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The Chief Article Deniers Are Doomed. UOJ Stormtroopers Just Like the Radical Left

August 19, 2016, 4:59 am
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The ecclesiastical world can be divided into two groups.

I. Teaching Justification by Faith Alone.
II. Denying Justification by Faith Alone.

Those who locate forgiveness of sin in Justification by Faith Alone are found in Protestantism, but not among all Protestants. As the Emmaus Conference has shown, the LCMS-ELS-WELS-ELCA faction suffers from leaders who reject Justification by Faith Alone.

Fuddle-mentalists are likely to be in the second group as well, because they add works that must be added to faith, in order to be forgiven and saved. I walked out of a Church of Christ (rural Disciples of Christ) service, with LI, when the minister glared at me and shouted during the sermon - "Faith alone is not enough." Rick Warren (purpose-driven) is quoted as saying the same. No wonder Warren is so popular among WELS clergy.

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"Don't compare me to Webber!"


The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics teach against Justification by Faith Alone, but some indivuals may be in those groups while still holding to the Scriptural norms rather than denominational dictates. That is the power of the Word, to lob the concepts over the heads of the apostate leaders, who try to block them, and teach people directly.

The true blue members and Pharisaical priests in each denomination tend to be as snooty, snotty, and loveless as the WELS-ELS-LCMS are, because they share one concept in common - the worship of Holy Mother Sect. "We are the only ones who...etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc..."

On the other hand, those who emphasize faith in Christ have a common love for the Gospel, even when other issues get in the way.

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The Chief Article is plain throughout the Bible. Abraham is the example of Justification by Faith Alone, in Genesis 15, Romans 4, Galatians, James, and Hebrews. Through faith alone, the sinner becomes forgiven and saved, receiving the blessings and Promises of the Gospel.

This Chief Article is the Master and Prince of all the articles of our confession, the judge of everything else. Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and Gerhard taught this with perfect clarity, but the Halle Pietists have sought to overthrow this ancient and blessed doctrine of the Bible.

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The UOJ Stormtroopers continue to look for
that iconic Biblical passage that proves their folly,
and they never find the target.


UOJ Stormtroopers Just Like the Radical Left
Those who deny the Chief Article have the same corrupt disposition, because they share the characteristics of the Radical Left:

  • The opposition must be silenced.
  • If the opposition cannot be silenced, they must be hated out of the sect.
  • If they cannot be hated out, they must be exiled.
  • The punishment must continue - shunning, silence, and revenge against their families and friends.
  • Everyone must be afraid to mention their names.
  • If their names are mentioned, some gratuitous insult must be added to befoul the air.
Many are nodding their heads right now, because WELS-ELS-LCMS-CLC-ELCA have proven this to be true. The only honest sect among them is ELCA, because they boast about their dogma and their agenda. The others hide their evil unbeliefs and work gladly with ELCA, holding their sanctimonious noses while grabbing the insurance loot.

Pope Herman Otten loves to work with "conservative" Roman Catholics, the ones who really believe in Purgatory and the 435 titles of Mary, as if Theotokos were not enough. Otten apologized to WELS when I correctly pointed out the WELSLavender Mafia while reviewing the Roman Catholic book, The Rite of Sodomy, by Randy Engel. I received a free review copy from Engel of Vol 1. When I asked for Vol 2, after Otten threw himself on the mercy of WELS, she failed to answer my email. Perhaps she was busy with her endless series of books by that title.

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Weakland headed a series of public lectures at Wisconsin Lutheran College, WELS,
and the sect scrambled to deny, deflect, and obscure that fact.


And - just after Otten prostrated himself before WELS and Professor John Brug (CN front page, no less), the FBI raided WELS headquarters for harboring a boy porn file swapper, their own Joel Hochmuth.


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In WELS, Bivens plagiarizes Zarling - braying
that the Chief Article is Justification Without Faith.

This deserves to be emphasized - Bivens, The Primary Article [UOJ] in Its Primary Setting: Objective Justification and Lutheran Worship.

Lutheran?

That is why the Chief Article deniers are doomed. They want their meadow to bloom while planting, watering, and fertilizing thistle seed.

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WELS, Missouri, and the Little Sects (CLCs included)
have turned No Other Gospel into their closeted blasphemies.
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Modular Cardboard for Mulching

August 19, 2016, 8:00 am
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We had a pair of pet possums at home in Moline.
They are supposedly great tick eaters,
and ticks are a problem in this area.


Sassy and I sat down for a time with John and discussed birds and those times he saw me and I did not notice (Walmart Supercenter, one mile away). We usually slow down, honk, and wave at his house, so he and his wife can wave back.

We had a double-load of cardboard boxes in the front yard, which was covering up most of our remaining lawn. Mrs. Ichabod did not approve of storing the cardboard there, so I moved it this morning after Sassy's walk.

I doubt whether we will get enough cardboard to cover all the areas I want this fall, but we keep trying. This time I finished the second small garden adjacent to the bedroom, on the West side of the house. The cardboard was wet from yesterday's rain, so it was easy to tear and flatten out over the grass. That will give us a good planting area almost free of weeds next spring. But certain weeds come back more often than Ben Hur and King Kong put together.

Cardboard is a great modular mulch. Winds can pick it up a bit, but that is nothing compared to newspaper flying around. Both materials are almost the same, but newspapers get wet faster and dry out very fast. Cardboard is heavier, opaque, and gets heavily unmovable after a rain.

Bugs and worms love newspapers and cardboard. When either form of cellulose stays outside wet, the pile hops with crickets, crawls with ants, or attracts other critters.

The top layer of mulch will be leaves, grass, or evergreen needles. If we run out of weights to use, my collection of dead wood will also work for starters.

Mrs. Ichabod asks, "What will you do with the Wild Garden?" That was the first cardboard and leaves treatment, last year in 2015. Some of it plants itself, with Wild Strawberries and Pokeweed moving in, the two extremes. Wild Strawberries form a carpet of food under the perches of birds. Pokeweed grows in the shade, in the sun, over six feet when allowed, content to form little plants in the cracks of the sidewalk, where they also flower and fruit.

I began planting in the Wild Garden this summer. Almost Eden give me a couple of Daylilies that will tolerate the shade and spread. I also bought a row of Willows, which will grow rather tall and provide a pleasant looking screen to hide the quirky backyards of our neighbors. I just realized - it will hide my yard from theirs, too.

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Sassy has various ways to tell us, from
whimpers to songs to scratching my arm.


We love the way the forces of Creation take over with a little nudging - not that these forces are slack. We cleaned up the area around the air conditioner fan, to prevent the grasses from sheltering slugs again. The reason? - a slug shorted out the AC on the hottest day of the year last year, a holiday. After a few months of watering the gardens, that wet area has gone green, grassy, and weedy again. I am picturing another disaster on a Saturday night or holiday, so I used cardboard mulch to deny anything green a chance to grow there.

Yes, slugs will still crawl across the soggy cardboard, but they are keen on climbing green things to reach new vistas. I got King Slug on my t-shirt one evening, when I leaned over the bushes in front to turn off the faucet. That was the biggest tiger slug I ever saw, and I have seen a lot of them. I was wearing him around inside the house when I looked down - wow!

Our Army Ranger landscaper on the corner has converted to cardboard mulching. He has raised flower boxes, which have favored the weeds a little more. Water drains from a slope or raised flower box, as it does from hanging flower pots. Weeds will grow up anyway while the roses are short the water they need and robbed by the weeds as a second insult. However, the layer of thick cardboard with wood mulch on top will preserve the moisture better, block most of the weeds, and encourage soil microbes and earthworms.

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Mrs. I says, "Is coffee made yet?"
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Former WELS Member Makes a Wry Observation

August 20, 2016, 1:48 am
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http://wels.net/working-together-in-home-missions/

Former WELS member:

The CEF giving out bucks to four missions.  Hoping to seize assets in two to four years.


Not funny but seems normal.

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GJ - That would be instructive, to look at the flow of money and the lack of progress over decades of so-called missions. 

Schroeder promotes the diaper-changing academies in the same language as LCA missions once did. I was at an Ontario convention when the president of the Eastern Canada Synod said, "Our agency for boys takes care of five in ________. Not one is a Lutheran, so this is pure mission."Pure mission was said in that stained-glass voice that once was popular.

Schroeder: "The congregation originally worshiped in a storefront but built a church so that it could start a preschool. That preschool has grown and serves 28 children, only one of whom is a member. Builders For Christ, a division of Kingdom Workers, built the original church and constructed the addition."(Living Word, Montrose, Colorado)

Shepherd of Peace in Columbus, Ohio had the same "mission" numbers. The pre-school stayed a pre-school, as they usually do, consumed a lot of capital, and finally exhausted the resources of the congregation and shut down.

