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UOJ Responds to Justification by Faith, Extending the Left Foot of Fellowship. Why Baptize Infants, I Ask, If Everyone Is Born Forgiven?

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The Chief Article versus McCain -
quite a gap, dontcha think?

Higher Things Getting To Be Like Rob Bell

Dare To Defend Halle Pietism 
McCain, the early Robert Preus,
the suddenly Italian Jack Cascione.
Gregory L. Jackson Remember, everyone is born forgiven, so it is not needed.
LikeReply9 mins
George Borghardt No, they are born sinners. You are a heretic for teaching otherwise! smile emoticon
LikeReply8 mins
Gregory L. Jackson This is your Chief Article, quoted by Paul McCain. Read it carefully. Born forgiven.

Gregory L. Jackson's photo.
LikeReply6 mins
George Borghardt Ok, Greg... Oh I see, you are doing your OJ vs. SJ stuff.

We are born sinful. Christ died for the sin of the world. That's an objective reality. That reality does no good to us unless it received by faith alone. That happens at our baptisms, right?

LikeReply4 mins
George Borghardt This reminds me of when George F Borghardt IVwas born. He came out screaming. I held him in his arms and said to him, "You little hater of God and despiser of the means of grace. You little pagan unbeliever. Don't you worry. Don't you cry. Jesus is going to save you at the baptismal font!"
LikeReply1 min
Mark Buetow Time to blot out Mr. Jackson from your Facebook feed, Pastor Borghardt.
LikeReplyJust now
Gregory L. Jackson Bob Preus, using this quotation, says you are wrong, George.

Gregory L. Jackson's photo.
LikeReplyJust now
George Borghardt Mark Buetow Here it comes.. watch it...

3...See More

LikeReplyJust now
Mark Buetow Please, Pastor Borghardt!
LikeReplyJust now
Gregory L. Jackson Mark, that would be sinful, and not do any good. The Chief Article is justification by faith, not OJ.

Christina Ellenberger Jackson
Write a reply...
George Borghardt He was ruining a perfectly good reveling in our baptism, wasn't he, Pastor Mark Buetow!?
LikeReply57 mins

Mark Buetow Exactly.
LikeReply57 mins
George Borghardt It takes an awful lot to get me to block someone! Two freaks in one week!
LikeReply157 mins
George Borghardt You got your baptismal certificate, Buetow?
LikeReply57 mins
Mark Buetow Somewhere...
LikeReply156 mins
George Borghardt Lol... at the same time you posted that i needed to block him, George F Borghardt IV was already on it.

Freak smile emoticon
LikeReply54 mins
George Borghardt I think the best way of dealing with a day of internet slander is your baptism!
LikeReply454 mins



From Alec Satin's Blog - The Jesus Hermaneutic Heresy - From the Bowels of Emergent Church, A Franchise of the Church Growth Movement

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Somebody has to object to the nonsense
flowing from the Church Growth Movement.

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O
ver the past few weeks I’ve been figuratively cleaning off the bottoms of my shoes after stepping into multiple controversies with people who seem to be following different gospels than my own. One of these apostate systems is held by many of the twenty- and thirty-somethings I come in contact with. These younger Christians try to take the moral high ground. They splutter with outrage when crossed. Up to now my suspicion has been that they’ve been intentionally deceived. Now I’m sure that my hunch was correct. The “Jesus Hermeneutic” is a learned heresy. Two wolves behind it are the false teachers Jim Wallis and Tony Compolo.

Red Letter Christians

R
ed Letter Christians is a radical movement aimed at the political and social overthrow of evangelical Christianity. Here’s how Tony Compolo describes it:
We are evangelicals who are troubled by what is happening to poor people in America; who are disturbed over environmental policies that are contributing to global warming; who are dismayed over the increasing arrogance of power shown in our country’s militarism; who are outraged because government funding is being reduced for schools where students, often from impoverished and dysfunctional homes, are testing poorly; who are upset with the fact that of the 22 industrialized nations America is next to last in the proportion of its national budget (less than two-tenths of 1 percent) that is designated to help the poor of third-world countries; and who are broken-hearted over discrimination against women, people of color, and those who suffer because of their sexual orientation. source
The social issues Compolo raises are real and significant. But the true gospel is not political. Jesus said clearly, My kingdom is not of this world(John 18.36).
Compolo admits his movement is actually cloaked progressive liberalism:
Because being evangelical is usually synonymous with being Republican in the popular mind, and calling ourselves “progressive” might be taken as a value judgment by those who do share our views, we decided not to call ourselves “progressive evangelicals.” We came up with a new name: Red-Letter Christians. source

Gandhian non-violence

M
y latest run-in with a proponent of this pseudo-Christian political radicalism occurred in the comment section of Winging it. Josh correctly and succinctly defines the Jesus Hermeneutic with these words:
“Jesus teaching carries more weight than other teachings in the Bible.” (Josh – op cit)
If you take a moment to think about this, you will start to see how this method of Biblical interpretation does violence to what Christians and the Christian church have understood about God and ethics for two millenia. First of all it denies the principle of “Scripture interprets Scripture”. Secondly (as LPC has pointed out), all the words of the 66 books of the Bible are Jesus’ words.
Josh’s moral umbrage against Christians who believe it’s just to defend the weak and powerless aligns perfectly with Campolo’s Gandhian agenda:
In those red letters…He calls us to be merciful, which has strong implications for how we think about capital punishment. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, he probably means we shouldn’t kill them…Figuring out just how to relate those radical red letters in the Bible to the complex issues in the modern world will be difficult, but that’s what we’ll try to do.
Gandhi once said that everybody in the world knows what Jesus was teaching in those verses – except Christians! We will try to prove him wrong. source
Notice how Campolo cleverly misleads his audience by confusing the governmental responsibility to uphold justice and punish crime with the behaviors of individual Christians. He also creates a false dichotomy between love and all the other virtues commended by our Lord.
As an aside we should ask ourselves how much the devoted Hindu and anti-Christian Gandhi really has to teach us. Just because the world upholds him as a hero does not mean that he should be a moral light to you and I. This man who rejected the salvation offered by Jesus Christ slept naked with 13 year old girls to practice his ability to resist sexual temptation. Gandhi has no part in defining how the Bible should be interpreted.

The social gospel is no gospel at all

A
hundred years ago the social gospel ran roughshod over the American Protestant churches. Christians from many streams left their denominations in rejection of this false gospel. And here it is returned to suck in a whole new generation of the deceived. I bet you’ve heard one or more of these ideas in the so-called neo-evangelical church:
  • The government is violating God’s will when it puts murderers to death.
  • Jesus was a radical.
  • Christians are called to reform the world.
  • Non-violence is the supreme morality.
  • God’s nature is only love.
  • If you’re not feeding the poor, clothing the homeless, etc, you are no real Christian.
  • Etc.
Do you notice the biggest social evils specifically called out in the Bible – sodomy, religious apostasy (you are a little god) and child sacrifice (abortion) – are conspicuously missing? Nowhere is the true nature of this false gospel more apparent. These three evils are explicitly defended or at the very least ignored by the red-letter followers of the Jesus Hermeneutic. This is no coincidence.

Jim Wallis’s reasoning for the Jesus Hermeneutic

J
im Wallis may be right that large portions of the visible church don’t agree with Biblical teachings. But his solution is not to bring people back to the Scriptures, but to sever the parts he doesn’t like. Which includes the Old Testament and the writings of the Apostle Paul.
We have a problem. Most people have the idea, as crazy as it may seem, that Christians and the church are supposed to stand for the same things that Jesus did…The truth is that there are many people who like the “red letter stuff,” and many of them are not even Christians… source
You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the creators of the Jesus Hermeneutic and Red Letter Christians are ecstatic in their love for the Emergent Church:
This issue includes a section of Brian McLaren’s new book, The Secret Message of Jesus—a message often kept secret even by the churches themselves and utterly disguised by many of our television evangelists who seem to preach a different gospel. Brian is the spiritual leader of a new movement called the “emergent church,” which is drawing a generation raised in the churches back to Jesus and attracting many outside the religious community to a Jesus they never heard about from the churches. He knows that people intuitively recognize that Jesus’ message of God’s kingdom—a new world of compassion, justice, integrity, and peace—is the good news they’ve been searching and waiting for. source
Be very clear. In a round about way Wallis is speaking the truth here. His is another gospel at war not only with other false versions of Christianity like those of the televangelists, but most importantly at war with the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Lord’s warning and curse of Revelation 22.18-19 applies, no matter how glibly Josh and those caught up in this movement deny it. Don’t take my word for it. Read it for yourself. It’s a red-letter passage. And it’s a fearful curse from our Lord.
Apostate teachers rarely admit their hatred of the real Jesus as Jim Wallis has here. I encourage you to read his whole sorry statement: Red letter Christians: Somehow Jesus has survived even the church.

Conclusion

I
f only this were the only devilish movement striking hammers at the foundations of the beleaguered church of Jesus Christ. Fortunately God has comforted us with his promise which can never be broken:
…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)
Where have you come across this Jesus Hermeneutic/ Red-Letter Christians? Please share your personal experiences. They are very helpful to others.
Let’s pray that all of those who have unknowingly been caught up in this false gospel will see the error, renounce it and separate themselves.

Reference


Stan approaches the Jesus Hermeneutic from a different perspective. You can read his post here: The Jesus Hermeneutic


Warning Signs - False Doctrine Ahead

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Missing the Target.

When Lutheran clergy are asked about their false doctrine and the contradictions of their claims, they run like scalded dogs.


Mark Buetow Time to blot out Mr. Jackson from your Facebook feed, Pastor Borghardt.
LikeReply416 hrs
Gregory L. Jackson Bob Preus, using this quotation, says you are wrong, George.


Gregory L. Jackson's photo.
LikeReply16 hrs
George Borghardt Mark Buetow Here it comes.. watch it...

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LikeReply116 hrs
Mark Buetow Please, Pastor Borghardt!
LikeReply216 hrs

George Borghardt Lol... at the same time you posted that i needed to block him, George F Borghardt IV was already on it.

Freak smile emoticon

LikeReply116 hrs
George Borghardt I think the best way of dealing with a day of internet slander is your baptism!
LikeReply416 hrs
Christina Ellenberger Jackson The last resort of a false teacher is to cry slander.

