinking on the job?

Who received massive funding while Glende was urging his Savoy debacle to quietly close the doors?

Creation - The Watch Found on the Trail

The Henry Graves Super-Complication Watch may sell for $17 million.

The Anglican clergyman William Paley argued for intelligent design by comparing a stone found on a path outside to a watch found in the same place. The stone could have arrived by chance, but the watch is quite different. See M. Behe, Darwin's Black Box, p. 211.

The watch above is going on the auction block at the ultimate watch, with 24 complications, designed to be far more complex than the one ordered by Packard (luxury car maker) with only 16 complications.

If I understand it correctly, a complication in a watch is an added luxury, such as a timer, stopwatch, and moon phases. If one of those fails, the rest still work, I imagine.

William Paley argued from the watch found on the trail.

However, the complications in a plant cell are fatal for the cell when one function fails - and there are many functions of great complexity.

Imagine if you will, a rose seed. Roses start out as seeds unless one is rooting the canes in a glass of water.

The rose seed is complex on its own, but the plant it forms has many different cells carrying out different functions. As the rose grows, assuming no grafting, the cells must form roots, leaves, stems, flowers, prickles, and hips. Rosehips are the fruit of roses and contain the seeds, not unlike apples, which come from the same large family.

Each individual complexity shows design beyond our capacity to explain it. The root tip cells know how to attract fungi to give it food, by offering carbon credits to the fungus. The rose flower attracts pollinating critters to fertilize the seed.

The larger functions astound us, but the microscopic ones should stun us. Here is one plant cell, revealing many different mechanical and chemical functions operating all at once.

This pole bean has many different cells -
stem, skin, seeds, and flowers - for starters.

Some of my bean pods were old and over the hill this fall, so I dropped them into the mulch to be absorbed by soil creatures and turned into new plants later. A pile of old bean pods can become a tomato plant in time - through decomposition, but humans cannot take a pot of beans and make tomato soup from them.

Psalm 104 King James Version (KJV)

104 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

Gardens for Children Keep Them Away from the Rough Crowd

The rough crowd will make the wrong impression
if baby watches too much TV. The solution? - gardening.

We are going to have an overflow garden this spring. Our helper asked about using rose canes to start his own roses. I visited a home in Midland where a retired couple rooted rose canes in water and planted them, so they could have more of the roses they liked the best. They had 100 - 200 roses in their yard.

Another way is to order seed by the pound instead of the packet. That provides enough seed for every purpose and plenty to spare. When ordering in bulk, the cost difference between 1/2 pound and a pound is slight. That is why they bring in colored packets of 10 seeds at a time to Lowe's, Home Depot, and other home and garden spots. They are minting money.

Sure, he makes a lot of money,
but is this a good way to spend his life?

I buy seed packets willingly - only when they go on sale - at a dime a packet. That is a good way to experiment with new varieties late in the season. Ordering packets by mail is a double-theft, since the distributors add so much for shipping. They will send them fast for even more money, which is pretty strange, since a lot of seed can be mailed Priority for $5 a box.

Those like me--who buy 25 pound bags of black oil sunflower seeds for the birds squirrels--know that seed can be very cheap. In fact, the seed that volunteers from feeding will produce quite a few new sunflowers in the spring, germinating at the right time. No doubt squirrels plant them - just to be sure - while eating more than their share.

A large bag of giant, striped sunflower seeds will produce a nine-foot tall wall of sunflowers. That can be used to box in a play area for kids, so they can hide. Children like to go inside and call out to their parents. "Can you see me?" Parents - "No, where are you?" Laughter.

The giant disks can be harvested for roasting the seeds. Parents - make a circle with your arms. That is how big a sunflower head can be, if giant, striped sunflowers are planted. The seeds are much bigger. The stems are almost wooden. The leaves are enormous, and the seedheads gigantic.

Pole beans and edible pod peas can be grown up in tepee fashion, with a straw floor. Children go inside the door and pick beans or peas hanging from the structure. All it takes is a tall pole in the ground, a wire border fence for the perimeter, and string up to the top of the pole. If I could build that, anyone can.

A bird trapeze is a lot of fun, year around. Birds love to perch near food, but often farther away from human observation. Once again, I built my own, even though I am allergic to such projects. I screwed in s-hooks in the eaves, hung two chains, and stretched a small metal rod between the chains. Birds landed and swung there all the time (New Ulm) after feeding from the outside ledge. I scattered sunflower seeds on the ledge all winter. The more brutal the winter, the more popular my offerings.
The birds soon became used to us watching from the picture window, a short distance away.

