Gerhardt: I Will Sing My Maker's Praises

"I Will Sing My Maker's Praises"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. Sollt' ich meinem Gott nicht singen?
Sollt' ich ihm nicht dankbar sein?
Denn ich seh in allen Dingen,
wie so gut er's mit mir mein'.
Ist doch nichts als lauter Lieben,
das sein treues Herze regt,
das ohn' Ende hebt und trägt,
die in seinem Dienst sich üben.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

1. I will sing my Maker's praises
And in Him most joyful be,
For in all things I see traces
Of His tender love to me.
Nothing else than love could move Him
With such sweet and tender care
Evermore to raise and bear
All who try to serve and love Him.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

3. Sein Sohn ist ihm nicht zu teuer, 2. in English below.
nein, er gibt ihn für mich hin,
daß er mich vom ew'gen Feuer
durch sein teures Blut gewinn'.
O du unergründ'ter Brunnen,
wie will doch mein schwacher Geist,
ob er sich gleich hoch befleißt,
deine Tief' ergründen können?
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

2. Yea, so dear did He esteem me
That His Son He loved so well
He hath given to redeem me
From the quenchless flames of hell.
O Thou Spring of boundless blessing,
How could e'er my feeble mind
Of Thy depth the bottom find
Though my efforts were unceasing?
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

6. Meiner Seele Wohlergehen 3. in English below.
Hat er ja recht wohl bedacht.
Will dem Leibe Not zustehen,
Nimmt er's gleichfalls wohl in acht.
Wenn mein Können, mein Vermögen
Nichts vermag, nichts helfen kann,
Kommt mein Gott und hebt mir an
Sein Vermögen beizulegen.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

3. All that for my soul is needful
He with loving care provides,
Nor of that is He unheedful
Which my body needs besides.
When my strength cannot avail me,
When my powers can do no more,
Doth my God His strength outpour;
In my need He doth not fail me.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

7. Wenn ich schlafe, wacht sein Sorgen 4. in English below.
Und ermuntert mein Gemüt,
Daß ich alle lieben Morgen
Schaue neue Lieb' und Güt'.
Wäre mein Gott nicht gewesen,
Hätte mich sein Angesicht
Nicht geleitet, wär' ich nicht
Aus so mancher Angst genesen.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

4. When I sleep, He still is near me,
O'er me rests His guardian eye;
And new gifts and blessings cheer me
When the morning streaks the sky.
Were it not for God's protection,
Had His countenance not been
Here my guide, I had not seen
E'er the end of my affliction.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

8. Wie ein Vater seinem Kinde 5. in English below.
sein Herz niemals ganz entzeucht,
ob es gleich bisweilen Sünde tut
und aus der Bahne weicht:
Also hält auch mein Verbrechen
mir mein frommer Gott zugut,
will mein Fehlen mit der Rut'
und nicht mit dem Schwerte rächen.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

5. As a father never turneth
Wholly from a wayward child,
For the prodigal still yearneth,
Longing to be reconciled,
So my many sins and errors
Find a tender, pardoning God,
Chastening frailty with His rod,
Not in vengeance, with His terrors.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

9.Weil denn weder Ziel noch Ende 6. in English below.
sich in Gottes Liebe find't,
ei, so heb' ich meine Hände
zu dir, Vater, als dein Kind,
bitte, woll'st mir Gnade geben,
dich aus aller meiner Macht
zu umfangen Tag und Nacht
hier in meinem ganzen Leben,
Bis ich dich nach dieser Zeit
Lob' und lieb' in Ewigkeit.

6. Since, then, neither change nor coldness
In my Father's love can be,
Lo! I lift my hands with boldness,
As Thy child I come to Thee.
Grant me grace, O God, I pray Thee,
That I may with all my might,
All my lifetime, day and night,
Love and trust Thee and obey Thee
And, when this brief life is o'er,
Praise and love Thee evermore.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #25
Text: Eph. 5:19, 20
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1659, cento
Translated by: composite
Titled: Sollt' ich meinem Gott nicht singen
Composer: Johann Schop, 1641
Tune: Sollt' ich meinem Gott

1. Sollt' ich meinem Gott nicht singen?
Sollt' ich ihm nicht dankbar sein?
Denn ich seh in allen Dingen,
wie so gut er's mit mir mein'.
Ist doch nichts als lauter Lieben,
das sein treues Herze regt,
das ohn' Ende hebt und trägt,
die in seinem Dienst sich üben.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

