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The Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry Little Journeys With Martin Luther by William Harley [A22] God's Gift of Speech (The Small Catechism) Sham by Joseph Hocking Michael J. Steck: A Biographical Sketch A Summary of the Christian Faith by Henry Eyster Jacobs Now Available Little Journeys With Martin Luther by William Harley “A Lutheran minister, the Rev. W. N. Harley, of Columbus, Ohio, has recently published a very readable book called “Little Journeys with Martin Luther,” in which by means of a fascinating story he shows from the very words of Luther himself that Luther could not be admitted today to any of the large general bodies of Lutherans in America. – Lutheran Quarterly, Vol 47, 1917. LutheranLibrary.org paperback edition available on Amazon Book Contents Also Available from LutheranLibrary.org About The Lutheran Library Dedication Contents List of Illustrations Collect By Way Of Explanation 1. I Rub My Eyes 2. Luther At Church 3. Getting Acquainted 4. The Doctors Disagree 5. Over The Mountains 6. Unequally Yoked Together 7. The King’s Business Requires Haste 8. Brethren Bland And Otherwise 9. At The Barber’s 10. The Pope Gets A Pelting 11. A Tale Of Mine Host And The Sequel 12. Everything Is Lovely 13. A Fly In The Ointment 14. The Mending Of A Bachelor 15. Where I Stop And You Begin The Remedy: An Interview Copyright Notice How Can You Find Peace With God? Benediction More Than 100 Good Christian Books For You To Download And Enjoy Download the eBook PDF - [Formatted for Computer Use] EPUB - [Apple, Kobo] MOBI - [Kindle] If you request an EPUB or MOBI version, you can expect to receive it within a few hours. If you don't hear back by the next day, check your spam or junk mail folder. This is especially true for yahoo mail. You can also request a copy of this or any Lutheran Library e-book by sending an email to editor@lutheranlibrary.org with the title and format you'd like. Enjoy the book! Order a Printed Copy Print Copy: Little Journeys With Martin Luther by William Harley - “Lutheran Librarian” edition Publication Information Lutheran Library edition first published: 2019 Update: Copyright: CC BY 4.0 Read more Latest Books and Articles Published Little Journeys With Martin Luther by William Harley “A Lutheran minister, the Rev. W. N. Harley, of Columbus, Ohio, has recently published a very readable book called “Little Journeys with Martin Luther,” in which by means of a fascinating story he shows from the very words of Luther himself that Luther could not be admitted today to any of the large general bodies of Lutherans in America. – Lutheran Quarterly, Vol 47, 1917. LutheranLibrary.org paperback edition available on Amazon Book Contents Also Available from ... Read more [A22] God's Gift of Speech (The Small Catechism) “The boneless tongue, so small and weak, Can crush and kill,” declared the Greek. “The tongue destroys a greater horde,” The Turk asserts, “than does the sword.” The Persian proverb wisely saith, “A lengthy tongue, — an early death;” Or sometimes takes this form instead: “Don’t let your tongue cut off your head.” “The tongue can speak a word whose speed,” Says the Chinese, “Outstrips the ... Read more Sham by Joseph Hocking “He remembered the thoughts that had flooded his mind when first the idea came to him to take Barcroft’s identity; to be Barcroft… He had only wondered whether he could carry out the project successfully. Then he had come to his decision. He had buried Barcroft’s body under the débris of the mining camp. He had dressed himself in Barcroft’s clothes; he had appropriated his papers, his bank-book, his possessions, his name, and had come to England as the Vicar of St. ... Read more Michael J. Steck: A Biographical Sketch As a pastor he was faithful and zealous. His whole time seemed consecrated to the spiritual improvement of his people. During the thirty-two years of his ministry, it is supposed he preached upwards of eight thousand sermons, baptized five thousand persons, and received into the church, by the rite of confirmation, more than two thousand. On This Page Michael J. Steck.  We gaze around, We read their monuments: we sigh; and while We sigh, we sink; and are what we deplor’d; ... Read more A Summary of the Christian Faith by Henry Eyster Jacobs A Summary of the Christian Faith has been appreciated by Christians since its original publication for its easy to use question and answer format, its clear organization, and its coverage of all the essentials of the Christian faith. It’s a remarkable book which promises many hours of pleasure for a new generation of Christians. Two essays on election and predestination are included, including Luther’s Speculations Concerning Predestination. May God richly bless you as you use ... Read more [A21] The Law of Mine and Thine (The Small Catechism) “Luther felt that the disposition to dishonesty and the practice of it was extremely prevalent in his day. He says: ‘God has commanded that no one damage or curtail the possessions of his neighbor. To steal signifies nothing else than to obtain another’s property by unjust means. It briefly embraces every method, in all lines of business, by which advantage is taken of our neighbor. Stealing is a widespread, universal vice. But it is so little regarded and seriously ... Read more Christopher Emanuel Schultze: A Biographical Sketch Moved with a feeling of compassion, and imbued with the missionary spirit, they were willing to forsake the comforts of home, the endearments of society, to make any sacrifice, and to submit to any toil, that they might subserve the cause of Christ, and be instrumental in the salvation of souls. Their energetic devotion to the principles they professed, their faithful and self-denying efforts for the extension of the Redeemer’s kingdom, beautifully illustrate their Christian ... Read more May God cause his face to shine upon you and bring you peace. From Your Lutheran Librarian editor@lutheranlibrary.org

Skinny-Bo Gets Owned by Sassy

 Sassy is used to being in charge.