The congregation bears the brunt of financing congregation property. Members can pay interest to the synod for the longest time. If things do not work out, the synod sells the property and keeps the equity, after years of collecting interest on the loans.

As they say in Europe, "Not my circus, not my monkeys." Church Growth is all about numbers, but no one casts a gimlet eye on them.

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Sunshower Yesterday - Planning the Butterfly Garden

August 20, 2016, 3:04 am
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This sunshower is from Wikipedia.

Yesterday I went to the car, long after an earlier burst of rain, so the sun was shining brightly. I wanted to get something from the Icha-boat.

Rain fell hard on me in the bright sunlight -  a sunshower. That confused my distracted mind. I looked at the roses - they were dripping with rain. The eaves were shedding rain too. And I was wet.

More rain may fall today, so the garden will be in good shape for yanking maple and oak trees, and for transplanting some Raspberries and Blackberries to the Wild Garden. I thought their rampant growth would be modified a bit in the shadier areas, but if not, the birds will get additional food and perches. Blackberries are growing like the latest Fuller Seminary fad - on the opposite side of the house, which is sunny and somewhat watered. I used the branch clippers to cut some Blackberry canes that were basking in the sunshine on driveway. No wonder they are so prevalent in the State of Washington.

I am re-setting the Sunny Garden:

  • Hot, dry, sunny, and grassy in its primitive state.
  • Soggy and sluggy last year as Straw Bale Garden and the Rose Garden for Mrs. Wright. I moved those roses to the main rose garden - the entire front yard.
  • Tomato and Raspeberry garden this summer.
  • Butterfly Garden next year.
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Coreopsis - Almost Eden
When I visited the Coreopsis Jungle at Almost Eden the other day, several types of butterflies, two types of bees, some wasps, and Flower Flies were feeding at once. Soon, perhaps today, I will take close-ups and a video of the activity. 

Fall and winter will give me a chance to decide on the best plants for the Butterfly Garden. As Jessica Walliser observed in a recent column, we should aim at the larvae and the adults at the same time. Like most beneficial bugs, Butterflies have different needs at the larval and adult stages. The famous Ladybug is voracious at both stages, but in many cases, the adults need pollen and nectar while their newly hatching babies dine on flesh of aphids and pest caterpillars.

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Socrates was sentenced to drink Poison Hemlock tea,
portrayed by the French painter David.


I had a tribe of baby Ladybugs on my Poison Hemlock, but I chose to cut it down rather than explain to my wife and daughter-in-law that I was growing the last drink of Socrates in the garden. The plants were impressive, but so are Hogweeds, which were grown by the rich in England. 

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Giant Hogweed - above - is in the same carrot family as Poison Hemlock and
Wild Parsnip. Hogweed also attracts beneficial insects, but
I prefer the less obnoxious Queen Ann's Lace.
The linked plants should be avoided, but Queen Ann's Lace
can be identified by her hairy legs (hairy stems).

I told a reader, "When we want to visit beautiful gardens, we go to the front yard, the backyard, or Almost Eden. Sassy loves to walk over, because she has so many places to explore with her nose while I admire the plants and insect life."

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 A mass of Coreopsis flowers is irresistible
to bees, wasps, and butterflies. 

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Luther on Galatians 3:15-22 - Another Refutation of the New, False Dogma from LCMS-WELS-ELCA-ELS

August 20, 2016, 6:49 am
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SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER - 
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Galatians 3:15-22



TEXT:

GALATIANS 3:15-22. 15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet when it hath been confirmed, no one maketh it void, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 Now this I say:

A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. 19 What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made; and it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could make alive, verily righteousness would have been of the law. 22 But the scripture shut up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

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GOD’S TESTAMENT AND PROMISE IN CHRIST.

1. This is a keen, severe epistle, one that is unintelligible to the ordinary man. Because the doctrine it contains has not hitherto been employed and enforced, it has not been understood. It is also too long and rich to be treated briefly. But it is fully explained in the complete commentary on this epistle to the Galatians, where those who will may read it. The substance of it is, that here, as in the whole epistle, Paul would earnestly constrain the Christian to distinguish between the righteousness of faith and the righteousness of works or of the Law. In order that we may note to some extent the main points Paul makes in this text, we remark that he emphasizes two things. He treats first of the doctrine that we are justified by faith alone, and he maintains this, after giving many reasons and proofs, by saying in effect: 2. In this connection you should note that no one, whether Jew or gentile, is justified by works or by the Law. For the Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the promise of a Savior had been made to Abraham (who was to be the father of all the people of God) and the assurance that all nations should be blessed in him. It was given after it had been testified of Abraham that his faith was imputed to him for righteousness. And as he was justified and received the blessing by reason of his faith, so also his children and descendants were justified and received the blessing through the same faith in that seed for whose sake the blessing had been promised to all the world. For in his dealings with the Jews and with the whole world, God always promised his grace and the forgiveness of sins (and that means to be blessed of God) even when there was as yet no Law by which they might pretend to become righteous, and before Moses was born.

3. Therefore the Law, being given to this people only after the lapse of so long a period, could not have been given to them for justification; otherwise it would have been given earlier. Or if it had been necessary for righteousness, then Abraham and his children up to that date could not have been justified at all. Indeed God designed that the Law should be given so long after Abraham. Undoubtedly he would have been able to give it to the fathers much earlier if he had seen fit to do so. Apparently he desired thereby to teach that the Law was not given to the end that God’s grace and blessing should be acquired through it, but that these come from the pure mercy of God which was promised and bestowed so long before upon Abraham and those who believed.

4. Therefore Paul concludes: How could the Law produce righteousness for those who lived before Moses, since Moses was the first through whom the Law was given; and since even before his time there were holy people and people who were saved? Whence did they derive their righteousness?

Certainly not from the fact that they had offered sacrifice at Jerusalem, but from the fact that they believed the Word in which God promised to bless them through the coming seed, Christ. Hence, those also who lived afterwards could not have been justified by the Law; for they did not receive the grace of God in a different way from that in which those who went before had received it. God did not annul or revoke by the Law the promise of blessing which he had made and freely bestowed without the Law.

5. Here some might desire to show their wisdom and say to Paul: Although the fathers did not have the Law of Moses, they had the same Word of God which teaches the ten commandments and which was implanted in the human heart from the beginning of the world, whence also it is called the law of nature or the natural law; and the same law was afterwards given publicly to the Jewish people and comprehended in the ten commandments.

It might also be said that Moses borrowed the ten commandments from the fathers, to which Christ testifies in John 7:22. For it is certain that the fathers from the beginning taught them and urged them upon their children and descendants. With what consistency, then, does Paul conclude that the fathers were not justified by the Law because it was not given until four hundred years after Abraham’s time; as if the fathers before that time had no Law?

6. To answer this question we must observe the meaning and purpose of Paul’s words; for he so speaks because of the boasting of the Jews, who placed their dependence on the Law and claimed that it was given to them that they might be God’s people. They considered their attempts at keeping his Law, sufficient to procure justification. Why else did God give the Law, they said, and distinguish us from all heathen peoples, if we were not thereby to be preeminent before God and more pleasing to him than they who have it not? They made so much of this boasting that they paid no respect at all to the promise of blessing in the coming seed, given to the fathers, nor thought that faith therein was necessary to their justification.

Thus they practically considered it as annulled and made void, excepting for a temporal interpretation which they put upon it — that the Messiah would come and, because of their Law and piety, give to them the dominion of the world and other great rewards.

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THE JEWS GOD’S PEOPLE BY PROMISE.

7. To rout such vain delusions and boasts, and to show that the Jews were not justified through the Law and did not become God’s children thereby, Paul cites the fact that the holy patriarchs, their fathers, were justified neither by the Law of which they boast, because it was not yet given, nor by their own deeds, whether of the natural law or the ten commandments.

God had based no promise of blessing or salvation on their works. He had promised out of pure grace to give them the blessing freely (that is, to give them grace or righteousness and all eternal blessing), through the coming seed, which had been promised also to our first parents without their merit, when by their transgression they had fallen under God’s wrath and condemnation. Therefore, although the fathers had a knowledge of the Law, or God’s commandments, these did not help them to become righteous before God. They had to hear and apprehend by faith the promise of God, which was based not on works but only on the coming seed. For if they had been able by means of the Law or of good works to become righteous, it would have been wholly unnecessary to give the promise of blessing in Christ.

8. Now, if Abraham and the fathers could not be justified by works, and in fact were not justified by them, no more were their children and descendants justified by the Law or by works. They were justified in no other way than by faith in the promise given to Abraham and to his seed, a promise by which not only the Jews but all the heathen (through the same faith) were blessed.

9. This truth Paul now further enforces and establishes on the basis of these two particulars — God’s promise, and his free grace or gift — in opposition to the boasting of the Law and our own merit. First, he makes a declaration concerning the value and weight which every testament or promise of the last will possesses. Likewise in the fourth commandment is implied an ordinance that the last will of parents should be honored by their children and heirs.