2. Wie ein Adler sein Gefieder
über seine Jungen streckt,
also hat auch hin und wieder
mich des Höchsten Arm bedeckt
alsobald im Mutterleibe,
da er mir mein Wesen gab
und das Leben, das ich hab
und noch diese Stunde treibe.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

3. Sein Sohn ist ihm nicht zu teuer,
nein, er gibt ihn für mich hin,
daß er mich vom ew'gen Feuer
durch sein teures Blut gewinn'.
O du unergründ'ter Brunnen,
wie will doch mein schwacher Geist,
ob er sich gleich hoch befleißt,
deine Tief' ergründen können?
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

4. Seinen Geist, den edlen Führer,
gibt er mir in seinem Wort,
daß er werde mein Regierer
durch die Welt zur Himmelspfort;
daß er mir mein Herz erfülle
mit dem hellen Glaubenslicht,
das des Todes Macht zerbricht
und die Hölle selbst macht stille.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

5. Seine Strafen, seine Schläge,
ob sie mir gleich bitter seind,
dennoch, wenn ichs recht erwäge,
sind es Zeichen, daß mein Freund,
der mich liebet, mein gedenke
und mich von der schnöden Welt,
die uns hart gefangen hält,
durch das Kreuz zu ihm lenke.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

6. Meiner Seele Wohlergehen
Hat er ja recht wohl bedacht.
Will dem Leibe Not zustehen,
Nimmt er's gleichfalls wohl in acht.
Wenn mein Können, mein Vermögen
Nichts vermag, nichts helfen kann,
Kommt mein Gott und hebt mir an
Sein Vermögen beizulegen.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

7. Wenn ich schlafe, wacht sein Sorgen
Und ermuntert mein Gemüt,
Daß ich alle lieben Morgen
Schaue neue Lieb' und Güt'.
Wäre mein Gott nicht gewesen,
Hätte mich sein Angesicht
Nicht geleitet, wär' ich nicht
Aus so mancher Angst genesen.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

8. Wie ein Vater seinem Kinde
sein Herz niemals ganz entzeucht,
ob es gleich bisweilen Sünde tut
und aus der Bahne weicht:
Also hält auch mein Verbrechen
mir mein frommer Gott zugut,
will mein Fehlen mit der Rut'
und nicht mit dem Schwerte rächen.
Alles Ding währt seine Zeit,
Gottes Lieb' in Ewigkeit.

9.Weil denn weder Ziel noch Ende
sich in Gottes Liebe find't,
ei, so heb' ich meine Hände
zu dir, Vater, als dein Kind,
bitte, woll'st mir Gnade geben,
dich aus aller meiner Macht
zu umfangen Tag und Nacht
hier in meinem ganzen Leben,
Bis ich dich nach dieser Zeit
Lob' und lieb' in Ewigkeit.

Text: Paul Gerhardt (1607 - 1676)
Melodie: Johann Schop 1641
Evangelisches Gesangbuch Nr. 325

Gerhardt: Awake My Heart

Anthem "Awake, My Heart" (Choir, Pipe Organ), by Jane M. Marshall (b.1924), camcorded live 26 October 2008

"Awake my heart and render to God thy sure defender, thy Maker, thy preserver, a song of love and fervor.
Confirm my deeds and guide me: my day, with thee beside me, beginning, middle, ending, will all be upward tending.
My heart will be thy dwelling, with joy and gladness swelling; thy word my nurture, given to bring me on toward heaven."
Text: Paul Gerhardt, (1607-1676)

Church of the Redeemer, Episcopal
Morristown, NJ, USA

The Redeemer Choir
Wayne Burcham-Gulotta,
Music Director/Organist

The pipe organ is J.W. Steere, Opus 701, 3/49, built and installed in the Church of the Redeemer in 1918.

Paul Gerhardt's Hymns - An Introduction

Gerhardt: If God Himself Be For Me

Lutheran Hymn "Ist Gott für mich, so tre­te" played in Reed Organ.
Tune: Ellacombe

Words: Paul Ger­hardt, in Prax­is Pi­e­ta­tis Mel­i­ca, by Jo­hann Crü­ger (Frank­furt, Ger­ma­ny: 1656) (Ist Gott für mich, so tre­te); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ri­chard Mas­sie in Church Psalt­er and Hymn Book (Ox­ford, Eng­land: 1856), by Wil­liam Mer­cer.

