Harvesting Roses Just in Time. Driving My Gardening Friends Buggy

I was visiting the wild garden in the backyard when I saw the Peace rose had six perfect blooms at once. I found a large vase and filled it with Peace and John Paul II white roses, plus Tropicana and some others. I cut those for Mrs. Ichabod.

The chiro helps Chris with pain, so he gets a vase each week. Mrs. Wright got the Sunday roses, and Mrs. Gardener got a new set of John Paul, Mr. Lincoln, and Veterans' Honor roses. She love fragrant and red roses. Mr. Lincoln roses are red and fragrant.

I was especially pleased to see a lot of beneficial insect activity around these almost perfect roses. Peace and John Paul II were heavily attacked at first. Now they have splendid blooms with no damage.

I do have some blackspot and mildew on those roses vulnerable to those foliage diseases. Given our days of rain, that is not news. I cut off leaves just to have more room in the vase.

 In the course of cutting roses I was able to cut off some dead wood and trim back the savage KnockOut growth. People love the disease free and rapid growth of KnockOuts, but the rapid growth means the blooms go to seed fast. If someone has KnockOuts without any going to seed, that suggests daily pruning and sharp vision. 

That is why I use a strong spray on all the roses. If the petals start flying, those roses are done. Once they are dry, I cut back all spent blooms that I find.

Where to cut? Anywhere. Cut high or low. One of the best methods for rose growth and health is to prune back all the time. The blooms are healthier and the deadwood that develops is removed. John 15:1 ff.

Yesterday was heavy with humidity and the potential of a storm, even predictions of a storm at various times of the day. Nothing happened all day or night - in spite of additional predictions. That is why I watered everything.

This morning - Stormageddon. The sky became black with storm clouds. At some moments, when I was driving, the highway was almost as obscured as on a winter white-out or a foggy day. I drove carefully and had light traffic on my side.

This is a perfect day for the newly pruned roses and the newly planted elderberries, coreopsis, dill, parsley, Chaste Tree, and bee balm. My rainbarrels are filling with fresh rain water, and they were almost dry again.

The vast investment in mulch will soak up water and store it, slowing down evaporation while feeding the soil creatures. All the creatures themselves are moisture storage units, multiplying when water is plentiful, going dormant when the soil is dry.




I have had great results with treating the laggard plants with rainwater, so I am happy to have new supplies.

Borage is wild with growth this year, front yard and back. In both locations, I provide soaker hose irrigation.

I counted 40 sunflowers in bloom, with others ready to bloom soon. These cheerful flowers are increasingly popular, and they should also be appreciated for being the aircraft carriers of the beneficial bug world.

My gardening friends are getting more involved in spotting the beneficial bugs flying around their favorite plants.

Guilt by Association - The Fallacy Compared to Research

Thumbs up for critical thinking,
rarer than hen's teeth among the modern Lutherans.

WELS and Missouri use this fallacy - sui generis, which is also called birds of a feather, or guilt by association.

If someone asks about a matter that I have treated on this blog, the immediate response is - "Where did you get this?" The leaders read Ichabod all the time, so they launch into a wild personal attack against me, closing with "Are you one of his disciples?"

The Intrepid Lutherans published one account of avoiding all mention of me, because all conflict in WELS was attributed to me by such leaders as Disappearing Doug Engelbrecht. I was named W by that group because I was blamed for all problems, just as George W. Bush was by Obama.

When several cry-babies on the WELS Discussions FB page learned they were being quoted verbatim, they immediately blamed my "minions," ignorant of the impotence of blocking, which shocked Lillo. He mentioned blocking me but conveniently forgot to mention blocking my wife.

Like several others, Lillo thought he could write whatever he wanted and remain under cover.

Joel Lillo

July 2 at 5:35pm

Of all the misleading posts that Greg Jackson has ever published over at Ichabod, this has to be the most misleading. 

When I published their sniveling, they immediately lashed out against my "minions." foolishly assuming that blocking one or two names gave them safety and secrecy, like those bugs who live under rotting logs, secure in the dark dampness. More guilt by association. If someone told me what they were doing, they had to be my "disciples" or "minions" or "cult members." 

If someone reads and thinks about issues, often entirely on his own, he is a cult member, by their standards. 

