Ski and Glende Turmoil - from 2009. The Late Tim Niedfelt Argued Against This Blog at First, But Realized How Empty His Paris Was. Niedfelt Joining St. John's Led WELS to Steal That Congregation and Its Endowment.

From Anonymouse: 

This has got to be a new low, even for you. You admit that you know nothing about this situation other than what you read in the St. Peter newsletter. As far as you know, this has absolutely nothing to do with the Core. Yet you print this story with your little photoshopped picture designed to make Pastor Glende and Ski look as ridiculous as you possibly can (What, you've never looked silly having a good time at a restaurant?) and hint that it has something to do with St. Peter's relationship with the Core. On the record: I have no Idea why Pastor Christenson asked for a call out of St. Peter AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA EITHER! I really don't know how you can live with yourself or sleep at night.

"Lord, Lord, didn't I maintain a church on the internet and mercilessly mock those who weren't (in my opinion) orthodox enough?"

"I never knew you!"

***

Above is the original silly photo, posted by Bishop Katie herself on Twitter. Shame on Katie!

The threesome attended a pastoral conference on Mark Driscoll's home turf,

but no one owned up to being in Seattle for Driscoll.

GJ - Reading the tea leaves, I would say that the someone approved the departure of the new pastor after only a few months. The public record of Ron Ash and Tim Glende is clear - they are up to their necks in unionistic Church Growth. There is no possibility that the new pastor left because he was too growthy for that pair! Consider also the leaven of Ski and Katie, whose motto is: "No Enthusiast left behind." Another source confirmed that Glende and Ash are the cause, not the cure.

---

The Appleton Dumpling Gang is well fed.

This PhotoShop above was inspired by Glende's and Ski's lack of candor

about their trip to Seattle.

 

This cartoon made Wally Oelhaven furious,

but it sure fits The CORE, Ski, Glende, Kati, and Ron Ash.

Ron Ash retired as the pastor of St. Peter, Freedom,

He still chairs the odious Church and Chicanery faction in WELS.

Floyd Luther Stolzenburg introduced Church Growth to St. Paul, German Village,when Tim Glende was an impressionable teen member there. Kicked out of the LCMS for cause, Stolzenburg was divorced by his wife, but WELS made him an overpaid CG guru - then Kuske and Schumann endorsed him for pastoral work.The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it?

But sometimes we just end up with The CORE!

Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "St. Peter Freedom (The CORE Mother-Church) Loses S...":

Pretty hypocritical that it's OK for Confessional Crusaders to post anonymously. As long as it promotes your skewed agenda, right PJ? What a freaking double standard.

Run on sentences? Well that's typical criticism from someone who is narrow minded (or should I say closed minded) and needs to retake reading and comprehension. So if there's no real substance to criticize, lets (sic) nit pick (sic - nitpick is one word) grammar. Give me a break. Get a life.

Mighty Mouse [Most likely Tim Felt-Needs] But he denies it.

Tim loves to use the term "Confessional Crusaders."

Mequon graduates - click on this link for proof.

***

GJ 

2016 Update - Tim's family lost their love for the popcorn and soda at Victory of the Lamb. He lost his life in a tragic accident where a truck slammed into his car.

Tim first made fun of Confessional Crusaders and had a graphic made. Later he said he had become one. We do not have enough laity like that today, I am sorry to say.

Mighty Mouse was from Appleton, probably another Tim...Glende.

The Appleton gang got on the blog every day with their Apple computers (which were easily detected by my software). Lillo did not have an Apple. The Core/Glende did.

I think Don Patterson got into it until I identified the source of some really hateful emails - his hometown.

Facebook friends

"Let Us Battle about Synod Politics" - Says Satan

"I love synod politics -
they keep people from talking about sound doctrine."

Christian News may be an even bigger failure than the Church Growth Movement. Time will tell.

Larry Darby and I agreed about this issue 100% - When people play politics in their synod, they are playing the devil's games with the devil's rules. They cannot win.

Each Lutheran sect has unwritten rules about how to play the game. One thing they all know is this - never question Holy Mother Sect directly, because they will invite a severe counter-strike. That is just as true in ELCA as it is in WELS, Missouri, or the Little Sect on the Prairie.

I have not played that game

• By being anonymous, or 
• By following the rules of their Father Below. 

So one synod politician tells me I am nasty, then sends numerous emails about stuff I should post on this blog - but not with his name on it. Oh no.

But I do keep confidences, unlike the heroic synod politicians. There is no reason for the innocent to bear the wrath of felonious DPs, CPs, and wanna-B's.

The Intrepid Lutherans played that game in WELS. That got them silenced, scattered, kicked out, and almost completely silenced. Several of them joined ELDONA, where the imperious bishop-for-life has more unwritten rules and strictures than ELCA and Rome put together. 

