ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
This morning, I was recalling John W. Montgomery's observation that Christian News was like the Policeman's Gazette, always promising an article that would prompt a heart attack. Dr. Dr. Dr. Montgomery clutched his chest dramatically.
The cub editor of the periodical has turned CN into Good Ol' Daze, a bit nostalgic, as threatening as My Weekly Reader.
What were his qualifications? Hale has eight children and OJ, just like Otten.
The current issue does not mention Justification by Faith, the Means of Grace, the efficacy of the Word, Objective Justification, or Subjective Justification.
That is like gardening without tools. Someone could plant some things with bare hands, but it would take a long time.
Terminology is a tool, words to define, support, reject.
Easy To Please is the last new rose of 2020...I think.
We no longer sow weeping. In the early stages of agriculture, some of the grain seed was saved for the next year. What if the crop being sown failed? How can the family and the animals be fed without the grain we are counting on for our lives?
Psalm 126 5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
I was thinking of the Psalm and hymn while I planted the last new rose for this year.
My great aunt wrote about free land they were given for farming, a bonus to get people settled in Ohio long ago.
Even with free land they could not survive there. The experience was so hard and bitter than her parents never wanted to see it again. My great aunt wanted to go back and talked them into it. Perhaps a child only remembered what was good and loving. Or the parents thought of the baby they lost - I am not sure when that happened. Looking at the carefully wrapped hair was an annual event, which meant a lot to my great aunt.
The Ohio farm failure got them out of Adventism, because they could not raise hogs in Iowa and be good Adventists. The family did well there.
"Behold a Host, Arrayed in White"
by Hans A. Brorson, 1694-1764
Hans Brorson also wrote "I Walk in Danger All the Way." He was a Danish Pietist.
"Behold a Host, Arrayed in White"
by Hans A. Brorson, 1694-1764
1. Behold a host, arrayed in white,
Like thousand snow-clad mountains bright,
With palms they stand. Who is this band
Before the throne of light?
Lo, these are they of glorious fame
Who from the great affliction came
And in the flood of Jesus' blood
Are cleansed from guilt and blame.
Now gathered in the holy place,
Their voices they in worship raise,
Their anthems swell where God doth dwell,
Mid angels' songs of praise.
2. Despised and scorned, they sojourned here;
But now, how glorious they must appear!
Those martyrs stand a priestly band,
God's throne forever near.
So oft, in troubled days gone by,
In anguish they would weep and sigh,
At home above the God of Love
For aye their tears shall dry.
They now enjoy their Sabbath rest,
The paschal banquet of the blest;
The Lamb, their Lord, at festal board
Himself is Host and Guest.
3. Then hail, ye mighty legions, yea,
All hail! Now safe and blest for aye,
And praise the Lord, who with His Word
Sustained you on the way.
Ye did the joys of earth disdain, Ye toiled and sowed in tears and pain. Farewell, now bring your sheaves and sing Salvation's glad refrain.
Swing high your palms, lift up your song,
Yea, make it myriad voices strong,
Eternally shall praise to Thee,
God, and the Lamb belong.
Hymn #656
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Revelation 7:13-17
Author: Hans Adolf Brorson, c. 1760
Translated by: composite
Titled: "Den store hvide Flok vi se"
Norwegian folk-tune, c. 1600
Tune: "Great White Host"
Arranged by: Edvard H. Grieg, 1907, ad.
Sometimes the Trumpet Vine flowers are so big, they look like plastic decorations from a party store.
I was going to claim all my vine efforts were failures. I made several attempts late last year, marked them, and wrote them off as bunny food.
But then I looked up into the maple tree in the front yard. That Trumpet Vine was spread out around the tree, going up the trunk, and blooming high above me.
Books are published on vertical gardening, getting as many plants as possible growing up with supports. I did this instead with a lot of tall, perennial plants.
The opposition party is the grassy weed. Mulching does not do the job; plastic collars are the best way to protect flowers while weed-whacking.
Bee Balm - plant it and they will come - bees, butterflies, hummingbirds.
The Military-Gardening Group enjoys watching the development of all the plants from the front porch. They are exquisitely and divinely planned to provide food for the bees, from early spring on.
Everyone's favorite bird needs insects for its diet. I expect to see more hummingbirds feeding as the days stay warm and the garden is packed with flowers -
Hostas
Bee Balm
Mountain Mints
Clethra - the Cinnabon shrub
Dandelions
Butterfly Weed
Shasta Daisies
Roses
Balloon Flowers
Ranger Bob asked, "Where are all the roses from this plant?" I answered, "I cut them for the altar and gave them to you for the cemetery. They bloom better if I harvest them all the time."
As I wrote before, I used to marvel at the way my mother had flowers blooming all through the summer. I created the same effect, just by planting a lot of types for one reason or another.
God has a plan and a calendar for each flower, plant, and creature.
This year began with massive discouragement, the accumulated sorrows of two summers of drenching rain. Nothing stopped the Japanese Beetles and the weather extremes killed off the roses.
I ordered some Veterans Honor roses. The rains came down on them at the start, but the sun began to make them grow too. I had the earliest best roses in years.
Luther said we should just keep doing our tasks and let God sort out the victories.
Butterfly Weed decorates the porch border, a good place to observe the patient bees doing their work.