1. Do I have men dress up as women and have children put women's makeup on the men?
2. Do I have new students The Sprinter statue as part of their training as future pastors?
3. Do I have a secret initiation rite like Mequon's, where the new students dive into sewage water and strip naked outside, in view of the kitchen staff?
4. Do I engage in anonymous whispering campaigns?
5. Do I use one term, like justification, and define it by reversing its meaning?
6. Do I cover up crimes and call it "handling things well"?
7. Do I rob widows and orphans of their estate money, for a big commission, and call it "Planned Giving" and a "divine call"?
8. Do I have friends of my opponents put pressure on them to stop?
9. Have I arranged to steal a congregation and its endowment, the very one kicked out of the sect?

Data Associations

The Internet is a powerful information tool, but Google make it far more efficient through the use of the relational database. The old databases were just lists, but very handy. I can search through 3,000 quotations on my Megatron database. Oh how the Church Growthers would howl when they were quoted.

A relational database organizes by entities, such as denomination, email, age, location, name, etc. This allows marketing people to discover that almost all roller skaters chew gum, so they know where to place ads. Order something on Amazon and Facebook will pop up similar ads.

All the social media work together and truly make this kind of information exponential in impact. I was able to run some blogs for a tiny college and get 20,000 views all over the world in short order. When someone decided to run an official blog for the school, all the searches ended up at my efforts. I said, "Post more and that will change."

Likewise, when people search for Lutheran topics and graphics, they get Ichabod. Friends (aka cult members) tell me they have heard this complaint all over the US.

This works against the false teachers who inevitably brag on the Net about their apostasy. The Net is the best place to promote, and it is abetted by Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media tools.

When I want to prove something, I simply quote the source and link it. Soon the quoted material disappears, so I never stop at simple links. Even verbatim stories with links are denounced as misleading by Appleton Brownie Troop 666.

The crypto-Universalists say, "Oh! Oh! Oh! UOJ!"
This does not make Judas Iscariot a guilt-free saint.
Nor are the Hindus and Hottentots "in Christ," as
WELS-ELS-LCMS would have believers believe.

Where Do Associations Lead?

WELS and Missouri have this snotty attitude that they are superior to the rest of the Kingdom and too pure to associate with the polluted, the errant, the misled.

Where does the idea of marketing the Gospel come from? Missouri and WELS began promoting this at the same time.

All the changes have come from the leaders studying at Fuller, Willow Creek, and Trinity Divinity. 

Traditional worship is almost destroyed among the Lutheran congregations. Why do their services look so much like modern Babtists and Pentecostals? They cannot be an accident -as if most of the clergy and their leaders suddenly succumbed to Wild Hair Fever.

Women clergy originated among the quasi-Christian cults, the Pentecostals, and the mainline denominations. John Brug endorsed this novelty years ago in The Popes Speak aka WLQ.

The historic Christian Church has always taught the efficacy and clarity of God's Word. The idea of an elite group telling the unwashed what the Bible really teaches is - Roman Catholic.

A simple search on the Net will show that LCMS and WELS taught justification by faith, even though the UOJ faction was at work taking over. Once UOJ took over, "We have always taught this and never anything else. We will kneecap you if you dissent from our New Truth."

WELS Revises Call Lists a Bit

Giant Hogweed is a majestic but toxic plant -
it reminds me of the Synodical Conference.

The Wisconsin Sect revised the listing of calls, abandoning the old Courier font and old fashioned look, but also grouping all pastors, teachers, and Tetzels together. Everyone is divinely called, and everyone is a minister.

I am still shocked to see a Planned Giving Counselor - robber of widows and orphans - listed as having a divine call. But Tetzel was a priest, so we are back to the Reformation in a backwards way. Tetzel was a distinguished cleric and gonzo salesman.

The pope got half the proceeds for his new Love Shack, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Archbishop of Mainz got his half, for paying back the money he borrowed to buy his office. That is called simony and is still practiced today as well.

The WELS call list is like the Book of Revelation, hiding more than it discloses. The clergy kicked out for adultery, etc became such a scandal that they stopped listing those.