Ralph Bohlmann was another creature of Christian News,
not a bad guy, just another opportunist.

Vote for the Right Man - Nope

The theme of Christian News has been a winner for Beezebub for 50 years. If the LCMS votes for the right man who wears the mantle of Walther, everything will be fine.

The politicians also have to court Otten. Once they no longer need him, they can fight with each other in public, which is good for the politicians. Everyone officially hates Christian News. If people knew how much the leaders handle the editor to spin their news and spike the stories on their crimes, subscriptions would be even lower.

Why don't the politicians court me and sing ballads written especially for me? Answer - I do not play their games. I keep changing the topic to doctrine and show with their own materials how far they have departed from the Christian Faith.

Additional proof comes from the crimes they cover up and excuse.

Naturally, they promote the worst clergy and punish the faithful. WELS' Mark Schroeder is a prime example.

But they are all following the template of CFW Walther, their guru, guide, and inspiration:

1. Steal property whenever possible.
2. Abuse women and children in the name of discipline.
3. Teach universal absolution without compromise.
4. Claim orthodoxy while teaching Pietism.
5. Break the law and cover up the crimes.

Why does Justification by Faith make
ELCA-WELS-ELS-LCMS-ELC furious?
Because they are closeted Universalists,
the unblessed fruit of Pietism.

Doctrine Judges Everything - Yes

Behold, here is the logic of your slavemasters, the synod politicians: "You cannot listen to him, because he is a terrible person. If you get information from him, you are just as bad as he is."

They glory in the personal attack, and never hesitate to make up whatever they want.

But only one thing judges everything else - 

The Chief Article of the Christian Religion - the Master and Prince - Justification by Faith.

Everything revolves around this central doctrine, which is why the Lutheran sects are so completely misled and corrupted by fads, enthusiasms, and pure hogwash.

The UOJ Stormtroopers came out against this blog like all the Plagues of Egypt. Knowing how they would hide their comments later, I featured them and replied to them. Almost nothing comes by email anymore, not even with my address posted conspicuously on the front page.

I continue to get positive responses from all over, but no one wants to prove UOJ to me. They are equally timid on the various fire-hydrants of the social media, where they used to leave their scent, often without an invitation or even being on the topic.

Tell Me - Why Does Christian News Join the Apostates in Banning Luther's Gospel?

There is only one possible answer to this question. The editor, like the Roman Empire, tolerates every confession of faith except the One True Faith.

He can keep up his circulation and please his multi-denominational base if he studiously avoids Justification by Faith. The only way Otten can teach the doctrine of the Scriptures - and the Reformation - is by repudiating the dogma of:

1. Knapp
2. Halle University
3. Rambach
4. Schleiermacher
5. Bishop Martin Stephan, the founder of the Missouri Synod
6. CFW Walther
7. F. Pieper
8. Edward Preuss, who became a famous Roman Catholic scholar and editor
9. Jack Cascione
10. JP Meyer
11. ELCA
12. Jar Jar Webber.

Popes come and go at Christian News,
but the papacy goes on forever.

Fall Bulbs - The Catalogs Are Arriving by the Hundredweight.

Daffodils are the national flower of Wales.
Mrs. Ichabod's boss loved seeing them on his desk.
We grew them in our lawn and mowed late.

A true bulb is actually a flower encased in food for the plant. Fall bulbs planted early will develop roots and send the stem upward, but break the surface only after a good winter and a spring thaw. Fall bulbs can  and should be planted early. When I got them late in New Ulm, Minnesota, I had to dig near the parsonage, where the soil was still soft from the heat in the basement.

Like roses, I have planted fall (akakhardy) bulbs almost everywhere we lived.

Someone was kind enough to plant Grape Hyacinths at our home in Springdale, the Ichabode. They bloom early, for a long time, flower and then go to seed, creating a patch of color here and there. They multiply, so they are a good choice for naturalizing.

Make a Big Bet on Bulbs
The only place to get fall and spring bulbs is Dutch Gardens. They are bigger and cost less than all others. That has been true for decades.

http://www.dutchgardens.com/

Sign up for their catalogs - works of art by themselves.

Like many gardening adventures, bulbs can inspire the hair-on-fire buy everything impulse. That will be coupled with remorse with all of them arrive at once. They have to be dug into the ground.

My suggestion is to make one big bet each year on favorite bulbs.

1. Buy a large amount of one variety, one color. The mass of color is impressive.
2. Or - buy two colors and group them accordingly.
3. Plan for a layer of little bulbs planted above the big ones.

Daffodils are an easy choice. Critters do not eat them, so they are not dug up and replanted by tree squirrels and ground squirrels - as crocus are.

The layer above could be early tiny bulbs.  That would mean one larger hold about seven inches deep, a fair amount of soil to move, the big bulbs covered up, then the tiny bulbs in the top layer.

