A Reader Comments and Orders Thy Strong Word

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May the Lord bless  you!

Reviewing the July 4, 2016 Issue of Christian News. No Fireworks. Reading CN So You Don't Have To

LCMS Pastor Therwanger post with an unnamed friend.

LCMS Harold Therwanger is on he far left, with Nunes next to him.

Nunes and Therwanger.
Nunes' organist murdered an olderly woman
and the pastor easily found more lucrative work elsewhere.

Christian News:
First Immanuel overwhelmingly voted to keep Therwanger as its pastor after he announced he planned to wed his same-sex partner.

Dr. John Nunes, the congregation’s associate pastor, who heard Therwanger’s announcement, did
not show the homosexual senior pastor what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. Reports in
this issue show that Nunes, when he was a professor at Valparaiso University, did not oppose this
school’s support of same-sex marriage.

LCMS President Matthew Harrison, a long time close friend of Nunes, will be preaching at the
service in Bronxville, New York, when Nunes is installed as president of Concordia College, New
York. It may be the first time a college in the LCMS’s Concordia University System has a president
divorced from his first wife. Some articles CN has published about Nunes and his theology follow.

LCMS Pastor - has this been covered in CN?

Flogging Old Stories
If you liked previous issues of Christian News, you will love this one - the same content over and over.

Unanswered - why does Christian News run interference for Pastor Tom Brock, claiming Tom's letter was sent to me when no letter ever appeared. OK, I have donated all of Europe to Lutheran News, Inc. The title was sent to you in the mail. The return address reads - The Donation of Ichabod. If CN denies this magnificent gift was sent, I will call them various names.

Lately the themes of CN have been -
Harrison being re-elected.
Kloha and the so-called plastic text of the Bible.

Here is a timely farewell note from a WELS pastor -

Harrison – An Accomplished Politician 
Dear Herman, 
I like the new format of CN – it’s much easier for me to read. Also, I am astounded that so few are resisting the false teaching of Kloha. I can’t but feel that Harrison is an accomplished politician who can speak out of both sides of his mouth and deceive people – like our WELS leaders. Ignorance is bliss. 
WELS clergyman

Mark Schroeder's elimination squad will hunt this fellow down and eliminate him from the ministry. The observation is correct. I recall Harrison saying the Minnesota DP was wrong to steal the campus church and sell it, but the DP was within his power to do it. The offended supporters of the chapel said "Hurray. Harrison is on our side!" In fact, Harrison was pulling the rug out from under all those who objected to the theft.

Historically, the LCMS was founded on property fraud, theft of the bishop's gold, and kidnapping - all blessed by CFW Walther. Harrison is a Waltherian - at least he wants people to believe that claim.

Ever since, Synodical  Conference Lutherans have been willing to exchange one pope for another.

Kloha and Text Criticism
The incredibly funny "rules" of text criticism, invented by apostates Wescott and Hort, illustrate how this science is really a marvelous way to fool those who consider themselves intellectual while leaving the laity behind.

Let me be blunt for once. Most "conservative" Lutheran clergy are helpless in Greek and they know even less about text criticism (not there is much to know). At least Kloha does not grin like a Chesire Cat, not wanting to imitate the contented bovine smile of Moo from Wheaton College (NNIV salesman).

Moo of Wheaton

When the simpletons of Lutherdom began abandoning the King James Version in droves, they had a chance to update the KJV themselves or adopt a conservative update like the KJV21. After all, the KJV we use is a modest update of the original.

But no - the apostates ran after every new translation like Gadarene pigs, because they were infected with the swine virus called Universal Objective Justification.

The so-called conservatives are just versions of ELCA, some a bit more retro than others, but following the same rapid spiral downward from Pietistic Enthusiasm.

Historic St. John Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, after being kicked out of WELS and stolen by two members and a lawyer, is now welcomed back into WELS with those two thieves and their ELCA pastor. The men may not be hetero, but they are thoroughly Waltherian.

Beneficial Insects Dress Like the Costumed Cops of Disneyland To Protect the Roses While Feeding Their Young

Tachinid Fly

Long ago Team Jackson went to Disneyland. We got to see our favorite characters in giant costumes.

As many people know, the underground passages allow the characters to emerge seemingly like magic.

We heard that many of them are actually involved in security, so they keep an eye on everything in their casual, friendly, appealing costumes.