Children like to grow food they enjoy eating, and having their own garden will make many vegetables more appealing to them. They may not like tomatoes that much, but cherry tomatoes are sweeter, easy to grow, and easy to eat outside. A green pepper growing outside is far more appealing that one wrinkling up in the fridge.

"Would you like some green pepper, Billie?" Answer - "No!"

"Stay out of the green peppers in the garden, Billie." Response - "Can I have just one?"

Mrs. I and Little Ichabod always liked raw beans, so we never cooked them. They ate them all the time. We all edible pod peas in the spring until they became loathsome to us. We gave them away to friends, which meant we had even more peas growing. The  pet rabbits ate extra growth, and that meant even more peas.

Weeds were sown among the good crops -
no doubt about it.

Berries are great fun for everyone. All creatures large and small love them all. Initially the creatures seem to get the best ones, but soon there are plenty for everyone. Some raspberry canes bear twice a summer, and they love to spread through root systems.

Wild berries like gooseberries will grow well on their own. I have bright, red wild strawberries still producing in our backyard now, on November 8th - thanks to water and mulch.

I will try domestic strawberries on straw bales in the spring. I did not like the experience of growing them on soil. They fed the ants more than anyone else.

Gardening is a great way to find out how all of God's creatures work together. Creation gardening means learning how the overlooked and despised (weeds, insects, spiders, fungi, earthworms) make our lives better and healthier.

Don't let baby join the KISS Army.

Hybrid Tea Roses versus Knockout Roses

Knockout roses bloom faster than anyone can imagine.

Knockout Roses are a popular variety of shrub roses. I see them all over this area, and most of them are neglected - the American approach to roses.

All roses need mulching and pruning. They do not need spraying and fertilizing. Total neglect means they are under-watered (with no mulch to hold water in the soil) and under-fed, with no organic material to rot into the soil. Since cutting new roses will make them bloom (John 15:1-10), letting them back in the sun means they will be increasingly unsightly, even after a good rain.

Hybrid tea roses are the second main group of roses, although there are many more. I joined the American Rose Society so I could keep up with the latest plants being offered. January is the time when gardeners get to plan and buy in advance, so I wanted to be ready.

Knockout roses bloom profusely and do not get blackspot, the fungus that attacks rose leaves and leaves the plant weak and ugly. The buds and blooms are smaller, but their profusion makes up for this. I have the original magenta Knockout rose, which is still producing roses in early November. The pink version is not so prolific but has kinder stems - fewer prickles. The white Knockouts did not really grow stronger until late in the season. They are five-petal roses with tiny buds, the hardest to cut for vases since the blooms do better on the bush than in an arrangement.

Hybrid tea roses have many advantages over shrub roses. Hybrid tea blooms are larger with various advantages in color and fragrance, though few roses have everything in abundance. Usually one key characteristic is slighted - aroma, immunity from disease, foliage, or frequency of blooms.

The Knockouts make me impatient for the hybrid tea roses to bloom. The hybrid tea buds form much more slowly and open at a glacial pace. The five sepals enclosing the bud have to be open for the bud to complete its blooming after being cut. That also seems to take forever after cutting Knockouts like crazy and having even more to share. Harvesting a bud too soon means a bud will be sitting in a vase, but no bloom will form.

My best bud story was this one. Our neighbors love roses - and who doesn't. Mrs. Right (who lives ot the right of us) loves to get them. She was coming home when I was pruning. I had a long-developing bud at the top of a rose bush, one that kept aiming at seven feet all summer. I cut one long-stemmed bud, knowing the sepals were fully open. I gave to her to take into the house. She was not impressed. I said, "Give it some time and you will have a beautiful bloom."

She told Mrs. I later, "I didn't think much of that rose, but it bloomed in the vase, just like your husband said it would." A bud like that will open up over a period of days and stay beautiful for many days more as it continues to open up. Hybrid team blooms are normally very large and showy. If the buds are especially large, the blooms will be extremely large.

I have two hybrid tea buds (rescued from the frost) slowly opening in the vase, next to some Knockouts we cut for the altar on Sunday. These have thin petals, so they look like colored tissue paper as they open.

The Double Delight rose, a hybrid tea, has the color and the fragrance.

