Groundhog Day - Crepe Mytle

Queen's Lace Picotee -
Crepe Myrtle.

Mrs. Ichabod loves Crepe Myrtle (also spelled Crape Myrtle) - and so do the beneficial insects and the Cardinals. The Cardinals nest in the tree and eat the seeds in the winter.

The company above had an offer on these, and sent a free one besides.

I treated the plants like roses. I soaked them in rainwater overnight, planted them with special soil - no fertilizer added - and watered them with more rainwater from the barrels.

The destruction of the front lawn is now complete. The future Butterfly Garden is completely mulched. One section of the front lawn is mulched over and waiting for the last few new roses.

The West side of the rose garden needed a more prominent natural fence, so Mrs. Ichabod picked that area for a Crepe Myrtle fence. Remaining grass will be composted by covering the area near the Crepe Myrtles with cardboard and that held in place with shredded wood mulch.

 The base of the Crepe Myrtle is a cupboard full
of pruning scraps, dead leaves, twigs, mulch,
mushroom compost, lumps of dead wood -
a haven for soil creatures and spiders.

Crepe Myrtle is a Southern favorite, blooming for months, loving sun, and tolerating drought. We had a straggly one near the mailbox, so I made a point of studying them on the Net, feeding the base with organic materials, and pruning.

Now the pink Crepe Myrtle is the talk of the neighborhood, nine feet tall and loaded with lush blooms last year. Underneath we planted a few matching Caladiums. Last fall I added some Lily of the Valley.

Feed the Plants
This only makes sense for Creation Gardening. The soil feeds the plant roots, and the sun feeds the leaves. Each plant has an incredibly complex arrangement for blooming and setting seed.

I do not add chemical fertilizer because those man-made nostrums only reduce true nutrient exchanges, which take place through root fungus, bacteria, earthworms, and other soil creatures.

The car shows how large this Cat is,
but the ratio of moles to bacteria is far greater,
and bacteria do all the digesting for earthworms.
Fungus? Human hairs are much thicker.

Last year a mole created a food tunnel under the bush, a perfect circle. Was I upset? No, because he was harvesting insect larvae and worms, mixing the soil as only moles can do. A mole is the Caterpillar of soil helpers, a giant in the world of tiny creatures - largely ignored and frequently abused by gardening fads.

Knowing the bush needed food, I began adding mushroom compost, lawn lump droppings from the mower, leaves, and wood mulch under the Crepe Myrtle. The bush seemed to devour the food set on top, but the soil creatures were eating fast and converting their food to serve the bush's roots.

When I piled up autumn leaves into a pyramid, under the bush, the entire pile composted down and disappeared - bacteria, fungus, mites, earthworms and other creatures raking the leaves down to the roots, not into plastic bags.

I also pruned the bush so the legs were bare - a custom in the Crepe Myrtle community. Little Ichabod laughed at it. Later, when the bush was in full bloom, like nothing he had seen in town, he said, "Wow."

We want to feed our children the best food for their growth and their health. When boys reach their growth spurt, they will empty a kitchen of any spare food, before or after the main meal. We used to leave leftover things out for friends' visits. "Are those for us? Thanks." Gone.

 I pruned the lower half of the Crepe Myrtle,
sparing the area where the Cardinals were nesting.
Readers can see the reblooming.
On top the early blooms are going to seed.

The soil creatures are just as eager for good food.

But denominational leaders, crack-heads addicted to Fuller Seminary recreational drugs, want to market their addiction to others. The only growth they see from this is the growth of problems, debt, and sullen conflict - because no one dares to speak out anymore.

Solomon learned from ants, so perhaps the great and wise who pretend to follow Luther will learn from him. It is obvious they have not done any gardening.

Now Shipping - Creation Gardening - Two Copies Each

 Creation Gardening is sold retail on Amazon
and their Kindle e-books.

Creation Gardening is in print now, but I have not seen the print copy yet.

Today I am sending out two free copies of Creation Gardening to each of our regular members and friends.

I am making a list, checking it twice. If I overlook you, let me know. Or, if you are anxious about getting your copies, just email me at greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com

Let me know right away if you want more than two.

They are full color on the inside, so they take more time to print and ship.

Our marketing efforts are designed to get free and low-cost books to people. Members and friends have been very generous, so it is far better to send out $5 gardening books than to expect people to pay $20 retail.

The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine is being finished, God willing, in the next few weeks.