We did group bulb orders at several churches and got a bulb discount, which we took in bulbs to plant at the church.

Grape Hyacinths are not hyacinths
and often come in other colors.

My Modest Plan
I am going to buy some Grape Hyacynths, which are very inexpensive, long lasting, and good at multiplying.

Our helper will get some to plant with his two children. They are enjoying gardening and participating:

• The maple tree seedling from our yard is now 10 feet tall in theirs.
• The Purple Splash roses are in bloom all the time.

Purple Splash blooms all the time if prune.
Our helper's son prunes and mulches it.

Reviewing the August 1, 2016 Issue of Christian News: Ralph Bohlmann RIP Issue. Reading CN So You Don't Have To.

 The late LCMS former Synod President, like Jack Preus,

had an earned PhD. 

• Jack Preus became SP in 1969, with a lot of help from Christian News and Herman Otten.
• Ralph Bohlmann, also supported by Otten, became president in 1981, voted out of office in 1992.
• Al Barry became president, with a lot of secret help from Otten via Paul McCain, in 1992.
• Barry died in office in 2001 and Jerry Kieschnick became president. His ironic help came from Otten attacking "conservative" candidates.
• Matt Harrison was elected in 2010, after serenading Herman Otten in New Haven - "The Ballad of Herman Otten." McCain rejoiced in surprisingly unflattering photos at the Purple Palace. Harrison made it clear that McCain was being rewarded for doing another Al Barry operation.

I was most impressed with Jack Preus and his brother Robert. The brothers actually stood for something and willingly fought the battles, even if they were opportunists. The brothers Preus also had earned doctorates and used their credentials to advance Biblical and historical scholarship.

I am least impressed with Harrison, who could not manage to finish an in-house seminary doctorate but had time to spend life working with ELCA, as he continues to do today. His partnership with and protection of Paul McCain speaks volumes. Harrison's election proves that faux-Waltherians do well as chubby faux-Lutherans.

Jack Preus was the only SP to move the needle toward Lutheran doctrine. The rest of them ran toward Fuller Seminary with arms extended, tongues lolling, Other People's Money jingling in their pockets.

"Herman, don't tell anyone that I worked with you,
even though I bragged to that blabbermouth Jackson."

Visual proof that milk is very fattening,
Roman Catholic propaganda addicting.

Herman's son Tim once talked about all the SPs tugged through the rocky channel of LCMS politics by his father's tabloid. In each case - Preus, Bohlmann, Barry - contempt rather than gratitude was shown by the victor toward his enabler.

Paul McCain worked deceptively with Otten to send Barry materials early, so CN could feature them and make Barry a hero to displace the eeevul Bohlmann. But McCain did not tell Otten about his promotion from campaign manager/pastor to Purple Palace Plutocrat. No, I knew before Otten.

Gratitude Is Not a Fruit of Pietism
Pietism does not generate much gratitude, love, or cooperation. How could Pietism - while denigrating the Means of Grace, ignoring the efficacy of the Word?

I consider the universal shun a mark of Biblical orthodoxy. For example. Otten has a free copy of Thy Strong Word, but he has no space to mention it, no space for Lutheran doctrine.

The ELDONUTs were deeply offended - as Pietists should be - that someone donated Lutheran books at their conference. My books were ordered removed at once! They must be a good sign. Although they had the books for as long as eight months (draft form), they were still "not vetted." Oh how I long for the Imprimatur of His Holiness and the Nihil Obstat of his Torquemada.

At the latest LCMS-LCMS-ELS Emmaus Conference, no Martin Chemnitz Press books were allowed to be displayed. Previously, our man on the scene was not allowed to discuss - shhhh - Justification by Faith, the Chief Article, with anyone. That prepared the servile to listen to Jar Jar Webber present the ELCA dogma of UOJ, pretending it was Luther's rather than Rambach's.

Did Otten or his UOJ pal Jack Cascione thank me for exposing Paul McCaine's Roman Catholic plagiarism, ending Paul's blogging Reign of Error? No. Cascione just stopped linking all the saints notices that McCain posted as links to his stolen-without-credit blog posts.

Filling the Rain Buckets Again

Clethra  - or Summersweet - is blooming now and
attracting scores of beneficial insects.

I laughed when I saw rain-barrels on sale on Amazon. Only $100 without the connections. Fortunately, rain falls from the sky and drips off the roof. I gather the results in:

1. Four large garbage cans, with lids used as birdbaths or toad pools.
2. Five 5-gallon paint buckets - all clean.
3. Two wastebaskets.
4. One broken wheelbarrow.

The paint buckets are easily carried to the plants that need extra care. The large containers can be dipped with the paint buckets and the rainwater carried to dry areas. The broken wheelbarrow is stationary now, so I am using its wide area to catch the rain.

The irony is, my biggest supply of rain develops when I have the least need. Thanks to the recent sprinkling and the steady rain tonight, the containers are all filling up.