Lyrics:
If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy,
For when I pray, before me my foes confounded fly.
If Christ, the Head, befriend me, if God be my support,
The mischief they intend me shall quickly come to naught.

I build on this foundation, that Jesus and His blood
Alone are my salvation, the true eternal good;
Without Him, all that pleases is valueless on earth:
The gifts I owe to Jesus alone my love are worth.

His Holy Spirit dwelleth within my willing heart,
Tames it when it rebelleth, and soothes the keenest smart.
He crowns His work with blessing, and helpeth me to cry
"My Father!" without ceasing to Him Who reigns on high.

To mine His Spirit speaketh sweet words of soothing power,
How God to Him that seeketh for rest, hath rest in store;
How God Himself prepareth my heritage and lot,
And though my body weareth, my Heav'n shall fail me not.

---

"If God Himself Be for Me"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. If God Himself be for me,
I may a host defy;
For when I pray, before me
My foes, confounded, fly.
If Christ, my Head and Master,
Befriend me from above,
What foe or what disaster
Can drive me from His love?

2. This I believe, yea, rather,
Of this I make my boast,
That God is my dear Father,
The Friend who loves me most,
And that, whate'er betide me,
My Savior is at hand
Through stormy seas to guide me
And bring me safe to land.

3. I build on this foundation,
That Jesus and His blood
Alone are my salvation,
The true, eternal good.
Without Him all that pleases
Is valueless on earth;
The gifts I owe to Jesus
Alone my love are worth.

4. My Jesus is my Splendor,
My Sun, my Light, alone;
Were He not my Defender
Before God's awe-full throne,
I never should find favor
And mercy in His sight,
But be destroyed forever
As darkness by the light.

5. He canceled my offenses,
Delivered me from death;
He is the Lord who cleanses
My soul from sin through faith.
In Him I can be cheerful,
Bold, and undaunted aye;
In Him I am not fearful
Of God's great Judgment Day.

6. Naught, naught, can now condemn me
Nor set my hope aside;
Now hell no more can claim me,
Its fury I deride.
No sentence e'er reproves me,
No ill destroys my peace;
For Christ, my Savior, loves me
And shields me with His grace.

7. His Spirit in me dwelleth,
And o'er my mind He reigns.
All sorrow He dispelleth
And soothes away all pains.
He crowns His work with blessing
And helpeth me to cry,
"My Father!" without ceasing,
To Him who dwells on high.

8. And when my soul is lying
Weak, trembling, and opprest,
He pleads with groans and sighing
That cannot be exprest;
But God's quick eye discerns them,
Although they give no sound,
And into language turns them
E'en in the heart's deep ground.

9. To mine His Spirit speaketh
Sweet word of holy cheer,
How God to him that seeketh
For rest is always near
And how He hath erected
A city fair and new,
Where what our faith expected
We evermore shall view.

10. In yonder home doth flourish
My heritage, my lot;
Though here I die and perish,
My heaven shall fail me not.
Though care my life oft saddens
And causeth tears to flow,
The light of Jesus gladdens
And sweetens every woe.

11. Who clings with resolution
To Him whom Satan hates
Must look for persecution;
For him the burden waits
Of mockery, shame, and losses,
Heaped on his blameless head;
A thousand plagues and crosses
Will be his daily bread.

12. From me this is not hidden,
Yet I am not afraid;
I leave my cares, as bidden,
To whom my vows were paid.
Though life and limb it cost me
And everything I won,
Unshaken shall I trust Thee
And cleave to Thee alone.

13. Though earth be rent asunder,
Thou'rt mine eternally;
Not fire nor sword nor thunder
Shall sever me from Thee;
Not hunger, thirst, nor danger,
Not pain nor poverty
Nor mighty princes' anger
Shall ever hinder me.

14. No angel and no gladness,
No throne, no pomp, no show,
No love, no hate, no sadness,
No pain, no depth of woe,
No scheme of man's contrivance,
However small or great,
Shall draw me from Thy guidance
Nor from Thee separate.