10. In regard to this subject he asserts that the rule is, if a man’s testament be confirmed (and it is confirmed by his death) no man dare alter it nor add to it nor take away from it. So the jurists declare it to be a divine law that no one should break a man’s last will. How much more then should God’s testament be honored intact? Now, God has made a testament, which is to be his final last will; namely, that he will bless all nations through the seed which at first he promised to the fathers. This he determined upon, and assured to Abraham, and in him to all the world — to us all. And he has confirmed it by the death of this seed, his only Son, who had to become man and die (as was typified by the sacrifice of Isaac on the part of Abraham) in order that the inheritance of the blessing and eternal life might be bestowed upon us. This is God’s last will. He does not desire to make any other. Therefore, no man can or dare change it or add anything to it.

Now, it is adding to it, it is breaking or revoking it — since this testament has been opened and the blessing proclaimed to all the world — if anyone claims that we must first earn that blessing through the Law, proceeding as if, without the Law, this testament, by mere virtue of its promise and will, had no force at all.

11. In short, this testament, Paul concludes, is a simple promise of blessing and sonship with God. Accordingly, there is no law which we must keep in order to merit it. Here nothing avails but the will which promises saying, I will not regard your deeds, but promise the blessing — that is, grace and eternal life — to you who are found in sin and death. This I will confirm by the death of my Son, who shall merit and obtain this inheritance for you.

Now, God made this testament in the first place without the Law, and has thus confirmed it; therefore, the Law, published and confirmed long afterwards, cannot take aught from it, much less annul or revoke it. And he who declares or teaches that we are to be justified by the Law — are to obtain God’s blessing by it — does nothing else but interfere with God’s testament and destroy and annul his last will. This is one argument of Paul, based on the word “promise,” or “testament,” and is readily understood; for no one is so stupid that he cannot distinguish between these two — law or commandment, and promise.

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12. The second argument of Paul is based on the words, “God gave it to Abraham by promise.” Here also it is easy for one who is possessed of common sense to perceive there is a marked difference between receiving something as a gift and earning it. What is earned is given because of obligation and debt, as wages, and he who receives it may boast of it, rather than he who gives it, and may insist upon his right. But when something is given for nothing and, as Paul here says, is bestowed freely — out of grace — then there can be no boasting of right or of merit on the part of the recipient. On the contrary, he must praise the goodness and kindness of his benefactor. So Paul concludes: God freely gave the blessing and the inheritance to Abraham by promise. Therefore, Abraham did not earn it by his works; nor was it given to him as a reward, much less to his children.

13. It is evident enough to even a child that what is earned by works as a reward is not identical with what is promised or bestowed gratis, out of grace and pure free will. There is a distinction between them. God has stopped the mouth of all the world and deprived it of all occasion for boasting that it has received God’s grace by reason of the Law. For he promised and bestowed that as a gift, before the Law or merit through the Law had any existence. In his dealings with his own people, with Abraham and his descendants, God promised to bless the patriarch and all his race and said nothing of any law, works or reward; he based all solely on the coming seed.

14. In the faith of this promise they lived and died — Abraham himself and his children’s children — till over four hundred and thirty years had elapsed. Then only did God give the Law, institute an outward form of worship, a priesthood, etc., and direct them how to live and govern themselves. They had now become a separate people, released from foreign domination, and brought into their own land, and they needed an external form of government. It was not intended that only now and by means of these gifts they should obtain forgiveness of sins and God’s blessing.

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15. This is the substance of the first part of this epistle. In teaching how we are to be justified before God, Paul would have us distinguish well these two points, promise and law; or again, gift and reward. If we teach that God, out of pure grace, and not because of any law or merit, bestows forgiveness of sins and eternal life, the question at once presents itself:

Why is the Law given, or of what use is it? Shall we not perform any good works? Why do we teach the ten commandments at all? Paul takes up this matter and asks the question, “What then is the Law?” Then he proceeds to discuss at length what is the office and use of the Law, and shows the difference between it and the Gospel. Of this enough has been said elsewhere, in other postils.

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The Feeding of the Multitude after the Big Rain

August 20, 2016, 2:18 pm
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The Feeding of the Multitude, by Norma Boeckler

Sassy and I had our morning walk and the sky was overcast. Mrs. Ichabod and I went out later in the Icha-boat, and we returned in a downpour. The rain has continued in the afternoon, often with such force that all the rain-barrels and buckets are full again.

One seed can, a zinc garbage can, was left open yesterday and filled with rain early. Yes, I was the one. I poured the seed over the platform feeder so the water would drain off a bit. Soon a baby squirrel was eating his sunflower seed soup with great energy. I did not warn him away this time.

Lenski or Luther pointed out that the fragments were gathered into baskets to show that nothing should be wasted or taken for granted when God gives in abundance.

Squirrels, doves, and sparrows will gladly work through the leftovers to take care of their needs. We can see that divine management system all the way down to the microbe level. I try to get that across to Creation gardeners and those wanting to abandon expensive and bad growing methods.

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Norma Boeckler


Today our Army Ranger landscaper and his grandson dropped off four enormous bags of soggy leaves. Autumn has begun. Those leaves will cover the cardboard layer in the new gardening areas.

Before garbage trucks and green bags filled with organic treasure, God created a system to capture the useful chemicals in the top layer of the soil, normally the first foot of soil. In the Great Plains, that may be several feet of topsoil, created the same way but with prairie grass and millions of bison.

Fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and protozoa break apart the vegetation and decompose the dead animals. These carefully engineered microbes swap chemicals by their mutual balancing act, and higher level creatures continue the same.

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 Norma Boeckler


As I was explaining to Mrs. Ichabod, the earthworms are giants compared to the microbes, and yet they cannot digest on their own. They take in food for bacteria to break down and help with a little gizzard to grind the food and hard stuff. The bacteria benefit the earthworms, which donate nitrogen products and Caltrate to the soil, in the form of kidney excretions, casts (manure), and calcium carbonate. The earthworms love  sweet, calcium carbonate fortified soil, and they manufacture it, which makes most crops more productive and helps break down chemicals more easily.

Rains and animal byproducts add to the nitrogen and other useful chemicals in the soil. Birds not only plant their favorite foods - they leave some fertilizer in the soil with the seed.

Those four bags of leaves are more than soggy masses to hold the cardboard down. They will suppress weeds (and also harbor some) but they will ultimately become part of the soil. Chemical gardeners say, "Their NPK rating is 1-1-1 at best. Leaves are mostly carbon. What a waste of time!"

The Creating Word determined - at the beginning - that the ocean of life in topsoil would not only gently mix those leaves into the soil, over time, but also increase in population with added food and hold those essential chemicals in the top foot of soil. The biomass in topsoil includes:

  1. Earthworms
  2. Animal excretions
  3. Dead plant materials
  4. Slugs
  5. Moles 
  6. Voles
  7. Mice
  8. Beetles and grubs
  9. Spiders
  10. Bacteria
  11. Protozoa
  12. Nematodes
  13. Fungi
  14. Centipedes
  15. Millipedes
  16. Sowbugs and pillbugs, and
  17. Many more living and dead creatures.
All these require water for life and store that water by living and dying. They eat food and become food, so the chemical exchanges never stop, and plants are nourished by fungi at the root hair level, the plant giving carbon in exchange for the moisture and chemicals needed.

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 Norma Boeckler


So we will cart those four leaf bags to the cardboard carpeted areas, and let God's Creature enjoy the banquet set before them. 
  • Birds will flip and probe the leaves to find the creatures that move the leaves and pounce on them.
  • Earthworms and other creatures will reach up from below to pull down cardboard and recycle the leaves.
  • Fungi will pull apart the more complex chemicals and bacteria will work on the simpler formulae.
  • Beneficial insects will overwinter in the leaf little and reward our efforts next year.
  • Spiders will find interesting places to cast their nets for themselves and their young.
The Feeding of the Multitude takes place all the time, as determined by God's Word. Jesus the Son of God demonstrated this power of the Word in the Feeding of the 4,000 and the Feeding of the 5,000. In both cases, the fragments were gathered up, more than they began with, to show the abundance that comes with the Word. 

And nothing was wasted or thrown away carelessly.


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 Norma Boeckler

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Bucky Hellwig, Demonic Opponent of Justification by Faith Alone - Copies and Pastes Pieper on the Glory of UOJ LCMS

August 20, 2016, 4:37 pm
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Bucky Hellwig (Buck)
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Username: Buck

Post Number: 959
Registered: 9-2003
Posted on Sunday, August 14, 2016 - 8:41 pm:   Image may be NSFW.
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"We 'Missourians' as well as our brethren in the faith are branded far and wide as reactionaries, that is, people who do not keep pace with necessary development in doctrine.

