Memorial Day Posts From Various Sources

A salute to our military, past and present.


St. Crispin's Day Speech
Shakespeare's HENRY V- A.D. 1599

Although Shakespeare wrote this work nearly two hundred years after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, it remains one of the finest dramatic interpretation of what leadership meant to the men in the Middle Ages.

Prior to the Battle, Henry V had led his English army across northwestern France, seizing Calais and other cities in an attempt to win back holdings in France that had once been English and to claim the French crown through the obscure but powerful Salig Law.

The French, aware of Henry's troops weakening condition because of their distance from England and the attacks of dysentery that had plagued the dwindling force, moved between King Henry and Calais, the port he needed to reach in order to return to England. The troops followed Henry's troops along the rivers, preventing their crossing, and daring them to a battle the French believed they could not lose.
The English knights fought on foot after the manner devised by Edward III. Archers were to be used in support, the famous and deadly longbows having established their credentials both at Crecy (1347) and at Poitiers (1356). But here the French seemed to have sufficient numbers to deal with even this threat. Thus, they refused to allow Henry to pass to the coast, angered by the English seizure of some of their cities.

Morale in the English line as they looked upon the overwhelming force of heavily armored, and highly skilled French knights was extremely low. King Henry, rising to the occasion, spoke words of encouragement that rallied the English troops and carried them to a victory. As a result of the victory the French Princess Catherine was betrothed to Henry V, and France and England were at peace for the remainder of Henry's short life. He died in 1422, but was survived by his son, Henry VI, and was buried at Westminster Abbey, close to the shrine of Edward the Confessor.

Although the speech itself is a work of fiction, we know that some kind of rousing speech was indeed given. And taking into consideration Shakespeare’s research into the historical details of his plays, it is fair to surmise that the Bard may have had some written records to go by in reconstructing Henry’s words. In any case, the words are most certainly evocative of the spirit with which Henry ruled through the strength of his convictions and by force of his personality.


Enter the KING

WESTMORELAND: O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING: What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

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From Michele Malkin:

Words and men I’ll never forget:

“Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark.” - Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr.

“He knew what he was fighting for.” - father of Lt. Michael P. Murphy.

“He felt that what we were doing was just and right.” - Charles Cummings, father of fallen hero Army PFC Branden Cummings, who died in an IED attack in Diyala, Iraq.

“I genuinely believe the United States Army is a force of good in this world.” - 2LT Mark Daily.

Choking back tears, Christian Golczynski accepted the flag from his father's casket. Photographer Aaron Thompson described this moment as "the most emotionally moving event I may have ever witnessed and may ever witness in my life."
(The Daily News Journal)

And from young Christian Golczynski, the young son of Marine Staff Sgt. Marc Golczynski:

Heather Golczynski and her 8-year-old son Christian hold tightly to the memory of Marine Staff Sgt. Marc Golczynski.

On March 27 [2007], just a few weeks before Marc Golczynski was to return home from his second tour in Iraq — one he volunteered for — he was shot on patrol and killed by enemy fire in al-Aanbar province.

During a moment at the burial, Christian stepped forward to receive the flag for his father. The expression of grief on his young face was captured in a photo and became a powerful symbol for soldiers, their families and anyone who sees it.

When asked about his dad by ABC News’ Chris Cuomo, Christian said, “He was a hero. He helped our country.”

…Just days before he left for his second tour, Marc sent a letter to his family that would be his epitaph.

“Due to our deep desire to finish the job we started, we fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to. Stand beside us because we would do it for you. Because it is our unity that’s enabled us to prosper the nation,” Marc wrote.

“Marc believed very much what he was doing was right,” [wife] Heather said.

Since Marc’s death, letters of support and gifts have poured in for the family. But for all that his father may now represent to others, to Christian, Dad is the man who spent time with him and played, and who was teaching him about being a soldier.

“He helped our country and tried to stop terrorists,” Christian said.
Give thanks to all who have given their lives in service to our great nation. Freedom is not free.

Recommended by Bishop Katie at The CORE

RT @T_Nutz: Message of the week @gotocore was ENVY, here is a video that nailed it..http://bit.ly/JeEg7
about 16 hours ago from TweetDeck

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Bambooman man posted a comment. Thursday, April 23, 2009


This is very mocking and blasphemous. You don't need to go to that length to make a point. The Lord will not lets his name be taking in vain. No one tells Jesus "You have a brain figure it out" Even though this is just an illustration, it totally crosses the line. Don't know why teachers/pastors always feel the need to steep so low to reach young people. Do they think young people are unintelligent? This could have been done so much more tastefully.

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Savannah Austin posted a comment. Sunday, May 10, 2009


Awesome message!It totally speaks to me.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Recommended by Bishop Katie at The CORE":

Now, members inspire themselves and deliver their own parables. How moving and potentially dangerous!

***

GJ - Some of the toxic trends picked up from Stanley, Groeschel, Beeson, and Driscoll are:

Manufactured spontaneous moments - like the Drive 09 dance.

Man-made parables - tedious, verbose, over-acted, devoid of Biblical content.

Liturgical dance.

Pop and rock music, drippy lyrics. Manipulated emotions as a substitute for the Word of God.

Giant video screens and incredible amounts spent on media. Compare - $75 for a web camera at Bethany Lutheran Church.

Limited vocabularies: awesome, dude, totally, like. A Martian could attend four or five conferences simply by saying repeatedly, "Dude, totally awesome. You, like, nailed it."

Latte Lutheran Church Promoted on WELS Streaming Video

It took some looking around, but I found the link:

WELS videos

Rev. Randy is traveling around once a month, and he gets a vicar to train.

"Am I a Solder of the Cross"
by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

1. Am I a solder of the Cross,
A foll'wer of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own
His cause Or blush to speak His name?2. Must I be carried to the skies
On flow'ry beds of ease
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed thro' bloody seas?

Hymn #445
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: 1 Cor. 16:13
Author: Isaac Watts, 1721
Composer: Thomas Ests, 1592
Tune: "Winchester Old"

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Everyone is waiting for the ant sermon to be posted.

More Evidence of Women's Ordination in WELS

Beth Thompson


Conversation with Beth Thompson

Beth Thompson is the Program Coordinator for English Conversation Outreach Model Program at Gethsemane, Milwaukee, Wis. Beth talks about her background, thankfulness for all the volunteers, the students, and the blessings from this program.

Publish Date:
5/20/2009
Length:
16:19
See Series:
English Conversation Outreach English Conversation Outreach Series RSS
Channels:
Information
Tags:
About Education Languages Programs Society Spotlight Volunteers.

