First Sunday after the Epiphany, 2014. Jesus in the Temple

The First Sunday after the Epiphany, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time 

The Hymn #133      Within the Father's House   2:19

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             Romans 12:1-5
The Gospel           Luke 2:41-52          
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #660 Heaven Is My Home         2.46

In the Temple

The Hymn # 306:1-4          Lord Jesus Christ            2.50

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 # 656         Behold a Host           2:39 

KJV Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

KJV Luke 2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

http://www.normaboecklerart.com

First Sunday After Epiphany

Lord God, heavenly Father, who in mercy hast established the Christian home among us: We beseech Thee so to rule and direct our hearts, that we may be good examples to children and servants, and not offend them by word or deed, but faithfully teach them to love Thy Church and hear Thy blessed word. Give them Thy Spirit and grace, that this seed may bring forth good fruit, so that our homelife may conduce to Thy glory, honor and praise, to our own improvement and welfare, and give offense to no one; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

In the Temple

This is a lost generation. Not every is lost, but in general, the description is valid. 

Few know what truth is or where to find it. Many deny there is such a thing as truth. For them, everything is relative and it depends on perspective. That means the ultimate norm is what someone thinks or feels. The result is confusion.

Feeding this confusion is a general philosophy that there is only one truth - that there is no truth. Since a popular attitude is backed by academic experts and societal specialists, the Old Adam is well fed and constantly ambivalent about all these matters.

One of my students went to a very popular congregation to check out its urban ministry - Andy Stanley's in Buckland. The group of parishes (multi-site) has 23,000 people who are considered members. That is larger than some smaller Lutheran denominations, larger than quite a few small towns.

From a distance, the operation seems impressive. They even train pastors to be just like them. There is no confession of faith. Lots of bright lights and loud music. Everything is casual. But not everyone is fooled. My student collected comments from people who were there. They were appalled by the recorded message flashed on the giant screen. It was nothing more than a self-help message. God is almost entirely absent from the party-like affair.

The story of Jesus in the Temple is an antidote to these notions and practices. An editor would say, "How did they let this story get published?"

Mary and Joseph do not come across very well. They do not keep track of their very special responsibility. In fact, they are like many parents who have left a child somewhere, assuming he is with friends or relatives. It happened in my family, with my sister left at a gas station until I spoke up.

Jesus seems oddly distant, surprised that His parents do not know "I must be about my Father's business." Using our logic, He should have told His parents what He was planning. Divinely aware, He must have know what was about to transpire.

This narrative seems to strike two generations at once. As a child I was in awe of this story. Jesus' mission was so clear already that He stayed in the Temple area for days to display His divine power to the great teachers of the Law, who were astounded at His knowledge and His questions.

I posted a story about a boy who was treated in special education class because he was so out of the norm. He did not even speak for 18 months. Worse than that, he had been speaking, then stopped. Many normal activities were not comfortable for him, so he was judged autistic and put in special classes. He had only a few isolated interests, including astronomy.

No one knew his capabilities, although his mother suspected, until he attended an astronomy lecture so he could look through a telescope. He alone knew why the satellites of Mars were oddly shaped. But this is the odd part. He asked what size they were, then explained from that fact why they were different. It was gravity. The adults were staggered. Soon he was in physics classes for adults and then onto a very special program for genius physics student at the University of Waterloo, where my wife earned her master's degree in German literature. The ability was there and waiting to be revealed.

Thus the true divine nature of Jesus was there and not yet discovered, until He chose to reveal it at the right time and place.

The purpose is clear. Jesus revealed the Gospel to the Temple leaders as the preparation for His public ministry. We can see that in retrospect. God used miraculous revelation to show the Redeemer to the world:

1. Through the angels to the shepherds.

2. Through the Star of Bethlehem to the Wise Men.

3. Through the circumcision and naming of Jesus.

4. Through His visit to the Temple as a boy.

5. Through John the Baptist in preparation for the public ministry of Jesus.

Through these interventions in history, clearly recorded for us, we can see that there is One Truth revealed to all mankind, not simply a truth among many truths.

For that reason the centrality of the Word as the force of the Gospel is essential to realize and emphasize.

Those who taught the Law all their lives and found great reward for their scholarship were staggered at the presence of Jesus. The very figure who should have been dismissed as a curious young boy became the center of attention. Since this event was one involving multiple days and many witnesses, it can be seen in retrospect as one which was remembered. 