Mrs. Gardener's dog next door always wears the "Let's play" look on his face. He escaped the first time with Chuckie and came back on his own, bouncing around me at Ranger Bob's house.

The second time I reported him missing, Mrs. Gardener opened the door. In mid-phrase about how I lost her dog, Skinny showed up. His formal name is Bo, so I call him Skinny-Bo now. I think he loves his nickname. He acted as if he was just joking, disappearing on me.

I began pulling their garbage barrels out some time ago, because Mr. Gardener had a bad heart. After his death I continued because it is easy to do and his widow is rather tiny.

Yesterday I walked over to the gate to give Skinny-Bo a little time and attention. He enjoyed it so much that he pushed the gate open and tore out at top speed. Every time he raced back toward the gate he took a hard left and headed into our garden. This lasted a few minutes.

I put Sassy inside before this, but I got her outdoors for the next  task. I said, "Get Skinny-Bo." They are mutually jealous, so in no time Sassy assumed her command position. Bo came back and tried to kiss up to her. Sassy barked loudly in his face. Repeat. Bo was gradually becoming contrite.

Sassy has a way with other dogs. She is in charge and they know it. Soon I had Bo in his yard, the gate secure against his energy and trickery.

Mrs. Ichabod was not sympathetic. "How did the gate open up? You didn't get near it and tempt that rascal?" I had to confess 5% of the blame.

Sassy got a thorough petting for her help and plenty of praise. She enjoyed the rewards and collect some food treats.

The repairman found out how much Sassy enjoys dog-lovers. She detected his dog on his clothing and stayed around him. We had some minor leakage that created some warped drywall in the kitchen. He cut that away and repaired it. When he was done with the drywall, I asked, "Have you seen our kitty?" He said, "No, I haven't." I said, "Did you look in the hole before you sealed it up?" He began thinking... So I said, "We don't have a cat. I couldn't resist."

He had so much water damage to deal with that his final work was delayed several weeks. I am sure he will look for the pet cat from now on.

Works Righteousness - Pietism and All That - From 2013

The CORE (www.gotocore.com)

11 hours ago

• Sunday's Take-Away: How successful have you been this week following Jesus' example of what it is to be a "servant"?

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Leading People Down the Path of Works-Righteousnes...":

A generation ago, we still heard much admonition against falling prey to works righteousness. The Theology of Glory and Works Righteousness go hand in hand. The end result is that one starts tooting their own horn. A broken and a contrite heart O God, thou wilt not despise. The word contrition has fallen out of vogue in today's so called Christianity. Yet, Luther used the word contrition in his Small Catechism.

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narrow-minded has left a new comment on your post "Leading People Down the Path of Works-Righteousnes...":

Thank you for this great post. I can attest to the fact that Pietism leads to failure. Having grown up Methodist, I gave up on Christ in my late-teens and through my twenties. Jesus was just an example. "Be like David," I was taught. The Bible, especially the OT, was treated as the Life Handbook, with nary a mention of the Promise. So, I want to be a murderous adulterer, like David? I was never taught to look at David's Faith in the Promise.

I recently read that Wesley looked to Constantinople for much of his theology, and it's true. I know one EO priest who came from Methodism, and it's an easy transition. Methodism is just EO without the bells, smells, and intense Mariology.

It amazes me how the Pietists seem to fall the hardest. While I am a miserable failure on my best day, the Pietists seem to succumb to sin worse than anyone, especially in the department of keeping the pants zipped. Look at Martin Stephan. Look at the televangelists.

Any "good" we do apart from Faith is considered sin. If the tree is sick, it will bear no fruit. It is sad, given the great gift the Lutheran Fathers gave us, that the SynCons have thrown away JBFA. Perhaps this is why UOJ is the mainstay today, because Pietists eventually come to the realization that their works are like filthy rags. If we despair of our sin without Faith, Universalism is the only hope.

Praise to the Triune God for the Gift of Faith!

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GJ - Hoenecke has the key distinction. He could put an entire essay into one sentence - The Pietists confuse sanctification with justification and make the first the cause of the second.

There are only two justifications. One excludes the other. Justification by works is the most popular, not only excluding but persecuting justification by faith. Since this tree is evil, it can only produce corrupt fruit.

Justification by faith excludes all human works as a cause for our forgiveness. Justification by faith necessarily leads to those fruits which the Pietists urge upon everyone but cannot produce from their works-righteousness. Faith makes the tree good, as Luther reminds us, and so the good tree produces abundant fruit.