Christina Ellenberger Jackson's photo.
LikeReply115 hrs
Mark Buetow Hey, George, I've got another name for your block list...
LikeReply113 hrs
---

I am having fun with the irony. Apparently, these two Higher Things honchos friended me on Facebook. I get new contacts all the time. With almost 1500 friends, I do not need more to keep me busy, but I accept most requests. The brave pastors of Higher Things, George and his handler Mark, blocked/unfriended me. One humorous graphic and they wanted to block my wife too.

Pastor Mark Buetlow, Media Executive:"Time to blot out Mr. Jackson
from your Facebook feed, Pastor 
Borghardt."
Too bad I know Facebook better than they do.

Signs of False Doctrine Ahead

  • Claims are made without any support from the Word, Luther, or the Book of Concord.
  • Assertions are solemnly declared on the authority of the pastor alone, which is a false appeal to authority. Simply going to seminary (party-time) for three years and a vicarage (junior assistant non-pastor) for a year are not enough to make someone the final word on anything. Did you study Greek? Did he? Ask him to translate 1 John on the spot. Haha. The Columbus circuit could not with advance warning, and it is child's play.
  • Gray area - the Word of God is so confusing, vague, and contradictory that no one can really decide on what it says. This argument is from the Church of Rome, against the clarity of the Word.
  • Synod says, synod voted - This tactic is even more odious than the ones above, because the synod is used to contradict the Word of God and the Book of Concord, often while citing the very passages that refute the claim. Synodical votes--manipulated by special interests, compromised by resolving conflicts the easy way--are irrelevant.
  • "You cannot raise this question." The pastor-popes love to denigrate anyone who questions them. Note above - Mr. Jackson - from Mark the Maledictor. This gimmick is common and shows a lack of education, breeding, and manners. The recruiters must be scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill their quotas.
  • "You have a small church" or "No church at all."Small church pastors are made to feel they have no authority, but the only authority is God's Word, and the secondary, clarifying authority (the ruled norm) is the Book of Concord. The whole synod as an exclusive franchise approach is directly from Rome, but a bad copy, like DOS copying Unix. Many synodical executives, with benefits greater than a parish parson's salary, are really without a church. They feign parish work, but they are not pastors at all. Many District Presidents do not know or visit their own pastors, unless DPs want to beat them like rented mules, or arrange a cover-up for the latest felony, depending on who you are (related to). I have visited and communed every member in my congregation in the last year. And I baptized an adult Christian. 
  • Running Away. I have seen so many false teachers run away. First, the fear wells up in their eyes. Next, they do their best to escape any conversation. The Eighth Commandment salesmen like to block me and run me down behind my back, which is great fun to expose. If what I said did not matter, then they would not be so scared and vindictive.
  • Deceiving others about sound doctrine. As Pastor Rydecki pointed out about George, Higher Things lies about the ELDONA position. If anyone wonders about Higher Things' false doctrine, read their claim that forgiveness without faith is the Chief Article of the Christian Religion.



LCMS Pastor George Borghardt, Higher Things and UOJ, Leads New Messages for the Month. He Blocked Mrs. Ichabaod, Urged by Rev. Mark Torquemada Buetow

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George Borghardt I think the best way of dealing with a day of internet slander is your baptism!
LikeReply416 hrs
Christina Ellenberger Jackson The last resort of a false teacher is to cry slander.

Christina Ellenberger Jackson's photo.
LikeReply115 hrs
Mark Torquemada Buetow Hey, George, I've got another name for your block list...
Warning Signs, False Doctrine Ahead

Higher Things Getting To Be Like Rob Bell

Dare To Defend Halle Pietism



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GJ -

October 5th, 2015

Posted at 7:00am

Pastor Borghardt teaches us why Pastor wears what he wears during the Divine Service. He also teaches us what the robes and colors mean.

Why are the UOJ hysterics so much in love with their robes? And yet, they trust the Word of God so little that they use blocking to banish questions from so-called discussions.

As I expected King George III has responded to to this blog by removing all his public Facebook remarks back to July, 2015.

Larry Beane is another LCMS case of
loving the colorful gowns, hating Luther's doctrine.


Luther's Gospel Sermon for Judica Sunday - John 8:46-59

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Luther's Gospel Sermon for JUDICA. FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. John 6:46-59


German text: Erlangen edition 11:143; Walch 11:774; St. Louis 11:566.

TEXT:

John 8:46-59. Which of you convicteth me of sin? I say truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God. The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon? Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me. But I seek not mine own glory; there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death. The Jews said unto him. Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my Word, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our Father Abraham who died? and the prophets died: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God; and ye have not known him: but I know him.; and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be like unto you, a liar; but I know him and keep his Word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and thou hast seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am. They took up stones therefore to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

CONTENTS:

CHRIST’S DEFENSE AGAINST HIS ENEMIES.
I. HOW AND WHY CHRIST IN HIS DEFENSE DEMANDS AREASON WHY HIS ENEMIES DO NOT BELIEVE

* It is required of a teacher that he be blameless in his life and teachings 2-8.

II. HOW AND WHY IN HIS DEFENSE HE PASSES SUCH ASEVERE JUDGMENT UPON HIS ENEMIES

1. The judgment itself 4.

2. How and why the Jews cannot endure such Judgment 5.

III. HOW AND WHY CHRIST IN HIS DEFENSE DID NOT ESTEEM HIS OWN LIFE,BUT POWERFULLY DE FENDED HIS TEACHINGS

* How teachers should comfort themselves in the face of the shame they must endure because of the true doctrine 7.

IV. HOW CHRIST IN HIS DEFENSE ASCRIBES AVERY POWERFUL EFFICACY TO HIS DOCTRINE

1. Whether this efficacy is ascribed to the Word of the Law or of the gospel.

2. The nature of this efficacy 9-13.

3. The foundation and reason of this efficacy 14-15.

1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.

2. And every preacher should prove that he possesses both: first a blameless life, by which he can defy his enemies and no one may have occasion to slander his teachings; secondly, that he possesses the pure doctrine, so that he may not mislead those who follow him. And thus he will be right and firm on both sides: with his good life against his enemies, who look much more at life than at his doctrine, and despise the doctrine for the sake of the life; with his doctrine then for the kind of life he leads and will bear with his life for the sake of his teaching.

3. For it is indeed true that no one lives so perfect a life as to be without sin before God. Therefore it is sufficient that he be blameless in the eyes of the people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure as to stand not only before man but also before God. Therefore every pious pastor may well ask: Who among you can find fault with my life? Among you, I say who are man; but before God I am a sinner. This Moses also boast in <041615 Numbers 16:15 that he took nothing from the people and he did them no injustice. Samuel did likewise in 1 Samuel 12:3 also Jeremiah and Hezekiah, who rightly boasted of their blameless life before the people, in order to stop the mouths of blasphemers. But Christ does not speak thus of his doctrine, he says not: “Who among you can find fault with my doctrine”; but “If I tell you the truth.” For one must be assured that his doctrine is right before God and that it is the truth, and accordingly care not how it is judged by the people.

4. Hence the Jews have no ground for their unbelief than that they are not the children of God; therefore he passes judgment upon them and says: “He that is of God heareth the words of God; for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God,” that cannot mean anything else than that you are of the devil.

5. The Jews could not stand this, for they wished to be God’s children and people; therefore they are now raging and slander both Christ’s life and his doctrine; his doctrine, in that they say: “Thou hast a devil,” that is, thou speakest moved by the devil and thy doctrine is his lie; and they slander his life, in that they say, “Thou art a Samaritan,” which sounds among the Jews worse than any other crime. In this way Christ teaches us here the fate that awaits us Christians and his Word; both our life and our doctrine must be condemned and reviled, and that by the foremost, wisest and greatest of earth. Thus one knows the corrupt tree by its fruits, as they, under the pretense of being good, are so bitter, angry, impatient, cruel and mad as to condemn and pass sentence, when one touches them at their tender spot and rejects their ideas and ways.

6. What does Christ do here? His life he abandons to shame and dishonor, is silent and suffers them to call him a Samaritan; while he takes pains to defend his doctrine. For the doctrine is not ours, but God’s, and God dare not suffer in the least, here patience is at an end; but I should stake all that I have and suffer, all that they do, in order that the honor of God and of his Word may not be injured. For if I perish, no great harm is done; but if I let God’s Word perish, and I remain silent, then I do harm to God and to the whole world. Although I can not now close their mouth nor prevent their wickedness, I shall nevertheless not keep silent, nor act as if they are right, as I do about my good life, so that they retain their right. Although they do me injustice at the time, yet it remains right before God. Further, Christ excuses himself, and says: “I have not a demon,” that is, my doctrine is not of the devil’s lies; “but I honor my father,” that is, I preach in my doctrine the grace of God, through which he is to be praised, loved and honored by believers. For the evangelical office of the ministry is nothing but glorifying God, Psalm 19:2: “The heavens declare the glory of God” etc. “But you dishonor me,” that is, you call me the devil’s liar, who reviles and dishonors God.

7. Why does he not say: I honor my father, and ye dishonor him; but says: “Ye dishonor me?” Impliedly he proves by this, that the father’s and his honor are alike and the same, as he and the Father are one God; yet along with this he also wishes to teach that if the office of the ministry, which God honors, is to be duly praised, then it must suffer disgrace. In like manner we will also do to our princes and priests; when they attack our manner of life, we should suffer it and show love for hatred, good for evil; but when they attack our doctrine, God’s honor is attacked, then love and patience should cease and we should not keep silent, but also say: I honor my Father, and you dishonor me; yet I do not inquire whether you dishonor me, for I do not seek my own honor. But nevertheless be on your guard, there is one who seeks it and judges, that is, the Father will require it of you, and judge you and never let you go unpunished. He seeks not only his honor, but also mine, because I seek his honor, as he says in 1 Samuel 2:30: “Them that honor me I will honor.” And it is our consolation that we are happy; although the whole world reviles and dishonors us, we are assured that God will advance our honor, and therefore will punish, judge and revenge. If one could only believe it and persevere, he will surely come. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my word, he shall never see death.”