A few years after I was ordained in the LCA (1973),
Fuller's Church Growth was established in the LCMS, WELS, and ELS.
"Come to the WELS," they sang, where sewage is sold as Perrier water.
WELS-ELS and LCMS work with ELCA all the time.

Likewise, when America was filled with traditional congregations of all types, everyone took that for granted. As I have mentioned many times, every LCA congregation used the traditional liturgy, hymns, sermons, pipe organ, and choirs. Anyone showing up to preach in his gardening clothes would have been laughed out of the building. The sermons I heard then were Biblical, and that was true through my vicarage in the largest Lutheran church in Canada. My dogmatics professor, Otto Heick, wrote the book that WELS pastors used - which I often spotted decades later in book sales.

A drought is not felt when the rain is falling, and a drought of the Word is not a worry when everything seems so peaceful and prosperous. The new addition and picking the paint colors are a distraction from the subtle changes in the environment.

We have to commend Fuller Seminary and its model church, the late Crystal Cathedral, for mining the gold and silver of all the denominations and poisoning them all with unending supply of toxins. The Israelites spoiled the Egyptians and left, but Fuller Seminary conned everyone into donating millions to their snake oil empire - and the denominational suckers arrived in droves, and spread the faux-Gospel of marketing and statistics to everyone.

Many parallels can be found in gardening, because the same Creation principles are violated. Every gardening center has stacks of chemical fertilizer and containers of insecticide and weed killers. Some companies combine the two with short-term fertilizer and temporary weed killers. The man-made answer to poorly growing plants is more fertilizer. Weeds? No problem. Either use broad-leaf weed killer, which is especially effective on flowers and bushes, or RoundUp, which kills everything green.

Studying Creation by the Word is easy, because the data is constantly being produced by everyone. No matter what the interpretation, the facts must emerge. When we received tours of the Grand Canyon and Sedona, sea life fossilized at great heights was pointed out by the guides. One said in Sedona, "The ocean left those fossils up there 300 million years ago." I added - "Or the Flood." The Grand Canyon guide admitted that the old description of the Colorado River - carving out the wonder over millions of years - was hilariously off-key.

I grew up on the Mississippi River Valley. Where was our Grand Canyon, carved out by the river? Instead, we had a massive deposit of mud (loess) and vast amounts of coal, which has to come from gigantic piles of leafy matter, pressed down, reduced to carbon, but leaving their prints on the fuel. Thus I lived and walked above coal mines, with nearby towns called Coal Valley and Carbon Cliffs. No wonder we had a giant foundry in the area and a large industrial base. We had water and coal, plus topsoil many feet deep. Our topsoil came from centuries of prairie grass growing and dying or burning, buffalo herds fertilizing, and finally European earthworms tunneling.

My gardening gurus (Sharon Lovejoy, Almost Eden, Jessica Walliser) have me fascinated with the beneficial insects and their work. As Walliser has written, timing is everything. Events must happen at the right time for insects to be nurtured into the next generation and plants to be pollinated and protected. 

 Monarch Butterfly

This summer the Sunny Garden was left to raspberry plants, a tribe known for quickly establishing a jungle. This ever-bearing kind does not disappoint, except in producing tasty berries. They are insipid, tasteless. So next year we will dig them up and replace them with plants known to nurture Monarch caterpillars (Butterfly Weed) and other butterfly babies (parsley for Swallowtails). That area just bakes with solar heat, and the block wall absorbs the heat and reflects it back to the plants all night. 

For those who like butterflies, the key is having diversity in the plants where the eggs must be laid. Like the general crowd of beneficial insects, the babies eat baby food and the adults enjoy something else. Some of the most common plants, like Milkweed, feed the butterflies that people enjoy.

 Tiger Swallowtail

Sorry, Bruce Foster - 5,000 Views Today

 Bananas Foster is the WELS connection with ELCA.
He does not like my yuuuuuge numbers, so I apologized.

Faith | While it's yet day - What Does It Mean To Be a Christian?

Faith | While it's yet day:





"What does it mean when someone tells you they are a Christian? Just about anything. The word Christian has been stretched and redefined so many times that about the only message it conveys is that a person has some kind of belief about Jesus Christ.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

You’ve probably heard someone with the best intentions say, “As long as you’re a good person, you’ll be fine in the end.” But is this doing good things enough? Can it make you right before God and undo all the wrong you know you’ve done even to this very day?"



'via Blog this'

East of Eden - Another Fine Walk with Sassy. Almost Eden Gardens and Nursery. Scholars Divide on Crepe or Cape Myrtle

Sassy and I had a long walk today, at her insistence. I let her take the lead since I have shortened her walk on hot, humid mornings. Today we enjoyed the cool from the brief rain yesterday. Sassy went down a favorite street, headed toward the fire station and smiled. That means a plan. We crossed Joye Street and headed past the fire station toward Almost Eden Gardens and Nursery - her goal.

