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Lulu Books - Free Shipping - Their Best Discount - Sunday

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Free shipping is their best discount.

It's everyone's favorite discount - free mail shipping. That's right, the books you want delivered free. Here's a tip to save money and make it easier on your postman, divide your larger deliveries into smaller orders. 

Enter code APRMAIL at checkout and get free mail shipping. Expires tonight,  at 11:59 PM. Remember, coupon codes are CASE-SENSITIVE.

The fine print: This offer is applicable to listed products only. Weight and destination restrictions may apply. This offer cannot be combined with other offers and cannot be applied to previous purchases. 

Order now.  Save on shipping.

If you want my author's discount on top of free shipping, send me an email at

bethanylutheranworship@gmail.com. I will order them today.

Note - I will post these short-term specials from time to time. Look for free shipping and  for 30% off.Those are the two best ones.


Pruning and John 15 - From Creation Gardening

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Pruning and John 15
          One of the best known passages in the Gospels is also a lesson about pruning roses. When we understand pruning, John 15 is more vivid. The believer will find it impossible to separate Creation from this simple act that improves, protects, and renews roses and similar plants.

John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

This beautiful I AM sermon reminds us that the Son of God spoke as the Angel of the Lord addressing Moses from the Burning Bush (Exodus 3). The attributes of the Savior are taught in the I AM sermons. Like many other passages in the New Testament, Jesus teaches about Creation as the Creating Word.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Grapes are like roses. They need the old growth to be cut away, to spur growth and fruiting. Once the branch has produced fruit, it must be cut to keep the plant in production. Otherwise, the plant senses its work done and stops producing. Taking away and purging are two words used for the same one in the original text – cleansing.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
The use of “clean” makes more sense when we realize the word for pruning used above is “cleanse.” We are cleansed by the Gospel, through repentance and forgiveness, to become more fruitful.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
The relationship we have with the Savior is two-fold. We abide in Him through the Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments, and He abides in us the same way. We cannot be productive for the Kingdom unless we remain attached to the True Vine through the invisible Word of preaching and teaching, the Visible Word of the Sacraments. Grapes do not grow apart from a vine. Roses do not grow when separated from the rose bush.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
This verse repeats and emphasizes the concept that the Christian Church consists of the branches growing from – and never apart from – the True Vine. Those who abide in the Savior through worship, study, prayer, and the Sacraments are especially productive. Without those basics of the Faith, nothing can be done that is worthwhile.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
When someone no longer abides in Christ, his lot is no different from the unproductive branch. This is brief look at Final Judgment, warning people against the effects of abandoning the Gospel, as so many have, especially in the leadership and teaching positions of the established denominations.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

In contrast, remaining with the True Vine, through the Means of Grace, guarantees that our prayers will be answered. By being productive as believers we glorify the Father and the Son and remain true disciples, students of the Gospel.



Thus Pruning Roses
          Nothing makes the new rose gardener more squeamish than pruning roses, but that is what the plants want and need. A relative had two old roses bushes that no longer flowered. I said, “These need extensive pruning. John 15. Cut the dead wood and cut the roses once they have bloomed.”

She resisted, so I suggested a long shopping trip with my wife Chris. When they came back, both bushes were severely and properly pruned. She cried. I said, “Give them two weeks and water them generously. Mulch them with grass clippings to.” We received a phone call two weeks later. She was bawling again. “Those rose bushes are completely filled with blooms.” I have told many people what I repeated to her, “Keep following John 15. Cut away all dead wood. Cut off the roses that are spent. Cut diseased, damaged, or crossing branches. Water and mulch.”


I take long walks with our dog Sassy, and the one thing I see most is the unpruned rose or crepe myrtle bush. If gardeners pick peas, or beans, or tomatoes, they know the plant will flower, offer up pollen to bees, and produce again. The beans or peas left on the vines will become mature seeds. The pods will dry up, and the vines will go into retirement. And yet, people fail to see the same thing happening on roses, which grow flowers to have them fertilized and produce hips, or seed pods. At the end of the season we want roses to go dormant for the winter. During the growing season we want them pruned all the time to produce even more growth on top and root extensions below.


The Plan and Budget for Thy Strong Word

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Thy Strong Word is being proof-read for the change to Amazon-Kindle-Create Space.

The final version will have fewer typos, more clarity, and a much better price, paperback only.

Here is the budget. Anyone who contributes will get free books.

Research and materials for our stealthy UOJ researcher - $150.
Proofing the English-only edition                                    -   $400.
Ten free books for various editors, reviewers.                  -  $100

TOTAL                                                                                  $650

Information about PayPal is here.

Approximate schedule - one month away.

Next Lulu book to move - Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant


Creation Gardening is being finished as a new book for Amazon-Kindle-Create Space. The approximate schedule is the end of summer, to allow for photographs from the Jackson Rose Farm.

After that - The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine: Luther and the Word. The initial plan is to make this a low-cost booklet, like Making Disciples, but who knows. It may be larger or just spawn more booklets like Making Disciples. Shorter projects are easier to manage.



Rose Fever - More Addicting Than Scarlet Fever. The Benefits of Rainwater

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Chrysler Imperial was developed by
Dr. Walter Lammerts, Creationist.
"This timeless classic is a perfect example of what a hybrid tea should be - high centered, velvety, strongly scented and with a great repeat. The large, shapely, dark red blooms are held on long stems clothed with dark matte-green leaves. While happiest in hot temperatures, it doesn't disappoint wherever it calls home. A proven performer with fragrance to die for. 1953" Edmunds Roses

Wikipedia:
This variety was bred and publicly debuted by Dr. Walter E. Lammerts of Descanso GardensLa Cañada Flintridge, California, USA in 1952. Its stock parents 'Charlotte Armstrong' (cerise pink) and 'Mirandy' (dark oxblood red) are both 'All American Rose Selections'-roses (awarded in 1940 and 1945).
The elegantly tapered buds open into high-centered blossoms with a diameter of about 11 – 13 cm (5 inches) and can have up to 45-50 petals (which is a high number for a hybrid tea rose) with a rich, deep, velvety red color. The cultivar flushes in a chronological blooming pattern throughout its local season, starting in late spring until fall. The long-stemmed rose flowers are long lasting and showy and make excellent cut flowers.
The rose bush reaches 75 to 200 cm (30 to 72 inches) height, and a diameter of 60 to 120 cm (24 to 48 inches). The shrub has an upright form with very thorny canes and semi-glossy dark green foliage. It is not a cold hardy rose (USDA zone 6b through 9b) and needs good sun exposure. Without good air circulation it is susceptible to mildew and blackspot, particularly in cool climates.[1][2]
Shade-tolerant
Resistant to black spot
Resistant to mildew
Avoid chemical sprays
Stems are very thorny

Scarlet Fever is the nickname for clergy who are always running for bishop, District President, or Synod President. One ALC Lutheran moved to another district so he could be elected bishop - and he was, so pompous he seemed to come from a Hollywood satire movie.