Although the new lists may seem dull, the number of teach resignations is staggering. Mark Jeske has two teachers off the list, and he has a stable of Daddy Warbucks. That decline of teachers suggests ObamaCare and other issues driving budgets up when income hardly changes.

Architects of Church Growth and UOJ - Bivens and Brug - are retiring. Brug endorsed women pastors many years ago, in The Popes Speak, aka The Wisconsin Legalists' Quarterly.

Your future pastors and DPs will look just like this,
and you voted for it.

The Mark of the Beast - From the Jeske-Patterson Crime Family. 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

The Mark of the Beast

The CORE (www.gotocore.com)

 

The podcast for "Tattoos - The Mark of the Beast" has been posted to The Valley.http://dld.bz/rkNw

But if someone tries to listen...

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Someone wrote:

"I listened to it off iTunes. The first four minutes dealt with the number of tattoo parlors in Appleton, the percentage of tattoo-bearers amongst adults, etc.

For 3 1/2 minutes in the middle, he discussed five methods of removing tattoos.

How does he know so much about tattoo removal? YouTube.

He joked that it wasn't good for his life of sanctification, to spend so much time googling material for his sermon series, that he can be on YouTube for 3 to 4 hours.

Yes, he really said that.

Throughout, he's cracking jokes and laughing to himself.

At the end, he discussed how our tattoos that we are born with (the mark of sin/Satan) are removed and replaced with the Jesus' blood (his mark/tattoo). He quoted comforting words from the Psalms.

He did not speak about the Means of Grace."

Nurturing the Newly Planted

The best thing for potted plants--newly bought, or bare root plants shipped in--is to get them into the soil as soon as possible.

Roses and other plants can be soaked in a large barrel, either filled with rainwater or with stored water. I use so much rainwater for first aid that I tend to run low.

When water is stored for a period of time, the chlorine evaporates out, which helps the plants. That was my mother's trick at school. She had the best plants at Garfield and Coolidge, but never gave away her secret. Now you know.

Large retail stores sell plants like popcorn and those plants are not in the best condition. They should be soaked before planting too.

Any plant in a pot is going to be root-bound, so planting it in the soil is going to be like changing from formal clothes to sweats.

One of my roses is named Fireworks - and the name fits.
This is baby Danielle.

New plants

1. After soaking the pots, I place them where I might plant them.
2. In hope, I dig into the soil with my magic tree-root finding shovel. If I do not strike roots at first, I find them later. I often dig a wide hole to get an area where I can dig deeper.
3. Giant branch trimmers make good root cutters, so I use them often, almost every hole dug.
4. Once the unpotted plant is in the hole and level, I find clumps of sod and weeds and place them upside-down in the hole. That is the compost contribution. Never cry "Weeds!" when they are so handy for fertilizer.
5. I use the hose to water the area gently, which moves the soil into place and keeps the dry soil from wicking the water away from the recently potted plant. 
6. I cover the area with packing paper, newspaper, or cardboard and water more.
7. If mulch is available, I add wood mulch at this time.

Second Stage - First Aid
Plants are like seeds in the tendency we have to neglect them after planting. Unless it is raining, I assume they need watering daily for a time. Shipped plants and big box retail plants are weakened and need the extra care.

The first priority for rainwater is early morning watering of new and weak plants. This rainwater is a nitrogen boost for greening up the plant. Rainwater lacks the chlorine component that holds plants back. As the farmer say, "Irrigation keeps crops alive. Rain grows them."

I have seen almost dead dill plants spring up after some Intensive Creation Unit care. I have brought laggard roses to life with daily rainwater.

Once I get the complete Jackson Mulch layer on plants, I also want to soak that mulch. This wet blanket will get soil creature activity going and guard against wind erosion and drying out.

Spraying plants with the hose is good in the days following, especially if there is a lot more sun than rain.

Growing Food for Birds at the Jackson Rose Farm

How many pink rose varieties do we need?
This one is Falling in Love, fragrant, the favorite of our friend
who was about to be married.

I really wanted to produce pumpkins for the grandchildren and others this year.Several have good starts in the corn patch. My largest one is in the back corner of the backyard, the wild garden. The size of the leaves suggest large pumpkins will be growing back there.