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GJ - This appears to be the role of a pastor, but everyone knows - anything goes.
KJV 1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. The Shrinkers like to slither away from the main point, but they know they are promoting the cause, one baby-step at a time.

Seminary Scholarship Funds Used To Fund Vicars, Support African Safaris

Seminary scholarship offerings are used to pay for the free vicar program, so the money goes to congregations, not students struggling to finish school.

http://www.wls.wels.net/news/1435.php


Vicars in mission settings
Posted April 7th, 2009
The vicar year is a vital year of instruction for a seminary student. Students learn from hands-on ministry experiences as they are mentored by a supervising pastor. Because of the importance of this field experience, the seminary collaborates with the WELS Board for Home Missions (BHM) in subsidizing the cost of a vicar through the Vicars in Mission Settings Program.

For the past two years we have committed a substantial amount of money from our Scholarship Fund to allow mission congregations that perhaps could not afford a vicar to receive one. We pray that the Lord would allow us to continue to collaborate with the BHM in this important program of gospel outreach and pastoral training. 

Generous donations to the seminary’s Scholarship Fund make this collaboration possible. If you would like more information on how you can support the Vicars in Mission Settings Program, please contact the office of mission advancement.

***

GJ - The material above is posted from the WELS website. The vicar program has been abused by the Shrinkers two different ways.

Traditional congregations are denied a vicar while Randy Hunter gets one to train in latte evangelism.

This program is aimed at mission congregations, but Patterson's Holy Word is 30 years old and has a huge staff already.

One thousand verbally abusive and anonymous comments may win some lucky rocker a free African safari with VP Patterson.

The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall

DETROIT, MI: Cathedral Faces Closure. Cash Reserves At All Time Low

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
May 13, 2009

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in DetroitThe Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit may have to close unless it gets an injection of money to keep it going till the end of the year.

The Very Rev. Dean Scott Hunter, Dean of the Cathedral, has asked the Diocesan Council for emergency assistance, saying he needs $200,000 to get through 2009. The dean reported that the cathedral has cash reserves for only six to eight weeks of operations.

When asked if there were staff adjustments that could assist the cathedral in meeting the financial challenges it faces, Hunter said, "There are no staff cuts which save us dollars this year. Even if we release people this year, their departure expenses will equal what we would be paying them for the rest of the year. The bottom line is: if this doesn't happen, my brothers and sisters of council, what are your plans for closing and selling the complex, and ceasing the ministry of the cathedral that is 100 years old and is by congregational age, older than the diocese itself? "That's the challenge we are looking at," Hunter concluded.

A source told VOL that there is much more to this story. "The finances, audits (or lack thereof), and inaccurate parochial reports should be thoroughly investigated."

Neither Herb Gunn Director of Communications nor Bishop Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr., returned phone calls or e-mails to VOL asking for clarification of these charges.

Hunter outlined for council the various ministries and staff personnel involved in the cathedral's work--including a Sunday morning breakfast ministry that feeds 150 people and draws them into worship and the cathedral's renowned church music ministry.

Council member Matthew Bode, pastor at Spirit of Hope Episcopal/Lutheran congregation in Detroit, noted that the cathedral is engaged in valuable mission and ministry work in Detroit. "To allow a congregation at the intersection of Warren and Woodward to fold, at one of the prime intersections in the largest city in our state, is making a statement of our value in the city of Detroit. The cathedral's problems are our problems," he said.

Council member Sarah Midzalkowski, chaplain at Michigan State University, sought to "reframe the conversations," not only in reference to the challenges at the cathedral, but also the challenges of struggling university chaplaincies and other imperiled ministries of the diocese.

"What is our priority when it comes to the Extended Ministry Fund (EMF) and are we moving into a place where we are going to protect money rather than use the EMF to do the ministry we are called to do in this diocese?" Midzalkowski asked.

"If we want to use it as a rainy day fund, it is pouring for these ministries. If we want to look at it as an emergency fund, it is a red light emergency for these ministries. If there is ever a time to use the EMF for the reason it was established, it is times like this," said Midzalkowski.

Hunter concluded that if the council and the diocese consider the Cathedral Church of St. Paul as only a parish church or another congregation, emergency financial support shouldn't be considered. But he reminded the council of the history of St. Paul's being named the cathedral in the early 20th century and the joint project of constructing the Cathedral/Diocesan complex in the 1950s.

A large number of Episcopal cathedrals are in financial trouble across the country with dwindling congregations and Trust Funds. Most bishops have no idea what to do about it

END

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GJ - Watch the big congregations tumble as they first release staff members, then realize their fixed costs were too high anyway.

New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary: On Site Ads

The sun is Bill Hybels, Willow Creek, who won the bid for the naming rights. St. Mark Depere is already a member of his denomination.

Andy Stanley was asked to remain in stealth mode, since most WELS disciples of the Drive Worship Conferences do not wish to be openly identified with a Babtist. Stealth rights were discounted 50% but they were still hefty.

Craig Groeschel got his face painted on the left roof, because, he says, "I'm writing their sermons anyhoo." He does Catalyst with Andy, and VP Patterson organized a bevy of WELS workers to attend.

Mark Driscoll fought for the right roof because "I am producing their materials and inspiring their multi-site vision."

Leonard Sweet earned the right to be painted at the top of the tower because of his philosophical influence as Rev. Moonbeam.

Granger Community Church was short on funds because no one wanted to pony up $1500 to watch them work, do church, and do life, so they could only afford a banner.

Johnsonville asked to change the name of the school legally to The Sausage Factory. President Wendland sighed and said, "The ELS already calls us that, so we might as well make some dough with it."

Some people claim they can see Babtist Ed Stetzer if they stare at the tower long enough, but Church and Change board members say that is a slanderous lie.

Glowering in the background, Paul Calvin Kelm is arranging for a complete takeover of Deformed Theology.

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Anonymous has given his scheme away, and his tortured childhood memories, by replying to your post "New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran S...":

I was watching a cable show today and thought of you. I checked out Wikipedia, and yep, I was right. My guess is you're now making up for all the times you were picked on as a kid. Your site fills the bill for "cyber-bullying":

Wikipedia: "Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others."

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran S...":

Wonderful Caricature! Too bad you could not do it in brail (sic) for the WELS leaders blind to their own imperfections.

