Matt Harrison and the LCMS Finally Found a Heretic in Their Midst - And Al Benke Laughs

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Less Room in the LCMS Brotherhood

http://matthewlbecker.blogspot.com/2015/07/less-room-in-lcms-brotherhood.html

Becker:

Since my ordination into the ministry twenty-six years ago this month, I have had to address several informal and formal accusations against me for "teaching false doctrine" or "doctrine inconsistent with the public teaching of the LCMS." These accusations have included:

(1) denying the inerrancy of the Scriptures;
(2) advocating for the ordination of women to the pastoral office;
(3) rejecting rectilinear prophecy in the OT; and
(4) denying that the first chapters of Genesis must be understood literalistically, as an actual historical account (and holding that the data explained by the theory of evolution need not necessarily contradict our faith in God the Creator).

Prior to April, 2015, I have endured four formal charges of false teaching. Three of those trials had to do with the first, second, and fourth issues above. The process for each of those three cases took between four and five years, lots of energy, lots of money, and reams of paper. (The fourth case--having to do with the third issue above--was dismissed by my District President almost immediately for reasons I will not share here.)

I endured the process of those four cases because I thought the principles involved were worthy of exploring/defending and I thought my accusers were setting up a doctrinal standard that was sub-Lutheran and inconsistent with Article II of the LCMS Constitution. I thought those struggles were worth the effort. I leveled my dissent within the Synod for the same reason.

All of these previous cases ended with my exoneration. That includes the most recent case (issue number two above), the one a NW District Referral Panel finalized in my favor last October.

What was supposed to be "final," however, turned out not to be "final." President Harrison attacked me on his Facebook page, as did others elsewhere on the internet. Several LCMS district conventions have now also passed resolutions that call upon me to repent of my teaching. For more on this, see my "For the Record" here.

But now a new charge has been brought against me that deals, once again, with issues one and four. Last April the Rev. Terry Forke, the Montana District President, initiated this latest case. He accuses me of failing to defend the LCMS position that Gen 1-3 are "an historical record." He's also upset that I have failed to reject the theory of evolution. In his letter he calls upon me to recant what I have written in my online essay, "The Scandal of the LCMS Mind," which you can read here.

In light of this most recent charge--and given everything else that has happened since President Harrison's Facebook post against me--last week Rev. Paul Linnemann, the NW District President, asked me to resign from the LCMS.

After a few days of thinking over and praying about his request, I let him know on Friday that I could not in good conscience resign. I told him that I thought such a decision would lend credence to the accusations of my accusers in the Synod, namely, that I have indeed acted improperly and taught falsely. More importantly, I believe that for me to resign would go against my ordination vows and undermine the principles I have sought to defend in each of the cases against me.

Perhaps in some future post I will comment further on the theological issues here. I do think the synod is hamstrung by some of its official documents from its past (e.g., Brief Statement; A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles). As I've tried to point out over the years, there is a better way of articulating the confessional doctrines of creation, sin, and redemption than by insisting on six-day creationism and a literalistic approach to the first chapters in Genesis.

Today I received official notice that President Linnemann has decided "to initiate formal proceedings under Bylaw 2.14.6 and request [my] expulsion from Synod." As an automatic result of this action, I am on "suspended status" under Bylaw 2.13.4.

According to Bylaw 2.14.6c, I have 15 days to appeal my suspension.

Nevertheless, I have told President Linnemann that I will not appeal his decision. Having suffered through those three previous heresy trials--which burdened nearly 17 of the past 26 years of my ministry--my family and I have come to the point of saying, "Enough! No more!"

Consequently, on July 15, I will be removed from the LCMS.

Yesterday I began to make inquiries into the process for becoming rostered in the ELCA. Later this summer my family and I will be joining Christ Lutheran Church (ELCA), here in Valpo.

My imminent expulsion from the synod has saddened me, since this church body that has been my spiritual home for nearly 53 years will no longer be that. As one of my seasoned LCMS teachers told me over the weekend, when I spoke with him about the situation, "This is no longer the synod of Emil Jaech and Emil Becker..."

I am also at peace. I have a clean conscience. Vis-a-vis these five official cases, I don't believe I have said or written anything that goes against my ordination vows or that contradicts or muddies the doctrinal content of the evangelical-Lutheran faith. I do believe that God's grace is sufficient to cover my sins, errors, and failures--and I remain open to correction. (I'm sorry, but the district resolutions that call upon me to repent of my teaching have not convinced me that I am guilty of teaching false doctrine in these matters.)

So I am shaking the dust off my worn sandals and moving on. I am grateful to be able to continue my teaching ministry here at Valparaiso University.

I am grateful, too, for the support I have received from many kindred spirits across and beyond the LCMS. They and the LCMS remain in my prayers.