Pumpkins are heavy feeders and need plenty of water. Like corn, their leaves droop when they need more water. I have some pumpkins started in the corn patch, and one has bloomed already.

I like having vines on the fence, because they are opportunistic and climb up to get more light. Last year the pumpkins and gourds put on quite a display on the fence, but the pumpkins did not have enough time to mature.

Delicate butterflies have their own favorite plants.

Pumpkins and gourds on the fence feature bumble bees pollinating, and the close-up view is that much more interesting. One would imagine the evolutionists converting simply because of bees, their variety, their social classes, and their endless work to make plants fruitful through pollination.

Corn is different from pumpkins in pollinating through the wind. That is why a corn patch has to be fairly large to accomplish this.

Corn and pumpkins fruit only once, while beans and peas continue to produce when picked. Last year, beans were so productive on the fence that I could not keep up with them. We had many pods that were fully mature and full of hardened seeds rather than tender beans. Kids loved opening them and seeing the seeds, which they kept.

God matches up the correct pollinators with the right plants, so a variety of plants and flowers will increase the selection of insects. Many of the beneficial insects are tiny, so small that we overlook their powerful influence. That also means they like the tiny flowers of the dill-carrot family. They also like sunflowers because that giant flower is really a very large compound flower with many individual flowerlets working together to make one big impression. As a result, sunflowers are enormous in size and bountiful in pollen and seed.

Our maturing row of sunflowers is attracting the birds who want to harvest the food, one of the most nutritious in the garden. My first glimpse was a goldfinch glittering in the sunlight, checking out a golden sunflower. Birds have a great sense of balance. The goldfinch maneuvered around the flower and worked on settling down to eat. Likewise I saw a male cardinal perch on a wobbly branch, then move to another branch just as unstable. Birds will take the ride rather than fly away.

The squirrels consider all seed and nuts to be their food rather than any others' meal. Nevertheless, each species gets a turn when there are plenty of stations for them to get their food.

I always feel watched when I am in the gardens, front or back. My work invariably includes watering, re-filling the baths and pools, and turned on the soaker hoses. I finish in the backyard with a mixture of seed in various places, a variety of levels. This is more than a feeling, because the background noise picks up as I work. Starlings keep watch and make their scratchy sounds. Cardinals have a quiet cheep, cheep that conveys their happiness.  Once I leave they come for their food, a few at a time, until about 20 are enjoying the food and baths.

Squirrels often take their place and eat in the midst of the birds.

Robins are justly associated with earthworms. I see them in the roses and under the soaker hoses in the backyard. I make their meals much easier with thousands of earthworms working the wet soil. Robins always look offended when I am near, but they are not frightened away. One hid behind a rose bush once and peeked out. If they are grabbing dry leaves for their nests, they are even bolder, because they do not give up building material easily. Long ago I found one robin playing tug-o-war with string from the pea vines. That bird wanted nesting material.

When I leave pieces of string or twine loosely on a branch or feeder, the birds take them away in no time.

But wait - there's more. Robins also eat insects and berries.

My fruit collection for birds and humans includes:

• Elderberries - two varieties for increased production
• Large strawberries in the sunny garden
• Tiny wild strawberries all over the yard, garden, and grass
• Gooseberries
• Beautyberry - a fruit of last resort
• Blackberries - thornless, and 
• Raspberries.

There are many ways to feed birds, besides growing rows of sunflowers. The Cow Vetch vine produces seed pods  which are often fed to budgies, so other birds must like them. All seed producing plants will feed birds to some extent, especially those that favor seeds on the ground. Doves are the primary ground seed eaters, but others are just as patient in finding those little bits of food. Starlings feed in flocks and will work the ground for grubs and seeds just as eagerly as they devour suet, but they eat the suet first.

One reader said, "I did not see all the tiny insects
until you wrote about them."
This is the valuable ichneumon wasp.

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity. Luke 5:1-11. The Miraculous Catch of Fish

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity, 2015

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The melodies are linked in the hymn name. 

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Lyrics site is linked here.