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Braille alphabet.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran S...":

The picture captures the essence of the problem, namely, a jumble of opinion and practices replacing the word of God and worship. Too bad the infallible leaders of WELS do not get it.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran S...":

I wonder what your employer would say if they witnessed the slanderous remarks on your site. You've tried to ruin many reputations. Maybe it's time someone ruined yours.

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GJ - I am also concerned about the reputations of Stetzer, Groeschel, Stanley, Hybels, Driscoll, Beeson, and Sweet. They would probably not like having their reputations ruined by their association with WELS apostates. Which photo should I erase from the satirical PhotoShop?

All the false teachers have worked with WELS leaders, and I did even list Trinity in Deerfield.

I am 100% self-employed and work exclusively from my spacious home, not far from my pool with a waterfall.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran S...":

The picture misses an important point. The CGM exists in large part due to pastors who abdicate their responsibilities of teaching the clean, pure Word of God, and emulating Christ. Instead they blithely follow the Devil’s enticements to take the easy way out. Specious promises that quack techniques, marketing, dvertising (sic), and ambience (sic) will do it for them proves too much of a temptation.

Chances of this situation being corrected remain slim to none as long as bulky pastors harden their hearts and attack persons seeking to admonish them.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New Money Raising Project for Wisconsin Lutheran S...":

"...maybe it's time someone ruined your reputation..."

Oh, plz, Br'er Mouse, don't throw Pr Jackson in THAT briar patch. Whatever you do, DON'T tell your C&C friends about Ichabod, or the Book of Concord, or the Confessions. Oh, LAWSIE, NO! They might accidentally read a Bible verse instead of an Enthusiast "how to do church" book-o-the-month.


Don't let them read Ichabod!

Their heads would explode.


+Diet O. Worms

Ascension Day WELS Service - Lots of Ice Cream But No Sermon

A group of WELS congregations had a joint Ascension Day service at one of their churches. The service had no sermon at all, but ice cream was served afterward.

Eyewitness report.

Journalism Major Who Cannot Spell

J-school grad and Church and Change founder Joe Aderman claims to be a frog-kisser. But is he the mysterious Anonymous of today?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Creepy Blog Stalker Cannot Stop Reading and Writin...":

Aw, Minnie Mouse must have touched a sensitive nerve, eh? The audaciousness of criticizing GJ has actually earned it's (sic) own highlighted posting!

Actually, GJ, you're not the only one who's studied journalism and communication laws.

Your interpretation of section 107 Fair Use is rather liberal. While purposes of "criticism" or "comment" certainly fit your blog, because that's just about all you do, in the legal world that's a rather loose application. Fair Use most often applies to the use of intellectual property for educational purposes - formal education. Furthermore, your definition of "truth" is also loose. Truth, as in factual? Or truth, as in your opinion? Hearsay is not a legal argument in U.S.courts.

You are taking the creative work of others without their permission. You are then using it for your own purposes and, quite often, distorting it in a manner of which the author or artist would not approve. As Christians obeying God's commands, copyright laws apply to us also. And, out of love, we should respect the talents God gave to creative minds: meaning, we should not be stealing their work.

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GJ - The only nerve it struck was in my funny bone. I post these inane comments because they are so WELS-Church-and-Chicanery. The laity are discovering the tactics of the foul-mouthed, bad-spelling, inarticulate Shrinkers - and how those thugs work the WELS grapevine anonymously. The sanctimony just oozes from their veiled threats and condemnations. An earlier one today said I should follow D. James Kennedy (!?) and worry about how many souls I am taking to heaven.

Minnie Mouse threatened me with lawsuits, without saying exactly why. The comment above could be from Minnie Mouse too - the advantage of unsigned communications.

All the accusations above are stated without a single reason or example given. The apostates have been using the WELS/Little Sect grapevine that way for years. If someone identifies false doctrine face-to-face, they scream, "Unloving! Unbrotherly! Eighth Commandment!" Meanwhile, they mutter anonymously that someone is senile, brain-damaged, or worse. Such brotherly love toward their own fellow pastors. GA must not have united them.

Quoting someone's blog or Tweet is not hearsay. It is digital scholarship. I copy and paste their eructations because Chicaneries quickly erase the evidence, as Pastor Rick did in Corona, California, when I exposed him as a Leonard Sweet-heart.

St. Mark Willow Creek DePere had a life-coach on the staff until I published that fact. Then the title disappeared, but the grant application for a life-coach remained on the Internet. My research team works 24/7.

I think the delightful critique of Willow Creek, written by a non-Lutheran, sparked the inner rage of Church and Chicaneries, prompting their battle cries, which must sound eloquent in the St. Marcus staff lounge.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Journalism Major Who Cannot Spell":

WELS Church and change really likes "to isolate, intimidate and even shame their critics into silence and cooperation with "hurt feelings" as their license and authority." Their despotic demeanor will continue to drive away the faithful replacing them with more feeling-sensitive members.

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GJ - Very sensitive about feelings - their own.

Non-Lutheran Smells the Fetid Waters of Willow Creek

Church and Chicanery: "Let's just sweep this under the rug."


http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/hybels/people.htm

As I went on to research The Willow Creek Association, I discovered that thousands upon thousands of established churches around the country were being transformed into sensory driven "seeker churches" EXACTLY like ours under the guidance and direction of this organization, all with the same tolerance, diversity and unity theme, liberal worship format, scripturally shallow teaching, heavy on the comfort and light on the conscience, equipped with huge multi-media projection screens, large sound systems, exotic music, no choir, female ministers, feelings-motivated skits, dance interpretations and heavily burdened with millions of dollars of debt from building state-of-the-art entertainment venues they call "worship centers". I think the revolving disco ball sparkling overhead at our dedication service a couple of years ago was a REAL poignant moment for me personally.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." (1st John 2:15-17)

I have long-since worn out my welcome with certain members of the church staff by repeatedly protesting our involvement in these ecumenical movements and carnal extravaganzas beginning with the "men's movement"; that emotionally driven, highly advertised, celebrity endorsed, spiritually misguided and now financially bankrupt organization known as "Promise Keepers". The "Consensus Process" or "Hegelian Dialectic" teaches "facilitators" to isolate, intimidate and even shame their critics into silence and cooperation with "hurt feelings" as their license and authority. This too is carnal. Those seeking group acceptance and approval are powerless against it. Frankly, I'd much rather have God's acceptance and approval than the herd's. You see The Willow Creek Association always emphasizes "felt needs", unity, harmony, peace and human relationships over everything else...Just like the United Nations. But, that's not the Gospel.

"Consensus" is all about compromising toward "group-think" not God think. It is conformity to the collective through peer-pressure. This is the very heart of the heresy.