Once I read about Tachinid Flies, I wondered when I would see them. Unbidden, they came to our garden to do their work. I see them all over the garden.

Tachinid flies FAMILY Tachinidae 
NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES 1300+ 

You may not think a fly to be all that interesting, but I can assure you that this large and diverse family of parasitoids participates in some of the most fascinating interactions in the insect world. Tachinids are among my favorite of all natural enemies, and it surely isn’t for their good looks. It is instead for the intriguing lives of these humble-looking creatures. 

Tachinid flies are highly variable in their physical appearance. Measuring primarily 0.12–0.55 inch (3–14 mm), with a few larger and smaller species, they most resemble plain old houseflies. Tachinids can be gray, black, or darkly striped and have distinctive hairy bristles protruding from their abdomens. Some species have four black longitudinal stripes on their thorax (the part of the body between the head and the abdomen). The presence of only three stripes indicates it is instead a flesh fly—you know, the ones that eat carrion and poop. A few species of tachinids are bright orange or even metallic blue or green, but most are just plain drab. If you really want to discern them from a housefly, look for a pronounced subscutellum, best described as a distinct rounded ridge on their posterior. I, for one, am not all that interested in examining a fly’s posterior, so I rely more on the presence of the abdominal bristles for identification.

Tachinid flies, parasitoids that resemble bristly houseflies, feed on pollen, nectar, and honeydew and are highly variable in appearance and size. Most are dark in color, though a few brightly colored species exist. 

Adult tachinids feed on pollen, nectar, and honeydew and are important pollinators. They are very active fliers and are often seen alighting on flowers, fences, rocks, and people. All species of tachinids are parasitoids that use various insects as larval hosts. Most species use caterpillars (cabbage loopers, corn borers, gypsy moths, cutworms, fall armyworms, coddling moth larvae, leaf rollers, bollworms, and many, many others) as hosts while other species parasitize adult and larval beetles, and even various true bugs and sawfly larvae. Tachinids can be generalists that use assorted species as larval hosts or specialists relying on only one species to feed their developing young. 

Egg-laying techniques are variable and incredibly intriguing. Some species deposit one or more eggs onto the host insect’s exterior or (rarely) inject the egg inside the host. Others lay an egg near a leaf-munching pest; when the egg hatches a few hours later, it is ingested right along with the plant tissue. Still other species deposit live larvae into the host. For those species that lay eggs on their hosts externally, the 0.04 inch (1 mm) white elongated eggs are easy to spot, particularly when clinging to caterpillars and host insects like Japanese beetles, squash bugs, and stink bugs. Once hatched, the larval maggot begins to consume the host’s internal tissues and completes its feeding in four to fourteen days. In most cases, the larva then emerges from the dying host and pupates independently.

Walliser, Jessica. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 846-859). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

When I see flies in the garden, they are Tachinids, either gathering pollen as adults or laying eggs that will hatch into maggots that live on aphids.

The first bloom of roses provided food for the adults and a pleasant nursery for their young. Just like last year, the white and Peace roses were drained by aphids. I did not panic. No toxic sprays were used. Instead, I waited for beneficial creatures to come to the rescue.

This miniature bee is just fooling -
he is a Flower Fly or Hover Fly - Syrphid.

Dressed as

• Spiders, 
• Tiny wasps (Ichneumons), 
• Miniature bees (Flower Flies),  and 
• Houseflies (Tachinids) -

these beneficial creatures turned the rose garden into a food court, The aphids needed food, but they only created a banquet for the beneficial creatures, which multiplied to feed on the feeders. Not one, but many beneficials came to the rescue. All the roses can bloom for the rest of the summer without much damage at all. If a few blooms are damaged, it is only to keep the food cycle going.

Centenary of the Battle of the Somme — July 1, 2016 | Churchmouse Campanologist

Centenary of the Battle of the Somme — July 1, 2016 | Churchmouse Campanologist:


"The Battle of the Somme began at 7:30 a.m. July 1, 1916 is still regarded as the worst day in British military history. On that day alone, 57,470 men were killed or injured; 19,240 died. By the time the battle ended on November 18, more than one million men — British, French and German — had been wounded or killed."

more at the link above

Somme debuted the first military tank.

'via Blog this'

Sassy Does Iberia Bank - Again. Her Triumphant Return

One of Sassy's favorite errands was making a deposit - and withdrawal - from Iberia Bank. I would deposit a check and she would withdraw a treat - or several.