The Hymn #  375 If Thy Beloved Son
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual     
The Gospel             
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 132  O God of God

At Your Word, I Will Let Down the Net

The Communion Hymn #307 Draw Nigh and Take
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 50       Lord Dismiss Us  

KJV 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Fifth Sunday After Trinity
O Jesus Christ, Thou Son of the living God, who hast given us Thy holy word, and hast bountifully provided for all our temporal wants, we confess that we are unworthy of all these mercies, and that we have rather deserved punishment: But we beseech Thee, forgive us our sins, and prosper and bless us in our several callings, that by Thy strength we may be sustained and defended, now and forever, and so praise and glorify Thee eternally, Thou who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

At Your Word, I Will Let Down the Net

KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 

This sermon opportunity was special, because the land rises around the lake, so Jesus had a natural place from which to speak, especially on a boat. When surrounded by crowds, at an equal level, it was harder for those on the perimeter to hear and to see. The water was His sounding board and everyone could hear and see. As the church architects say, either slope the audience upward or build a higher chancel area. Jesus had a similar advantage in the Sermon on the Mount, only in reverse.

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 

Luther saw the two ships as symbolic of Judaism and the Gentiles. He entered the Jewish ship, but the Gentile ship was needed to haul in the catch. Some will say, as they often do about allegories, "Nowhere in the text. You cannot say that." But look at the entire text, the entire Bible,and this is true. Jesus conducted His entire ministry as a Jew, as a rabbi, and yet He invited the Gentiles, preached to them and converted them, so they helped in drawing in the miraculous catch caught by the Word of God. 

Pixelating the text is the sign of cults and sects. By that I mean they enlarge one verse or one phrase so much that it lacks focus and resolution. They make their favorite selection the entire Bible while ignoring the entire Bible. No wonder they despise the Word of God but fill the world with their endless chatter and foolish opinions. Therefore it is very important to see a verse in the context of the entire Scriptures. Only believers can do that. The works-salesmen and outward saints will not read more than whatever supports their needs.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy Word I will let down the net.

Sitting was the proper stance for a rabbi at that time. Jesus also sat for the Sermon on the Mount. The order of this miracle is important. Jesus taught first and performed the miracle through Peter second.

Both portions illustrate the miracle of the Word's powers. First of all, the Word converted people to faith in Christ. Peter revealed that by doubting whether any more fishing would help, but agreed to try again - "at your Word." He was saying, "I trust in You and and I trust Your Word." Human reason did not accomplish that. The Spirit worked on Peter through the Word. In fact, human reason and experience argued against catching any fish. They were experts who knew how to find the fish, and evening fishing is supposed to be more effective. Everything was against another attempt, but the Word caused Peter to trust in Jesus rather than everything he thought and experienced.

Next Peter and his helpers were able to see the effect of trusting the Word.

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

When they trusted in the Word, they tried what had not worked before. The drew in so many fish that their newly repaired net broke. Here is where the analogy Luther fashioned works so well. What happened in the Apostolic Church? They had vast numbers of converts wherever they went, and Paul helped them include the Gentiles as well. Peter and his helpers captured so many fish that both ships began to sink. They were not canoes or speed boats, but flat stable ships designed for fishing and hauling the heavy harvest back to port. Not event the two ships together were adequate for the task. 

Nor can we count the multitudes who heard the Word, believed, and entered into eternal life in those early days of persecution.

This also illustrates how God takes care of our daily needs. These fisherman did not have that safety net we talk about today. They needed food and yet they had experienced total failure the night before. When good news is awaited, the time passes very slowly. God can let us hope and pray for a long time. Suddenly, beyond anything we could imagine, God provides in abundance.

This miracle shows that God's Word changes the natural order in an instant, not that He neglects Creation at any moment. Trusting means not seeing and yet believing in God's mercy, love, and kindness.

When I planted Silver Queen corn on June 1st, I marked my calendar, allowing two weeks for germination. That is what the package said. When nothing came up and I saw holes in the mulch, at the right intervals, I assumed all the corn was eaten by squirrels or crows. I was done planting sweet corn. It's no good here, I thought. No more corn ever again. Instead, the corn germinated much later. Now it is already forming tassels. One can blame that on planting in cold soil and an minor annoyance.

I had another experience, where the teaching dwindled to almost nothing, step by step. No one communicates any information. I decided not to become gloomy but to wait. Anxiety is such a waste of energy, but I had all kinds of reasons to worry, including the stories about online schools fading away. Those were facts, and I knew my age was not a plus. But step by step, the new offers came in, and I reached the satisfactory number again. I used the extra time and energy to catch up on the justification by faith book, which is nearing completion.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon.