***

They agree with ELCA that everyone is forgiven and saved.
They are not Lutheran, but they are united in false doctrine
with their big, rich dying sister sect, ELCA.

GJ - If they ever award a gold medal for doctrinal hypocrisy, Matt Harrison will get it.

Matt the Heretic Impaler made his career from working with ELCA and continues to do so. He is happy to have Missouri gather $50 to 60 million a year from Thrivent, a pan-religious business that ardently supports abortion on demand and rainbow marriage.

Becker is representative of a broad swath of LCMS and WELS pastors who ache to agree with ELCA while remaining where they are.

Will Matt toss DP Al Benke for his unrepentant velcro attachment to all things ELCA, various pagan religions, and his computer?

Will Matt offer Paul McCain to the howling mob, for plagiarizing Rome and various blogs while posing as a "confessional" Lutheran, whatever that means today?

Fun Morning at Almost Eden Nursery Sassy Does Iberia Bank

Elderberry close up.

Elderberry - tall and loaded with flowers and berries.

I am seldom scheduled for anything, but when that happens, there is a conflict. I expect my 50th high school reunion will coincide with two absolutely crucial events the same weekend.

Almost Eden Nursery's owner was available Wednesday morning and I had a business phone call scheduled at the same time. Sassy and I went over early, at 7 am, but knocking on someone's door at that hour is not a good idea. We connected on Facebook and agreed on a later time, after the call, which took all of six minutes - the July 4th effect - get out of Phoenix before it is 120 degrees again. Add to the heat, steady, hot, mummifying winds. Dust storms - not a gardening state - but cacti grow like dandelions.

There is no relief from any day over 105 in Phoenix. If the humidity is up too, watch the electric bill soar. But here I am in the Natural State with rain and cooler temps. The afternoon heat gives way to tree shadows falling across the house as the sun sets.

The later trip to Almost Eden was fun. The owner was working. We have talked several times and he walked the last buy over to our house, pulling them on his gardening wagon. He knows plants very well, and my knowledge is rather narrow - roses, vegetables, and weeds.

I told him about my expanded wild garden, so we lined up elderberry plants, two more Chaste Trees, and several others that attract insects, bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. He said, "Going down that road, it's a slippery slope."

Almost Eden also has a large grape arbor.

"More like an addiction?" I asked.

He is developing the property, which I would covet, except for the exponential increase in labor. He has the space and equipment to do anything he wants. 

I said, "I like all types of plants beneficial to the creatures. I am not proud. I like goosefoot, Queen Ann's Lace, and pigweed."

He said, almost like David Caruso on TV, "A little goes a long way."

I bought seven plants, quart and gallon sized pots, for $50. The Internet companies would charge $30 plus shipping for most of those - each. And these plants are alive, in great soil.

When I left I pointed out a potential name change. "I call our place the Jackson Rose Gardens, but since you are Almost Eden, I am calling it Eden." He laughed and said, "I'll take that."

Eden, by Thomas Cole

I looked up Roses without Chemicals, a good introductory book on roses and organic gardening. That is another author who had to have a conversion experience before giving up chemical fertilizers and pesticides. He sold them all.

A lot of gardeners had the wrong mothers. Mine had her own compost pile and knew all about beneficial insects.

The book agrees with me, citing research, that wood mulch is the best way to feed the soil when growing roses. 

And of course- grow plants that harbor beneficial insects. That includes weeds.

Sassy and I went to Iberia Bank to deposit a check and withdraw a dog treat. Sassy loved getting that little treat. Later, she met two police officers working on a lawnmower. One lives here. She made friends with them.

July Issue of ELCA's The Lutheran Makes People Wonder - "Why Are WELS and LCMS Working with ELCA and Thrivent?"Mark Jeske Sells to the Gay Marriage Issues Crowd

July 2015, The Lutheran.

Caption for the July 2015  photo from The Lutheran

Photo and caption together, The Lutheran, July 2015.

--

WELS Pastor Mark Jeske Shovels Money at ELCA, Then Sells CDs and DVDs on the Issue - Love of Money Wins!

 "Each night I count the stars in the skyHoping that you aren't telling me lies."
A Thousand Stars in the Sky, Kathy Young

Learn from ELCA, WELS and LCMS - Change or Die!
Got a problem with that? Write a letter.

The Underlying Doctrine Determines the Final Expression

Yes, this is a gardening post. And a justification by faith post.

Everything I discuss on this blog starts with creation of the universe through the Word, and that creating Word is Christ, as taught in Genesis 1 and John 1. "Without Him was not anything made that was made." That is all-inclusive.

