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Internet Is Failing This Morning - No Service

January 25, 2015, 8:07 am
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Cox is repeatedly failing today, so we will not have a live service. I am sorry this happened again.

Actually, it is more likely a Ustream problem because we are getting Cox TV and Net and email.
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Weirdness at Martin Luther College, WELS

January 26, 2015, 3:43 am
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They have an MLC Crushes Facebbook page, where individuals leave anonymous messages.



MLC Crushes
November 29, 2014 · 
Elijah Ehlert,
Every time I see you my heart skips a beat,
I see you most often when you’re down in the caf to eat.
You have a great sense of style,
And your smile can make anyone smile.
You seem like such a nice guy,
But I can’t seem to talk to you and I don’t know why.
Maybe I will see you in the fitness center in the evening,
It could be our first meeting.


MLC Crushes
November 18, 2013 · 
Ben Feddersen,
Your muscles... mmmm.
Love, Maris

Dearest Abby Braun -
But I don't want "good" and I don't want "good enough"
I want "can't sleep, can't breathe without your love"
Front porch and one more kiss, it doesn't make sense to anybody else
Who cares if you're all I think about,
I've searched the world and I know now,
It ain't right if you ain't lost your mind
Yeah, I don't want easy, I want crazy
Are you with me baby? Let's be crazy.
Love,
your secret country lover

MLC Crushes
November 21, 2013 · 
Dearest Yaffet,
I'd write your last name but let's be honest, if I can't pronounce it then I probably can't spell it.
I love that you are so exotic and foreign. I'd love to explore new things with you(;
Sincerely,
Dark Chocolate Lover
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WELS Reaction to the Matthew Harrison Stomp - Valparaiso's Favorite Apostate Matt Becker Exonerated

January 26, 2015, 3:29 pm
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WELS Discussions on the Recent Matt Harrison Stomp about Valpo Apostate Matt Becker


  • Daniel Baker Also I'd point out that the only reason the Becker fellow is FINALLY being dealt with is because it is being talked about in forums like this.
    1 hr · Unlike · 7
  • Joe Jewell Rik Krahn and Noah Bater--since you asked--just to give one very (extraordinarily, in fact) well-documented and analagous WELS example in which the "official" disciplinary/review panel from the district/synod structure reached an unjust and harmful conclusion, that is absolutely *crying out* for President Schroeder to stand up and use his "bully pulpit" take leadership on, I submit:

    https://vdma.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/church-status/

    I think, quite frankly, that this is a WORSE case of injustice, in terms of the pastoral consequences and implications, than the LCMS case, because it involves 1) the endorsement by the District of the pastoral sheep-flaying of a simple layman--this is spiritual abuse of the most wretched order; and 2) the conviction and expulsion of a demonstrably innocent man.

    It's been over three years of the status quo, now. Time for someone, somewhere in the synod to take a public stand for the right.



    Church Status
    Saint Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Freedom, WI (WELS) was my life-long home congregation.  (St....
    VDMA.WORDPRESS.COM
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Church Status


IMG_8807 csed
Saint Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Freedom, WI (WELS) was my life-long home congregation.  (St. Peter’s daughter congregation is The CORE in Appleton, WI).
In the Spring of 2011, the leadership of St. Peter Congregation terminated my fellowship with the WELS as a persistent errorist based on two letters that I wrote.  Those two letters are linked below:
They said in a certified letter that they removed me as a persistent errorist because in those letters I publicly disagreed with Pastor Glende and the Northern Wisconsin District Presidium on three doctrinal issues:
  1. I said that plagiarism was a sin, and that Pastor Glende was guilty of plagiarism.
  2. I said that God does not need our service: in other words, the means of grace are sufficient.
  3. I said that in the light of faith Christians cannot choose to believe God’s Word: in other words, from beginning to end, faith is 100% the gift of God.
Because I believed that these positions were not doctrinal error, I appealed.  However, the Northern Wisconsin District Appeal Board denied my appeal without explanation.  (Because the Appeal Board’s written decision contained no explanation, I believe their decision was based on politics, not principle).  Now, I have three choices:
  1. Sin against my conscience by renouncing the above true Christian doctrine, and then presumably rejoin St. Peter Congregation.
  2. Refuse to publicly recant the true Christian doctrine, and remain excluded from the WELS forever.  (The WELS Constitution §§ 8.30(c) and 8.50(e) would forbid my return).
  3. Disregard the District Appeal Board’s ruling and the WELS Constitution(§§ 8.30(c) and 8.50(e)), and continue indefinitely in triangular fellowship with other WELS congregations who agree with me in doctrine.  (Currently, this is where I am).
In summary, the leadership of St. Peter Congregation terminated my fellowship with the WELS because I questioned the methodology and doctrine of Pastors Glende and Skorzewski and the Northern Wisconsin District Presidium’s defense of their false doctrine and practice.
I did my best to resolve these issues in a brotherly way by spending years attempting to meet privately, and then after years of private effort, by ultimately bringing these concerns to the Church.  In return, the leadership of St. Peter Congregation terminated my fellowship with the WELS as a persistent errorist.
Lord, have mercy.
For further reading:
As background to this post, please see the previous posts: “Terminated from WELS Fellowship” and “Receiving Holy Communion in the WELS.”
On April 11, 2011 St. Peter congregation terminated my fellowship with the WELS as a persistent errorist, and also removed my brother from membership in the congregation.  (Minutes from April 11, 2011 meeting.  As part of this citation, I need to say that my dad gave me the minutes from this meeting.  This needs to be said because other members of St. Peter have expressed concern that Pastor Glende will call them in to question them about where I got a copy of these minutes, and I want to spare them additional church discipline).
Since my fellowship with the WELS was terminated wrongfully, I appealed.  On June 23, 2011, I received the following letter:
June 17, 2011
Dear Mr. Techlin,
We thank you for the material you provided to our Board of Appeals and for the time you spent with us.  After prayerfully considering the evidence in the matter of your appeal, we, the members of the Northern Wisconsin District Board of Appeals have determined that St. Peter Lutheran congregation had Scriptural reasons for removing you from membership and, in doing so, acted in the spirit of Christian love.  We are therefore, denying your appeal.
We commend you to the care of our gracious God, trusting that he will be at work in you “… to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
Sincerely,
Pastor David Wenzel
NWD Board of Appeals
It is hard to accept this because the Board of Appeals offered no reasons to support their decision.  Left unanswered are the following questions:
  • What are the “Scriptural reasons” for my termination of fellowship?
  • Of what false doctrine am I guilty?
  • Of what do I need to repent before I can commune?
In order to commune, am I supposed to say that God needs our service?  Am I supposed to say that Christians can choose to believe God’s Word?  Am I supposed to say that the deceit and false doctrine involved with plagiarizing false teachers is not a sin?
How can an ambush termination of fellowship be construed as acting “in the spirit of Christian love”?  Where am I supposed to receive the Lord’s Supper?  What denomination am I supposed to join?  Am I supposed to become an unaffiliated lone Lutheran Christian who never communes?  Or should I join a denomination that actually serves the Lord’s Supper more than twice a month, and just forget about agreeing with anyone on doctrine?
The Board of Appeals was supposed to determine “whether the process leading to the disciplinary action and the doctrinal basis of the disciplinary action were scriptural.”  (WELS Constitution, Section 8.50; Appeals by Laypersons.  Emphasis added).  However, the Board of Appeals told me they were not going to consider the doctrine.  They told me that the District Presidium was in charge of doctrine, not them.  So whatever the District President said the doctrine was, the Board of Appeals was going to agree with him.  Therefore, since my doctrinal disagreement was not only with Pastors Glende and Skorzewski, but also with District President Engelbrecht, by the rules of this appeal, I had no chance to win on the doctrine.
Furthermore, I have no idea how the Board of Appeals ruled against me on procedure.  I had no notice that St. Peter congregation was going to terminate my fellowship with the WELS.  I had no opportunity to speak on my own behalf and defend myself.  I had no opportunity to face my accusers and answer their charges directly.  They still have not told me of what false doctrine I am supposed to be guilty.  Procedurally, I was treated worse than our secular society treats accused criminals.
As part of the appeal, I was still not allowed to face my accusers, and no pastors were allowed to help me or speak on my behalf, even though I had numerous WELS pastors who were willing to help.
All the accusations made against me were made behind my back, and I was given no chance to understand the charges or to directly confront my accusers face to face.  This is not how a church should operate.
This fact remains:  I caught Pastor Glende red-handed in the sin of plagiarism: he was plagiarizing false teachers.  I documented the evidence, and followed every procedure that was required of me.  As a result, Pastor Glende received no discipline, and I had my fellowship in the WELS terminated as a persistent errorist (without an allegation of a specific error).  Again I ask: what is my doctrinal error?
For now, I belong to no earthly congregation.  Still, I am grateful to the WELS pastors who have told me that they will continue to commune me until District President Engelbrecht satisfactorily explains to them why I am guilty of false doctrine and why I should be excluded from their fellowship.
Shepherds are supposed to defend the sheep, not kill them.  (John 10:1-19).