***

GJ - Go to Trapp's WELS congregation and Parlow's - and find the same doctrinal ID, along with heavy debt.

Both of them joined the Willow Creek Association, but Trapp desisted at some point. Nevertheless, Trapp transformed the congregation into a Willow Creek clone.

This corruption is far more extensive in WELS than most people realize. The Little Sect on the Prairie has its echo version, and Missouri is rife with it. McCain-Barry had nine years to rebuke the false doctrine of CGM and did nothing at all.

Exaudi, The Sunday after the Ascension

The Last Supper, by Norma Boeckler


Exaudi, The Sunday after the Ascension

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time

Note – if you are having trouble reading Ichabod or the Bethany blog, Google is reporting problems not yet fixed - as of this post. One solution is to download and use the Firefox browser (much faster working than Internet Explorer). The free download site is : http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ie.html
I am still having IE problems but have no problems using Firefox.

The Hymn #231 We Now Implore God 3:38
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 1 Peter 4:7-11
The Gospel John 15:26-16:4
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #39 Praise to the Lord, the 3:1

The Spirit of Truth

The Hymn #216 On Christ’s Ascension 3.41
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 #37 Lord Tis Not 3:52


KJV 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Exaudi Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that through Thy Holy Spirit Thou hast appointed us to bear witness of Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: We beseech Thee, inasmuch as the world cannot endure such testimony, and persecutes us in every way, grant us courage and comfort, that we may not be offended because of the cross, but continue steadfastly in Thy testimony, and be found always among those who know Thee and Thy Son, until we obtain eternal salvation through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Gaost, one true God, world without end. Amen
.

The Comforter, The Spirit of Truth
Man searches for truth. The Information Age has increased the distribution of facts and opinions, but people still wonder, “What is truth?”

In this Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the work of the Holy Spirit. This particular Sunday comes after the Ascension of Jesus and just before the Day of Pentecost. Most Christians think that Pentecost is a holiday unique to Christians, but the day is simply taken over from Jews who continue to celebrate Pentecost as they did in the past, as 50 days after Passover.

The Gospel lessons from John address the coming of the Holy Spirit several times. I find one description of the work of the Holy Spirit annoyingly cute, but it also fits the Biblical portrait well. Once Northwestern Publishing House published a book about the Holy Spirit called, The Holy Spirit, The Shy Member of the Trinity.
This title comes from the Biblical witness that the work of the Holy Spirit is to witness to the glory of the Father and the Son. If you read many different passages in the Bible, you will see how often the Father and the Son are emphasized, while the work of the Holy Spirit is implicit.

Dr. Robert Preus taught at Ft. Wayne that Pentecostalism arose because modern Christianity was too interested in Jesus alone, to the detriment of understanding the Holy Trinity, especially in how the Holy Spirit works. This requires some explanation. The liberals attacked Christianity by denying the divinity of Christ and wondering out loud what He really thought about Himself. Their main code word was “the mind of Christ,” distorting a phrase from Philippians 2. What they meant by this was that Jesus did not consider Himself the Son of God, so we should have this same “mind of Christ.” This also became a good excuse to teach a new doctrine of salvation by works – rather, the old doctrine of works.

Obviously in this concentration upon Jesus, built upon distortions and the manipulation of facts, the work of the Holy Spirit was forgotten. In one verse we have two descriptions of the work of the Holy Spirit. One is that of Comforter, or Spokesman, or Advocate. In this role we know that those who are faithful in their study of the Word and careful in teaching the Word alone, without distortions or man-made additions, will speak God’s truth. That does not mean that any kind of blabber is the work of the Holy Spirit. But it does mean that “he who listens to you listens to Me.”

No individual can speak God’s Word on his own. The Holy Spirit moves us to witness to the truth. Only the Spirit can plant faith in our hearts and nurture that faith through the Word and Sacraments. Knowing and believing this solves several basic problems. One is: how can I ever speak for God? The other is: how can I know what truth is?

The Christian faith is taught so clearly in the Bible that anyone can become an orthodox Christian through reading the Scriptures alone. We are helped by having other books, but the Bible does not require another book. What people often lack is not an understanding of the “difficult” Bible but a lack of study of the Word. The best professor of the Scriptures is the Holy Spirit. If we want to know what the Gospel of John teaches, the best books are not by Lenski and Luther, as good as they are, but by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. That is also what Luther and Lenski taught, following what the Christian Church has done from the beginning – using Scripture to interpret Scripture.

I remember how excited Time magazine got about hyper-linked texts. We are used to it on the Internet now. Click on a link about Moby Dick and it takes you to the Melville museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, next to the WELS congregation there. Click on a word in the museum site and it takes you to the complete text of the novel.

The Bible did this many centuries ago. Every verse is linked to all other verses. We are confident that the entire Bible is God’s truth, but also that it is a unified truth. The tiny book of Jonah relates directly to the death and resurrection of Christ. The expulsion of Adam and Even from the garden includes the first Gospel promise of our Savior. The New Testament is filled with verses that contain a phrase from the Old Testament. Then we can see how God prepared His people for centuries to see and believe in the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus our Savior.

The Bible is the Book of the Holy Spirit. We can say the Holy Spirit does not get much credit, but to have that One Book on His resume is quite an achievement. After all, the Bible is not judged by any book. Instead, it judges all books. I read a massive book on Charles Darwin, who was quite a genius and student of biology. Nevertheless, Darwin’s works do not stand above the Bible even if Darwin is the smartest of all scientists. (I find it ironic that he studied the earthworm for 40 years and missed its unique role in improving the soil, emphasizing instead its ability to create soil and bury all the creations of man.)

The explosion of information makes people uncertain about the truth, but every believer can open the Scriptures and test the latest claims with what the Bible has always taught. This is a great comfort for adults and children, because we can be thrown into all kinds of educational turmoil and remain believers by clinging to the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Although we have many faults, weaknesses, and sins, and fall into doubt about God’s power and goodness, the Holy Spirit constantly teaches us and strengthens our weak faith. As one person said to Jesus, “I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” We believe. We trust in Christ, yet we fall into turmoil from the assaults of Satan, our weak flesh, and the unbelieving world.

How is an individual forgiven? Most of the confessions of Christianity are in confusion about this, but the Bible speaks clearly. Forgiveness comes only through the appointed Means of Grace: the Word, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. In each case, the Holy Spirit works exclusively through the Word to bring us forgiveness: through the invisible Word of teaching and preaching, the visible Word of Baptism and Holy Communion.

