Diversity in the Rose Garden. Avoiding the Monoculture By Filling the Holes with Beneficial Insect Plants

This purple Bee Balm produces clumps
rather than running through the entire garden.
Bumble Bees love it.

Every so often a hole opens up in the rose garden. Some roses never quite get started and others die from various causes. Apart from the Manifest Destiny of planting roses in more and more yards, I also want to balance roses with the creatures that care for the roses.

When I gather roses for the altar or our friends, I often park the vase on the Ichaboat hood so I can fill it where it will not fall over. Once the vase has several roses in it, something is quite obvious. Flower Flies, which look like tiny bees, and Ichneumon Wasps, which are tiny wasps. hover around the roses. When I take their workplace away, they follow it.

Assuming that most beneficial insects need pollen or nectar in their adult stage, the babies need pests to eat. One exception is the famous Ladybug, which eats pests in both stages.

I am loathe to kill the pests with poison, because that knocks off the food supply for the beneficial babies and kills all the beneficial adults, plus spiders and heaven only knows what else. Insecticides kills everything and harm soil creatures too. That is like using Agent Orange for crabgrass when regular mowing and more clover would end its seedy reign.

My current plan  is for using mints to fill in the gaps in the rose garden. One advantage of alternate plants is to cut down on roses sharing disorders because of crowding.

Some people will say, "Oh no, mints. Bee Balm can spread like Bermuda grass. Peppermint and Lemon Mint never go away. Catnip is mean, tough, and ever-growing." And they are right. Our helper threatens me with a midnight planting of his mint, which I warned him about. He went from saying, "Look at how well it grows!" to asking how to stop it.

"Resist the beginnings," Synod President Pfotenhauer said. That is how to stop it.

I am hoping that the two mints I am using in the front will do their job and will clump rather than display a stoloniferous nature, sending underground stems to spread faster than official studies and government commissions.

The red Bee Balm was attractive and odd in the backyard the first year. This year the same plant was all over the bird feeding garden and not very attractive. Norma Boeckler tore hers out. I mowed mine down and covered the area with cardboard.

 This is another reason to grow Bee Balm - hummingbirds.

Monarda - One Mint
In contrast, Monarda - the purple Bee Balm - formed a large clump that I was able to divide. When it reached its peak and bloomed the second year, the beautiful flowers attracted a posse of bumble bees, which were fun to watch.

Spreading by division is easy - dig up the clumping plant and divide the root system. One clump has started in the rose garden. Two more will go there soon, between two KnockOut shrubs.

Mountain Mint attracts butterflies.

Mountain Mint - Another Choice
Mountain Mint is enjoying more attention in gardens. I saw it first in Washington DC, about 30 years ago. I planted several this year, so I expect them to thrive next year. Mountan Mint is supposed to attract a lot of insects, something I observed in DC when they were swirling around in a mad frenzy.

Around the corner in the Sunny Garden will be a Butterfly Garden, mostly aimed at the larvae, so there will be a nearby supply of plants for pollinators.

That is the fun part. I do not need to figure out which plant to create the total effect, because a list of these plants will attract and support the right insects in general.

Butterflies are especially choosy so I know that a given butterfly requires a certain plant - such as Milkweed for Monarch larvae, Parsley for Swallowtails.

Clethra

Clethra - Summersweet
I bought two Clethra from Almost Eden last year. I did not think much of them until I watered them this summer and saw tiny insects fly away from the tiny flowers, like dust in the wind. I found this account on the Net - Gardening in Tune with Nature

Carefully moving branches aside, I positioned my legs and those of my tripod in the middle of the summersweet colony and waited for the wake of my disturbance to settle.  Soon the spikes of flowers, only a few inches from my nose, were crawling with bees, wasps, hoverflies, beetles, and several insects whose images remain on my computer desktop, waiting to be identified.  Bumblebees of all sizes and colored markings outnumbered all other insects.  A lonely honeybee joined the symphony of buzzing, along with several small native bees, some metallic green, others gray or black.  Two distinctly different hoverflies tormented me with their inability to settle down long enough for a photograph, but a tachinid fly obliged, stopping in its frenetic foraging for nectar long enough for me to get a decent shot.  (Both hoverflies and tachinid flies are predators of herbivores such as aphids and various leaf-munching caterpillars.  Hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen as adults, but their larvae feed on other insects.  Tachinid fly females lay their eggs on other insect adults or larvae.  When these eggs hatch, the tachinid larvae bore into the host’s body and slowly consume it.) 