15. My heart for joy is springing
And can no more be sad,
'Tis full of mirth and singing,
Sees naught but sunshine glad.
The Sun that cheers my spirit
Is Jesus Christ, my King;
That which I shall inherit
Makes me rejoice and sing.

Hymn #528
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Rom. 8:31-39
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Translated by: based on Richard Massie, 1857
Titled: Ist Gott fuer mich, so trete
Composer: Melckior Teschner, 1613
Tune: Valet will ich dir geben

Gerhardt: Jesus Thy Manger

Paul Gerhardt, 1607 -- 1676
Sung by the Kammerchor of Concordia University Wisconsin.
Set to a new tune by our director, Kenneth T. Kosche.
LSB #372

O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is my paradise at which my soul reclineth. For there, O Lord, doth lie the Word made flesh for us; herein Thy grace forth shineth.

He whom the sea and wind obey doth come to serve the sinner in great meekness. Thou, God's own Son, with us art one, dost join us and our children in our weakness.

Thy light and grace our guilt efface, Thy heavenly riches all our loss retrieving. Immanuel, Thy birth doth quell the power of hell and Satan's bold deceiving.

(Thou Christian heart, whoever thou art, be of good cheer and let no sorrow move thee! For God's own Child, in mercy mild, joins thee to Him; how greatly God must love thee!)

(Remember thou what glory now the Lord prepared thee for all earthly sadness. The angel host can neve boast of greater glory, greater bliss or gladness.)

The world may hold her wealth and gold; but thou, my heart, keep Christ as thy true treasure. To Him hold fast until at last a crown be thine and honor in full measure.

Beautiful Savior - MLC Choir

"Beautiful Savior" under the direction of Eugene B. Nelson, with the Midland Lutheran College Alumni Choir, April 2008 in Fremont, Nebraska.

"Beautiful Savior"
by Author Unknown, 1677
Translated by Joseph A. Seiss, 1823-1904

1. Beautiful Savior,
King of Creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love Thee,
Truly I'd serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.

2. Fair are the meadows,
Fair are the woodlands,
Robed in flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer;
He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

3. Fair is the sunshine,
Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer,
Than all the angels in the sky.

4. Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine!

Hymn #657
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 45: 2
Author: unknown, 1677
Translated by: Joseph A. Seiss, 1873
Titled: "Schoenster Herr Jesu"
Tune: "Schoenster Herr Jesu"
1st Published in: "Schlesische Volkslieder"
Town: Leipzig, 1842

Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer

There is a saying that people who cannot sing are kicked out of Wales early in life. This is additional proof.

Welcome to the Great Depression, Part Deux: Bad News Is Contagious

Synod financial challenge
The Conference of Presidents (COP) and the Synodical Council (SC) met jointly in Milwaukee last week to discuss synodical matters, including the tremendous financial challenges that are expected to become reality in 2009-2010. The stock market decline and rising unemployment have impacted all of our congregations, and the synod is feeling the crunch. Income to the synod budget both from the Schwann (sic)Foundation and from the large donor in Canada will be severely reduced this coming year. There is the severe possibility that revenue shortfalls could approach $7 million dollars! This number, if it becomes reality, will necessitate severe cuts in our synodical work. Let’s work together, by God’s grace, to close that projected gap and continue supporting our shared work in the WELS.

So this Canuck gave a $15 million pledge over 5 years when the going was good, but he is canceling out after 2 payments? I can understand that. All the financial geniuses were turned into roadkill from this mortgages-for-illegals scam. Goldman Sachs is turning down their bonuses for 2008 and will have to survive on their salaries of $600,000.

Mrs. Ichabod said, "How sad for them."

WELS got addicted to Schwan money: it was crack cocaine for them. Unfortunately, spelling is not as habit-forming for Wisconsin. If someone gave me millions per year, I would learn to spell the guy's name, especially if he delivered ice cream bars to my home.

Here are some chilling facts about the economy:

The world markets are undergoing deflation in commodities, one of the hallmarks of the Great Depression. When China cooled down their steel plants, minerals in America lost their luster and prices sank for iron and copper. Oil is down because of decreased demand. Some suspect that speculating caught up with some big traders.

So far, these industries are laying off people in droves: banks (Citibank - 50,000 people), retail (Circuit City gone, Best Buy scared, Linens and Things gone, Mervyns gone, Shoe Pavilion gone), mines, and technology. The technology companies said someone turned the switch to off in October. Cisco reported a 9% reduction in orders for that month.