Reader Enjoys Sassy, Gardening, and Theology Posts

Lena

Enjoyed the latest Sassy-Sue post on cues and signals. Our Lena is much the same, always 'reading' us, our voices or actions. She likes to be one step ahead of what we do, clearing the path for us and keeping us safe.

She got a bit confused by the time change last week. Woke up at 4am instead of 5 and wanted to go out. Disappeared for a bit, then showed up with a great big rabbit, killed and partially gutted for our pleasure.

Here she is above, with a recipe idea, and also a shot of her very gentle and kindly brother Jakob. As you can imagine, our home place is pretty secure from cats, skunks, racoons and all other assorted intruders.

Jakob

Thanks for the entertaining/informative posts, whether dogs or gardens or theology!

Trust in God's Creation - The Marvels Began Without Us and Continue Without Us - But We Can Do Our Little Part

Mrs. Ichabod went to Hobby Lobby, so I went over to a nearby serious hardware store, the ideal place for tools. I bought a rake and tried it out around the crepe myrtle bush in the front yard. The soil creatures under the bush have been busy using up anything I put there for mulch - mushroom compost, shredded cyprus, mulched grass, and clippings from the bush itself.

We have sun today and a steady breeze, but the wind does not blow away the maple leaves that I raked up under the bush. The leaves interlock and stay in place. They will insulate and shade the soil while stopping wind and water erosion. Soil creatures (earthworms, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and fungi) need food and water. Mulch provides the food and holds water.

I had a big box of newspapers, easy to lift. After 3-4 inches of rain soaked into the box, lifting became a major chore. The difference is water held by the spongy nature of newsprint. Leaves are no different. They are like torn pieces of newsprint, but more artistic and pleasant to see blowing around.

I added Tending My Garden to the list, because she follows organic gardening methods. She advocates organic amendments for the soil, which is the non-mystery of Creation gardening. God works out all the details at a microscopic level.

A fungus knows how to trap and kill a nematoday,
something most gardeners do not realize.

Fungus is one example. One fungus will attract a nematode (worm) with chemicals, then use several cells to spring a trap. Fungi do not have mouth parts, so they dissolve their way into an organism and absorb the chemical components for their own use and to swap with plant roots.

Another fungus attracts nematodes with a chemical and stuns it with another chemical. Next it dissolves the nematode, moving its wormy nutrition along its incredibly long (for a fungus) body.

This graphic is a good summary for those who have read the material,
but otherwise as useful as an auto mechanic's guide for new drivers.

I like reading the small print in gardening books, the elaborate explanations, which are simplified for the non-scientists, a small indication of the infinite number of complexities and relationships in God's Creation, all dependent on each other.

Winter Gardening and Blog Lists

I was adjusting the Lutheran blog list, but used the wrong button and erased it. I revised the list as Interesting Blogs and Websites, because those are the edifying ones I read. A few others are handy for gasps of dismay, feelings of revulsion, and head-shaking ("Lutheran" all), but there is no need to promote them.

I included Virtue Online for the latest in Episcopalian/Anglican news.

Church Mouse has always been a source of great material and insights. One of the posts I copied from him is an all-time favorite.

The same is true for our friend Dr. Lito Cruz, who has another all-time favorites copied from Extra Nos.

If a blog becomes inactive, I take it off until posts begin again.

The two lists (theology and gardening) will rise and fall with the tide, as new sticky posts get features. I have a backlog of books to promote.

Martin Luther College (WELS) Students - Loud and Proud Videos. Why Do They Love Doing Girly Songs So Much?

CAF is the cafeteria - Concord is an undergraduate dorm at MLC.

Lyrics for "Shower" by Becky G.

Link to Becky G. singing her song on YouTube.

I don't know, it's just something about ya
Got me feeling like I can't be without ya
Anytime someone mention your name
I be feeling as if I'm around ya

Ain't no words to describe you baby
All I know is that you take me high
Can you tell that you drive me crazy?
Cause I can't get you out my mind

Thinkin of ya when I'm goin to bed
When I wake up think of ya again
You are my homie, lover and friend
Exactly why

You light me up inside
Like the 4th of July
Whenever your around
I always seem to smile

And people ask me how
Well your the reason why
I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada
Singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada
Singing in the shower

All I want, all I need is your lovin
Baby you make me hot like an oven
Since you came you know what I've discovered
Baby I don't need me another

