The new and older roses have enjoyed two sessions of rain in the front yard. Everything looks a bit jumbled right now. Each rose location has clay heaped around it or perhaps needs a little filler soil.

The new roses are planted in the midst of clover, dandelions, and grass - all doing very well from the rain and sunshine. Clover seems to have had a banner year. The remainder of the backyard grass is almost completely clover, an excellent crop for beneficial bugs. Beneficial insects like tiny flowers and often need pollen and nectar in their adult stage. Clover is also known for fixing nitrogen in the soil.

Rhizobia are bacteria that must have a plant host to let them fix nitrogen. Atmospheric nitrogen, an inert gas, is useless to plants in that form but becomes the foundation of life in compounds. This relationship was discovered in 1889, and now we understand in part how fungi also contribute to this vast exchange of nutrition through soil microbes - bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes, and more.

Legumes like clover, beans, mesquite, and carob fix nitrogen in their root nodules, and many are turned under (plowed! rototilled!) to provide green manure for the soil. The Creation gardener avoids turning soil upside-down, but there is nothing wrong with turning the green into gold with mulching.

A sunny day today means we will place cardboard, newspaper, and shredded wood mulch over the green grass, clover, and dandelions in the front yard. The royal rose does not like competition. Some tiny plants--garlic chives, garlic, or low-growing beneficial hosts--are tolerable, but not a mass of plants greedy for sun, soil, and water. The green grass and clover will become compost.

When the blanket of cardboard, newspaper, and wooden mulch is applied, the sunlight is shut out from the low-level plants and they begin to die. Thus the grass, dandelions, and clover become green manure. The bacteria attack the soft material and turn it into compost. The roots are tougher, so the fungi can dissolve them with their tubular dissolving and transportation power. Each microbe has its own jurisdiction and carries out its duties according to conditions.

At first the grass and clover become a blackened mat of organic matter, the nitrogen in the green converted back into soil compounds. Once the decomposition is complete, the soil is soft, dark, and easily penetrated by rose roots.

The mighty earthworm mixes the combination at the end of the decomposition cycle. This is the ideal situation for plants grown in clay. The tiny size of clay particles allows more electrical charges and therefore more ion exchange of minerals. This is a version of the water softener process. The traditional water softener is loaded up with ordinary salt. Ion exchange takes the insoluble salts out and replaces them with soluble salt. Ion exchange in the soil means plants get the minerals they need.

Clay is also good for holding rainwater. Fill a partial hole in the clay soil with water - nothing happens in 30 minutes. That can be good but we also want soil that lets the rain in rather than just bouncing it away. Mulch itself soaks up an enormous amount of water and holds it in place for the soil creatures. When earthworms and their buddies work that damp mulch into the soil, they create thousands of tunnels for the rain and soften the soil for plant roots.

My experiment in Midland with compost on top of clay showed that the clay was mixed with compost over time, making it easy to work. Soil moisture will also make a difference. Mixing compost into clay with a shovel is extremely heavy work - and why? The earthworms will do the job better in time and enjoy jolly meals while multiplying like crazy.

Plantain was called White Man's Footprints by the Indians. Some people use it as an herb. Those who use no weed killers will be happy to eat the weeds they deem worthwhile.

Weeds? Make Them Compost
My first weed patch came from using wood mulch without a newspaper base. The crab grass, which was originally brought over as a grain crop, grew splendidly through the wood, basking in the sunniest part of the yard. We simply covered that with newspaper and mulch, after mowing it. Another layer of cardboard and mulch will make it the tomato garden this year.

I had another sunny areas filled with plantain. I simply mulched the area and  planted it with blackberry canes, which are growing well.

If weeds grow well, so will plants. Some of the weeds are valuable for birds and beneficial insects, so do not be too quick to get rid of them.

Pokeweed or Pokeberry - hate it or love it for being prolific. Birds love it the attractive, toxic berries.

Irony Alert
I was busy planting various berry plants last year and cut down pokeberry 8 feet tall. The pokeberry is loved by all birds and clearly planted by birds wherever they rest.

Beautyberry is planted for the birds to enjoy, late in the season.

Christian News featured this booklet cover by Norma Boeckler twice in the new issue.

David Becker called me a liar for identifying the radical nature of UOJ blowing the LCMS apart.

Someone concerned about bad translations asked me to write about "making disciples," so I wrote the booklet.

More later. Film at 10.

Shaping the facts is the Christian News answer to sound doctrine.

Pastor Otten like to shape the facts so I seem to be some evil creature in cahoots with the apostates in his own synod - which excommunicated him.

Otten claims Beck's Bible does not drop the ending of Mark's Gospel, but that translation has gone through more revisions than Hillary Clinton's face.

I was around when God's Word to the Nations Bible Society was being run by an adulterous friend of Otten's, spending gushers of money on himself - all grants from the adulterous St. Marvin Schwan. When the Schwan money ran out, the mistress left  Phillip B. Giessler. Well, they were married, because Mrs. Giessler made Phil choose between her and the mistress. He chose the mistress and thought the boy was his. When one of my members saw Phil in a park with the boy, she said, "Is that your son?" in a friendly way. Pastor Phil said, "No, no!" in a way that really made her wonder.

Although Phil was lying, he was right after all. The former mistress said that was not his son, as he was told. So wife #2 was gone, and he he married a third time.

And yet good old Phil is still a pastor and has been featured in Christian News like a regular good guy.

Dr. Phil now - he calls himself Dr. Phillip B. Giessler.

DR. PHILLIP B. GIESSLER 
Missionary to Africa Dr. Phillip B. Giessler has been a Lutheran day-school & high school teacher; a parish pastor & Bible teacher in excess of 40 years; Christian author; an Instructor of students at Concordia Theological Seminary—Ft. Wayne, IN; CEO of God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society; and Editor of the New Evangelical Translation (NET) of the NT. Currently, he is a commissioned missionary professor to seminary and evangelistic students in Kampala, Uganda; Yambio, Sudan; Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. Dr. Giessler is on his fourth missionary journey to Africa. This journey brings him to: Pretoria, South Africa; Mwika, Tanzania; Meru, Tanzania; Nairobi, Kenya; Kisii, Kenya; Entebbe/Kampala, Uganda; Gulu, Uganda; Arua, Uganda; Lira, Uganda; Mbale, Uganda. Pr. Giessler’s ministry primarily involves teaching seminary students, local pastors and missionaries wherever they can be gathered. Pr. Giessler often has to cover the traveling expenses of those who come to be equipped for outreach in their local areas. Dr. Giessler has visited Peace the last several years and receives financial and prayer support from our members.

Wikipedia:
In 1978, it was decided that Beck's translation would be revised. Phillip B. Giessler, a pastor from Cleveland, Ohio, then formed a committee and revision work began in 1982. The work of Giessler's committee (although it was—much like Dr. Beck's earlier work—essentially a "one-man" translation team with a single English reviewer) yielded another translation of the New Testament that was released in 1988 titled New Testament: God's Word to the Nations (GWN) This work was later renamed the New Evangelical Translation (NET) in 1990. (Important note: Beck's AAT, according to Rev. Hackbardt, only served as a basis for "English style.") In early 1992, according to Hackbardt, all the earlier New Testament work was abandoned by the Society and an entirely new Bible translation based on the best Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek texts and using the translation principle "closest natural equivalence"—beginning with the Old Testament—was completely re-translated by the Society's five scholars, 17 technical reviewers, and four English reviewers. In early 1994 the translation was renamed GOD'S WORD prior to being turned over to World Bible Publishers in October 1994 for publication in March 1995.

Back to the Giessler issue. Nobody knew? He was cheerfully running a Bible society as a pastor and spending money on his mistress? How many times will Missouri repeat the Bishop Stephan example? Nobody knew! And yet when finally everyone knew, he was still a pastor albeit in a more Pietistic sect that does not - officially - accept divorced and remarried pastors. He sold the dishonest Rich Food Plan, too.

Exactly what did this Beck translation accomplish? As far as I can see, it ended up in the hands of a lying adulterous spendthrift, then morphed into one more liberal translation. The final results? Nobody cares. 

Did the original Beck drop the ending of Mark? Part of the booklet was written 16 years ago when I owned a Beck. Since I check my sources, the ending was probably dropped into a footnote. Likewise, the original RSV changed the Virgin Birth of Isaiah 7 and then reversed itself when a cry went up from mainline denominations about denying the Virgin Birth - as the RSV clearly did. But they could then say, "No we don't." But look at the passage in a traditional RSV. The footnote says, "Or a young woman." 

The results are the same. Footnotes can be so useful.




David Beck's Reading Comprehension Is Zero - And He Substitutes Ad Hominem for Wit.

I am used to being called a liar when I am telling the truth. Pastor Otten is a proven liar, as all UOJists are. He gloated to me about working with Paul McCain to get Al Barry elected. McCain sent early copies of Barry material so they all came out early in Christian News. McCain also bragged to me about doing this with Otten. Both of them heatedly denied working with each other, and Otten put his denial in Christian News. If the truth had been known, Barry would not have been elected, and McCain would have had to work for a living as a pastor. 

The LCMS Seminary tuition scandal - bonus link here.

The Becker headline is Gregory L. Jackson Lies about Christian News.

It's a lie that Otten always praised Concordia St. Louis as the greatest seminary in America? I read that countless times, even when Johnson was seminary president and kissing up to Otten. I was there when a Johnson fax came through to Otten. Herman was delighted.

When I met Johnson it took about two minutes to identify him as a certified apostate. He saw how I trapped him and backed away from his gushing about Karl Barth (the Swiss Commie adulterer). Funny how often adultery comes up with false doctrine.

The next point is where I wrote about the Purpose-Driven Life being required reading at St. Louis - and that Luther's sermons were not even suggested reading.

Becker: "Jackson also complains that Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” was required reading at CSL at one time. There is nothing wrong being at least aware of this book."

The seminary is excused. Rick Warren is excused. But I am a liar? Who omitted the crucial comparison of Warren requiredandLuther not even suggested? Becker did. He has no reading comprehension (the kindest possible explanation). This is not a matter of "being aware of this book" but saying it was so important to the LCMS that It. Must. Be. Read. By. All. Students.

Calling Becker a lightweight in theology would be an insult to all the lightweights, the DPs and seminary professors.

Lightweight - destined to be a DP or seminary professor.

000

This hissing cockroach is not as disgusting as false doctrine.


A pastor did a comparison of catechisms today in preparing for a lesson on the Third Article (I believe in....the forgiveness of sins). He has a number of catechisms [Luther's obviously being the one and only] on his shelves. He was interested if there were any shifts in the presentation of material [questions, selection of supporting passages, phraseology) between the WELS "Gausewitz"(Copyright 1956) and the WELS "Kuske" (Copyright 1982, 1989, 1998). In the following K=Kuske, G= Gausewitz. The "#'s" refer to the respective editions. His comments are in [ ].

His reason for doing the comparison is that the Gausewitz version was the catechism used for his own confirmation classes in the early-mid 1970's. However, the Kuske version has been the official one since the early 1980's. That means a majority of the current WELS pastors who still teach catechism would have used the Kuske version. If they are younger WELS pastors, they would themselves have been instructed along its line, maybe never knowing anything at all about the Gausewitz.

Kuske 253. How many people did God declare righteous? God declared all people righteous. (objective justification) [2 Corinthians 5:19 is offered as a proof passage but not Romans 3:28]

Gausewitz 261. To whom does God forgive sins? God forgives sins to me and all believers. [Romans 3:21-28 is cited as a Scripture reference; Romans 3:28; Romans 10:4 is cited as the Scripture passages. He underlined the divergence between the two. This clearly proves a stated shift. Also note how Gausewitz sticks to Luther's phrasing in the answer.]
______

Kuske 255. Why is it important, then, that the Holy Spirit work faith in me? It is important that the Holy Spirit work faith in me so that I do not trust in my own works but only in the righteousness God gives me by grace in Christ. (subjective justification)

Gausewitz 260 Why do we say that the Holy Ghost forgives sins, whereas we are made righteous before God through the redemption of Christ? The Holy Ghost brings the righteousness of Christ to us by the Gospel and gives us the faith to believe it. [Note that "the righteousness of Christ" is linked with "the faith to believe it." The two are not bifurcated and isolated, by default, from each other.]