In terms of diversity of insects attracted to a single plant in bloom, nothing in my experience compares to what I witnessed on that August afternoon. 

Reeser Manley has a BS in Biology, a MS in Botany, and a Ph.D. in Horticultural Science. He'll help you learn more about gardening based on his 40 years of gardening experience, 15 of those years in Maine. 

Pokeweed is a perennial herb or pest or bird-feeder
and benefical insect host.

I did not look for Pokeweed - the plant found me. The birds planted it in the backyard and in the cracks of the sidewalk. I called it Pigweed at first, for its resemblance to that reddish weed. Later I learned this giant plant volunteers freely and provides leaves for Poke Salad. The berries are toxic to humans but attractive to birds and many animals, including nocturnal ones.

 This tiny Flower Fly is feeding on the Pokeweed flower.

I recently learned that more birds like Pokeweed berries than sunflower seeds - and Pokeweed is free.

Considering the immense number of berries on a given plant, I hoped it was also a beneficial insect plant - and it is - as I learned tonight. The first flower photo I found featured a Flower Fly, aka Hover Fly, aka Syrphid.

How little we value what the Creating Word gives us for free, from the wildflowers to the beneficial plants that God sends for our good. Most herbs - like the mint family - provide medicine and harbors for the very insects we want to improve our gardens. And yet herbs are not only found in the wild but are incredibly easy to grow.

Around the bird feeder area is one very large White Profusion Butterfly Bush, which attracts butterflies and bees, a smaller Bonnie Butterfly Bush, which may reach 12 feet in height next year, and a Pokeweed, which can grow 20 feet tall. Corn volunteered so much that I had to cut those stalks down, but I have pushed my way past the Pokeweed without harboring any thoughts of cutting it down.

I was thinking - a free bird feeder and perch. Now I am thinking, "I need more of these beneficial insect plants in the backyard."

Milkweed for Monarch butterflies

David Valleskey's Church Growth Guru, Waldo Werning, Died at the Age of 91. From 2013 Post

Waldo Werning

WALDO WERNING, CHURCH GROWTH GURU,

MUCH ADMIRED BY DAVID VALLESKEY, WELS

"Introduction to the Church Growth Movement by Lutheran authors, Hunter, Kent R., Foundations for Church Growth (New Haven, MO: Leader Publishing Co., 1983) - the author, an LC-MS clergyman who has now set up his own church growth consulting service, performs the valuable service in this 204 page book of presenting an introduction to church growth goals and terminology. Werning, Waldo, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977) - Werning, active for years in LC-MS stewardship work, explains the foundations, presuppositions and principles of church growth and then shows how a congregation can benefit from making use of certain church growth principles - of the two books listed in this category, Werning's is the more practical." 
Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A p. 6. 

Pastor Herman Otten worked closely with Agent X, aka Waldo Werning,
and heavily promoted Valleskey's Church Growth textbook.

Church Growth at Ft. Wayne

"In an initial burst of enthusiasm reflecting Preus's concern for missions, the Fort Wayne faculty had petitioned the 1977 convention of the Missouri Synod to have each of its subdivisions or districts "make a thorough study of the Church Growth materials." What is more, the districts were to be urged to "organize, equip, and place into action all of the Church Growth principles as needed in the evangelization of our nation and the world under the norms of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions." By the time of the 1986 synodical convention, however, the same faculty, while appreciating the "valuable lessons of common sense" to be learned from Church Growth, asked that "the Synod warn against the Arminian and charismatic nature of the church-growth movement."

            Kurt E. Marquart, "Robert D. Preus," Handbook of Evangelical Theologians, ed., Walter A. Elwell, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1995, pp. 353-65. Reprinted in CN, 6-26-95, p. 21.  

Wagner, Pentecostal Baptist, Likes Werning’s Work

Who’s Who in Church Growth!

"Waldo Werning is director of the Stewardship Growth Center of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and an adjunct professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. He teaches a seminar course and conducts seminars which focus on 'supply side stewardship,' integrating church growth principles with a stewardship program."

            C. Peter Wagner, ed., with Win Arn and Elmer Towns, Church Growth: The State of the Art, Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1986, p. 274.         