In spite of this we by the grace of God do not allow ourselves to become upset, but steadfastly maintain that the Bible, in contradistinction to all other books in the world, is God's own Word.

When we open our Bibles, we are sure that God is there speaking to us; when the Bible is read in our churches, we rise because we are listening to the voice of God." [GJ - Haha. Romans 4:25 but not Romans 4:24. Forget Galatians, etc]


F. Pieper, What is Christianity? And Other Essays, (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 1933.), 220, 221.

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Not even CFW Walther and his hand-picked acolyte, Pieper?

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The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2016. St. Paul Teaches the Faith of Jesus Justifies

August 21, 2016, 6:19 am
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The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2016


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time


The Hymn # 281                                     The Savior Calls               
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       
The Gospel              
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #259     Flung to the Heedless Winds  

St. Paul on Justification by Faith of Jesus


The Communion Hymn # 308     Invited, Lord, by Boundless Grace                     
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 464                     Blest Be the Tie That Binds     

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KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

KJV Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Click here for Luther’s Sermons on the Good Samaritan

Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast granted us to live in this accepted time, when we may hear Thy holy gospel, know Thy fatherly will, and behold Thy Son, Jesus Christ! We pray Thee, most merciful Father: Let the light of Thy holy word remain with us, and so govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forsake Thy word, but remain steadfast in it, and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

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St. Paul on Justification by Faith of Jesus

KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 

When faced with the Good Samaritan or this passage in Galatians, many ministers are tempted to deal with Jesus' parable. And in doing so, they commit the very error that Paul writes against. Not that the two readings are opposed. The problem is falling into the same error of justification by works - among Christians - that Paul writes against. The Good Samaritan is used to this day to launch works sermons, making people feel guilty for not being good enough, active enough, social activist enough. Their BBQ grills are melting the polar ice, activists claim, and drowning the polar bears. Little girls sob in the pews, and parents go home to turn off the air-conditioner for an hour or two, to save the planet.

After all, this passage is another one of those opaque Pauline passages that seem to defy explanation. And this is obviously not studied much at all, and certainly not in the light of Luther. If every minister knew Galatians there would not be a peep against Justification by Faith Alone.

As Luther observes, this starts with a human analogy - and the Reformer seems to be against these analogies from human experience. This is classical rhetoric, which is seldom noticed or practiced. Arguing against human analogies by others, a very good point, Luther turns to the examples of Jesus doing the same thing.

There is a difference. When we have analogies from human experience in the Scriptures, they are God's Word and teach us what we need to know. In contrast, when someone makes up an analogy to prove a point, the new analogy may not fit at all. In many cases, the analogy is used to reverse the meaning of Scripture.

The plain words of the Scripture are then obscured with this new analogy, which is cited repeatedly to prove their error. Eventually the man-made analogy is old and honored by being old, so it must be true. People are pointed to the honor and glory of the human author, rather than to the plain meaning of the Word of God. In time few want to question this new dogma, for fear of dishonoring the people involved and Holy Mother Synod.

But sinful man deserves no honor, only the responsibility for teaching the Word as it is - honoring God and His message of Jesus' own faith (Galatians 3:22). 

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Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men
Paul is contending against the false teachers who "honor the Gospel" but only want to insist on one thing - that the Galatians observe Jewish ritual in order to be real Christians (just as "real Lutherans" eat a concoction called Tiger Meat). This short, energetic, sometimes angry epistle was written in Paul's own hand to squash the Judaizers and accomplished its purpose. The problem will continue forever, for the worst opponents are not the atheists and the people way out there, but the false teachers within who argue that their new, improved message is for the good of everyone and the Church itself.

Therefore, this Epistle contrasts faith with works, showing that forgiveness apart from faith is always going to be by works. There are no other alternatives. To make matters clear, then, Paul will use an analogy - a human comparison - to show what he means.

Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 

This is the classic last will and testament that we obtain from lawyers. If someone has died, leaving a Last Will and Testament, the actions are to be carried out, even if no one knows in advance what was in that Testament. No one can legally change or annul that will once the individual has died.

How was Abraham blessed and forgiven? Through faith. God's Promise to him, that all would be blessed through him, was not based on the works of Abraham but through his faith. Genesis 15 - Abraham believed God and it was counted as forgiveness. That forgiveness came through believing the Promises of God, so that could not be changed to - through the works of Abraham, though his works were great.

"In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed." That refers to one - Christ - because through the faith of Abraham, all the Christians of the world be blessed, since he is the Biblical example of man's faith. The true children of Abraham are not those descended from him by blood but those who are children by faith. See John 8 for the opponents saying to Jesus, "Abraham is our father" while He says "Before Abraham was, I AM." In other words, true children of Abraham believe in Me.

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 

The two are linked together - Abraham and Jesus. Abraham is the example of faith in these passages:
  • Genesis 15
  • Romans 4
  • Galatians
  • James
  • Hebrews
Thus the true children of Abraham today, 2.2 billion or more, are what God promised - numbered like the stars in the sky.

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In Luke 3, Jesus' lineage is traced through Abraham. The Promise to Abraham was fulfilled through Jesus.

This Testament is not a law, but a gift, so Jesus cannot be portrayed as the New Moses, the new Lawgiver, but the gift who brings salvation, peace, and forgiveness.

17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Paul answers the objection that the Law was needed, since it was added later, through Moses. But the Promise to Abraham can no more be canceled than a Last Will and Testament be set aside. 

The daughter of Conrad Hilton tried to set aside her father's will in court and lost after a long legal battle, because the court ruled - this was your father's final, sealed, and witnessed will for you.

Luther adds this - the Law was given with promises and blessings, and it became the vehicle through which the Promise was brought to light, because no one can obey the Law. Though the Law demands holiness and obedience, that is impossible without the Gospel. Thus to answer this problem in man, Jesus was born of the flesh, under the Law, to give us freedom in the Gospel.

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Christian sets out on his journey to the Heavenly City
with his book, the Bible.

In Pilgrim's Progress, the figure of the Law attacks Christian and keeps on hurting him. When he begs for mercy, Law answers - I have no mercy. Again, the dirt floor of the house is swept and swept, stirring up dust, choking clouds of dust. The Law stirs up sin, makes us more aware of sin. The Gospel (water sprinkled on the floor) is the answer. Bunyan said about Luther's Galatians - "It was my most-read book, apart from the Bible." So Bunyan was a better Lutheran than most Lutherans.

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 

Faith and works are opposites in dealing with salvation, and so are Law and Gospel. When the Law is made a requirement of forgiveness and salvation, the Promise is ignored and rejected. Certainly many today elevate the Law above the Gospel and make Law a requirement for the Gospel - you must be in a cell group; you must give up this or that or you are not a true Christian.

Another rejection of the Gospel is to remove faith and say faith does not matter. Everyone is forgiven and saved without faith. But then they make this preposterous recipe a requirement for salvation, as Walther did - To be really forgiven, you must believe you were already forgiven.

Some are "wonderfully offended" at what Paul writes here, because they trace their holiness to their sacrifices. How can that law obedience be removed by Paul.

The reason the Law was added is easy to see today. In the name of grace, many want to live like pagans, doing whatever they like. They belong to the "Love Wins" family, who place their version of love above everything else. They are always popular leaders because they are blessing whatever people do and undermining faith in the Word. The ministers leading this crusade are pathological liars who are only blessing their own hedonism.

Luther taught the Gospel more and better than most, but he did not give up the natural law concept - that God commands what is good for us. And like Paul, his writings also praise the spiritual benefits of the Law, but not to the point of replacing the Gospel with the Law.

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22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

This last verse is a thunderbolt, almost always ignored. The same expression is used in Romans 3 and in Philippians.

Romans 3: 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Philippians 39 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

The objections of some who oppose Justification by Faith is  - the emphasis is seemingly placed on man's faith. The objectors try to call this synergism and Calvinism, when the two are polar opposites, so we can see they do not know either one - or Luther doctrine itself.

Modern translations have "faith in Jesus," which is fine for many passages, and there is nothing wrong with that expression when we use it. I am going to study this more, but there are three passages in Paul's letters where he expresses teaches justification by faith of Jesus.

That makes perfect sense and explains - from faith to faith - which has puzzled many scholars. Jesus, as a man under the Law, was tempted, so we should never downplay His human nature. Unlike us, He was able to resist all temptation, even the greatest one of all, facing the horrible betrayal and pain of His torture, crucifixion, and death.

As the Gospel of John teaches so clearly, the Father-Son relationship is so close that Jesus emphasized it always in His teaching. The Spirit witnesses to this in John, Matthew, and other places. The Father willed this series of events and the Son in faith followed those commands.If we only think of the divine nature of Christ, we do not think of His faith in the Father's love and gracious will. Therefore, justification begins with the Son's own faith, His obedience that led to the cross, the grave, resurrection, and ascension.