We have consistent worship throughout the Lutheran Church (that is the ideal, no longer in effect) for a reason – to call attention to the Holy Spirit’s work in worship, creating sorrow for sins through the Law and rejoicing in forgiveness through the Gospel. The worship service should be consistent from congregation to congregation, so that people do not whisper to each other, “I like the congregation’s pit band better than ours. We really need some bongo drums and better sound. I think I will donate some loud speakers in memory of my mother-in-law.”
Christianity Today was forced to admit one time that the traditional Lutheran worship service glorifies the grace of God more than any other. Isn’t it odd to have people gibbering in tongues to prove they have the Holy Spirit when the Word, baptism, and communion are welded to the Holy Spirit. In fact, God never works apart from these means of grace.

This is important to realize in terms of forgiveness. The entire world may refuse to forgive you, but every believer knows he is forgiven by God because of the promises given by the Holy Spirit. Ultimately what matters is God’s forgiveness and not the world’s forgiveness.

I know that many pastors and laity are facing great difficulties today. But there is little respect for the Word of God today, especially among church leaders who no longer recognize the divine call of the pastor. Nevertheless, as bad as things may be, we still know that the Holy Spirit guides us through the Scriptures. God will judge all these things in time and the judgment will begin in the house of God.
KJV 1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

It is easy to be in a position of power and gloat over the harm done to others through bullying and abuse of power, but God sees all and understands what is in the heart of man. Many a poor Lazarus will be in the bosom of Abraham in the age to come. Many a rich baron will cry out for a drop of water when his unrepentant sins toss him into the eternal flames of Hell.

The Holy Spirit warns us and comforts us. If we love the truth, the Spirit of Truth gives us confidence and peace. If we hate the truth, the Spirit of Truth will seem to be a burning fire, a hammer, a terror, and wrath without end.

Part II
John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
The second part of this lesson should resonate with many, because people continue to be shocked that sound doctrine causes strife, alienates people, and brings the cross. The first stage of the growth of Christianity came from the preaching of the Gospel in the synagogues. The first converts were Jews, and they used the worship and teaching centers to say that everything they learned from the Scriptures was fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. The Jewish followers were excommunicated for teaching the truth, so Jesus said, “I am telling you so you won’t be scandalized when it happens.”

Simply from preaching the Word the apostolic church saw explosive growth and immediate persecution. We know from the historical records of non-Christians that vast numbers became followers from the beginning. That should not shock us because 500 were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord and heard Him preach before His Ascension.
The apostles also drew from the dregs of society, the criminal class and the slaves. This added to the low esteem of Christianity, which was considered a sect of the Jews, who were nothing but trouble for the Romans. This loathing made it easy to persecute Christians and put them in the arena for sport, to be attacked by wild animals.

Jesus warned, “They will think they are doing a service for God when they kill you.” As Luther commented, the most bitter pill is the persecution of Christians by Christians. In the early days it was the Jews defenestrating fellow Jews, accompanied by Rome killing Christians in the name of religious harmony.
Now there are subtler forms of persecution. But rather than feel sorry, we should be satisfied that the Word is exactly right about this. Besides, conflict makes us study the Word and learn more. Ease and luxury have always made people lazy about the Word and more prone to fall away, as Jesus warned in the Parable of the Sower. The cares and riches of the world choke part of the crop because people pay more attention to material things. They even think that material means will create spiritual blessings. They say, “If only we had more money,” instead of “If only we applied ourselves to the Word.”

3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Someone wrote, “Don’t take things personally.” This verse shows where the animus comes from. There are many indications, such as deceitfulness, hiding behind anonymity, and quoting false teachers as their authority. As one stealthy person claimed recently, Lutherans need to be judged by something D. James Kennedy (Reformed) wrote, a quotation so steeped in Law and Pietism that it was laughable. “How many people are you taking to heaven with you?” I cannot imagine a better load of guilt to lay on people – the Protestant version of Purgatory: motivate works with fear, guilt, and uncertainty.

The same has happened when people imagined they had a special claim on the Holy Spirit. They increased their annoying behavior many times over by always speaking for God—“the Holy Spirit told me…”—in spouting their hostilities. I know of ministers who cringed because they could not stand up to these self-appointed apostles, surrendering the great blessing of teaching where the Holy Spirit can always be found – in the Word and Sacraments.

When ministers turn against the Scriptures, they turn toward Rome as the materialistic symbol of truth. Or they spend their careers teaching people the Bible is not true, as so many mainline ministers do. Or they focus on personality, performance, and entertainment, because they think the Holy Spirit is not capable of producing the miracle of faith without their marketing skills and pop music.

False teachers cause a lot of damage, but they also prove how powerful the Word of God is. That is why they rage against orthodoxy and try to silence anyone who figures them out. They would not rage if they had a soft target.

"Nevertheless, He has said that the Holy Spirit should testify of him and that they also should bear witness; and He assures them that their testimony shall not be effaced by this rage and persecution of the world." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 258. Exaudi John 15:26-16:4.

Quotations

"We have the comfort of this victory of Christ—that He maintains His Church against the wrath and power of the devil; but in the meantime we must endure such stabs and cruel wounds from the devil as are necessarily painful to our flesh and blood. The hardest part is that we must see and suffer all these things from those who call themselves the people of God and the Christian Church. We must learn to accept these things calmly, for neither Christ nor the saints have fared better." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 263. Exaudi John 15:26-16:4.
"From these two convictions—that they do not know Him and that they persecute and slay His advocates—Christ now passes the judgment that the so-called Church is not the Church. He then concludes that with their false doctrines and persecutions they are both liars and murderers of God and of Christ and of all His saints." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 270. Exaudi John 15:26-16:4.
"It is not the devil's aim to plague us physically; he is a spirit who is always thirsting for the tears and the drops of blood that come from our hearts. He wants us to despair and to perish from sadness. This would be his joy and delight. But he will not succeed." What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1244. John 15:19.
"Nevertheless, He has said that the Holy Spirit should testify of him and that they also should bear witness; and He assures them that their testimony shall not be effaced by this rage and persecution of the world." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 258. Exaudi John 15:26-16:4.

In Memory of Our Fallen Soldiers
I have had the great privilege of teaching active duty military in college classes, and I often teach former members of the military and family members as well. In church work I have also know WWII veterans, Korean, Viet Nam, and Iraq war veterans. Memorial Day began after the Civil War, to honor those who lost their lives in our bloodiest conflict. Graves were decorated, so I remember it still being called Decoration Day, as it was among some in the beginning.