Rose Fever is that healthy disorder that drives people to raise roses. I was enjoying the benefits today. I had eight transplants and two new roses that needed some attention, plus some pruning work to be done.

One fallacy is the idea of stirring stuff into the soil when the earthworm does that for us - with the help of many other creatures. I put mushroom compost or cow compost on top of the soil, around the new roses, so the creatures can pull it down and mix it with clay, the most productive soil of all. For several roses I also added newspapers on the bare soil and compost, plus shredded wood on top.

When all the new roses are done - some are arriving - they will all have Jackson Mulch - newspapers plus shredded wood. The tomato garden will have cardboard plus shredded wood.

We have had drying winds, which are deterred by Jackson Mulch and the added layer of autumn leaves. But I wanted to make sure the bushes were well watered and bathed. The main roses were watered and showered first. 

In the backyard I poured rainwater from the barrel on each rose bush. The task was pleasant, dipping out the water and pouring it on each bush.


Absence of Salt and Chemicals

The municipal water supply is treated with chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride in an attempt to control bacterial contamination. These chemicals are harmful to plants. Homeowners who have water softener systems are adding additional salts to their irrigation water. Rainwater is free of these chemicals.

Adding Nitrogen

Rainwater that falls during thunderstorms provides additional nitrogen to the soil, which helps high-nitrogen-consuming plants such as corn grow more rapidly. When lightning discharges during a storm, it converts nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form that is usable by plants.

Click here for -->The Magical Properties of Rainwater

Absent Stored Rainwater:
Water stored in a barrel will give up chlorine gas and other elements, make the water much friendlier to the plants. I would give stored tapwater several days to age before using it.

Queen Elizabeth, by Lammerts

Tomorrow, favorite plants will also get rainwater (backyard). Ultimately I will collect rainwater and keep it where it is closest to plants, backyard and front. And yes, I will dump out the rainwater before the mosquitoes turn it into a breeding ground.


Pruning Is No Chore
I enjoy pruning because it gives me the chance to look at each plant and search for dead wood and broken branches. Some get a little frost-bitten at this time of year. Water and nutrients do not pass through diseased and dead wood, so pruning cures that and wakes up the plant to grow more.

Cutting roses for neighbors, friends, and doctors is enjoyable, because everyone loves to have them. They also enjoy the fragrant varieties, which fill the home or office with perfume:

  • Mr. Lincoln
  • Double Delight
  • Chrysler Imperial
  • Falling in Love
  • Veterans Honor

Ways To Prune
Cutting flowers is good for the roses, because the bush wants to set seed and become dormant. Creating bouquets keeps the plants healthy.
  1. Pruning shapes the roses so that crowded canes are trimmed out.
  2. Fading flowers do not beautify the plant, so pruning them brings on new growth.
  3. KnockOut roses need to be pruned severely several times a season to take advantage of their abundant blooms and healthy growth.

Veterans Honor.

John Moldstad, Bishop Martin Stephan, and CFW Walther: Co-Inky Dinks

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John Moldstad became the Professor of New Testament
at Bethany Lutheran Seminary without a college degree.
He finished one when some turmoil erupted.
Bishop Martin Stephan left the university without completing a degree.
His Pietistic congregation in Dresden was able to give him
a call because they had a special, independent status.

CFW Walther, Stephan's toady and enforcer,
only had a university degree,
but Synodical Conference salesmen consider him the
ultimate interpreter of all doctrinal and Biblical matters,
Lutheran doctrine, even social issues.


John Moldstad was a parish pastor when he became a seminary professor at Bethany Lutheran College, the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie. News got out that he did not even have a bachelor's degree, so he finished that up. The ELS wanted to be able to brag, "All our seminary professors have graduated from college!"

Some pastor not approved by the WELS faction in the Little Sect became synod VP, so the WELS faction voted him out and made Moldstad the new VP. SP-for-Life Orvick finally retired and the VP was upgraded to SP. Thus someone too lazy to finish college became an ELS seminary professor, synod VP, and Synod President.

If anyone suspects Bethany Lutheran Seminary of Lutheran scholarship, or the ELS of Lutheran leadership, that should quash the rumor, the hope, the nostalgia.


Here are all the students at Bethany Lutheran Seminary,
three classes, two per class.


Call for Nominations: Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary 
Pursuant to the guidelines of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod for calling a professor to the seminary (cf. Guidelines for Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary II.A.2), the Board of Regents of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mankato, Minnesota, herewith issues to the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod a call for nominations to a professorship. The nominees must be ordained clergymen of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod or of its fellowship (WELS). Nominees are to be qualified primarily to teach Old Testament, which requires expertise in the Hebrew language. They shall have a secondary qualification in Symbolics (Confessions of the church - so forget WELS for that one) and Church History (or the Glories of Walther, which is enough). In addition to this, they (sic - how many? one call means "he") will serve as the supervisor of the Senior Research Project program. The individual called will begin teaching fall 2017. Nominations are to reach the undersigned by June 1, 2016, so we can blackball anyone suspected of Lutheran doctrine.

That is pretty sad - when a call for nominations cannot even get simple grammar correct. One can only guess how low the teaching has descended since someone like Moldstad could fast-track to SP on a high school graduation diploma.

The Pietists love titles but hate higher education. Martin Stephan had to be bishop for life, and Walther went along with that and signed the document. Walther infallibilists try to deny this, but the document is in the archives.

Walther aspired to be pope of all Lutherdom, America and Europe, on the strength of his BA from Leipzig and his role in robbing and kidnapping the bishop he swore allegiance to, a few months before.

The ELS punished Bjarne Teigen for writing an excellent work on the theology of the Lord's Supper, which exposed the Synodical Conference rejection of the efficacy of the Word.

The Little Sect should hire Jay Webber as their new seminary professor. As Luther says, false teachers are God's punishment against those who are not faithful to His Word. No one else is so completely clueless about Lutheran doctrine or so intoxicated with his own opinions. As John Shep says, Jay makes fun of the ELS leaders all the time, until he is within 100 miles of Mankato, when he becomes a humble servant.

In Other News
The Little Sect is taking back Lawson and Brockdorf, little black sheep who ran away from the ELS during the great rending of the sect by Rolf, son of Robert, son of Governor Jacob, son of Norway.