Application
Our greatest temptation is to think this Justification by Faith Alone does not apply to us, because our faults, sins, weaknesses, grave errors, and breaking of the law. Luther observed that those getting the death penalty did not have the luxury of denying their guilt. Their contrition was genuine because of what they are facing.

The Testament cannot be annulled, because God promised and Christ carried out that Promise of paying for our sins and giving us eternal life. What is promised and given to us is also promised and given to those who believe, no matter their status in life. Contrition goes before faith in Christ, because makes people hungry and thirsty for righteousness. 

If forgiveness is proclaimed to the unrepentant, they look at the speaker the way a cow looks at a newly painted fence, blinking, comprehending nothing. The only effect is to harden their hearts, the whole matter Luther addresses in the temptation to go back to paganism, rejoicing in forgiveness without sorrow for sin.

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The Purpose of This Blog - To Encourage Reading Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz

August 22, 2016, 3:44 am
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A short reading list for Lutheran laity, teachers, and pastors
is found here.

Greetings and I hope you are doing well!

Once again I must thank you for spurring my interest in getting into reading and examining Luther's Works.  Hearing the words of the reformer has been not only enlightening but also encouraging.  The authority he speaks with is always refreshing.  Luther pulls no punches and has the confidence in Scripture as his foundation.

As I know I've mentioned to you before, I've been picking up volumes of Luther's Works as I find them at used bookstores throughout Wisconsin.  Undoubtedly they've been tossed aside by synodical figures who found Luther too daunting to read!  However it speaks volumes that Luther's words sound relevant today even though they were composed centuries ago.

In his commentary in Vol 15 which consists of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon, he has moments that sound incredibly relevant.  Here is a section that I just had to share because of how vibrant his words are even to my modern ears.

On page 182 of Vol 15 concerning Ecclesiastes 12:8:

"He (Solomon) adds a recommendation of his teaching and an exhortation that we not be led astray by erring and varying doctrines but abide in that which has been prescribed.  For this is a great source of misery, that when God has awakened His Word and good teachers, immediately heretics and wicked teachers arise, who divert the people to themselves with some sort of rivalry.  This it was also the concern of the apostles to keep us in their doctrine.  Even sound doctrine and the Word of God are forced to endure the perversity.  When God has awakened the Word, right away there are heretics and apes (!) who imitate the Word.  Moses established the worship of God and certain ceremonies; immediately the apes followed him and erected idols.  That is how it is in the arts too.  If someone is a good poet, he is obliged to endure his Zoiluses.  If he is a good craftsman, he is followed by these pretenders.  Thus all the arts have their imitators, that is, their destroyers.  But worst of all is the fact that the crowd follows the foolish ones and prefers them to the genuine artists, as Christ said about them (Matt. 24:5): 'They will lead many astray.' Solomon is complaining about that here."


Doesn't Luther just explain away the frivolous new "flavor of the month" approach to the Word that passes for worship these days in many churches?  This definitely exposes some of the weak tea that is preached from so many pulpits while coffee is being served to an ever-shrinking congregation as the praise band drones on.  Right here Luther addresses such abominations such as UOJ and pietism and unionism and synodical yammerings. 


Hoping that this message finds you well!


In Christ,

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Holy Moly - Creation Distribution and Recycling

August 22, 2016, 4:05 am
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 "Holy Moly, what a savings account.
I have 1,200 earthworms tucked away!"
The Michigander reported that a man was digging in his front yard to find a water turn-off valve. The owner asked, "Did you find any earthworms?"

The man answered, "Millions."

The Michigander followed my advice to buy red wiggler earthworms from Uncle Jim's and scatter them on the surface of the soil, last year and this spring. He attributes lush growth in the yard to the work of the earthworms, who never stop, multiply on their own - all for a small, one-time fee.

My neighbor thinks it is too cold for red wigglers and we have hardly any winter. Michigan has real winters and the red wigglers are thriving there. The genius of earthworm engineering allows the egg capsules to wait out bad weather, cold or dry, and hatch later. If all the adults died, which is unlikely, the eggs will hatch when the time is right. Four to six baby worms emerge and reach adulthood in about two months.

I found this quotation intriguing:
Insects are undoubtedly mole nutritive staples, but they're not actually their first priority. Large earthworms are actually what moles generally like to eat the most. Moles consider earthworms to be so valuable they regularly stash them away for later consumption. If they have an earthworm surplus, they tuck them away inside designated safekeeping units. One researcher found a unit consisting of more than 1,200 earthworms. The unit also housed several grubs.

The mole who stores a vast collection of earthworms and grubs is also distributing a large collection of useful nitrogen and other organic chemicals for plants. If he eats them all, they become part of the soil eventually. Otherwise, the earthworms are going to give off some egg capsules before they become food or fertilizer.

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The base of the Crepe Myrtle show off its
dried, pruned flowers (John 15).
When I find rotten wood on our Sassy-walks,
the new additions go on top.


The places cleansed of earthworms will repopulate quickly enough. Depending on how rich and well watered the soil is, the earthworm population can only reach a certain population density. Our mole cleaned the entire area under the Crepe Myrtle bush - an object of awe and wonder in our neighborhood. I keep renewing the organic food under the plant and doubtless a hearty earthworm population has returned in force.

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I cut all the blooms from the lower half
and placed them underneath for added mulch.
The lower half has already re-bloomed completely.


We had soil, rabbit manure, and earthworms under rabbit cages, and that meant teeming balls of earthworms, all well fed on high nitrogen waste. That population was much denser because of the food, moisture, and soil. We kept some in each kiddie pool when we emptied the container of earthworm packed soil. At some point the worms could not keep up with the rabbits' output, so thousands of packed wiggling earthworms were put into the garden. With new fresh soil, the population exploded again and again. The garden in Midland was quite rich from Rabbit-Gro (TM). The Silver Queen corn patch, started on top of a deep compost pit, was especially productive and healthy.

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Our helper planted these red and white Calladiums in the shade of the maple.
Roses also bloom under the heavily pruned maple tree.
We try to keep up with trash trees and bushes that spring up,
but the Hog Weed (upper right) is tolerated
for its ability to fix nitrogen.
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All Things Bright and Beautiful - Manage the Creation Garden

August 22, 2016, 4:47 am
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Europeana rose, framed by Bermuda grass.

We enjoyed heavy rains and a long follow-up rain on Saturday. Now all the containers for rain are filled and overflowing, and more rain may arrive in a few days. This is a good time to put the extra rain on favorite roses and any plants that need additional water and fertilizer.

I carpeted the bird-feeding area with new cardboard, which was thoroughly soaked by that rain. The other garden next to the house - reserved for Hosta and blueberries - was carpeted by our helper just before a windstorm, then rains, so opportunistic Bermuda grass is popping up where the cardboard inched over - in spite of every weight I could find as that storm developed.

The bird-feeding area has one layer of leaves on it. I told our Army Ranger that I wanted the leaves he was raking up. Later that day he delivered four large bags. I need four more to cover that portion of cardboard.

I used to think I was feeding the soil creatures with this treatment, and that is a good marker by itself. Earthworms thrive where the soil is rich - and make it even richer, sweeter, mixed, and tunneled. But now I am more focused on the soil microbes.

The microscopic creatures are the foundation for all soil life, animals and plants alike. Bacteria are so prolific that they would take over the entire planet in a few days if nothing stopped them. That is why we take fungal products when we have infections.

Bacteria are also created and engineered to live and digest food in the earthworm gut. Earthworms can shred and grind as they tunnel through soil. They can give off Caltrate and nitrogen products, and even concentrate other minerals in their castings. But bacteria do the digesting.

I do not have to decide who does what, because this is under constant management by the Creator. I may toss a wad of lawnmower droppings under the Crepe Myrtle bush one day, rotten wood the next, and bush clippings the next. This will happen:

  • Bacteria will work on the green, juicy grass.
  • Molds will form on the plant matter to devour the more complex chemicals. 
  • Fungus strands will deliver food and moisture to the plant's root hairs, getting carbon in return.
  • Spiders will cast nets across the mulch to snare insects.
  • Earthworms will come up from below to shred plants, work on the cellulose, and leave castings (worm manure).
  • Various composting creatures - like centipedes, millipedes, and pillbugs - will eat and be eaten. No one is spared, no, not one. They rise from the soil and return in another form.
  • The mole will visit and sample earthworms and grubs.



"Our God, Our Help in Ages Past"
by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

1. Our God, our Help in ages past,
Our Hope for years to come,
Our Shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal Home!
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

5. Thy word commands our flesh to dust:
"Return ye sons of men!"
All nations rose from earth at first
And turn to earth again.

6. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

7. Like flowery fields the nations stand,
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower's hand
Lie withering ere 'tis night.

8. Our God, our Help in ages past,
Our Hope for years to come,
Be Thou our Guard while troubles last
And our eternal Home!