Moreover, this Creation took place in six 24-hour days. Like the infallibility of the Scriptures, Creation is often shaped, bent, and twisted until the word means the opposite of its original, un-polluted meaning. Likewise - justification (by faith). One must add (by faith) because the shrieking demons of UOJ always mean justification without faith, with an emphasis on without faith.

Gardening articles are going to assume Creation by the Word or evolution. I can find evolution droppings in perfectly good gardening books, like Teaming with Microbes. Some items are hilarious, whether intended humorously or not. But when the content is 99% in harmony with Creation, the conclusions of the book or article are going to be predictable - and good. I recall one passage in Teaming about concern for bacteria output, carbon monoxide or methane, something like that. Concern registered. I was laughing as I imagined how we might license, ban, control, or tax that problem with bacteria.  I saw that remark as a wink at the reader.

On the other hand, most gardening books are nonsense, because they assume a mastery over bugs, weeds, and disease through the use of expensive manufactured chemicals. The authors open up other gardening books and copy the information, adding their own pictures or buying stock photos. A garden can survive all the bad advice and practice, just as the church continues with so many people defaming Biblical doctrine. But a price will be paid in the future, either way.

For instance, the gardening books start with the proper use of NPK fertilizer, with esoteric advice about the right percentages of NPK on the right plants. At the same time, they warn solemnly that manure is very lower on those precious percentages. Why does manure work so well? Now we know - earthworms graze on bacteria, and these soil microbes are the key to plant health and growth. In fact, the manufactured fertilizers pass through the root zone and pollute the water table. Therefore, lots of fertilizer must be used all the time.

In contrast, Creation gardening locks the nutrition in the top 12 inches, because the soil creatures buy and sell those commodities to stay alive, with plant roots ordering what they want from the fungus strands that reach and support every plant and tree, often several plants at once.

The truth defends itself. When the landscaper mocked my wild garden as "weeds," because we like to kid each others, I said, "Count the roses." He has a 10 foot poison ivy vine growing up the side of his house - and he knows it. That is my ultimate weapon, but I am loathe to use the poison ivy card...at the moment.

Once the roses are watered, mulched, and pruned, the only work is cutting more roses and watching people smile as they get them. That is Creation - not work. God does that work through His obedient creatures. I have to study the relationship between plants and beneficial insects all the time, but their work goes on whether I know about it or not.

The more Christians teach Biblical doctrine as it is, without man's opinions, the greater effect the Word will have, because it is not polluted and watered down by foolishness. The Word remains powerful, but that Word is often not used. Instead, the apostates use bait and switch. They pretend to be God's Church while offering Management by Objective, entertainment (aka clown ministry), and motivational speeches from occult gurus like Napoleon Hill.

People lap it up, just as animals lap up spilled antifreeze, because it tastes so sweet as it poisons the body. I had some antifreeze splash into my mouth once - it does taste good. But that does not make me pour a glass to have with a meal.

So the Great Divide is just as evident in Christian doctrine as it is in gardening.

The Means of Grace chapter, Romans 10,
how often is that cited by UOJ gurus?

Some Are Thanking God for the Wrong Reason

Every "free" Thrivent item is really a cheap ad for a radical Left, pan-religious business.
Those juicy grants are a way to bed down covertly with the enemies of Christ.

Facebook is a goldmine of wrong-headed opinion, false stories, crudely edited videos, and snapshots.

Currently, the LCMS pastors are thanking God that their synod president has maintained a "Biblical position on marriage." We all know what they are saying - without offending the other side.

I asked one pastor, "Then why is Matt Harrison working with ELCA and Thrivent?" A Biblical position would make it impossible with work with the opponents of traditional marriage, the advocates of abortion on demand.

Missouri and WELS have been asking women pastors from ELCA to teach them about church matters, how to do church, as the Evangelicals like to say. This goes on at the highest levels of the LCMS and WELS, and no one is bothered.

They seldom respond at all to me, but they call me a troll behind my back. However, about 500 LCMS people are friends. If they really disliked what I write, they would unfriend me - as Matt Harrison and David Scaer did. UOJ makes everyone a forgiven saint, except those who doubt this crypto-Universalist malarky.

Scaer likes to brag about his ELCA friendships.
And why not? - they teach the same rubbish.

A Cardinal Tweeted Me Today

Today I went out to the backyard to check on food and water supplies. I had an extra kiddie pool in the wild garden, but it was too deep - as is - to use for birds. I kept water in it so the pool would not fly away in a storm, but the water showed it was not used. I did not even see the mud that would suggest a raccoon cleansing his food.

I grabbed a Cutco knife and cut the entire pool, to make the sides half as tall. The birds have loved this at the Community Pool. Today two starlings were splashing around and having a great time. The pool is always filthy with bird dust and short on water, and I check it twice a day. Catching the birds having fun, looking from the bedroom window, is quite entertaining. Often I see birds flying straight toward me to reach the bird swing, the platform feeder, or the finch feeder.