Mary loved Sassy so much that we could count on three treats each time. One new teller jumped when I had Sassy bark into the speaker. He thought that was so funny that Sassy got three treats from him too.

But Iberia decided to close our branch, as they did in Bella Vista, and send us to Robinson. Mary was retired and very sad about that, missing Sassy as well. We saw her at Walmart and she said, "I am out of retirement, working at the Robinson branch."

I said, "We will stop by and see you."

The mailman said hello to Sassy as we left.

When I told Sassy we had an errand at Iberia, she jumped up. She loves the post office, Iberia, and Walmart. When we approached the bank, Sassy began barking. Mary said she was just talking about Sassy to the other teller as we drove up. Sassy sat and barked into the mike. The other teller spilled the small treats, which was funny by itself. No, I did not laugh.

We had a conversation about ice cream treats for dogs at Walmart. Frost Pups or something like that. Sassy got one large treat and a bunch of small ones.  Mary was so happy to see her favorite dog again, and it was a great experience for Sassy and me.

As we drove home, Sassy made it clear that she knew about the little treats. The big one vanished fast, of course. I passed a few small ones to her on the way home, only 6 miles.

Rainwater and Rain
I was not convinced of heavy rain today, so I watered front and back. The barrels were ready to empty so I poured them on favorite and on needy plants.

Our friend wants some Bee Balm starts, so I took a paintbucket of rainwater to the largest Bee Balm. Seven bumblebees were working the bush over as I approached. My idea is to pump up the plant with rainwater and soften the soil for a root division. Then our friend can have a much better start than a slip or cutting.

Bee Balm comes in various colors and growth habits,
from invasive to clumping.
This one has a large plant and grows a large, impressive clump.
Algae has far more than 340,000 species,
and the government has a collection of them.

Save Time with a Butterfly Nozzle. More Ideas about Watering and Mulch

Retailers offer an abundance of garden hose nozzles, but few are butterfly nozzles. Above is the one from Amazon (Radius). If you google butterfly nozzle you may find some others.

The dial-a-spray feature is handy on the common types, but all too often I have to water an area. In the back I have two soaker-hoses running around the perimeter. In the front I have two soaker hoses underneath the mulch. In both cases a regular hose is the third connection for special watering.

The last thing a gardener wants to do is take off one attachment and put on a different one, if it can even be found. Discovering where tools were left is a common headache, unless I happen to step on them. Then I am sorry I found them.

The butterfly nozzle was one featured tool that Mrs. I. bought for me last year. Nothing equals the ease of spot watering, spreading the stabilizer fins, and watering a large area. The Maple Tree Rose Garden needs that kind of treatment, so I bought a second one - $20.

At the moment it is watering the Maple Tree Rose Garden while the soaker-hoses are managing the rest.

Watering Common Sense
Here are some guidelines for watering:

• Water for a long time rather than sprinkling. That encourages the roots to grow deeper for water. The soil is often dryer than we imagine.
• Watering in the morning is better so the plants are not stressed during the heat of the day.
• Ignore that fantasy about water drops "burning" plants in the sun. Soak yourself and leave drops all over your body (in the backyard, please). Email me about the number of burns you receive.
• Stored water (24 hour wait) is better than fresh chlorinated tap water.
• Rainwater is best of all.
• Collect rainwater and use it, especially on the weaker and the newer plants.
• Watch out for pools of water that turn into mosquito breeding grounds. Dump and clean.
• Use larger birdbaths near special plants. They become manured, algae-filled collections fast - ideal for dumping on plants like Butterfly Bush. Algae is good food for the soil, initiated by sunlight fallen on the dirty water. If you think birdbaths are not used by birds and other creatures,  clean one every other day.

More Ruffled Collars for New Plants

Herman Amberg Preus models the ruffled collar,
which some likened to John the Baptist's head on a plate.

When I get tiny plants in the mail - often as a bonus, I need a collar around them to protect their well watered zones from weeds taking over. The cardboard or newspaper bib also marks the spot to decrease trampling by anyone in the garden.

Several plants have taken root well, so gently pulled some weeds away and opened up several cardboard food boxes from grocery stores. They are rather then, so they work well. I tear out a notch so I can fit it around a growing plant. Then I sprinkle some mulch on it to keep it in place. Nothing attracts insect eaters like a watered, mulched plant.