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #123
Text: Ps. 90
Author: Isaac Watts, 1719, ab.
Composer: William Croft, 1708
Tune: "St. Anne"

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Heavenly Jewels  - By Norma Boeckler


All Things Bright and Beautiful
Music: 17th century melody, arr. by Susan I. Lindquist
Words: Cecil Francis Alexander.

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings.

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.
The purple-headed mountain, The river running by,
The sunset and the morning, That brightens up the sky;
The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one;

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.
He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.

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Most Viewed - Last Seven Days. ELDONUT Song Leads

August 22, 2016, 7:15 am
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Paul McCain's Advice to the Intrepid Lutherans in 2013 - An Ever-Flowing Stygian Stream of Sophism. Banned from His Third Blog

August 22, 2016, 12:54 pm
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Paul McCain said...
Just one more suggestion, if I may.

I'd suggest doing all you can possibly do to put as much distance between yourself and that wacko Greg Jackson as humanly possible. [GJ - Editor McCain repeats himself.]

I urged Pastor Rydecki to do so, but he remained very silent, which I found more than a bit disturbing. [GJ - Very silent? Is that more silent than silent?]

It's one thing to stand up for what you think is truth, but quite another sort of total foolishness to allow your church body to be trashed in such reckless, and frankly, psychotic fashion, by Jackson, a man who is championing "your cause" as he sees it.  [GJ - Whose mental health was challenged by a moderate, irenic discussion blog?McCain's.]

JANUARY 17, 2013 AT 3:03 PM
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Intrepid Lutherans said...
Dear Rev. McCain,

Your ad hominem attack and personal insult against Greg Jackson is irrelevant, unchristian and out of place, especially here where we have made it clear that such personal attacks are unwelcome.

You may consider yourself banned from making further comments on Intrepid Lutherans.


***

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GJ - From a man who said he did not "have a spoon in that soup," McCain seems to be double-dipping. Shocking too is his obvious devotion to my blog. I admit that I only read Cyberplagiarist when I need something to remind me how bad things really are.

He must read Ichabod a lot, but he is not clear about what bothers him.

Paul McCain has been banned from LutherQuest, ALPB's Online Forum, and now the Intrepid Lutherans.

The strangest part of this is my obvious distance from the Intrepid Lutherans. I have no role in its management, no suggestions for anything they cover. I do not link them on my blog.

Meanwhile, McCain pops up on various forums and tells people they cannot link Ichabod, etc. I heard that happened at least once on Steadfast (sic) Lutherans (sic). I only read those if someone gives me a link to a post differing from the predictable instant mashed potatoes rah rah for Holy Mother Synod and its infallible ruler.

I would define a psychotic as someone who puts "The Word of God Remains Forever" on his pistolero collection and teaches against the Scriptures, full-time.
I teach at three institutions of higher learning, including graduate school. They frown on employing psychotics.

Sadly, McCain cannot teach at a college or university. He is not qualified. His writing and editing skills are on display every time he posts something original, such as the incoherent rant above.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Paul McCain Banned from Another Website - Three So...":

Some folks feel the need to be the resident smart aleck. They always have to get the last word in and enjoy lording themselves over others. It reminds me of the phrase "seagull manager". It refers to one who swoops in, makes a lot of noise and leaves behind a big mess for others to clean up. 

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Adolph Hoenecke has left a new comment on your post "Paul McCain Banned from Another Website - Three So...":

Does anyone know the record for number of blogs from which one individual has been banned? 

***

GJ - Doubtless being banned from four (4) is an enviable record - if someone wants to envy No Call Paul.

---

On Extra Nos - Dr. Lito Cruz' Blog
http://extranos.blogspot.com/2010/07/needing-philanthropic-help.html
Paul McCain said...

Mr. Jackson is a sad and pathetic character. I believe he suffers from some serious emotional conditions about which we can only but feel a lot of pity.


I've learned over the years that personalities like Mr. Jackson thrive on attention, and so desperate and hungry for it that they will do anything they possibly can to be noticed, recognized and given the kind of respect they think they deserve.


Mr. Jackson has moved from Lutheran church to Lutheran church, bouncing from one to another and another and then yet another.


He is now reduced to a fake house/bedroom church and feels a need to lash out and any all real/imagined errors.


His anger and bittnerness oozes out of his every post.




The only thing to do with people like Mr. Jackson is forgive them, and commend them to God's grace and then simply ignore them.


By the way, at its latest convention The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod specifically named and commended "Concordia :The Lutheran Confessions" and recommended it be the edition of the Lutheran Confessions read and studied by the congregations and members of the Synod.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 2:26:00 AM GMT+10


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Clik here to view. Brett Meyer said...

Rev. McCain, you recommend ignoring people like Pastor Jackson as you characterize him but yet you don't do it yourself.

I take issue with your false claim that Bethany Lutheran is not a church, that those who have called Pastor Jackson to be their Public Minister of the Word are not able to have done so and neither was it effective.

Also, what is the error in lashing out, exposing, real errors? To condemn such appropriate actions to the benefit of anyone who will listen and apply the Word and Confessions is to expose yourself. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 3:27:00 AM GMT+10
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Updating Luther on False Teachers

August 22, 2016, 4:24 pm
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Luther has a list of characteristic of false teachers, which I will try to find and repost below. The old post from Paul McCain and the ELDONUTs moved me to make a new list.

I. They are drama queens. They are not content to object to something. Everything they dislike has to be portrayed as the worst possible thing that will destroy the Lutheran Church (or anything else) as we know it.

II. Their accusations are never substantiated by facts. Item -  "quite another sort of total foolishness to allow your church body to be trashed in such reckless, and frankly, psychotic fashion, by Jackson..."Trashed? Exactly how? WELS has not changed a bit by years of blogging, except there is more of the same under Mark Schroeder and his boss Mark Jeske. What exactly is this psychotic fashion, other than identifying McCain's plagiarism and supporting Justification by Faith Alone? McCain's medical qualifications are even worse than his Catholic-Lutheran education. Perhaps he forgot that is the most common accusation lobbed by overpaid and under-worked church bureaucrats.

III. The false teachers constantly work behind everyone's backs while howling about public admonition. As McCain revealed in his tirade sent to the Intrepid Lutherans, he warned Rydecki about me, but Rydecki was mature enough to make his own decisions. Earlier, McCain sought me out at Ft. Wayne, wrote friendly letters to me, and asked me to review Marquart's book in CN (which sold like hotcakes after). And McCain reviewed Liberalism favorably in CN, which also sold very well. McCain invited me to the Purple Palace. 

IV. They describe good as horribly evil and unChristian. This tactic has been the favorite of Church Growth and Universal Objective Justification. Discussing sound doctrine is "Christian bashing." Those who teach St. Paul's Biblical Justification by Faith Alone are "OJ deniers!" - which sounds like "Global Warming Deniers." Listen to the Left-wing describe conservative Americans and the same drama queen language dominates.  

V. The false teachers must silence, shun, and exile everyone who disagrees with their agenda. They never stop their raging activity, going from entity to entity to carry out their ministry of suppression. In the age of social media, that does not work well. In the past we would not have known that McCain was kicked off three different websites:

  1. Intrepid Lutherans banned him.
  2. ALPB Online Forum put him in time-outs and finally banned him.
  3. LutherQuest stopped linking his Roman Catholic plagiarism.
VI. They destroy friendships rather than building relationships. Their influence is so toxic that disrupt many relationships. That makes no difference to them, as long as they retain their illusionary power.

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Quote from: Richard Johnson on July 26, 2010, 08:42:41 PM

Editor McCain,

Some of us here appreciate and wish to continue to hear Pr. Austin's reflections on the LWF assembly.This is your last chance. Here's the deal: I am asking you to STOP commenting on any of the threads related to the LWF. If you fail to do so, I will suspend your membership on the forum until after the LWF assembly is over. Are we clear?

Whatever you say, Moderator Johnson.


ALPB Online Forum

GJ - Note that McCain has 600 posts on a forum he quit because it was harming his mental health.

***
GJ - I continue to get communications from people who thank me about the synodical facts being reported on this blog. They have seen the same corruption of doctrine, the same evil behavior at a close range. Most Lutheran blogs want  to argue about individual cups for communion and other trivia.

Luther on False Teachers

False Teachers Use Work of Others

J-635.1

"Note the master hand wherewith Paul portrays the character of false teachers, showing how they betray their avarice and ambition. First, they permit true teachers to lay the foundation and perform the labor; then they come and desire to do the work over, to reap the honors and the benefits. They bring about that the name and the work of the true teachers receive no regard and credit; what they themselves have brought—that is the thing. They make the poor simple-minded people to stare open-mouthed while they win them with flowery words and seduce them with fair speeches, as mentioned in Romans 16:18. These are the idle drones that consume the honey they will not and cannot make." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 110. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9; Romans 16:18.