I thought we were late to see Opie the dog and his Chief of Staff, Almost Eden himself. But there they were, watering the plants. Sassy and Opie friended each other again and carried out a mini-tag game. Opie howled softly to encourage me to pet him. He put his little muzzle in the air, "Ow-wooo." That is the first dog I have seen to howl for petting.

We are actually south of Almost Eden, but there is no South of Eden movie. I never saw East of Eden but remembered the movie title.

This time we talked about social media, Crepe Myrtles, KnockOut roses, and birds. He told me about how much Goldfinches love Crepe Myrtle seed. We looked over and saw a Mockingbird harvesting some seeds from the Crepe Myrtles.

We are both dealing with Bermuda grass invasions, plus all the other weeds. Rain has been pretty good, with plenty of sun in-between, so weeds are enjoying the benefits.

KnockOut roses seem vulnerable to a disease that is different from the feared Rosette disease. I looked all over the Net for answers to KnockOuts looking great and suddenly dying. I dug two out recently, after a good spring bloom. What looked like frost damage was simply the first sign of die-off. Almost Eden gave me some brief Yoda-like insights. "Once that starts, it's over."

And he was correct. I pruned those two KO roses until they were completely KOed. The rest of them burst into new growth and bloom after a 50% prune.

Great Expectations Hosta.

Meanwhile - Hosta Garden Preparation
We now have the Hosta garden carpeted with cardboard - and some pine needles on the sunniest row with the Blueberries. Blueberries are more productive with acidic soil and that will not hurt the Hostas.

Two rows of Hostas took off right away, with plenty of rain and some soaker hose contributions.

I said NO! to wood mulch in the backyard. We are using whatever falls from trees, so we will be rewarded with free mulch in another month or so. The neighbors are so kind to put their leaves in green, recycling bags.

Mrs. I is still talking about me stopping in Midland to grab bags that seemed to be full of leaves, tossing them in the trunk, with LI and my wife cringing in the car. Is it more noble to buy something similar from Lowe's, Walmart? I think not.

 Blue Hawaii - one of 8,000 cultivars.

Swamp Fox Matters, And History Is More Important Than Misleading Myths

I read this book when I was about 9, because my mother subscribed to
two series of books for us - and I devoured them all.
Landmark Books were biographies of historical figures.

We enjoy watching "Legends and Lies," a series on Fox where O'Reilly never seems to shout and offers edifying material.

Mrs. Ichabod said, "There is a show about a Southerner on Legend and Lies."

I said, "Swamp Fox?"

She said, startled, "How did you know? Gretta von Susteren did not know when O'Reilley asked her."

I answered, "I read the book, 60 years ago. His name was Marion, I think."

Washington crossed the Delaware to surprise
the hung-over German mercenaries.

Francis Marion was the first American military leader to apply guerrilla warfare to the battle against the British. He was so successful that his efforts were equal to George Washington's. The winter at Valley Forge and the surprise party for the Hessians on Christmas morning, 1776, the Battle of Trenton is part of collective memory, but Marion is often overlooked.

Absent Washington and Marion, it is doubtful America would have won its complete independence from the British. Today the Army Rangers model their force according to the principles advocated by Marion.

When Little Ichabod was growing up, we discussed history often. I had a Time Life series about WWII and a collection of battleship books. Our son had every military book he and I wanted, even actual Army books on understanding the M-60 tank. Movies were fun when Nazi equipment rolled by and he said with great scorn, "Those aren't German. Those are repainted American machines!"

LI's military knowledge got us invited to a live shoot of the 8 inch M110 self-propelled howitzer. All the kids and parents there were military, but when one asked the road speed of the howitzer, LI's arm shot up. He answered when the officer could not, "Forty miles per hour." The entire group laughed at the officer covering his face. He also answered the question about howitzer's being different from tanks - giving three reasons in a loud clear voice.

Later, when my wife worked at an engineering firm, Gulf War I broke out and they needed to know about Russian rockets, delivery modes, range, and accuracy. We had it all at home because military rockets are important too. The youngest person there, LI was the go-to guy for all the engineers with questions - and he shared his books. One engineer said to me, "This Gulf situation must be heaven for you and your son." I said, "Yes, it shows how study clarifies everything."

Troubling Fake History - Really Mythology - Synodical Conference

The official histories and tales told about the LCMS are so full of lies that I can hardly start.

SP Mark Schroeder, MDiv (Sausage Factory), solemnly declared that WELS has always been and continues to be an orthodox Lutheran denomination,

ELS members and pastors tell one another that they are far superior to WELS.

The LCMS imagines that Walther began Holy Mother Synod, graciously giving his bishop several options, even though an armed kidnapping is not considered "offering options" even today. But why tell the truth when myths are entertaining and motivating?