The two men threw themselves on Moldstad's neck, weeping, hoping the terms of reconciliation would not be too harsh. As they explained, leaving and being against did not mean what people thought it meant. After all, they were just as hysterical for UOJ and Pope John Hisself.

Frozen out - but just for a time - Brockdorf.

Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door!

I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all!

It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free!

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry!

Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on!

Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!

(I did not rewrite this as satire, because the song is already doggerel.)

Travels with Sassy Sue - Our Three-Legged Wonderdog

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Sassy waits like this when I stop at a store.
The window is always open and she makes friends with people walking by.

Mrs. Ichabod was speaking to a saleswoman at Bonworth and mentioned Sassy. The woman said, "I know them. They walk by my house all the time."

In fact, Sassy chose to walk down her street time after time. Sassy likes heading south on those very quiet streets that branch off Scott, the street parallel to Elm Springs Road, the main East-West thoroughfare.

So we drove down that street - after many conversations at the store - and the saleswoman jumped in the car with her son to come over for a visit.

We had a good time, but needed to take Sassy along for the ride back. Mother and young son got in the back seat, which was half filled with trunk storage. The trunk itself was full of mulch. Mrs. I sat in the front. I got Sassy into the back seat, but what did I see when I opened my door to drive?

Sassy took over in the driver's seat, where she had the most room. Everyone laughed and laughed, the boy especially.

Sassy is very friendly with several cats,
but loves to send one black cat up the tree or on the roof.

Rainbarreling the Plants - Roses First. Using the Treasure That Falls Free from the Sky

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Neglected KnockOut roses look dreadful.
Note the spent blooms here.
Bushes of all types respond well to pruning.

"Never grow a rose bush, the saying's true,
But treat it as a rose bush, if you do." G. Jackson, American Rose Society

I have two rainbarrels full of fresh rain and no skeeters.

This post addresses the virtues of rainwater for all plants - in short - rain is pure water with useful nitrogen for greening them up. Some other good qualities are dust in the rain bringing minerals to the plant and rain causing a change in the pH of the soil.

Gardeners may overlook the benefits from the normal actions of Creation, such as organic matter raining down on the soil and being processed into food for the creatures and plants. The old way was to clean up and throw away leaves and debris, but it is wiser to keep what is already generously provided so the soil can be enhanced naturally and without cost.

Pope John Paul II is infallibly white,
fragrant, and spectacular in bloom.
Why run off to Rome when you can visit
the Jackson Rose Farm?


The Problem with Rose Growers
The potted roses, purchased by most people at gardening centers, start out beautiful. I was struck by all the bright red blooms on the KnockOut roses I bought at our nearby nursery. Some places advertise KnockOut roses as "self-pruning," which is not true.

KnockOuts are easy care - more like robust, disease free, and eager to grow.

They are not self-watering, self-pruning, or self-weeding.

All roses need regular watering, from the rain, from stored rain, from stored water, or from tap water.

Weeding is almost eliminated with a thick cover of organic mulch. If weeds break through, they can be pulled or covered up with more mulch.

Pruning is not difficult or dangerous. The only way to have fresh beautiful roses on the bushes is to create bouquets for the house, friends, and others. When I cut roses for others, I look for dead wood (always present somewhere) and trouble-spots.

Watering should be addressed once a week. We have had loud but light rainstorms. We have also had sunny days with strong, drying winds. The bird baths show the power of evaporation from those winds.

I use soaker hoses for general watering of most roses, rain barrel watering where the need is greatest. A newly planted or transplanted rose will get the rainwater first.

I am now supplementing some of my favorite berry plants, to give them a good start. Watering is fun and good exercise. Sassy Sue supervises me until she gets bored with it. Then she asks to go in.

Peace roses are very large and develop
an attractive pink edging.
My Peace rose bushes have burst into bloom,
all at once - very startling and appealing.

Someone Asked about Lange's Outline of the Book of Concord

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I found $30 books and this link to Lange's Outline of the Book of Concord:

http://www.sbowd.com/full-pdf-outline-of-the-book-of-concord-lyle-w-lange-13k/

I am not sure if I have ever used it. I am far more for learning a book through repetition than gleaning through helps.

For instance, What Luther Says is a good set of quotations, but the editor sets up a filter when he judges various Luther quotations, under justification, as Objective Justification and Subjective Justification. labels that exist in the mind of the sect but never existed in the Bible, Luther, Chemnitz, or the Book of Concord.

Mequonites, what is the Chief Article?
Why have you not deprived Bivens and Brug of food,pelted them with manure,
and baited them with dogs?


I suggest getting to know one section of the Book of Concord at a time. This would be my priority for new readers, based on the most neglected or abused parts:

  1. Luther's Large Catechism - once published as a book by the ALC, worth regular reading.
  2. Melanchthon on justification - Articles IV and V of the Augsburg Confession, Article III of the Apology. See also at the same time, Article III, The Righteousness of Faith, Solid Declaration, Formula of Concord.
  3. Formula of Concord, Adiaphora, Article X.
  4. Formula of Concord, Election, Article XI. 
  5. Smalcald Articles, especially about Enthusiasm. If you cannot define Enthusiasm from the Smalcald Articles and identify examples of it, you do not know the Biblical, Lutheran doctrine of the Word, its efficacy, its relationship to the Holy Spirit, the Visible Word of the Sacraments, and the clarity of the Word.
  6. The Catalog of Testimonies - which show that Lutheran is not a brand but a continuation of the Apostolic Church.




Revisiting the Straw Bale Garden, Ground Zero - Now the Sunny Tomato Garden. Cardboard and Wood Mulch

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Once upon a time, we had an unkempt area on the sunniest side of the house. At one point the crab grass had a real crop going. We buried it in newspapers and wood mulch.

Last year I jumped into straw bale gardening, a genuine disaster, except for the slugs. If they become a commercial crop, I will start driving a Tesla and wintering in Sedona.

Norma Boeckler's Robin:
he never leaves the watered, earthwormed, and mulched rose garden.

The good side of this disaster comes from laying down lots of organic material. The straw bales rotted into the soil with those rasping slugs entombed with strawy groan, unknelled, uncoffined, and yet not exactly unknown. They were crawling on the wall at night and covering the vegetation. Slugs are essential creatures in the decomposition of organic matter, but they are all too willing to destroy new, tender plants.

The slug fantasia came from the un-natural state of keeping straw bales damp to start them composting.

Today our helper came over with his two children to put up a little picket fence from Lowe's and cover the sunny garden with cardboard and mulch. The father parcels out some of the jobs as we work on the task, and we have a great time.

The mulch job was simple. No weeds were growing. The roses were already around the maple tree. Some raspberry canes were coming up from last year, so we worked around them. We laid out the cardboard boxes flat and covered them with shredded wood mulch.