The Word is effective when read, heard, and remembered. Those who saw the Word of God and heard Him speak remembered. We do not have records of all that happened, but there was an open door into Judaism because of those various events before His public ministry.

We can tell from the Gospel of John that the Gospel was live among the Jewish leaders, even though He was crucified. Later history also showed, through Paul, a miraculous growth in Christian faith among Jews at that time. It was one reason Paul was so hated, why riots started, and why he was arrested and executed.

If Paul had been ineffective, he would have been dismissed as a madman and ignored. Instead, he was silenced through jail and death - but the Word is not ever silenced. And the Spirit-inspired letters were preserved, carefully copied, and circulate, even in the midst of heresies and persecutions.

Jesus in the Temple shows us why the proclamation of the Word is so important. Everything pales in comparison. Luther called it taking the Word to the opposition, not simply to the friendly and the receptive. Strange how Luther anticipated every excuse of this age. 

The popular approach to missions is to start a new church in the midst of a prosperous suburb and simply invited active church members who have moved into the most attractive new location. These missions offer programs and groups and activities to make the building a social center. Norm Berg, the head of American Missions at one time, thought it was good for the pastors to offer classes in stress management, since that was a felt need of the time. If only Jesus had done that in the Temple. Imagine how stressful it was to be a Jewish leader in Roman occupied Jerusalem. Some useful tips might have been appreciated.

But as many recognize, the purpose of the Gospel is to proclaim what God has done in redeeming us from sin. Wherever the Old Adam stops to doubt, the Gospel overcomes that doubt with the revelation of Christ.

Jesus entered Jerusalem a number of times, knowing in advance that one day it would be His arrest and death. This was so clear to the disciples during the last trip that doubting Thomas assumed they would all die together there (Gospel of John). 

Each verse, each story, each miracle is designed to prompt faith and strengthen faith in Jesus. We can see also that many parts of the Bible are designed especially for the child. 

When a child sees a painting of Jesus as a boy in the Temple, he has to imagine what that would be like. He is a child in church and the elders do not gather around the ordinary church member's child. But these ancient elders, with their flowing beards and exotic robes gathered around Jesus and listened to Him.

That makes us as children and later as adults also want to listen to us. And we are drawn to His gracious Person, His forgiving nature, His desire that we live life in its fullest because of forgiveness and salvation.

Best of all, we get to participate in sharing that complete life with others across the world. Whatever we do in broadcasting the Gospel is a participation in God's work through His powerful Word.

Hilarious Reviews of the Andy Stanley Gay Activist Babtist Church - Where Ski, Glende, and Six Other WELS Ministers Were Trained

Research from a non-Lutheran visitor to the Stanley cult:

“The congregation of the Buckhead church, really knows how to party, every time we go on a retreat going to a bar is always on the itinerary” (Parker, 2013). [GJ - Doubtless this inspired the Glende/Ski bar ministry, which was supposedly aimed at coffee shops.]

“One thing that I find different about this huge church is that they do not have Sunday school” (Pearson, 2013) 

“The praise band is very loud and it’s more like a rock concert and the entire sermon seemed more like a very weak, self help seminar” (Brown, 2013). 

“I heard no theology or anything from the Bible until the last ten minutes of the three hour service, and  overall the sermon was boring and had no substance” (Baker, 2013).                                             
                                                
“Please don't go there expecting choir robes and a hymnal but more of a rock concert, and most disturbing to me was the fact that attendees’ never get to meet, greet or shake hands with the minister, all the services are pre-recorded on a huge screen” (Baker, 2013).  

“Besides the fact that the congregation is watching the minister on a screen, he also takes several breaks, at which time the rock ban entertains the audience, sort of like watching church on television.” (Baker, 2013). 

“This was the first church I have ever visited that had no alter (sic) call or communion on the first Sunday” (Lloyd, 2013). 

“Honestly I have visited this church on four different occasions and I will never go again because on my last visit I realized that it is nothing more than a cult” (Lloyd, 2013). 

Mark Schroeder and Keith Free had over $500,000 to give away to Ski and Glende to buy this bankrupt bar,
but they refused to help the congregation in Illinois that Glende destroyed with his bullying.
WELS will foreclose on the Savoy congregation soon,
which was "redeveloped" so Glende could make it his Church Growth sandbox.
But Glende evaporated before the new building was finished.

The Children Are Tucked into Bed Again - No More Crying from Their Nightmares. Intrepid Lutherans Moonwalk Away

Universal Objective Justification teaches against faith
and lives in fear.
Why trust God's Word when men have all the cash?