When Peter saw the divine nature of this event, his faith in Christ grew because he experienced firsthand what human reason could not explain. The majesty of Jesus' power made Peter aware of his sinful nature.

Apostates always make fun of this miracle. One was Reimarus, who denied the supernatural basis of Christianity. His Fragments became the foundation of the modern rejection of Biblical doctrine, such as Knapp on the Trinity and Tholuck on universalism. Knapp and Tholuch both taught at Halle University, established to teach Pietism.

In contrast, Creation shows us how God cares for our temporal needs, but the clergy, priests, and popes do not believe this.

Luther:
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

6. Here you see how God cares for the birds and flowers, and adorns them so beautifully; much move will he give us what we need; and yet we cannot trust him. So successfully has the devil taken us captive by his snares. If one comes now so far that he is not satisfied and does not trust God, then love must at once cease, so that he does no one any good, but he scratches together everything only on his own heap.

7. And in this way the calling of the priests and monks arose; only in order that they might help themselves and feed their stomachs, and not being permitted to work they ran into the cloisters. And the proverb is true:

Despair makes monks; yea, not only monks, but also priests, bishops and popes; for they do not trust God that he is able to feed and clothe them, and only think how they may fortify themselves against all want and poverty. All this is the life of unbelief. Then they go and keep strumpets or commit adultery, which are the fruits that follow unbelief; for they never trusted God, that he was able to sustain them, if they took unto themselves wives and remained out of the monasteries.

10b And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Jesus illustrated God's temporal care for the disciples and also their spiritual power in teaching the Word of God. 

Sometimes people want to interpret "catching men" as judgement in the negative sense. But we can see from the Parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25 that judgment is both positive and negative. Those who took care of the naked and hungry and in prison did so through faith in Christ, and they are blessed. Those who did not also received judgment, another kind.

How To Silence the False Teachers - Quote Them

Someone alerted me to another series of attacks on Facebook. The Pharisees do not like justification by faith, but they are too cowardly to address that directly.

Instead they find excuses to attack me, which I enjoy immensely, but they always fire away from under cover. Jack Kilcrease has done this while blocking me, so officially I cannot see his remarks.

Kilcrease erases his blundering remarks so much that "to kilcrease" is now synonymous with removing previous remarks because they have been refuted.

This time the thread  on Facebook's WELS Discussions was started by Joel Lillo, intemperate supporter of Ski, Glende, and others equally inept. He actually imagined I could not read his comments.

A note for the criminally stupid - Facebook is public. Publishing on Facebook means everything is available. The company sells the data to make money. Nothing is secret. No one can publish on the Net and say "But that was hidden away!" and have any credibility. That is especially true of Facebook, a social gathering place, not a secret society like WELS' GA (HB).

I began posting some of their ridiculous statements, which united the trans-Jennered Samantha Lily Birner with Jay Webber and Joel Lillo. They were all in agreement, with Edith Shallert as a bonus.

The initial crime? I quoted a story verbatim from Out Sports, about a recent homosexual student at Martin Luther College, WELS. Joel Lillo, who has no problems with abusing a lady staff member (if Ski and Glende are at fault) or suing the victims in court (if Ski, Glende, and staff are doing this), but Lillo was outraged by my quoting an article, word for word, and giving the actual link for verification.

To find fault with this, Lillo had to wring out this objection. I actually put the references to WELS in bold print! How dare I! As Shakespeare (Oxford) says, "A little pot is soon hot." I do that for many articles, especially verbose ones, to show why it is relevant to the readers. Lillo should know that much, since he reads the blog daily, after swearing off many times.

Quoting them on this blog silenced the grace-filled wit of these WELS-ELS clowns. Righteous anger turned to fear. Now their eructations are immortal and no longer hidden from view.

John 3:19 KJV And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Nota bene - which is Latin for Listen up! - The esteemed writers on Facebook's WELS Discussions had no problems agreeing with Samantha Lily, but they poured out their wrath on me. Participants threatened to leave the page forever if I participated, but they gladly link arms with Samantha Lily.

