Greek Lesson - John 6:31

31 οι πατερες ημων το μαννα εφαγον εν τη ερημω καθως εστιν γεγραμμενον αρτον εκ του ουρανου εδωκεν αυτοις φαγειν

32 ειπεν ουν αυτοις ο ιησους αμην αμην λεγω υμιν ου μωσης δεδωκεν υμιν τον αρτον εκ του ουρανου αλλ ο πατηρ μου διδωσιν υμιν τον αρτον εκ του ουρανου τον αληθινον

33 ο γαρ αρτος του θεου εστιν ο καταβαινων εκ του ουρανου και ζωην διδους τω κοσμω

34 ειπον ουν προς αυτον κυριε παντοτε δος ημιν τον αρτον τουτον

35 ειπεν δε αυτοις ο ιησους εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης - ο ερχομενος προς με ου μη πειναση και ο πιστευων εις εμε ου μη διψηση πωποτε 

If you know dipsomania, you can guess the verb before, ---- and dipso

36 αλλ ειπον υμιν οτι και εωρακατε με και ου πιστευετε

37 παν ο διδωσιν μοι ο πατηρ προς εμε ηξει και τον ερχομενον προς με ου μη εκβαλω εξω

The god Pan inspires panic and plays the pan pipes.

Two words for the same action, underlined.

38 οτι καταβεβηκα εκ του ουρανου ουχ ινα ποιω το θελημα το εμον αλλα το θελημα του πεμψαντος με

39 τουτο δε εστιν το θελημα του πεμψαντος με πατρος ινα παν ο δεδωκεν μοι μη απολεσω εξ αυτου αλλα αναστησω αυτο εν τη εσχατη ημερα

40 τουτο δε εστιν το θελημα του πεμψαντος με ινα πας ο θεωρων τον υιον και πιστευων εις αυτον εχη ζωην αιωνιον και αναστησω αυτον εγω τη εσχατη ημερα

41 εγογγυζον ουν οι ιουδαιοι περι αυτου οτι ειπεν εγω ειμι ο αρτος ο καταβας εκ του ουρανου

42 και ελεγον ουχ ουτος εστιν ιησους ο υιος ιωσηφ ου ημεις οιδαμεν τον πατερα και την μητερα - πως ουν λεγει ουτος οτι εκ του ουρανου καταβεβηκα

43 απεκριθη ουν ο ιησους και ειπεν αυτοις μη γογγυζετε μετ αλληλων

44 ουδεις δυναται ελθειν προς με εαν μη ο πατηρ ο πεμψας με ελκυση αυτον και εγω αναστησω αυτον τη εσχατη ημερα

45 εστιν γεγραμμενον εν τοις προφηταις - και εσονται παντες διδακτοι του θεου; πας ουν ο ακουσας παρα του πατρος και μαθων ερχεται προς με

Means of Grace? Bueller, Bueller, anyone? Math

46 ουχ οτι τον πατερα τις εωρακεν  - ει μη ο ων παρα του θεου - ουτος εωρακεν τον πατερα

47 αμην αμην λεγω υμιν ο πιστευων εις εμε εχει ζωην αιωνιον

48 εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης

49 οι πατερες υμων εφαγον το μαννα εν τη ερημω και απεθανον

50 ουτος εστιν ο αρτος ο εκ του ουρανου καταβαινων ινα τις εξ αυτου φαγη και μη αποθανη

51 εγω ειμι ο αρτος ο ζων ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας - εαν τις φαγη εκ τουτου του αρτου ζησεται εις τον αιωνα και ο αρτος δε ον εγω δωσω η σαρξ μου εστιν ην (antecedent fem) εγω δωσω υπερ της του κοσμου ζωης

52 εμαχοντο ουν προς αλληλους οι ιουδαιοι λεγοντες πως δυναται ουτος ημιν δουναι την σαρκα φαγειν

53 ειπεν ουν αυτοις ο ιησους αμην αμην λεγω υμιν εαν μη φαγητε την σαρκα του υιου του ανθρωπου και πιητε αυτου το αιμα ουκ εχετε ζωην εν εαυτοις

