The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. Luke 10:23-36. The Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan, by Norma Boeckler

The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn # 281     The Savior Calls               1:29

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       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn #259            Flung to the Heedless Winds 1:64 

The Entire Bible is a Sermon about Jesus

The Communion Hymn # 308 Invited, Lord, by Boundless Grace                    1:63

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 # 464     Blest Be the Tie That Binds            1:39 

KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritancebe of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveththe law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

KJV Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Luther’s Sermons on the Good Samaritan

Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast granted us to live in this accepted time, when we may hear Thy holy gospel, know Thy fatherly will, and behold Thy Son, Jesus Christ! We pray Thee, most merciful Father: Let the light of Thy holy word remain with us, and so govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forsake Thy word, but remain steadfast in it, and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Entire Bible is a Sermon about Jesus

KJV Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

The beginning of this lesson is a sermon in itself. Jesus told His disciples privately that the great and wise had longed to hear such words and to see such miracles, and they did not. But the disciples, who were ordinary men by the standards of the day, were able to see and hear what no one else had - ever before.

The same is true of believers. The Bible sells in the millions but many read it with veiled eyes, thanks to 150 years of the new rationalism and various enthusiasms. They have the words before them, but they only see meanings in harmony with their own agenda.

When I tried to show a class of non-Lutherans how the New NIV reversed the meaning of Romans 3 by adding an extra "all," my smartest student said, "But justification by faith is still there." The great and wise in Lutherdom thought one "all" erased justification by faith, but a college student saw through it, acknowledging the impact of one added "all" in one verse. 

Of course, the Jefferson Bible fan club sees the New Testament only in terms of those sections they like - and those parts are few in number. But many Lutherans are no different because they refuse to see the Bible as a whole and mentally erase the other parts from their understanding. That is like saying Gone with the Wind is a novel about farming, since it starts and ends on a Southern plantation.

So, when students in Old Testament write about Adam and Eve, I remind them the key verse is the Promise of a Savior. Forgetting Genesis 3:15 is like Christmas without the Nativity, Easter without the Resurrection, or football without Notre Dame. These are illustrations of the fallacy of emphasis, getting the meaning wrong by leaving out something in favor of the agenda item.

The Fall of Man is the setting for the Promise of the Son of God redeeming the world of sin. 

Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Here we have an excellent sample of a Parable that serves to be a gold mine for agendas, mostly to make people feel guilty and sad. Their agendas are a familiar logical fallacy - the fallacy of emphasis, which I mentioned above. The Parable is certainly about loving one's neighbor, but what comes first?

Luther constantly taught two things from the Bible - faith and love. Faith is our relationship with God, which always needs purification (cross) and strengthening (Means of Grace). Apart from faith, the Bible is no longer the Word of God, but a word about God. 

Clearly there are two parts to this summary of the Torah. One is love of God, the other is love of neighbor. As Hoenecke said so concisely, Pietism confuses the two and makes works the cause of justification rather than the effect of justification.

That is why the entire Bible is a sermon about Jesus, because the purpose of the Scriptures is to create and strengthen faith in the Son of God, our Savior. The Bible presents Jesus as a kindly, gracious, welcoming person who draws people to Him by His forgiving and patient manner. Those who doubt this should consult the ending of John's Gospel, where he stated his purpose - to create faith and through faith, salvation.

John 20:

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

It is also noteworthy that the lawyer wished to justify himself, so his question was no sincere but tricky. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? So do we want a sermon based on a question intended to trap Jesus?

Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

This is where the modern Pharisees find a rant about works rather than a sermon about Jesus. But in fact, they are the unbelievers who put on a big show and do nothing to help anyone.

Their tirades are not any good unless they make everyone feel guilty about not doing this or that. If they have, it is not enough.

Some hometown liberals were bemoaning racial prejudice in the past and stirring up the guilt. I pointed out that I was teaching in a former slave state, one famous for racial conflict - and my classes were filled with all races - no problem. The Gospel unites people. Lutherans coming to America were disgusted by slavery, and Christianity was a key component in ending that horrible practice. Stephan, the founder of the LCMS, had no problem with slavery because his ethnic group used slaves.