I was filling the new pool at the Jackson Bird Spa when a cardinal showed up, only 10 feet away, watching me.

Male cardinals are very shy and often bathe far in the background. They let females eat first to see if the coast is clear. Having a male cardinal so close is a genuine thrill, because of the trust and the beauty of the bird.

He kept looking at me and tweeting. All the birds know that there will be fresh water and food when I leave the backyard, especially fresh water. The cardinal came down from his roost nearby in the tree, next to the spa, where I was, and landed on the new rustic fence, which we fashioned out of the dead tree. He tried one branch sticking up, then another.

I finished filling up the new pool, set up watering in the Jackson Aqueduct, and went inside. I left the spa the same, except for the new pool. Birds are very suspicious of changes. I will move the shallow pans around the yard, under the aqueduct, to allow more places for birds to bathe or toads to hydrate.

Cardinals decorate the greys and whites of winter,
and they seem quite droll when they eat their seeds so easily.

Nurturing cardinals in the summer
means enjoying them all winter.

In the Big Leagues of Rose Growing. We Dropped Off a Collection of Fragrant Roses at His Hospital Office

Veterans' Honor

From our physician, who is a Lenski fan and a baseball fan:

"Thanks for the roses, they are beautiful!

You are in a different rose growing league than I am.

Thanks again."


R__, M.D.

***

GJ - We give away roses all over, and that means there are even more roses to share. As the Germans say, "A shared joy is a doubled joy - Literally, a cut joy is a doubled joy. Eine geteilte Freude ist eine Freude gedoppelt."

Cutting roses is fun, because they are bound to bring smiles. In our doctor's case, his nurses got them a day early, because it was his day off.

We had been talking about Creation cures - non-toxic - in his garden.

Peace

Expanding the Wild Garden

Chaste Tree is used for medicine.

When I gardened in Midland, the distant end of the backyard was ideal for compost and a wild garden. Evergreens supported a hammock, which everyone loved, especially the kids. The length was a perfect fit between two of the trees, so we did not have to stretch the hammock or move the trees.

Tall bushes divided our parsonage property from the neighbor's, and the neighbor was a good friend. He became an even better friend when the corn was ripening. He was very anxious about how the Silver Queen was doing, so I always said, "Do you want some?" He always did.

An herbalist provided me with unusual herbs, such as comfrey, tansy, and salad burnet. I grew a remarkable patch of parsley, just to attract swallowtail butterflies - and it did. The parsley was grown on pure compost, just as the sweet corn was.

I let the wild area grow with tall herbs (comfrey - borage's tall cousin), sunflowers, and whatever wanted to flourish there. One bird (forgot its name) made its nest in the tall grass and made a racket when I approached.

Now that our dead tree is cut into sections, we have the perfect rustic fence to divide the lawn grass from the newly expanded wild area. The fence juts into the air where the branches have been left on. We did as little cutting as possible. The birds will think the new perches are just for them, and they are not entirely mistaken. The jutting branches will also warn against falling over the logs.

Our helper is donating a small tree he is cutting down from his yard.

This new fence will create two lines for growing, sunflowers behind it, tall plants in front of it. The tall plants will be a year-around warning not to tumble into the wild garden. I am thinking ahead.

Plants for the Wild Garden
I am already thinking of what I will do in the wild garden, as we conquer the lawn grass with cardboard, compost, leaves, and mulch.

Rugosa roses are old-fashioned roses, known for their bright seed pods or hips. The hips are used in flower arrangements, for rose hip tea, and eaten fresh (a tart fruit loaded with Vitamin C). Birds and various animals will eat them, too. If you favor big hips, rugosa roses are the ideal diet.

All roses grow hips, which are the seed pods or fruit, but the older roses have much larger ones.

Chaste Tree is a good candidate. I have one growing - the flowers are an intense blue. Bees and insects love this plant, my Moline diaspora friends tell me.

Borage and buckwheat are two flowering bee plants, easy to grow. They seed themselves.

Some beneficial insect plants on the list are - 

Shasta daisies. Shastas are classic-looking daisies—a central core of tiny yellow disk flowers surrounded by white ray flowers. Each of these inflorescences measures 2 or more inches (5 cm) across. The plant’s glossy dark green leaves have small teeth on their margins and create good habitat for predatory bugs like assassin, damsel, and spined soldier bugs. The nectar and pollen from the flowers is preferred by some species of parasitic wasps, minute pirate bugs, lacewings, soldier beetles, ladybugs, and syrphid flies.
Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2385-2386). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

• Butterfly weed, related to milkweed, but prettier, good forMonarch butterflies.
• Milkweed, self-seeding, like most weeds, and a Monarch butterfly magnet.
• Mountain mint. 