______

Gausewitz 262. Where are sins forgiven? Sins are forgiven in the Christian Church on earth. (Ministry of the Keys)

[No similar question is asked in the Kuske catechism. In the UOJ scheme, there is salvation outside the Christian Church? Yes, and apart from the Means of Grace entrusted to the Church!]
______

Gausewitz 263. Why do we say, In the Christian Church on earth? We say this because Christ has given the Gospel to His Church on earth; in the Gospel we have the forgiveness of sins.

[No similar question is asked in the Kuske catechism. In the Gospel, then necessarily implies through the Means by which it is conveyed. Massive, airy universal absolutions apart from the Means rob them of the grace God intends to give through them. Therefore, our confidence of salvation would be divorced from the very Means of Grace God intends to use to create and sustain "justifying faith" as the Confessions put it.]

The above quotations are proof of a discernible shift in WELS catechisms.

***

GJ - Many people are doing research about this topic. This is an excellent example of what many of us suspect - that the UOJ position of WELS hardened and began to dominate. Departures like this are difficult to trace, but WELS members and pastors can figure this out.

The Gausewitz catechism was the normal version for a long time. As I recall from an essay by Slide, it had all the correct attributes for a WELS catechism.

When the new Kuske catechism came out, WELS made that the normative version, and WELS pastors tend to be robotic in accepting new improved whatevers, like the 100 proof hymnal from James P. Tiefel.

See if you can find a Gausewitz and do your own comparison with Kuske. Comments are most welcome.

This is why I have never used a catechism except Luther's own. I do not like Talmudic editions with hundreds of questions and answers. Like the original Talmud, they can be used to obscure the Word of God in the name of teaching it.

WELS pastors have shown repeatedly that they do not grasp the meaning of the Eighth Commandment, how it applies to their own behavior, how it does not apply to addressing false doctrine.

I noticed in reading the new book that the Seminex crowd liked crying Eighth Commandment too. WELS leaders like to brag about how superior they are to Missouri, but they have used the same dishonest or ignorant tactics to advance their own false doctrine.

The Little Sect on the Prairie is too small for Stormtroopers, so they have Dark Helmet as their mascot and protector.

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Brett Meyer Address the Synodical Conference Spin ...":

One can see that UOJ and SJ are just Calvinism sandwiched together with Lutheranism. The OJ is Calvinism and SJ is Lutheranism, except that Calvinism is its own system and is not compatible with the Biblical system of salvation, aka, Lutheranism. Sandwiched together, OJ and SJ amount to gross antinomianism. Calvin counter-balanced justification before faith with the idea of limited atonement and DP so that the antinomianism implicit in justification before faith would be balanced by idea that if you act like an unbeliever, maybe that's because you actually are one. UOJ-type Lutheranism has no such counter-balance to fend out antinomianism since Lutherans believe in unlimited atonement and deny that God reprobates anyone. Therefore, some over-assured Lutherans end up getting in trouble in various sins and with the law, but for most the theoretical antinomianism results in a largely unregenerate and life and many sins of omission (a non-dedicated, non-rigorously religious life) that the UOJer Lutheran doesn't feel any guilt over.

***

GJ - UOJ unifies the Synodical Conference (tm) and its scattered parts.We know Richard Jungkuntz was dedicated to UOJ because his essay is lovingly preserved in the Holy of Holies, the WELS Essay Files, even though they kicked him out of WELS. From there he did his liberal work in the LCMS, a real star of Seminex, as the chairman of the board of the first gay Lutheran seminary. Seminex was the official seminary of the Metropolitan Community Church.

Jungkuntz went on to serve as provost of an ALC college. He was written up favorably in the NY Times.

He argued for women's suffrage, conceding it was the same argumentation for women's ordination.

UOJ was the common thread in all his denominational affiliations. UOJ unites all the mainline Protestant denominations. Their motto is - "Everyone is forgiven and saved by the grace of God." Since they have given up the significance of creeds, hymns, sermons, and liturgy, they are vulnerable to every radical leftist fad.

For instance, the Episcopalians preserve the historic liturgy and creeds, and still hold solemn worship services, but they say, "We also have a contemporary service in our parish for the young people." (David Virtue, Virtue Online) Bad money drives out good, so that concession means the traditionalists will soon give way to the Fuller crowd, as all the rest have.

The Antinomian part is the most enjoyable. Anyone can do anything, as long as Holy Mother Church is not offended. If a man runs off with another woman, he will be restored as a pastor because "Who are you to judge?" That also goes well with communing a wealthy man  living openly with his mistress, which Dale Redlin of the CLC (sic) argued for at a pastors' meeting. The other pastors were appalled, but there were many other things they were happy to overlook.

UOJ has nothing to say about the complete erosion of the family, the treatment of children (from conception on), and the culture of hedonism.

"When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith?"

That question suggest that the End Times will be dominated by a complete lack of faith in the Savior. Not surprisingly, that is the siren song of UOJ - forgiveness without faith.

Richard Jungkuntz, UOJ advocate: WELS, LCMS, Seminex, ALC: Chairman of the Board,  First Gay Lutheran Seminary in America.

---


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "UOJ and Antinomianism":

The false gospel of Universal Objective Justification was leaned on heavily by departing (W)ELS president Karl R. Gurgel in 2007. The man who knows where the $8Million dollars of Synod money went but has never confessed.

"Then, as if out of nowhere, comes another truth that is not self-evident. A perfect life and an innocent death—not ours but the Savior’s—liberates us from our sentence of death and makes us eternally happy.

This truth can only be perceived and received by faith in God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus. This is the saving truth we’re privileged to proclaim: God’s pardon for sinners, the eternal peace of sins forgiven.

Notice the already existing forgiveness of sins by God to be perceived.

His statements can be read here: http://www.wels.net/news-events/forward-in-christ/july-2007/self-evident-truths?page=0,0

A self evident truth is that in order for Synod Leadership - Synod President, the Council of Presidents, the District Presidents, the Circuit Pastors, the church Pastors, the church councils and elders all have continue to promote the false and utterly unsubstantiated, Anti-Scripture, Anti-Christ and Anti-Lutheran Confessions gospel of Universal Objective Justification or face the enormous mountain of shame and guilt that comes from the whole world realizing they've decieved their members concerning Scriptures Chief and Central doctrine - Justification by Faith alone.

For the sake of their own souls may God grant them Godly contrition and the Holy Spirit's faith to trust alone in Christ and to lead and direct Christ's Church to the one true Christian faith and away from the New Age Antichrist's religion of justification before God without faith in Christ which is essentially belief that they are their own god - creating their own way to righteousness and the forgiveness of sins.

Bishop Burnside, like the Episcopalian female bishop, drove drunk, killed a fine person, and fled the scene.

One insurance agency had a simple rule. When someone wanted to work there and had a DUI, they said, "No thanks." The general agent received a big bonus from the company for hiring, but the general agent figured a DUI signaled a habitual, out of control drunk.

Blood and urine tests are common, even for hiring $9 an hour employees. They reveal whiskey enzymes in the liver (heavy drinking) and various illegal drugs. "Sorry, kid, we can't use you."

Many ecclesiastical pests would no longer be around if the SPs said, "We can't risk you running down some kid's mother or father and that story being in the news. Besides that, you have problems and need help."

Cook was installed as bishop three sheets to the wind - and with a DUI record. She wiped out this family man, who was biking. Two young people in my Sturgis congregation were killed by drunk drivers, devastating their families.

I have worked with alcoholics - it a long, hard road to recovery. I do not think they are being manly men for using up the family income to pummel their livers and endanger lives. The financial and social cost for all that drinking is enormous.

Several readers have emailed to say that WELS is indeed a drunken culture with all the attributes.

1. One is being super rigid and hyper about any criticism.
2. Another is the low level of thinking and problem solving. One official was known for his drinking and inability to deal with any practical mission problem. He simply issued edicts.
3. Finally, what looks like incompetence is really drinking on the job, inability to get work done, and confused thinking under the influence.

Two bishops knew, but enabled the drunken bishop Cook, who Consecrated Under the Influence.

Bishop Katie seems worried that Cook will fall over.

Cow vetch, a legume, grows naturally in my yard. Budgies and other birds love the seed and spread it.

Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Borage is the cousin to comfrey and has a similar but smaller growth habit.

Borage is either pink or blue, an edible herb.

More pastors should garden, because then they would would understand all the parables related to the growth of plants and how these stories apply to their work.

I looked up one of my garden weeds and found it was cow vetch, loved by birds. They planted it for me, and some grew up the back fence, creating a beautiful waterfall effect of purple flowers.

The borage flowers above are also called bee bread, because they constantly flower, generate pollen and nectar, drop seed and grow again. All of the sudden, there is a new borage plant growing - the seed growing secretly. Borage is so robust that this happens all summer.

That reminds me of how the living seed of the Word sprouts and grows secretly. That is why I do not believe in trying to persuade people or  to appeal to them. The ministers who do not trust the Word think they have to make it appealing. Synods think they have to grow, without thinking about the only thing that is required of stewards, that they be found faithful.

The CLC (sic) is a sect that lives by, "Why didn't he join us 60 years ago, as he promised?" Meanwhile, Missouri and WELS think extending the Left Foot of Fellowship is their prime directive. Anyone who experiences a hint of that should extend the Right Foot of Exit, because shunning is Pietism at its core. "We are superior and anyone who disagrees must be shunned and expelled as an evil-doer."



We were mulching some of the new roses yesterday. We went through our cardboard and 15 bags of mulch. Our helper kept mentioning the lack of grass. I said, "We are on the cutting edge. Grass is last century, and we are re-inventing rose gardening!"

Before photographs were taken yesterday and should be posted fairly soon.

Bride's Dream rose has the largest bloom and plant. I got two from Gurney's for $5 each. It's fun to order blindly for bargains and find classics that normally sell for $20 each.

Roses only require being:

• Planted
• Pruned
• Watered
• Mulched, and
• Earthwormed.

Phillip B. Giessler, previously a Missouri Synod pastor, previously the Major Domo of the Beck Bible revision boondoggle, previously married twice, is Otten's expert on Creation.

Otten said on the phone, "Phil Giessler was here the other day with his wife."

I said, "His third wife?"

Otten sputtered, "Third?"

I reminded him - "You said he left his first wife for his mistress and his putative son, when his wife made him choose. After he excommunicated himself and left Missouri, he ran out of money. You told me his second wife left him and told him the boy was not his. That would mean the wife he brought in was either a reconciliation or a third wife."

Otten, in a voice of wonder, "You are right!"



The GOP set a new record by having three presidential candidates with three wives: Gingrich (always in the wings), Fred Thompson [correction below], and Mayor JulieAnny (the first transvestite candidate). That is bad enough, but when the clergy are sporting their new wives, why should anyone pay attention to them?

God instituted marriage by His command. One indication of people accepting this as natural law is the world-wide institution of marriage. I got one man to marry the mother of his three children by saying, "If you love the Word of God, you will marry the mother of your children. Otherwise you are telling your daughters that you despise the Word." That truly shocked him. The Word fell on him like a boulder and crushed his pretensions. He asked to be married and to take instructions in the faith.

When someone pretends to teach the Word and violates the Word at the same time, he is leading by example - bad example.

I teach hundreds of college students each year. Most of the women are divorced or never married. The new line is, "We are married five years, together eight." Or, "I am in a new relationship." If I tell them I have been married 39 years in November, they gasp as if I told them I swallowed gravel for breakfast each day.

We should not wonder that things are going downhill fast when Christian News takes no notice of the serial monogamy of its writers. The guard dog has become a lap dog.

***

GJ - Don W. thought Senator Fred Thompson had only one marriage. According to Wikipedia and other sources, his wives include:
1. Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey (when he ws 17). To his credit, he married the mother of his child and worked his way through school.
2. Jeri Kehn, whom he met in a grocery store line.

I thought he had three wives, so the average between Don's figure and mine is correct - two.

SpenerQuest often sputters about synodical nonsense. Last year, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis - "the best seminary in America" (Herman Otten) - hosted Tullian Tchividjian as their Reformation speaker. Tulian had no less than two adulterous affairs during his tenure at D. James Kennedy's Coral Gables church. He blamed them on his wife, just as Walther blamed Stephan's affairs on Mrs. Stephan. What a leader Walther was!