8. By these words he spoils it entirely, in that he does not only defend his doctrine as right and good, which they attribute to the devil; but also ascribes such virtue to his teaching that it becomes a powerful emperor over Satan, death and sin, to give and sustain eternal life. Behold here, how divine wisdom and human reason conflict with one another. How can a human being grasp the thought, that a corporeal, an oral word should redeem forever from death? But let blindness run its course; we shall consider this beautiful saying. Christ is speaking here not of the word of the law, but of the Gospel, which is a discourse about Christ, who died for our sins etc. For God did not wish to impart Christ to the world in any other way; he had to embody him in the Word and thus distribute him, and present him to everybody; otherwise Christ would have existed for himself alone and remained unknown to us; he would have thus died for himself.

But since the Word places before us Christ, it thus places us before him who has triumphed over death, sin and Satan. Therefore he who grasps and retains Christ, has thus also eternal deliverance from death. Consequently it is a Word of life, and it is true, that whoever keeps the Word shall never see death.

9. And from this we may well understand what Christ meant by the word “keep;” it does not refer to such keeping as one keeps the law by good works; for this word of Christ must be kept in the heart by faith and not with the fist or by good works, as the Jews in this case understand it; they fearfully rage against Christ, that Abraham and the prophets are dead; they know nothing of what it is “to keep,” “to die” or “to live.” And it is not called “to keep” in vain; for there is a conflict and battle when sin bites, death presses and hell faces us; then we are to be in earnest in holding firmly to the Word and let nothing separate us from it. Thus see now how Christ answers the Jews and praises his own teachings. You say, my Word is of the devil and wish to sink it to the bottom of perdition; on the contrary I say to you that it has divine power in it, and I exalt it higher than the heaven of heavens, and above all creatures.

10. How does it then come to pass that man does not see nor taste death, and yet Abraham and all the prophets are dead, who notwithstanding had the Word of God as the Jews say? Here we must give attention to the words of Christ, who makes the distinction that death is a different thing than to see or taste death. We all must face death and die; but a Christian neither tastes nor sees it, that is, he does not feel it, he is not terrified before it, and he enters death calmly and quietly, as though falling asleep, and yet he does not die. But a godless person feels and experiences death, and is terrified before it forever. Thus to taste death may well be called the power and reign or the bitterness of death, yea, it is the eternal death and hell. The Word of God makes this difference. A Christian has that Word and clings firmly to it in death; therefore he does not see death, but his eyes are filled with the life and the Christ in that Word; therefore he never feels death. But the godless possess not that Word, therefore they see no life, but only death; and they must also feel death; that is then the bitter and eternal death.

11. Now Christ means here that whoever clings to his Word will in the midst of death neither feel nor see death, as he also says in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me though he die, yet shall he live,” that is, he will not experience real death. Here we see now what a glorious estate it is to be a Christian, who is already released from death forever and can never die. For his death or dying seems outwardly indeed like the dying of the godless, but inwardly there is a difference as great as between heaven and earth. For the Christian sleeps in death and in that way enters into life, but the godless departs from life and experiences death forever; thus we may see how some tremble, doubt and despair, and become senseless and raging in the midst of the perils of death. Hence death is also called in the Scriptures a sleep. For just as he who falls asleep does not know how it happens, and he greets the morning when he awakes; so shall we suddenly arise on the last day, and never know how we entered and passed through death.

12. Let us take another example. When Israel marched out of Egypt and came to the Red Sea, they were free and experienced no death, but only life. However when King Pharaoh arrived behind them with all his forces, then they stood in the midst of death, then no life was in sight. For before them was the sea, through which they could not pass, behind them King Pharaoh, and on both sides of them high mountains; on all sides they were seized and enclosed by death, so that they said to Moses: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Exodus 14:11, so completely and wholly did they despair of life. Just then Moses came and brought them God’s Word that comforted them in the midst of death and preserved them alive, when he said in verse 13: “Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” They clung to this Word and held out until victory came; through it life appeared in the presence of death, because they believed the Word, that it would come to pass, and relying upon it they marched into the midst of the Red Sea, which stood on both sides of them like two walls. Then it came to pass that nothing but life and safety were in the sea, where before there were only death and danger.

For they would have never become so bold as to go into the sea, had it divided a hundred times, if God’s Word had not been present, which comforted them and promised life. Thus man triumphs over death through the Word of Life, if he cleaves to it and believes, and marches into death with it.

13. Likewise Christ also says here in replying to the Jews, that Abraham and the prophets still live and they never died, but have life in the midst of death; they however only lie and sleep in death. For “Abraham,” he says, “rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” Thus, the prophets also saw it. Where and when did Abraham see it? Not with his bodily eyes, as the Jews interpret it, but with the sight of faith in the heart; that is, he recognized Christ when he was told in Genesis 22:18: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Then he saw and understood that Christ, born of his seed through a pure virgin, so as not to be cursed with Adam’s children but to remain blessed, should suffer for the whole world, cause this to be preached, and thus overwhelm the whole world with blessing etc. This is the day of Christ, the dispensation of the Gospel, that is the light of this day, which radiates from Christ as from the sun of righteousness, and shines and enlightens the whole world. This is a spiritual day, yet it arose at the time Christ was on the earth in the flesh, a day like Abraham saw. But the Jews understood nothing about such a day because of their carnal minds, and hence they reviled Christ as a liar.

14. Therefore Christ proceeds farther and gives the ground and reason why it is just his Word and not the word of anyone else, that giveth life, and says it is because he was before Abraham, or in other words, because he was the one true God. For if the person who offered himself as a sacrifice for us were not God, it would not help or avail anything, even if he were born of the Virgin Mary and suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the Seed of Abraham, who gave himself for us, is also true God, secures blessing and victory for all sinners. Therefore Christ speaks, not of his human nature that they saw and experienced; for they could easily see he was not yet fifty years of age, and did not live before Abraham. But with that nature by which he existed long before the time of Abraham, by which he existed also before all creatures and before the whole world. Just as he was man according to his spiritual nature before Abraham, that is. in his Word and in the knowledge of faith was he in the saints; for they all knew and believed that Christ, as God and man, should suffer for us, as is written in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and for ever;” and in the Revelation of John, 13:8: “The Lamb of God that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.” Yet now he is speaking here especially of his divine nature.

15. But here reason is terribly offended and becomes mad and furious because God should become man; this reason cannot harmonize and understand. And this is the article of faith to which the Jews still in our day can not reconcile themselves, hence they cannot cease their throwing stones and their blasphemy. But Christ also continues on the other hand to hide himself from them and to go out of their temple, so that they cannot see nor find him in the Scriptures, in which they search daily. Again, this narrative is not a little terror to all who are so foolhardy about the Scriptures and never approach them with a humble spirit. For even in our day it happens that many read and study in the Scriptures and yet they cannot find Christ, he is hid and has gone out of the temple. And how many there are who say with their mouth that God is become man, and yet they are without the Spirit in their hearts; who whenever tested, prove that they were never in real earnest. This is sufficient on this subject.

WELS Pastor Comments on His Sect

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This pusillanimous little church body doesn’t do much at all, and what she does, she doesn’t do very well, but a couple of things she does extremely well –

a.) brainwash her teachers and pastors into thinking that she is as perfect and clean as the wind-driven snows of northern Wisconsin, and

b.) punish severely and thoroughly anyone and everyone, sooner or later, who either refuses to be brainwashed thusly, or breaks free of the WELSian mind-control, or, even worse, breaks free and then, horror of horrors, encourages others to attempt to do so!

***

GJ - When Al Just killed his wife but made up a lame story about her rolling over on a steak knife in bed, WELS students were expected to believe this fable.

Preparing Plants Bought from the Net. Praying Mantis Egg Cases

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Butterfly Weed is a cousin to milkweed.
Each one is essential for Monarch butterfly reproduction.
We used to find milkweed everywhere on out the farm,
now the seeds are sold commercially to support Monarchs.


If possible, I buy plants instead of seeds, locally instead of on the Net. The plants that arrive from the Net tend to be dried out.

Butterfly Weed arrived as barerooted, surrounded by loose soil. That is why I leave the wheelbarrow out, to catch rainwater and provide a great soaking area.

I put the plants into the wheelbarrow to soak for almost an hour. More time soaking would have been better. I did not use the rainbarrels, because I imagined the plants soaking up water and dropping to the bottom of large barrels filled with very cold water. However, rainbarrels are ideal for soaking bare root roses for several hours before planting.

I had a pot of garlic chives, so I soaked and planted them. Garlic chives spread in the rose bed, so they are ideal companion plants. They can be cut and used in salads, cooking, and soups. I find them even easier to grow than garlic bulbs and fun to watch spreading under the mulch layer.



The praying mantis egg cases arrived all at once. We have a long history with them. I hatched them in Midland, Michigan. Little Ichabod kept one fed at work, with everyone feeding the insect with bugs.

They are difficult to find later in the season, so I ordered them early. The cases look like foam the size of a grape. We were discussing them on the way to the Saturday Morning Meeting, so LI was glad to take some cases home.  Our granddaughter, always an animal lover, wanted to get something for the hatchlings to live in - on the way home.

We kid her about "You can't hug every cat," a bio parody that someone turned into a little music. I love mantids with their little bow ties, I want to hug every one of them.

The Story of Jesus in Pictures - Now on Kindle

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Congratulations, your book "The Story of Jesus in Pictures" is live in the Kindle Store and is available* for readers to purchase here. If you have republished your book, your changes are now live.

Thank you for publishing with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Now that your book is live, we would like to highlight KDP Select, an optional program that offers KDP publishers the opportunity to reach more readers and earn more money.

Judica Sunday, Fifth Sunday in Lent. Daylight Savings Start

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Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2016


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson


Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Savings Time


The Hymn #12                 This Day at Thy Creating Word
                                    
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 #40            The God of Abram Praise                         
He Who Belongs to God Hears His Word

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 #410               Jesus Lead Thou On          

       

KJV Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.



He Who Belongs to God Hears His Word

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 

Unfortunately, our English language does not grasp the matter being discussed here. Some background is especially important here. Luke and Mark are Gospels for the Gentiles. Matthew and John are especially focused on Old Testament precedents.

John's Gospel could be called a commentary on Moses and the Exodus. Moses is introduced in the Logos Hymn of John 1. Moses and the Exodus are also featured in John 3. The unique Jesus I AM sermons in John are all references to this passage in Exodus 3. Using the pronoun I makes this emphatic in Greek, since the pronoun is already in the verb ending.