I mulched the Elephant Ears with tree bark, cardboard, and shredded cyprus. One new leaf burst from its cardboard covered to grow in the sun, so I widened the growing zone. Meanwhile, Bermuda grass shows up wherever it can. I normally mulch weeds with their own departed - as a warning, but I always throw away Bermuda grass.


Many builders there have been
Since the world began;
Palace, cottage, mansion, inn,
They have built for man.
Some were small and some were tall:
Long or wide or low.
But the best one of them all
Jack built long ago.
’Twas built in bygone days,
Yet millions sing its praise.

Just a love nest
Cozy with charm,
Like a dove nest
Down on a farm.
A veranda with some sort of clinging vine,
Then a kitchen where some rambler roses twine.
Then a small room,
Tea set of blue;
Best of all, room—
Dream room for two.
Better than a palace with a gilded dome,
Is a love nest
You can call home.

Building houses still goes on
Now as well as then.
Ancient Jack and Jill are gone,
Yet return again.
Ever comes the question old:
Shall we build for pride,
Or shall brick and mortar hold
Warmth and love inside?
The answer you may know:
Jack solved it long ago.
(Famous as the theme for the George Burns Gracie Allen Show)

By Norma Boeckler

The result of tree bark mulch is to draw Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal there to look for food for their nestlings. I tried to feed them at the base of their love nest - the Crepe Myrtle, but it instantly drew squirrels from across the street.

Yesterday I was looking out the kitchen window when a blueberry stalk seemed to drop down and snap up again. Startled, I wondered if my eye appointment should be moved up immediately. I continued to stare, wondering what happened with no wind stirring up the plants. It happened again. The stalk went down and sprang up again. What sorcery is this? On my tiptoes I saw the bushy tail of a squirrel move away from the plant.

Mrs. Ichabod thought it was hilarious. "Harvested for you? You still need to buy them at Walmart."

Two Videos - A New One about Walmart and Martin's Work. An Older One about Coldstone Ice Cream

Martin sat with Yale theology professor Paul Holmer.

The recruiting video was just released from Walmart. Martin speaks on camera and then adds a bit later that retail has to move as quickly as the website.

---



Years ago we attended a Yakov Smirnoff show in Branson, wearing custom shirts. We gave him one too.

The Food Channel saw us wearing the same t-shirts and included us in the video about Coldstone Ice Cream. In the background you can see Martin wife Tammy and his younger daughter Danielle. Josephine speaks on the video about her favorite ice cream. As do I.

Yakov Smirnoff was happy to pose with us after the show.
We gave him one t-shirt and another one for his mother.
He was quite touched. He signed all our shirts.
Grandson Alex is savoring his soother,
so this was around 2006.

From a Discussion about Running Out of Oil - And Checking the Oil - On Facebook

I don't know where the gratuitous comment came from,
but the comment below is routine behavior for the anti-Luther crowd.

FB Discussion about Changing the Oil

Gregory L. Jackson Check your oil once a week before starting the car. Saves money and eliminates grief. Keep one or two quarts of good oil in the car - Quaker or Pennzoil.

Miles Whitener Greg, your mechanical advice is much better than your theology!

Gregory L. Jackson So you don't agree with Luther, Miles?
Like · Reply · 4 mins · Edited

You Didn't Build That! - The Problem with Pietistic Separatism

Without a treat - Like the property, the title, the cash, the endowment funds.
Learn from Walther, who took 120 acres away from his bishop.

New sects like to begin by leaving with the congregation's property and money. Where that is difficult, some have borrowed heavily on their equity, put it in a trust fund, and left the denomination's property with a big debt and few members. ELS Pastor Kincaid Smith bragged abot doing that in Brownsville. I do not remember if that was leaving the LCA for LCMS or leaving the LCMS for the ELS.

No one can dispute whether the established denominations are apostate. Just attend the next conference at Fuller Seminary, Willowcreek, or Trinity Divinity. Those beehives are the places where apostates learn secular methods in how to be leaders.

But another question is whether the separatists are better.

Bishop-for-Life Randy DeJaynes began the Lutheran Confessional Synod (sic) with one LCA/ALC church and a fairly large group of people. The ELS and WELS declared fellowship with him, which meant they could pray with him (yippee) and commune with him (even better). That congregation is where Jim Heiser began Repristination Press, although it is not clear who really owned the stock. That was about 20 years ago, or around 1996, and the LCS blew up.