54 ο τρωγων μου την σαρκα και πινων μου το αιμα εχει ζωην αιωνιον και εγω αναστησω αυτον τη εσχατη ημερα

55 η γαρ σαρξ μου αληθως εστιν βρωσις και το αιμα μου αληθως εστιν ποσις

56 ο τρωγων μου την σαρκα και πινων μου το αιμα εν εμοι μενει καγω εν αυτω

57 καθως απεστειλεν με ο ζων πατηρ, καγω ζω δια τον πατερα και ο τρωγων με κακεινος ζησεται δι εμε

58 ουτος εστιν ο αρτος ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας - ου καθως εφαγον οι πατερες υμων το μαννα και απεθανον ο τρωγων τουτον τον αρτον ζησεται εις τον αιωνα

59 ταυτα ειπεν εν συναγωγη διδασκων εν καπερναουμ

60 πολλοι ουν ακουσαντες εκ των μαθητων αυτου ειπον  - σκληρος εστιν ουτος ο λογος;  τις δυναται αυτου ακουειν

61 ειδως δε ο ιησους εν εαυτω οτι γογγυζουσιν περι τουτου οι μαθηται αυτου, ειπεν αυτοις "τουτο υμας σκανδαλιζει?"

62 εαν ουν θεωρητε τον υιον του ανθρωπου αναβαινοντα οπου ην το προτερον

63 το πνευμα εστιν το ζωοποιουν - η σαρξ ουκ ωφελει ουδεν; τα ρηματα α εγω λαλω υμιν πνευμα εστιν και ζωη εστιν

64 αλλ εισιν εξ υμων τινες οι ου πιστευουσιν. ηδει γαρ εξ αρχης ο ιησους τινες εισιν οι μη πιστευοντες και τις εστιν ο παραδωσων αυτον

65 και ελεγεν δια τουτο ειρηκα υμιν οτι ουδεις δυναται ελθειν προς με εαν μη η δεδομενον αυτω εκ του πατρος μου

66 εκ τουτου πολλοι απηλθον των μαθητων αυτου εις τα οπισω και ουκετι μετ αυτου περιεπατουν

I thought disciples made disciples who made disciples!

67 ειπεν ουν ο ιησους τοις δωδεκα μη και υμεις θελετε υπαγειν

68 απεκριθη ουν αυτω σιμων πετρος κυριε προς τινα απελευσομεθα - ρηματα ζωης αιωνιου εχεις

69 και ημεις πεπιστευκαμεν και εγνωκαμεν οτι συ ει ο χριστος ο υιος του θεου του ζωντος

70 απεκριθη αυτοις ο ιησους "ουκ εγω υμας τους δωδεκα εξελεξαμην και εξ υμων εις διαβολος εστιν?"

71 ελεγεν δε τον ιουδαν σιμωνος ισκαριωτην ουτος γαρ ημελλεν αυτον παραδιδοναι εις ων εκ των δωδεκα

Luther's Letter to His Wife

Letter to Katie (Luther's wife)

February 10, 1546 (8 days before Luther’s death)

“To the holy lady, full of worries, Mrs. Catherine Luther, doctor, the lady of Zolsdorf, at Wittenberg, my gracious, dear mistress of the house”

“Grace and peace in Christ! Most holy Mrs. Doctor! I thank you very kindly for your great worry which robs you of sleep. Since the date that you started to worry about me, the fire in my quarters, right outside the door of my room, tried to devour me; and yesterday, no doubt because of the strength of your worries, a stone almost fell on my head and nearly squashed me as in a mouse trap. For in our secret chamber [the bathroom or water closet] mortar has been falling down for about two days; we called in some people who merely touched the stone with two fingers and it fell down, The stone was as big as a long pillow and as wide as a large hand; it intended to repay you for your holy worries, had the dear angels not protected me. Now I worry that if you do not stop worrying the earth will finally swallow us up and all the elements will chase us. Is this the way you learned the Catechism and the faith? Pray, and let God worry. You have certainly not been commanded to worry about me or about yourself. ‘Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he will sustain you,’ as is written in Psalm 55:22 and many more passages.