But Wait - There's More! Ski and Glende Also Engaged in Extreme Misconduct against a Lady Staffer, Then Sued the Husband for Complaining


Note how the pastors retaliated against the victim, with the help of the DP.

Jane's Story: WELS Sexual Harassment

Written by "Jane"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Jeff Schone went from being an awful pastor
to being an awful administrative bully at Martin Luther College:
zero tolerance for confessional students, who are driven out.
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Matt Harrison's Reaction to Valparaiso University's Matt Becker Being Given a Pass

January 26, 2015, 3:52 pm
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Regarding a recent decision of a panel not to proceed with charges regarding a public false teacher in the LCMS

When a public teacher on the roster of Synod can without consequence publicly advocate the ordination of women (even participate vested in the installation of an ELCA clergy person), homosexuality, the errancy of the Bible, the historical-critical method, open communion, communion with the Reformed, evolution, and more, then the public confession of the Synod is meaningless. I am saying that if my Synod does not change its inability to call such a person to repentance and remove such a teacher where there is no repentance, then we are liars and our confession is meaningless. I do not want to belong to such a synod, much less lead it. I have no  intention of walking away from my vocation. I shall rather use it and, by the grace of God, use all the energy I have to call this Synod to fidelity to correct this situation.
Matt Harrison
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Valpo's Matt Becker has a blog, too.

GJ -
Becker has become a test case in the LCMS, although the leaders and bloggers have ignored such obvious targets as DP Dave Benke and LCMS/WELS Guru Mark Jeske. All three are equally apostate.
Steadfast Tim Rossow thinks that only morons teach justification by faith, so I wonder why he is in a position to make demands of SP Harrison to "do something."
Steadfast Josh Scheer aided and abetted the cover-up of the Darwin Schauer sex abuse case, removing all the evidence from the blog, so I am looking more for repentance than for demands. Who had him erase the evidence? Matthew Harrison.
WELS, Missouri, the Little Sect on the Prairie, and the CLC (sic) are all venomously against justification by faith. Their difference with ELCA's Universalism is slight. The Lutherans are divided among the old Pietists fake-shunning each other and the Neo-Pietists of ELCA acting superior for no longer having any ties to the Word of God or Confessions. Each group considers itself the living imagine of The True Lutheran Church.

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New Age Guru Mark Jeske Loses His Lopsided Smile When Raising Funds in the LCMS

January 26, 2015, 6:07 pm
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Mark Jeske and co-conspirator created an usie at the Indiana LCMS Conference,
a few days ago. Time of Grace had a table at the Symposium,
next to Thrivent's Planned Parenthood display. 
New Age philosophies must be less than fulfilling,
given that grim look.

Preparation H is great for those puffy eyes,
but they will not help the ambivalent smile.
This Thrivent portrait has a harmonious combination
of Oompa Loompa orange make-up
and that lopsided smile.
Tell Me Why

Matt Harrison is not wound up about Mark Jeske tapping into LCMS funds for his New Age Ministry.

Jay Webber can promote open communion with ELCA and yet pose as the Big Cheese at the Emmaus Conference?

Dave Behnke is still around,

The Concordia was badly led, so she rammed a ledge, and sank,
killing many aboard - but the captain escaped unharmed.

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Expanding the Aqueduct - To the Backyard, Compost, and Row of Roses

January 27, 2015, 3:08 am
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Watering and mulching encouraged wild strawberries to
race along the base of the house. They fruited all summer long,
doubtless because birds harvested them regularly.

Some creature chewed off the ends of three soaker hoses, so I bought a new one at the hardware store, and added it to one on top of the  chain-link fence. The original one reached all the way to the back, and was handy for watering the gourds and beans last year. One bonus was sending the wild strawberries along the back of the house, since they had water and Jackson Mulch to help them get started. One plan is to develop as many wild berries as possible, to provide extra food for the birds.

We already had half the peas planted along the fence and a wide row of black oil sunflowers under the mulch in the back yard. The whole area is planted already with Butterfly Bushes, so I ran the new soaker hose along the ground.



Butterfly Bushes are loved by hummingbirds and butterflies.


My earliest lesson in gardening was - water the newly planted seeds. The soil and the mulch probably have enough moisture, but I wanted a good start to convert the snacking qualities of the new seed into something less desirable and more productive in the long run - sunflower plants. The question will be how well they survive the cold nights of February.

Our helper realizes how much good the Jackson Mulch has done. In the future corn patch, the ground gives way, as if it were newly turned over. But of course - it is. The soil creatures stayed relatively active all winter because they had a thick blanket of newspapers and mulch above them. That also provided food and moisture for them to work. No one walked on it, so soil was not compressed. When the time comes, we can drag a three-toothed hoe through the patch, create places for corn, and get the crop going.