Last year's plants will form more compost and the area will stay relatively open for the new tomato plants. Tomatoes love hot areas and plenty of sun, so that will be ideal for them. Water comes from the soaker hose on the fence and more water from the front faucet.

Mulch holds in water, prevents wind evaporation, and keeps the constant microbe to earthworm cycle going to feed to the plant roots.

I am going to plant some mature tomatoes for an early start and experiment with various types.


From 2013 - Larry Olson, DMin, Fuller Seminary - Hated Professor at Martin Luther College. Students Prayed He Would Take the Call to Inida

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http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1049988
The doctoral stripes on the sleeves are for PhDs, not for drive-by DMins.
The brocade stole worn with an academic gown - that must be WELS stylin'.

RATING: ALL CLASS: ALLCOMMENT
08/20/2015
POOR
1HELPFULNESS
1CLARITY
1EASINESS
THE2001For Credit: YesAttendance: N/ATextbook Use: Essential to passingGrade Received: N/A
I have never taken a class with Olson, but I have heard terrible things. He focuses on the Law and belittling students. While I recognize the importance of the Law, Olson uses it to chastise students and never builds them up with the Gospel. He is the very opposite of Christ like. He is nothing more than a bully on a power trip.
DATE
CLASS
RATING
COMMENT

4/24/13
REL3001
Poor Quality
Easiness2
Helpfulness1
Clarity1
Rater Interest2
Grade ReceivedN/A
If you can avoid this professor, do so at all costs. He's rude, inconsiderate, boring, and doesn't know how to teach. Takes your money if you don't bring your book. Expects us to write papers at a level such that  (sic) of an English scholar, which few of us actually are. This is not a grammar course, Olson, its (sic) religion. [This is WELS. We duzn't hafta write English.]

11/10/08
REL3001
Poor Quality
Easiness5
Helpfulness1
Clarity1
Rater Interest1
Grade ReceivedN/A
No interest in topic; boring lectures; unable to teach.

11/7/07
REL1201
Poor Quality
Easiness2
Helpfulness2
Clarity1
Rater Interest3
Grade ReceivedN/A

Tomatoes: Coming Soon to the Sunny Garden. Plant Them Deep for More Roots

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Bonnie Plants has this advice page. They sell through Walmart.

This link has information about soil temperatures when planting tomatoes.

Tomatoes are strange in their ability to grow roots from their stems, so they should be buried up to their necks, in a manner of speaking, or laid on their sides. This root system will give them more food and a better system of drawing water up into the fruits.

Our neighbor Ernie in Moline had a tomato garden. That was all he grew, besides his fruit trees. We got sacks of tomatoes from him all summer. Garden tomatoes will spoil anyone against store and restaurant tomatoes, so I enjoy growing them.

The key to planting success is reading about the plant. One group wants as much sun as possible - tomatoes, corn, and sunflowers. Others are more tolerant of shade. Roses love sun but they do not like being cooked in the sun (unlike tomatoes, corn, and sunflowers).

Corn and tomatoes have a good start when the soil and night temperatures are warm. Early-bird tomato planting means risking a frost that will wipe out the plants. Rose bushes do not mind early spring cold snaps. The rosebuds take time to form and open. Cold snaps will keep corn from germinating while terminating the tomato plant.

Tomatoes are not going to fruit and prosper in marginal weather. The solution in colder areas (or earlier in the season) is to buy fast maturing plants - with the name "early" in them, or buy mature plants. The stores here have plants with fruit already on them. Since a wintry wind is blowing in a storm today, my urge to plant tomatoes is dimmed.

Our helper has another day left to finish the sunny tomato garden with me. We have the outer ring of the maple tree garden to mulch, and later the final rows of the main rose garden.

Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow, easy to eat.


On the Topic of Study
There is no substitute for studying various aspects of gardening. The same is true of theology.

The foundational works are the most important because the others often deal superficially with a topic. One example is the promotion of Epson Salts for the soil. Google that idea and many positive posts will come up, all of them misleading. Epson Salts will only help a certain type of soil. It is far more important to realize the composition of soil and how to maximize its value to plants.

One reader thought it impossible to work in his heavy, clay soil - as if clay is bad. In fact, clay has the most potential of all soil types. The tiny particles have the most electrical charges and therefore move minerals much better. The heaviness also means clay will hold more water, which can be good or bad.

The solution for clay - and for sand - is to spread as much organic matter on top of it as possible. That means mulch, newspapers, compost, manure, grass and garden clipping, and logs. The soil creatures will lighten up clay soil, mix it, and make it productive beyond belief.

Books make rose pruning so complicated that many gardeners never start. Hold the chart in the left hand while pruning with the right? Any pruning is better than no pruning at all, which is the default answer to the pruning chart.

Study includes first-hand observation.

And in Theology
Those who want to yammer about various topics while denying the Chief Article of Christianity are similar to the authors of coffee table gardening books.

When I see than an author denies justification by faith, I ignore his precious and precocious writing about everything else. That person is a bachelor of theology, which is the original  name of the degree (not Master of Divinity). He is like CFW Walther, who was full of himself because he actually finished at Leipzig.

Someone is going to say, "Oh, he has no use for laymen studying the Word and the Confessions."

Not so! I agree with Henry E. Jacobs, below, who praised the laity for their study of the Word and knowing the foundations. Clergy try to dance around the knowledge gained by the laity, who are taught by the Holy Spirit in the Word.



Strutting ELCA Pal Mark Jeske Led the Evangelism Church and Change Love-Fest. Martin Luther College. MLC Refuses To Name the 50 Speakers

From 2010 - Two Good Reasons To Study Justification

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Drama queens think it harmful to discuss doctrine and practice in the open.


I.
Justification by faith needs to be discussed at great length, in the open, because false teachers have obscured this teaching for many decades. An open discussion is divisive - it divides the sheep from the goats.

II.
Doctrinal discussions keep us sharp about what we believe, and they drive us back to the Scriptures. The Pietists want love to be the basis for unity, but that formula creates doctrinal indifference, unionism, and apostasy. The goal of love at the expense of the truth is the ultimate destroyer. As one historian noted on the phone, the pattern has been clear for centuries - Pietism, Rationalism, Unitarianism.

Columbus, Ohio was my post-doc in theology. The clergy kept defending Church Growth and I kept studying Luther and the Book of Concord.


One Thousand Views at 1 AM. About 4,000 for the Day. Most Viewed Posts - Last Seven Days

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Martin Luther College (WELS is proud to announce that Greg Holzhueter has accepted a Divine Call to serve as the Knights' new men's head basketball coach.