Unfortunately, the myths motivate the wrong actions and support false doctrine. Although Walther left the motherland as a fugitive from the law, he is portrayed as the leader of the Stephanite exodus, which only took place once the bishop was fired and placed under house arrest for his sexual abuse of multiple young women and his misuse of church funds.

Pietistic Church Growth gimmicks
thrived under the late Ralph Bohlmann,
the late Al Barry. They are on steroids
with Matt the Fat Harrison.

Former LCMS, seminary President Ralph Bohlmann dies | LCMS News & Information

Former LCMS, seminary President Ralph Bohlmann dies | LCMS News & Information: "

 (L-R) Rev. Dr. Sam Nafzger, Rev. Dr. Ralph Bohlmann, LCMS President Rev. Dr . Matthew C. Harrison, and Rev. Jon D. Vieker, senior assistant to Harrison, meet together in Harrison's office at the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod International Center on Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in Kirkwood, Mo. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford

Former LCMS, seminary President Ralph Bohlmann dies

July 25, 2016 in REPORTER, TOP STORY 0
The Rev. Dr. Ralph Bohlmann, who served four terms (1981-92) as president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and was named as the church body’s first president emeritus, died July 24 in St. Louis. He was 84.


Bohlmann
A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, in The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, with a reception to follow. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. that day in the chapel.


 At the request of Bohlmann’s family, clergy in attendance will not vest or process at the service.

Bohlmann was president of Concordia Seminary from 1975 to 1981. He joined the seminary faculty as a professor of systematic theology in 1960, and continued to teach there until his election as LCMS president."


'via Blog this'

ELCA (Seminex) Pastor Bruce Foster Unhitched His Hellish Bigotry in 2011

Foster retires.

Bruce Foster, Pastor 

Dear Dr (by virtue of a degree issued by a school run by the underlings of the anti-Christ) Jackson

You like to remind people how my (sic) hits your web site gets. The traffic is dramatic. What exactly it means, however, is up to interpretation. One group who follows your posts are people who support your ideas. A small group of names come up again and again on comments, Bruce Church, Brett Meyer etc. I have no idea if these are real names or people who use fake names. They are, I am sure, real people because their styles are unique and I don't think anyone would go to the trouble of making up commenters.

Others, however, I suspect are people like myself who stumbled on to your web site and have become addicted to your style and thought processes. Any one who blogs as much as you do reveals a great deal about yourself on the site. One thing I am sure, however, is that your desire to present the actual facts in matters takes a back seat to presenting your own world view. If the facts don't match your world view, ignore or change the facts. An example. You wrote


"ELCA and the Episcopal Church began living together in sin a few years ago. They did not form a legal, legitimate merger, but invented a way in which Episcopalian polity could be forced upon Lutherans. One example was the sudden necessity to have an Anglican bishop present at all confirmations and ordinations. Why not at Holy Communion too? "

[GJ - Objections from pastors and laity leaving ELCA because of CCM.]


The best response to this is "Weird." I am not sure which alternative universe you live in, but you do not live in mine. In my universe CCM had two requirements. First, that all ELCA bishops in the future have at their consecrations at least three bishops who themselves were ordained into the historic episcopate. Second, that a bishop be present at all ordinations. This second requirements has an exception for those ministerial candidates who object to this requirement (not many do, but some have). And that's it. Now I didn't support CCM. I spoke against it. Indeed I publicly in the presence of Bishop Anderson said that the historic episcopate was one of the most butt stupid idea ever developed in the church. But I attacked CCM for what was actually there.

Where you get the idea that an Anglican bishop has to be present at "all confirmations and ordinations" I haven't a clue. Trust me, in the years since CCM I have had confirmations every year without any bishop there. And the comment "Why not at Holy Communion too?" is just bizarre.

Bizarre. Maybe that's the answer. You were just making stuff up for the fun of it. Satire or parody. Just like when I challenged you about how you knew Bill Lazareth went to hell your response was that you were joking.

And yet this makes for entertaining reading. What will Dr. Jackson make up next? It's all too sad really. You have a great work ethic. You are in many ways very bright. Too bad you don't take things seriously.


Bruce Foster (please don't belittle me for not having a degree from the anti-Christ's best school)

***

GJ - Every few months, ELCA Pastor Bruce Foster sends an email like this. It makes my day. He was the ELCA pastor who gave up the WELSians pastors Lindemann and Jenswold by quoting them. They were quite nasty anonymously. Foster is a bit hostile, but he signs his stuff instead of hiding in the foliage of the WELS Grapevine. I just call him Bananas Foster.

He used to be LCMS, so I am glad there is a place for apostate Missourians to go. Anyone trained in UOJ will fit right into ELCA, so the transition from LCMS to Seminex to ELCA is an easy one. Neuhaus took one more jump - to the Church of Rome.