False Doctrine Tolerated

J-636.1

"And such false teachers have the good fortune that all their folly is tolerated, even though the people realize how these act the fool, and rather rudely at that. They have success with it all, and people bear with them. But no patience is to be exercised toward true teachers! Their words and their works are watched with the intent of entrapping them, as complained of in Psalm 17:9 and elsewhere. When only apparently a mote is found, it is exaggerated to a very great beam. No toleration is granted. There is only judgment, condemnation and scorn. Hence the office of preaching is a grievous one. He who has not for his sole motive the benefit of his neighbor and the glory of God cannot continue therein. The true teacher must labor, and permit others to have the honor and profit of his efforts, while he receives injury and derision for his reward."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 110f. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9. Psalm 17:9.

God Punishes Ingratitude by Allowing False Teachers

J-637.1

"In the second place such teachers are disposed to bring the people into downright bondage and to bind their conscience by forcing laws upon them and teaching works-righteousness. The effect is that fear impels them to do what has been pounded into them, as if they were bondslaves, while their teachers command fear and attention. But the true teachers, they who give us freedom of conscience and create us lords, we soon forget, even despise. The dominion of false teachers is willingly tolerated and patiently endured; indeed, it is given high repute. All those conditions are punishments sent by God upon them who do not receive the Gospel with love and gratitude."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 111. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9. John 5:43.



False Teachers Flay Disciples to Bone

J-638.1

"In the third place, false teachers flay their disciples to the bone, and cut them out of house and home, but even this is taken and endured. Such, I opine, has been our experience under the Papacy. But true preachers are even denied their bread. Yet this all perfectly squares with justice! For, since men fail to give unto those from whom they receive the Word of God, and permit the latter to serve them at their own expense, it is but fair they should give the more unto preachers of lies, whose instruction redounds to their injury. What is withheld from Christ must be given in tenfold proportion to the devil. They who refuse to give the servant of truth a single thread, must be oppressed by liars." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 111f. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.


Avarice in False Teachers

J-639.1

"Fourth, false apostles forcibly take more than is given them. They seize whatever and whenever they can, thus enhancing their insatiable avarice. This, too, is excused in them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.


They Lord It Over Us

J-640.1

"Fifth, these deceitful teachers, not satisfied with having acquired our property, must exalt themselves above us and lord it over us...We bow our knees before them, worship them and kiss their feet. And we suffer it all, yes, with fearful reverence regard it as just and right. And it is just and right, for why did we not honor the Gospel by accepting and preserving it?"
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.



We Are Dogs and Foot-Rags

J-641.1

"Sixth, our false apostles justly reward us by smiting us in the face. That is, they consider us inferior to dogs; they abuse us, and treat us as foot-rags."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.

False Teachers Are Peacocks

J-642.1

"The peacock is an image of heretics and fanatical spirits. For on the order of the peacock they, too, show themselves and strut about in their gifts, which never are outstanding. But if they could see their feet, that is the foundation of their doctrine, they would be stricken with terror, lower their crests, and humble themselves. To be sure, they, too, suffer from jealousy, because they cannot bear honest and true teachers. They want to be the whole show and want to put up with no one next to them. And they are immeasurably envious, as peacocks are. Finally, they have a raucous and unpleasant voice, that is, their doctrine is bitter and sad for afflicted and godly minds; for it casts consciences down more than it lifts them up and strengthens them."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 642.

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Concordia Publishing House Markets the Reformation to Alcoholics

August 23, 2016, 3:04 am
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Reformation 500 Musical Bottle Opener








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This musical bottle opener is sure to delight as it plays a rousing organ clip of A Mighty Fortress.

The countdown is on to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on October 31, 2017! Our collection of gifts will help you proudly pronounce the Lutheran confession of faith in your own, unique way!

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Dear WELS Answer Person,
My problem is - Can a WELS member buy something from an LCMS business? I know we work together all the time with those really great lady pastors of ELCA, but this seems to cross the boundaries of church fellowship. I couldn't sleep after ordering 5 of these, thinking about what my DP might say or do.
Sincerely,
WELS of Pure Doctrine

WELS-Answerbot:
If only all our members were as keen about doctrinal fine points as you are. 
I escalated this to an actual person, and she said, "Although we are now open friends with the LCMS, we cannot cross the line of celebrating the Reformation with them. Some have denied Objective Justification. It's best you spend your money at Luther Days, which was organized by people with addiction problems for those with addiction problems. Frankly, we need a few more to become the "Largest Distinctly Lutheran Conference in North America."
Bishop Katie - Have a Successful Day!
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"Let ush pray."
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Consider Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant - To Celebrate the Reformation. Ideal for Adult and Confirmation Classes, And for Lutheran-Roman Catholic Marriages

August 23, 2016, 4:21 am
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Available from Amazon here, and also as a Kindle e-book here.
To get the printed copy at the author's cost, email me
at greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com
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When I was leaving the LCA, I attended
lectures by Kurt Marquart and Robert Preus.
My wife and son were also on the campus at that time.
I began rewriting Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant some time ago, mostly to improve the style and remove typos. The format and content are the same, except Norma Boeckler has added more of her artwork to the book. She designed the beautiful cover.

This is the third edition. One advantage of using Amazon is the lowered cost of the books, compared to Lulu (where people had to wait for discounts). The author's cost is only $6, which I charge when people want multiple copies sent to them to use as gifts or for church study. Since I am under the pan-Lutheran ban for being a Lutheran, I do not expect great sales, which depend on publishing house distribution and promotion. Instead, it is part of our congregation's evangelism and doctrinal study efforts.

The low author's cost makes it easy to send books to various libraries and individuals. The initials after my name stand for Every Day Low Prices, which I borrowed from Walmart.

The retail cost is much higher because Amazon keeps a chunk of it - only $5 is included for profit.

Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant has been used all over Lutherdom - for study, for adult classes, and for confirmation. Christian News (LCMS) and Northwestern Publishing House (WELS) have both promoted the book. Professor John Brug suggested it to his students.

Another reason for re-publishing the book is the Kindle edition. If people want to search a book and quote it with the citation, e-books are great. I use them all the time for gardening. Kindle books are portable for all devices.

I wrote the book to explain differences and agreements among Catholics, Lutherans, and Protestants. I used the vast resources of a Vatican owned seminary in Columbus, Ohio to verify Roman Catholic doctrine. My database of quotations was useful in documenting what denominations taught - in their words.

Our family has always sought out opportunities to learn from others, so this book is a bridge between the old days of Seminex and Vatican II in the old days and our current doctrinal situation.

Some figures I have known, met, heard speak, or studied under include:
Dr. Jack Preus +
Dr. Robert Preus +
Pastor Klemet Preus +
Dr. David Scaer +
Dr. Ralph Bohmann +
Pastor Herman Otten
Professor Kurt Marquart +
Professor David Scaer
LCA President Robert Marshall +
LCA President James Crumley +
ELCA President Herb Chilstrom
Cardinal Mindszenty +
Paul Y. Cho - now David Cho
Billy Graham
D. James Kennedy +
Rick Warren
Roland Bainton +
Paul L. Holmer +
Stanley Hauerwas
Nils Dahl +
Frank Fiorenza
Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza
John Howard Yoder +
Otto Heick +
Professor Friedrich

The + marks those who have passed into the next life, most of those on the list.


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 Norma Boeckler was kind enough to provide more of her artwork
and new covers for the book.

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Another Book - Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure - To Be Re-Published Soon

August 23, 2016, 5:35 am
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I wrote a series of articles about how the mainline churches became apostate. After all, Yale University once taught the reality of Adam and Eve, the apostolic authority of the Gospel of John.

I aimed the essays at Christian News, but Pastor Otten suggested they be sent to Northwestern Publishing House (WELS). NPH accepted the manuscript for publication, but asked this - "You have the cause, but what is the cure?"

Shortly after that, I gave a paper on the Means of Grace and the differences with the Church Growth Movement. Wally Oelhafen, Fred Adrian (WELS District Mission Board) and Roger Kovaciny went nuts with rage. All three were WELS pastors at the time. Kovaciny went ELS to work in the Ukraine with Jar Jar Webber. Adrian left the ministry for a time and was welcomed back by DP John Seifert, another alleged conservative.

While Kovo was throwing my paper in the air and cursing, and the DMB roaring, I thought, "This is the cure chapter." And thus the book was finished, more or less. NPH took forever to finish the publishing, for reasons never disclosed to me. The moment the book came out, it sold like crazy, and WELS did everything possible to get rid of me.

The Church Growth faction in WELS, even more dominant now, kicked out the editor who backed my work. The bosses pushed their SHUN! buttons and lots of pastors stopped speaking to me, unless they wanted to vent their ignorance.