No, no all I know (know)
Only you got me feelin so (so)
And you know that I have to have ya
And I don't plan to let you go

Thinkin of ya when I'm goin to bed
When I wake up think of ya again
You are my homie, lover and friend
Exactly why

You light me up inside
Like the 4th of July
Whenever your around
I always seem to smile

And people ask me how
Well your the reason why
I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada
Singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada
Singing in the shower

(Water)

They ain't no guarantee
But I'll take a chance on we
Baby let's take our time
(Singing in the shower)
And when the times get rough
There ain't no given up
Cause it just feels so right
(Singing in the shower)

Don't care what others say
If I got you I'm stray
You bring my heart to life yeah

You light me up inside
Like the 4th of July
Whenever your around
I always seem to smile

And people ask me how
Well your the reason why
I'm dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada (hey)
Singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada
You got me singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada
Singing in the shower
Ladade ladada ladada

Read more: Becky G - Shower Lyrics | MetroLyrics 





Some other MLC videos are found at this link.

---

Greggy,

Your latest post only goes to show that MLC students are clever and funny.

Oh, love the whole "all organic gardening all the time" format.  What next, a series of articles about health food stores being better than the Wal-Mart vegetable department?

Pastor Joel Lillo, Fox Valley WELS

revlillo@gmail.com

***

GJ - Stealing music is so clever, as the lawless legalists of WELS often claim.

Several guys have written about homosexual assaults being routine and winked at, both at MLC and Mequon. Parents must wonder why their sons have to mince around to girly songs.

Sassy Cues and Signals

My friends enjoy Sassy posts. She woke me up early, so I decided to write about her signals and cues to us.

Yesterday was a banner day for her. Walking in the rain, she found three squirrels to chase and nearly caught one. She learned early from a dog pal that evasive maneuvers can be countered, so she baffled and startled one squirrel, which made for a long race.

Sassy looks at me when she wants permission to cross the road. Every so often she violates the rule and we have a talk. I hold her chin up and explain the importance of asking permission. She obeys hand signals and loves to run at me when I wiggle my index finger.

Our streets are so quiet most of the time that she is tempted to think the road is just another sidewalk.

Another day she saw a new person drive up at our neighbor's. She waited and looked up at me. I said, "Go ahead and cross." She ran across the street, missed the girl getting out of the car, but got a thorough double-ear massage from the girl's father. Sassy walked away grinning, and he said, "She got what she wanted."

Sassy has a lot of vocal cues. We were warned that she was a talker. More than that, she is a manager. She knows how to finesse us into doing her will.

For treats, she has various levels of cues.

• Murmuring and muttering.
• Rotating her tail slowly. This is reserved for treats.
• If I miss that one, she rotates twice as fast, striking the bed.
• For emergencies, she moves next to me to make the tail strike my arm as I am working. It is difficult to write with a tail methodically striking my arm.

Chris got some supper for herself, so Sassy posed as the starving puppy. That did not work for getting nibbles, so Sassy gave me gentle paw jabs to force some donations. That was so funny that I went along with it and urged some sharing.

Sassy and I have quite a few discussions. If Chris thinks we should go out for a walk, a conversation with Sassy usually erupts after a delay. Sassy begins to bark loudly and sounds irritated. It is the Bad Daddy speech. I cannot win at that stage. If I defend myself, she barks even more. Once I give in, the happy barks start, and they insure our exit outside. The noise is just too great.

If I stop to talk to a neighbor for too long, Sassy barks loudly for me to hurry up. "Do you have an appointment somewhere?" She barks, "Yes, hurry." If I answer that, she has another set of barks for me.

However, at certain locations she takes on the role of watch dog. She sits up straight and faces the neighborhood, looking around intently and listening for all the various noises. Sassy adjusts her position to make sure she has complete coverage, even when resting from walking and running.

All the kids call out her name, and Sassy goes running to them for some petting. The dogs who come out the front door have warned her away somewhat, but Sassy is the dominant dog. Once she has settled a dog's hash, she will not even acknowledge the animal.

Sassy has a strange way of doing this. She will approach the dog quietly and open up with barking at close range, or she will run full speed at a fence while barking. Both tactics almost cause canine heart attacks and furious counter-barking. After that, Sassy no longer sees or hears them.

WELS and ELS Have Confessional Meeting To Discuss the Latest Arrests

They did not provide an adequate photo of the group,
so I had to Photoshop it, to make it larger.