The self-named Intrepid Lutherans are tucked back into bed again. Mark Schroeder has rocked them back to sleep. They will not bother anyone again with their posts. They give every indication of closing down for good. Later, they will erase their files.

Protests in WELS have had a mild rather than a wild history. Issues in WELS (DP Free, Dave Peters) shrank in horror when pastors found out that SP Gurgle was actually attending a meeting. Most clergy were too scared to show up. Once DP Free was gone, so was IIW and its website.

Previous to IIW, the Orthodox Lutheran Forum (Steve Spencer) folded up when clergy got nasty over sensitive topics like doctrine and practice. The only acceptable theme in any WELS effort is "The Glory of WELS and the Sanctity of Its Leaders."

Several scandals should have been enough to send Mark Schroeder and Jon-Boy Buchholz packing. Instead, they have enjoyed a second chance as members of Team Jeske.

How many sects have had the FBI show up at headquarters to seize equipment and thumb-drives full of man-boy rape videos? Only WELS. And it was not some minor employee in the building but the head of public relations. After repenting several times while pleading non-guilty, Hochmuth went back to the slammer for backsliding and breaking all his promises. Why not? He is WELS. Find one WELS official whose word is his bond.

Likewise, Buchholz was elected (with Spencer's help) to purge his fetid district of Church Growth inanities like Jeff Gunn. Although Buchholz signed the "secret" WELS petition against Mark Jeske, Jon-Boy spoke in favor of Jeske at the convention. He looked and sounded like OJ Simpson pledging to find the real killer of Nicole.

Buchie not only switched on Jeske but soon found a strange affection for the same Jeff Gunn Warren-cloning parish he was keeping off the official rolls of the infallible Wisconsin Synod. Suddenly, they were welcomed into the district, synod, and Kingdom of God by the same man who kept talking and even working against them. Immediately, anyone who criticized Gunn was evil.

At one point Buchie had the funding for Gunn's parish down so low that Jeff went looking for a new job at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Instead they hired that retro-Luther figure Paul Kelm, whose cell groups would explode into Milwaukee and convert the city like lightning - so they claimed. But Gunn was given the consolation prize - a board membership at WLC, bringing the number of people from his parish on the board to three (3). When I published that fact, it was denied (of course) and the board no longer listed parish membership.

I could list dozens of people who are scared to death that I will thank them by name for all their help. They think Jeske and Gunn are the problem when in fact - they are.



Nothing helps the opposition more than criticism followed by reversals and support. Team Jeske loves watching the so-called Intrepids moonwalk away from their blog. That is a clever move - the moonwalk, The person seems to walking forward but instead moves backward.

Strange New Name for Tim Glende's Sandbox - Will It Play in Peoria?

ABOUT 922 CHURCH

http://922church.com/about

"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some."

(1 Corinthians 9:22)

These words were written by the Apostle Paul nearly 2,000 years ago, and they still apply today.  Paul's words spoke to the purpose of the Church…to share Jesus with others even if it meant sacrificing his personal preferences.  The purpose of the Church in the 21st century should be no different…"to become all things to all people" without compromising the Bible so that lives might be transformed for eternity.  That's what a 922 church looks like no matter what time in history it is.

We chose this web address to encompass our ministries because it describes the kind of church that we are and strive to be in the 21st century.   We are a Lutheran Christian congregation that consists of multiple campuses in the Fox Valley Area.   St. Peter Lutheran Church & The CORE seek to reach everyone who is impacted by the world’s changing culture with the changeless Gospel, by using traditional and innovative ministries.  For us, being "all things to all people" means the following:

• offering a variety of worship opportunities each week all grounded on the truth of God's Word but different in style - some using the traditional Lutheran Liturgy, others being modern traditional, and still others that are non-traditional.  We believe this variety is essential so that we can  reach more people.  Different worship styles "speak" to people differently, so our members and guests are able to pick the form of worship that is most meaningful to them so that they're motivated to live their lives for the Lord.
• using technology and the visual arts in worship and beyond
• doing life together in small groups that meet weekly throughout the year
• being a congregation that is committed to developing creative and energetic ministry for our children and youth
• involving all our members as partners in ministry
• implementing aggressive outreach strategies in our growing area through programs and special events in order to reach people others aren't reaching
• partnering with other ministries beyond our walls because the Church is bigger than us

We are passionate about sharing the Gospel of Jesus with everyone we can in our community and beyond!

Thank you for visiting our site.  We hope to have the chance to meet you in person at one of our campuses in the future.