Bee Balm or Horsemint garners a lot of attention in the garden. Like other members of the genus Monarda, it has hollow, square stems; but unlike many other monardas, horsemint bears short, tubular yellowish flowers with purple spots. Nectar from these flowers is more readily accessed by smaller bugs, while monardas with more elongated flowers are often preferred by butterflies, bees, and moths. Native plant research at Michigan State University found horsemint to be attractive to a large diversity of natural enemies, particularly late in the season. Not only does horsemint attract a plethora of good bugs, but it is also drought defiant, deer resistant, powdery mildew tolerant, and incredibly visually interesting.
Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2469-2474). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Alyssum - This plant may be small, but it is enticing to many natural enemies in a big way. Sweet alyssum is most often grown as an annual, and its short stature makes it a great choice for the front of the insectary border, in between crop rows, or in containers. It is frequently grown as a companion plant on organic lettuce farms because of its ability to attract a large number of beneficials, including parasitic wasps, tachinid flies, lacewings, big-eyed bugs, hoverflies, and many others. Cabbage growers also find it useful for increasing the lifespan of the parasitic wasps that control many common cabbage pests.
Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2441-2445). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Oregeno - Most oregano varieties produce clusters of tiny white, pink, or purple flowers atop stems lined with medium-sized oval leaves. Though oregano is considered a culinary herb, its benefits to the insectary border are as obvious as can be. Not only is oregano useful to beneficials for its nectar, pollen, and user-friendly flower shape, but it also has the ideal habit for many ground-dwelling beneficials. On a summer afternoon, I love to sit near oregano and just watch it buzz with life. If I get close enough, I can spot some pretty interesting critters. On the oregano in the dead center of my vegetable garden, I regularly find minute pirate bugs, parasitic wasps, hoverflies, tachinid flies, soldier beetles, lacewing larva, and big-eyed bugs. There are always plenty of bees and butterflies, too. And if I lift up the plant’s skirt and check out the soil beneath, I’m likely to find a handful of spiders and ground beetles scurrying about as well.
Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2495-2501). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Will the starlings, blue jays, or squirrels get most of the peanuts today?

New Roses Get Special Treatment

The garlic family includes garlic, garlic chives, chives, onions,
alium, giant alium, and wild onion.

The newest roses, planted in early June, are started to bud and bloom. Gurney's second sale of the year had the same promise - a variety with no promises about which ones would be in the mix. Given the 80% discount, I accepted the condition.

Almost half my roses are bargain roses, costing $5 - $8 each. Most Jackson and Perkins roses are $26 each. Some less glamorous companies sell for about $20. The bargain roses have included yellow, orange, red, pink, bi-color, and fragrant varieties.

Soaking the entire bush for several hours, before planting, is a great idea.

Planting involves pruning the roots and canes to bring them out of dormancy and having red wiggler earthworms in the soil. Roses can be planted in mulched soil, or the lawn can be mulched with newspaper and wood mulch after planting.

Red KnockOut roses are disease free, easy to grow, and productive.
They need pruning or they look like weeds.

After Planting
I have found that pruning each cane speeds up the leafing out process. When leafing is slow, I keep pruning the canes a little each day, but I also give them stored water - or even better - rainwater.

Those who want to protect their roses should sell their rototillers, dump their toxins, and plant garlic around the bushes. Garlic chives are even better, because they spread on their own through the rose bed. Insects do not like the garlic aroma, and rosarians believe garlic makes the roses healthier and more aromatic.

Young roses should be cane-watered every day for several weeks. Watch for droopy signs in the leaves after a long, hot sunny day. Early morning watering is better because roses that go to bed damp are more likely to mildew and attract slugs.

Some canes give up early and become dead wood. The sooner deadwood is removed, the better.

New roses are not going to bloom profusely at first, because the root system feeds the plant water and nutrition. Exponential growth in the roots will happen in time, affecting the strength and production of the roses.

When a new rose blooms, cutting off the rose and carrying it inside in triumph is a great idea. Or, hand one to a passerby. Pruning generates cane, flower, and root growth.

Those who plant KnockOut roses will see the bush produce a lot of buds early, then a lot of blooms. Take a deep breath and cut off all the blooms that start to age, after cutting several sprays to share and enjoy indoors.

No matter how diligent the pruning, some blooms will be hidden away, with three petals left, or even bereft of petals. Cut those off. Old blooms make the plant go to seed and go to sleep.

The rules for pruning are simple:

• The cut can be any place on the cane - that makes no difference.
• When in doubt, cut it out. Pruning causes fruitfulness.
• If three buds are growing and one is in full bloom, starting to fade, cut that one off. 
• Always prune dead and diseased canes.
• A fast-growing KnockOut can be cut in half and it will grow back even more productive. My mature KnockOut roses have been reduced 50% twice and stand almost six feet tall.
• Prune for shape and to build up remaining buds.