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http://mlcknights.com/news/2016/4/6/greg-holzhueter-named-mlc-mens-basketball-coach.aspx#.VwVksvdycGc.facebook


Greg Holzhueter Named MLC Men's Basketball Coach


NEW ULM, Minn. – Martin Luther College (MLC) is proud to announce that Greg Holzhueter has accepted a divine call to serve as the Knights' new men's head basketball coach.

Holzhueter takes over for Jim Unke, who served as head coach of the men's basketball program for the last 19 seasons. Unke will continue to serve as Director of Athletics for the Knights.

Holzhueter comes to MLC with three years' experience as a head coach at Bethany Lutheran College (BLC), where he compiled a record of 23-52, including a 20-24 mark in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) games. Prior to that, he served as an assistant on the BLC staff for two seasons.

Holzhueter graduated from MLC in 2011 with one of the most memorable athletic careers in school history. He was a four-year letter-winner in football, basketball, and baseball, and his name is in the record books in multiple categories in all three sports.

"We're very excited that someone of Greg's caliber will be leading our program moving forward," Unke said. "Greg understands our mission at MLC as well as anyone, and also brings three years of experience at the collegiate level in the UMAC."

Unke leaves the program after 19 years as head coach, finishing with a career record of 164-301, including a 96-138 record in conference play. During his tenure, the Knights won a pair of UMAC regular season championships (2002-03 and 2008-09), as well as one tournament championship (1999-00), which resulted in the school's first ever trip to the NAIA National Tournament that season. He was also named UMAC Coach of the Year in men's basketball on four separate occasions.

In his 34 seasons as a basketball coach between MLC and Lakeside Lutheran High School, Unke compiled a 380-375 overall record.

"I absolutely love coaching," Unke said. "I really hate to see it end, but with the responsibilities as the AD growing, something had to give. I'm excited and looking forward to welcoming Greg back to MLC."

Holzhueter finished his four-year MLC career as the school's all-time leader in assists (370) and steals (170). He also ranks second in program history in career free throws (319), and seventh in career points (1191).



The Knights made the conference tournament in all four seasons in which he played, and he was the starting point guard on the Knights' last UMAC championship team in the 2008-09 season.

"I was honored to receive the call to return to my alma mater as Men's Basketball Coach and Instructor, and I can't wait to get started in my new role," Holzhueter said. "I have a passion for the mission of Martin Luther College, and I know how special this place is. It will be a tremendous blessing to undertake the challenge of leading MLC's men's basketball program in its continued pursuit of excellence on the court, while also making an impact in the lives of future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers."

Holzhueter will also serve as a professor in math and physical education at MLC.




Walking Sassy Twice a Day. Neighbors Knit Together by a Three-Legged Dog

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Sassy lets me know when it is time for her walk. She begins before the sun is up, then dogs my every step. I try to pick up my socks on the sly - she's there. I brush my teeth - a black nose pushes the bathroom door open. She begins flashing her triumphant grin, letting me know that nothing less than a morning walk will satisfy her.

The afternoon walk is similar. Her favorite time is 4 PM, which became 3 PM with the time change. The first notice is a gentle push of her paw against me. That can be upgraded to a paw scrape and a stern look. Tail-wagging begins slowly and becomes obviously annoyed, with some high-pitched whines added. "You don't like whining? Take me out." Once she hears some of the magical words - out, walk, go - she jumps around barking.

On the walks, my inspections are entirely visual while hers are olfactory. That is one reason why she changes her favorite street regularly. Yesterday, she chose Joye street and bounded down the sidewalk to catch up on messages. Visiting strays are just as intent on catching up at our yard, which proves that digital device addiction has its parallel in the dog world. Try to get a dog's attention when there are messages in the bushes or grass. Impossible.

We had a warm, wet winter, and an early spring, so the red bud trees are enjoying an explosive blooming that I have never seen before. The dogwoods were done just as the redbuds began to open up, so we have quite a display next door, around our neighborhood, and down the main street - Elm Springs.

I always take my Gandalf staff, because loose dogs show up here and there. The largest dogs are afraid, for good reason. They do not mind an attempted kick. The person is off balance and they side-step away. As LI said, "A dog has every advantage over a man in a street fight - center of gravity, speed, and weapons." The Gandalf staff is an equalizer. I am sure most of the dogs are relatively friendly and probably amorous. The trouble is, Sassy gets scared and barky fast, which is interpreted by the strays as a threat. She is a drama queen for good reason - four dogs have started something with her, knowing she is weak and unbalanced. Larger dogs are more likely to become aggressive and fight now, so I thrust the staff at them and tell them, "Begone!"

The latest was a Husky, a beautiful dog that was bounding all over the block while his owner's car was being fixed. He wanted to do an inspection, but I was wary of an escalation between him and Sassy. My second warning had him running like a scalded dog, without doing any harm.

Sassy loves to cool down in the damp grass,
usually picking out a spot in the deep shade.


Sassy knows the staff is a feared weapon. She chooses to ignore me at times. I tap it on the sidewalk and she listens. If I point it at her, she stops whatever she is doing and comes over to me. If necessary, I hold her head and talk softly about her need to listen and be safe.

Sassy has learned to ask permission when meeting new people. She looks at me, smiles, and waits for the OK. Dog lovers will ask for her name and call her over. She wiggles her way over and gets special attention. Her attitude is so kind and gentle that everyone admires her and asks about the missing leg. She befriended some small children at the same time their mother was getting to know Mrs. I at the clothing store. Said their mother to my wife, "I know your husband. I see him with your dog every day."

We don't have a daily walk in the woods, but we have a twice-a-day walk in our neighborhood. I tell my urban ministry classes, "That is one way to get to know all the neighbors. They come outside at various times. They like to talk to the dog or about the dog. Various connections are made and friendship develops." I give away Bibles, illustrated Bibles, children's Bibles, The Story of Jesus in Pictures, and plenty of gardening advice when asked.

Giant Aliums will provoke conversations -
they belong to the garlic family.
"What was that purple flower I saw in your yard?"
The next shocker will be giant Elephant Ears.


All the Beneficial Creatures Work Together

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This is more of a summary of the chapter I am writing in Creation Gardening - about how all the beneficial creatures work together.

I am reading Darwin's Black Box again while working on the gardening book. The author, Behe, argues for the engineering evidenced in the smallest parts of the natural world. When looking at the design of microbes, plant cells, insects, spiders, and birds, the facts alone are staggering.

One example is the balance between bacteria and the much larger protozoa in the soil. The protozoa make the bacteria thrive by eating them. Otherwise, bacteria growing on their own would soon equal the bio-mass of the entire world. But - not to worry - protozoa eat bacteria,  and so do earthworms. This constant feasting puts usable nitrogen in the soil and holds it there, while billions of creatures prey upon one another and swap chemicals.