Luther's Sermons

A recent discussion with a reader fixed me on a new target - publishing the Lenker set of Luther's Sermons, print and Kindle. I have seen outrageous prices for this public domain set, which makes it difficult for anyone to obtain it. In fact, I ordered the old seven-volume set for one person and they only delivered one volume of it.

Since it is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, vendors have decided to mine the gold for themselves.

In contrast, we can make it available at cost, four volumes for about $32.

Immediately after, a reader wrote this:
I read about your proposal to publish Luther's Sermons. That's the main reason I came and continue reading the blog - for his sermons, accessible in one place. I've already mentioned I'd much rather have a physical copy to highlight, underline and write notes in the margins. For $32, that's a real bargain. This is a great service to Lutheranism and I may have to pick up several sets to hand out. I'll be on the lookout for more information. 

From 2012 - The CORE Values of WELS, SP Mark Schroeder, and the Booze Brothers

WELS offering money provided a grant to buy this failed, 
closed bar.
And more money was loaned by WELS to convert it to The CORE's edu-tainment center,
a few blocks from St. Paul, WELS, in Appleton.

 The CORE fiasco was led by the Booze Brothers,
Glende and Ski.
If you do not like their sexual harassment of staff,
"See you in court." They sue.

Reader:
I saw WELS latest “bar room” sacristy 4 blocks down from St. Paul’s in Appleton last weekend. This is what they bought for $500,000.00 in a downtown that is actually dying to the point they have to conduct farmer’s markets on Wisconsin Avenue (main street downtown Appleton) to attract people to go down there on a Saturday? Otherwise it’s a ghost town? If they paid that much for that building, I want to go in the real estate business and sell exclusively to the WELS. I understand this was purchased through the “Core” (as in “rotten as”) and not St. Pauls. So how does this Christian bar and grill “shill” for St. Pauls? Or are they two distinct and separate ministries. If so how does that work 4 blocks from one another?

[GJ - I want to be the guy who sold WELS a second office building for almost $3 million when the old one was unsold. Most people sell their homes before buying a second one, or they place a contingency offer so they are not stuck with two at once.]

***

GJ - The CORE pretends to be a separate congregation, but it is the evening service of St. Peter in Freedom, a congregation with a huge budget and staff.

Ron Ash was the chairman of Church and Change and the pastor of St. Peter in Freedom. Glende was the assistant pastor at first. Now there are four pastors, counting Ski, who is not listed on the staff on the website. Dishonesty is policy at St. Peter in Freedom.

Somehow The CORE is treated as a completely different entity when convenient, but the sheep-stealing operation has members join St. Peter since The CORE is not a parish at all.

These Church and Change projects are approved and supported by SP Schroeder and the WELS Love Shack staff. Jeff Gunn has one in Phoenix (joyously welcomed by Jon Buchholz). Patterson's guy in Indianapolis has another one. DP Patterson is doing the same in Austin-Round Rock, with the help of ex-SP Gurgle. There are more besides.

The Missouri Synod does the same thing on a grander scale. One of their largest congregations was listed as a member of Willow Creek's denomination and Missouri at the same time - St. John in Ellisville. The parish even featured a video of a pothead Jesus "celebrating" Holy Communion in the stupidest possible way. The pothead Jesus was played by the senior pastor. 

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Wendy has left a new comment on your post "WELS Member Staggered by the Price of the Failed B...":

Wow I knew that there is scandal in the wels synod but my goodness this is too much. The more I hear the more sick I feel. The Holy spirit has been showing me things for years not only in my personal associations with this cult but others as well. Judgement starts the pulpit God help them. I personally have had enough I'm out I can't help these people they see only what they want to see I have been treated horribly by this church not only as a employee but as a member its PC not politically correct POOR CONDUCT!!!!!!!!

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Member Staggered by the Price of the Failed B...":

This is why I tell everyone that Appleton is the armpit of the WELS. The lack of transparency is unsettling to those WELS members with a conscience. It is not surprising that the CORE purchased this for a princely sum. What is more surprising is that a bar actually went out of business in the state of Wisconsin. The WELS member is on to something when they point out that downtown Appleton is not what it used to be.

"we don't know where we're going".
This reminds me of the Synod Convention where it was announced that they wanted to start a Staff Ministry program at MLC. When asked what it was going to be, the answer was something like "well, we don't know just what it will be, but we need it".
The fact is that they knew all along what they wanted to do, they just were not disclosing it. 

***

GJ - A first step would be demanding to know how this money was spent on The CORE. Their one-man fan club, Joel Lillo, has been unusually cranky lately, so I imagine the attention is getting to them.