Liberal guilt comes from the fallacy that we make up for our sins by doing good things. That never satisfies since it is done for the wrong reasons and is never enough.

Luke 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

Jesus is the Good Samaritan. He went to a man who was barely alive and began to minister to him. He began to heal his wounds (forgiveness). He used oil (the comfort of the Gospel) and wine (the sharpness of the cross). We still use oil for healing. This morning we put coconut oil in the coffee for sore throats and oil on the skin where it was dry and ouchy. Wine is obviously antiseptic, but Luther saw the bite of the wine as the cross. Faith requires knowledge of the cross or initial faith is crushed by immediate negative reactions.

One blogger wondered about impact, so I replied, "Nasty and manipulative messages mean you are right on target." That is the cross, doing what is God-pleasing and having church people treat you like Judas Iscariot and a thousand demons besides.

Notice in the Parable what else Jesus does. First is the initial treatment, then far more than we might expect - being put on a beast of burden (given access to the Gospel), carried to the inn (which is the House of God, where the Means of Grace are distributed), and taken care of there. He stayed with the almost-dead man to help heal him. People want to sit on a park bench and spend hours talking to Jesus, according to Facebook responses. Jesus is there in the Word of God every day, all day.

Luke 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Jesus not only cares for the wounded and dying in the House of God, but He also provides for innkeepers - pastors - to supplement His work in His name, and provides for them as well.

How can this be a works sermons when Jesus asks the ultimate question.

Luke 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Because I was blinded by works rants in the past, I found this ending perplexing, lopsided. Something was wrong. When that seems to be true, the error is in ourselves and not in the text.

The ending is perfect for the meaning. Who is this neighbor we should love? The one who showed mercy (Jesus the Samaritan, the Rejected One).

Go and do likewise - "Love Jesus and the fruit of that love will be works pleasing to God. Salvation begins with faith in Jesus, love for the Gentle Samaritan, and the fruit of that love and faith is kindness to our neighbors..."

Silence Protects the Abusers

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Expanding the Focus

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/09/expanding-focus.html

Before people get bored reading my story, and move on to something more interesting, I am expanding the focus of the Shattered Pulpit to include the perspective of others who have had similar experiences. I can write about it from the victim’s standpoint, but I can’t explain it from any other viewpoint. I think it is important for people to understand what happens as a result of these sins from all angles not just a victim’s.  

The New Focus:
A look behind the closed door of Lutheran clergy sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse with first-hand accounts from victims, family members, congregants, coworkers, leaders, pastors & perpetrators to aid in the understanding & prevention of further exploitation. By reading viewpoints from all angles, people will not only better understand the early warning signs to prevent it, but also the devastating affect that it has on everyoneinvolved.

Author: I survived extensive clergy sexual abuse at the hands of a long-time WELS Lutheran pastor which ultimately destroyed my faith and soul. I share my story with how it started, progressed, the red flags that everyone missed, and how it destroyed me emotionally & spiritually. 

To anonymously share your story, from any angle, email: lilliansuearmstrong@gmail.com

***

GJ - In a parallel story. the NFL uses a similar protection scheme to keep scandals out of the news or to tamp them down as soon as they erupt.

The Synod Presidents are really in charge of damage control, which means denying the obvious, absolving the guilty and unrepentant, and slandering anyone who talks. When I was still following ELCA, the denomination reported scandals in their national magazine and in their news releases. They certainly did not report everything.

So-called news departments are public relations efforts. Someone can track the agenda by what is reported and what is spiked. Herman Otten was always eager to spike stories for the ELS, LCMS, and WELS. His readers did not want to see anything against Holy Mother Synod unless it was part of the Otten-Cascione agenda.

Two major factors in clergy abuse are alcoholism and Thrivent. 

Alcoholism and drug abuse are both the cause and the excuse. "I didn't know what I was doing because I was drunk."

One sure sign of clergy alcoholism is the need to have meetings, "ministries",  and "Bible studies" in bars. I would also look for the alcoholic liver, the belly that extends beyond the normal body shape.