Hedge funds and mutual funds would like to buy stocks, but they are selling off assets to pay for people cashing out.

Foreclosures may be slowing down, but commercial real estate is just starting to crater. The great Trump is in deep trouble with two different huge projects. We may not have to look at his comb-over much longer. Phoenix has a rows of newly built but empty commercial buildings.

Ford Motor Company's market cap is worth $4 billion today. $1.72 a share.

GM is worth $1.9 billion, market cap. $3.10 a share.

Credit card defaults are so bad that American Express (with supposedly good clients) sought refuge as a bank and asked for a few billion dollars in bailout money. Waves of defaults are expected at the companies where credit risk was greater. Bankruptcies are expected to increase with higher amounts than before, probably from people using cards to keep their mortgages going.

Nobody knows what will happen with derivatives and credit default swaps. I understand very little about them, except they leverage risk.

Have Gunn? Will Travel...Awesome, Awesome

WELS Church and Change: "We have you sewer-rounded."

Pastor Ben's Blog

Got Spent, Drinking in Wisdom from Guru Gunn

Then just recently this week my wife and I returned from Phoenix where we got spent last weekend visiting Crosswalk church. They’re a WELS mission church that started 4 years ago and meets at a high school and God is just blessing their ministry incredibly. So we got to learn what they’re doing and talk ministry with their staff and kick around ideas. It was an awesome experience. And I have to say that it all just reignited in me how really keyed I am to be God’s called servant here in Franklin, WI to lead Victory of the Lamb. I’m constantly just thinking how to sharpen our vision as a church and how we can keep growing and better work together to share the awesome good news of Jesus with a community that’s, if anything, apathetic or indifferent toward it.

The front page has been changed to read more like CrossWalk's:

Casual atmosphere, serious faith.
Are you looking for a place where there's serious Bible teaching, but in an atmosphere that's casual? Victory is a growing church community where "serious" and "casual" walk hand in hand. If a church is the last place you’d normally be, give us a try at Victory of the Lamb!


What’s with our name?
It’s actually pretty simple. It’s all about victory. And it’s all about Jesus. It’s about the victory that Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” came to win for us. It’s about the most positive and powerful message of all time.

Many people have questions about Jesus. Most people don’t know much about him. They might only know what they have heard from others. But some want to find out more. They wonder if what Christians say about him is true. Can he really bring them peace? Can he really bring them closer to God? Can his story really change mine? We believe the answer is yes. Come discover the victory of Jesus—with us!


A church designed to meet you where you are.
We're just a group of people who “come as we are.” You can too. You don’t have to be perfect. We aren’t either. That’s why we invite you to discover the victory that God gives us through Jesus. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, we’d love to have you come be our guest. We worship on Sundays at 9:30 at the Polonia Soccer Club on Hwy 36. For directions, click on the directions tab above. If you have questions, call us at (414) 433-4970 or contact us.

***

GJ - I have one question about CrossWalk, CrossRoads, and all the other silly secular names with cross in them.

Churches are supposed to have religious names. A crosswalk is a place where people go across the street. Are we supposed to think that Gunn teaches Luther's concept about bearing the cross? Jesus' saying about taking up the cross daily? It is more like, "We are not boring. We meet your felt needs. Dress like you are going to change the oil in the car. No hymns (boring). No sermon (can't write one). Just coaching seminars copied from other heretics."

Here is another question - one for WELS. How can CrossWalk and Gunn be held up as examples to infect other congregations when their own constitution is under scrutiny at the moment? They may be Contagious, Purpose-Driven, Missional, and Awesomely Awesome, but are they Lutheran?

CrossWalk in Laveen

Delete Lutheran doctrine, worship, and the name -
so we can grow faster than the national debt.

Inquiries about the progress of the Crosswalk Constitution Committee may be directed to Pastor Steve Degner (scdegner@aol.com ), chairman. The committee has had several opportunities for correspondence and face-to-face meeting with Crosswalk leadership.

***

GJ - There is your opportunity to register your approval or disapproval of one stealth Babtist congregation.

I was alone in opposing Pilgrim Community Church (VP Paul Kuske, Roger Zehms, Floyd Luther Stolzenburg) so I doubt whether WELS pastors have grown spines. There is always a chance. Many laity read this blog. They might not be so timid.