Three Years Ago - Under the Leadership of Synod President Mark Schroeder

Vermiculatus Rex - The CORE's mascot.





Check out this link for videos posted by The CORE.


The CORE by the Numbers:

The CORE held its grand opening on April 19, 2009.

* $250,000 spent
* 200 average weekly attendance since the grand opening
* 15 members

The information for the above attendance numbers was gathered at St. Peter’s open forum on June 16, 2009 A.D., and the above numbers are current as of that date.

As of this week, The CORE has yet to serve the Lord’s Supper, and is waiting until special hand made communion-ware is manufactured. According to Pastor Glende, most new congregations do not serve the Lord’s Supper for several months. Once The CORE begins to serve communion, then they will have a better idea of how many of its attendees are members of other area WELS congregations.

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Quotations from the recently entertained:

This church just is totally alive, and you can feel that it’s blessed by God. And like the sign up here says … “To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing.” And how Pastor Ski … will do anything short of sin to reach people.

--

The idea of getting real and talking about the issues that really matter. There are so many people that are struggling, and they don’t know where to go; and God is there, he wants to help us, he is just waiting for us to cry out to him.

--

It was so awesome when I walked in, and I heard the airport sound effects going. The whole atrium was set up to look like an airport, and we got to pick up our tickets. It was just so much fun.

The whole concept of “Baggage,” and being able to deliver that to Jesus is just fantastic.

***

GJ - The facts and quotes listed above came from a member of the sponsoring congregation, St. Peter in Freedom, Wisconsin, part of the Fox Valley or A-town area. The retired pastor, Ron Ash, chairs Church and Change.

The material about The CORE makes me sick and extremely sad. I do not think I can joke about this fiasco anymore. Partly it is the money wasted, but even more it is the money lavished on creating a Groeschel franchise. For any of the WELS leaders to think this is a work of genius, an enormous amount of study with false teachers is absolutely essential.

The Shrinkers like to send anonymous comments like, "Why is this your business?" Of course, the Wisconsin sect feels free to comment disparagingly about all denominations, especially the ELS. Non-membership does not suggest a barrier to commentary. My despair comes from the decades of deliberate Lutheran abandonment of Biblical doctrine and worship. This abandonment has taken place in ELCA, Missouri, WELS, and somewhat in the wee little ELS. The Little Sect on the Prairie also has a Church and Change congregation, but I am sure their Board of Doctrine has jumped on that like a hobo on a hotdog.

Apathy and somnolence have created this problem. The watchmen on the towers of Zion have dosed off or taken bribes to play dumb.

The Word of God and the Confessions can set the course right again.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE Numbers":

I wouldn't be so sure about ELS's Board of Doctrine jumping on their C & C congregation. That congregation even had a vicar last year.

***

GJ - My typo! I meant the ELS Bored of Doctrine. You are right. They will do nothing. Besides, it is probably one of those experiments.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE Numbers":

Dr. Jackson,

This news about the CORE (and the whole concept really) makes me feel ill as well. I was a member of St. Matthew in Appleton for over 20 years until I moved. I still have friends and family members there, though I have encouraged them to find a better church. That congregation has also been infested with Church Growth,and Ski was even allowed to preach there recently. That congregation was one large and vibrant. Since the CG crowd took over, the school has closed and the membership has probably dwindled to about half of what it once was. Meanwhile, the Shrinkers running the church have wasted a fortune on AV equipment and technology that has not done a single thing to expand the church's ministry.

If the synod had leaders had any spine, they would confront Ski now and force the CORE to close its so-called ministry. It should never have been allowed to happen in the first placel. One would think St. Paul, one block from the CORE, would be howling, but I've heard nothing.a Where is the DP? Where is the SP? Why are the other churches in the Fox Valley not fighting this thing? WELS leadership, churches, and members need to stand up now before it is too late, if it is not already.

$250,000 spent. How many teachers could that have kept in our schools or pastors in mission fields? When I read these things, I'm ashamed to be a member of the WELS.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE Numbers":

"$250,000 spent. How many teachers could that have kept in our schools or pastors in mission fields? When I read these things, I'm ashamed to be a member of the WELS."

How much other money, millions possibly, has been hidden away for their special purposes? How much of the $8 million shortfall went missing the same way?