I AM:
  1. John 6: 35, 48 I am the bread of life 
  2. John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world 
  3. John 8: 58 Before Abraham was, I am 
  4. John 10:9 I am the door 
  5. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd 
  6. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life John 
  7. 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life 
  8. John 15:1 I am the true vine 
Also, when Jesus says concisely, "I AM," He is not saying, "It's me," as we say in slang English, but "I AM God." When He was arrested and said, "I AM" the soldiers fell down twice. The context shows His answer was divine, not "It's me."

We are starting at the ending of this Gospel lesson. Jesus is the I AM, God speaking to Moses from the Burning Bush. He has the Two Natures of the Burning Bush, which appeared to burn and yet remained whole. Reformation Lutherans considered Jesus to be the Angel of the Lord and the Burning Bush to be symbolic of the Two Natures in Him.

Therefore, these opening verses are spoken as God. The battle between faith and works is this in the simplest terms. One is either righteous through faith in Him or righteous through various kinds of works. Faith in Him enrages those who do not belong to God but carry on piously because of their works. The Pharisees of the Bible and today cannot bear the Word of Jesus because these opponents do not belong to God. The more Jesus speaks, the angrier they become.

1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 

When I quoted from Romans 4:24, a pastor-friend said, "Get away from me, devil." He was unable to accept Romans 4:24-25 as written. He had to recast it his way, which is the opposite of the sentence, the chapter, the book, and the Bible.

The opponents not only dismissed Jesus as an alien, a Samaritan, but also as a devil. This reference helps explain Jesus being the Good Samaritan - dismissed as the enemy in John, but clearly Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. (Of all parables, this Good Samaritan Parable is turned upside-down by the liberals, from one about the Means of Grace, into a tirade about salvation by good works.

49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.

The Father-Son relationship is taught throughout John's Gospel by Jesus Himself. The audience is listening to God directly, and their response is to dishonor God by dishonoring Jesus. Those who dishonor the Word of God are judged by Him. Although the Bible always reveals God as gracious and forgiving, that does not cancel His response to those rejecting, belittling, and dishonoring His Word, which conveys His beloved Son to us.

The Word says, "Here is My beloved Son. Believe in Him completely, and He will give peace, forgiveness, grace, and an abundant life." Rejecting the Word means rejecting Christ, not matter how many perfumed phrases are used to do that. Distorting the Word means distotring the message of grace and keeping people from hearing God's grace and mercy as they should.

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.

9. And from this we may well understand what Christ meant by the word “keep;” it does not refer to such keeping as one keeps the law by good works; for this word of Christ must be kept in the heart by faith and not with the fist or by good works, as the Jews in this case understand it; they fearfully rage against Christ, that Abraham and the prophets are dead; they know nothing of what it is “to keep,” “to die” or “to live.” And it is not called “to keep” in vain; for there is a conflict and battle when sin bites, death presses and hell faces us; then we are to be in earnest in holding firmly to the Word and let nothing separate us from it. Thus see now how Christ answers the Jews and praises his own teachings. You say, my Word is of the devil and wish to sink it to the bottom of perdition; on the contrary I say to you that it has divine power in it, and I exalt it higher than the heaven of heavens, and above all creatures.

The truth of the Word proves to opponents that the speaker of the truth is the worst possible creature on earth. What Jesus is revealing to them should have them falling down to worship Him. Instead, they agree that His words condemn Him as demon possessed.

This is important to remember, because we are always dismayed by the hostile, vindictive assaults and revenge of religious leaders. The Pharisees were religious leaders, so they are no different than Lutherans attacking Lutherans in the name of "confessional Lutheranism," which they cannot articulate.

Some respond, "No, Pieper said..." Yes, Pieper said, but Pieper is not Luther.

Others respond, "But the synod has voted on this already." So has God, and His vote is final.

Still others, "This proves why we must censor you, silence you, and give you all the names you have earned for yourself by disagreeing."

They feel weak in the face of God's Word, so they stir up allies to help them in their cause, as if 100 chihuahuas together could defeat something "sharper than any two-edged sword."

When St. Stephan was being stoned to death, and he spoke first, in Acts, the religious covered their ears and screamed at the same time. The truth is that painful to those in error.

 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 

Those who want to strengthen their knowledge of justification by faith should study Father Abraham, a crucial figure in the Old Testament and New Testament. No one can divorce Abraham from justification by faith, because he is symbolic of this doctrine in Romans, Galatians, and here too.

As Paul taught, being literal children of Abraham has no value. Children by flesh are not true children of Abraham. The true children are those who believe in Christ and are counted righteous - forgiven.

These words from Jesus seem harsh, but they are really gracious warnings. They were effective. Many believed and others became even angrier.

As mentioned many times before, Luther did not discover the Gospel. He pointed out - if this is the Gospel from the Scriptures, then the papacy is entirely wrong. He was speaking about the entire visible church of his culture, his time. How could he do this? Only because the Word has more authority than all the popes combined.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

13. Likewise Christ also says here in replying to the Jews, that Abraham and the prophets still live and they never died, but have life in the midst of death; they however only lie and sleep in death. For “Abraham,” he says, “rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” Thus, the prophets also saw it. Where and when did Abraham see it? Not with his bodily eyes, as the Jews interpret it, but with the sight of faith in the heart; that is, he recognized Christ when he was told in Genesis 22:18: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Then he saw and understood that Christ, born of his seed through a pure virgin, so as not to be cursed with Adam’s children but to remain blessed, should suffer for the whole world, cause this to be preached, and thus overwhelm the whole world with blessing etc. This is the day of Christ, the dispensation of the Gospel, that is the light of this day, which radiates from Christ as from the sun of righteousness, and shines and enlightens the whole world. This is a spiritual day, yet it arose at the time Christ was on the earth in the flesh, a day like Abraham saw. But the Jews understood nothing about such a day because of their carnal minds, and hence they reviled Christ as a liar.

Luther:

13. Likewise Christ also says here in replying to the Jews, that Abraham and the prophets still live and they never died, but have life in the midst of death; they however only lie and sleep in death. For “Abraham,” he says, “rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” Thus, the prophets also saw it. Where and when did Abraham see it? Not with his bodily eyes, as the Jews interpret it, but with the sight of faith in the heart; that is, he recognized Christ when he was told in Genesis 22:18: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Then he saw and understood that Christ, born of his seed through a pure virgin, so as not to be cursed with Adam’s children but to remain blessed, should suffer for the whole world, cause this to be preached, and thus overwhelm the whole world with blessing etc. This is the day of Christ, the dispensation of the Gospel, that is the light of this day, which radiates from Christ as from the sun of righteousness, and shines and enlightens the whole world. This is a spiritual day, yet it arose at the time Christ was on the earth in the flesh, a day like Abraham saw. But the Jews understood nothing about such a day because of their carnal minds, and hence they reviled Christ as a liar.
14. Therefore Christ proceeds farther and gives the ground and reason why it is just his Word and not the word of anyone else, that giveth life, and says it is because he was before Abraham, or in other words, because he was the one true God. For if the person who offered himself as a sacrifice for us were not God, it would not help or avail anything, even if he were born of the Virgin Mary and suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the Seed of Abraham, who gave himself for us, is also true God, secures blessing and victory for all sinners. Therefore Christ speaks, not of his human nature that they saw and experienced; for they could easily see he was not yet fifty years of age, and did not live before Abraham. But with that nature by which he existed long before the time of Abraham, by which he existed also before all creatures and before the whole world. Just as he was man according to his spiritual nature before Abraham, that is. in his Word and in the knowledge of faith was he in the saints; for they all knew and believed that Christ, as God and man, should suffer for us, as is written in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and for ever;” and in the Revelation of John, 13:8: “The Lamb of God that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.” Yet now he is speaking here especially of his divine nature.

Only faith can comprehend these words - Before Abraham was, I AM. The Holy Spirit gives us this faith through the Word. God gives us all manner of ways to keep this Word and remain faithful.



Star of Bethlehem, New Berlin, WELS - What Insurance Product Would Jesus Buy?

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http://www.starofbethlehem.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=140043680&sec_id=140007275

 Star of Bethlehem Lutheran Church & School at 3700 S Casper Dr, New Berlin, WI.

9th ANNUAL STAR BOWLING AUCTION



Thrivent Information
Thivent Choice

This program gives members dollars to designate to Star of Bethlehem.
CLICK HERE for more information on what it is.
Direct these dollars - BY PHONE

Step 1 - Call 800-847-4836 and when prompted, say "Thrivent Choice."

Step 2 - Press 1 to direct Choice Dollars.  A representative will work with you to direct
              your Choice Dollars to Star of Bethlehem.
OR
Direct these dollars - ONLINE

Step 1 - Register for an online account.  CLICK HERE for step by step instructions.

Step 2 - Direct your choice dollars to Star of Bethlehem Church or School.
             CLICK HERE for step by step instructions.

Thivent Action Teams

This program gives members dollars to use towards a project or activity at Star.
CLICK HERE for more information on what it is and who qualifies.

Step 1 - Register for an online account.  CLICK HERE for step by step instructions.

Step 2 - Apply for an Action Team.  CLICK HERE for step by step instructions.

Step 3 - Host your Action Team.  CLICK HERE for examples of projects.  HAVE FUN!!!

Step 4 - Report your event.  CLICK HERE for step by step instructions.
If you would like assistance anywhere along the way,
please contact Thrivent at 800-847-4836 and say "fraternal"
or just contact Tim Mueller at 262-786-2901
or tmueller@starofbethlehem.org.
He would be more than happy to assist you.
***

GJ - By signing up for these programs, church members make sure Thrivent has all their data for prospecting.

The larger the congregation, the better the list for warm calling.

"Hi, I 'm Buzz Krautwurst, your Thrivent agent and a member of WELS. I would like to show you how to help your congregation and protect your wife Brunhilda and your dear children against anything happening to you, God forbid."

The larger the congregation, the more willing it is to sell itself for a few bucks. Thrivent flings its money (your money) at all kinds of secular and unionistic projects.


Belfort - The Wolf of Wall Street.
This drug addict and financial fraud criminal was a
featured speaker for Thrivent.


Coming Soon - Maybe Today - The Introduction to Creation Gardening - And a New Hitler Video

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I will post each chapter without art as it is written. Norma Boeckler has graciously volunteer to help with the artwork. The cover is her work.

Ordering books and sending them, lining up new and old works for Create Space, Amazon, Kindle.