Watering

If I am doing routine watering, I water at the base with the soaker hose. However, I spray down all the plants all the plants every so often, sometimes when using the soaker hose. Each faucet has two soaker hoses and one ordinary hose. I use switches to vary the benefits.

The rule of thumb for water is one bucket of water per rose per week.

Reasons not to freak out - stay calm and blame Ichabod:

1. Aphids happen. Many beneficial insects devour them. 
2. Roses tend to mildew, depending on the kind growing. Big deal.
3. Black spot is the price we pay for rose colors. Remove and toss the damaged leaves and canes.

Mulch

Weeds can break through mulch and grow on top of mulch. I leave dandelions alone because they are mining calcium from below, sheltering earthworms, and providing materials for birds. 

If grassy weeds are breaking through, I add another layer of newspapers and mulch - after trimming the long grassy weeds. Our helper came to plant garlic but said, "First I am trimming those weeds. The rose garden looks like a bad haircut." We paid attention to maple trees, another airborne tree infestation, and long, invasive grassy weeds. We threw away the grassy weeds, Most weeds can be added to the mulch.

Tiny but mighty - the flower fly.
Bee-like in looks, they be like - "Aphids will feed my babies."

Nurture the Beneficial Creatures

God created creatures to eat and be eaten. Whether we believe in Creation or not, every living thing "obeys the laws of Nature and of Nature's God." Except man.

The more we shelter and nurture the beneficial creatures, the less we have to worry about damage to our flowers and crops.

Here is a short list, which can be implemented a little at a time:

• Welcome the birds with abundant shallow dishes for drinking and bathing. Food is secondary to water, but food will establish habits for stopping for a snack, staying for a meal. I always provide low perches to let them hunt for food. Suet is abundant for the bug-eating birds.
• Think of the toads. They like logs, broken flower pots, and shallow water dishes for hydrating themselves. It's a numbers game - 10,000 bugs per toad per summer.
• Plants with tiny flowers will feed and shelter beneficial insects - coreopsis, sunflowers, dill, Queen Ann's Lace, buckwheat, allysum, lace flower, pigweed, goosefoot, and ragweed. Many delicate flowers can be planted or sown for their beauty and usefulness.
• Mulch is good for birds, spiders, earthworms, and all soil creatures.

Veterans Honor rose - a deep and bright red,
like a velvet pillow in the midst of the garden.
Long-lasting and fragrant blooms. 

A Bunch of Cut-Ups Were in the Backyard Today

Dead trees are natural habitats for various animals,
including woodpeckers. On the ground they feed the soil and harbor toads.

Our landscaper promised to cut up our dead tree that fell over. Saturday did not work out, so we gathered at lunch on Sunday.

Soon we had our helper and his family in the backyard. I brought out watermelon. Mrs. Ichabod came out.

These gatherings are fairly common around here. When the landscaper had a garage sale, the girls across the street sold lemonade. When the girls' parents had their garage sale, everyone went over there for a time.

We had a lot of laughs during the tree surgery, even though the tree was tougher than cheap meat to cut. We added a wood chisel, a rip saw, a crow bar, and a mallet and boss screwdriver to make the chips fly.

The landscaper said, "What are you doing with the logs?"

Our helper said, "He is going to make a wild garden."

"Oh, you are going to grow weeds?"

I asked, "How many roses do I have?" Our helper laughed and said, "He got you there."

"Hey, are you going to give me some earthworms?"

I said, "I put 1,000 worms total in all your raised beds and wherever you had flowers."

The landscaper looked a bit shy and asked, "Did you see my weeds?"

"Yes, you did not put enough newspapers under the wood. The weeds burst through."

"My grandson will work on that next visit."

I use the landscaper's grass clippings to feed the crepe myrtle in front.
The Sweetheart calladiums match the blooms.

Mrs. Ichabod loves calladiums,
so I planted these beneath the crepe myrtle bush.

We heard various stories from his work as an Army Ranger and fun comments about national politics. He said, "I wish days like this would last forever." He was doing a lot of work for me, even though he suffers from military injuries, and he loved it.

Our helper did a lot of sawing with the ripsaw, jumped on the cut with the saw in his hands, and tumbled. We commented on how many dead and wounded that would have left with a chainsaw in his hands.

The landscaper said, "I would have been fine. I would have started running early."

We stretched out the stout and irregular pieces of the tree to reach across backyard for a new fence. I am planning on solar lighting the fence to prevent tripping and give the backyard more depth.

We are now going to use cardboard boxes as the bottom layer of Jackson Mulch, with leaves and compost on top. This opens up a new area for beneficial plants, berries, ornamental bushes, and experiments.

