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| Synod hymn - "This train is bound for glory, this train." |
One synod president traveled to a congregation to protect a pair of alcoholic pastors from their own stupidity. That from a sect that excommunicates pastors by email.
A future synod president, before his enthronement, turned a letter asking about Objective Justification into "How can people who question Objective Justification even call themselves Christian?" That was published in their little synodical magazine.
One hopeful synod president sang a ballad praising Herman Otten, traveling to New Haven with his entourage, but in office called the editor crazy and a liar when the man was dying.
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| "I am your cell group formation leader. No? I am your Praise Band leader. No? I am your Unstuck Leader. No? Where are we? I know there is something that works. Where is my three-ring binder?" |
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We Do Not Search for Good Soil
Given those examples of leadership, no one should be surprised by the melt-down numbers of LCMS, WELS, ELS, and the CLC (sic). Let's look at gardening as a parable about this slow-motion fiasco.
The recipe for a garden is simple - plant good seed, bulbs, and baby plants in the soil. As Paul himself wrote,
1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
The whore-mongers at the shrunken Fuller Seminary, the dried up Willow Creek, and the Crystal Cathedral (RIP) sell the gullible, stupid, and poorly trained denominational leaders on finding the perfect soil. Look at your own abode - do you really have a choice?
The idea is to plant by scattering the Living Seed - the Word, which is imbued with power to grow, from the Holy Spirit, as promised. We do not need self-confidence if we have confidence in the Word. We do not need good soil if we realize that the Gospel, like all living plants, improves the soil.
Yes, 75% of the fertility in soil comes from the living roots, so I value the dandelions, crab grass, and weeds. They have power I lack with my hardware store tools. They infiltrate the clay soil and create a network of rich soil and life-giving fungal networks. The results are astonishing, and God gives the increase.
At Bethany Lutheran Church, we scatter the Gospel Word with abandon - no passwords for the videos. That has created an environment for even more activity.
Can you predict that someone asking about a Lenski book can make it happen, so all of us can read it? Lenski's Kings and Priests is available, though it was difficult to find.
For those who enjoy audio from worthwhile books -we have Audio Gutenberg on YouTube.
When I look at synodical messages and clergy discussions, I find little or no references to planting the Living Seed, the Word of God.
"When all else fails, try religion." That was advice given to a pastor whose congregation had tried every possible gimmick to raise money, cake sales and the rest.
A Preus Crime Family member announced breathlessly that they were created the only Lutheran Classical College in the world! The next comment was about how to get Schwan money for it. Hahahahahahahahaha. Filthy Lucre Classical College - "because we are too cheap to do it on our own."