No surprise there about St. Louis. Years ago, the "best seminary in America" had its president adoringly interviewing Leonard Sweet and posting the video for all to see. Sweet is honored and praised by all the Church Shrinkers, who continue to reduce their synods to compost for recycling in the Age To Come.

Currently, "the best seminary in America" is promoting their next Reformation speaker, a professor from Yale Divinity who dedicated one of his books - "To my father, a Pentecostal minister who admired Muslims, and taught me as a boy that they worship the same God as we do."



But this is truly repugnant - LutherQuest (sic), Christian News, the LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC (sic), and ELCA will all celebrate the Reformations's 500th Anniversary while agreeing with the Universalists that everyone on earth is forgiven and saved.

Reader:

I had Luther's Galatians Commentary in the car, so I was reading it while waiting for Mrs. I's appointment to be done. I reached the point where the statement in the graphic above is made. How can anyone with an IQ above room temperature advocate Universal Objective Justification?

The 3rd chapter of Galatians begins with Paul no longer calling them brothers or saints, but Galatians:

Galatians 3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?



This could easily be addressed to the Lutheran leaders in America. One LCMS DP said something like this about a candidtate, "I cannot stop someone who rejects UOJ. It is not taught in our catechisms, only in the WELS Kuske catechism." As one LCMS pastor told me, "If UOJ is the the LCMS position, then I can name 500 Missouri pastors who teach justification."

The genius of the apostates is their ability to control the synodical structures and work with ELCA while pretending to be the real Lutherans, the orthodox, the noble warriors holding up the flickering flame of fidelity to the Confessions. So much drama, so little substance.

From time to time, the Stormtroopers say, "We are really talking about the same thing," but they reveal the opposite by silencing justification by faith at every opportunity. And they insist that their precious UOJ is the Chief Article of Christianity, the Master and Prince and Judge of all doctrine. These UOJ claims represent cult behavior.

I was trying to imagine how UOJ might be a misunderstanding of Biblical teaching, but I cannot. However, I give the errorists credit for pulling off a massive bait-and-switch operation.

The New Testament verb, "to justify" is a declaration. God declares people righteous, so the Stormtroopers simply move the emphasis from faith to all people. They instinctively know what they are doing by falsely accusing justification by faith of limited atonement. They have combined the atonement with justification, so "dying for all" becomes "all are forgiven."

This UOJ merger of doctrines introduces countless contradictions, because justification by faith is the Master and Prince, the Judge of all doctrine. Since the UOJ Stormtroopers have justification wrong, they are also wrong in promoting:

• Receptionism, the magical dogma where bread alone and wine along are also the Body and Blood of Christ by virtue of being touched by hands and lips.
• Church Growth - nothing about the Word is efficacious, so man must dream up tactics, methods, tricks, bait, and rewards to get people into church and tithing.
• Women's ordination. It's popular, so why not?
• Worship and religious projects with every denomination, because everyone is forgiven.
• Worship and religious projects with every world religion.
• Everything is adiaphora.

Hybrid tea roses are budding at the Jackson Rose Farm

Hybrid tea roses from last year are budding already. Last year our helper was shocked at how fast the newly planted roses were blooming. They do not take long from newly planted, ugly, thorny canes and drooping roots to productive bushes.

The KnockOut roses, owned by everyone now, are growing faster than taxes, and budding in the midst of red-green leaves. Fast growth is red and then turns green to start feeding the rose through photosynthesis, a long name for solar panels, which God established in every possible form.

Look at the windows. In the lower left of the two large windows are small black squares. Those are solar collectors that recharge the batteries each day for free light all night long. They only have one function while leaves also serve to evaporate air and lift water up through the plant and cool the air.

God created the rose to grow, bud, bloom, and produce seed. This spring, I even found a few seed pods (rose hips) left on the older bushes. The pods are packed with Vitamin C and eaten by birds all winter.

When the roots are established, they network with fungi - and donate carbon in exchange for elements and moisture they need from the fungi in the soil. One fungus can connect several plants at once while growing out to a lump of wood to dissolve it with powerful chemicals.

The roses are planted first. Next we lay down cardboard over the grass and clover, then add shredded cyprus. Daffodils have bloomed. Tulips and giant alium are next. More mulching is needed to finish the main rose garden and the maple tree garden. Every old rose bush was pruned by about 50% when the season started. The large bushes on the right are KnockOuts.

Our helper's children walked over to assist in mulching. This works out well, because their father tells them which jobs to do to speed his work. Their mother brings over cardboard from her job. We always have a jolly time and drink Mr. Sam's bottled water.

Roses flourish with little work. All they need are:

• Pruning
• Watering
• Mulching
• Red wiggler earthworming.

Pruning seems to be the mind-block for most new gardeners. They think of pruning as taking away. But John 15, about the True Vine, identifies the two parts of pruning. One part is prune away dead wood, because nothing grows in dead wood, and it slows down the plant. The second part is to prune what is fruitful because this kind of plant (grapevine, rose) is energized by pruning and slowed down by going to seed.

Both parts of pruning help the plant and give it a growth surge. If I have a newly planted rose that is thinking rather than growing, I prune about 1/4 inch from each cane to remind the rose why it was created - to bud and bloom.

John 15 is a perfect parable, because anyone with experience in bushes or grapevine knows that the comparisons made are exactly what Jesus is teaching spiritually. Nothing grows apart from the True Vine - Christ. The dead wood is pruned away because it no longer contributes to the Body of Christ. The fruitful branches are pruned to make them even more fruitful.

Like some other terms in the New Testament, pruning or cleansing is used in a positive and a negative way. Yeast can be good or bad; either way, yeast grows and permeates. Pruning is negative in removing dead wood, but positive in cleansing the believer. Justification by faith is that cleansing. By abiding in Christ, the True Vine, we are forgiven daily (cleansed, pruned) of our sins; therefore, we flourish.


I pruned the KnockOut roses by 50% to get them growing above and below ground. When it was full of roses and the the blooms are starting to fade, like the picture above, I cut them back by 50% again. They regain their growth quickly and produce around 50 blooms per bush.

The roses cut away went all over to friends, doctors, anyone. The rose demonstrates the German adage -

A cut joy is a doubled joy. Geteilte Freude ist doppelte Freude.

Fireworks rose is a long cane full of thorns and flowers.

Luther's Sermon for the THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.
   
THIRD SERMON.

JOHN 16:16-23.

This sermon appears in place of the two preceding in edition c. It was preached in 1542 and published in the same year in two pamphlet editions, under the title: “A sermon for Jubilate Sunday, preached before the Elector of Saxony and the Landgrave of Hesse, By Dr. Martin Luther, Wittenberg, 1542.” At the close are the words “Printed at Wittenberg by Nicholas Schirlenz, 1542.”

German text: Erlangen Edition 12:82; Walch Edition 2:1150; St. Louis Walch, 11:853.

CONTENTS:

CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION; THE COMFORT CHRIST MINISTERS TO HIS DISCIPLES WHILE IN SORROW, AND THE JOY OF THE WORLD.
I. CHRIST’ S SUFFERINGS AND RESURRECTION.

1. How and why it is right to speak often of Christ’s sufferings and resurrection 1.

2. How and why Christ revealed his sufferings and resurrection in dark and veiled words 2-3.

* The Holy Scriptures are very different from the utterances and writings of man 4-5.

3. The angels look into Christ’s sufferings in the right way, but man in this life can never fully understand them 5-6.

II. THE COMFORT CHRIST MINISTERS TO HIS DISCIPLES IN THEIR SORROW AMID THE JOY OF THE WORLD.

A. The Sorrow of the Disciples and the Joy of the World.

I. The Sorrow of the Disciples.

1. The nature of this sorrow 7-8f.

2. Who must experience this sorrow in a special way 9-10.

3. The cause of this sorrow 10-12.

4. The greatness of this sorrow 13.

II. The Joy of the World.

1. The nature of this Joy 14-16.

2. That this Joy is found among the papists 17-18.

3. That this joy is the fruit of the spirits of hell 18.

B. The Comfort Christ Gives. (A) This Comfort in Detail.

1. The first part of this comfort. a. The nature of this part 19-21. b. Its use and application 22.

2. The second part of this comfort. a. The nature of this part 23-24f. b. Its use and application 25-30. (B) This Comfort in General.

1. Row and why it is difficult to believe this comfort

2. How this faith must sustain believers

3. Admonition faithfully to grasp this comfort and in temptation firmly to hold to it 32-33.

* Summary of contents of this Gospel, and the conclusion of its explanation 33-34.

I. CHRIST’S PASSION AND RESURRECTION.

1. This Gospel contains, and likewise pictures before us, the high and excellent work God accomplished when Christ, his only Son, died and rose again from the dead for us. Much has been said on this theme and there is much more to say. As for myself, I find that the more I study it, the less I master it. But since it is God’s will that we think of him, praise his work and grace, and thank him for the same, it is proper that we speak and hear all we can about them.

2. The Lord addresses his disciples here in dark and veiled words, which they do not understand; chiefly, no doubt, because he wishes thus to admonish them and thoroughly impress these words, so seldom heard, upon them, that they may not forget. A deeper impression is made upon one by words that are seldom used than by the forms of speech in general use.

3. The result was that the disciples even repeated the words twice and asked one another what they must mean. Christ likewise repeated them, and no less than four times. Still they remained dark and unintelligible words to them until later he revealed their meaning, when he rose from the dead and bestowed upon the disciples the Holy Spirit. Then they clearly understood his words. So we now understand them, to the extent that we hear and read them; but that they should be understood to their depth, that will not be in this life. But as I said, the longer and the more one learns from them, the less one can, and the more one must, learn.

4. For the Word of God is d different government, and the Holy Scriptures a different book, from the discourses and writings of man. St. Gregory spoke truly when he uttered the fine proverb: The Scriptures are a river in which a large elephant must swim and across which a little lamb can wade on foot. For the Scriptures speak clearly and plainly enough to the common people, but to the wise and very learned they are unattainable. As St. Paul confesses concerning himself in Philippians 3:15.

5. And St. Peter says in 1 Peter 1:12 that such things were announced and written in the Scriptures that even tile angels have their satisfaction and enough to occupy them, in the great work that Christ, God’s Son, became man, suffered death on the cross, but rose again and sits now at the right hand of the Father, Lord over all, even according to his human nature, and governs and preserves his church against Satan’s wrath and all the power of the world. We have, it is true, the words treating of this, but the angels see and understand it and therein have their eternal joy. And as they in eternity cannot behold it enough, much less can we understand it, for it is a work that is eternal, inexpressible, unmeasurable and inexhaustible.

6. This is said de cognitione objectiva; that is, as one sees it at a glance, as the angels view it, and as we will see it in the life beyond. But in this life we must have a different understanding of it, a practical knowledge (cognitio practica), that we may learn to confess what the power of this work is and what it can do. This is done by faith, which must cease in the next life, where we also shall know it by a full vision of it.

II. THE COMFORT CHRIST MINISTERS TO HIS DISCIPLES IN THEIR SORROW, AND THE JOY OF THE WORLD.

A. THE SORROW OF THE DISCIPLES AND THE JOY OF THE WORLD.

7. We must learn here now what it is that the Lord says: “A little while, and ye behold me not; and again a little while and ye shall see me,” etc.

This passage is fraught with as much meaning as that other: “Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice,” etc. “But your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” A rare saying: A little while not see and be sorrowful, and yet a little while again see and be joyful.

8. According to the letter and history, it is indeed easy to understand what these words mean, especially in our day. In the confession of our faith even the children say: “I believe in Jesus Christ,” etc; “was crucified, dead and buried; the third (lay he rose again from the dead.” These are the two “little whiles,” of which Christ here speaks. But since there is deception where we also seek, and taste it, and we should try to bring it into life or experience, the words have a wonderful depth of meaning — that we should lose Christ, whom we believe to be God’s Son, who died and rose for us, etc; that he should die in us, as the apostles experienced until the third day. A terrible crucifixion and death begin when Christ dies in us and we also in him. As he here says: Ye shall not see me, for I am to depart from you. That is, I die, hence ye also will die, in that ye will not see me; and thus I will be dead to you and you will be dead to me. This is a special, deep and severe sorrow.