Thrivent fosters abuse by its genocidal support of abortion on demand through the funding of Planned Parenthood. By grouping all the Lutherans together in funding and projects, Thrivent reduces everyone to the lowest common denominator and erases any sense of compassion for the victims. Smooth operations and gobs of money are the goals.

Not WELS - A Valuable Property Stolen by the Episocopalians, Sold to Babtists

GROTON, CT: Bishop Seabury Church sold to evangelical Baptist congregation

By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org
August 21, 2014
The Diocese of Connecticut, which is bleeding money and people and who recently let a bishop go because it can no longer support three bishops, has sold a flagship parish after the congregation was forced to leave following the parish and priest's rejection of the theological and moral innovations of The Episcopal Church.

The building, formerly known as Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church on North Road in Groton, has been sold to Stedfast (sic) Babtist Church, which describes itself as independent Babtist with "one message--the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, and one ministry--the ministry He has given us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." The church is also the home of several other ministries.

No price was given for the sale. The Land Clerk's office in Groton said there was an exemption clause on the sale of the building, so no price was available. The diocese also did not reveal how much it received in their press release.

The message of Stedfast Babtist is the same message that the former occupants under Fr. Ron Gauss declared, but a very different message from the one proclaimed by Bishop Ian Douglas, the diocesan Bishop of Connecticut, whose gospel is more one of inclusion and diversity.
Douglas had already lost what became known as the "Ct. Six" -- the most active orthodox Episcopal parishes in his diocese -- and with it a sizeable portion of income to the diocese. Fr. Gauss was one of the original "Ct Six." After the group lost their suit in federal court to preserve their rights of worship, the Bishop of Connecticut and his Diocese filed suit against the rector and vestry of Bishop Seabury Church in 2008 to establish their ownership of the property under the supposed terms of the trust unilaterally imposed by the malodorous Dennis Canon. The trial court ruled against the parish in 2010; the Connecticut Supreme Court upheld the trial court's decision in September 2011; and the United States Supreme Court declined to review that decision earlier this year.

Douglas set a policy, reinforced by the national Church and Mrs. Jefferts Schori, of "no negotiations for properties and no sale to Anglican churches." The parish had attempted to negotiate with the bishop but to no avail. Fr. Gauss had sought a negotiated settlement, but the response was a temporary rental -- nothing else.

According to a press release from the diocese, the last 18 months have seen lay and ordained leaders from the Bishops' Office and from Episcopal parishes in Gales Ferry, New London, Niantic, Norwich, Poquetanuck, Stonington, Mystic, and Yantic attempting ways of discerning what God is up to in Groton and its environs, and how the resources of the Bishop Seabury Church might best be used to extend God's mission in Groton and across Connecticut.
In a community-wide meeting in January, representatives of the neighborhood, social service agencies, other faith communities, and municipal offices all shared their hopes and dreams, needs and aspirations for Groton. The meeting came up empty-handed despite the need for housing for wounded veterans, a community center, and a soup kitchen. In the end, it was decided that the best option would be to sell the building to another Christian community and use the proceeds to support a new missionary program of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut if indeed that ever comes about.

So with all these efforts of liberal do gooders, and despite the tremendous need in the area, all the surrounding parish leaders could not come up with anything, even with a soup kitchen, to keep the property from being sold. Finding no basis therefore in keeping the property, the diocese sold it to an evangelical Babtist congregation who, they say, will keep the gospel alive under the noses of liberal Episcopalians.

"There is irony heaped upon irony here," the Ven. Ronald S. Gauss, Rector of Bishop Seabury Anglican Church, Gales Ferry, CT, told VOL. "These Babtists no more tolerate homosexual behavior than we do; they have a clear fix on the gospel as we do; and now they have bought the property from one of TEC's most liberal bishops. God has got a great sense of humor."
A further irony is that the Babtist church is growing and they were looking to relocate to a new and larger facility. The money was too good to pass up for Bishop Douglas as he watches his parishes age and wither and income into the diocese drops.