St. Peter Lutheran Church N2740 French Road Appleton, WI 54913 (920) 739-2009

St. Peter Lutheran School N2740 French Road Appleton, WI 54913 p (920)739-2009 f (920) 739-3615

The CORE   222 W, Franklin Street Appleton, WI 54911 (920) 364-0200

info@922church.com

Waking Up to Thrivent's Evil - With Mark Jeske on the Thrivent Board

http://thebarebulb.com/2014/01/08/an-odd-choice/

An Odd Choice

Posted by Todd Wilken on January 8, 2014

The guy in the Mercedes full of cash is Jordan Belfort, the real-life “Wolf of Wall Street.” Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Belfort in the new movie based on his memoir of penny stocks, prostitutes, cocaine and crime.

Belfort defrauded the clients of his Stratton Oakmont brokerage house out of more than $110 million in the late 1990s. He made (stole) a lot of money for (from) a lot of people. He still owes those people almost $100 million in restitution.

Belfort was also one of the speakers at the most recent Thrivent Financial for Lutherans‘ National Sales Meeting.

No joke.

Belfort seems an odd choice of speaker to address Thrivent’s sales force. Thivent’s website says, “Thrivent Financial does what’s best for our members, supporting the values of faith, family, stewardship and service.” So was Belfort there to teach Thrivent’s salespeople how not to do their jobs?

That must be it.

***

 GJ - It is well known that AAL/LB (Thrivent) converted whole life policies into Universal Life by giving half the cash value to the salesman as a commission. AAL/LB promised any interest the client or sucker wanted to predict. As everyone knows now, high investment rates are never sustained for long.

One LB salesman illustrated 12%, giving me a fortune at 65. His calculator printed it out. It had to be true. I protested that was impossible, because I knew a little about investments.

One AAL salesman told me that many of his friends retired with a fortune after doing this to their long-term clients. However Universal Life did not pan out and never paid those high rates. The policies tended to tank, requiring more money to keep up the same death benefit. (UL is defined as term insurance with a flexible side portion of cash.)

Those whole life policies had guaranteed values and prices, but the UL replacements promised nothing.

So I think this speaker was ideal for Thrivent - a grifter speaking to grifters.

Details to Follow - Martin Luther College WELS

Sunday, October 9, 2011. It was on the calendar in the student center. I assume it was similar to the "best evangelism fails" session they do during Evangelism Day.

Sending a Message to the New Love Shack in WELS?

Was supposedly leading the opposition to the NNIV.
Never voted on the NNIV but approved all translations/paraphrases.

This is the time of year when congregations are prayerfully determining the level of financial support they can provide for our common work as a synod. Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) serve as the primary means of support for our synodical mission and ministry.

Over the past four years, congregations have done a commendable job in meeting the commitments they have made. On the other hand the CMO commitments have been relatively flat and have not been meeting the goals established by the synod in convention. CMO are still below what they were in 2007. While we have been able to avoid cuts in ministry and, in fact, have been blessed in our efforts to carefully expand our efforts, God continues to place many opportunities before us to share the gospel with more people.

Plans adopted by the synod in convention assumed a four percent increase in CMO. While this is a greater increase than we have seen in recent years, the synod in convention believed it was achievable.

The "reforming" District Pope kicks out the only Lutheran pastor in the district,
but embraces Jeff Gunn's Ministry of Plagiarism.

It’s our prayer that congregations throughout the synod will recognize the privilege they have in supporting the work we do together as a synod. God’s blessings on our synod, our congregations, and on our families have once again been more than we could ask or imagine, and our offerings for the mission and ministry of the synod are one way for us to demonstrate our humble thanks. Pray about this. Encourage one another. And trust that God will bless our efforts.

Serving you in Christ,
President Mark Schroeder

Tons of WELS money for the Glende/Ski circus,
but Glende's first parish is being foreclosed by WELS -
no mission support for the victims of Glende's bullying.

Lutherdom's Violation of the Seventh Commandment Proves One Thing: Unbelievers Run the Show

I was preparing for the yet-untaught lesson on the Seventh Commandment, Large Catechism, Book of Concord.

I realized it was one of the funniest passages in Luther. The best humor consists of observations that go beyond the accepted view of a given situation.