9. As there are many kinds of joy, so there are many kinds of sorrow. As, for example, when one is robbed of his money and property, or is reviled and disgraced when innocent, or loses father and mother, child and dear friends, etc; likewise, when Satan afflicts and martyrs one’s soul with sad thoughts, as Satan so easily can, though one knows not why or whence.

But the really great sorrow above all sorrow is for the heart to lose Christ, so that he is no longer in view and there is no hope of further comfort from him. There are few who are so sorely tried. Surely not all even of his disciples experienced this. Perhaps not St. Thomas, St. Andrew, St.

Bartholomew, and others, who were such good, common and plain people.

But the other tender hearts, St. Peter, St. John, St. Philip and others, to whom these words applied, as they all had heard that they would lose Christ and never see him again.

10. Christ here also addresses, more than others, persons who truly believe and experience that Christ died and afterwards rose again; and it is to them a little while, in a common, small and childish sense, and only a bodily sorrow. But the disciples had to keenly feel and experience what it is to lose Christ out of view, not only to have him taken away bodily, but also spiritually, leaving them in a twofold misery and sorrow. For they had had not only the joy of his bodily presence, in that he was so long with them, cared for them, ate and drank with them, and passed through loving, sweet customs and fellowship, but he had associated so affectionately with them and had borne their weaknesses, yea, companioned with them more intimately and lovingly than a father does with his children. He often gave them remarkable liberties and even animated them by innocent trivialities.

Therefore, they were pained to lose such a companionable Lord,11. But the chief cause of their sorrow lay in the fact that they had set their hearts on his becoming a mighty lord and king and founding a government by which he would make them, along with himself, lords. They thought he would never suffer them to die. Such was hitherto their hearts’ joy and confidence in this Savior.

12. Now, however, they lose both utterly and at one time, not only the friendly companionship of the Lord, but also this beautiful, glorious confidence, and they suddenly fall into the abyss of hell and eternal sorrow, Their Lord is most shamefully put to death, and they must now expect every moment, because of him, to be seized in like manner. They must now sing this song of mourning: Alas, how our confidence is now totally lost!

We hoped to become great lords through this man and possess every joy we desired. Now he lies in the grave and we are fallen into the hands of Caiaphas and Judas, and there are no more miserable and unhappy people on the earth than we.

13. Notice, this is the true sorrow and heart agony, of which Christ here is really speaking, into which God does not lead everyone, nor anyone so readily; for here he offers comfort against it, as he shows in this Gospel.

Other bodily suffering and need may be considered sorrow, as, when one suffers persecution, imprisonment and misery for Christ’s sake, and loses his property, honor and even his life. But the greatest of all sorrows is to lose Christ. Then all comfort is gone and all joy is at an end and neither heaven nor sun and moon, neither angel nor any other creature, can help you; nay not even God himself. For besides this Savior, Christ, there is none in heaven nor on earth. Now, when he has departed, all salvation and comfort are gone, and Satan has gained an opportunity to plague and terrify the troubled soul. This he desires to do in the name and person of God, as he can then play the part of a lord.

14. On the other hand, the highest of all joy is that which the heart has in Christ, our Savior. That is, indeed, also called joy, when one rejoices over the possession of great fortune, money and property, power, honor, etc.; but all this is but the joy of a child or of a maniac. There is also the infamous joy of Satan which even rejoices over the injury and misfortune of others, of which Christ here also says: The world will rejoice, and laugh in its sleeve over your crying and weeping when they put me to death and cause you every misfortune. There are also many like these in worldly affairs, who can never be happy unless they have brought misfortune to their neighbor or have seen him meet it. They are like the poisonous reptile, the Salamander, which (as the fable runs) is so cold that it can live in fire or can exist out of fire. So these people live and grow fat on the misfortunes of other people. The nice, envious person who is sad when another prospers, and would gladly have one eye less if thereby his neighbor had none, is the product of Satan.

15. But all this is still nothing compared with the joy the world, ruled by Satan, has in opposing Christ and his followers. It rejoices the most over the great misfortune of his followers in that Christ is crucified, all the apostles are banished, the church is completely destroyed, God’s Word is silenced and his name totally blotted out. This is spiritual joy just as truly as the severe sorrow is spiritual. However, it is not from the Holy Spirit, but from those who belong, body and soul, to Satan, and still are called the wisest, the most learned and the holiest persons upon the earth. They are like the high priests, Pharisees and scribes, who have no peace and know no joy so long as they hear the name of Christ mentioned and know that his Word is preached, or see one of his disciples still alive. As they say, in the Wisdom of Solomon 2:15: “He is grievous unto us even to hear or to behold,” and while Christ hangs on the cross, they blaspheme and revile in great joy thus: “If thou art the Son of God, and the King of Israel, come down from the cross; he trusteth on God, let him deliver him now,” etc. Matthew 27:40-43. See how their hearts leap with joy, what a paradise and kingdom of heaven they have in seeing the dear Lord reviled on the cross and put to death; and that they themselves did it, is to them nothing but sugar and sweet grapes.

16. Observe, Christ here gives such joy to the world, and on the other hand severe sorrow to his disciples in that they must see, hear and suffer this. It must penetrate through their hearts, through their bodies and lives. And he truly pictures the world here to be as terrible and horrible as a child of Satan that has no greater joy than to see Christ defeated and his followers shamefully condemned and lost.

17. We see almost this condition now in 6ur clever noblemen, the pope, the bishops and their rabble; how they maliciously rejoice and shout when they discover it goes a little ill with us, and how anxious they are that it under no circumstances remains concealed. It must be trumpeted forth until it reaches the abyss of hell. Dear God, what have we done to them? They still have their property and money, power and luxury, while we have hardly our daily bread. It is not enough that they are superior to us in everything they crave, while we are in other ways harassed and afflicted but they must besides be such bitter enemies to us that they do not wish us God’s grace but would have us burned in the lowest fires of perdition!

18. It is always a horrible sight, and the true fruit of the infernal spirit, that people cannot rejoice so highly over the good nor over worldly or human joy. Yea, no gold nor silver they love so intensely, no stringed instrument sounds so sweet to them, no drink tastes so good as to yield them the joy they feel when they see the fall and grief of pious Christians. They are so inflamed by hatred and a desire of revenge that they enjoy no really happy moment until they are able to sing: Praise be to God, the villains are at last out of the way! We have now rooted the Gospel out of the country. They have no rest and taste no joy before they have brought this about.

Heretofore they have sought and partly accomplished this by many prompt intrigues, tricks and ill offices, and God allowed some to have for a short time a little joy, which individuals [contrived and arranged. But they by no means cooled their anger in this way, as they had desired to do.

B. THE COMFORT CHRIST MINISTERS TO HIS DISCIPLES.

19. Hence, Christ wishes to say here: You have now heard both what kind of joy the world will have, and what kind of sorrow will be yours.

Therefore, learn it and cleave to it when you meet and experience it, so that you may have patience and lay hold of true comfort in the midst of such suffering. I must try you thus and let you taste what it means to lose me and for me to die in your hearts, in order that you may learn to understand this mystery and secret; for you will otherwise not study me. It will be too great for you to serve your time of apprenticeship in this exalted work, that God’s Son returns to the Father, that is, that he dies and rises again for you, to bring you to heaven. And if I do not allow you to be tried for a time, you will remain too imprudent and finally be incapable of doing right.

20. Therefore, he says, you must adapt and resign yourself to this, so as to experience what this “little while” means, and yet not despair and be wrecked therein. And therefore I tell you before, that it must be so. You have to pass through such sorrow inwardly and outwardly, that is, both in body and soul; but when it takes place and the hour comes that you have nothing to comfort you, and you have lost both me and God, then hold fast still to my Word that I now speak to you. It is only a matter of a little while. Now, if you can learn this saying, and retain these small words, “a little while,” and “again a little while,” there will be no trouble.

21. True, the first “little while” that you now see me and still have me with you, until I depart from you — that you can suffer and pass through. But the other “little while,” until you shall see me again — that will be an especially long and hard time for you. For it is the hour of true sorrow, when I will be to you dead, with all the joy, comfort and assurance you had from me, and you yourselves will be totally lost. However, my dear little children, only think of these words and forget not entirely what I now say to you. It shall not be so forever. A little while I shall be lost and not be seen. This you must now learn by experience. But only retain this much, that I called it “a little while,” and in my eyes it is only a little, short hour, although in your hearts and feelings it is not a little but a long while; yea, an eternally long while and a long eternal while. According to your feelings you will not be able to think differently, for when I am taken from you, you have lost all, since I am the eternal good and the eternal consolation. When that is gone, there is no longer a little while, nothing but the eternal; namely, eternal sorrow and death.

22. Notice, Christ preaches here for the comfort of his disciples and of all Christians when tempted thus by God, whether it takes place inwardly or outwardly, bodily or spiritually, especially in the highest form, which is called losing Christ out of the heart; that they may learn this passage, and retain this drop of the lavender water, by which to refresh and strengthen their hearts. Christ, my Lord, has surely said it shall be only a little while.

Although I now lose him and know of no joy whatever, but lie prostrate and languish in pure sorrow, yet I will use that drop and cling to the cordial that he shall not continue to be lost to me. He says that it shall be only a little, short season, although it appears to me indeed to be great, long, and eternal. He will come again, as he here and in John 14:18 says: “I will not leave you orphans: I come unto you,” etc. And thus we shall possess in him eternal comfort and joy instead of this little season of sorrow.

23. On the other hand, Christ says further that you must endure it that the world rejoices over your suffering and sorrow, for which it has no reason except that of pure satanic jealousy, by which it is so completely blinded, embittered and exasperated that no joy relieves it until its jealousy sees you stumble and become ruined. This is its heart’s delight and pleasure and it esteems it a heavenly, eternal joy. Then it says: Let us now see whether God will save him; is he the Son of God, then let him come down from the cross, etc. Mark 15:31-32. As if they should say: He is now out of the way, and we are done with him forever.

24. But notice what further follows. Just as you, he says, shall not be robbed of a view of me forever, nor remain in your sorrow, so they shall not rejoice over your misfortune forever; but it shall be for them also only a short season, and be, as they say, a dance at high mass. For I will soon come to you again and make it worse and more bitter for them than it has ever been before. This was fulfilled in them after Christ’s resurrection, so that the Jews have no severer suffering than that they must hear and see Christ, our Lord. Although it pleases them a little that they slander Christ and his mother Mary and us Christians in the most ignominious manner, yet true joy they can never possess as they desire. And they continually hope that their Messiah will come and uproot all Christians.

25. Thus, also, our Caiaphas and Judas, the pope, with all his factions, who continually console themselves with the hope that we shall yet be uprooted cannot be happy while we live and the Gospel spreads. Nothing that causes man to rejoice has any effect upon them. Some are so angry that they cannot cease their raging and roaring until we all are dead. When that takes place they will be once happy, but the joy for which they long shall never be theirs. For, although we are dead, the Gospel will still remain and others will take our places, and that will be to them a new heart agony.

26. The Turk likewise imagines he will exterminate Christ and enthrone his Mohammed in all the world, and he rejoices whenever there is any hope of doing so; but this joy he craves he shall never experience. Our Lord, whom the Turk himself highly exalts and must esteem as a great prophet, shall restrain him; yea, finally season his joy and make it bitter enough through the exalted work of his death and resurrection, by which he tramples under foot sin, death and Satan. The victory which God accomplished through Christ was long before announced in the Scriptures, whereupon the beloved prophets and fathers died in this joy, as Christ says of Abraham in John 8:56.

27. Since Abraham received such joy before it had yet transpired, but was only in word and promise, how much more can and will he receive it in the future after it has transpired and is proclaimed in the earth and even in heaven by the angels! Neither pope nor Turk can smother and extinguish it.

They may indeed try to smother it, and fancy they have a bite of sugar when they do Christendom a little harm; but they shall never obtain the joy they hope for and for which they thirst.

28. They may rejoice for a season, Christ says, but not longer than while you are in sorrow. That joy is particularly short, as your sorrow is short and lasts only a little while, and shall soon be turned into joy that no one will take from you. Without doubt that joy will, on the other hand, be also turned into sorrow that will never end.