Root hairs hold out carbon for the soil fungi, exchanging the plant's carbon credits for what the plant needs from the fungi. Meanwhile, the fungi are threaded through the soil harvesting those minerals and moving them between plants. One fungus may connect three plants at once.

Human beings are as organized as a herd of stray cats, but these microbes do exactly what they should and accomplish their tasks with exceptional precision. If we bury a diseased, dead animal in the ground, the soil purifies it, as Walt Whitman noted in a poem. Bacteria attack the soft parts. Fungi attack the difficult to digest parts. The disease organism is destroyed, and all chemicals are recycled at various speeds.

Flower Flies look like bees.
They figured that out to protect themselves?
"Ralph, put on your yellow and black suit. It's safer."

Microbe Engineering
The engineering and complexity of microbes should make anyone pause and thank God for all His benefits. Computer experts constantly address the problems of their vast networks, some within the company or school, others connecting the World Wide Web. They build and study complex software that manages these networks, because devices left on their own will fail, create problems, and even send bad messages that bring down the entire network. Software is re-designed all the time, but the microbes continue their labors without upgrades. They are already perfect.



Insect Engineering
I let mites, springtails, fungus, bacteria, and earthworms turn my autumn leaves into food for the soil. Only on that list is an insect - springtails. The very nature of the leaf cover in the wild garden and over the roses means that I will have that many more insects and spiders patrolling my yard this year.

Insects are great for pollination and for feeding birds during the nesting seasons. The bugs burst into life the moment birds need them for their hatching babies. Without thinking or worrying, the parents harvest the bugs and feed them to their young.  Meanwhile, the insects prey upon each other with the same ferocity. The famous beneficial bugs, like ladybugs and preying mantids, dine on their own kind as well.

Spiders build webs, as everyone knows, but another class - the cursorial spiders - go out hunting for prey and do not use a web. One is inclined to ask God, "Haven't you done enough with the vast array of web spiders? Must we come to grips with another group that we never even thought about in the past?"




Pests Are Food for Pest-Eaters
When left alone, nothing gets out of control, because pests are food for pest-eaters. In effect, the pests control the pest-eaters, not the reverse. We learned this when studying rabbits. One book pointed out that the number of rabbits will determine the population of hawks and raptors. If the rabbit population crashes from disease, as it does from time to time, the hawks and owls will go elsewhere for food and diminish in population.

Nothing is more foolish than killing the food of the pest-eaters in order to get rid of the pests. Left along, God's creatures will control the pests by eating them. And the population will not be all spiders or all preying mantids or all toads, because all of Creation remains in balance when deprived of man-made poisons. Spraying the yard for pests will kill most of the beneficial insects, letting the pests come back unopposed. Repeated spraying, which seems necessary with the rebound of pests, will make this even worse.

Close up of peacock feathers.
I rest my case.

Hawks Arrived Here for Birds and Rabbits
Hawks rest in our maple and scream out their warning cries. I feed the birds with toxin-free gardening, suet, and seeds. Our helper laughs about the jumpin' jivin' wild garden, where the insect life is livelier than a Pentecostal convention. Because birds are well fed and have ample water for bathing, hawks visit to cull the population for food. Doubtless they find plenty of rabbits and rodents, too.

Therefore, while the birds are controlling the bugs, who also control each other, the hawks are improving the gene pool of the birds and mammals. Yet all live and thrive together. Below, snakes eat toads, and toads eat thousands of pests each summer. When I began watering more and leaving pans out for bird baths, toads multiplied and took up their stations beside logs and near faucets.

Creation Psalms
The Creating Psalms - 8, 19, 29, 65, 104, 139 - spell out these relationships, while the evolutionists carefully explain how this all came from random development over billions of years.

Psalm 104King James Version (KJV)

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
24 Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.



Mark Jeske - From Two Years Ago - Loves Your Tax Money. WELS Clergy Often Leave Their Homes in the Congregation's Name To Escape Taxes

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The Wizard of Ooze wants your tax dollars in vouchers
to buy himself another school.
Does he pay taxes on his so-called parsonage in the white suburbs?
Ironically, this practice is clearly contrary to the official WELS doctrine contained in "This We Believe," which states in its article VIII:

"8. We reject any attempt on the part of the church to seek the financial assistance of the state in c
arrying out its saving purpose."



Voucher school plans to enroll an additional 850 students in Lindsay Heights

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GOOGLE+PINTERESTPRINT
The Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) board will be taking up a fast-tracked offer by St. Marcus Lutheran School to purchase the shuttered Lee Elementary School in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood.
St. Marcus has been building its case for the school in well-attended community outreach meetings in which parents of St. Marcus stressed the need for another site for “strongly Christian” education underwritten by state taxpayers.
According to St. Marcus School Superintendent Henry Tyson, the school would like to renovate and reopen Lee this fall with roughly 200 K3 through first graders. Eventually, it wants to expand on that site and enroll 750-850 students through the eighth grade.
But first St. Marcus needs the approval of both the MPS board, the Milwaukee Common Council and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
St. Marcus hopes to gain the Common Council’s approval at its June 24 meeting. For that to happen, the MPS’s Accountability, Finance and Personnel Committee would have to approve it on Tuesday, as the Shepherd goes to press. The full MPS board would need to sign off on it June 19 before sending it over to the city’s Zoning, Neighborhood and Development Committee, which would have to call a special meeting before the Common Council’s June 24 vote, according to Sara Roemer, assistant director of development and communications for St. Marcus.

A Change in Sale Process
St. Marcus’s fast-tracked bid for Lee Elementary comes amid controversy over how MPS disposes of its unused buildings and the state support for religious schools in its voucher program.
Republicans and some members of the Common Council have been pushing MPS to sell off its unused or underused buildings to avoid the ongoing maintenance costs. Legislation authored by state Sen. Alberta Darling and suburban Republicans last fall would have forced MPS to sell its underused buildings to an “education operator,” defined as a charter or private school operator or an entity that wants to set up a charter school. After being blasted by Common Council members for rigging the real estate market in favor of loosely regulated charter or voucher schools, the bill passed the full Assembly and one Senate committee but didn’t make it to the Senate floor.
At roughly the same time, St. Marcus was trying to purchase the vacant Malcolm X Academy. The MPS board decided to redevelop it as a mixed-use community center instead.
MPS leaders gave St. Marcus three more options: Lee Elementary, Garfield Elementary or Edison Middle School. Tyson refused all of them, claiming that they were too small, outdated or far away from the school’s main campus. Now, St. Marcus is having a change of heart and is aggressively pushing for Lee Elementary, which was closed in 2009.
The process for a potential sale of an MPS facility also seems to be up in the air.
Earlier this year, the St. Lucas Lutheran School in Bay View had indicated an interest in purchasing the vacant Dover Street School; St. Lucas already uses some of the other school’s property as a playground and parking area.
St. Lucas didn’t make a formal offer on the Dover Street School, but the MPS board voted to turn the facility into affordable housing marketed to teachers. The local alderman, Tony Zielinski, pushed the developers to scale back their proposal and the Common Council asked for more involvement in the sale of MPS facilities.
The city is developing a memorandum of agreement with MPS for MPS’s disposition of its unused properties but as of Tuesday, the draft agreement wasn’t on any committee agenda. 