Someone thought the Higher Things dust-up deserved a Hitler video, so I will try to script it later today. Or tomorrow. I am working on my epic three-volume tome - Procrastination.

Rumor - an anti-UOJ sermon
in WELS, somewhere.

Is the Price Right? Is He Even a Pastor?

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Daniel Emery Price fashions himself a pastor in this area, NW Arkansas.

Tullian Tchividjian, Chris Rosebrough, Daniel Emery Price
and 3 others. Twitter photo.


Entire post from Trent Demarest :

http://www.pseudepigraph.us/2016/03/10/daniel-emery-price-a-wolf-in-christs-pasture/

I mistakenly attributed the post to Chris Rosebrough, so readers should read this additional post, which explains more, from Trent.

Filling in some blanks

You may recall that in January of this year I posted a piece here entitled “From Christianity Today, 1995: ‘Should Adulterous Pastors Be Restored?'” In that piece I related the following information about my wife’s former “pastor”:
As some readers of this blog may know, my wife went to an “Independent Lutheran church” whose “pastor” (he was never ordained) ended up having an affair with a parishioner whom he had been counseling. This affair, as with so many like it, began with emotional entanglement and culminated in adultery. Thanks be to God, the fellow stepped down from his post and was taken back by his wife. And I wish that I could tell you that that’s more or less the denouement of the story— that he has long since accepted that he cannot be a pastor; that he has recognized that it would be improper for him to set himself up as a teacher; that he now quietly rejoices in Christ’s forgiveness while doing the hard and unglamorous work of mending his broken family; that he is living out his vocations of husband, father, and layman at a different church. Sadly, though, that is not the case. Quite the opposite— after a brief time-out, this fellow went on to manipulate the aftermath of his adultery so masterfully that he not only got himself reinstated in his post at the very same church in less than a year’s time, but throughout the course of it all— and by keeping the details of his disgrace rather vague— he became heir-apparent to a massive “radical grace” evangelical para-ministry…and then heir in fact and in deed when that para-ministry’s erstwhile leader confessed to adultery and stepped…slightly diagonally downward and to the left. (Make your own inferences regarding whether this is truly ironic or truly apropos.)
Oh, and he blackmailed the parishioner with whom he had committed adultery. An interesting coup de radical grace.
At the time of my writing the foregoing paragraphs, I had been given to understand that persons of some influence and standing in the Lutheran Church were going to be testifying publicly about this man’s actions before a certain date, such that there was no need for me to publicly say or write more than what I had already said and written.
I am very sad to say, though, that nothing of the sort happened, and so it turns out that my reticence, and that of others, was for naught. Indeed, I am now quite convinced that close to two years’ reticence on this matter has not only been for naught, but for evil. Since April of 2014, my silence on this matter, and that of others, has been costly. It has been wrong. I pray that God would forgive me for this error in judgment, and that He would forgive me if any of what I here write is spurred by a sinful desire for revenge rather than a desire for justice coram mundo. I am a sinner, so I know that this is unavoidable, in fact. Lord, have mercy.

The TL;DR version:

It really has come to this: I am availing myself of the civil freedom of the press in order to testify against this sick and evil man. Not because I want to— disbelieve this if you wish— but because at this point I have to.
I will freely acknowledge that ordinarily it would not be my job to be a whistleblower, because ordinarily (and God is a God of order, ordinances, and ordination) such depredation and wickedness as I have described is curtailed and dealt with by the episcopacy, i.e., by the paternal oversight and discipline of bishops, or by the presbytery, i.e., through fraternal admonition and discipline of brother pastors. But what we are dealing with here is a fundamentally disordered situation. We are so far beyond ordinary at this point that it’s almost comedic. Almost, but not quite. “Self-satire” would be an apt description.
The man whose ongoing wickedness and deception I alluded to in my alluded-to post is named Daniel Emery Price. You may have recently heard of Price, as his “Christ Hold Fast” para-ministry organization is growing in popularity, even moreso now in the wake of their recent conference, which featured clergy from the LCMS and other Lutheran churches.
Mark and avoid this man and all who associate with him. Laymen, warn your pastors; pastors, warn your parishioners. Do not be taken in by the “awww shucks, I’m just a humble flickering wick, I know what it means to be an outsider, we’re all just broken people, the haters just hate me because I preach grace” shtick. He will spin just the right amount of emo “I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!” melodrama, but only as much as will make him appear sympathetic and “on your level”, not so much that people will realize that he’s a monster.
For some time now Price and his toadies have been going around insisting that he has been “called back” to the congregation at which the scandal took place— Trinity NWA (that’s “Northwest Arkansas”, just to be clear). This claim is pure signaling and a deluded attempt to save face. Anyone with firsthand involvement in the scandal of the past two years will attest to this, as will any of the former members who have left this manipulative sociopath’s church.
Daniel Price never was, is not now, and (pray God) never will be a regularly called (rite vocatus) minister in any Lutheran synod. He is not a pastor. He is an impostor, a wolf in shepherd’s clothing, and a menace.
This, my friends, is why we have synods. It’s perhaps not often that you pray before going to bed, “thank you, God, for Lutheran synods.” But tonight, you may want to consider doing that very thing.

“After men begin to be ungodly, that is, do not fear God and do not believe God, but despise God, His Word, and His ministers, the result is that they fall from the true doctrine into heretical ideas, which they teach, defend, and adorn. Moreover, the world regards such sins as the height of piety; those who perpetrate them are praised as the only religious, godly, and righteous men, as the church and the children of God. Men are incapable of passing judgment on sins against the First Table. Afterwards those despisers of God fall into awful sins like adultery, theft, murder, and other sins that come under the Second Table.” — Blessed Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis [6], LW/AE 2:7

What about the Eighth Commandment?

It will invariably be alleged (as it has been already) that blowing the whistle on Price constitutes breaking the eighth commandment. So let’s talk about that. First, let’s review what the Small Catechism says:
What is the Eighth Commandment?
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
If we feel the need for additional exposition here, our first recourse is to the Large Catechism. Commenting on the Eighth Commandment in the Large Catechism, Dr. Luther writes the following:
Christ teaches: “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” So he whom it concerns is always to be treated with personally, and not to be spoken of without his knowledge. But if that do not avail, then bring it publicly before the community, whether before the civil or the ecclesiastical tribunal. For then you do not stand alone, but you have those witnesses with you by whom you can convict the guilty one, relying on whom the judge can pronounce sentence and punish. This is the right and regular course for checking and reforming a wicked person. But if we gossip about another in all corners, and stir the filth, no one will be reformed, and afterwards when we are to stand up and bear witness, we deny having said so. Therefore it would serve such tongues right if their itch for slander were severely punished, as a warning to others. If you were acting for your neighbor’s reformation or from love of the truth, you would not sneak about secretly nor shun the day and the light. (LC I.279-283)
This is a sobering warning to and judgment upon those who gossip about the sins of others and meddle in private affairs which do not concern them. As something of an aside, it also betrays a significant difference between Luther’s day, when civil adjudication still recognized natural and divine law and enforced the Decalogue, and ours, in which the civil code is based on majoritarian social-contracts loosely moored to a “rights-based” ethical framework. In any case, what Luther goes on to say is often overlooked, yet it is of equal importance:
All this has been said regarding secret sins. But where the sin is quite public so that the judge and everybody know it, you can without any sin avoid him and let him go, because he has brought himself into disgrace, and you may also publicly testify concerning him. For when a matter is public in the light of day, there can be no slandering or false judging or testifying; as, when we now reprove the Pope with his doctrine, which is publicly set forth in books and proclaimed in all the world. For where the sin is public, the reproof also must be public, that every one may learn to guard against it. (op. cit., 284)
I daresay that one’s understanding of the Eighth Commandment— or of any locus of doctrine, for that matter— is not helped here by a minimalist gloss of Luther’s explanation in the Small Catechism. Put another way, any glosses on Luther’s explanations in the Small Catechism which functionally ignore, negate, or exclude what he teaches in the Large Catechism are actually erroneous. This seems to happen a lot with the eighth commandment. The Rev’d Jody Walter (LCMS) put it well some years ago in this blog post:
Over the last twenty plus years…I have heard one screed on the Eighth Commandment after the other. But what is always missed is that the commandment cuts both ways. We are to bear true witness. That means we are to call evil, well… evil. Sometimes the best construction we can legitimately put on something is to explain that is a public sin. The Eighth Commandment is given to protect people’s reputations from false attack. But it is also given so that we can warn God’s people when a wolf is in their midst. In the end what is most important is the truth. As St. Paul says, “Love… rejoices with the truth.” (I Corinthians 13:4-6So any attempt to use the Eighth Commandment to suppress the truth turns the command into a cloak which covers evil— and is, ultimately, unloving. (emphases mine)
The matter at hand is sadly yet truly a case-in-point for all of this.

Adultery, blackmail, death-threats, & manipulation

The scandal which began— or at least became visible— in April of 2014 was not just that a pastor committed adultery with one of his parishioners. This is neither uncommon (sadly), nor newsworthy, nor the unforgivable sin. However, the issue with Price is by no meansjust that he committed adultery— though his adultery certainly disqualifies him from serving as a pastor. There’s quite a bit more to it, as I wrote earlier. Moreover, there are still more details which I did not disclose earlier which now bear mentioning, such as the fact that in the immediate aftermath of his adultery, Price threatened to kill one of the men who was (somewhat witlessly) trying to help the congregation, rocked as it was by everything that had just happened. And, again, six months after stepping down, Price blackmailed his victim, whom he had been “counseling” for over a year prior to their tryst.
My use of the term “victim” here is neither rhetorical nor political, but reflective of the legal reality, per Arkansas state law (Subchapter 1. General Provisions: § 5-14-126: “Sexual assault in the third degree”). Read and mark well the following:
(a) A person commits sexual assault in the third degree if the person:
(1) Engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person who is not the actor’s spouse, and the actor is:
(A) Employed with the Department of Correction, Department of Community Correction, Department of Human Services, or any city or county jail, and the victim is in the custody of the Department of Correction, Department of Community Correction, Department of Human Services, or any city or county jail;
(B) Employed or contracted with or otherwise providing services, supplies, or supervision to an agency maintaining custody of inmates, detainees, or juveniles, and the victim is in the custody of the Department of Correction, Department of Community Correction, Department of Human Services, or any city or county jail; or
(C) A mandated reporter under § 12-18-402(b) or a member of the clergy and is in a position of trust or authority over the victim and uses the position of trust or authority to engage in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity; or
(2)(A) Being a minor, engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person who is:
(i) Less than fourteen (14) years of age; and
(ii) Not the person’s spouse.
(B) It is an affirmative defense under this subdivision (a)(2) that the actor was not more than three (3) years older than the victim.
(b) It is no defense to a prosecution under this section that the victim consented to the conduct.
(c) Sexual assault in the third degree is a Class C felony.
Price’s sexual misconduct was not merely adulterous, but constituted third-degree sexual assault in the State of Arkansas. Read the bolded sections as many times as you need to until it clicks.
In these despondent times when public morality seems like it’s going down to the toilet, it’s easy to forget/it may surprise you to learn that much of what is immoral is in fact still illegal. In twenty-one states, adultery is a misdemeanor; in two, it is a felony. Now, such laws are unsurprisingly headed for the legal boneyard in many states, but it’s noteworthy that they’ve remained on the books for so long. So, too, across the world (q.v. this depressing article). Whether you think this is a good thing or a bad thing is beside the point. If Scripture is to be believed, God has ordained the powers of government and law-enforcement specifically so that evildoers would not be able to prosper in their wickedness and do harm with impunity.