29. Here upon the earth, however, you will not be able to have enough joy, nor will it be of the true, perfect quality that will quench your thirst. Only a foretaste, an appetizing morsel or a refreshing sip. It is too great ever to be exhausted as also the work that develops this joy is far too great to be fathomed by our learning. God mingles and tempers things thus upon the earth so that those who should by right rejoice must experience great suffering and sorrow; and, on the other hand, those who should be sorrowful here are happy and have a good time, but still in a way that this outward joy works their ruin. For they cannot acquire the true inner joy they long for, therefore their outer joy will also be their destruction. Their wealth, power, honor, pleasure and high living by no means make them happy, and they cannot lay their heads down to rest until they see that Christ is dead and his disciples are banished from the earth. These are always poor, miserable people whom one may truly pity. They fare the worst in that they cannot have their temporal joy pure, as they desire, because of their jealousy and hatred; and we even are altogether too ready to take vengeance by doing them harm. What more misfortune can they have and what greater injury can they do themselves than that they themselves should spoil and annihilate their own joy?

30. We also have true sorrow, both outwardly and inwardly, when Christ conceals himself from us; not like them, moved by jealousy and hatred, but because we do not possess Christ, the chief good. For this, however, there is already mingled with the sorrow the sugar that Christ speaks. Beloved, only persevere a little. It shall not be eternal, but short-lived sorrow, and soon it will be better. It is only a matter of a little while.

31. These words I hear, but when sorrow comes, it is stamped so deeply in the heart that I do not feel this comfort, and I fancy that it is impossible for the sorrow to have an end. However, this comfort keeps me, so that I do not fall from Christ to the other party. Though I experience grief and need, still they keep me, so that the sorrow must not be thoroughly bitter. As in the case of the others, their joy is sweetened and sugared through and through, yet it is always spoiled by wormwood and gall, so in our case sorrow has within itself its sugar and honey.

32. Therefore, let us continue to hear Christ and learn to understand his language, that we judge not according to our feelings, as if comfort were lost forever and sorrow had no end. That you feel and think thus, he says, I know very well; but still listen to what I say to you and learn only this word modicum, a little while. Sorrow must also be felt, but it shall not harm you, besides it shall not last long. Even by this the sorrow is already sugar-coated and tempered. Later, when the “little while” has passed and triumphed, then one feels what Christ says: “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” Then the true joy of the heart commences and the soul sings an eternal Hallelujah, and Christ is Risen — a joy which will in the life beyond be perfect, without a defect and without an end.

33. Notice that the articles of our faith, both on the death and the resurrection of Christ, are thus set before us in this Gospel, and how the same must be put to practice by us. learned, and exercised in our deeds and our experiences, and not only heard with the ears and spoken with the mouth. Also, that we thus feel it, and such power works in us that both body and soul thereby become changed; that is, Christ dies in us and we also die in him. That is a great change, from life to death. However, then I must cleave firmly by faith to the words Christ says, “A little while,” and not only hear, but also take to heart the truth that trial will not last forever, but there will be a change from death to life when Christ again rises and lives in me and I become alive in him. Then the words shall come true, “I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you,” etc. For this meeting every Christian should be prepared whenever he is called for it; for he must experience something of it either in life or at the hour of death; so that he will then be reminded of this saying of Christ and let nothing tear this comfort out of his heart. Amen.

34. Whatever is to be said further on this Gospel in a textual exposition of it you can read in the explanation of the three chapters of John, the discourses Christ spoke at the Last Supper to his disciples, where this and the Gospel for the following Sunday are treated at length.

A Little While - Jesus' Sermon of Comfort

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Like the Word of God, the effect of rain is inevitable. The weather prediction is four days of rain, and it started today.

More mulch was going to be applied, but that was delayed. I had three mature tomato plants, two good for one pound tomatoes, the third one cherry tomatoes. Blooms are on the big tomato plants, and the cherry tomatoes are hanging in a green cluster on the third plant.

I dug the tomatoes into the front of the sunny garden. If all goes well, they will get some companions and mulch. Digging was fun because the soil has been softened with a thick layer of earlier mulch - newspapers, wood mulch, and straw. The soil was packed with red wigglers and only a few thick maple roots blocked my shovel. The solution for maple roots is to expose them with the shovel and use large tree pruning shears to cut them.

We have experienced days of drying wind, a good reason to mulch, which holds onto water, prevents wind erosion, and hinders water evaporation. My rain barrels were evaporated to a low level by the winds alone, so I emptied them to keep them skeeter free and ready for fresh supplies of rain. Four barrels should be already full by tomorrow.

I told one reader that I expected to sow some seed between rains, and she responded as if I would be caught like the Reformer in a violent storm. Instead, when the cold wind kicked up (usually the sign of an approaching storm front), I found a packet of borage and scattered that in various places. The borage (also called bee bread) will grow and seed itself all summer, feeding bees and other beneficial insects.

I have also decided to let banks of clover grow without mowing, so they can flower and seed themselves all summer. I have learned that beneficial insects often have juvenile stages where they feast on pests and adult stages where they depend on nectar and pollen. The clover is already blooming.



That is also the place to discover a four-leaf clover. They are easy to find in a stand of tall clovers.









No need explaining
The one remaining is somebody I adore
I'm looking over a four leaf clover
I overlooked before.



--

The falling rain is certainly a blessing for everything growing. Dissolved nitrogen in the rain, and dusty minerals from the newly cleansed air renew the face of the earth. Trees, bushes, and plants are washed off in soft water, adding more to the soil. Soil creatures come alive and pull down the debris caused by the rain. Fungi ask for carbon from plant roots and grow out toward objects of decomposition, supplying nutrition to the roots.

The nitrogen compounds immediately green up the grass and plants. Nitrogen is building block for protein in plants and animals. The red wiggler earthworm is all muscle, in essence, all nitrogen. He concentrates useful nitrogen in his ceaseless tunneling and excretes nitrogen compounds two ways - through its castings and also through its tiny kidneys.

One earthworm is nothing, as the chemical gardeners like to point out, but the mass of earthworms in good soil provides massive earth movement and creation of new soil (castings) every day.  No matter what I put around the crepe myrtle bush, the pile of organic mulch is drawn into the soil, feeding the creatures that ultimately feed the plant.

The earthworm gathers organic matter in its effective tunneling esophagus, transporting bacteria and letting them digest the organics to feed the his rippling muscles and gripping movement bristles. No, he is not lazy. He has a crop where he grinds up this mix with little pieces of stone. Bacteria like their food pre-chewed, and they finish the job as much as they can. Each creature benefits the other.

Crossroads Christian Church - WELS - Chicago Area

Who took the photos - Bishop Katie? Perry was modestly dressed, compared to later appearances. "I'm not Buddhist, I'm not Hindu, I'm not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God."

Is it just me or are some of the Grammy performances so far seem to be really demonic?? Looks like there is a lot of evil in the world.

Ask Ski about MariQueen's resume.

We were aware of how Satanism was pushed into children's entertainment almost 40 years ago. A cartoon figure would turn her face and there would be the upside-down star on her cheek -  while she smirked.

The WELS' response to the Book of Concord is antagonism and ignorance. One WELS pastor responded to the idea of studying the Book of Concord this way - "It's boring and irrelevant."

An anti-Confessional church body is always going to succumb to the fads of the day and quickly move on to the next ones. The entertainment industry, where WELS is but a small node, is steeped in Satanism, pan-sexuality, and bestiality.

"We can be friends if you but bow down and worship me."

Luther's Second Sermon for CANTATE - FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER


KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you..

This, like the preceding sermon, is not found in edition c. It appears in the collections of 14 and 27 sermons, and is one of the “Five beautiful Christian sermons preached by Dr. Martin Luther at Wittenberg, 1523.”

German text: Erlangen Edition, 12:109; Walch Edition, 11:1182; St. Louis Walch, 11:877.

CONTENTS:

OF SIN, OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND OF THE CROSS.
* Christ’s kingdom is pictured in this Gospel 1.

I. OF SIN.

1. How and why unbelief is the great sin 2-4.

* The authority and power of faith

2. Whether the priests, monks and nuns flee from sin when they enter the cloisters 5.

II. OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

1. How and why the whole world misunderstands this righteousness, and opposes it 6-8.

2. The nature of this righteousness 9ff.

3. In what way we become partakers of this righteousness 10-11.

* The nature and art of faith 12.

III. OF THE CROSS.

1. The foundation and reason of the cross 13-14.

2. How the Cross is to be distinguished from the sufferings of the godless 15.

* A short review of what is set forth in this discourse 16.

I. THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS THE WORLD OF SIN.

1. Christ pictures to us in this Gospel what his kingdom is and what takes place in it, how it is governed and what it accomplishes. Here you learn that there is a kingdom upon the earth and that it is invisible, and that it cleaves to and rests upon the Word of God alone. Christ does not say that he wishes his disciples to follow him up into heaven at once; but that he will send them the Holy Spirit and that he departs from them for the very purpose of sending them the Holy Spirit, in order that thereby his kingdom may be further developed. Therefore, he says: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” They could not understand that kingdom, how it should exist and be administered. Their reason and senses were still too carnal, they had never seen a spiritual kingdom, nor heard of one; therefore they continually thought of a temporal, outward kingdom. And here as in other Gospels, faith and trust in Christ are preached. We wish now to consider the leading thoughts in this Gospel and to explain them as far as God gives us his grace to do so. The Lord addresses his disciples thus: “When the Comforter is come, he will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they believe not on me.”

2. Here we must let that be “sin” which is ascribed to, and included in, sin by the high majesty of heaven. In the text only unbelief is mentioned as sin, “because,” says the Lord, “they believe not on me.”

3. But what is it to believe on Christ? It is not simply to believe that he is God, or that he reigns in heaven in equal power with God the Father; many others believe that:But I believe on Christ when I believe that he is a gracious God to me and has taken my sins upon himself and reconciled me with God the Father, that my sins are his and his righteousness mine, that there is an intermingling and an exchange, that Christ is a mediator between me and the Father. For the sins of the whole world were laid upon Christ, and the righteousness of the Father, that is in Christ, will swallow up all our sins.

No sins dare and can remain upon Christ. Such faith makes me pure and acceptable to the Father. Of this faith the pope and our highly educated leaders know nothing to speak, much less to believe. They teach that man should do many good works if he is to be acceptable to God and be free from sin, and that then God imparts to him his grace.

4. However, here the Lord speaks quite differently, and says: “The Holy Spirit will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not on me.”Unbelief only is mentioned here as sin, and faith is praised as suppressing and extinguishing the other sins, even the sins in the saints.

Faith is so strong and overpowering that no sin dare put it under any obligation. Although sins are present in pious and believing persons, they are not imputed to them, nor shall their sins condemn them. This is Paul’s meaning when he says in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Their hearts are cleansed by faith, as Peter writes in Acts 15:9. Therefore, whatever they do in this faith, in this assurance is all good, pure and pleasing to God. On the contrary, without this faith all their doings are sin and destruction, though their good works may shine and glitter as beautifully as they will, and ever though they raise the dead. For Paul says: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” Romans 14:23.

5. What will now become of all the priests, nuns and monks who, wishing to escape sin, run into cloisters and undertake to do many good works without this faith? Unbelief is called sin, as I said, but to believe on Christ — that he takes my sins upon himself, reconciles me to the Father and at the same time makes me his heir of all that is in heaven and earth — this is good works. In John 6:28-29, the Jews asked Christ: “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Yea, and should we preach thus, who will then enter the cloisters or contribute anything for them? The purses of the monks would then surely become flat, their kitchens scanty, their cellars empty and neglected. For this reason they will not allow faith to be preached; nay, they condemn this doctrine and banish its preachers. Indeed they have already set about it in good earnest. Christ further says: “Of righteousness, because I go to the Father.”

II. THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS THE WORLD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

6. Here all the learned come armed, yea, the whole world besides, and tell us what kind of righteousness this is. Yes, and they shall err. For the world has never known this righteousness; it does not yet know it, and it does not wish to know it. Hence, the Lord says here that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of this righteousness.

7. But what are we to understand here by “the world?” We dare not understand by it the coarse, outward sins, as adultery, murder, stealing and theft. There are instituted for such characters the wheels and gallows, with which the worldly powers, the kings, emperors and princes, have to do.

But we will interpret “the world” as the subtle and secret sins, of which the Holy Spirit convicts, which the world does not know as sin. Yea, it pronounces them divine works; it applauds them and will not permit them to be called sins. How else can unbelief and other secret sins live in the heart while the heart itself is not conscious of them and knows not that they are sins? But those who convict the world must, on that account, be reviled as heretics and be banished from the country, as we see at present.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit must convict the world.