One thing for sure, the leaders are obstinate liars who care very little about WELS, WELS called workers, and you. While they revel in fantasized glory before God, they busy themselves destroying the church visible and invisible. They want it all gone for their Father Below.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE Numbers":

Article VII of the Augsburg Confession had defined the Church as “the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.” It states that the Gospel taught rightly and the Sacraments administered according to the Gospel are the marks of the Church. Wherever these go one, there we know that the Church is present.
It's obvious that "The CORE" is not in fellowship with the rest of the synod and the leaders such as the District and even Synod Presidents should start taking immediate disciplinary action to remove them from the WELS roster. Anything less than that is unacceptable.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE Numbers":

Regarding St. Paul's reaction to the CORE:

I'm a member of another WELS church (Riverview) close to the CORE and have friends who are members at St. Paul. Their pastors did howl about the CORE to their DP, SP, and circuit pastor. They even called the DP in for a special meeting to try to get some answers out of him.

My friends are not sure how far the pastors got in their objections. But they assume the complaining was mostly ignored, judging by the fact that absolutely nothing has been done to temper the CORE's enthusiasm (pun intended).

Thankfully, St. Paul has refused to compromise its traditional worship and strong teaching since the CORE moved in.

I have also heard from these friends that St. Paul is actually growing in membership and school enrollment, while the CORE's weekly attendance is already in decline as the novelty wears off for all of its WELS attendees.








Ski's DP Engelbrecht has CORE values. What does the Conference of Pussycats say?
They approved Rock N Roll Lutheran Church in Round Rock, Texas, and Randy Hunter's Latte Lutheran Church in Wisconsin. [GJ Update - The Latte Church closed, couches and lady pastor and all, but Randy Hunter is a featured WELS speaker.] ---

Why not pose with me for a FB photo?

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=blogs04&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&U=9a8980f0-f726-439c-8c4e-1dc0f788941e&plckPostId=Blog%3a9a8980f0-f726-439c-8c4e-1dc0f788941ePost%3a3cf6aac3-07b0-4680-896f-c0c7cba770ba&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest


Reader question: I have driven past Revolution on Franklin Street a couple times recently and noticed that the “available” sign is down. Did somebody lease finally lease the building and what is going to be in there?

Answer: That vacant building at 222 W. Franklin St., at the corner of Superior Street in Appleton, was purchased in a deal that closed Friday.

The new owner is The Core, a church group that previously held services in the former Big Picture theater and then the OuterEdge Stage in downtown Appleton.

The Core is an outreach ministry of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom.

“We’re not a standalone congregation. We’re a second campus,” said campus pastor Jim Skorzewski, who is known as Pastor Ski. “The Revolution building fell into our lap. It’s been a blessing.”

His congregation tends to be on the young side, mostly under age 35. Worship includes live bands. The Core will continue to hold its Sunday evening worship services at OuterEdge until this building is ready in September.

“We were never looking for a building, but we we’re always looking for a building,” he said. “We didn’t want to be a church that gets a building and then its vision and mission fall to the back burner because everything turns into paying the mortgage. We wanted to put our dollars into beer and snacks flesh and blood, people and relationships.”

WELS members - you gave them a grant and a loan to buy this bar.
Ask Keith Free and Mark Schroeder about their use and abuse of your offering money.
Another WELS congregation is several blocks away,
and they already had a downtown ministry.

Online, real estate listings show the asking price was $850,000. Outagamie County records listed its 2011 fair market value at about $523,000.

“We paid closer to fair market value,” said Jeff Ulman, a member of the church’s executive committee. “George Karl worked with us and helped us out extensively.”

George Karl, head coach of the Denver Nuggets and former coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, owned the building.

The purchase was handled through a church extension fund, said Skorzewski.

“We received a wonderful grant and loan from WELS, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our remodeling was covered by the loan from WELS.”

Church volunteers are already inside working on the renovation. The church draws about 250 people on a typical Sunday.

Revolution was the last nightclub that operated in the Franklin Street building. It was open for about six months, until July 2010. Prior to that, the club had been opened and closed by several operators under the names Tom’s Garage, The Garage and Pulse Nightclub.

Skorzewski said the church would not keep the full liquor license that went with the building. If they chose to host wedding receptions in the building in the future, he said they would apply for a beer and wine license.

This is at least the fourth building in the Fox Cities to be converted from a business into a church in recent years, including structures that previously housed the Vineyard (now Living Faith), SK Flooring (now the Mission Church) and Big Picture (now Christ's Church of the Valley).

Note that in the printed version of this story in The Post-Crescent, the church in the Big Picture was incorrect. It is correct above.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Stinky Old Bar Sold for $500-850,000! Savoy, Illin...":

Multiple choice question:

Which "church" is Lutheran?

- Living Faith
- Mission Church
- The Core
- Christ's Church of the Valley

Answer:... wait for it....wait for it....