“True Repentance”: Methinks thou dost protest too much

“Christ often connects the promise of the remission of sins to good works, not because He means that good works are a propitiation, for they follow reconciliation; but for two reasons. One is because good fruits must necessarily follow. Therefore He reminds us that if good fruits do not follow, the repentance is hypocritical and feigned. — Apology of the Augsburg Confession, V [IV II].154
Quite apart from any civil ramifications which the fall of a pastor (or a “pastor”) may have, the matter becomes necessarily morepublic if and when he shows himself to be recalcitrant. If it is essential that leniency, patience, and tight lips prevail up until this point— and it is— then it is all the more essential that firmness and frank testimony take over once it is is reached (see Pr. Walter’s point, above; if you don’t think that such a point ever arrives, then, again, you are part of the problem.)

Note the time stamps. Extended break of three days, after which time the “I’m basically Peter” mentality has already begun to germinate.The rest, as they say, is history.
So it is with Daniel Price. After commuting his own brief, self-assigned time-out— ah, how wonderful it is to be a one-man synod!— he took to the internet with an eerie new gestalt, plying the mystified ignorance of his social media followers concerning his adultery, blackmail, and general sociopathy, and slowly but surely romanticizing himself as an apostle of “radical grace.” Some three months after his adultery, he victoriously announced on Twitter that he was “going rogue”, giving voice to his imagined special anointing (my words) to “lead an evangelical exodus” (his words). Predictably, his theology grew steadily more perverse— or, as he would and does say, “Lutheran.” His identification as an “Independent Lutheran”, would be laughable were it not for the evil circumstances, as it is simply an attempt to make valiance out of necessity, i.e., it’s a euphemism for “no synod would ever ordain me, because I’m a sociopath.” It’s right up there in the “you can’t fire me; I quit” category of face-saving bravados.

The Gospel for some of the people broken by the Church, but not for anyone whose faith I’ve personally crushed

lemon danceSo now we come to today. Price is not only now back in his post as “pastor” of Trinity NWA, but he now heads “Christ Hold Fast”, a para-ministry organization he started in January of 2015 which is the continuation of Tullian Tchividjian’s “Liberate” network. The irony hardly needs to be pointed out: Price availed himself of the widespread public ignorance of his own adultery— to say nothing of his threats of murder and his blackmail— in order to step into Tchividjian’s shoes after the latter stepped down…because of adultery. Talk about a dance of the lemons.
Other than the time when circumstances forced him to name his sin— i.e., in April of 2014, when he announced to his congregation what he had done and stepped down— Price has never publicly confessed to his adultery. In this matter, even Tchividjian excels him in integrity, however marginally.
Even among those who know of Price’s adultery, though, there is generally widespread ignorance or denial of the facts of his sociopathic behavior. That, or people just don’t care because “all is grace.” I’ve had people who literally know nothing about the situation other than what they heard twelfth-hand on Facebook assure me, a man whose wife’s best friend was Price’s victim, that Price’s fall was a “moment of weakness.” If you have found yourself repeating this rumor, stop now. You know nothing, and you’re enabling a predator. Turn off the Bright Eyes and go smack some sense into yourself. Price groomed his victim for a year, promised her that he’d leave his wife and child for her, etc. That’s not a moment of weakness. That’s predation, manipulation, abuse of a position of trust, etc. After that, jilted blackmail is just the cherry on top.
What about the members whose trust Price betrayed, who left his church in the aftermath of the scandal as he began to show his true colors? I can’t think of many people who have been more “broken by the Church” than they. But no one even mentions them. Price’s toadies at Christ Hold Fast, his newfound followers and fans— none of them know or care about the former parishioners who were devastated by his misdeeds. By all appearances they’re just collateral damage. If they (or anyone else who knows the full story) object to Price’s triumphant return, if they decry his new gig as “Lutheran” para-minister, if they in any way blow the whistle on him— then they’re ignored, discredited, and rebuked as “legalists.” How dare they say such mean and nasty things about this wonderful boy! Plug his ears to those meanie haters, and give him some fudge and a speaking gig, before he throws a subtweet tantrum— because, believe me, he will.
Understand this: Daniel Price insists that anyone who thinks he’s in the wrong is a legalist. Anyone who suggests that his actions are not in keeping with the repentance simply “doesn’t understand the Gospel.” He says he’s the champion of people who have been “broken by the Church” (a line he got from Rod Rosenbladt). This is a load of crap. He’s the champion of people who think he’s awesome. He is most certainly not “for” anyone whose lives and faith have been broken by his own actions.

Ego-tripping as ministry-model

“[T]he acts of injustice that cause the greatest spiritual damage come from the abuse of power by parents, husbands, employers, leaders, and pastors (Matt 18:6-9Luke 17:1-3). Those who hold these positions represent God in them. So their abuse of power is the abuse of their God-given authority which does great spiritual damage to those who are hurt by it.” — the Rev’d Dr. John Kleinig
The convictions of the self-anointed arise as fever dreams in sick minds, not as sane ratiocinations in healthy ones. But the insane do not think that they are insane; really, it’s everybody else who’s got the problem. The vindication of the ego is just that important. All must bow before it. Or as some have said…
self seeks the selfYes. Indeed it does. Regardless of whether the heart of your piety takes the form of praying the daily office or the form of superimposing “radical grace” slogans in stencil-fonts over selfies. The point is, though, that men like Price are convinced that the Church needs them. They’re convinced that their absence from the General Effort would ensure its demise. They’re convinced that they have some indelible anointing. Would it surprise you to learn that Price is a former Pentecostal? It shouldn’t. Indeed, it would seem that “former” is the wrong modifier. Over the past two years, the devil and fleshly-minded fools have turned what began as a tragedy at a small church in northwest Arkansas into a foul scandal and a true evil, all because one megalomaniac refused to accept the consequences of his sin and lead a quiet life away from the public eye.
But why should he have had to do that? This is America, folks. You can be whoever and whatever you want to be. If you drink enough Tang, you can be an astronaut. If enough people think you’re good at Bible, you can be a pastor. (A slight step up is when you and Tom decide that Dick is a pastor, so now he is one.) There are infinite second chances, and consequences and limitations are illusory. Follow your dreams, and don’t take “no” for an answer if it’s not the answer that
you want the Holy Spirit wants. If you decide that you have an extra-ordinary anointing to preach and administer the sacraments, then who’s to say otherwise? If you want to start a church— in the congregational or synodal sense of that term— then that’s fine. And if you want to stay a pastor after sleeping with one of the young ladies in your congregation and then blackmailing her, that’s also fine— as long as you “do confession and absolution” before you get back on the horn. To the best rebranding campaign go the spoils, insured by the eighth-commandment gag-rule. It’s all “for the sake of the Gospel.”
No, I don’t think so.
Moreover, avoiding any sort of ecclesial arrangement that would entail accountability and discipline does not make one untouchable. At various points in my life I have personally witnessed how much evil is enabled by cowardly games of quietist hot-potato, how the abused are more or less kicked to the curb and ignored— yes, and even threatened so that the self-anointed can stay on-message. To say that this is unacceptable, even to say that it’s un-Christian, is the height of understatement. It is the inverse of Christian, actually; it is Satanic, evincing the work of the devil, not of Christ (cf. John 6:44).

Conclusion

The time for dovelike innocence regarding Daniel Emery Price is far, far past. It is time for all Lutherans and all Christians of goodwill to adopt the shrewdness of serpents and give no quarter to this insidious false teacher and those who collude with him. By his demonstrated impenitence, his threats of violence, his blackmail, and his two years of megalomania and deception, Price has in indeed asked to be treated like a “heathen and a tax-collector.” Mark well the words of St. Paul: “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler— not even to eat with such a one” (1 Co 5:11).
You, Christian, have a vocation today to speak truth with your neighbor so that the name of Christ might not be blasphemed among the nations.
You, Lutheran, have a vocation today to defend the reputation of our beloved Church of the Augsburg Confession, the name of which is daily dragged through the gutter of Gospel-platitudes by pastrixes and anti-pastors, self-sent false sons and confused girls playing dress-up who arrogate to themselves the prerogatives of the ordained at the behest of their cults of personality.
You have a vocation to combat all of this with whatever bit of wit, knowledge, and skill you can muster, in accordance with the measure of what you know. And now you know more. Give no audience, no credence, and no fellowship to the swindler, Daniel Emery Price. Only pray for his repentance, and pray that justice would prevail in earthly matters.
“In civil life obedience to the law is severely required. In civil life Gospel, conscience, grace, remission of sins, Christ Himself, do not count, but only Moses with the lawbooks.” — Blessed Martin Luther, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians [2:14], LW 26

This Needs To Be Read with the Post Below - Supporters of Adulterous Pastor Now Supporting Daniel Price, Adulterous Fake Minister

Introduction - Creation Gardening - Creation Is Not a Choice Between Science and Faith

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Creation Is Not a Choice Between Science and Faith