Every time I read a book about our wars, I marvel at the courage and tenacity of our military people in facing political battles and logistic struggles while fighting the enemy.

The strength of our country has come from a core of veterans who placed their country above their own interests and saw their best friends die for it.

Our best way of remembering their service is to thank them and their families for their sacrifices.

Memorial Day

In Memory of Our Fallen Soldiers
I have had the great privilege of teaching active duty military in college classes, and I often teach former members of the military and family members as well. In church work I have also know WWII veterans, Korean, Viet Nam, and Iraq war veterans. Memorial Day began after the Civil War, to honor those who lost their lives in our bloodiest conflict. Graves were decorated, so I remember it still being called Decoration Day, as it was among some in the beginning.

Every time I read a book about our wars, I marvel at the courage and tenacity of our military people in facing political battles and logistic struggles while fighting the enemy.

The strength of our country has come from a core of veterans who placed their country above their own interests and saw their best friends die for it.

Our best way of remembering their service is to thank them and their families for their sacrifices.

Creepy Blog Stalker Cannot Stop Reading and Writing - Anonymousely

Minnie Mouse has left another clueless comment on your post "St. Andrew Latte (WELS) Video":

That may be true, per se. However, if a congregation includes a (C) disclaimer on their material and asserts it may "not be used in any way without written permission" you would be in trouble in a courtroom. Just try to podcast portions of a major league baseball game which includes that caveat (even not for profit) and be ready to greet the lawyers at your front door. Also, court cases have been won over use of the internet to defame someone's reputation. You are correct in that the burden of proof would be upon those bringing such a suit. I believe the expense of a legal measure, the time required and physical distance, keeps you safe from most appealing to the courts over your site.

I hope God enjoys your satire, as much as you do. Someday you will get a chance to ask Him about proper behavior with fellow Christians (even when they may not be to your liking and you consider them to be in error). You have changed "mark and avoid" to "mark and hang around and be a creepy internet stalker"). It says much that you have taken time to discuss your site and behavior with "your" legal counsel. :)

***

GJ - As a matter of fact, I recently took a graduate course in journalism and the law, taught by a lawyer. I have heard "Slander!" and "Eighth Commandment!" almost every time I quoted false teachers verbatim, so there was no need to sit down with an attorney about my blog. I have laughed over such threats for several decades.

One WELS pastor said to me, "They always call you a liar, but every story I could check out turned out to be true."

I am thankful for the Shrinkers in WELS, Missouri, and the CLC. Their malice gave me independence and a new vocation or two. Now, when the Shrinkers are in a panic over losing their sinecures, I have global blogs, free worship services for everyone, and a source of income. I can help others, too, since I have some experience with defenestration.

The cowardly blog stalker should study some law. If his delusional interpretation applied, no one could review a book with a copyright and say anything negative about it. No permission without written consentt applies to commercial use, as I wrote before.

Another basic fact about copyright is that everything published is under automatic copyright, so the copyright notice is a bit redundant. Registering with the Library of Congress is a formality which may be used but is not necessary.

I give all my published materials away, downloadable from Lulu.com or my domain - http://www.gljackson.com. Maybe the Shrinkers should not be so touchy about their precious sites.

Northwestern Publishing House sells my book, Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, and appreciates my book reviews of their work. What have you published about Christian doctrine? You want to be God's own counselor but you cannot give up your name.

And no, I have no wish to copy the websty of The CORE, Latte Lutheran, or the other compost heaps of apostasy. Tell them to relax.

A signed email sent today said, "I think it is great you are getting the word out about these creeps. the internet is good because almost everybody uses it nowadays. So keep up the good work and we shall give all the praise and glory to our ascended Lord Jesus."

St. Andrew Latte (WELS) Video

Warning: do not drink fluids near the keyboard when watching this video. But don't laugh too hard - you WELS members are paying for this.

Many congregations were turned down for a vicar, but St. Andrew got one. Decisions are made at the Doctrinal Pussycat level. The Sausage Factory wants to take over assignments, so vicars would only go to Church and Change tattooed pastors.


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Anonymous has left another clueless comment on your post "St. Andrew Latte (WELS) Video":

Aren't there laws against writing as slanderous as yours? Not to mention your blatant violation of copyright laws?

***

GJ - As my attorney once said, "It's not slander if it's true." Secondly, thanks to the fair use doctrine, material can be borrowed or quoted if it not being resold or otherwise used for commercial purposes. Ichabod is non-profit, a scholarly and satirical effort of breath-taking scope. To borrow a phrase from The CORE, "Totally awesome."

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DP Herb Prahl approved the vicar to learn Church and Change under Randy Hunter. Prahl's son vicared for Kudu Don Patterson.
Rev. Herbert H Prahl
Western Wisconsin District President
wwdpwels@sab.wels.net
715-834-2595

WELS Boram

May 22, 2009

Brothers,

We are pleased to announce that work on the 2009 Book of Reports and Memorials (BORAM) is now complete. As a male called worker or convention delegate, you will be mailed a copy May 29; you should have it in hand the first week of June. In the meantime, you can read, download, or print a PDF version.

BORAM will also be available to the synod at large next week through our convention Web site, http://www.wels.net/convention.

When BORAM went to press, it contained the most current information on nominations for convention elections. Be sure to check http://www.wels.net/convention for the latest updates and other convention information.

Serving you in Christ,

Joel Hochmuth
WELS Director of Communications

Seminex - The LCMS Scandal

The leaders of Seminex, LCMS, lied about their doctrinal apostasy,
bewitched the students, and left with a ton of rare,
stolen books from the Concordia, St. Louis library.

1. They went outside the denomination to earn their doctorates.
   
2. Their academic efforts were rewarded with choice positions teaching the seminary students.
   
3. They pretended to be Old School while teaching the students their new doctrine, absorbed from false teachers.
   
4. They loved Gehrke and Jungkuntz, men with doctorates who taught the Word of God was full of errors.
   
5. They organized political groups which polarized their synod.
   
6. By the time they were found out, they had taken over most of the seminary and all of the synodical political structure.
   
7. They screamed and howled when they were exposed.

No, this is not a tale about the LCMS explosion called Seminex. That story just happens to have repeated itself in the Wisconsin Synod. In fact, many of the LCMS Seminex leaders graduated from Northwestern College, Watertown, that bastion of orthodoxy. Jungkuntz and Gehrke taught there until they were finally exposed as false teachers. They moved up to the LCMS, then to ELCA. Their college students became the apostate CGM leaders of WELS.