8. The rod, however, by which the world is convicted and punished, is the divine Word and the holy Gospel, proclaimed by the apostles and preachers, as God the Father says to his Son in Psalm 2:9: “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” That is, you shall humble them with the holy Gospel. But the world resents such conviction and punishment; yet it punishes severely, and even more severely than the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit takes rods, but the world uses swords and fire. Isaiah also speaks in like terms of Christ our Lord in Isaiah 11:4: “He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”

9. What is now the righteousness the Lord means here? Some say righteousness is a virtue that gives to every person his own. Although this is a fine definition, yet it is misleading, in that we do not know how we are indebted to every one, to God and to man. This God desires and demands of us. Therefore, his righteousness is nothing more than the faith and grace of God, by which God makes us pious and righteous. Such righteousness we must have and thus be righteous, if we are to be found righteous and unblamable before God, and not only before man. For the smallest letter or tittle of the Law shall not fail, but all will be fulfilled.

10. Noah was found to be such a righteous man. It is written of him in Genesis 6:8-9: “Noah was a righteous man, and blameless in his generation; he walked with God. Therefore he found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.” It is also written of Job, in Job 1:1, that he was a perfect and upright man, one that feared God and turned away from evil. But that is done only by faith, when one believes that God has strangled and swallowed up one’s sins in his righteousness. For this righteousness is nothing but to believe that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; that he is equal with God, possessing equal power; that he has become Lord by virtue of his passion, by which he has ascended to the Father, reconciled us with God and is there as our mediator. This is what the prophet means in <19B001>Psalm 110:1. “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Therefore, St. Paul calls Christ now a mediator, 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; then a throne of grace, Romans 3:25; a propitiation,1 John 2:2, and other like names. God requires this honor from us and faith demands it that we possess him as our Lord and Savior; and this glory he will not concede to any one else, as he says through the prophet: “My glory will I not give to another,” Isaiah 42:8.

11. His way to the Father is his glory. For “to go” means to die, and to pass through death to the Father and enter upon another existence. He glories in his future course when he says: “I go unto the Father.”

Therefore, here righteousness is nothing more than traveling by faith the road through death unto the Father. This faith makes us righteous before God, this faith by which we believe that he delivered us from sin, death, Satan and hell, through his passion, and that thereby God, the Father, is reconciled and our sins are blotted out by his blood. This is also the reason that he mentions his going, when he says, in respect of righteousness, not that he is with the Father, but that he goes to the Father. In this going, sin is swallowed up in righteousness and Christ passes cheerfully through death, so that no one is even aware of it. Therefore it follows: “And ye behold me no more.”

12. The nature and art of faith are here set forth: Faith neither feels nor gropes, nor do the things connected with it require a science; but it bestirs itself cheerfully to believe the things it neither feels nor ‘can measure with all its powers inwardly or outwardly. Paul says in Romans 8:24: “Who hopeth for that which he seeth?” Therefore, the Lord aptly says: “And ye behold me no more.” As if he would say that this way of good works which he is traveling, will not be seen nor grasped by the senses, but it must be believed. Now follows the third and last part of our Gospel.

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS THE WORLD OF JUDGMENT, OR THE CROSS.

“Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

13. The prince of this world is Satan, and his members include all unbelieving and godless persons, all flesh with all its powers is condemned by these words, and what the world praises is condemned by God, including both the godly and the ungodly, believers and unbelievers, friends and enemies, as St. Peter cites in his first Epistle ( 1 Peter 4:17), when he says: “For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God,” that is, with the elect, in whom God dwells. The righteous, while they live here, have flesh and blood, in which sin is rooted. To suppress this sin God will lead them into great misery and anxiety, poverty, persecution and all kinds of danger (as Paul writes to the Romans 7:18ff; 8:4; and to the Corinthians) until the flesh becomes completely subject to the Spirit.

14. That, however, does not take place until death, when the flesh is completely turned to ashes. We must be in all points like Christ. Since he was here despised, mocked and tried, so that, as the prophet Isaiah ( Isaiah 53:3) says, he was esteemed and held as one stricken and smitten of God, the most despised and unworthy, full of grief and sorrow.

His disciples must also go through the same experiences. Everyone should carefully consider this. It is so decreed, as Christ himself before declared to his disciples, saying: “Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me they will also persecute you.” John 15:20. Hence Paul says in very plain words in 2 Timothy 3:12: “All that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

15. Therefore, St. Peter carefully discriminates and says: “If judgment begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:17-18. This discrimination is between the sufferings of the godly and of the wicked. Godly and believing persons know their sins; they bear all their punishment patiently, and are resigned to God’s judgment without the least murmur; therefore, they are punished only bodily, and here in time, and their pain and suffering have an end.

Unbelievers, however, since they are not conscious of their sins and transgressions, can not bear God’s punishment patiently, but they resent it and wish their life and works to go unpunished, yea, uncensored. Hence, their punishment and suffering are in body and soul, here in time, and last forever beyond this life. The Lord says here, “The prince of this world is already judged.” As if he were to say, All that the world and humanity in the world discover, praise and condemn, amounts to nothing; and whatever God judges the world cannot suffer nor bear, but rejects, repudiates and condemns.

16. Thus, three thoughts have been presented to us in this Gospel: Sin, righteousness and, finally, the cross and persecution. We shall be freed from sin through faith. If we believe that Christ made satisfaction for our sins and that his satisfaction is ours, that is then the righteousness. When we are free from sin, and are just and pious, then the world, Satan and the flesh will arise and contend and battle against us. Then come persecution and the cross. This we wish to have set forth in brief at present from this Gospel. May God grant his grace that we learn it thus, and know how to govern ourselves by it when we need it.

Jesus washes the disciples' feet,  by Norma Boeckler.

CANTATE - FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER


The following two sermons are not found in edition c. They first appeared in three pamphlet editions in 1523 under the title: “A sermon for the fourth Sunday after Easter, John 16, Martin Luther, Wittenberg, 1523.” It appeared in the collection of 13 sermons.

German text: Erlangen Edition 12:95; Walch Edition 2:1165; St. Louis Walch 11:865.

Text: John 16:5-15. But now I go unto him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have spoken these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, shall come, he shall guide you into all the truth; for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak; and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine; therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you.



CONTENTS:

A TREATISE ON THE THREE THEMES WHICH CHRIST TEACHES CONCERNING THE REPROVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
* An opinion, derived from this Gospel 1.

I. THE FOUNDATION OF THESE THREE THEMES.

1. Of the first theme 2-3.

2. Of the second theme 4.

3. Of the third theme 5.

* That no man is by nature truly pious 6.

II. THE NATURE OF THESE THEMES.

A. The First Theme.

1. The sense and understanding of this theme 7-10.

2. How this theme stands for the honor and praise of the grace of God in Christ Jesus 11-12.

3. The necessity of this theme 13.

4. How all the essence of the papacy is overthrown by this theme 14.

B. The Second Theme.

1. Its sense and import 15-16.

2. In what way accomplished 17-18.

C. The Third Theme.

1. Its sense and import 19ff.

2. The connection of this theme with the two preceding ones 20.

3. The necessity of this theme 21.

* Reason may accomplish something in worldly matters but not in spiritual and divine things 22.

4. How in this theme reason, with all its wisdom and power is overthrown 22-24.

5. How the world is disposed toward this theme 25.

* We should condemn everything that is without the Holy Spirit 26.

III. THE EXTRA PASSAGE CHRIST ADDS TO THESE THREE THEMES.

A. The First Part of This Passage.

1. Its nature

2. How to rescue it from its misuse 28-29.

B. The Second Part of This Passage 30-32.

C. The Third Part of This Passage 33.

* The conclusion of this exposition 34.

SUMMARY OF THIS GOSPEL:

1. Christ’s Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom and not an outward affair; consequently it excludes all confidence that one may have in the flesh, in order that it may reign through the Spirit in the hearts of believers.

2. The flesh always tries hard to come to honor without the cross and without any adversity.

3. The Holy Spirit will convict the world, that is, kills, condemns and overthrows all our doings, our sins, our righteousness, judgment and everything else that is, or appears to be, good in us.

4. Therefore without the Holy Spirit our doings can never displease us, and we remain thus in condemnation, and it matters not how holy and prudent we may be or appear to be in the eyes of the people.

5. The Holy Spirit teaches us everything we should know, and truly nothing except what Christ taught and preached. Christ has given us teachings, but without the Spirit the Word and its doctrine neither can nor do they wish to be understood. Therefore he said better to his disciples before in John 14:26: “The Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you.”

6. But the Holy Spirit, says Christ, “Will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not in me.” Therefore it follows that unbelief is the right and true sin; other sins flow out of unbelief and are even the fruit from this root.

7. In the second place: “Of righteousness, because I go to the Father,” to another Kingdom, not to begin an outward one; “and ye behold me no more; for my kingdom is not of this world,” in order that the whole world may be put to shame by the Spirit; because it makes its righteousness to consist in outward things.

8. In the third place: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged”; which the world does not judge or condemn, but flatters and welcomes the devil, who is now already judged; that is, whose kingdom is already condemned, in that, error has come to the light of day through the Gospel, and becomes manifest.

1. The meaning of this Gospel lesson we have also often heard elsewhere; the only trouble is, the words have not generally been understood to have the meaning of things with which we are familiar. Therefore we will explain it a little, in order that one may see that the same teaching is contained in these words, that is found in all the other Gospel lessons. It is a fine Gospel, but it also requires fine students. We will omit the first part and consider what the Lord says, that the Holy Spirit is to convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, and will see what the meaning of all this is.

2. In the first place, we see here that the world is accused of blindness and ignorance. All those who are without the Holy Spirit, however wise they may be in matters pertaining to the things of this world, are, before God, fools and blind. They do not like to hear this; and when they are told that their doings are of no account before God, it displeases them and makes them angry, because they insist that they are in possession of reason and the natural light, which God created in them. But what does this matter to us? There are the Scriptures and the Word of God plain and clear, that the Holy Spirit is to come to ‘convict the world, because it does not know what sin, righteousness and judgment are. Thus it is determined, there it stands; let be angry who will, Christ does not care.



3. It is much to be deplored that the world is convicted, not only because of its sin and want of righteousness, not being able to judge rightly, but that it does not acknowledge nor see this, to say nothing of its endeavor to alter the matter. Oh, how completely the praise of all comes to naught, who, while they endeavor to make other people pious, know not themselves what sin is! Let us take, for example, at the present day, all the schools of learning and the learned men and see whether they can tell us what that one little word “sin” is? For who has ever heard that not to believe in Christ is sin? They say, it is sin if one speaks, desires or does something against God’s will and commandment. But how does that correspond with this saying of Christ: It is sin because they do not believe on me? Therefore, they are easily convicted of the fact that they know not what sin is; and if they be ever so learned, they will not be able to explain this text.

4. In like manner, they are not able to know what “righteousness” is. For who has ever heard that a man should become pious and just because Christ ascended to heaven or goes to the Father and we see him no ,more?

There we must say, a fool has thus spoken and not a wise man. For they say, righteousness is a virtue, which teaches man what he owes others.

This is true, but the trouble is, they do not understand their own words, such blind fools they are. Therefore, one needs not be surprised that they rage so much against the Gospel and persecute the Christians. How could they do otherwise? They know no better.



5. Neither do they know what “judgment” or right is, that is, a right judgment, a correct good opinion and sense, or whatever you may call it.

For they say: Right is that which is written in books, how one is to know and distinguish things, to quiet and end quarrels. But how does Christ define it? He says: “It is right, that the world is to be judged.” Who understands such speech, and where will it go in or out, and how does it correspond with reason? Let ut see whether we can explain it so that it may be understood.

6. In the first place one must know that the Word of God does not speak only of the outward existence and appearances, but it takes hold of the heart and the depths of the soul. Accordingly it does not judge man as to his outward appearance and action, but according to the depths of his conscience. Now, everyone will experience in himself, if he wishes to acknowledge it, however pious he may be (even though he were a Carthusian or as holy as any one on earth), that in his heart he would rather do the contrary, and otherwise than what he is outwardly compelled to do.

