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 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 National Council of Churches.
The ophthalmologist quite happy with his exam of my eyes. He was surprised with the eye pressure and shocked at the body weight change - minus 55 pounds.
He asked how that happened. I said, "Greens, beans, vegetables, fruit, only a little meat eat day, walnuts - but no pizzas, burgers, and all the other."
He said - now listen up - "Everything that you eat like this is improving each part of your eyes." He listed all the happy parts of the eyes derived from healthy food,
For email, you might just want to tell everyone (post on the blog) that your main email is bethanylutheranworship@gmail.
I FORGOT THE SHARE BUTTON!
Hymn #428 I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus
Collect
Lord, we pray Thee that Thy grace may always go before and follow after us and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual |
I am still working on how to connect with emailing.
Zoom offers emailing, so that might work well in some cases.
I was in the office area when I heard a throbbing sound more like an aircraft. My stomach felt the reverberations. Kids from two houses ran toward the sound. It was an Accura, I was told. The price seemed to be around $50,000. Lights are lit underneath the body of the auto, very impressive at night,
A front headlight was smashed earlier but it was mostly fixed up.
9 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
My email crashed and did not come back. Once upon a time I had Thunderbird email (inexpensive and easy to use. Then I went to the inexpensive later version - Betterbird, yes very corny.
Emails are ultimate now.
I was working on Google Workspace, which did not go well with me. I was resting on those thoughts with Charlie when GW went blank, perhaps fearing an initial use would have to move faster.
Microsoft 365 is supposed to be good.
I would like to see something straightened out.
I just ordered two books on Microsoft emails, one a summary, the other more complete.
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| When a sudden and violent storm blew at the large ELCA church, during "The Vote," the steeple reminded many of Revelation in threats and fears. |
8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
The heat and lack of rain combined to make the garden areas barely alive. Even when actual rain began to fall, normal growth failed to emerge. The new roses began tentatively, timidly, torturously. Finally, I had roses for Doggy Day Care and my Asian friend across the street.
My mushrooms began to sprout and provide some approval. She said - "I am coming over tomorrow!" Oddly enough, I had bags of grocery store mushrooms in the deep freezer, as if they should keep providing until New Year's Day. That is one of those casual mistakes of routinely buying more mushrooms, which have the double role of opposing cancer and improving stew. Onion! My farm-bred parents said, "You don't know what's good for ya. You don't know how good you have it. You know what's wrong?!" Inevitably - "You are spoiled! Spoiled ROTTEN!"
I expect even more storms today, and the backyard continues to absorb more rain. The reluctant roses now have beautiful booms in various places. The much-maligned Joe Pye Weed has been trained down to the soil level for the rest of the season. They have been defeated by cannas, which provided free stops for hummingbirds.
Roses showing up now are Veterans Honor, Fragrant Cloud, Queen of Sween, Elizabeth, and some heavily scented English roses. Ketchup and Mustard - as a rose - was only good for one blooming for the season.
If you need help, there's 24/7 email, chat and phone support from a real person.
greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com Alec
bethanylutheranworship@gmail.com Zach
gmail
I was thinking overnight about the drought of Biblical knowledge and teaching. The Book of Revelation (starting Chapter 8 tomorrow) is vivid, displaying what the final times will offer. It is a combination of the Savior's work as the Creating Word (Genesis 1 and John 1), and His condemning reaction against unfaith or anti-faith.
The Bible holds everything we need to know and far more than we can contain. Nevertheless, people grab for entertainment and even better - for churches' drive-in coffee and car repair (LCMS, Midland, Michigan). As Luther observed, our actions and thoughts are meaningless without faith. How many times have I heard about the numbers!?
Fellow seminary students (Waterloo, Ontario) would ask me, "Why are you studying GREEK?" We had a great old professor (Otto Heick) who taught faith in Jesus Christ, but now they have only a few students in that same building, where dogs are provided to cheer up the chapel. Theology is absent, but cute.
In Memory of Charlie Kirk
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