I said, "I always wanted my own stump." We plan to prop up the stump so the honeysuckle vine will have some support and the birds will have a lower perch. The stump did not cooperate with our plans, so we dropped it down again. I made a suggestion to the landscaper and he rolled his eyes about cementing the stump in place.

Our helper said accurately, "The stump will rot away and feed the soil." Yes, indeed. He considers our projects quite educational, and we have a lot of laughs doing the work.

Shewell-Cooper taught me how easy gardening could be.

Lay compost on top for mulch
or let mulch become compost.
Either way, no rototilling is needed.
Science and common sense tell us
not to violate the Creation principles around us.

Martin Luther College - WELS - Gayer Than Lavender Hose

One Martin Luther College contact said that 20 graduates are using the GLBT rainbow profile photo on Facebook.

That is consistent with the stories, graphics, and videos that come out of that school.

Do not doubt that the Lavender Mafia is doing well in the Wisconsin Sect.

SP Mark Schroeder's response to hearing that about an active homosexual in the WELS ministry was - "Write a letter."

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity. Patience in Suffering.

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity, 2015


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The melodies are linked in the hymn name. 

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Lyrics site is linked here.

The Hymn # 452                           The Son of God  
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 #531              Come Ye Disconsolate  

Patience in Suffering

The Communion Hymn # 308       Invited Lord  
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 # 413                        I Walk in Danger  

KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Fourth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, who art merciful, and through Christ didst promise us, that Thou wilt neither judge nor condemn us, but graciously forgive us all our sins, and abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul: We pray Thee, that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt establish in our hearts a confident faith in Thy mercy, and teach us also to be merciful to our neighbor, that we may not judge or condemn others, but willingly forgive all men, and, Judging only ourselves, lead blessed lives in Thy fear, through Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Patience in Suffering

KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Christianity grew up in opposition. The Roman Empire saw the Christian Faith as a troublesome version of the very difficult Jewish sect. Not long after the death and resurrection of Christ, the Jewish revolt began because they first defeated a small contingent of Roman soldiers. An entire Roman Army, with all the slaves made their way to Judea and began its conquest. The Roman Army never lost a war, except when they went up against Herman the German, who knew Roman tactics.

Homosexuality was common in the Roman Empire. Many of the first Christians were former homosexuals who converted to the faith and left that life behind. The first fifteen emperors of Rome were either homosexual or bi-sexual. Julius Caesar was called "every woman's husband and every husband's wife." He spent so much time with the King of Bithynia that he was dubbed the Queen of Bithynia.

Paganism was so dominant in the Roman Empire that Constantine the Great gave up on the City of Rome and created his own capital in the town that became known as Constantinople (Istanbul in Turkey). He bribed noble families with land to move to his new capital, to create a Christian capital.

It was not until the Edict of Milin, 313 AD, that the active persecution of Christians was stopped.

Therefore, we have references to persecution already in the New Testament, in Romans, Hebrews, and 1 Peter. Revelation is another source.

Moreover, the value of newborn life was small in those times, just like ours. If they did not want a child, they left it out to be exposed to the wild animals. If that did not do the job, slave traders grabbed the babies to be raised for prostitution. In fact, all slaves were considered property to be used in any way whatsoever desired by the owners. If one slave killed someone, all the slaves were killed, to keep the institution intact.

All the parallels are exact. Nations covet the grandeur of Rome, and each nation descends into the degradation of Rome. I grew up hearing about "we are turning into the Roman Empire." That was said often by many people, but Latin and Roman history are no longer taught, so that comparison is lost on 99% of all students.

Paul never said, "This is not the time or place to grow a church." Instead, he taught through the Holy Spirit to spread the Word of the Gospel to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles, which gave them miraculous growth. That is no longer seen in the West because no one trusts the Word of God for that growth. In the name of growth, based on business, they teach business principles instead of the Gospel.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

The great temptation for Christians is to despair and give up, - or to join the spirit of this age, the spirit of Satan and the Antichrist, to adopt the new thinking and fit in, be rewarded, and find promotions and benefits from that surrender.

It is a great suffering that is being felt now as people realize how much has been lost in America in the last 50 years. The greatest turn, the most tragic, was the rejection of unborn life in favor of human convenience. When the Supreme Court re-wrote biology and the Constitution in Roe Vs. Wade, and they were not impeached, the road was paved for all the other attacks on natural law.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. Declaration of Independence

 "The laws of nature and of nature's God..." That is a much bigger issue than independence from Britain. Natural law means right and wrong, even the concept of freedom, are all derived from Creation.

Creation is understood many ways, but this group of leaders did not dispute Creation or Creation's God. They taught and practiced the concept of all justice coming from God Himself.