We have grown up during an era where science has pitted itself against the Christian Faith, and many believers have felt it wise to bow to this demand. As the complexity of the universe has grown, the temptation to ascribe these infinite dependencies to evolution has also grown. One option is to say that God created over billions of years, making the Biblical day last almost forever. But language betrays us. When explanations fail, even in the most evolutionary programs, a bird feather is called “a miracle.” During the dramatic episodes of Shark Week on TV, the narrator says, “Suddenly, there appeared a perfectly designed killing machine.” That sounds like intelligent design, a concept for foreign to evolution that it gives the science mavens fits. Most embarrassing, when scientists describe the marvels of nature, they have to say “creature,” the product of Creation, rather than “evolute,” the product of evolution.
Science is never against the Christian Faith, except when pitting its philosophy against the religion itself. This failure point is where science cannot fill the gap, not in facts, but in purpose. Science cannot offer a purpose for anything, so the scientist cannot offer a reason why the ichneumon wasp is a terror for pests on our plants - or even why the pests are good for feeding the beneficial creatures.
For that reason, the question of purpose, we can mine the sciences forever, without subordinating faith to reason. I grew up in a household devoted to science, because my mother taught the subject in elementary school and lived it in all her hobbies. We had pet rats in our home, left from the food experiments she conducted for her classes: three rats given three different diets. We always got the scrawny one who was fed candy and junk food. We had a pet skunk and two possums. Cats gave birth on the kitchen floor and rats had babies in the comfort of their cages. When I was dating the future Mrs. Greg Jackson, she got used to finding hatched moths on the curtains, pupae in the refrigerator at home. My mother knew wild flowers, built compost for her garden, and captured bugs to show us children. Her students and their parents said, “She knows everything!”
Farming is in my blood. My paternal grandfather supposedly invented a seedless tomato, which was lost by my uncle. My maternal grandfather was the first to earn a degree in agriculture at the University of Illinois. Both grandfathers ran successful farms until the Great Depression and government intervention wrecked the agricultural economy.
I began gardening in earnest in the 1980s, in Midland, Michigan. I had a parsonage yard that needed a lot of help but little cash to spend on it. Chemicals cost a lot, and I knew from the Dow scientists that fertilizer cost pennies to manufacture while selling for dollars. The local library was heavily funded and contained every gardening book for adults, every nature book for children that anyone would want to read. If a title came up in reading, it was on the shelves of the Grace Dow Library. That led me directly into organic gardening and the connection with Creation taught in the Scriptures.
There are many ideas about the beginning of the universe, but only one could be correct. The answer is so plain that modernists have taken great pains to modify, dilute, and explain it away. A compromise with the culture of the day, starting in the 19thcentury, has led Protestant and Catholic leaders into bartering Genesis away for a bowl of cold soup. God created the universe through His Word and will, and the Son of God was that Creating Word.


When God said, “Let there be light, and there was light,” the act of Creation began with God the Father willing and the Son speaking the universe into existence, the Holy Spirit hovering over Creation. This Creation is clearly taught in John 1:3

All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
This verse also speaks of the power and efficacy of the Word, never lacking in divine energy to work God’s will, always accomplishing and prospering His purpose. Isaiah 55:8-10


 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
The power and efficacy of the Word are foundational for the Old and New Testaments. Just as the universe began with Creation, so are we as Christian believers “new creations” in the words of St. Paul.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.2 Corinthians 5:17
The power of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel Word creates, sustains, and renews faith, just as God sustains, renews, and sustains all life. The soil is an excellent example of this, a parable in front of our eyes. When man destroys this source of all life on dry land, God renews its fertility with years of opportunistic weed growth, the very kinds blown in by the wind and thriving on poor, thin, wasted soil. The growth above builds the soil with leafy matter rotting into the soil. The roots hold the poor soil in place, slowing down wind and water erosion, opening up channels for rain and rotting away to feed the soil and its creatures.
          When John Newton was reduced to slavery and serving on slave ships, his life seemed without purpose, sterile, and meaningless. When a violent storm at sea and the threat of drowning caused him to call out for God, the living seed of the Gospel began to grow in his heart, leading him eventually to serving as an Anglican pastor, the author of “Amazing Grace” and “ Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.”





St. John WELS in New Ulm, Minnesota. Money Programs from Church and Change plus Thrivent

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Church and Change has this lucrative arrangement in WELS,
where consultants trained at Fuller Seminary recommend going into debt,
with Church and Changers raising some money to justify the huge debt,
grabbing a huge fee based on the take.
Ethical fund-raisers do not allow taking a cut,
an old Jewish tradition in fund-raising.
Davis was on the board of Church and Change
until I posted his photo and bio. Then he disappeared
from the list - just like Ski.

This is the Jeff Davis, Church and Change, Mark Jeske franchise.




When the congregation cuddles up
with a pan-religious, secular business,
both of them are lying in bed.
What would Jesus do?
WELS, LCMS members - you funded this speech
to Thrivent by a well known financial fraud, adulterer,
and drug addict - Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street.
And you suckers are raising money for ELCA,
who gets the most, and matching funds for Planned Parenthood.
---

Church and Change Conference, 2007

107 CREATING A CULTURE OF GENEROSITY IN YOUR CHURCH

Jeffrey Davis (jeff@joyfulgiving.net) What is a generous church? How do we teach God’s people to excel in the grace of giving? When a congregation is transformed by Jesus’ message that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), what does it look like? Preaching and teaching about money is not something we should ignore. Jesus, on numerous occasions, addressed the issue of money and possessions. He knew that God’s people throughout the ages would face challenges and temptations of wealth. The formula for creating a culture of generosity is very simple – through God’s Word preach it, teach it, and celebrate it! This workshop will share ideas and give examples for churches intent on creating cultures marked by strong financial stewardship and biblically guided generosity. Jeff’s ideas for God’s leaders on creating cultures of generosity within Lutheran congregations will be helpful and biblically based.Jeffrey Davis has served the Lutheran church as teacher, administrator and presently, as consultant. He is owner of Cornerstone Stewardship Ministry, a consulting firm that teaches stewardship.108 A POSITIVE VIEW OF BELIEVERFS (sic) IS REALISTIC…AND PRACTICAL!


Heart In Focus - Personal Finances Training Course 

This repeating course guides individual members in the basics of wise faith-focused finances for their daily lives. The course will cover the Christian attitudes behind healthy financial decisions and practical advice for giving, saving, debt removal and financially wise lifestyles. Special workshops lead by Cornerstone Stewardship Ministry leader Mr. Jeff Davis and Adult Discipleship Administrator Rev David Kehl are offered throughout the WELS Districts upon request. Heart in Focus workbooks are now available at Northwestern Publishing House to train local leaders to lead this course as an ongoing part of an annual spiritual growth curriculum.

WELS Kingdom Workers

BOARD MEMBER
Jeff Davis
csconsultants@charter.net

"How about a juicy grant for Church and Change Doebler?"

FIC Author too? I thought these guys had no influence?

---

Saturday, January 28, 2012


WELS Church and Change - Still Operating

Lutherans pay me to explain this to them,
and they love it.
rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Church and Change Basics. Milwaukee Members A...":

The C and C apostates always push the envelope. Then, when they are called out on the carpet for their misdeeds, they act clueless. They knew what Leonard Sweet stood for, but they invited him anyway. At my former congregation, I plunged a dagger into the heart when I confronted the congregation president about the connection that Jeff Davis has with C and C. This was after I informed him that they had invited Ed Stetzer to speak at a C and C conference.

Jeff Davis, Cornerstone,
Church and Change board.

The president claimed that when he talked to Mr. Davis about it, he was told that Stetzer was "dis-invited" due to the controversy that was created. So, Stetzer was invited to speak. But, the C and C'ers claimed afterward that he never was invited. So, with this level of dishonesty, why would you pay Cornerstone big bucks to show you how to fleece the members of your congregation? The president also defended Stetzer by stating that old Ed had actually written a paper that was critical of the Emergent Church movement. My humble opinion would be that Stetzer more closely resembles a "Crypto Emergent" and the C and C guys use tactics very close to the Crypto Calvinists.

Ed Stetzer, on the right, is a typical, angry, Emergent Church promoter.

WELS - "We love Stetzer. He has a Fuller drive-by degree
and he cannot spell either."


***

GJ - I kept the Stetzer invitation in the news. Finally the Conference of Pussycats told Church and Change to withdraw the invitation - something that never happened with Leonard Sweet or Martin Marty. The radicals depend on things blowing over. They hate seeing the story pursued.

The first step was denying that Church and Change invited Stetzer, so I reproduced the link and the wording of Stetzer's Tweet and blog. In both places he bragged about being hired by Church and Change and a Missouri Synod group. Stetzer had both events on his web calendar as well. That invitation happened after Kudu Don Patterson took a group of WELS workers to Exponential in Orlando, Florida. Stetzer was a featured speaker there. I am sure that was a co-inky-dink that the invitation happened AFTER the Exponential Conference.

That is the fun thing about narcissists on the Net - they leave footprints everywhere. Stetzer even made fun of conservative Lutherans while boasting about being hired by them.

After the invitation was withdrawn (which meant paying a kill fee), the Changers said it was a lie that Stetzer was ever invited. I get contacts from WELS pastors who have heard I was lying about something. So I sent him the link to the Twitter and blog.

The ending of WELS Church and Change this time is just as much of a lie as it was under Gurgle, who claimed the same thing. At that time an innocent told me that Gurgle ordered it shut down. I said, "Then why are they registering people for their next C and C conference on the WELS.net website?" Response - "They are?" I provided the link. Like I said, narcissists on the Net leave their footprints everywhere.

Under SP Schroeder, Church and Change says they are shut down, but they leave their website and documents available for those who know. Mark Schroeder promotes and protects the Church and Changers, who have changed the color of their fleece but not their agenda.

KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

WELS Church and Change.
Time of Grace.
Men of His Word.
Grace in Action.
WELS Prayer Network.
Jars of Clay.
Cornerstone.
Youth Conference.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

Books To Read for Creation Gardening

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Sources: Books for Creation Gardening 

The most basic book for organic gardening concerns the soil, since everything on land depends on the health of the soil. In the past, the soil was often discussed in terms of its various components and the creatures that lived underneath the surface. But recently, an astonishing work has moved far beyond that to treat the interaction of microbial soil life and its effect on the plants. The book is:
Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition, by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, available on Amazon and Kindle. Hereafter cited as Teaming with Microbes.