WELS/ELS got 24 people together for a meeting they chose to call "confessional." Yes, there is so much to confess, so much to hide.

Their original photo was too tiny to be used.

Ichabod effect?

The Little Sect on the Prairie got to send the same amount of men as their larger, more abusive sister sect - 12.

They are a treasure, marching lockstep against justification by faith, pouring funds into Pentecostal style entertainment venues, covering up scandals and crimes.

“The ELS/WELS Forum is a treasure. We are able to see how genuine Lutheran brothers are handling similar situations, and we gain a profound appreciation for the diverse fruits of the Spirit as he gives them to the church,” says Rev. Paul Prange, administrator for ministerial education and global cross-cultural outreach.

Cotton-Picking Arkansas Voters - 100% GOP for All Statewide Offices

Tom Cotton replaced Mark Pryor, who was a key
vote for ObamaCare.

Arkansas Governor -

2547 of 2654 precincts reporting (96%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:51:52

Asa Hutchinson

465,072

55%

Mike Ross

348,102

42%

Frank Gilbert

16,059

2%

Joshua Drake

9,536

1%

Arkansas U.S. Senate -

2547 of 2654 precincts reporting (96%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:51:52

Tom Cotton

473,297

57%

Mark Pryor

330,209

39%

Nathan LaFrance

16,975

2%

Mark Swaney

16,545

2%

U.S. House District 1 -

740 of 744 precincts reporting (99%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 04:04:57

Rick Crawford

127,153

64%

Jackie McPherson

64,260

32%

Brian Willhite

8,705

4%

U.S. House District 2 -

391 of 391 precincts reporting (100%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 00:37:48

French Hill

123,014

52%

Patrick Henry Hays

103,379

44%

Debbie Standiford

10,581

4%

U.S. House District 4 -

1023 of 1036 precincts reporting (99%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:51:52

Bruce Westerman

109,140

54%

James Lee Witt

86,768

43%

Ken Hamilton

7,457

4%

Lieutenant Governor -

2547 of 2654 precincts reporting (96%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:58:17

Tim Griffin

474,406

57%

John Burkhalter

319,564

39%

Christopher Olson

34,655

4%

Attorney General -

2547 of 2654 precincts reporting (96%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:58:17

Leslie Rutledge

426,043

52%

Nate Steel

356,480

43%

Aaron Cash

42,451

5%

Secretary of State -

2547 of 2654 precincts reporting (96%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:58:17

Mark Martin

500,567

61%

Susan Inman

289,270

35%

Jacob Holloway

35,640

4%

AR Treasurer -

2547 of 2654 precincts reporting (96%)

Last updated: 2014-11-05 01:58:17

Dennis Milligan

461,753

56%

Karen Garcia

305,064

37%

Chris Hayes

51,973

Arkansas Voters Pick Cotton

Tom Cotton is a combat veteran,
unlike the President - who combats veterans.

Combat veteran Tom Cotton (R) is far ahead of Mark Pryor in the early voting. We heard Mark Pryor at the Walmart meeting some time ago. Last year, Tom Cotton spoke at Ecclesia College, with several dozen Duggars present. I met him and wished him well, "Even though you went to the wrong school."

Cotton grew up on a farm and went to Harvard Law. He was mentioned as the next Senator as soon as he was elected Congressman (first term). We were talking to Alice Walton and her friend from the U. of Arkansas when the subject came up.

If Cotton is elected, the entire delegation to DC will be Republican instead of Democrat. Arkansas has remained the most Democrat state of the South, and the new governor (Asa Hutchinson) may also be replacing a Democrat.

The future governor's wife was at a David Barton lecture sponsored by Ecclesia College recently. We are in a heavily populated and prosperous area of a rural state, so everyone is always coming through here. Thanks to Walmart Saturday Morning Meetings, the celebrities, entertainers, and newsmakers make regular stops and speak. My favorite was Hugh Jackman, because he stayed after to shake hands with the audience, after leading the audience in Christmas hymns.

LI and I walked over to shake hands with Jackman when he stayed after to shake hands with the audience at the Walmart Christmas meeting. He led the Walmart choir in Christmas hymns and wowed everyone with his voice, but even more with his warmth toward a little girl who came up to give him a drawing.

Hugh Jackman was a star of musicals before he was Wolverine,
so he starred in Les Miserables.