In a press release, Douglas said of the sale, "I am delighted that the building formerly known as Bishop Seabury Church will continue to be a house of prayer for sisters and brothers in Christ. And I am particularly excited that the resources freed up by the sale of the building will help to underwrite a new missionary program through the Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. After all, Bishop Samuel Seabury, the first bishop in The Episcopal Church, was a pioneering missionary in these parts in the early years of American independence. I can think of no better use of the money coming from the sale of the church that bears his name than to support new missionaries in Connecticut today."

Said Fr. Gauss; "If the building was not going to be used by our congregation, it couldn't have been put to better use. One note is that Bishop Seabury Church in all of its 140 years of existence was never called Bishop Seabury Episcopal Church. The original name was Bishop Seabury Memorial Church, and later shortened to Bishop Seabury Church. The Diocese has removed The Seabury Window, and all other memorial items (The Seabury Pulpit, Altars and Lecterns) from the property. It is my prayer that they are put to good use and not just stored away somewhere or sold. Hopefully the funds obtained from the "short sale" of Bishop Seabury Church will be used to present the REAL Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and not the socially correct Gospel that caused Bishop Seabury Church to depart the Episcopal Church."

Several WELS cronies of Mark Jeske stole this congregation,
St. John in Milwaukee.

Where was the protest from the Love Shack
when St. John's property and endowment were stolen?

Even the Seminary President's Name Is Ambiguous. Save the Date - October 12, 2014. Will She Do an Ellen Afterwards?

Robin Steinke is the only woman Lutheran seminary president, the first woman to head Luther.
Liz Eaton is the first woman to head a Lutheran denomination.
Rebecca M. Bergman is first woman president of Gustavus Adolphus College.
Paula J. Carlson is the first woman president of Luther College. 

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

THE INAUGURATION OF ROBIN J. STEINKE

SERVICE OF INSTALLATION

Save the Date!

October 12, 2014

3 p.m.

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, Minn.

Preaching: The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA Presiding Bishop

A reception will follow the service.

Get directions to Shepherd of the Valley.

ROBIN STEINKE

President

The Rev. Dr. Robin Steinke came to Luther Seminary as president in June 2014. She was the first woman in the 145-year history of the seminary to be named to the position.

Prior to coming to Luther Seminary, Steinke was the dean of the seminary and professor of theological ethics and public life at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, where she served from 1999. She previously served as an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor; a training manager and financial planner at American Express Financial Advisors; and a middle school band director in Marietta, Ga. Steinke is a graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. She holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Sacred Theology from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in England.

Steinke is known for her strategic leadership and passion for sharing the gospel. She is involved in a number of important church and academic initiatives. She is currently co-chairing the national ELCA Theological Education Advisory Council that is evaluating and exploring the future of theological education. She serves as the ELCA Representative to the Lutheran World Federation Council and chairs their Endowment Fund. She is a member of the ELCA Ecclesiology Task Force and serves on a number of other church and academic committees. She previously served a six-year term as a commissioner for the Association of Theological Schools’ Commission on Accrediting.

***

GJ - A reader noted that Phyllis Anderson (married) became the first woman seminary president when she replaced Timothy Lull, who died after heart surgery. Below is Anderson with the entire incoming class at Berkeley, which had to merge and sell its valuable property to stay alive.

The prez with less than 20 incoming seminary students.
Why not host a secret initiation ritual, the way WELS does, and lie about it?
These are details about the amalgamation.

---

Grumpy Luther wrote:

Whenever I see a portrait of Robin Steinke, all I can think of is the "It's Pat" skits they used to do on Saturday Night Live.

If you are not familiar with that, Pat was a sexually ambiguous character.  The whole theme of the skit usually involved the other characters trying to figure out if Pat was a man or woman.

So, ditto with this Robin lady...er...dude....ah...well, anyway....

Fun with Cold Weather

The cold and rain has arrived here, though no snow for now. We were sweltering and batting at insects. Now I am thinking about cold weather projects.

I just ordered spinach so I can start it now, cover it for the winter, and harvest in the spring when the insects are not out and the spinach is crunchy with moisture. Fall-planted spinach will last through a bitter Minnesota winter and pop up for early spring.

Peas can be planted extra early in the spring, far earlier than people imagine.