We will not have to:

  1. Dig through tough, dry soil.
  2. Fertilize.
  3. Rototill.
  4. Weed.
  5. Wait for osterized soil to finish decomposing its ground-up grass and creatures.
  6. Let fungi build their endless filaments of food.
Water promotes growth and decomposition, and decomposition provides food. When more food is provided, many more creatures great and small grow in the same area. The food chain begins at the bottom, at the microscopic level, and builds from there.

Butterfly Weed is loved by Monarchs.

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Aiming at the Cold Loving Crops - Carrots, Lettuce, Spinach, Garlic

January 27, 2015, 4:07 am
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Some pooh-pooh companion gardening,
but I believe it works, since opposites tend to team up.

Gurney's Seed Catalog sends me daily emails, as the other gardening suppliers. 

The daily message is - get ready for planting the cold tolerant seeds. Some tolerate a little frost. Others get better, when mature, after a frost. Carrots fit both categories. They grow for two years, so they can remain in the ground all winter and get sweeter from the cold (normally protected by straw bales on top). That sounds like a lot of extra work, so the old Adam or inner Maynard G. Krebs rebels.

Nevertheless, carrots are an ideal crop for the gardener, even the beginner. My favorite brand is - fresh from the garden. They are pretty good from the produce section of the stores, but they get old too fast in the icebox. Pulled from the soil and washed off, they are crunchy, sweet, and fun to eat. The aromatic greens add to the enjoyment. 

Rabbits like the greens, not the carrot, a fact destroyed by Bugs Bunny and his ever-present carrot.

Carrots are also fun because thinning means eating. Now many plants can be harvested and enjoyed when young - corn, berries, sunflowers, peas (sorta), pumpkins? But miniature carrots are fun to eat when thinning the row. If they come out relatively clean, eat them on the spot. If you are blessed with clay soil, wash them under the faucet for an hour, then take them inside and wash them again, then enjoy them. 




Spinach and peas can be planted at the same time, very early. I have heard of peas planted in late fall. I planted the spinach crop in late fall and expect to see it really growing in March, perhaps in February if we keep getting warm weather.

Frost experience is key to a gardener's understanding. The first to die from a frost are the egg plants and tomatoes, both nightshades. Pumpkins cease their efforts at world domination from the first heavy frost.

Those frost-killed items are plants we save for later efforts in the season..

The plants that  love cold and thrive in it are going to be relatively bug free if planted before the last frost. This year  I am pushing the frost limits as much as possible, since early planting will be greatly rewarded later. I can get several crops fruiting in succession and get more growth from long-term heavy feeders like pumpkins and gourds.


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A Modest Proposal for the LCMS - To Be Emulated by WELS And the Little Sect on the Prairie. JBFA Is the Chief Article: Boycott the Emmaus Conference

January 27, 2015, 8:35 am
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Matt Harrison, LCMS President

Matt Harrison does not want to be in a synod that allows Matt Becker (Valparaiso U.) to go unpunished for having the same doctrine as Dave Behnke and a bunch of other Missouri clergy. However, he does not want to quit, so someone has to go.

I have a modest proposal for rectifying the issues in the Missouri Synod. Similar actions would benefit the mummified ecclesiastics in the ELS and WELS.


  • Restore justification by faith as the Chief Article of the Christian Religion, on which the Church stands or falls, the Master and Prince, the judge of all articles.
  • Repudiate Universal Objective Justification and give those charlatans, wolves, and peculators their walking papers.
  • Treat all the entertainment, seeker service, CoWo, clown ministries as the justification by faith, liturgical worship leaders have been treated.
  • Tell the truth about CFW Walther serving as Bishop Stephan's bulldog and pimp, until CFW organized a mob to steal all of the bishop's possessions, gold, books, and land - kidnapping the man at gunpoint.
  • Demand a refund for all synodical funds siphoned off for tuition at Fuller Seminary, Trinity Divinity, Mars Hill, and the Drive Conferences.

UOJ Stormtroopers have been pacifying
areas of unrest for years, and yet the conflict grows.
Perhaps the synod slaves have opened their eyes to the fraud.
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Garnishing the Yard with Bird Baths and Solar Lights

January 28, 2015, 4:56 am
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My bird baths are not so elegant,
but they are filled with happy starlings.

Yesterday I added four little bird baths on the ground and filled them with water. The starlings began to splash in the bird baths and jostle to get in. Once in, they pushed each other out after a few splashes, got pushed out, and looked for a way back into the spa.

As I pointed out to Mrs. Ichabod, the baths are far more important than food. The birds need a place to bathe and preen their feathers. Starlings can find their own food in the spring, but they still enjoy competing with each other for the suet and cracked corn.

I put the cracked corn on four levels - the top of the old wooden filing cabinet, on the dry or protected shelf below, in the drawer, and the ground. The best part of this comedy is having a squirrel pop into the drawer to get some food. He will always sit on the drawer lid to have a good lookout for danger. When he heads inside to look around, a startling will glide in to land on that same spot where he eats his food. The squirrel pops up at the starling, "Get off my food drawer!" and the starling darts away.

I used to give the squirrels a fresh ear of field corn each day, but I switched to the composite ear, which they do not favor. In the last few days I saw one, then two perfectly clean cobs on the ground where I put food. Could they have brought old ones back for a refill? When I put the fresh corn on the ground to feed them, the squirrels took the full cobs away. They are clever beggars and thieves. If they were humans, they would make ideal Planned Giving Counselors (estate robbers).

My first thought about this is - trim around each one?
Maynard G. Krebs would not approve.

My solar lights in the crepe myrtle failed after one year, so I bought a new set that lasts all night -using a very slow blink. That made me think of using a longer string on the backyard fence, at least on Mrs. Wright's side.

I unraveled the bundle  of lights outside, when they arrived, and wondered, "How will I keep these lights from sagging on the fence?"

There is always twine, but that would rot as the soaker hose is used and the sun hits the fibers. I began to untangle about 50 feet of lights and look for something to hold them in place. Aha! The tiny lights fit into the fence apparatus every few feet, pointing some of them down. The rest lined up like soldiers along the top. That only took a few minutes, and they were working as soon as the sun began to set.

I asked Mrs. Ichabod to look outside, and she saw the entire fence top lit up.

I said, "The vines will grow up around them and be backlit at night." She immediately responded, "You can pick peas in the dark now. No trouble." Chris is so practical. Notice the all-important pronoun - you. Not "we can pick peas at night" or "I can pick peas at night," but "You can pick peas at night." And I probably will, until longing turns to loathing and I beg our helper to pick all he wants, day or night.

One last string will garnish the back fence; all the trees are solar lit. "What about the roses to be planted along Mr. Gardener's fence?" you wonder. I found some stand alone solar spotlights at Walmart that I can use there. They can be planted in the mulch and trained on the roses.