Bishop-for-Life Randy was arrested in 2008 for child porn and making his privates public. Jim Heiser obtained a call to a conservative LCMS congregation long before that. .

Heiser obtained a call from Salem in Malone, Texas.

Salem is a conservative, independent Lutheran congregation. From January 1, 1922, until July 18, 2004, Salem was a member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The year 2004 was marked by the Malone Statement about Benke's unionism. 

The LCMS was unionistic for decades. No one seemed to notice that Missouri was teaching UOJ, Church Growth, Pentecostalism, and who knows what else. Yankee Stadium was a big deal for the signers, who were largely the founding ELDONUTS.

Heiser, Heimbigner, and later Handrich obtained their property from the LCMS, so one could truthfully say, "You didn't build that." Those five pastors who joined later or join now will probably have to leave all the property and money behind - or borrow it out the back door, as Smith did.

Oddly, Heiser did not even attend Clark Brown's installation, though Brown was one of the signers of the Malone statement. That congregation took their parish back to the LCMS and extended Brown the Left Foot of Fellowship.

All this material about church property is complex, reminding me of the fast fish discussion in Moby Dick, one of his hilarious asides in a novel where most of the text is comprised of asides.

Shunning and Pietism
The main issue is shunning, fellowship, and Pietism. Babtists do it best. If someone has the wrong attitude toward Ken Ham - for instance - the iron curtain in the Babtist brain slams shut. The individual who dared to question a Ken Ham is on the no-fly list.

ELDONA makes much of their purity of purpose, thanking God daily they are not like the others. But in establishing their credentials they leave out many germane facts.

Item. Jim Heiser's parents have been members of a WELS congregation, Steve Spencer's in Arizona. EDONA is not in fellowship with WELS and supposedly rejects UOJ, which is just about the only doctrine in WELS. Nothing else is needed, really. How could Heiser's parents go to a congregation opposed to ELDONA? Spencer expressed the thought that no WELS pastor wanted to join the Heiser cult.

Item. Heiser's sect-minders are quick to make certain erroneous, defamatory, and foolish statements, without the IQ to check their facts. They are not keen to face the facts about themselves. The ones who could not slip money and property away from the LCMS  are stranded with a handful of members. Even with adroit moves, one has the old church property but almost no members and plenty of debt. His former members meet elsewhere.

Item. ELDONA makes a lot of noise about sound doctrine, but for almost 20 years, Heiser and ELDONA had no outward problem with UOJ. As far as I can determine, all the ELDONA pastors were ordained in UOJ and continued to teach that false doctrine until about 2013. Although Heiser seem to have seen the light in 2000, when he was reading and selling Thy Strong Word, he was content to be in fellowship with the ardently  UOJ Rolf Preus Synod for a number of years. The precipitating change seemed to have come from Paul Rydecki, who earlier argued for UOJ on the Intrepid Lutherans blog and finally saw the light, teaching Justification by Faith and being kicked out of WELS for it.

Meanwhile, the Rolf Synod ran back to the ELS, guided by Jay Webber. They said something like this, "Yes, we left the ELS but not really, more like a multi-year coffee break. Yeah, that's it. A coffee break."

Item. ELDONA is crying about the adverse publicity they stirred up for themselves, without ever checking their facts, apologizing for their behavior, or showing an ounce of common sense. They even think I make money from more page-views. They do not gain many page-views for this blog (that "no one reads") because few know or care about ELDONA.

You didn't build this - Charity Lutheran Church.

Authoritarian Rule Is the Problem In the Church - Not the Solution

The Duggar clan was deep into Gothard's authoritarian lifestyle and business:
Josh and Anna met at an annual Gothard gathering.

A group of articles about Fundy Guru Bill Gothard include  -

1. This summary from Christianity Today,
2. Another from the Washington Post, and
3. The Cult Next Door from a Chicago magazine, where his headquarters were located.

Bill Gothard is being sued by 10 or more young women,
who were selected by him as "staff" and groomed at his headquarters.
Here he is posing with Duggar daughters - still welcome there.

Recovering Grace is a website about Gothard's methodical abuse.

Anticipating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, Lutheran leaders should be more aware of Luther's fight against the divine rights of the Pope - which included torturing and murdering opponents.

Pope Paul VI is supposed to be the last Pope to wear the tiara,
which is a crown for the pope-king.