Like A Mighty Shallow Creek

"A second example of this homogenization is Waldo J. Werning's Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, published by Moody Press in 1977." [Ed. note: The foreword is by C. Peter Wagner. Werning studied at Fuller.] "Werning is a Missouri Synod Lutheran executive. Although Werning's denominational publishing house did not publish his book, it is nevertheless an attempt by Werning to create an instrument for church growth among Missouri Synod Lutherans. If you read Werning, you can readily see that he is exceedingly eclectic, drawing from everywhere, including his own tradition."

            Delos Miles, Church Growth, A Mighty River, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981, p. 33f.      

OK, I Joined the Group To Get the List of Suckers

Lutheran members of the North American Society for Church Growth: Harold S. Drageger, Grace Lutheran, Visalia, CA; Bradley Hoefs, King of Kings Lutheran, Omaha, NE; Kent Hunter, Church Growth Center, Corunna, IN; Elmer Matthias, Emeritus Concordia St. Louis, MO; Dale Olson, Cross of Hope Lutheran, Ramsey, MN; Waldo J. Werning, Stewardship Growth Center, Ft. Wayne, IN; Gregory L. Jackson, Columbus, OH. Doris M. Wagner, Fuller Theological Seminary, December 10, 1991.

 According to Herman Otten, the ideal pastor
goes to Fuller Seminary and kneels at the feet of Pete Wagner.

"For several years I've been a Pete Wagner fan. Although I don't see eye to eye with him on many important theological points (he approves of faith healing and speaking in tongues as long as it promotes church growth and he comes from a Billy Graham decision for conversion doctrinal background), he is the most eloquent spokesman of the Church Growth Movement. A prolific author on mission/evangelism/church growth subjects, Wagner is also an excellent teacher and a crystal clear writer." 
Reuel J. Schulz The Evangelism Life Line (WELS) Winter, 1980.

"The publication TELL ('The Evangelism Life Line') has been inaugurated to promote the cause of church growth." Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 105.

WELS Noticed and Liked

"There are other church growth programs which have been developed along more conservative lines. Here we are thinking of adaptations of McGavran's principles such as developed by Waldo J. Werning of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In his study entitled "Vision and Strategy for Church Growth" Werning has modified some of McGavran's extreme positions. Using some of his own adaptations Werning has conducted many seminars and workshops in applying church growth principles to a local congregational setting in America." [Werning is Who's Who in Church Growth]

            Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 117.      

Valleskey Loves Werning’s Doctrine

"Introduction to the Church Growth Movement by Lutheran authors, Hunter, Kent R., Foundations for Church Growth (New Haven, MO: Leader Publishing Co., 1983) - the author, an LC-MS clergyman who has now set up his own church growth consulting service, performs the valuable service in this 204 page book of presenting an introduction to church growth goals and terminology. Werning, Waldo, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977) - Werning, active for years in LC-MS stewardship work, explains the foundations, presuppositions and principles of church growth and then shows how a congregation can benefit from making use of certain church growth principles - of the two books listed in this category, Werning's is the more practical."

            Prof. David J. Valleskey, Class Notes, The Theology and Practice of Evangelism, PT 358A p. 6.       

Be Silent, Jackson!

"I would not say this publicly, but I will tell privately that I received a phone call from a WELS pastor who said that some claim that there are several WELS pastors in your Circuit who are into church management and some kind of church growth (and possibly even funded by some agencies) and that some believe that you are trying to get at them and a few others in WELS, and that is why you are writing the articles. Whatever the facts are, your entering into this fray, it seems to me, will not open up channels for God to use your very good talents in WELS in profitable ways."

            Waldo J. Werning, Letter to Gregory Jackson, August 23, 1989 (Letter stamped in red: CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL)        

Werning on Werning

"A basic resource to study is Waldo J. Werning, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, available from the Stewardship Growth Center, 1914 Wendmere Lane, Ft. Wayne, IN, 46825."

            Waldo J. Werning, Renewal for the 21st Century Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988, p. 160. 

"False ecumenism wants organizational unity instead of Scriptural unity."

            Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 101.  

"Unscriptural fellowship means acceptance of differences in doctrine, which are ignored by conducting joint religious acts and worship."

            Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 102f. 

"Ted Raideke, formerly Key 73 director and now program director for Project Philip, wrote us about the evanglistic mission of the World Home Bible League...."
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 131.

"One of the fastest-growing congregations in the United States has been Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla."

            Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 134. 