Lettuce also loves cold and rain but bolts and turns bitter with heat.

Fall means the hardy bulbs will arrive soon and be planted: tulips, garlic, daffodils, giant aliums, crown imperials. Garlic will be my deterrent against predators going for the tulips. That may work.

I also started with suet, which I can buy at the meat market. I told them, "If the raccoons find it first, I am cutting off their supply."

Fat-loving birds are the ones that eat insects, so we want to see chickadees, starlings, woodpeckers, and many others clustered around the suet bags.

Why Did Wisconsin Lutheran College Pick Archbishop Weakland To Speak? - Perhaps the Answer Is Here

Roman Catholic Archbishop R. Weakland said that children wanted sex with adults.
He protected his priests and had his own homosexual affair.
Wisconsin Lutheran College hired him and his priests to lecture to the public -
and denied it.
Blackmail and embezzlement - familiar topics in WELS.

A reaction to Weakland protecting abusers can be found here.

http://www.abusedinwisconsin.com/St_Johns_School_for_the_Deaf.aspx

John Doe 16

In the 1990's, many of Father Murphy's victims began to break their silence and report their abuse to the Archdiocese. Among those who reported was “John Doe 16”. John Doe 16, now an adult, and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Father Murphy at St. John's School for the Deaf, reported the abuse to Archbishop Weakland in 1994 and began a several year quest to have the Vatican hold the abuser accountable and remove him from the priesthood. After much back and forth between Catholic officials in Rome and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Murphy was never held accountable, never removed from the priesthood and when he died in 1998 Murphy was dressed in full vestments and a funeral mass was presided by Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba. 

New York Times Report 2010

In March, 2010, an article by Laurie Goodstein and David Callender in the New York Times reported on the Murphy debacle:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/us/27wisconsin.html 

John Doe 16 v. Holy See

In April of 2010, after years of dealing with a life time of severe emotional distress from his abuse as a child, John Doe 16, represented by Jeff Anderson and associates, filed a lawsuit in United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Division. The law suit, titled "John Doe 16 v. Holy See" names Pope Benedict and two of his top aides as defendants. 

The suit alleges that the pope, in an earlier role before his election, and other Vatican officials failed to discipline Murphy in the 1990s when US Church officials discovered the abuse, reported it to the Vatican and wanted him defrocked. 

The filing of the lawsuit, is the second such filed by Jeff Anderson and Associates on behalf of a victim of clergy abuse. 

CNN Documentary: John Doe 16 Breaks His Silence

In September of 2010, just a short time after filing his lawsuit against the Holy See, Terry Kohut, AKA John Doe 16, broke his almost 50 years of silence and spoke to CNN about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at St. John's School for the Deaf. Click Here for CNN Documentary 

Later that year, Terry Kohut and fellow St John's victim of Father Murphy, Steve Geier, were featured in the magazine Deaf Life. http://www.deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/kohut.html 




Index of articles about Wisconsin Lutheran College's beloved Archbishop Weakland.

Fungi Are Smarter Than People - I Read That in a Book

This fungus is smarter than you and I put together.

Fungi produce special structures— for example, mushrooms above ground or truffles below— to disperse spores. Since fungi grow in all sorts of environments, they have devised some elaborate methods to achieve spore dispersal, including attractive scents, triggers, springs, and jet propulsion systems. To ensure survival, fungal spores can develop tough membranes that allow them to go dormant for years if the conditions are not right for immediate germination. 
Jeff; Lowenfels, Jeff (2010-09-10). Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Kindle Locations 860-861). Timber Press. Kindle Edition.

As one scientist observed, evolution gets increasingly difficult to promote at the microscopic level. Man-made devices, like the Swiss watch, look crude under a scanning microscope. God's Creation is a marvel of engineering. The author--an evolutionist and global warmist--has to use unusual language to explain how simple fungi can serve as the primary decomposition agents in the soil.

It is perfectly clear to the author - fungi have devised elaborate methods to achieve success! Likewise, desert plants have figured out that waxy leaves will ensure survival in the blazing sun. There must have been conferences of fungi and cacti, because both groups have many different strategies for dealing with the same issues in their environments.