The bishop's hat - the mitre - is supposedly more modest.
Popes no longer parade around in their tiaras,
but they claim divine infallibility for themselves -
and for all those who agree with their dogma.

The Episcopal Church, the Eastern Orthodox church, and others affect the cone-head look with the mitre. The term "episcopalian polity" is used for any group that makes the bishop (episcopos) the ultimate authority in the group. The Biblical term means "supervisor" - literally - not mini-pope. Richard Neuhaus' one sentence send-up of the AELC Seminex bunch was "a portable seminary and a superfluity of mini-popes."

The parts of ELCA adopted the episcopal titles and dress before the 1987 merger, claiming "nothing will change." They only become more dictatorial and corrupt.

A bishop's hat - modeled by Bishop and Mrs. Robinson -
is not necessarily a sign of orthodoxy.

Presiding Bishop Schori and her lady bishops in The Episcopal Church -
just try to gainsay these harpies.

Some wear an invisible mitre.

Bishop Matt Harrison controls the LCMS as an authoritarian,
down to censoring what he does not like on his PR blog Steadfast Lutherans -
open discussions for those who agree with Harrison.

ELDONA is the smallest group to adopt the mitre.

---

Acolyte Stefanski - "One of the things I enjoy about the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese (ELDoNA) is that it fosters independent thinking and expression. Our bishop, the Rt. Rev. James Heiser doesn't 'run' the pastors (much less the congregations) or assign them to do his bidding, but simply offers such correction as may be necessary from time to time as they study and proclaim. If we seem to walk in unity (or, if you wish to be derisive, "in lockstep"), it's not by his dictate, but by agreement in the Word of God. Interestingly, having been educated in various church bodies, schools, and academic eras, most of us did not start out on the same page, but have been brought together as we have studied and confessed individually and found that our confession was the same…for which, to God alone be the glory.

Ten years of the diocese, now, by God's grace; may the Holy Spirit ever cause us to walk as one!"

Bishop Heiser (profile picture - mitre, above) - "Thank you, Pr. Stefanski. And, suffice to say, such correction is very rarely needed." 

When someone dared to give away this book at the last ELDONA conference,
bully Oncken ordered it removed and Bishop Heiser was clearly outraged.
Heiser, Rydecki, and others interested had copies sent to them (no objections
raised) and draft sent free seven (7) months earlier.
Since then, ELDONA has lied about a pastor not even involved in anything
concerning them and magnified their hissy-fits into slander.

The Rolf Synod left the ELS, including Rolf Preus,
but Rolf left the synod, leaving them with an awkward name.
Note the details copied verbatim below.

---

The Ultra-UOJ Rolf Synod Was in Fellowship with ELDONA for Years!

As of Ascension Day 2010, the Evangelical Diocese of North America and the Association of Confessional Lutheran Churches recognize fellowship with each other.

The 2010 General Conference of the ACLC was held April 20-21 in Princeton, MN.  It was hosted by Christ Lutheran Church

We joyfully and officially received Christ Lutheran as a member congregation, along with Rev. Robert A. Lawson, Sr.
We regretfully acknowledge the resignation of Rev. Rolf Preus as Superintendent of the ACLC and withdrawal from membership.
We unanimously adopted "A Statement on Confessional Fellowship."
We rejoice in moving closer to practicing fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
We carefully read through and discussed "Unity, Union, and Unionism."
On right our 2010 General Conference attendees (from left to right): Rev. Robert Lawson, Jr.,  Rev. Em. Walter Anderson, Mr. Richard Scott, Mr. Bob Schlesselman, Mr. Allan Kretzmann, Rev. Robert Lawson, Sr., Rev. Steven Brockdorf, Guest Rev. Mark Mueller of ELDoNA, Mr. Scott Markel, PhD., Mr. David Flitter, and Rev. Karl Heck.

***

GJ - One can only marvel at the way in which false teachers lead their people to and fro, in errors maze.

Pulling Maples and the Big Rain

The divine Spirit-driven power of the Word is illustrated by the rain and snow.
 1. The Word always has an effect.
2. The Word always accomplishes God's purpose.
3. The Word always prospers God's will.
Do we need more broadcasting of the Word or more man-made methods?
The synods vote - "Methods. Yay us."

Our helper messaged me about the next job, "Are we pulling maples?" We have hundreds of maple trees growing in the front and backyard. Almost Eden called it a "maple tree farm," even though I have been yanking maples up since they sprouted in the early spring.