"'World Vision International in an international Christian humanitarian service agency committed to meeting human physical and spiritual need in the name of Christ.'" Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 141. "Churches fail to grow when leaders become victims of a fatalistic attitude and defeatism. Also, they fail to grow when they become prisoners of their buildings and lose their mobility, confining their activities within the walls of the sanctuary." [No cell groups?]

            Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 157f.         

"C. Peter Wagner writes that 'the indispensable condition for a growing church is that it must want to grow.'" [C. Peter Wagner, "What Makes Churches Grow?" Eternity (June 1974), 17.]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 158.

"Mission outreach and church growth are thwarted and retarded by too much dependence on paid workers, by too little training and participation of lay people, by too little sensitivity to the authority and strategy of the Holy Spirit, by acceptance of small results long after the large response should have been expected. The church is also hurt when goals are inarticulate, inadequate, immeasurable, or unattainable."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 158.       

"Mission outreach and church growth are thwarted and retarded by too much dependence on paid workers, by too little training and participation of lay people, by too little sensitivity to the authority and strategy of the Holy Spirit, by acceptance of small results long after the large response should have been expected. The church is also hurt when goals are inarticulate, inadequate, immeasurable, or unattainable."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 158.       

"Donald McGavran offered us the following essay on 'The Unique and Radical Nature of the Church Growth Movement.'"

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 159. 

"Your church will grow by God's grace because members will want it to grow in obedience to God's will and because you are using strategy and methodology in making disciples. Then nongrowth will be called nongrowth, and growth will be accepted as a gift from God."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 159.         

"Dr. McGavran offers the following 'Ten Prominent Emphases in the Church Growth School of Thought.'" [Six and one half pages of direct quotes from McGavran follow.]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 160.

"Dr. McGavran offers the following 'Ten Prominent Emphases in the Church Growth School of Thought.'" [Six and one half pages of direct quotes from McGavran follow.]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 160.

"Jack McAlister, founder and president of World Literature Crusade, has also developed a unique and radical Gospel mission. This missionary agency is attempting the impossible in reaching every home on earth with the Gospel and Christian literature."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 166.         

"Steer clear of foolish discussion which lead people into the sin of anger with each other. 2 Timothy 2:14, 16 Living Bible."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 200. 

"Francis Schaeffer, the most prolific Christian writer of our day, affirms that historic Christianity has something important to say to the modern world."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 212.

"Harley Swiggum, the founder and director of the Bethel Bible Series, wrote us: 'I as one member of the body of believers believe so fervently in the need for Biblical study for adults in the Christian family because as we pursue Biblical study we are confronted directly with the Person Jesus Christ and the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, and in that confrontation we are remolded into persons who by nature of our faith have a deeper compassion for all of humankind's needs as well as a power and a faith relationship to be used by God in a historical process to minister to those needs.'" [Ed. note: This is a rehash of liberal European encounter theologians, such as Martin Buber, and Hans Balthasar, a student of Barth the Adulterer. See Concordia's Lutheran Cyclopedia under "Encounter."]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 86.  

"The Bethel Series uses an approach which some congregations have utilized to good advantage. It has some unique and attractive features...It provides a base or springboard from which to pursue a depth study of God's Word, accenting the necessity of seeing the various parts of the Biblical message in their direct relationship to the historical context in which that message was given." [Ed. note - Bethel Bible is a unionistic program which accepts any interpretation of the Bible except inerrancy. Rev. Swiggum opposed inerrancy and promoted evolution.]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 86.     

"This is not a handbook on how to do certain things, not offering us gimmicks, procedures, models, and the like, although there is much of practical material to be found throughout. It is rather a theology of church growth and missions." [foreword by Robert Preus]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 9.          

"The New Testament tells of this koinonia as a togetherness to share, to participate together, with Jesus in the center. This it is that makes it the church and not just another organization." [Ed. note - Koinonia in the New Testament means fellowship with God, chiefly through Sacrament of Holy Communion. Koinonia does not mean cell groups and coffee hours.]

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 92.        

"Cell groups of Christians fellowshiping together date back to the first century, for it was largely through the activities of little groups or cells of believers that the message of Jesus Christ spread throughout the Roman Empire."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 93.

"Koinonia should always be explosive or radical, driving one deeper into the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then driving one out into the world to fulfill the mission of the church."

Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 94.