Skeptical About Test Scores
On another front, St. Marcus is making claims about its student performance, saying that the school is outperforming MPS students in all areas by a “wide margin,” according to the St. Marcus website.
Count MPS Board Director Larry Miller, vice chair of MPS’s Accountability, Finance and Personnel Committee, as skeptical about St. Marcus’s claims about its “high-performing school.” 
Miller said that those claims are overblown and compare St. Marcus’s elementary school students to all of MPS’s, including its high school students.
The difference between St. Marcus’s state test scores and MPS’s aren’t significant, Miller said, although at 20%, MPS’s special needs student population is more than double the 9% of special needs students St. Marcus says it educates.
Miller also noted that MPS seventh graders are performing better than St. Marcus’s in both math and reading. According to fall 2013 data from the state Department of Public Instruction, just 17% of St. Marcus’s seventh grade students and 15% of its eighth grade students are proficient in reading. That compares to 17.4% of MPS seventh graders and 17% of MPS’s eighth grade students who are proficient or advanced in reading.
Miller scoffed at St. Marcus’s attempt to promote itself as a high-performing school.
“At the eighth grade, in our 116 elementary and middle schools, we are testing higher than they are,” Miller said.
He’s also analyzing the demographics of the area to determine whether MPS should reopen Lee to serve the neighborhood’s kids.
“I want it to be a public school,” Miller said.

‘Strongly Christian’ Education
A religious education seemed to be St. Marcus’s biggest asset, according to testimony given by supporters at a June 11 community meeting, organized by the neighborhood’s new alderman, Russell Stamper II, and attended by the city’s Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux; state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis), a voucher supporter; MPS Board members Michael Bonds, Larry Miller and Annie Woodward; and Alderman Nik Kovac. (Stamper didn’t respond to the Shepherd’s request to comment for this article.)
Both St. Marcus and St. Lucas participate in the taxpayer-funded voucher program and are members of the conservative Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). This is the extreme wing of the Lutheran Church, which asserts that the Roman Catholic pope is the Antichrist, condemns homosexuality as a sin, teaches the belief in evolution and the age of the earth as 6,000 years old and prohibits women from voting in church meetings.
St. Marcus employee Kerry Guzman, whose child attends the school, urged Milwaukee leaders to sell Lee because 200 students are waiting for a “Christ-centered education.”
“As a Christian educator, I’m really excited because we have the chance to empower the children at St. Marcus with the love and the respect to show others in the community the love that Christ first showed us,” Guzman told the audience.
But MPS backers questioned whether the city should sell an MPS asset to allow a religious voucher school to expand, which they say ultimately penalizes taxpayers and leaves MPS with a higher percentage of special needs students, who require more resources to educate.
“What we’re seeing in Milwaukee is the development of a two-tier school system, a school system that has a large number of students with special needs, students who are difficult to educate, and a private school system that doesn’t have to adhere to certain state and federal anti-discrimination laws,” said Bob Peterson, the head of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA). “That’s not fair. That’s not what we need for this community.”

WELS Tradition of Nastiness - From 2015. SP Schroeder Covers Up the Scandals and Silences Anyone Blogging. Jeske Disciple DP Patterson Pitches In To Help Silence People

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I deepened the background on the whiteboard to show Elton Stroh teaching
at Martin Luther College, WELS:
"Some of our traditional programs have become dated and uninviting."
I was thinking about the breezy denials about WELS being nasty and vindictive when anyone speaks up about an issue. These claims are found in comments on the WELS Documented Blog.

"Tut, tut. Not so, not so."

I can think of five pastors that I knew in the Michigan District WELS, with no scandal and no false teaching - all driven out by DP Seifert, who also did his best to get rid of the Intrepid Lutherans listing their names on that virtually suspended blog.

There are many more cases across WELS. Missouri has done the same thing, undercutting and hating pastors out of the ministry. Pope John the Malefactor, ELS, is the WD-40 of the Little Sect's slide into oblivion.


I changed the title to express the real reason for the syphilitic bishop's
fast exit from Dresden, taking his groupies, leaving most of his family behind.

Martin Stephan is their idol and example, because he demanded obedience and apologies - getting his disciples to enforce absolute submission, CFW Walther became the new pope by organizing a riot to rob and kidnap Bishop Stephan, the same man he made bishop in writing a few months before.

Every time a Jon Buchholz, John Seifert, Don Patterson, or Mark Jeske gets his way, another extended family is alienated from the Lutheran Church. The family members may exchange arsenic (WELS) for botulism (LCMS) or salmonella (ELS). They may become atheists or ELCA members. No one can erase the legacy, even if they deny it.

Becoming a WELS pastor means being subjected to group homosexual acts, as reported in various places and also relayed to me. One future LCMS pastor put a Michigan Lutheran Seminary student in the hospital for attacking him "that way." If someone takes all the data and puts it together, the various reports indicate a solid base of sodomy in the WELS clergy, no different from ELCA. The leaders and clergy know it. They talk about it among themselves. They know about the man/boy girlfriends moved around on the pastoral call list to supply the needs.

They know about the Mattress Room at Mequon and who was caught - both men being ordained anyway. And married. LBGTQ - alive and well in WELS.

And the pastors denying all this? They also say GA is "no more, closed down" - but now it is called HB. And so was Church and Change, "shut down, destroyed, tossed to the winds by Gurgle" - while Mark Jeske's C and C meeting was registering pastors for the next conference on the WELS websty!


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Job security - plagiarize a gay video at Martin Luther College
and post it to YouTube, claiming,
"We had no idea we were copying a gay video from Fire Island."
All received calls.


The Undercurrent of Homosexuality



One anonymous brother recounts his experience with initiation at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary:
During our senior year of MLC, we (the seniors in pastor track) visited the seminary. Getting of the bus we were greeted by "our brothers" as we passed through the arch of seminary students we were all groped. Literally someone had grabbed my goods and at the end of that was a fat man in a speedo who bear hugged us. I complained in a letter. Never heard back. 
I had the same experience, except it was in the parking lot behind the dorm, not under the arch.