I wish I had the creativity to make up everything. Of course, if Foster had a serious objection to the facts I presented about the Anglican-ELCA morganatic marriage, he could send a serious post. ELCA is not so fascinating that I keep track of every detail. ELCA's CCM was so terrible for many that they began leaving the sect, one large congregation at a time. That became the base for the LCMC, which grew to something like 700 congregations after ELCA bowed to the Lavender Mafia in 2009.

Foster is correct. The more he writes, the more he reveals about himself. He is still fretting over the posthumous status of Bill Lazareth, sainted bishop and theologian of ELCA. I think that is all settled by now. As Bones often said in Star Trek, "He's dead, Jim."

Foster misses the point about education. Tim Glende and other WELS bullies claim they are right by virtue of their excruciatingly difficult education. They actually studied Greek! The WELS pastors do not not admit how few of them are even adequate in Greek. Glende is not on that list. Even if he were, the argument is completely bogus. Here is the argument encapsulated: "You, a lawyer and layman, cannot possibly be correct. I can plagiarize Groeschel's sermons all I want, because I studied Greek and you did not."

As 29A knows, I have been almost everywhere and often have first-hand knowledge of the theological leaders I discuss. For example, I heard Lazareth speak in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Some other recent leaders in ELCA that I have met are: Chilstrom, Marshal, Crumley, David Preus, Franklin D. Fry, Neuhaus, and several seminary presidents, including the new one at Wartburg, Stan Olson.

If merely graduating from an unaccredited seminary is enough to dazzle the typical WELS/ELS layman, how much more should theology degrees from Yale and Notre Dame?

The Lutherans have not been able to put together a university yet, and Valpo does not count. Foster should know that seminary "doctorates" are a joke, whether they are DMins or some other concoction.

The only Catholic-run part of Notre Dame was its seminary. We used their building on the lake once or twice, but the PhD program was independent of priestly training and had almost no connection with them. Some future priests attended our classes, but we were never in theirs. Foster should know by now that Notre Dame is managed by an independent board.

I am not sure what fuels his endless sarcasm. I suppose it is the closest he can get to humor. Foster sounds just like the WELS pastors who go ballistic because I point out their beloved CGM is nothing but false doctrine. They have deep, serious arguments like, "We can go to Fuller because you went to Notre Dame."

No one is allowed to criticize ELCA or WELS. Both are thin-skinned Holy Mother Synod operations, and their clergy are equally irritable. I enjoy getting under the skin of false teachers, Pastor Foster, and that is the point of this blog.

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Why was the Lavender Mafia so happy about Liz Eaton's election?
Mark Hanson was already on their side.

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "ELCA Pastor Bruce Foster Needs Some Attention":

Perhaps ELCA Pastor Bruce Foster should remember that although Pastor Jackson studied at the Antichrist's university, he was and remains faithful to Christ and the Lutheran Confessions. Pastor Foster though is in direct denominational fellowship with the Antichrist as was confirmed by the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification and is neither faithful to Christ or the Lutheran Confessions.

Ichabodians should note that the Antichrist's hope for global spiritual ecumenism (quoted below) is the same ecumenism that is being promoted and established by the (W)ELS - diaprax (dialogue) being the tool to help build that unity.

Holy Father meets with Lutheran delegation, encourages prayer and dialogue
Vatican City, Feb 10, 2010 / 11:05 am (CNA).- After today’s general audience, the Holy Father met with a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) in which he expressed hope for the “continuing Lutheran-Catholic dialogue.”

The Lutheran delegation was led by the ELCA’s Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, who is also President of the Lutheran World Foundation, the global Lutheran partner to the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.

The Holy Father addressed the delegation in English, saying that he hoped “the continuing Lutheran-Catholic dialogue both in the United States of America and at the international level will help to build upon the agreements reached so far.”

One such agreement is a joint declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation on October 31, 1999. It was the product of nearly 35 years of Lutheran-Catholic dialogue in the United States and abroad.

The Pope the noted that an important additional task “will be to harvest the results of the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue that so promisingly started after the Vatican Council II.” In order to continue “what has been achieved together since that time, he encouraged Lutherans and Catholics toward “ardent prayer” and “conversion to Christ, the source of grace and truth” in order to build a “spiritual ecumenism.”

“May the Lord help us to treasure what has been accomplished so far, to guard it with care, and to foster its development," the Pope prayed.

The Holy Father concluded by echoing his predecessor, John Paul II’s words while addressing a similar Lutheran delegation in 1985: “Let us rejoice that an encounter such as this can take place. Let us resolve to be open to the Lord so that He can use this meeting for His purposes, to bring about the unity that He desires. Thank you for the efforts you are making for full unity in faith and charity.”