These can be pushed into mulch individually or in groups.
I am still using some from at least 10 years ago,
the same ones I used around the swimming pool.
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PS - Fellow Garfield Grade School student Lawrence Eyre wrote on Facebook about bringing a magazine to John Deere Junior High (1960) concerning solar power in the future. Later we were at Yale Divinity, but not at the same time, and another Garfielder was at the Yale School of Music. We were from the same neighborhood around the grade school where my mother taught.

The prophet Lawrence Eyre:
"September 1960, John Deere Junior High School, Moline, Illinois. A bespectacled, buzz-cut boy, left hand holding note cards filled with facts and forecasts from a Popular Science magazine article, stands and enthusiastically delivers his first speech in Mrs Sandstrom's 7th grade classroom: "In the future, the world will be powered by the sun...." More than half a century later, I am still that boy, waking each day thrilled to witness long-ago dreams becoming reality around the world. It is a privilege to live in these brightening times."
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Controversy Is Good - Separating the Good Flour from the Wormy Flour

January 28, 2015, 6:44 am
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Synod President Matt Harrison ordered his Steadfast pals to erase evidence of
malfeasance in regards to sex offender Darwin Schauer.
And the "Steadfast" editors did erase the evidence.
I do not want to be a member of a synod like that.

Synod President Matt Harrison:
When a public teacher on the roster of Synod can without consequence publicly advocate the ordination of women (even participate vested in the installation of an ELCA clergy person), homosexuality, the Errancy of the Bible, the historical critical method, open communion, communion with the reformed, evolution, and more, then the public confession of the synod is meaningless. I am saying that if my Synod does not change its inability to call such a person to repentance, and remove such a teacher where there is not repentance, then we are liars, and our confession is meaningless. I do not want to belong to such a synod, much less lead it. I have no intention of walking away from my vocation. I shall rather use it and, by the grace of God, use all the energy I have to call this Synod to fidelity to correct this situation. 
Matt Harrison


***



GJ - Luther made a great comparison, which resonates with bakers. He called doctrinal controversy separating the good flour from the wormy flour. 

Pantry moths are often called flour moths because they love to start out in flour, spreading to anything organic afterwards. If a food source has been invaded, it has to be thrown out, because those buggers lay 300 eggs at a time. One flour moth may be cute, but having their webs and carcasses and everything else around is more odious than a Church and Change gathering.

Like Changers, the moths are easily trapped with sex. Put some pherome on stickum, and the male moths are stuck fast, dreaming of romantic nights, but fluttering away in frustration and hunger.

The position of the LCMS, WELS, and ELS is that discussion is harmful to Holy Mother Sect. Anyone who wants to discuss issues, crimes, abuse, false doctrine - banished and slandered six ways from Sunday.

One pastor in WELS held to the correct position on the efficacy of the Word. After WELS got rid of him, he was not even allowed to commune, even though his former DP had agreed with that position (not that Mueller really meant it). So this kindly man - who never blogged - eventually got communion before he passed away. He asked me how he might get some emotional support from the synod he served all his life. I said, "Murder your wife. WELS will back you 100%." He knew what I meant about William Tabor and Al Just. He wrote back, "No, I love my wife."

I even asked Mark Schroeder to do something about it, during that brief time when Schroeder contacted me about this and that. He responded, "No."

I think it is time for a lot more controversy. You will not see it at the Emmanus Conference, because only one side will be represented. ELS Pastor Jay Webber came to an earlier one anxious to sell his version of UOJ. He tried to influence another pastor by saying, "Greg Jackson has a demon. Do not listen to him."

I am not so anxious to use the demon card. I say, "Listen to Jay's nonsense. Read his paper. Underline the most contradictory and anti-Christian parts. Let the discussions begin - by email, face-to-face, on blogs and websites, in magazine articles and books.

What do these two have in common - Mark Jeske and Robert Schuller?
They are both New Agers, selling snake oil and fading away fast.

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In WELS - They Make a DUI the Bartender at the Worship Conference

January 28, 2015, 7:40 pm
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MARYLAND: Diocesan Standing Committee asks Hit-and-Run Bishop for her Resignation
By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org
January 28, 2015
The Diocese of Maryland has asked Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook to resign from the Diocese of Maryland following a hit and run accident resulting in the death of a cyclist.
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has requested Heather Cook's resignation as bishop suffragan in a letter sent through her lawyer on January 27. On Dec 27, 2014, Heather Cook hit and killed cyclist Thomas Palermo, 41, and has been charged by police with vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and texting while driving, among other charges."
It was clear that our lay and clergy leaders on the Standing Committee felt that the best interests of the diocese would be served were Heather to resign. Since this does not impede the Episcopal Church's investigation into the matter, it is my hope Heather will see the wisdom in this recommendation," said the Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, bishop of Maryland.
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland is acting as swiftly as it can in the context of the Episcopal Church's disciplinary action, Title IV, currently underway. While Cook cannot resign her orders as a bishop while the disciplinary process is underway, nothing prevents her from resigning as an employee of the Diocese of Maryland.
You can read the Standing Committee's letter here: http://latestnews.episcopalmaryland.org/ or here:
http://latestnews.episcopalmaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/letter-to-bp-cook-01-26-2015.pdf
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From Virtue Online - The ELCA Engaged in Similar Behavior, But WELS and the LCMS Work with Them Anyway. So Much Thrivent Loot, So Little Time

January 28, 2015, 10:28 pm
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In the center is ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.
On the right is Bishop Guy Ervin, the first out gay bishop in ELCA,
but apparently not the first gay bishop.
Here is the larger picture, described by a fan.