My two friends from high school were ordered not to smoke and threatened by their parents if they smoked. My classmates were Methodists, and they became cigarette addicts. Law motivation energizes a rebellion and clearly defines how adolescents can make parents go crazy.

Universal Objective Justification is Pietistic gasoline poured on the fire. UOJ only knows the law, since faith has been excluded. Therefore, the law-encased sinner becomes Antinomian when told he was born forgiven and saved, end of story, period (DP Jon-Boy Buchholz). Confused and illiterate in Biblical theology, he is taught to make a decision for UOJ to be forgiven personally - as opposed to globally. That obliterates any understanding of the Means of Grace.

Bragging about Works - Typical Corrupt Fruit

The worst problem manifests itself in bragging about "sharing Jesus.'

Tim Glende defines himself as: Passionate about sharing Jesus in the Valley. Hard worker.

Ski made his personal mission statement (repeated in many places) -

"Our church’s mission statement downtown is this... The Core exists to transform lives for Jesus through faith that is real, relevant and relational.  My personal mission statement is this, because I’ve developed my own... From every pore of my body, I will ooze Jesus Christ so that in this world, as I brush up against people, my sweaty, oozy Jesus will get all over them!  Every day he gives you opportunities.  Every day!"

And it is still on the websty of the church where Gausewitz' father preached.

If Ski is looking for work, even though DP Doug promised his return to The CORE, 
he could always work at Am Oozing Love Church, also endorsed by WELS with a big fat grant and absolution for plagiarizing just about everyone.

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Comments on Works-Righteousness. Luther Said Peopl...":

If we despair of our sin without Faith, Universalism is the only hope

What a true observation!

LPC

Upcoming Publishing and Educational Events

 Treasures from Luther's House Postils - full color - is only $3.65 when ordered directly from the Ich-abode. Copies might used as extra Christmas presents - sent stealthily to OJ fans. The Kindle version of Treasures is only 99 cents.

But Wait! There's More!

 A coffee hobbyist showed me how much could be put on one Kindle, so I asked Janie Sullivan to create a Kindle with all the House Postils and the Treasures. $2.99. That means 1,000 pages of Luther with Norma Boeckler's beautiful illustrations.

I will be checking to make sure both versions are in the free PDF folder for downloading from Dropbox. You do not need Dropbox to download those files.

My author's price is always about 40% of Amazon's non-profit price, because they add an extra amount for their profit.

I am thinking about how to treat the Ichabod Lutheran Lectionary, and I think I have a plan to limit it and make it useful - dealing with disputed topics and not trying to cover everything. Writing condensed topics is hard, slow work, so trying to write another RGG would never end.

Likewise, a history of American Lutherdom has to be focused rather than flitting from name to name, date to date. For that reason I am treating that as earlier (General Synod) and later (Walther cult) Pietism, since both branches come from Halle University Pietism and Rationalism.

But first, I am working on two projects.

1. Updating the language of a public domain Luther's Galatians Commentary.
2. Writing CFW Walther, The American Calvin.

 Pilgrim's Progress - the most read book in the English language, after the Bible, and translated into 200 languages.

Educational Programs

We are finishing the Gospel of Mark in Greek this Wednesday.

I am planning on teaching Pilgrim's Progress (Ustream) from January to Ash Wednesday, about 8 sessions. There will be a separate Facebook page for the alerts and the links.

The Gospel of John in Greek (Ustream) will start after Pilgrim's Progress, aiming for beginners but welcoming the veterans. There is nothing like having some knowledge of this Gospel in Greek and then repeating the process, reading it all over again. We will start slowly and complete the entire Gospel in Greek.

Reasons for Veterans To Return to the Fourth Gospel in Greek

• First, there is the added knowledge of the Fourth Gospel, aka the Gospel of Faith, aka the Doctrinal Gospel.
• Second, starting over with a reading knowledge means no longer wobbling along like a kid on his first two-wheeler.

Lutheran seminarians, they are fooling you if you think an introduction to Greek in summer school is going to be worth much. It takes time with the Greek text, no written-in words, no ponies (jimmies) to use while pretending to translate. Grammar and vocabulary are derived from reading, but translating is not derived from memorizing lists of vocabulary words and obscure grammar rules.

Some Possible Future Projects

Pastor Jordan Palangyos has asked about future book projects, and I am thinking about some Biblical booklets that can be used in English and also translated and and printed in Ilocano.

 Glen Kotten is our ambassador to the Philippines. We met him and worshiped with Chris and Pastor Jim Shrader in Sioux Falls in October. His church is also helping with the Philippine mission.

Millionaire Warren Sells $25 Mug via Spotify Billionaire Tobi Lutke. Greater Irony? - LutherQuest Claiming To Be Lutheran, Honoring Luther's Birthday!

Even Worse! Concordia Publishing House