"Waldo Werning has made an outstanding contribution to the church growth movement in America with Vision and Strategy for Church Growth...Working out of the models established by Donald McGavran and the School of World Mission at Fuller Seminary, Waldo Werning breaks new ground in developing ways that church growth principles can be applied directly to American churches." [Foreword by C. Peter Wagner]

Waldo J. Werning, Vision and Strategy for Church Growth, Second Edition, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, p. 5.       

These are a few of the false teachers loved, admired, and
plagiarized by WELS-ELS-LCMS-CLC (sic) pastors.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2016. Galatians 5:16-24. Fruits of the Spirit - Works of the Flesh

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2016

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn # 292                 Lord Jesus Christ                

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 # 192               Awake My Heart          
   

Fruits of the Spirit - Works of the Flesh

The Communion Hymn # 480            Lord of the Worlds             

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 #341                  Crown Him with Many Crowns                

KJV Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

KJV Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy blessed word and Thy holy baptism hast mercifully cleansed all who believe from the fearful leprosy of sin, and daily dost grant us Thy gracious help in all our need: We beseech Thee so to enlighten our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forget these Thy blessings, but ever live in Thy fear, and, trusting fully in Thy grace, with thankful hearts continually praise and glorify Thee; through Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Fruits of the Spirit - Works of the Flesh

KJV Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

God elected the most works-righteous Pharisee to become the best evangelist for justification by faith. God did not select someone who was in harmony with the Gospel but elected someone to convert with the powerful Word, and God sent His risen Son to do this work.

Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:

When Paul writes - Walk in the Spirit, he is referring to the Word of God, specifically the Gospel Word. 

This is an either/or statement. Either one lives according the flesh or the Holy Spirit. The flesh also refers to the Law.

The Law is good and useful, and the Spirit works through the Law to create contrition, true sorrow for sin. However, relying on the Law is something we do by nature. All the pagan religions are based on the Law, pleased God by works.

Our nature is to think in terms of the Law and to judge righteousness by the Law. The lust of the flesh does not simply mean gambling, drinking, and other vices. That refers to all evil desires, which is where sin begins.

For example, being kind and generous to someone who can help us is righteousness through the Law. Jesus said, "Even the Pharisees help out their friends." The trouble with this kind of righteousness is the inner Pharisee says, "He did not help me, so I will not help him." It also says, among clergy, "He is in trouble, so I will avoid him and rejoice in my own security."

This kind of Pharisaical righteousness is rife in our society and can only be cured with the Gospel. 

This kind of love is caring for a step-parent. We have two brothers that live on our block. First they cared for their dying mother, who was bed-ridden. Then their step-father became worse. He has all kinds of trouble and may not live long. There are constant burdens of time and nursing care they bear, and they carry them out day by day. 

Luther mocked people who claimed, "If I had been in Bethlehem, I would have changed the diapers of Baby Jesus." He said, "Why don't you do that for your neighbor, because Christ is in our neighbor." Christmas Sermons, Fortress Press, ed. Roland Bainton

This kind of love is - caring for and sacrificing for the ungrateful, the way a mother cares for her children, who take it for granted. (Just kidding - but we are much more grateful when our mothers have passed on to eternal life. I see those posts all the time from my classmates. So mothers - your time will come.)

We live in a time simply saturated with Law thinking and Law righteousness. All this self-esteem (used to be conceit) nonsense comes from Law thinking, which opposes and supplants faith in the Savior. 

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

As long as people live under the Law, which is full of "must" and "have to," then they are frozen in works-righteousness. Paul knew that from when he persecuted the Christians and thought himself a jolly good fellow for doing that. In fact, the more the Gospel Word is persecuted, the better the new Pharisees feel about it.

And in ordinary daily terms, why do something for someone else when nothing seems to be offered in return, when no thanks are given? That is the Law, or flesh speaking to us.

In contrast, initiating kindness means enjoying those acts of kindness for themselves, without expecting anything back or thanks. It may take time but these acts of kindness bear fruit since they come from the fruit of the Spirit - the first one being self-giving love.

The birds are good examples of this, as they care for one another without our concept of expecting thanks. God has engineered them so they eat the berries they love and plant the berries they love. Our helper saw a Wild Strawberry patch of unusual size and asked, "Are all those strawberries?" I found him a tiny red one and he ate it. "Ooo. Bitter." I said, "Strawberries need a cup of sugar or whipped cream or both."