Luther - Seventh Commandment:
After your person and spouse temporal property comes next. That also God wishes to have protected, and He has commanded that no one shall subtract from, or curtail, his neighbor's possessions. 224] For to steal is nothing else than to get possession of another's property wrongfully, which briefly comprehends all kinds of advantage in all sorts of trade to the disadvantage of our neighbor. Now, this is indeed quite a wide-spread and common vice, but so little regarded and observed that it exceeds all measure, so that if all who are thieves, and yet do not wish to be called such, were to be hanged on gallows, the world would soon be devastated, and there would be a lack both of executioners and gallows. For, as we have just said, to steal is to signify not only to empty our neighbor's coffer and pockets, but to be grasping in the market, in all stores, booths, wine- and beer- cellars, workshops, and, in short, wherever there is trading or taking and giving of money for merchandise or labor.

Luther expounds on all the ways people steal, such as mechanics charging too much, and ends with the Church of Rome as the primary thief.

Luther:
229] Therefore they are also called swivel-chair robbers, land- and highway-robbers, not pick-locks and sneak-thieves who snatch away the ready cash, but who sit on the chair [at home] and are styled great noblemen, and honorable, pious citizens, and yet rob and steal under a good pretext.

230] Yes, here we might be silent about the trifling individual thieves if we were to attack the great, powerful arch-thieves with whom lords and princes keep company, who daily plunder not only a city or two, but all Germany. Yea, where should we place the head and supreme protector of all thieves, the Holy Chair at Rome with all its retinue, which has grabbed by theft the wealth of all the world, and holds it to this day?

And now, the "conservative" Lutheran Church takes its place beside the Church of Rome as a den of thieves, stealing from its own members - even stealing from various denominations.

The "conservative" Lutheran congregations either steal from Fuller and Craig Groeschel or they rob Rome of its titles, incensed entertainments, and robes. If they are not stealing the anti-liturgical clown acts of Evangelicals, they are cloning the smells and bells of popery. The emphasis is never upon the Word of God, which they do not trust, but upon their methods of amusing the masses.

They are lazy, greedy, and violent. If anyone dares to point out their follies, no matter how polite and deferential the critics might be, these clowns drop their smiles and pious gestures to get even. They want an open and honest discussion only among those who agree completely with them. The rest they will silence and eject, shunning them as lepers.

Lutheran pastors and laity - while they are stealing the worship of Rome and Driscoll, they are robbing you blind. They skim all the money for themselves because they are too weak to dig ditches and too proud to beg on the streets.

They scoff at the poor fools in real missions, who barely have enough to keep going, whether on the arid Great Plains or the frozen tundra of the Upper Midwest.

Intrepid Lutherans - This Is "Intrepid" - Just So You Know

LCMS/WELS Pastor Mark and Avoid Jeske
sits on the Thrivent Board.

Thrivent Choice Controversy – An Overview

http://daringlutheran.net/thrivent-choice-controversy/

On or about December 17th, 2013, it was discovered that Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota had appeared in the Thrivent Choice database. Thrivent Choice is a member-directed grant program funded by Thrivent Financial, “a faith-based, not-for-profit membership organization nearly 2.5 million members strong.”

Much controversy erupted, with large protests online directed against Thrivent and asking them to immediately remove Planned Parenthood from the list of approved Thrivent Choice organizations, and to setup a moral criteria for organizations allowed in the Thrivent Choice program.

This page is intended to provide an overview of the events and related links pertaining to the controversy. Please provide any additional links that should be included.

December 17th, 2013

• Thrivent’s Dangerous Game is published, outlining initial conversations on Twitter with Thrivent surrounding the issue.

December 18th, 2013

• My article is republished by LifeNews.com and SteadfastLutherans.org.
• After more investigation, it’s discovered that Thrivent Choice dollars, if given to Planned Parenthood, would be undesignated and therefore directly fund abortions. (Thrivent Does Not Have the Komen “Out”)

December 19th, 2013

• The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod issues a statement on the matter.
• The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Reporter published a more detailed news story.
• The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod also issues a statement.

December 20th, 2013

• Thrivent issues a statement officially responding to the controversy. In their response, they remove Planned Parenthood from the list of eligible Thrivent Choice organizations.
• At the same time, Thrivent also temporarily removes all pro-life organizations from the program. (Thrivent’s Statement)
• My article “Thrivent’s Statement” is republished at LifeNews.com.
• The LCMS responds to Thrivent statement with a statement of their own.
• The LCMS Reporter publishes a follow-up news story.
• A list of the “temporarily suspended” organizations is published. (Download PDF)
• Christianity Today publishes a short story on the controversy.
• Christian Life Resources issues a statement on the controversy.