Thus, if I were left to myself, a monk, who walks about in poverty and chastity, as they pride themselves, but were made to confess how I feel in my heart, I must say: That which I do, I would rather not do. If there were no hell and I would not feel the disgrace, I would leave my office have the misfortune, and run off. For I have no desire from the heart to do it, but am compelled thereto, and must do it in spite of hell, punishment or disgrace.

It is not possible that I should do it from choice and gladly. Such everyone who is without grace finds in his own heart. The same you will find continually in other matters. I am never from my heart kind and friendly to my enemy, for this is impossible to nature; and though I act otherwise, in my heart I think thus: If it were not for the punishment, I would have my way and not remain without revenge. Thus, I still go about before the world, and do not as I would like and feel inclined to do, for fear of punishment or disgrace. Likewise if you go through all the commandments, from the first to the last, you will find that there is no one who keeps God’s commandments from the bottom of his heart.

7. Now, against this evil God found a remedy and determined to send Christ, his Son, into this world, that he should shed his blood and die, in order to make satisfaction for sin and take it away, and that the Holy Spirit then should enter the hearts of such people, who go about with the works of the Law, being unwilling and forced to it, and make them willing, in order that without force and with joyous heart they keep God’s commandments. Otherwise there might be no means of removing the misery; for neither human reason and power, nor even an angel could rescue us from it. Thus, God has done away with the sins of all men who believe on the Christ, so that henceforth it is impossible for one to remain in sin who has this Savior, who has taken all sins upon himself and blotted them out.

8. Inasmuch as Christ has now come and commanded to preach that everything we may do, however great and beautiful it may appear, is sin, because we do nothing that is good with pleasure and willingly, and that for this reason he has stepped forward and has taken away all sin, in order that we may receive the Holy Spirit, through whom we obtain love and pleasure to do what God wants us to do, in order that we do not attempt to come before God through our own works, but through Christ and his merits, therefore it cannot be called any longer sin committed against the Law, for the Law did nothing to assist us in becoming pious, since we are not able to do anything good.

9. What sort of sin then remains upon earth? No other than that one does not receive this Savior and refuses to accept him who has taken away sin.

For if he were present, there would be no sin, since he, as I have said, brings the Holy Spirit with him, who kindles the heart and makes it willing to do good. Therefore, the world is no longer punished and condemned on account of other sins, because Christ blots them all out; only this remains sin in the New Testament, that one will not acknowledge nor receive him.

Therefore he likewise says in this Gospel: “When the Holy Spirit is come, he will convict the world in respect of sin, because they believe not on me.”

10. As if he wished to say: Had they believed on me, everything would already have been forgiven them, whatever sin they might have committed, for I know that they by nature cannot do otherwise. But because they will not receive me, neither believe that I can help them, this it is that will condemn them. Therefore, God will at the final judgment pass a sentence like this on them: Behold, thou wast in sin and couldst not free thyself from it, still I did not on this account wish to condemn thee, for I sent my only begotten Son to thee and intended to give thee a Savior, in order that he might take the sin from thee. Him thou didst not receive. Therefore, on this account alone, thou wilt be condemned, because thou hast not Christ.

11. This sentence, then, is given for the honor and glory of the high grace, which God has given us in Christ the Lord. What reason would have ever been so wise as to discover that this was done for man’s sake? Reason is not able to rise higher in its thoughts than to say: I have sinned in deeds done. I must make good by doing other deeds. I must blot out and pay for the sin, in order that I may thus obtain a gracious God. If reason comes so far, it has reached its climax. Still it is nothing but foolishness and blindness.

12. But God speaks thus: If thou wilt be rid of sin, thou must do other works wherewith to pay the price. But with all the works which thou dost, thou canst do nothing but sin, even with the works wherewith thou thinkest to reconcile me and to do penance for thy sins. How wilt thou then, thou fool, blot out sin with sin? For even in the works which thou considerest the best and which thou canst do, thou sinnest if thou dost not do them willingly and from the heart. For if thou didst not fear punishment, thou wouldst rather not do them at all. Thus thou dost no more than that thou seekest to blot out little sins by doing greater ones; or else to commit such great ones that thou mayest lay aside others.

13. Wherefore, it is ever great blindness that a man does not see what sin is, nor know what good works are, but accepts sin for good works. When the Holy Spirit comes, he convicts the people and says: The works which thou hast done, as well as those which thou art still doing, are nothing but sin; therefore, it is all in vain that thou dost attempt to make satisfaction for thy sin according to thy ability. Then they feel compelled to say: Behold, this I did not know. Then says he: For this purpose I am here, in order to tell thee this. If thou hadst known it, it would not have been necessary for me to come and make it known.What wilt thou do now in order to be helped? This thou must do: Believe on the Savior, the Lord Christ, that he has taken away thy sin. If thou believest this, he is thine and thy sins will disappear; if not, then thou wilt never get rid of sin, but wilt always fall into it deeper and deeper.

14. Thus, with this passage everything has been completely overthrown that has hitherto been preached about penance and satisfaction for sin, and all else that has been practiced and urged. For this reason there have been founded many orders and masses, and on this account we have become priests and monks and have run to and fro in order best in the world, which the world considers pious and holy, to get rid of sin. Therefore, it also follows: Whatever is that is nothing but mere sin and a damnable thing.

Thus we have considered one part of this Gospel.

15. The second thought then follows: “The Holy Spirit will convict the world in respect to righteousness, because I go to the Father,” says Christ, “and ye behold me no more.” Rigtheousness means piety and a good and honorable life before God. What is this now? It is, says Christ, “because I go to the Father.” We have often said about the resurrection of Christ that it came to pass not for his sake, but for our sakes, in order that we may apply it to ourselves as a blessing which is our own. For this reason he is risen from the dead and has ascended to heaven, that he might begin a spiritual kingdom, in which he reigns in us through righteousness and truth.

Therefore, he sits above; he does not rest and sleep, does not play by himself, but, as Paul says, Ephesians 1:22, has his work here upon the earth, governing the consciences and the souls of men with the Gospel.

16. Wherever Christ is now preached and acknowledged, there he reigns in us, from the right hand of his Father, and is himself here below in the hearts of men. There he reigns with might, power and dominion over you and all your enemies, and guards you from sin, death, devil and hell. Thus is his resurrection and ascension our comfort, life, blessing, righteousness and everything in one. This is what the Lord means when he speaks of righteousness, that the people thereby should become pious and righteous, that he ascends to heaven to the Father and we see him no more. This the world does not know, therefore the Holy Spirit must come and convict the world of it.

17. How does this come to pass? Just as we have heard. Am I to become pious, it will not be enough for me to perform outwardly good works, but I must do them from the bottom of my heart, gladly and willingly, so that I may be free from the fear of sin, death and the devil; be joyous, and with a good conscience, and all confidence stand before him and know how I stand with him. This no work, no creature can give unto me, but Christ alone, who has ascended into heaven — there, where one cannot see him, but must believe that he sits yonder and wishes to help one. Such a faith makes me acceptable unto God; Christ gives me the Holy Spirit into my heart, who makes me willing and happy in the doing of every good work.

In this manner I become righteous, and in no other; for the works themselves make me more and more unwilling, the longer I occupy myself with them.

18. But the longer one is engaged in this work, the more willing it makes one’s heart; for wherever there is such knowledge, there the Holy Spirit cannot be wanting. When he comes, he makes the heart willing, joyful and happy, so that one may be free and willingly do what is pleasing to God, with joyous courage, and suffer whatever there is to suffer, yea, and even die willingly. And in proportion as this knowledge is clear and great, in that proportion the willingness and joy will also be great. Thus the commandment of God is fulfilled and everything done that one is to do, and thus thou art righteous. Who would ever have thought that this would be righteousness and that thus it should be. This question we have hitherto often heard about and considered, and although the words here be different, yet the sense and meaning are the same.

19. In the third place, the Holy Spirit is to convict the world in respect of judgment , that is that the world does not know what right is. For who has ever heard the definition of this right to be, because the prince of this world hath been judged? The prince of the world, to be sure is the devil, which one may readily see in his government.

20. If now I have learned to know what sin is and am free from it, and have obtained righteousness, so that now I stand in a new character and life and have become another man — have now the Lord Christ and know that something else than our works is required to get rid of sin — if these have come to pass in me, it then follows that I may have a correct judgment, having learned to judge differently before God. For, according to such understanding, I know how to discuss, conclude and judge of all things in heaven and upon earth, and to pass correct judgment; and when I have passed such a judgment, I can live accordingly. This no one else can do.

21. The world, in its holiness, maintains that righteousness means to perform good works wherewith to do penance for sin and reconcile God.

This has been taught in all the schools of learning. Such teachers think it is right and well done if only they can accomplish good works. But now comes the Holy Spirit and says: Not so. You err and are mistaken. Your judgment is wrong. Therefore there must be another judgment. You should judge thus: Everything that your reason concludes, is erroneous and false, and you are a fool and a simpleton.

22. Reason may do other things; for instance, know how to judge in worldly and human matters and affairs, how to build cities and houses, how to govern well, and the like. In such matters one may easily be able to judge and decide more wisely than another. Of this, however, we do not speak here, but of judgment in the significance of what is right or wrong before God. Here the Holy Spirit concludes thus: Every judgment of reason is false and worth nothing. Everything that is born of man and is not born from above, must be rooted out and crucified, so that no one may boast of it and depend upon it. Again, whatever the world considers as wisdom, that which it votes as wisely and intelligently devised and accomplished, is foolishness before God. In short, whatever the world does, is useless and cursed, unless it proceeds from Christ, the Lord, and is of his Word and Spirit, as he teaches us. If it does not proceed from him, it is surely mere blindness and there is no good in it.

23. Therefore everything that the world considers good is debased.

Everything is evil because it does not proceed from the Word and the Spirit, but from the old Adam, who is nothing more than a blind fool and sinner. And why? Should not your wisdom and reason be foolishness and count for nothing, since the most exalted one, who has all the power and wisdom of this world in the highest degree, is condemned? For, without doubt, there is no one in the world so wise, shrewd and rational as the devil, and no one is able to make a more pious appearance. And all wisdom and holiness that do not proceed from God, as well as the most beautiful things in the world, are found in their highest degree in the devil. Since he is a prince and the ruler of the world, the wisdom and righteousness of the world must proceed from him; here he reigns with all his power. Therefore, Christ says: Since the same prince of the world is condemned, with all that he has and can do, the world is ever blind because it considers that to be good which has been condemned already, namely his wisdom and piety.

24. We must, therefore, pass a correct judgment, such as Christ passes, if we are to guard against everything that the world considers and declares precious in order that it may appear before God prudent, wise and pious. If people who have not the Word and Spirit of Christ, desire to teach and govern, everything is already condemned; for in this way one accomplishes no more than to make the old Adam stronger and to establish him in his opinion that his works, his piety and prudence are to avail before God.

Thereby one must work himself deeper and deeper into the devil’s kingdom.

25. But now, since the prince of this world and the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the devil, are directly opposed to one another, and the Holy Spirit is not willing that anyone should parade his own deeds and praise himself on account of them, the holy cross must soon follow. The world will not consent to be reprimanded for its blindness. Therefore one must willingly submit and suffer persecution. If we have the right kind of faith in our hearts, we must also open our mouths and confess righteousness and make known sin. Likewise we must condemn and punish the doings of this world and make it known that everything it undertakes, is damned. For this we must be considered heretics, and must pass through the fire. They say: This is against the holy councils and the canon of the holy father, the pope. Then you are to answer: How can I help it? Here it stands — the text does not say the Holy Spirit is to convict them and say their doctrine is error, blindness and the government of the devil. This, of course, they will not endure, but would have us call them gracious noblemen. Therefore, one must here risk his neck.

26. These are the three parts we have in this Gospel lesson: Sin is unbelief;righteousness is faith; the judgment is the holy cross. Therefore give heed and learn to consider everything that is without the Spirit as nothing and as condemned, and afterwards be prepared for the holy cross that thou must suffer on account of it. Now follows in the Gospel further: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth.”

27. These words ought to be understood in all their simplicity, as if the Lord were to say: “These three parts which I have now related, you cannot yet fully understand, even though I were to explain them unto you. I would have to say much about them in order to explain them more fully, to make plain how things shall be, and you still stick too deep in your coarse, carnal reason to be able to comprehend it. Therefore, I will forbear now. When the Holy Spirit comes, he will enlighten your hearts, so that you will understand it, and will call to your remembrance all things, I tell you of it now, in order that you may think about it. Thus, we give these words in their simple meaning. It is as if I conversed with some one and said: I would yet have many things to say, but they are too difficult for you. You cannot yet comprehend and grasp them.