Dr. Jungkuntz taught at Northwestern College, where he was a favorite of the liberal students, who still get misty over him.

The Sausage Factory prides itself on turning out identical products. When Valleskey was hired as their Church Growth professor, the tide of apostasy washed away doctrinal discernment. Valleskey became VP, then president of the seminary. Wendland is another Shrinker and Valleskey's pal Bivens is the VP.

***

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Two Approaches - One of Them Dead Wrong":

'they all end up buying Hell when they could have heaven for free.'

Truer words were never spoken. Isn't it sad that these dog and pony shows like Sweet, Stetzer, Stanley, Groeschel, etc. think so highly of themselves that they themselves make money off the fools who spend great amounts of money to attend their seminars? If they were truly concerned for all those lost souls in the world, wouldn't they share all this valuable information with the masses for free?

***

GJ - The founder of Christian Science realized that people value expensive religious information. Of course, that fad has gone the way of zoot suits and 23 skidoo.

I give away everything, and all I get from Minnie Mouse is grief.

Rock N Roll - Three Years Later, Tons of Money Spent - 30 People

Busta Gut is singing the blues now.

Whoever taught Matt Doebler to copy the sermons of false teachers--and grow through grants--should be given the Left Foot of Fellowship.

Why do 30 people also need a staffer earning $50k? No wonder Doebler went to the Antioch Foundation for a $200,000 grant - for a worship leader, etc. The Antioch Foundation was going to solve all their problems...not. Rock N Roll still got $20,000. Rock N Roll has its hands out for district mission money too.

The Doctrinal Pussycats gathered in solemn assembly at Patterson's Safari Church and blessed the Church From Scratch. No, that is not my nickname for the congregation. If you type in churchfromscratch.net in your browser, you get Doebler's church websty.

***

GJ - Recently, Rock N Roll had a total of 30 people in attendance. No wonder Minnie Mouse is upset about Bethany. We have no grants, no subsidy, only a volunteer Altar Guild.

Mrs. Ichabod said on May 10, "Remember, before I was the Altar Guild, I was a mother."

We have up to 50 in attendance, when Ustream is working right, and many more who use the saved video files. Thousands use the Ichabod and Bethany blogs, but the Rock N Roll blog de-rezzed after a few feeble tries. Even the Rock N Roll flies are gone. Oops, I mean the files are gone.

Your WELS offering money at work, folks. Doebler is a black hole for funds and his buddy Patterson needs a free vicar again. I guess they heard the hymn wrong. It is not "Preach the dross," but "Bear the cross."

Two Approaches - One of Them Dead Wrong

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Raising Them Right at Church and Change":

C&C takes a capital intensive approach instead of a labor intensive one. The cost spirals out of control as they make one high-risk maneuver after another saying God will provide the means. This is testing God as much as the Devil telling Christ to jump off the temple mount.

***

GJ - That is a good point, one which I have been thinking about. Lately I have been reading books about the tycoons of the 19th century: Rockefeller, Carnegie, and J. P. Morgan. Rockefeller and Carnegie owed much of their success to looking at costs, down to the penny. Rockefeller figured out how many rivets to put on a kerosene can and saved millions by reducing the total. Carnegie knew how much a steel factory cost to run, so he could calculate profits. Both were far ahead of their time in using statistics and paring costs (often at the expense of the workers, the competition, and the public).

We have just seen an era where the facts did not matter in regard to stock prices or home values. Illegals were getting mortgages and flipping houses in six months. I remembered someone who went bankrupt doing that in another era of hot housing, so I was not tempted - not that I could have done it anyway.

The old way of running a denomination and a congregation was to count the pennies. Mischke's entire operation consisted of an office at NPH with his wife Gladys as his secretary. That was not long ago. But he and Gurgel built a kingdom at The Love Shack with Thrivent, Schwan, and offering money.

I served in two congregations with very good incomes for their time. No one would have imagined me going to a distant conference one month plus flying to another one the next month. Ski and Glende did that, with others still in hiding. Nor could I have published a parish bulletin which lied about where I was going and what I was doing. Glende's bulletin misled his congregation both times by omitting all the key information, such as where and what. And the money spent! Mercy.

When the big money rolls in, common sense goes out the window. As the writer says above, the concept suggests that money will replace labor. A wise pastor wrote me that pastoral conferences (Hybels, Beeson, Driscoll, Sweet, Stetzer, Stanley, Groeschel, et al.) come from congregations reaching a plateau. Their new money-raising phase is incredibly greedy - "Come spend a few days with us and we will share our secrets."

I went to a Church Growth conference in Columbus because a Lutheran lay leader asked me to report on it. I counted about $60,000 in fees, not to mention the books sales. Many were leaving with 10 books in their arms and a glassy look in their eyes. Selling dreams is a great gig. One of my students goes to events like that just to get pumped up, but he leaves his wallet, checkbook, and cash at home.

The Church and Chicaneries are all addicts of these mirages. Certainly a few of them have learned to prostitute themselves and adulterate the Word enough to look good to others. When they adulterate the Word and offer coaching instead of the Gospel, they attract rich adulterers who purr at their words. Nevertheless, they all end up buying Hell when they could have heaven for free.

I have seen the glassy eyes so many times, it makes me sick to think about it. A District Mission Board chair (LCA, then another in WELS) crows about "people moving into this zip code," because Fuller told them that was the key to a growing church. Get in there and spent a hunk of dough, but spend it at Fuller first, then go back for refresher courses at Fuller. And send some of your people, so the underlings are up to speed.

I have talked to people who listened to Paul Y. Cho, a creepy guy so deep into the occult that he would have been burned at the stake in better times. No matter what I said, the addict would murmur, "But he was so exciting and inspirational." Yes, bow down to me and all this will be yours.

The Church Shrinkers have all gotten high on the Kool-Aid. Now their names are coming out in the open. Using money as their substitute for trusting in the Word, they have enjoyed the good things of life while dogs licked the oozing sores of Lazarus. The Church and Chicanery gang need a confession of sin and a battery of criminal lawyers, a veritable Dream Team for their Mission Vision.

Baptist On The Church Growth Movement

Probably not copied from Fuller, Willow Creek, or Mars Hill:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=13009220225

Or Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel.

Raising Them Right at Church and Change

Anonymouse Yells "Coward" Again

Anonymouse has left another clueless comment on your post "Rev. Kristen Administers the Means of Grace":

For someone who claims to be such a staunch Lutheran, your Ascension 'communion' service was a joke. You call that administering the sacrament? How do you do a baptism?