That Chemical Factory in Our Plants
Intricate chemical systems created by God are used by bacteria and fungi to decay matter and hold nutrients in the soil to feed to plant roots. Harvesting some beans and tomatoes made me think about the more elaborate chemistry of plant cells turning solar energy and basic chemicals from the roots to fashion:

• Sunflowers - loaded with minerals, protein, and oil.
• Corn - sugar that turns to starch after harvesting, oil.
• Beans - carbohydrates.
• Spinach - fiber and iron.
• Potatoes - comfort food and a vitamin pill.
• Squash family - B vitamins in abundance.
• Cabbage family - cold weather plants with great nutrition.
• Carrots - sweet when raw, sweeter after a frost, like candy when cooked.

Lacking the ocean of life in the soil, the plants would never grow. And yet the plants also feed the soil. Most gardening books seem to think of compost as returning the organic matter to the soil, but more is involved than that. Although we eat the fruit, seed, roots, and tubers of these plants, we have a big plus when returning the garden trash to the soil.

1. The roots have penetrated the soil and established fellowship with fungi and bacteria.
2. Tap roots have mined the minerals from below.
3. Plants have formed cellulose, lignin, and carbohydrates for soil creatures to break down and store in the soil.
4. Rotting roots have fed soil life and left channels for rain and air to penetrate. The soil actually breathes when it rains.

Simply knowing the mutual dependencies of Creation can make us gifted gardeners who are the envy of the rototiller fan club.

Rototilling; spraying with herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and miticides; compacting soil; removing organic material from lawns and under trees —all these human practices affect the soil food webs in your yard and gardens. Once a niche is destroyed, the soil food web starts to work imperfectly. Once a member of a niche is gone, the same thing happens. In both instances, the gardener must step in to fill the gap, or the system completely fails. Rather than working against nature [GJ - Creation?], the gardener had better cooperate with it; and this, as we shall see, does not require a lot of hard labor— not if the gardener understands and teams up with the soil food web, letting its members do the work.
Lowenfels, Jeff (2010-09-10). Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Kindle Locations 1517-1520). Timber Press. Kindle Edition.

To get this Knockout rose bloom, I dug a hole in the lawn, put the plant in it,
mulched it, and added red wiggler earthworms.

Book Stores Selling E-Book Readers - That is the Lutheran Church Today

Many times I have walked into a bookstore, only to find a man behind the counter, right at the front, selling e-book readers. I wanted to say, "Do you realize you are selling the tool to close down this store for good?"

No one read my thoughts, and one favorite bookstore chain shut down completely - and they had the best oatmeal cookies ever.

The Lutheran Church anticipated this foolishness, engaging in it wholesale across denominational lines. Fuller Seminary? ELCA pastors were there in droves. So were LCMS pastors - and WELS/ELS pastors. The excitement was so great that James Tiefel in WELS and Paul Tiefel in the CLC (sic) fell under the spell - a great movement for little minds, flinty hearts, and no soul.

The Big Two and the Little Three comprise 99.99% of Lutherans in America, and they are all engaged in training pastors and laity to leave Lutheran doctrine and worship for good. No one admits it. Not at all. They are all "confessional Lutherans."

SP Mark Schroeder (WELS) has the audacity to call WELS orthodox while promoting the Mark Jeske Church and Change fund-raising operation at every opportunity.

SP Matt Harrison hymns the Olde Synodical Conference while transcending the battle, a battle that was never fought, since the Missouri leaders pushed it down on everyone while denying it was there.

Consider this - the Lutherans who grew up in the LCA and ALC of the past were far more Lutheran than the Olde Synodical Conference fakes of the present. The ALC/LCA members went to church expecting to sing real hymns and chant the liturgy. They did not crave feminist Bibles, feminist Creeds, and women teaching men. They were raised on the foundation of the English language, the King James (Tyndale) Bible, directly connected to Tyndale's study under Luther and Melanchthon.