Management by Public Relations

Secular and church politics are so much alike, that one informs the other. The government politicians do not need to be a dishonest, ruthless, and underhanded as those in the visible church, but they find it hard to ignore the example set by clergy critters.

One example is the cover story. When a scandal is brewing, based on the facts, another version is trotted out, so the loyalists can say, "I heard that..." Every step in the Saxon migration has been changed to fit the Walther mythology:

• Walther led them over and became the founder of the LCMS, when Stephan used Walther as his toady and enforcer.
• Stephan's marital difficulties were his wife's fault, even though she was patient with his flagrant adultery with many young women.
• The Saxons left for America for religious freedom, although Stephan's house arrest and lack of a career was the motivation to leave.
• Walther and his brother kidnapped their niece and nephew from their father's parsonage, but that was not a problem. They wanted to go.
• Walther did not sign the document making Stephan bishop-for-life. He did.
• A sermon made one adultress confess her affair with Stephan! But she came over in her own cabin, near Stephan's, on his ship.
• Adultery rather than a syphilis outbreak created the crisis that Walther manipulated for his benefit. Stephan was already treated for syphilis in Europe, and he infected wife and children (except one) with the horrid disease.
• Stephan was given three options when the Walther-led mob descended upon him in Perryville. A pointed gun means - one option. He was threatened, robbed of everything, and kidnapped at gunpoint, left on the Illinois side to die. His mistress followed him.

"That never happened," or "I don't know about that." A leader does not need to address something he knows nothing about. As lawyer's realize, denial works when no one has proof. But offer proof and see the feathers fly. Wow.

Change the subject. If someone touches on a tender spot, changing the subject serves well to avoid discussion. Someone warned me about a Circuit Pastor's speed in pivoting away from an issue. Indeed, he showed Harlem Globetrotter-like skill in that maneuver.

Attack the source. I have provided so many proofs of WELS-LCMS-ELS misdeeds that any mention of a serious problem elicits this retort, "Where did you get that?" SP Gurgle even phoned Steve Spencer to find out if Steve was the source of my graph showing WELS shrinking while staff numbers zoomed. Spencer said, "The numbers are in the statistics book each year." And everyone wanted to know who Legion was. I never hint at sources because anonymous information leads to a paranoid search for the leaker. Notice the implied guilt by association detailed below.

Here is a fun list of fallacies, but if you know a DP, you have heard most of them already.

The beloved personal attack - ad hominem, combined with guilt by association. WELS is still circulating the charge that I was kicked out for teaching false doctrine. They published my Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure and still sell Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. In fact, I resigned because of their Church Growth adulterers, their lies, and their Fuller dogma. If someone mentions me, which one person does for pure entertainment, a ten-minute rant follows. According to WELS, I do not know Greek, but the college they killed (Northwestern) employed Little Ichabod to tutor their students in Greek. And where did LI get his foundation in Greek? Answer - From kind of  tutoring I now do online (free to anyone). The idea is to probe the individual for his source, fly into a rage when hearing the word "Ichabod", and use reading Ichabod as a cardinal sin. So the topic becomes the sin of reading Ichabod.

WELS and Missouri are adept at changing the subject. If the false doctrine of anyone is mentioned, said problem person is guilty of violating the Eighth Commandment, Matthew 18, and the Paris Accords.

Transfer the bloke - often, the drunk. For decades the synods have practiced the art of transferring clergy and teacher felons to another location. That is so convenient. The leaders, who claim to know everything about everyone, including things that they make up to destroy someone - suddenly know nothing about the new person. One pastor left his wife and five children for his mistress and later appeared in a sister synod with his new wife and and a call. Someone with some scruples asked and was told, "That is none of your business." One pastor erased his earlier call from his employment history. So did the synod entities and that parish. But, some facts remained on Ichabod and Google.

Never neglect the shun button. When a sect has declared someone an evildoer for telling the truth or even just for asking questions "with evil intent," the efficacious shun button is activated. Emails stop arriving. The phone does not ring. Long-time friends, to stretch the term a wee bit, walk by and only glance at the shunee. Relatives are encouraged to shun and if not, they are also shunned. Guilt by association!

In WELS, the bunny pets you.