SOUTH CAROLINA: Another TEC Harassment Lawsuit
COMMENTARY
By Robert S. Munday
http://toalltheworld.blogspot.com/2015/01/south-carolina-another-tec-harrassment.html
January 27, 2015
No, not a lawsuit over a case of harassment, but a case of harassment by lawsuit. That's what this is about. And it is so totally ridiculous! The lower court in South Carolina is already in the process of deciding the entire matter of whether the Diocese of South Carolina, which voted to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church at its convention in 2012, could legally do so. If, in fact, that disaffiliation was legal, then, obviously, the Diocese that left has a right to go on regarding Mark Lawrence as its bishop and to use whatever trademarks, titles, etc. that the court allows in its decision.
This appeal to a federal court, alleging that Bp. Lawrence is engaging in false advertising! by continuing to call himself the Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina is precisely the kind of thing that will be settled by the state court's decision, when Judge Goodstein issues it. The Episcopal Church, fearing it is going to lose in the state court, is simply trying to preempt that decision by appealing to federal courts. The US District Court in Charleston rightly recognized that the matter in question was going to be covered in the state court's decision and refused to take jurisdiction in the case. We need to pray that the US Court of Appeals in Richmond sees the matter the same way.
One might wish that the leadership of the Episcopal Church would come to grips with reality. The people of the Diocese of South Carolina voted by an overwhelming majority to leave the Episcopal Church. Any church bureaucracy that would try to force its will on a Diocese where the majority of people have said they no longer want to be affiliated is manifestly evil. They are just trying to suck the life out of the Diocese of South Carolina (and the other dioceses they are suing) by bleeding them dry through lawsuits. (That's just my opinion, of course. But this kind of continued pernicious evil from the Episcopal Church's leadership has been going on long enough that it just makes you wonder what it will take to finally drive a stake through the vampire's heart.)
The allegation that this is merely a case of "Bp. Lawrence and Bishop Lawrence and other diocesan officials announcing they had 'withdrawn' from The Episcopal Church" is simply male bovine excrement!!! This is not some unilateral action by Bp. Lawrence and other diocesan officials--it was a well-considered decision by the Diocesan Convention of South Carolina--a decision reaffirmed by a subsequent convention--and further affirmed by the congregations who voted that they wished to remain with the Diocese headed by Bp. Lawrence. The state court, where the case has been heard, will cover the legality of all this in its decision.
Rather than await that decision, TEC is frivolously snipping around the edges, desperately hoping for some federal court decision that can derail their anticipated defeat in the state courts of South Carolina. And, they--by which I mean primarily the Presiding Bishop and her chancellor--don't seem to care how many millions of dollars of the Episcopal Church's money they spend, since they figure they can outspend any parish or diocese that dares to contend with them.
Oral arguments before the court in Richmond, VA, are scheduled to be heard tomorrow, Wednesday, January 28. Please pray.
[The following press release has been issued by the Episcopal Church in South Carolina (headed by Bp. vonRosenberg) and reflects their perspective.]
SOUTH CAROLINA: Oral arguments set in federal court appeal
TECinSC
http://www.episcopalchurchsc.org/news-release-january-27-2015.html
January 27, 2015
Oral arguments are scheduled to be heard on Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va. in vonRosenberg v. Lawrence, seeking to have the case sent back to U.S. District Court in Charleston to be decided on its merits.
Thomas S. Tisdale Jr., Chancellor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina, will present Bishop Charles vonRosenberg's case before a three-judge panel at the Lewis F. Powell Jr. Courthouse in Richmond. Twenty minutes are allotted to each side for oral arguments and rebuttals. No immediate ruling is expected.
The appeal focuses on the issue of false advertising under the federal Lanham Act. Bishop vonRosenberg is the only bishop recognized by The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. Mark Lawrence, by continuing to represent himself as bishop of the diocese, is committing false advertising, according to a brief filed with the appeals court in April.
The appeal asks the judges to rule that the District Court in Charleston erred in abstaining from jurisdiction on the false-advertising claim, and send the case back to the lower court to be decided on its merits. It also asks the appeals court to award a preliminary injunction and stop Bishop Lawrence from representing himself as bishop of the diocese.
In 2012, Bishop Lawrence and other diocesan officials announced they had "withdrawn" from The Episcopal Church. The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church accepted his renunciation, and he was removed from the ordained ministry of the church. The Presiding Bishop then called a special Diocesan Convention in January 2013. There, delegates elected Bishop vonRosenberg, who is recognized by The Episcopal Church as the one and only rightful bishop of the local diocese.
"Despite his renunciation and removal from office, Bishop Lawrence continues to hold himself out as the Bishop of the Diocese, and continues to make other false representations of fact..." the brief says. Bishop Lawrence's actions interfere with Bishop vonRosenberg's right to communicate with people and carry out his duties as the sole bishop of the diocese, creating confusion and causing irreparable damage, according to the appeal.
The trademark issues involved in vonRosenberg v. Lawrence are not being raised in the appeal. When U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck refused to hear the case, he dismissed the trademark issues without prejudice, noting that similar issues are part of a state lawsuit filed by the breakaway group. Judge Houck's order left open the possibility that those issues still could be brought to federal court if the state courts do not properly resolve them.
The state court case went to trial in Dorchester County in July 2014 and is awaiting a decision from Circuit Court Judge Diane S. Goodstein.
END
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Church Mouse - On the Hostages

January 28, 2015, 10:32 pm
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It can happen here too.

A fateful Friday: hostages described what took place

January 28, 2015 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , 
My apologies. I had intended to write before now about the siege of the printing plant in Dammartin-en-Goële and at Hyper Casher in Vincennes, both of which took place on January 9, 2015.
The hostages’ stories are still worth telling, even though some would consider this old news. Those involved no doubt still have vivid memories of the day. I pray they are recovering.

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Today's Creation Gardening Lesson - Beneficial Predator Insects

January 29, 2015, 6:32 am
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The ladybug (ladybird) was named
for its resemblance to the Virgin Mary's cloak in early paintings.
The spots symbolize the Seven Sorrows and the Seven Joys.

It’s important to see that the population of predators always lags behind that of the prey (this is particularly true if a parasitoid is involved, as their lag time is actually a generation or two behind their host prey). If you put it on paper, it looks much like two undulating, wavy lines with the one representing the predators always hitting its peak slightly after the one representing the prey. In an undisturbed cycle, neither the population of predators nor that of prey will ever hit zero. This means that in order to sustain a healthy population of predators in the garden, one always has to have prey available. and it matters because … What does this cycle mean to a gardener or farmer? Well, all too often we take notice of a population of naughty pest insects (the prey) when their numbers hit the high point in the cycle. In the case of a pest outbreak, this also happens to be about the same time there are enough prey insects present to start luring in the beneficials. We do something to get rid of the pests just when our little natural army is beginning to work their magic. Whether we choose to eradicate the pests with a synthetic or a natural pesticide, we are inserting ourselves into the predator–prey cycle. It’s a place where, more often than not, we don’t belong. The biggest lesson here is to understand this natural cycle and be willing to take yourself out of it when the time comes.

Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 284-295). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

I grew up without fearing or loathing insects, because my mother was fond of catching them and showing us various features. She laughed at those who wanted to use insecticides, since most insects were beneficial and they eliminated the harmful ones.

School has a way of teaching things upside-down, as a book on rabbits points out. Everyone said, "Hawks keep the rabbit population down." That is nonsense. What do the hawks live on while rabbits are scarce? The truth is - rabbits keep the hawk population down. If the rabbit population crashes, the hawks and owls have less food and must move on or die.

Just as the microbes eat and are eaten, so are the insects busy eating food and becoming food. Not once do they think, "Am I having a fabulous life?" They simply carry out their duties in God's Creation and engage in a complex, almost infinite number of dependencies.

As Walliser said and experienced from her role as a professional gardener, the arrival of damaging insects in a large group is itself a signal for its predators to arrive, often somewhat later. My epiphany came from hearing bad advice from Dow scientists about cottony maple scale (an insect). Their solution did not work, but thousands of ladybugs showed up to devour the critters.