The LCA/ALC members expected to hear a pipe organ, which supports hymn singing better than any other instrument. They looked forward to Biblical sermons rather than coaching or success story talks. They did not have monstrous screens hanging from the ceiling, nor did they expect a rock band cluttering the chancel with their instruments and befouling the narthex with their latest CDs on sale.

One of my good friends is a minister of music at an Evangelical church. When he learned that I still wore a robe and conducted the liturgy, he burst into laughter. I do not mind that he and his congregation have their style - that is their business. But I mind very much that Lutherans did not have the nerve to resist the total saturation of their denominations with the Fuller agenda.

More about Driscoll

This is the link about Driscoll's abusive language. Is it a wonder that the same language was reported in the Anything Goes District of WELS, after two chumps went to a Driscoll conference?

Positive Response after The Shattered Pulpit Blog Posted

Monday, September 8, 2014

Synod Responds within Hours

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/09/synod-responds-within-hours.html

Within hours of my last post that a registered sex offender was listed in the Synod Yearbook, I received official word from the WELS Synod Administration office that they had already taken the necessary steps to remove this individual from the yearbook. It was an oversight that he was included in the first place and they do not have his name in the 2015 synod yearbook.

I feel like a thousand pound weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I have struggled for months over that one issue and if that meant God condoned what happened to me also. Today knowing, without a doubt, that it was NOT intentional and the Synod does NOT condone that type of behavior, gives me a tremendous amount of peace and relief.

Over the course of time, my thinking has become so warped that I no longer know what “my way” of thinking is and what is “normal” thinking. In my mind I am terrified of God, therefore, I constantly look for ways to further doubt him and “prove” that he truly is evil and condoned what happened. My brain is so programmed to proving that God is evil that it is an instinctive reaction to everything now. I have dwelled on that yearbook point for countless hours wondering, whereas, a “normal” person would be able to immediately process that as unintentional and go on with life. I, however, let it become a major stumbling block of doubt for me instead.

I think one of the biggest impacts in my healing has been writing because as I write, I get responses from people that truly mold my journey and aide with the healing process. I have become SO convinced that God is this “evil being” up in heaven causing pain that it’s my primary focus now. However, through this journey, I am finding many people who are proving that theory wrong and showing me a loving God instead. That it’s “my way” of seeing God and not how God actually is.

Several pastors have also written offering me tremendous amounts of support with my journey and that, combined with the Synod Administration response, gives me an indescribable amount of peace today. Up until TODAY, I always had that nagging doubt that God condoned this. Today that was finally put to rest.

Today is the VERY first time, since this all began that I can honestly say God doesn’t condone what happened - and actually believe it. I can’t even find the words to describe the peace that I feel because of that. When you have been terrified of God for so long, and to such a degree, coming to realization that God and the church, as a whole, doesn’t condone what happened is the most amazing feeling on earth!

Maybe I can survive this journey after all. Maybe there is hope for recovery. To all the pastors that are showing me how God, and the church, really is thank you. Thank you for hope and this incredible amount of peace that I have today because of that!

***

GJ - One Satanic temptation is thinking that such evil is condoned. Most people are disgusted and alarmed at this behavior, and they do not comprehend what is being hidden from them. The greater the scandal, the greater the motivation to hide it.

Jeske's Church and Changers have engaged in gorilla warfare for years to get their guys in jobs and their wild hair projects funded. They are bullies and thugs, as everyone has seen from the Engelbrecht-Patterson debacle with Ski and Glende, who are both former hirelings of Jeske.

Moreover, such Dreck as this item from the WELS Meditations is sure to encourage the worst in everyone -

This is from WELS's Meditations, March-May 2014, for Monday, 17 March 2014.  The howler is in the second column which reads:  "No matter what you did yesterday -- or failed to do -- and no matter what you will do tomorrow, God has forgiven you." 

Everyone should encourage Lillian Armstrong, because she has been willing to put her experiences on display to help others. Continue to contact and support her. Here is the contact information for The Shattered Pulpit blog.

Some think that nothing can be done, but things happen as soon as light is shed on evil. Web pages are erased. Denials are issued. Problems are fixed - or at least massaged. 

The situation has to change to the point where officials fear that cover-ups will be even more damning than the facts.