Would'ncha love to read the CrossWalk constitution? Sure, I'll bet they have Lutheran in the watermark of the paper they print it on - in 1 point Elite font. That is what Kuske's Pilgrim did. They finally admitted it was from Kuske's congregation, in print so tiny my eye muscles had to rest for an hour after trying to find it.

I want to be the first to express total agreement with Gunn about one thing:

You are ashamed to be Lutheran?

I am ashamed you are Lutheran, too!

There, I can be as irenic as anyone.

Stealthy to The C.O.R.E.

Ski: "Lutheran in donations, Babtist in doctrine. C.O.R.E."
Website?

Daughter Congregation Installation

November 16, 2008 by Rick

"At the 10:30 service on November 16, 2008, St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church installed James Skorzewski as the pastor of our new daughter congregation named “The CORE.” According to the bulletin, “Christ is at the core of everything we do as a church . . .” CORE is also an acronym that stands for Connecting, Overhauling, Reconciled, and Engaged.

The CORE will not identify itself as a WELS congregation, and might not identify itself as Lutheran. However, the CORE’s new logo does incorporate a cross.

The service was held in our grade school gymnasium and was well attended. Most of the pastors presiding and attending were wearing jeans and silk shirts, and the Milwaukee band Koine played during the service.

The entire musical selection was taken from the WELS hymnal, Christian Worship. The members of Koine are musically talented, and it was refreshing to be able to sing doctrinally solid hymns from our own hymnal.

As part of his installation, Pastor Skorzewski made this vow:

—Do you believe that the Unaltered Augsburg Confession is a true exposition of the Word of God and a correct presentation of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and that the other Confessions in the Book of Concord are also in agreement with this one Scriptural faith? If so, answer “I do.”

— I do.

—Do you solemnly promise that all your teaching and your administration of the sacraments will conform to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions? If so, once again answer “I do.”

— I do.

St. Peter Church is not supporting the CORE financially. Anonymous WELS members are paying for this effort. Also, Pastor Skorzewski along with Pastor Ash are on the Board of Directors of an organization called Church and Change."

---

Rick has left a new comment on your post "Stealthy to the C.O.R.E.":

Mr. Jackson,

I am the original author of this post, it was cut and pasted here in its entirety without permission. I do not approve of its association with the silly photo of Pastor Skorzewski nor with the false accusation that he is a Baptist. Under the fair use laws of the United States, bloggers may quote small excerpts of other articles with appropriate citations and use of quotation marks to show that another is speaking, and without implying endorsement of ideas or positions not belonging to the original author.

Bloggers must also link back to the original article's permalink. Under no circumstance may you republish an entire article without permission. You are hereby requested to fix these violations as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Rick T.

***

GJ - After consulting with my attorneys at Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe, I can respond as follows:

1. This is an anonymous comment, with no last name, no address, no church affiliation, no secret society membership information. Ron Ash, Mark Jeske, or Larry Olson could have posted this. QED - the comment is worthless.
2. The law is clear about Fair Use, which I happen to be studying at the moment for my degree in Yellow Journalism. I quote for scholarly purposes only. This is a non-profit blog. No ads. No income. Just fun work, getting the apostates buzzing like the angry Schwaermer they are.
3. I never heard such ridiculous, legalistic claims as "Bloggers must also link back to the original article's permalink." I link back even though others are not so kind. Be happy, blogger, if you are the actual author - someone besides your Aunt Gertrude is finally reading your anonymous posts. Maybe if you grow a spine you can add a second reader.
4. Ski posted his silly photo, so I reproduced it. He must be proud of the pose since it appeared on his blog. He was proud of by-passing (pun intended) Professor Deutschlander so he could attend the Drive 08 conference with other WELS pastors. He blogged about that. He was proud that Buske and Parlow went, along with others yet unnamed. Drive 08 was organized to promote a stealthy Babtist, Andy Stanley, who cannot admit his church is Babtist - North Point Community Church. Andy is death on infant baptism, so I wonder what deep insights Andy has to offer to Lutheran pastors. You should send an anonymous comment to Andy about honesty.
5. My attorneys said that anyone can copy and paste from my blog. They especially encourage people to copy and paste the orthodox Lutheran quotations I provide. Shucks, you do not need to give me credit for gathering them. I consider it an honor to provide them.