Scale insects are damaging, but sprays to kill them or mosquitoes will slaughter the ladybug population.


Sassy just asked to go outside, so she is sitting in the backyard looking over her domain.

Before I let her out, I looked over the Jackson Bird Spa area - between two trees. Most of the food is there, plus four (4) bird baths, which are simply plastics disks on the ground, kept full of water. All the baths were full of birds, and many more birds were crowded around waiting to get in.

Later, more baths will be placed under the aerial aqueduct - the soaker hose on the chain-link fence. A reader sent me beautiful wooden homemade suet feeders, and they are added to the food chain. There are about nine (9) suet feeders in the front and back yards.

Nothing attracts the right birds for less money and trouble than a suet feeder. However, it is better to hang big bags of suet (kidney fat) than to buy little squares of the overpriced store product. A flock of starlings will reduce that little square to nothing in a few trips.

Midland introduced me to spoiling the birds. I visited one house with a lilac bush hung with suet bags. The large, friendly bird feeder was constantly animated with birds flying in for some food. They had many places to rest, many options for eating suet.

The water and suet establish a place where birds want to make a home. Most of their food will be insects. The starling flocks will arrive, eat, and leave, remembering the Jackson Bird Spa with advantages, returning for more baths, more insects, more pampering.

Once the trees are pruned for their health and more sunlight, the spa will be expanded to handle a larger population.

Back to Beneficial Insects
Insects, as you already know, are not stationary. They move about the landscape by flying or crawling, scooting or jumping. But except for migrating species, they prefer not to travel far, especially if they don’t have to. When their basic needs—food, shelter, water, and reproduction—are being met, there isn’t much of a reason to leave. For predatory and parasitoidal insects, if the proper balance of plant-based nutrition and prey insects isn’t available, they will leave to find what’s missing (a process known as commuting). The larger the distance they have to travel, the smaller the chance of their return. If a predator leaves a pest-plagued area because it needs to access nectar, it is unlikely to return to that place, especially if it finds a new location with both ample amounts of nectar and additional prey. All those ladybugs in my tulip poplar tree were happy there because they had not only plenty of prey available to them but also a garden full of nectar and pollen. Though ladybug larvae primarily consume other insects, the adult beetles of many ladybug species need nectar and pollen to survive and reproduce.

Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 463-471). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

The summer of 2014 saw almost no damage to roses and other plants. Some seedlings were attacked and weakened as they started out. I continued with all the plants except borage, which became infested with cutworm and found itself traveling to the Springdale dump. Roses had no damaged at all and no disease except some blackspot late in the season (a malady I choose to treat with pruning, not sprays).

This year I am increasing the number of plants and the variety, aiming at hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. A constant supply of pollen, shade, shelter, and water will increase the amount of animal life the yard can maintain.

Slugs - you will be toad...food.


Warning - Slugs Will Be Toad
Here is one small example. Composting and mulching will benefit slugs, especially in wet areas, like the ground near the water faucet. So I had slugs there, plus toads who were eating the slugs. In short, I grew the slugs with mulching and water, and the toads moved in to feast on them. All I need to do this summer is provide some broken crockery for toad shelters.



The second shipment of peas is coming, 900 seeds. When they grow up and bloom, the flowers and pod will arrive behind the first planting. Continuous blooming is not a problem with peas, if there are pea-pickers around. Continuous blooming means pollen for more insects.

Many pole beans overgrew their bounds and became true seed pods. Our helper's children loved picking them, opening them up, and saving the seed. The vines went into compost and many beans that fell off the vines became part of the soil.

Norma Boeckler has many examples of Creation art.

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Getting Noticed on Google - By Ben Norman. Get To Number 1 on Google - His More Recent Book

January 29, 2015, 7:41 am
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Buy this one - the latest version.


Getting Noticed on Google

I bought this version and kept it. Though dated, it is packed with information.

I started in web design and taught it to some classes. I moved to blogging because I grew tired of fixing files and uploading them, fixing them again, uploading and saying "Oh no!"

Google Blogger is ideal for me, because I can change the settings in the template, using my web design experience. More importantly, what I post goes directly into the Google search engine - content, images, and links.



The point is Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which has become a field by itself. What matters in SEO? Answer - everything. Many things are overlooked.

  • Honesty. The search engine knows when it is being spoofed, such as using words to attract readers, even though the words are not relevant to the blog or the post.
  • Title of the blog. Many find this blog with one to three words. Ichabod, or Ichabod the Glory
  • Titles of posts. The wording becomes part of the search.
  • Google labels. As Dr. Bruce Church told me, I needed to use more labels, because Google uses them to aid in searches.
  • Bold face. Google notices when text is in bold face.
  • Names of graphic files. The file name identifies the picture for Google, so searches for that person or place is associated with that image.
  • Captions. The captions are associated with the graphic. That is why you can search for FDR and get many photographs of him, Try searching for Marvin Schwan - almost nothing.
  • Links. Google was the first search engine to focus on active links, so every link contirbutes to SEO, and linked captions have their own magic.
  • Frequency. Those who blog regularly are noticed by Google, which interprets fresh material as interesting to its users.
  • Graphics. I began with a rule - one graphic will head each post. I generally use more than one for each one. Many of my searches begin with Google Images, which can find articles that evade me on a traditional web search. 

I do not mind sharing my methods, because very few will even try to catch up with my blogging volume. I am blessed to be able to make a living sitting at my computer, so I get to teach what I do, and blog about what I teach.



Prying open the secrets of Ichabod SEO
12,644 posts. 
3,510,000 total views.
3,000 views per day.

  1. I blog every day, if at all possible, starting very early in the morning. Since one reader looks for a new post three times a day, I try to add posts for each part of the day. The Icha-peekers like to find a new one at midnight, so I try to find something newsworthy.
  2. I use Norma Boeckler's Biblical graphics, because I am one of many fans of her work.
  3. Asked by a reader to provide sticky posts, I add them to the left column to feature various topics. It makes navigation easier. 
  4. I often write for one reader at a time.
  5. If I have a group of worthwhile posts related to one topic, I post a page with those links, so someone can easily find out as much as possible about that topic. Labels help that kind of search, too.
  6. I link worthwhile blogs--which are few--so I can read them easily at various times, keep up with their ideas, and share them with readers.
  7. Cat graphics are very popular, so I use them whenever I can, relevant or not.
  8. Baby graphics are also popular.
  9. I create Photoshops when I have the chance.
  10. If someone complains about something on Ichabod, I increase that very thing - Sassy posts, funny graphics, baby pictures, recent Luheran arrests, the facts about SynCon leaders.
  11. I post the text of every sermon. Ever wonder why the Jeske Mob only uses audio? They do not want people to figure out their plagiarism, as many did in the past. Parlow is a good example.
  12. When opponents make spelling or grammatical mistakes, I add a (sic). They complain bitterly about this, so I am quite diligent about it. When friendly readers make similar mistakes, I fix them without mentioning it. This also drives the Jeske Mob nuts, so I continue to do it.
  13. The lists of most popular posts can be found - all time, for the month, last week - at the bottom of the page. Popularity begets more popularity. The two most popular (all-time) are Lutheran quotations. This blog is all about Augsburg Confession doctrine, justification by faith and repudiation of UOJ, its crafts and assaults. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
  14. I try to post a Luther sermon for each week.
  15. I quote opponents' nasty little statements about me or the blog, whether found on their websites or Facebook. I also link them.
  16. Whenever people get especially nasty and make the worst possible personal attacks, against me or my wife and children, I rejoice. That only proves they have no argument, no defense for their false doctrine, their crude and obnoxious behavior, deceit and greed.
  17. I encourage blogging because issues need to be aired. The Colonial leaders of America used pamphlets as their blogs. One essay kept America in the fight for freedom from Britain's cruel domination. "These are the times that try men's souls..." 
  18. Chemnitz said it best, "These are the last days of an insane, old world."