At MLC, there was a "tradition" in the mens' (sic) dorms that if it was your birthday, a group of about 15 or 20 guys would dog-pile on top of you, all of them completely naked. There were also naked, drunken parades through the dorm hallways, accompanied by guitars and drums.

The Seminary Chorus had a custom of guys surreptitiously groping each other during performances and concerts. Professor Tiefel once commended one of the members of the choir for his wide smile during a performance. After being told that the smile was a result of being groped throughout the concert, Tiefel just laughed. I quit the choir not long afterwards.

It always seemed to me that the worst offenders in this regard were guys who had been sent away to prep school at the age of fourteen. A psychologist could probably pinpoint the reasons why, but the experience seems to warp many of them in disgusting ways. In any case, just beneath the surface of these traditions and initiation rites in the WELS system is a strong and sinister undercurrent of homosexuality. 

I'm not saying that a large number of WELS pastors are homosexual, but I'm sure there are some who have been led into temptation by these activities. And even for those who haven't, it isn't a healthy thing to make light of sin.

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Shattered Pulpit Blog

I was abused for many years by my father, a WELS pastor. I was too young at the time to do anything, but be the "good girl" and do whatever was asked of me. Many years later when I did tell my"secrets", the DP, along with others, turned it all around and made it become my wrongdoing. Please do NOT give into them. You are the victim and the WELS is doing everything it can to turn it around and placing the blame on you. I pray that you talk to those who believe you and your safe pastor and reconsider your plan to stop writing your blog! You have opened the eyes of many people: people who DO believe you. The hierarchy of the WELS is trying to cover up anything which reflects negatively on them. You have many people praying for you. God is on your side and He will continue to be there for you. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. May God be with you and give you strength to accept His help!

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Jane's Story: WELS Sexual Harassment

Written by "Jane"

When I accepted the Executive Assistant position at a contemporary WELS church, there were many things I expected, but sexual harassment was not one of them. In addition to the harassment, I witnessed my supervisor and "spiritual leader" demean other women (including members of the church), drink on the job, plagiarize sermons and act in the very manner you would not expect from a "called servant of The Lord".

I almost immediately observed the pastor's casualness, lack of boundaries, and what I perceived as downright laziness at times. His standards and expectations for my position as the assistant seemed to exceed his own standards as the pastor. 


Shortly after starting my position, I received a text message sometime after midnight from my supervisor telling me I should have sex with my husband. We never requested counseling or advice in this realm so his inappropriateness was rather strange at best to us. We strived to take words and actions in the best possible way. I was subjected to many routine "lapses in judgement" by my spiritual leader. Including an incident of him showing me a video that depicted nude male genitals while alone in his office.Is there ever a correct context for a supervisor to show anything like this to his married employee? (I will discuss this more at another time).

As he pushed the boundaries and inappropriateness, my conscience began to nag at me. Through even the darkest days, I allowed myself to believe that these behaviors were normal. Yet I began to feel torn between my loyalty to the church and the moral issues at hand.

I spent many nights awake and hovered over my bible in tears. There was something very wrong about what was going on at that church. I've seen it all first hand and, yet, felt obligated to keep it all a secret. It was the kind of secret that absolutely tormented me, but I thought I was doing the right thing at the time (just another lie we are led to believe as victims).

After months of utter frustration the hostile work environment began to take a toll on me and my husband. I prayerfully considered if perhaps this was an unhealthy situation for me to be in. So I gave my notice and was told to tell members of the congregation that I "wasn't a good fit" when I left my position. It was unbearable to work with a man that continued to ignore, scream, belittle, degrade and humiliate me. I left this job feeling worthless and far less confident than when I started (which was previously at a Fortune 100 company).

I suffered in silence while working at that church. I fell into a deep darkness from all that I experienced and witnessed there and its leadership. Shortly after I left the position my depression began to spiral. We maintained membership at this "relevant" church because of the relationships that we had formed with other Christians and did not want to neglect our spiritual life. The final straw was when an assault rifle was used as a sermon prop.

We decided it was best to seek the counsel of a trusted pastor since the leadership at this church either outright condoned or failed to supervise its employees and their behavior. We were convicted to resolve all this in a Christ centered way. Our hope was to see positive changes and healing for all. 



How many times does a synod president attend a
congregational meeting to cut a deal with the district president?
Mark Schroeder did, and Ski got another call.


My husband and I have continued to fight an endless battle for justice in the synod and to see that this doesn't happen to someone else. We've patiently been in contact with top synod leaders. We've encountered roadblocks, never ending circles and have witnessed inconsistencies throughout the disciplinary processes within the synod. By the Grace of God, we've encountered wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ to share in our burden. Unfortunately, we've also encountered timid leaders and those hesitant to publicly speak for the truth. People seem to selectively choose which commandments and passages to throw at you while ignoring others.

The journey has been incredibly lonely and frustrating since we were asked to remain silent and be patient. We are exhausted and completely astonished that after everything was brought into the light this man continues to be a pastor and counsel members. We will continue to persevere with others until positive changes are made in this synod so that all victims of abuse are protected rather than the perpetrators.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, (‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ESV)

Jeff Schone went from being an awful pastor
to being an awful administrative bully at Martin Luther College:
zero tolerance for confessional students, who are driven out.
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WELS Teacher Arrested - Why Not Issue a Call to Don Patterson's District?

Traeder, Taylor D Schofield, WI St Matthew Lutheran School Grades 6-8, Athletic Director,
Principal Apprentice

A Pastor Writes about Luther's Sermons, After Requesting the Garden of Roses Graphic. You Won't Believe What He Said at the End. Bonus Graphics Added

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I want to tell you that you were the one who turned me on to the Lenker 8 volume set of Luther's Sermons. I ordered them used on Amazon years ago after reading Ichabod for some time. I try to read a Luther sermon for my own sermon preparation each week. I never finish any of his sermons though because they are so good that I find myself drifting into all sorts of thoughts, repentance for my own sins, and most of all, renewed confidence in God's mercy in Christ.

 Luther's sermons should be required reading for all "Lutheran" clergy. I have often said that ever since I graduated seminary I've spend my time unlearning that teaching and learning how to be Lutheran instead. The fact that Luther's sermons are not required reading, or even suggested, shows a lot about how far Lutheranism in America has come. So thanks for pointing me to Luther's sermons.

PS - You can even mention that the anonymous comment came from a Concordia Seminary - St. Louis grad, whose first reading assignment in seminary was Rick Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life." (which is 100% true).

As I recall, I used the Luther statue from St. Louis.





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