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/holy_father_meets_with_lutheran_delegation_encourages_prayer_and_dialogue/

"Brett, our guy is not going to budge on this one.
Yes, I am wearing a Presbyterian pulpit costume -
it sure beats a rose chasuble."

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GJ - How delicious it must be for Foster--to join in fellowship with Rome and all denominations of the Left, creating union congregations--and denounce me for studying at Notre Dame, for writing against Roman heresies, for questioning his apostasy from the LCMS.

Southern Pruning - Called Crepe Murder. No Wonder the Cardinals Nest in the Crepe Myrtle Bush

This is our Crepe Myrtle in full bloom,
a straggly and neglected plant when we moved in almost four years ago.

This kind of pruning is called Crepe Murder,
sometimes an entire row is topped off this way.

Saturday's paper included a column on the Southern habit of Crepe Murder, the practice of removing all the branches from the plant. This is so established as a custom in the South that pictures and articles denouncing it are numerous on the Net.

Google is my guide, because most gardening books are photo extravaganzas with little information, apart from the trite advice. When I inherited a dispirited Crepe Myrtle, I looked over what we could do for it. My first impulse was to feed it with manure and mulched, and water it every so often. The famous Cactus Park in Phoenix waters their plants, so I figure a drought tolerant bush could use some extra help.

One large Southern garden advocates no pruning, no watering, no extra anything, but that strikes me as the other extreme.

Two years ago I pruned all the flowers early to create a re-bloom, and that worked great. All the other bushes were done when ours burst into bloom again. I let the flowers turn to seed for the winter birds.

Last summer we pruned too late and did not get the re-bloom desired.

We get gigantic blooms from extra watering
and year-around mulch, plus moderate pruning.

The newspaper article made me stop in mid-pruning. Cardinals love the seeds formed by the blooms. No wonder I have Cardinals nesting there.

I needed to shape the plant, since it overlaps the mailbox and the sidewalk. Pedestrians should not need to duck under undisciplined plants, and the mailman does not need to reach the box through flowers and hovering bees.

I will leave the entire top in bloom to create a fine set of seeds for the birds. Moderate pruning will shape the plant and encourage roots, branches, and blooms.

Mulch Feeds the Plant
Long ago, as a beginner, I joined the crowd in raking leaves from under the bushes, little realizing how much food I was taking from the plants.

In Springdale I started adding mulch or manure to the base of the plant every time I had a new supply. Each time the food disappeared into the soil. When I piled up leaves under the plant - for the winter - they also disappeared by spring. Once we had huge blobs of grass and clay from under the mower blades. I piled them under the plant and saw them disappear, as soil creatures turned nitrogen rich grass into usable nitrogen for the roots.

The newly pruned blooms go onto the mulch, adding a festive pink decoration for a few hours, and a few seeds for the ground feeding birds. The layered mulch is a food bonanza for all of God's workmen, from the spiders eating the insects to the birds harvesting bugs from the mulch.

I dasn't water the flowering part of the bush now, as I did in years past. The nestlings need to remain dry and secure. Instead, I soak the mulch, which decomposes better with moisture added and holds the water in for the benefit of the plant. None of the actors think about what they are accomplishing together - they just continue their lives and their agendas, the divine. management system already in place.

In the early spring, the entire mulched area took on a new look. I noticed that a mole made his feeding tunnel go under the bush in a perfect circle - following the area of greatest bug, larvae, and earthworm concentrations. Do I mutter against the tough little diggers? No -

• Moles stir and mix the soil.
• They  eat the pests when the pests are still grubs, like the hated Japanese beetles.
• They eat the earthworms they find, but rich soil will refill the supply immediately.

The real feel is 100 or higher today. Would you dig in heavy clay soil today or let the moles and earthworms tunnel as part of their daily feeding schedule? Rains are coming, and the rainfall will be more effective for having the soil opened up and mixed in advance.

The soil creatures do not turn the soil upside-down and inside-out, as rototillers and plows do - they gently aerate and mix, as they were created and engineered to do.

The Sower and the Living Seed of the Word - by Norma Boeckler.

So Much Like the Divine Work of the Word of God

All of this gardening parallels the Holy Spirit's work through the Word of God. We get to enjoy a part in what God does - simply by 

1. sharing His Word, 
2. broadcasting His Word, 
3. teaching His Word, or
4. encouraging those whose primary work involves the Word.

The Word belongs to God alone, which is intimately connected to His Creation. If we cannot see His work in Nature, then we can see it in how He works through the Means of Grace. 

Like most gardeners, I would like to plant asparagus crowns one year and harvest them the next. I would love to have full-grown sunflowers a few days after planting the seeds, which the squirrels consider their stored food. My eyes are on some white Calladiums, waiting for them to unfurl and contrast their snowy leaves with the red Calladiums near them.

The Word grows in the same way, never as fast as we want, but slowly as God wills.