          Many people grow alarmed at the number and appetites of insect pests, aphids wrecking a blooming cycle of roses or asparagus beetles devouring asparagus that should be gathering strength for spring spears. Jessica Walliser has written a brilliant, fascinating book on the use of beneficial bugs, how to allow them to feed on pests and take up residence as guardians of the garden. She examines the growth of plants that attract and protect beneficial creatures and shows how they show up for the damage and raise their useful children nearby, to keep predation at low levels.
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control, by Jessica Walliser, available on Amazon and Kindle. Hereafter cited as Beneficial Bugs.




          Gardeners gain from a three-dimension view that includes all the elements of our surroundings. By chance I came across A Blessing of Toads, by Sharon Lovejoy, which reveals her life-long love of gardening, her hours of observation, her drawings, and her knowledge of birds, insects, soil, plants, and toads.
Sharon Lovejoy, A Blessing of Toads: A Guide to Living with Nature. Available on Amazon and Kindle. Hereafter cited as Blessing of Toads.


We are blessed by an artist-in-residence as well. Norma A. Boeckler has provided artwork for this book and many others, as well as having her own line of books on Amazon and Kindle. Her Amazon and Kindle books include:
The Augsburg Confession
Religious Art
The Art of Norma Boeckler
A Treasury of Inspirational Quotes
Her author’s page is found here:

Additional Books To Read
          The Grace Dow Library in Midland was my Harvard and Yale in gardening. The most useful publisher was Rodale Press, a pioneer in the organic approach. Their books are detailed and practical.
          Since the Internet is our new, enlarged library, a key term to use is “the soil food web,” a perspective that avoids toxins and sees life as completely connected.



Older Books
Joseph A. Cocannouer. Weeds Guardians of the Soil. 1950.These plants are ideal for renewing the soil, in many different ways.
Wilfred Shewell-Cooper. Compost Gardening. He used vast compost bins to mulch his gardens.
Charles Darwin The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Earthworms, With Observations of Their Habits. 1881. He missed the boat about their use in soil, spending 40 years observing their ability to raise its level and cover boulders.
Edward Faulkner, Plowman’s Folly. 1943. Using green manure instead of churning up the soil.
Albert Howard, An Agricultural Testament, 1943. He promoted compost to renew the soil.
Ruth Stout. How To Have a Green Thumb without an Aching Back. 1961. Sister of Rex Stout, she pioneered mulching to feed the soil and suppress weeds.
Gregory L. Jackson, The Wormhaven Gardening Book. 1996. Available on Lulu.com







RIP, Gerry Franzmann, WELS Professor at Northwestern College (RIP).

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Gerhard ‘Gerry’ W. Franzmann

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Posted: Monday, March 14, 2016 11:59 am
Gerhard “Gerry” W. Franzmann entered glory with Christ at the age of 97 at Heritage Homes in Watertown on Saturday, March 12, 2016.
Gerry was born on Aug. 21, 1918, in Lake City, Minn., to William and Else Franzmann and was the youngest of nine children.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 11 a.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church in Watertown with the Rev. Brett Brauer officiating. Relatives and friends may gather at the church on Thursday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Watertown at a later date. Hafemeister Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Watertown is serving the family. Online condolences may be made atwww.hafemeisterfh.com.
Gerry was baptized in August of 1918, and when he was 4 years old, the family moved to Stillwater, Minn. There he was confirmed in April of 1932 and attended both elementary school and high school. He then attended the Wisconsin Synod’s Northwestern College in Watertown, graduating in 1941.  
In 1944 Gerry graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Thiensville/Mequon, and married the former Marion Maltz in Watertown. He started his pastoral career at New London, and after a year, he served Lutheran congregations in Dale, Fort Atkinson, Seattle, Wash., and Wauwatosa, before joining the faculty at Northwestern Preparatory School and College in Watertown in 1959; later retiring in 1994 at 76 years old.
Gerry is survived by a sister-in-law Patricia (Carl) Franzmann, New York; many stepchildren, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Marion (Maltz), who died in 1983; his second wife, Bernetta (Coughlin), who died in 1999; his third wife, Eleonore (Cares) who died in 2016; and siblings Ernst, Werner, Martin, Carl, Renata (Carl) Thiel, Elfrieda (Raymond) Walstrom, Helen (Arthur) Katt and William.
Confirmation verse: “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.” Isaiah 54:10. KJV
Gerry enjoyed sharing his Christian faith, daily devotions, long-lasting friendships from Northwestern College, teaching, preaching, singing in various groups and church choir, married life, his home on the Rock River, traveling, exploring the back roads of Wisconsin in his VW automobiles, camping at state parks in his VW Vanagon, presenting slides of his trips, riding his bike, one martini a day, one dark chocolate a day before it became the healthy thing to do, staying fit, gourmet dining, reading, challenging crossword puzzles and puns. If Gerry had a motto it would be “live simply, enjoy fully.”
“Rest in peace Uncle, you’ve done the family proud.”
Memorials may be given to Trinity Lutheran Church, 604 S. Fifth St., Watertown; Heritage Homes or Rainbow Hospice.
The family greatly appreciates and would like to thank the pastors of Trinity Lutheran Church, the staff at Heritage Homes as well as Rainbow Hospice Care for their dedicated and exceptional care.

Bare Root Roses Arrive - Steps for Planting

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Gurney offered Fragrant Cloud roses for a big discount, so I ordered two. Why only two? I am bonking my head like the Roman Emperor who lost so many legions the attack of Herman the German.

Fragrant Cloud is one of my long-time favorites. The German name is Duftwolke. The blooms are abundant, a dark pink or brick red - also called dark coral-red. Colors vary by location, and so does fragrance. Bred when roses were pretty but almost without perfume, Fragrant Cloud is potent enough to fill a room with its aroma.

Best of all, Fragrant Cloud blooms prolifically. I planted my first by a downspout and felt that was the key, but the blooming was built into the DNA.

Preparation
First of all, I unwrap the bare roots and drop them into the rain barrel, which is full to the brim. Roses love to remain hydrated, and shipped plants are going to be a little dry. The soak should last an hour or two.

They are immersed into plain old rainwater. Lacking that, I have a barrel ready with tapwater aged several days. That lets chlorine gas out of the water. But relax, I have two barrels full right now.

I do not:
Add fertilizer to the water during the soak or before planting or after planting. Fertilizer is mostly useless and kills the action that takes place at the root hairs, the swapping of useful chemicals, the plant giving up carbon credits in exchange for water, nitrogen compounds, and whatever else it needs.
Fungi need the carbon and gladly (yes gladly) give up what the plant demands in order to get the carbon. Fungi send out filaments to dissolve organic elements and ship them to roots.

Fertilizer, after killing off valuable microbes, will sink into the water table to pollute it. The stores and gardening centers will say, "You need more fertilizer, sprays, fungicides, and this new insecticide - which will kill everything in your yard. Just don't let children play in the grass later. OK?"

Second, I dig holes in the lawn. Grass is over-rated, but sod makes perfect compost, right on the spot. My approach is to dig the holes in the lawn where I want more plants, then mulch with newspaper (or cardboard) and top that with shredded wood mulch.

We have decided to expand the Memorial Row in the main rose garden. We first planted two Queen Elizabeth roses in memory of Bethany and Erin Joy. They are doing well already. When our rose-loving neighbor died, someone suggested planting a rose for her. So we ordered a Fragrant Cloud for her and another one for a Jewish family friend  who died a Christian. We wish we could tell her daughter about that, a college classmate of ours, but the daughter died instantly in a freak accident when walking in a park. Life is fragile.

We are expanding the Memorial Row to include Christian Bruce Wenger, our son's godfather and a great friend.

Third, I pull the roses from the soak and trim the roots. Some roots are broken in shipping. Others are just too crazy long to fit in the hole. Pruning the roots will only encourage more growth.

I make a tepee of soil in the hole and pop the rose on top of that little mound. That helps reduce the chance of a void without soil.  I fill the hole with loose soil first and pack in as much sod as I can, grass side down. These turf pieces will rot into the soil with a perfect mixture of decaying grass (nitrogen), root remains (carbon, etc), soil microbes, and earthworms.

Fourth, I prune the new roses and water the soil and the plants daily. I had one shipment that looked pretty beaten up and dry, warm from the boxes, a bad sign. I soaked them in rainwater first, and then pruned everything off the top and bottom parts that looked bad to me. These roses took off faster and better than any others I planed. Lesson learned - pruning the tops and a good soak are essential.

I learned from Phoenix how the wind can dry up the new roses. The rose companies told me to cover the planted roses with paper bags until the leaves popped, showing the roots were growing and sending up water. The wind and sun are not so harsh here as they were in the Valley of the Sun, but I still water the plant itself all summer - as needed. I water the new plants daily for a week.

Last, I mulch the plants to turn the surrounding lawn into compost. Newspapers or cardboard will shut down the effect of sunlight growing the lawn. That also locks up nitrogen enough to shut down weed production. However, 14 inches of rain will dissolve newspaper into soup, which we all experience in this area last summer. Normally, the newspaper holds for an entire season. I put shredded wood mulch on top, which is an ideal medium for birds feeding, for spiders, and for encouraging fungi in the soil. The creatures of rot that feed the plants enjoy the darkness and moisture afforded them by an umbrella of newspaper and wood particles. Sawdust works too.

Mr. Lincoln is shockingly inexpensive, a prodigal producer
of great, fragrant roses.


Question about Romans 1:16 and Translations

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Good morning Greg. Can I impose on your translating abilities? Romans 1:16 in the KJV and the NIV do not say the same thing. Which one, if either, is most correct?

Romans 1:16New International Version (NIV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Romans 1:16King James Version (KJV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
***
GJ - The New NIV adds a phrase not there in the original text. I put that in red.
Does that remind anyone of the New NIV and Romans 3? 
The Gospel itself, the efficacious Word, brings salvation to people, and the NIV waters that down, allowing for the hemming and hawing of the Evangelicals and Pentecostals who need this and that - a decision for Christ, speaking in tongues, and popcorn served/eaten during the friendly friendship Seeker Service.

ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 1:161550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

16 ου γαρ επαισχυνομαι το ευαγγελιον του χριστου δυναμις γαρ θεου εστιν εις σωτηριαν παντι τω πιστευοντι ιουδαιω τε πρωτον και ελληνι

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