Ongoing

• Issues, Etc. has a half-hour open-lines discussion of the controversy. (12/20/13)
• Rev. Todd Wilken posts some thoughts about Thrivent’s resolution. (12/21/13)

Lutheran Satire Video

St. Peter and The CORE Have Plans

Lutheran Wall of Shame on Facebook

Can't wait for January 10th when this site is launched. 922Church.com. Watch the video below announcing it.

Will it be an effort to be This 922 Church ?



http://www.christschapel.net/ministries/church-922

or this one?

http://www.resonatechurch922.org/

Can't wait to see how "The Core" and all the various affiliates join together to be a 922 Church. You know you are Lutheran when you are all things to all people.

---

Nearby - In the Valley of the Fox -

http://www.stmarkpartners.org/

Men of His Work or Men of His Word - Cannot get their headlines to match the story.

Grilling Outside - 20 Below Wind Chill - Chicken Ichabod Recipe

The Kingsford Grill - aka T-Rex.

Our son and daughter-in-law got us a very large portable grill, which we put together as a group. Like many projects, the directions made more sense after we were done.

We awoke today to temperatures around zero and a minus wind chill, perhaps 20 below but not bad at all around noon. It was sunny with no wind.

Everyone was crying about wind chills all over the Midwest, which were slightly better than what we had in New Ulm, Minnesota 20 years ago - 60  below for about two weeks. I do not remember anyone caring.

In that vein - Green Bay hosted an outdoor football match last night but canceled indoor school this morning and tomorrow.

Father Hollywood convinced me to try the paleo-diet, going easy on the breads (hard for a baker's son) and heavy on meat, fruit, and vegetables. However, I was aghast at the price of such things as sliced turkey and chicken. I was grilling chicken often and knew what meat prices were. Besides, deli sliced meat is really salty.

So I decided to grill twice a week, especially after finding out how good my BBQ meat was for sandwiches, warmed up or cold. I adopted a meat market (Dime's, Springdale, a few miles away), and a secondary one (Harp's) when Dime's is not open. We have used Sam's Club quite often for chicken and bacon. We figure all chicken is Tyson's anyway, since this town is their headquarters.

Here is the recipe for Chicken Ichabod. It is easy, fast, and delicious.

A grill with a rack above the main rack is best, since it is hard to make bacon-wrapped meat and grill it. One problem is the heat and the blazing, smokey fires that erupt.

I put the chicken on the main level and the bacon on the mezzanine level. T-Rex makes the bacon sit above the chicken below and drip bacon grease on it as it cooks.

I use Kingsford charcoal, mesquite style. In the past I have soaked hickory chips in water and added them to the hot coals. That really adds a great hickory smoke flavor to the meat. In Phoenix I simply cut green mesquite from my trees and tossed it in.

The drop-down hood on the T-Rex allows the bacon to heat up enough to drip down. If I leave the hood down too long, the bacon napalms and I get a roaring grease fire. Still, the results are not that bad with the roaring fire. The bacon gets crisp fast and the chicken is still good. Still, it is better to lower the hood for short periods of time. The volume of smoke is a good indication of how well it is going. I try to keep it at "Habemus papam!" rather than "Abandon hope all ye who enter here."

The Chicken Ichabod recipe works just as well for pork, so I use boneless pork steaks, which are only $5 a pound at Dimes. Boneless chicken breasts are $2 to 3 a pound, only the low end at Sam's Club. Harp's had me buying chuck eye for beef, which is a way to have a small, inexpensive steak, about $6 a pound. We would rather eat pork and chicken overall.

Sassy takes an immediate interest in my cooking efforts, as soon as she sees indications of BBQery. She decided against outdoor supervision today, but stayed in the living room - inside. She has a fur coat, but it is more of a sweater.

Sassy loves to get her share of the meat and then some.

The bonus for Chicken Ichabod is the grilled bacon. The chef and assistants get to sample the bacon as it cooks. When I cook for Team Jackson, everyone enjoys bacon and chicken. The last vote went against pepper bacon in favor of maple bacon.

The most delicious bacon is from Nicollet, Minnesota, so I may try that out on the family.

The best compliment I have had was hearing a granddaughter say, "Mom. Make sure you take home some chicken."

There is nothing like grilled chicken with that bacon-glaze flavor. It is great off the grill and superb as a replacement for $9 sliced deli chicken.

We have gone out for lunch with our son's family, but cooking together is more fun. The grandchildren are great helpers. Tammy brings fantastic desserts and other dishes. Everyone helps with the set-up and the clean-up.