You may not agree with how some people are conducting church, but at least they can administer the sacraments. You should be ashamed of your behavior and hiding in your little box. Get out in the world. Start your own church instead of hiding your light.

I have posted on this subject before and I'm sure you will in cowardly fashion delete this as you have the others because you know that I am right and you have no defense. But you still have to read this and maybe some day it will sink in. Your arrogance will do you in.

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From a signed email:

Good evening Pastor,

What a beautiful Ascension Service! Thank you! It was very interesting the way you used the four Gospels and showed how they are each separate books but yet all mesh together. I really enjoyed everything.

***

GJ - Mouse - Check out the map on the Bethany blog. We are all over the world. I also teach all over the world. When I quote Luther to various religions and denominations, they never have hissy-fits.

The video services were created for those who wanted them. There has been no effort to keep them a secret. Every service is posted, not only with the saved video file, but also with the written sermon and The Lutheran Hymnal service.

In contrast, Church and Chicaneries:

1. Hide their sermons, which are often copied from Groeschel, Driscoll, and others.
   
2. Hide their sermon titles, which are copied verbatim from false teachers.
   
3. Claim the sermons of others as their own, then hiding the evidence (Kelming and Parlowing).
   
4. Buy manufactured Bible lessons from Mars Hill (Driscoll) and others.
   
5. Offer no Lutheran content on their glitzy websites, but boast about being relevant, real, relational, comfy, cozy, and caffeinated.
   
6. Mock the Means of Grace by offering their entertainment schemes as an antidote to Christ-centered, confessional, liturgical worship services.
   
7. Devour subsidies in the name of mission, while scooping up members from sister churches in the name of evangelism.
   

Your Church Growth heroes of the past--Curtis Peterson, Mark Freier, Bob Schumann, Randy Cutter, Rick Miller, Kelly Voigt, et al.--have left the Lutheran Church or Christianity altogether.

That is quite a record. In this litigious society, in a secular setting, the professors at The Sausage Factory, The Love Shack officials, and the Doctrinal Pussycats would be defending themselves in court for destroying the corporation.

They have been court already, due to murder raps, MilCraft's insolvency (robbing widows), and the sexual abuse of minors.

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Anonymouse, revealing his Church and Chicanery education, has left a new comment on your post "Anonymouse Yells "Coward" Again":

Nice one, ya putz. As always you never addressed my charge about the sacraments. Instead you just parrot more of your own garbage. I looked at the viewer stats mostly in single digits. You call that reaching the world? Certainly you could do more in your community if you made half the effort you do now.

You are no more a Lutheran than those you run down and are just as guilty. You don't administer the sacraments because you can't and won't.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Anonymouse Yells "Coward" Again":

I too was encouraged by the breadth of the sermon. A special example was that the very disciples who had spent a few years in the presence of Christ were so weak in their own faith they went back to cowering behind locked doors or back to fishing to feed themselves.

Yet Christ came back to serve them again. "Feed my sheep," He said.


While some WELS pastors cavort with the Decisionists, Pr Jackson is showing that the disciples themselves couldn't make their own 'decision for Christ' stick. It took the Holy Spirit Himself to imbue them and to spread the Gospel.


+Diet O. Worms

Woe To Me If I Preach Not the Ants

The Sausage Factory graduates without calls can always get a job in a rock band. That area of ministry is expanding in WELS.

From Bailing Water:

Please, let us change the topic.

A relative was getting his vicar assignment from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. I watched the service on the web. The preacher, whom the bulletin said was a Prof. Hartwig did not preach the Gospel other than a passing reference or two to the word. He obviously then did not preach Christ crucified, in fact he went on at great length about the training of young ants by older ants, yes, ants. I learned more about ants than I did about Christ.

Is this typical of seminary prof's preaching (since this was a grand affair, I assume so.) If you don't believe me, check it out.

Oh, and as I heard from my relative, 11 seniors will not get calls.

Fabio

Rev. Kristen Administers the Means of Grace

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Randy Hunter Got A Vicar For Latte Lutheran Church...":

The manner in which you present Staff Minister of Worship Kristen Koepsell is incorrect. She is not a Rev. to the congregation. She preach (sic - don't go ghetto on us) to them nor does she tend to their spiritual welfare - that is the job of Rev. Hunter and Staff Minister Hochmuth. Check Kristen's job description here:
http://www.st-andrew-online.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=5563&sec_id=2361

St. Andrew is a great WELS congregation. Their Waunakee worship services are an excellent example of the 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 passages which close with these important words:
"...I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Rev. Kristen: "I say this with a full and complete understanding (and appreciation!) of the fact that the actual work is done by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace – but it is a great privilege and a great joy to be an instrument in ‘administering God’s grace’ in the form of worship gatherings."

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GJ - Funny how all the C and C cults have women staffers starting out: St. Andrews-by-the-Starbucks, Rock 'N Roll, Cross-Eyed in Phoenix. Does anyone wonder where all the money went?

The Chicaneries have been promoting women usurping authority and teaching men (the real issues from 1 Timothy) for many years.

No surprise that the Odd Couple of C and C - Kathie Wendland and Rich Gurgel - produced the latest iteration of what the liberals can get away with - Heirs Together. No surprise either that they chose the same title as Richard Stadler's ground-breaking essay, which was nicknamed Errorists Together.

Notice the Staff Minister - another gift from Larry Oh! - "Our Staff Infection" - using insights from feminist Fuller Seminary, where he got his drive-by DMin.

And now a vicar too? Oh, the hidebound, rigidly orthodox DPs have stretched forth their consecrated and consecrating hands on this overly-caffeinated bunch.

Grounds for impeachment, if you get my pun.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Rev. Kristen Administers the Means of Grace":

She doesn't say she administers God's grace in the form of worship gatherings. She calls herself "an instrument in administering God's grace in the form of worship gatherings." The person who types up the worship folder or plays the organ could also be called an instrument.

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GJ - There have been two Amens! to the Latte Easy Chair Church. One was the puff piece in FIC, the magazine serving as an expensive instrument of propaganda for Church and Change, but paid from the synod budget. The second Amen! comes from the COP giving Latte a vicar when others were refused.

Left unsaid in the comment directly above is exactly what Rev. Kristen does when she uses the language, the very words of pastoral ministry. But we have all learned from Fuller Seminary and its victims that "everyone is a minister."

Presbyterian Eviscerates the Latte Sensitive Cults

This Presbyterian minister is better than the whole COP put together.