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J has left a new comment on your post "Stealthy to the C.O.R.E.":

These types of posts continue to show how you know very little factual information about Pastor Ski, where he stands on doctrinal issues, and how God as blessed his ministry. If your goal is to stifle the CORE and what God has planned for them then you need to realize you are in fact only helping its cause. God is going to use Ski’s ministry to reach so many people despite your very poor research. Will Ski sacrifice sound Lutheran doctrine in his ministry? No and he sure didn’t while at St. Marcus, but you would never know because I doubt you’ve ever heard him preach, teach, counsel, administer the sacraments, rebuke or witness him perform any other pastoral duty. If however you have, let me know the time, place, and context because odds are I was there with you.

Pastor Ski is Lutheran but you wouldn’t know that because you refuse to take the first step to have this discussion. I realize it is safe to hide behind a blog and consider that your "formal accusation" rather than to have this talk in person (the irony of me saying this in a blog is almost overwhelming. I hope you find that as funny as I do).

The claims you make are almost comical and I will continue to defend Ski. I know Ski would love to have this talk with you but to be honest I doubt he even knows that you, or this blog, exists. I’m sure you’ve had the offers, but if you want to have this talk I’m sure I can help arrange it. I’m serious. I would love to be there and have him explain what he is doing and then to see you, like a man, make these accusations from many of your other postings to his face.

If there is anything I can do to help arrange this, let me know. In the meantime, feel free to bash me, make judgments on my faith and the doctrine I profess because of this post. I’ll willingly take it but please understand that the way you are talking about Ski, Jeske, Buske, The CORE, St. Marcus, etc. is just wrong.

J

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GJ - Of course, J will not give his real name. He will not even name his blog, because he apparently has a blogger blog. Blogger encourages (that is a verb based on the word courage) blog publishers to give their own names. Profile Not Available

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I am quite used to whiny apostates demanding that their own 10 Commandments be followed when they are so negligent about the original version. One Church and Change advocate wants people to turn to Christian Life Resources (nee WELS Lutherans for Life) for family guidance. Like how to dump your wife and marry your secretary? Why is no one blushing in WELS?

I am only posting what is publicly available, thanks to Ski's own blog, Church and Change, St. Marcus, Drive 08, Fuller Seminary, Willow Creek, North Point Community (really Babtist) Church, etc.

I marvel at how WELS pastors are taught to wrinkle their noses in disgust whenever the LCMS is mentioned, yet they fall all over each other to study at Fuller, Willow Creek, North Point, Stetzer-World, and Leonard Sweet-o-rama. If they are not actively bowing to the Enthusiasts, they are pretending none of this is going on.

J, whoever you are, I suggest checking out the Large Catechism. There it says that public doctrine may be reproved publicly. I did not deal with any private sins of Ski. He may have been caught sitting with someone other than his own classmates in chapel (a sin at the Sausage Factory). He may have told the secrets of GA to someone outside the Sausage Links. No, everything I have addressed is freely available on the Internet and discussed with remarkable clarity in the Book of Concord. I highly recommend the book. It will cast a lot of light on the pastoral ministry.

I know many in the WELS system have actively turned future ministers into Fuller clones. They should be roundly condemned for their false doctrine, their open deception, and their weasely ways.

PS - About The C.O.R.E. Nothing makes sense in that title. How does the go with the verb forms? Why are they not in parallel? I know the name was switched officially at the last minute. Did another group of Enthusiasts establish the name first?

The C.O.R.E. will probably go down as the worst name for a stealth church - ever. It reminds me of another program, a unionistic evangelism effort started by a WELS pastor on his way into ecumenism-land. They called it F.I.E.R.C.E. I have forgotten what all the initials meant, except the last one was evangelism. Fierce evangelism seemed a bit strained.

Anti-UOJ Quote of the Day

UOJ Tigers Attack!

"The apostle says 'our,' 'our sins;' not his own sin, not the sins of unbelievers. Purification is not for, and cannot profit, him who does not believe. Nor did Christ effect the cleansing by our free-will, our reason or power, our works, our contrition or repentance, these all being worthless in the sight of God; he effects it by himself. And how? By taking our sins upon himself on the holy cross, as Isaiah 53:6 tells us."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 180. Hebrews 1:1-12; Hebrews 1:3