NPH accepted then refused to publish Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. They made up for that lapse by promoting CLP in direct mailings and selling boxes of it that they bought via Christian News.

One of my friends in insurance said that Liberalism taught him about mainline Christianity and that I showed him what the Christian Faith meant.

The book is even more relevant today, because it tracks the origins and end game of apostasy - falling away from the Faith. That is the point of this blog, to show people what is happening and provide the cure - the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace.

I want people to read the apostate books, whether I have vetted them or not, because faithful Christian believers need to practice doctrinal discernment - rather than have selected works spoon-fed to them - the rest banned "to prevent harm."

Since this is a smaller book, the author's price should be even lower than Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, so this book would also make a good adult class textbook.

Liberalism is in the finishing stages for Amazon and Kindle e-books. The  budget is:

$100 - proofing.
$100 - finishing editor.
$100 - free promotional copies.
$300 - TOTAL.

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 Norma Boeckler designed the new covers
and provided illustrations for the interior.
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Patience, Water, and Mulch. Trumpet Vine Blooms

August 24, 2016, 5:56 am
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Many plants take longer to become established than we imagine. The famous one is Asparagus, because the roots build up energy for delicious spears several years before they are harvested. Between the delay - common to all perennials - and the Purgatorial labors assigned to simply planting a crown of roots, most people are scared to death of heart attacks while digging and qualifying for Social Security before getting a few spears.

Birds plant them in the wild by perching on fences. Readers may guess the rest of the planting operation.

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"I'm just here for a drink, really."


The old asparagus planting guides had the poor gardeners digging and moving soil like they were creating another Panama Canal. I opened up holes in the earthwormed and mulched soil, dropped them in, and left them alone.

Year 1 - Plant asparagus crowns, let them fern out.
Year 2 - Let them fern out.
Year 3 - Harvest when spears come up that are as thick as a man's thumb.



Roses, Clethra, Beautyberry, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Gooseberry, and many more became established last year and now are thriving - and when stoloniferous - spreading like rumors. Like grass, many plants spread through underground stolons, making gardeners say "My Blackberries are spreading like wild and cornering the house!" and soon - "Do you need any Blackberry starts? Bueller, Bueller, anyone? anyone?"

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Norma Boeckler's Hummingbird.


Trumpet Vine is another slow mover. Three sticks arrived in the mail last year. I soaked them in rainwater for 24 hours, and they showed signs of life. They were planted thus -

  • The first on the sunny side of the Maple Tree, where roses were watered.
  • The second on the shady side of a backyard tree, mostly neglected.
  • The third next to Mrs. Wright's fence, where it would get more sun, plus water from the Jackson Aerial Aqueduct - soaker hose on top of the fence.
Little growth was showing in the first year, and I wondered if the most neglected vine would survive.
The fence vine did a little better, and the Maple Rose Garden vine definitely spread and climbed the tree a bit.

The second year of growth is almost done. The first two are doing well and do even better as they become more stoloniferous and established next year.

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The fence Trumpet Vine is already the mother of all vines, above the fence, spreading along the chain link network, and - what's that? - blooming. I leaned over the fence and saw my first Trumpet Vine flower, thanklessly blooming on the other side, facing away from its guardian and protector  - me. Nevertheless, I was delighted.

Why bother with Trumpet Vine? They are the ideal Hummingbird flower. Instead of repeated purchases of Hummingbird food, I grow it for the future. They also like Bee Balm, a mint that can grow in clumps or spread like...mint.

Most feeders for Hummingbirds are shaped and colored to look like Trumpet Vine flowers.

That Long Delay Before Flowering and Fruiting
Most will say, "The long term plants take so long because the roots have to become established," a vague sort of statement that makes anyone nod seriously.

That solemn declaration neglects the complex facts of establishment, all established by the Creating Word and engineered to perfection:
  • The soil needs to be left alone to allow the creatures to do their work.
  • Roots grow and root hairs add to the miles  of plant exposure to the soil. Yes, yes, we all know that.
  • The fungi establish the feeding system between the vine roots and sources of food and moisture. The vine offers carbon in exchange for needed nutrition.
  • Bacteria and other microbes form a food foundation for the higher level animals, like earthworms.
  • Earthworms tunnel and improve the soil, opening up channels for water to penetrate the soil in greater depth.
  • Pests attract pest eaters - beneficial creatures - so that level of food/feeder is begun.
  • The early growth of the vine - or any plant - creates a better soil environment for all other living things.
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 Someone created this excellent summary of Calvinism and Roman Catholicism.
Calvinists deny the Sacraments are efficacious.
Roman Catholics neglect the Scriptures.

The Gospel takes time to be established too. Many have the start of faith but do not feed this beginning with more study of the Word and Means of Grace worship. Mega-churches are collapsing because they began on the shifting sand of entertainment fads and saw that wash away and undermine their lucrative business.

My neighbor wanted more tomatoes so she used chemical fertilizer. She said, "I have lots of  vines but no tomatoes." I said, "With nitrogen you get all green and no fruit."

The rah-rah rock churches were all about the green, the loot, and bore no fruit to perfection.

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Cardboard Bonanza - Roses Make Everyone Happy

August 24, 2016, 6:26 am
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We were allowed to dumpster dive for cardboard at a fast food place. I lowered Chris in carefully. Just kidding.

Our helper jumped in, literally, and we loaded the Icha-boat with thick cardboard. He was worried about filling up the car. I said, "You can walk home. The cardboard is more important."

He reacted strongly and then laughed.

We have so much that we could finish all of our front yard areas and continue in the Wild Garden. We are also using our supply of rain-soaked newspapers to fill in the gaps.

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Veterans Honor


Once free mulch becomes an agenda item in the garden, more and more will appear within reach.

Organic mulch is anything that has lived - within reason. Our favorites are wood products - shredded wood mulch, newspapers, packing paper, and cardboard. We also use pine needles to add some acid to the Blueberries - and that can help roses too. Leaves are abundant in our yards and all the others, so we save all of ours on top of the gardens and grab bags from others - light, pleasant to smell, - and ideal for beneficial insects, earthworms, and improving the soil.

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Purple Splash


Our helper's yard:

  1. He has two roses from our collection. Purple Splash. They are pruned and mulched.
  2. He transplanted a pesky maple from our yard, mulched it, and now it is 10 feet tall.
  3. His neighbor gave him mint, and that is growing in abundance, as I warned.

Our almost next-door neighbor has Veterans Honor from our garden, and a good friend has a group of VH in memory of her late husband.

Roses inspire happiness. After our big rain, with a wait of a few days, the roses are in another bloom cycle, aided and abetted by extra rainwater from our barrels. I don't mind hauling water like a peasant when roses bloom as a result.

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 California Dreamin

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Beginning - The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine: Luther's Biblical Doctrine of the Word

August 24, 2016, 7:58 am
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 One more theory -
https://oroblanco.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/could-the-lost-dutchman-black-maverick-and-doc-thorn-mines-be-one-in-the-same/




The Lost Dutchman’s Goldmine:
Luther’s Biblical Doctrine of the Word

Gregory L. Jackson, PhD







Martin Chemnitz Press
Text copyright, Gregory L. Jackson, 2016
Art copyright, Norma A. Boeckler, 2016



Introduction
When I taught in Southeast Phoenix, I often drove toward the Superstition Mountains, which seemed especially beautiful and mysterious as the sun was setting behind me. Local papers and national TV remind everyone of the fabled Lost Dutchman’s Goldmine, located in the Superstitions, near Apache Junction, so rich in gold that some dreamers have spent decades looking for it.

The Dutchman, a nickname often used for Germans, is Dr. Jacob Waltz. He had a map and directions to a goldmine with the richest ore he had ever seen. In one published story, a sample of the ore proved that it was indeed the purest gold ever found.
This legend, based on fact and enlarged by many fanciful tales and deadly searches, reminds me of another German goldmine, almost entirely lost, almost a myth today.

When Lutherans celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, they will be selling beer bottle openers that play “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” and other trinkets, supposedly in honor of Martin Luther. The gadgets demean a man so lost to history that Robert Wilken -  once a Lutheran doctoral advisor at Notre Dame – declared, “There is a new Luther for every generation.” Wilken is now a Roman Catholic layman and is a Distinguished Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology
.
My research in the Scriptures and comparative dogmatics have uncovered the most basic concept of Biblical teaching, which Luther highlighted and the Reformed rejected. Although the papal theologians used the Scriptures to debate the Lutherans at first, they soon turned to denouncing the Word of God as unclear, incomplete, and in need of the ultimate judge and exegete – the Pope.

Decades ago, Lutherans taught this Biblical doctrine of the Word and normally used those expressions in discussing the Christian Faith, worship, doctrine, and practice. But the map to Luther’s goldmine has apparently been lost, so leaders veer into Pentecostal, Evangelical, business, occult, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic gulches, washes, and flash floods.




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