A reader sent this graphic.

They have stopped writing on their thread, now that they are public. One reader phoned to laugh at the Lillo-Tranny-Webber group of sniveling ninnies. He said, "Talk about dumb!"

Rustic Fence Has Birds Lining Up for Their Baths in the Community Pools

This is the famous Yale fence, where undergraduate men gathered."The tradition of the Fence began in 1833, when the picket fence fronting the Old Brick Row was replaced by a rail fence on which one could comfortably lean or perch. 
It soon attracted students in great numbers
for the sharing of news and idle chatter."

I was pleased to see the birds take to the rustic fence in the backyard. The cardinal was using it, even balancing on the wobbly upright branch, before we built it across the yard.

The fence consists of the dead tree we cut up and the young tree our helper cut down. The branches from the young tree are still attached, and so are the leaves. It was growing into the house's foundations, so it was better to cut it, tree huggers. Our helper dragged it a block.

More rustic and a lot less weedy than this one.

I learned in Midland that birds will gather on branches near the ground. We had a large pile near the curb, for bulk pickup. The truck did not come for some time, but the birds sat there chattering like the happiest critters on earth, oblivious to car traffic.

We used to gather discarded Christmas trees and toss them in the snow near the compost bin in Midland. Birds like extra protection and warmth. I bought garbage bags of popcorn after a local event and kept it for the birds. Soon we had a choir of birds singing praise whenever I entered the backyard.
We had very heavy snowfall right after I cornered the market on popcorn.

The intensity of color in the sunlight cannot be captured in a photo.

Birds on the Fence
Why do the birds not stay up in the trees? some are asking. The birds like a low perch that gives them a good view of the insect life in the grass. In our yard that also includes a view of various food sources, 12 bird baths and 2 community pools. They overlook sunflowers ripening, mulched beds teeming with life, seeds, nuts, suet, and fruit.

Casual observation shows that the contented chirping of birds will bring more species to the same pile of brush. A little bit of preparation yields a lot of benefits.

Today we had three starlings splashing in the first community pool. They like to push their wings under the water and let the water flow across their bodies. They splash around together and get plenty of bathing time.

I do everything possible to enhance bird food, bathing, and shelter. They reward us with a constant show. The platform feeder, finch feeder, and Jackson EZ Bird Swing create a constant display of birds and squirrels eating, swinging, and trying to establish dominance, just outside our window.

Opening the back door or back gate means seeing 20 birds launch into the air at once. If I stay outside a few minutes, some of them come back to be the first at one of the feeders. I often see a goldfinch, cardinal, or robin from a short distance away.

Mutual Help
Helping one group of animals will also nurture another. Plants for butterflies and hummingbirds will also feed the bees, who really feed everyone.

Logs for birds will shelter toads and generate more critter life for everyone by rotting into the soil.

Leaf litter for the soil is also a blanket for beneficial insects throughout the winter. When the warmth and rain of spring end the leaf litter, the hatching and emergence of immature insects feed the birds.

Compost builds the earthworm population, because building and spreading it means distributing the earthworm egg capsules as one singular bonus.

Compost also builds beneficial soil life by nurturing the bacteria, fungus, and soil creatures that battle and feed while capturing nutrition for the top 12 inches of soil where the plants and trees feed.

Variety in plant life means more creatures can live in the yard. Butterflies favor certain plants, such as the Swallowtail on the parsley, the Monarch on the Milkweed and Butterfly Weed. Various bloom times not only keep the bees fed, but the kinds of blooms attract a variety of wild bees, which are far more varied than just the bumble bee and honey bee.

The often despised weeds are intermediaries in many ways. Tap roots bring calcium up to the surface - usable calcium, unlike crushed egg shells. The entire gardening world wants to crush eggs shells for the soil, but they do help birds and earthworms, just not the soil directly.

Weeds also provide a constant supply of pollen, nectar, and seeds for bees and birds.

Leaf litter and dried grass are building materials for bird nests, as well as building blocks for healthy soil.

Radish seed pods are mild with that typical radish flavor.

Radishes germinate fast and help the gardener with planter's remorse -
"My plants will never emerge. Oh, there are the radishes. I have hope again."