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Living the Dream - Not Just Dreaming about Gardening. In Defense of Hybrid Tea Roses

January 29, 2015, 9:00 am
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Bella Roma, not Bell Aroma,
but they are fragrant.

Sassy wanted out again. She loves to sit and watch over her yard. The birds were having a riot in the baths, working the lawn over for more food. Since they took to the trees, I added some cracked corn and water.

My Moline classmate wrote on Facebook, dreaming about gardening in the future. I wrote, "I am living the dream - peas, sunflowers, spinach, and garlic are already planted."

Last winter was different. We had school and the Christmas gathering called off, lots of snow days for the college and public school kids.

Last year - the winter of our discontent.

People have an abundance of opinions about roses, and there are entire clans of roses to plant - miniatures, rugosa, floribunda, David Austen, shrub, etc etc.

Roses are the only plants to have many kinds of fragrance -


  • Myrrh – This imposing scent has the aromatic, licorice warmth of sweet anise. Amongst roses, it is now almost exclusively found in the English Roses (especially the pinks and apricots), although there is an element of it in the fragrance of other plants, such as lilac and hawthorn. The name is believed to derive from Myrrhis odorata(sweet cicely), which has sweet anise-scented leaves. Myrrh is a scent beloved by most, but to some it can be reminiscent of anise seed-based hospital-type, antiseptic creams. Indeed, myrrh serves as an interesting reminder that fragrance preference is subjective. Best examples include: ‘Constant Spry’, ‘Scepter’d Isle’ and ‘Claire Austin’
  • Fruity – The rose is related to many fruits, including apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries and apricots. Fruity notes frequently appear in the fragrances of English Roses of all colors, including those of apple, raspberry, strawberry, pear and lemon and even more exotic lychee and guava. Best examples include: ’Lady Emma Hamilton’ and ‘Jude the Obscure’
  • Musk - Even a small amount of musk rose scent will perfume the air. The source of the romantic scent is frequently the flowers stamens, where it readily shakes off and wafts through the air. Human noses are particularly sensitive to musk so we pick up the scent of even tiny quantities. Musk is most often found in the rambler roses, where huge quantities of single flowers abound with prominent stamens. Best examples include: ‘Snow Goose’ and ‘The Generous Gardener’
  • Old Rose – Breeder David Austin’s own favorite rose fragrance is that of the classic old rose. To him it is the most alluring of all rose perfumes. This is the classic rose fragrance, absolutely delicious, the true “rose” fragrance that everyone loves. It is almost exclusively found in pink and red roses. Best examples include: ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ and ‘Harlow Carr’
  • Tea Rose – Often compared to the aromatic sensation one gets in opening a fresh packet of China Tea, this fragrance is sometimes so strong that other, softer notes only become apparent after the flower matures for a few days. In English Roses, the tea rose scent most frequently appears in the yellow and apricot roses. Best examples include: ‘Graham Thomas’ and ‘Port Sunlight’.



Some gardening experts mock hybrid tea roses for being leggy (long-stemmed) and having enormous blooms and brilliant colors. That is not much of a problem when cutting them and putting them in vases, plastic cups, or even fast-food cups (pop one in the soda straw hole in the lid). 

No one ever complains, "Oh, those are so big, so colorful, and so fragrant. I would really rather have a daisy or a borage flower. I really prefer native flowers." 

I kid one of our Moliners about "native flowers." She has a great love for natural landscapes, native species, and taking stunning photographs. I asked her if she ate native American maize or hybrid sweet corn.

With roses, the hybridizers are simply re-sorting the DNA that God already placed in the rose family. The Persian rose introduced color and blackspot.

Some attempts are to get as far into black as they can, others as blue as they can. Bi-colored roses range from red and white to "ketchup and mustard." I want a rose - not a hotdog.


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Who Said You're Allowed To Rain on My Parade? Thrivent Objections? LCMS Objections? WELS Objections? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

January 30, 2015, 12:39 am
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ELCA Bishop Guy Erwin was the Professor of Confessional Lutheran Studies
at Thousand Oaks College, ELCA when he suddenly became a pastor,
then a bishop two years later.

WELS de-sensitizing efforts are posted here.

"Openly gay Lutheran bishop-elect Guy Erwin will join the contingent of Lutherans who participate in the Los Angeles Pride march tomorrow. It's been a tradition for the Lutheran bishop to ride in a car during the march, and Erwin will now be able to ride as Bishop-elect." http://www.glaad.org/tags/guy-erwin

Don't tell me not to live,
Just sit and putter,
Life's candy and the sun's
A ball of butter.
Don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade!

Don't tell me not to fly--
I've simply got to.
If someone takes a spill,
It's me and not you.
Who told you you're allowed
To rain on my parade!

I'll march my band out,
I'll beat my drum,
And if I'm fanned out,
Your turn at bat, sir.
At least I didn't fake it.

Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it!
But whether I'm the rose
Of sheer perfection,
Or freckle on the nose
Of life's complexion,
The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye,

I gotta fly once,
I gotta try once,
Only can die once, right, sir?
Ooh, life is juicy,
Juicy, and you see
I gotta have my bite, sir!

Get ready for me, love,
cause I'm a comer,
I simply gotta march,
My heart's a drummer.
Don't bring around a cloud
To rain on my parade!

I'm gonna live and live now,
Get what I want--I know how,
One roll for the whole she bang,
One throw, that bell will go clang,
Eye on the target and wham
One shot, one gun shot, and BAM

Hey, Mister Arnstein,
Here I am!
I'll march my band out,
I'll beat my drum,
And if I'm fanned out,Your turn at bat, sir,
At least I didn't fake it.
Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it.

Get ready for me, love,
'cause I'm a comer,
I simply gotta march,
My heart's a drummer.
Nobody, no, nobody
Is gonna rain on my parade!