Like the squirrels and blue jays, their habits mean the growth of food. Blue jays and squirrels plant oaks and nut trees. It is said that blue jays are better at spotting good acorns for planting than one would expect from random choice. Squirrels twirl nuts in their paws and only bury the good ones. Cracked ones get eaten at once.

Because we have free will, we do not act by instinct the way God's creatures do, so we must let the Gospel Word work against works-righteousness.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (fighting), emulations (jealousies), wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Nothing is quite so plain as our country not only turning to this behavior and normal and praiseworthy, but promoting even more of it. Paul is warning the Galatians that works-righteousness is closely allied with the works of the flesh. One always hears justification (self-justification) for these behaviors, excuses, and blaming others for them. 

They are works rather than fruit. They come from within when we let the Old Adam take over.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

1. love, 
2. joy, 
3. peace, 
4. longsuffering, 
5. gentleness, 
6. goodness, 
7. faith, 
8. meekness, 
9. temperance.

Characteristics of God are grouped in threes in the Bible, so we have three groups of three in this list, but the other list (works of the flesh) is so long that it seems endless - a rhetorical device. I tried this on a class, listing all kinds of food that one person ate. Where was this leading? The class said, "There is a lot more to be imagined."

A work of the flesh comes from us, but the fruit of the Spirit comes from the Gospel.

In gardening and agriculture, fruit is a lot more than apples, berries, and citrus. The fruiting body carries the seed, so roses bear fruit and so do many other plants. Mushrooms are the fruit of fungus underground, growing up to dry and scatter the fungus spores to the wind. 

This language is with us today. We talk about work bearing fruit over time. Practicing a musical instrument or the voice bears fruit. In this case the stress is on the Holy Spirit bearing fruit in the Gospel, providing those wonderful characteristics we can only attribute to God.

Notice how different his is from modern morality. Everything good comes from man and man's will, virtue, or self-esteem - the wise men of today claim.

To encourage these characteristics, these fruits of the Spirit, we only need to remain with the True Vine and bear fruit through the Means of Grace. God's chosen instruments of grace, the Word and the Sacraments, grant what they promise, forgiveness of sin and eternal life, so this bears fruit.

What are America’s Largest Seminaries? - Juicy Ecumenism

What are America’s Largest Seminaries? - Juicy Ecumenism:

"The evangelical Fuller Theological Seminary ranks largest with 1,542 full-time enrolled students during the 2015-16 academic year. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary follow closely behind with 1,438 and 1,356 full-time enrolled students, respectively."

Otten forgot to include this graphic when he quoted Reuel Schulz,
who loved, loved, loved Pete Wagner.

"For several years I've been a Pete Wagner fan. Although I don't see eye to eye with him on many important theological points (he approves of faith healing and speaking in tongues as long as it promotes church growth and he comes from a Billy Graham decision for conversion doctrinal background), he is the most eloquent spokesman of the Church Growth Movement. A prolific author on mission/evangelism/church growth subjects, Wagner is also an excellent teacher and a crystal clear writer." 
Reuel J. Schulz The Evangelism Life Line (WELS) Winter, 1980.

"The publication TELL ('The Evangelism Life Line') has been inaugurated to promote the cause of church growth." Ernst H. Wendland, "Church Growth Theology," Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, April, 1981, 78, p. 105.

 Fave seminary of LCMS, WELS, ELS,
and dare I say it - the CLC (sic).
The CLC (sic) has a total of two seminarians,
as far as I could tell. They do not want to boast.

...

Among the smallest accredited Protestant seminaries in the nation are three Episcopal seminaries: Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Federation with 17 full-time students enrolled, General Theological Seminary with 34 full-time students, and Episcopal Divinity School with 35 full-time students. IRD’s Jeffrey Walton reported Episcopal Divinity School will no longer grant degrees after the coming academic school year. “A menu of recycled 1960s-era liberation theology themes garnished with radical sexuality and gender studies proved unappealing to prospective seminarians,” noted Walton.

Total students - three classes at Bethany Lutheran Seminary, ELS.

'via Blog this'

 Like his pal David Valleskey,
Frost Bivens either did - or did not - attend Fuller Seminary.
Frosty told me and the Midland circuit, including DP Seifert
that he attended Fuller.
Valleskey told Dave Koenig that he attended Fuller.
Valleskey was angry with Koenig for passing that on,
and Koenig wrote one of his fierce letters to me about spilling the  beans.

 WELS is especially dense in the drunkest cities in the USA.