28. But our doctors and highly learned men have made use of these words in a frivolous way and said that it was necessary to have something more than the Gospel and the Scriptures; therefore one ought also to hear what the councils and the popes decree. They endeavor to prove in this way that Christ says here: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now;” therefore, because he has not told them all things, it must follow that he told them to the councils, popes and bishops, who are now to teach them.

29. Now look at these fools, what they say. Christ says: “I have yet many things to say unto you.” What does “you” mean? To whom does he speak?

Without doubt, to the apostles. To these he says: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all truth.” Therefore, if Christ is not to lie, his Word must have been fulfilled at the time that the Holy Spirit came. The Holy Spirit must have said everything to them and accomplished everything that the Lord here refers to, and, of course, he led them into all the truth. How, then, do we get the idea that Christ should not have said everything, but should have kept much back, which the councils were to teach and to determine? With this idea his words do not at all harmonize. Christ gives to understand that soon the Holy Spirit would tell and explain to them all things, and that afterwards the apostles should carry out everything, and through them should be made known to the world what they have learned from the Holy Spirit. But, according to the councils and popes,’ it depends on what they say, teach and command, even to the end of the world.

30. Moreover, Christ says further: “He shall guide you into all the truth.”

Here we conclude: If what the councils teach be the truth, that one is to wear the tonsure and the cap and live a life of celibacy, then the apostles never came to the truth, since none of them ever entered a cloister, nor kept any of those foolish laws. Thus, Christ must indeed have betrayed us in this, that he said the Holy Spirit should guide us into all the truth, when in reality he wished to teach how we were to become priests ‘and monks and not to eat meat on certain days, and like foolish things.

31. Without doubt it is “truth” before God when one lives an upright and sincere life. But if we now look at our ecclesiasts, pope, bishops, priests and monks, we see nothing but carnival masks, who give themselves the outward appearance of being pious, but in their hearts they are villains.

What popes, bishops, and orders have ever led us into this truth, which should spring from within — out of the heart? In everything they are concerned about the outward appearance of things, in order that they may make a display before the eyes of the people.

32. Thus they have perverted this text masterfully in order to strengthen their lies; and yet we are to call them gracious lords! To hear such things is exasperating and it should grieve our hearts that we are to suffer such great outrage — should see how shamefully the people act against the precious Word of God and that they make the Holy Spirit a liar. Should not this single passage be powerful enough against the pope and the councils, even if we had no other in the Scriptures?

33. Thirdly, Christ says: “You cannot bear them now.” Here we ask: My dear, should it have been too hard for the apostles to understand or to obey such laws as abstaining from meat, and the like? They had been accustomed in the law of Moses to observe many such outward ceremonies, and had been educated therein all their life, so that it would have been child’s play for them. Moreover, they understood this better than we do. Is it such a difficult matter — that a monk must wear a black or gray cap, the pope three crowns, a bishop a pointed hat, or the manner of dedicating churches and altars and baptizing bells — are these so difficult as to make it necessary that the Holy Spirit should come from heaven to teach such things? If it is not acting the fool enough that one jests with these noble words, then I do not know how one may be a worse fool.

34. Therefore, beware of these liars and understand the words rightly, thus:

Christ wishes to speak of the inward, actual character, not of outward jugglery. He wishes to make the heart, before the eyes of God, pious and righteous in order that it, in the first place, acknowledge its sin, and in the second place, that it acknowledge him to be the one who forgives sin and suffers himself to be sacrificed upon the cross. This is that “truth” which the apostles were not yet able to hear and understand. But those outward things make no one righteous, lead no one to the truth. They make only hypocrites and a show, by which the people are deceived.



35. Thus, we have the true meaning of this passage, from which we see how fools who seek from it to bolster up their jugglery, place themselves in opposition to it and build upon the sand. There is scarcely a passage that is more strongly opposed to them than this one. We have briefly explained this Gospel lesson in order that we may see how it teaches just that which we have always preached.

No bird is quite so welcome as the cardinal in the winter. It made my day when Grandson Alex saw one eating at our feeder, from a few feet away in the bedroom.

This morning I woke up to a baby squirrel sitting and eating in the sunflower seed platform, a favorite hang-out for the juvenile squirrels. A male and female cardinal were eating from hanging bird feeder (Lowe's), and two other birds were also on that circular feeder.

The birds are less likely to fly away when I approach the window. Everything is bunched up close to the window, so we have activity all day long. When the sun sets in the West, I have shadows flitting around on the wall that I face when working on the computer.



Management by the Creator
Gentle rains have built up the new roses and energized the earthworms. This is how the Creator helps the soil through the engineering of the earthworm:

Vermicastings 
Vermicastings (the name given to worm poop) are 50% higher in organic matter than soil that has not moved through worms. This is an astonishing increase and radically changes the composition of the soil, increasing CEC because of the greater amount of charge-holding organic surfaces. Other nutrients, therefore, have the ability to attach to the organic matter that has passed through a worm. 

The benefits don’t stop there. The worm’s digestive enzymes (or, properly, those produced by bacteria in the worm’s intestines) unlock many of the chemical bonds that otherwise tie up nutrients and prevent their being plant-available. Thus, vermicastings are as much as seven times richer in phosphate than soil that has not been through an earthworm. They have ten times the available potash; five times the nitrogen; three times the usable magnesium; and they are one and a half times higher in calcium (thanks to the calcium carbonate added during digestion). All these nutrients bind onto organic matter in the fecal pellets. 

Worms can deposit a staggering 10 to 15 tons of castings per acre on the surface annually. This almost unbelievable number is clearly significant to gardeners: the ability to increase the availability of nutrients without carting in and adding tons of fertilizer is about as close to alchemy as one can get.

Master shredders 
Earthworms are classified as shredders. As they search for food, they break down the leaf litter in the garden and on the lawn, greatly speeding up the decomposition of plant material, directly and indirectly. They open up leaves and other organic matter, giving bacteria and fungi better access to the cellulose (and other carbohydrates) and lignin (a noncarbohydrate) in the organic matter. Earthworms, then, obviously facilitate the recycling of nutrients back to the plants.


Lewis, Wayne; Lowenfels, Jeff (2010-09-10). Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Kindle Locations 1400-1409). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

The Wild Garden proved its worth when a flock of grackles landed and began flicking leaves away to eat the insects and worms beneath. More about that below.

"O great rose farmer, your Chrysler Imperial roses have arrived."

The people at Gurney are so respectful. That was the email message I received today. Of course, I wrote that into the program when I got the initial order shipped. Unfortunately, this only meant the roses were being passed from FedEx to the Post Office. I have two more days of waiting. That is why bare root roses seem a bit dry when they arrive.

When I had a DOS computer, it booted up saying, "What is your wish, O Great Publisher?"

One day the computer rebooted and said, "What is your wish, Rex Flipperorum?" That was Little Ichabod's version of King of the Seals. He had his cousins call me Uncle Flippers, which they loved to do. My granddaughter even said this about my short legs, "They look like they belong to another person, Grampy."

So I plan on having fun with little programs that let me input a personal message, which is perhaps a way to make people sure of the message coming from a legitimate source. After all, I get offers of $25 millions or more from various sources each day.



Beetle Banks
ORGANIC FARMERS ARE mandated by the rules of the USDA’s National Organic Program to work to conserve biodiversity on their farms. Gwendolyn Ellen’s job is to work with both organic and conventional farmers and with researchers to find ways to make this happen. In the early 2000s, Ellen and other scientists at Oregon State University began to develop a program to establish and study beetle banks. A regular practice of farmers in Great Britain and Australia, beetle banking involves creating elongated, semi-permanent raised berms throughout crop fields and planting them with grasses. 

Beetle banks are a great example of how habitat creation and companion planting can encourage populations of a very important predator. Ellen explains that the predaceous ground beetles these banks are meant to encourage instinctively climb upward to stay high and dry, away from moisture. To encourage this natural behavior, beetle banks are raised a foot higher than ground level. The native bunch grasses planted on the banks provide a drier, warmer habitat for these insects during the winter. The beetles especially like the organic matter that naturally accumulates around the base of these grasses. In the spring and summer, the beetles move out into the fields to forage for prey. 

“You have to think like an insect,” Ellen says. “Create a refuge from soil and pesticide disturbance. Our research shows that providing an undisturbed area, no matter what the size, increases the diversity of predaceous ground beetles on farms.” Ellen’s team encourages farmers to put in banks sized to fit with their farm’s production practices and suggests incorporating a minimum of three different species of native bunch grasses (grass species that grow into a clump or tuft rather than spreading horizontally to form a sodlike mat) into a given beetle bank.

Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 3395-3409). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

The Wild Garden was this wild before we applied about 80 bags of leaves. The extra newspapers piled up are now in the driveway to help in mulching the rose garden and tomatoes.

The back part of the yard is higher ground, and it is left alone. That is the jumpin' jivin' part of the yard, not a place for shorts and sandals.

Weeds and tall grass are welcome. I planted dill and Queen Ann's Lace. I let pokeweed grow 8 feet tall.

Besides that, I have shallow pans for toads and other creatures, careful to clean them various ways and empty them out every few days. Bees too like water and take it back to the hive to create evaporative cooling.

Evaps are popular in Phoenix. Big fans and their water puddles are used to cool the air when the temps are high and the humidity is low. They are also called swamp coolers because they add humidity to the dry air.

So here are bees making their own swamp coolers to protect the hive. And we admire our own engineering.


I never realized that one kind of spider worked without webs - the cursorial spiders. I knew that beetles were so populous in the world that one etymologist concluded, "God was inordinately fond of beetles" when he summarized his career.

Those beetles can track slugs by their odious slime trails and remove them permanently. They do most of their work at night and appreciate a safe place by day, a welcoming place for the winter. Given these facts, do you want to rototill the Wild Garden and destroy an army of beneficial creatures, which doubles as a full-time cafeteria for birds?

That is why we expanded the Wild Garden from a slice of the backyard to 50% of the backyard.

http://www.hopetwinlakes.org/#/contact-us

Hope Lutheran Church
Hope is located at:
876 Lance Dr
Twin Lakes, WI 53181

Phone 262-877-4381

Kenosha County pastor charged with sex crimes against children

Police say man tried to entice 13-year-old girl

http://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/kenosha-county-pastor-charged-with-sex-crimes-against-children

Pastor charged in Oshkosh with child enticement

In the LCMS, offenders get a chance to offend again and have the SP order discussion of the crime removed from the Steadfast Lutherans blogsite.

Study this sermon on the Holy Spirit convicting the world.

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 

Furtive Universalism, also called Universal Objective Justification is the product of Pietism. Its most eloquent advocates are Pietists from Halle, like Rambach and Knapp, or trained at Halle University, like Bishop Martin Stephan.

What Jesus teaches about sin in John 16 should answer the question, but the Fourth Gospel is the doctrinal Gospel that the Superficialists love to ignore. Too many questions are answered clearly in the simplest possible language, so synodical leaders direct people to their own recent publications and to other theologians no one reads, remembers, or understands.

All the work of the Christian Church is carried out through the Holy Spirit. Preaching and teaching is the work of the Holy Spirit. Administering the Sacraments is another way the Means of Grace are distributed to people. When we pray, it is from the Holy Spirit moving us to pray and helping us in our prayers. In addition, the Holy Spirit guides Christians in doing good works which flow naturally from justification by faith.

The synods, from ELCA down to the Little CLC (sic) teach sin as:

1. Not giving enough to the synod.
2. Questioning the synod.
3. Leaving the apostasy of the synod.
4. Teaching Luther's Biblical doctrine.

Those are grounds for excommunication. The pastors would rather extend the Left Foot of Fellowship than use both feet to visit someone personally.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, because they do not utterly trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior. That means every sermon and Bible lesson should teach faith in the Son of God. To teach otherwise is pure blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Teaching that justification by faith is Calvinism or Arminianism or making faith a work of man - any gambit like that is a combination of ignorance and blasphemy. The Superficialists like to parade their shallow learning with pround, arrogant slogans.