Many Christians doubted Jefferson as a president, so he promised "the separation of church and state" in politics, meaning that the federal government would not interfere in the states' application of religious principles, such as requiring active church membership in order to vote, prayer in schools and public places, and so forth.

Notice how deception works. This phrase has been turned upside-down, just as justification (by faith) in Reformation and all Christian documents, has been turned into justification without faith. The question is,as Humpty Dumpty said, "Who is the master of the language."

While it is possible to reclaim America, it is also not likely at this stage. So much has been done to empower the worst, shower the non-working with free gifts and drugs galore, and to welcome criminal invaders to outnumber the citizens.

So we can only wait and do what we can, not expecting to overturn this new Roman Empire, but hoping for the final revelation of Christi's glory. In that time many souls will be claimed or reclaimed for the Gospel. Enormous and catastrophic events wake people up. So will years of total self-love and hedonism, in some cases. The Word has its effect in both cases - in converting and in hardening, in illuminating and blinding.

Those who deny the Word are going to increase in blindness and harshness. Those who only pretend to follow the Word from within the visible church will actively persecute the Word and be far more powerful and effective in murdering souls that the metal-clinking Satanists and tattooed pan-sexuals. The danger is far closer than most understand, so patience, diligence, and Bible study are all required. No one is too strong to fail, to lose faith, to surrender.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 

Patience is required because Satan makes it more difficult by making suffering "endless." Bad times seem to be forever. Nothing works better than to make people impatient and despairing.  

I easily remembered. three LCA clergy who did almost nothing until they retired and were safe. They wrote a few things and passed away. They had already retired and had no votes, no congregations. They betrayed their congregations by taking the comfortable way out. As one said, "I want to retire in peace."

The world's peace is not real peace. It is a temporary truce between the believer and Satan. He collects later.

Because of original sin, the world is broken, sinful, and hates the Gospel. 

Luther on persecution:
By the words “if so be that we suffer with him” the writer means that we are to do more than exercise the sympathy that grieves over another’s misfortune, though such sympathy is binding upon Christians and is a superior Christian virtue, a work of mercy: we ourselves must suffer, non solum affectu, sed etiam effectu, that is, we are overwhelmed by like sufferings. As Christ our Lord was persecuted, we also must endure persecution. As the devil harassed him, we also must be harassed unceasingly. And so Satan does torment true Christians. Indeed, were it not for the restraining hand of the Lord our God, the devil would suffer us to have no peace. Paul has reference to a heartfelt sympathy intense enough to enter into actual suffering. He says to the Hebrews ( Hebrews 10:32-23): “Ye endured a great conflict of sufferings; partly, being made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions.”

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

As long as we live we are subject to this sinful nature and corruption. On the other hand, we also have the daily forgiveness of sins through the Holy Spirit's work in the Gospel. Thus we have the paradox of sinners justified by faith - simul iustus et peccator, as the theologians like to say, quoting Luther before they drop him in the ditch.

Those who realize their sin but wander in darkness are the most miserable. Police officers use this knowledge of psychology to offer a relief to this burden. "Just confess and you will feel better." One TV show features this, and it does work well.
The pain is so great for normal people that they crack from the suffering, the knowledge of the terrible evil they have done. But sociopaths have no sense of guilt and do not care at all. We seem to have more of those and more drug-induced sociopaths all the time.

 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Luther on the Rewards:
12. Take the case of the adventurous officer. For a few dollars per month he defies spears and guns, exposing himself to almost certain death. The merchant hurries to and fro in the world in a frenzied effort to amass riches, hazarding life and limb, apparently careless of physical cost so long as God’s mercy preserves to him but the shattered hulk of a body. And what must not one endure at court before he realizes, if he ever does, the fulfillment of his ambition?

In temporal things man can do and suffer everything for the sake of honor, wealth and power, because these are manifest to earthly vision. But in the spiritual conflict, because the reward is not discernible to the senses it is very difficult for the old man in us to believe that God will finally grant us glorious bodies, pure souls and hearts of gladness, and make us superior to any earthly king. Indeed, the very reverse of this condition obtains now.

Here is one condemned as a heretic; there one is burned or in some other way put to death. Glory, wealth and honor are not in evidence now. So it seems hard for us to resign ourselves to suffering and wait for the redemption and glory yet unrevealed.

Again, no hardship is too great for the world to undergo for the sake of sordid gain; it willingly suffers whatever comes for that which moth and rust consume and thieves steal.

13. Paul means to say: “I am certain there is reserved for us exceeding glory, in comparison wherewith all earthly suffering is actually of no consideration; only it is not yet manifest.” If we have to face the slightest gale of adversity, or if a trifling misfortune befalls us, we begin to make outcry, filling the heavens with our false complaint of a terrible calamity.