I was out of mulch so we began pulling maples in the shade of the house, where the rose garden first began with eight holes in the lawn. Grandson Alex carefully photographed them and Sassy sniffed them in her role as guard dog. Approved.

I planted the TV offer of eight bare root roses for $64. I am not seeing any bargains like that this year, nor has Gurney's offered me $5 roses. The recession is ending as optimism increases.

Next came the eight KnockOut roses. Instead of making and hauling compost or rototilling the soil, I dug holes, planted roses, and mulched afterwards, turning the lawn into compost on the spot. Instant composting meant that I kept the soil creatures and increased their food and moisture by shutting out the sunlight and providing an edible blanket of newspaper, cardboard, and wood mulch.

The first shipment of $5 roses (ten in all) - via Gurney's from Week's Rose - ended as the Maple Tree Rose Garden.

Our helper joked about all the work we have put into the front yard, which is now attracting visitors, as it should. Mulch, newspapers, and cardboard rot into the soil, improving it, and weeds spring up from below or land on top from the wind or the bombardment of birds. All it takes is steady maintenance.

As I wrote before, having a helper is especially worthwhile because pulling up weeds is tedious but necessary. Roses do not want grass or weeds within two-three feet of their canes. They stay alive when crowded but do not thrive and cannot show off as they might.

A bumble bee was on a rose I wanted to cut for the vase.
He moved away without bothering me.

The Big Rain
The big rain last night filled the rain-barrels again and helped everything in the gardens that I was trying to do.

Gardeners and dreamers of gardening - If you had barrels and paint-buckets of free liquid, harmless but effective fertilizer, would you use it abundantly, knowing that even more was coming in a few days?

I think so.

That is why we live-stream the Means of Grace without log-ins, passwords, and secret codes. Some are offended that we reach so many around the world.

People write to ask why I often blog at midnight and again a few hours later. The reason - I know the Word will accomplish something. The Word cannot fail in being effective. I know from getting dozens of raging comments attacking everything worthwhile but wrapped in the most sanctimonious language.

But even better, people write personal (signed) emails expressing thanks for a place where they can see doctrine and church politics explained, with an emphasis on doctrine, including the "boring and irrelevant" Book of Concord.

Calladiums are great in the shade.

The Welcome Surprises of Gardening
I pointed to the Mountain Mint that burst through its funeral pall of newspapers and mulch. "Here's my favorite plant that you tried to bury alive." Our helper said, "I know. I saw it." I added, "Don't worry. I just pulled up one of my new plants, thinking it was a weed." Our helper, "Put it back."

We laugh about mistakes, stepping on plants, and doing the wrong thing, because that is bound to happen as we stumble through God's Creation. The good plants often return in their glory, as some roses have done.

Calladiums are showing off their color in the shade, after being planted last fall. If  a good crop comes up, they will beautify the Maple Tree Rose Garden. If not, the vendor will send me a new batch, even if weather was the fault.

Elephant Ears are showing promise after breaching the surface. They quickly became the largest leaves in the garden and threaten to attain their full size in time.

Big fat tomatoes are growing on mature plants while new plants grow and bloom.

One large Bee Balm created such beautiful flowers that one lady asked if she could have a cutting so she could enjoy the same plant in her yard. She loved the Vicks Vapo-rub aroma too. I thought she would say, "Get that stink away from the roses in the vase," but she loved the combination of colors.

My purple Bee Balm bush is shoulder high.

Facebook Biblical Lessons

Norma Boeckler graciously publishes a number of Biblical and catechetical graphics each day on Facebook.

I realized a little explanation might help, so I share them with 1450 friends, with a concise introduction about the meaning of the Biblical passage.

A number of people pass along the graphics through the share feature, which illustrates this saying from Martin Luther -

New Edition of Thy Strong Word Shipped. If I Sent You an Email, You Are Getting One or Two.Send an Email To Get Yours

The first batch of Thy Strong Word: The Efficacy of the Word in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions has been printed and shipped. The first books are going to donors, reviewers, and the award-winning artist.

They take a little time to arrive, even though we use Priory Mail out of Springdale, Arkansas.  The  recent rain might slow down delivery.

If you want a copy or two, send an email and your address to -

greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com

One copy is $12 shipped. Two copies are $20. They are very large.