Read more: Glee - Don't Rain On My Parade Lyrics | MetroLyrics 
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Does Anyone Wonder about WELS Role-Playing in Their Synodical Schools?

January 30, 2015, 1:17 am
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WELS Prep School Michigan Lutheran Seminary
does this every year.

WELS Church and Change Pastor Adam Mueller
and his church council members cross-dressed for the congregational picnic,
loud and proud in publishing their photos on the Net.
Children put women's makeup on the men. Cute?

WELS Martin Luther College students
copied a gay video, frame by frame, called
Party in the Fire Island Pines - and "did not know it was
produced by a group of homosexuals."
They uploaded their video on YouTube.
Scott Barefoot mourned the death of his gay lover on Facebook, later
co-authored Richard Starr's second book on homosexuality.
This is another Martin Luther College video
published on YouTube.

One hazing ritual at Northwestern College, WELS,
involved forcing the new students to simulate sex with this statue,
which they brought with them to Martin Luther College.


Anyone with a little common sense--or too many credits in adult education--realizes that WELS systematically introduces homosexual behavior in their synodical schools. A young man who attends a WELS prep school, Martin Luther College, and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary will get 12 years of de-sensitizing propaganda.

De-sensitizing is an approach where behavior totally abhorrent and repugnant becomes acceptable, cute, and fun - but only in gradual steps.

What was never allowed in public is idealized and made normative after years of taking away society's sensitivity to it. As Church and Changer John Lawrenz said about women usurping authority in the church, "I didn't know you were sensitive about this issue, Greg." A short time before that, he expressed anger that it was an issue in Columbus.

Someone must have de-sensitized him.

The program is a great success, except for the recent felony arrests and convictions of WELS pastors, teachers, and staffers.


Director of Communications

Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod
 – Present (8 years 1 month)



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One of Those Perfect Days - Sassy Does the Dickson Street Bookstore and Little Bread Company

January 30, 2015, 1:58 am
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Yesterday was so much fun. We took Sassy Sue a few miles south to downtown Fayetteville, where I delivered a number of books to the Dickson Street Bookstore, one of those magical places with endless rows of books, every topic imaginable. Previously I noticed their affinity for some of the books I had to offer.

The book buyer is right out of central casting. He is slight with long, grey hair tied back into a ponytail. He looked over my sets of books, one bought 50 years ago at The Source Bookstore in Davenport, Iowa (still run by the founder's granddaughter).

We arrived at a price inside while Sassy and Mrs. Ichabod waited in the limo outside, on the sidewalk in front of the store. Yes, I had permission to pull up there. I waved the check at the staff as I left and asked,"Is this check good?" They laughed and invited me to cash it right away.

Downtown Fayetteville is college-town, home of the Razorbacks. We "call the hogs" at Walmart meetings. Hog and pig are common business names in the area, including the Harrison Oncology Group - H.O.G. The University of Arkansas is the city's main business, I am sure.

Our next stop was familiar. Chris loves one bead store, which is two doors away from The Little Bread Company, one of those high quality bakeries, which I love. In-between is one of the few barbershops left in America. The barber is a woman who only cuts men's hair. Mine was close to a Trump comb-over in the wind. so I went inside. Sassy waited in the car.

Soon I had Sassy with me, going up to the bead store, almost next door. Sassy was welcomed inside and charmed everyone. When she grew tired of that store we went outside to explore. She knew the block from previous trips. Walking ahead without a leash, she turned back and grinned at me, "This is so much fun." The college kids welcomed her at the outdoor cafe, and we walked to the back, where our Columbus friends ate with us during a visit.

Back in Springdale we drove through at the bank. Sassy's favorite teller was there. eager to give out treats. Sassy got one for starters. We talked a bit as I cashed the check. Sassy gave one loud, commanding bark, and the teller saluted at attention, giving her a second treat. We laughed about Sassy's bossiness, and Sassy got her third treat on the way out.

Once I made sure Sassy got her treat and drove away without the cash, which I left in the tray. They thought that was pretty funny when I returned a few minutes later.
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From Four Years Ago - Another WELS Parasitical Church. Does Anyone Have an Update?

January 30, 2015, 9:13 am
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A report from the field:

Here's another (W)ELS mission church that has a lot in common with the (W)ELS emergent church The Core.
 
Jarod Oldenburg is the pastor and church planter assigned by the Synod.  Things in common are sheep stealing to start the church.  The church name avoids any reference to Lutheran or WELS, although it can be found by looking.  They are using Baptist theological books for education and inspiration.

 I had a run in with Pastor Oldenburg years ago following his attendance at a Reggie McNeal (Baptist) training seminar.  He returned and was promoting the idea that if we didn't communicate God's word in the language of today we just wouldn't be communicating.  He was also working on writing new creeds for his mission - Light of Life in Covington, Wa.)  

Once a month preview services for the reasons given below.  One year of preparation before the first service is to begin.

Starting a (W)ELS church called Eternal Rock.  Quotes from Pastor Oldenburg's blog:
"Up until this point, our primary goal has been to locate mission-minded WELS members who would like to help our effort"

"During the Launch meeting, we will be sharing the Eternal Rock mission:  “Follow Jesus: Live Love.”"

"To help us align, we chose to go through the book Essential Church.  The book is not gospel truth, but it did provide some great points for discussion."

Once a month Preview Services - "will allow us time to follow-up on guests and make any necessary changes (location, timing, equipment, etc.)"

"September 2011 - Sometime after Labor Day we will launch our weekly services."

Timeline
2009–September–The WELS Board for Home Missions decides to fund the exploratory mission in Castle Rock, Colorado.  This decision is based on funding and the presence of an interested core group of families that live in and around Castle Rock.

2010–May–Pastor Jared Oldenburg [grew up in Appleton], at the time serving the church he started in Covington, WA, accepts the call to serve as the church planter for the Castle Rock Mission.

2010–July–Pastor Oldenburg arrives with his family (wife and three kids).
 
2010–August–first mission meeting to discuss schedule and general goals for the mission.  It is determined that the group will meet every other week and read/study together the book Essential Church.  The first meeting had 20 adults.

2010-September–New name!  Eternal Rock Lutheran Church. The other finalists were Rock of Life and Christ Our Rock.  New website is launched at www.eternalrock.org the same month as well as a serving Castle Rock task force.

2010–October–Serving Castle Rock task force starts the process of a “Community Needs Assessment” and makes plans to interview community officials and serve the community.
http://jaredoldenburg.wordpress.com/

Interesting factoid - Baptist Thom Rainer who cowrote the book Essential Church (which Oldenburg is using) has just finished his new book, Transformational Church which he co wrote with Ed Stetzer.
"Ed Stetzer and I provide the full story of our study and these churches in our recently released book called, of course, Transformational Church. More than anything, the study and the book is a story of hope."  Thom Rainer
 
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Just another WordPress.com site

Houston, Prepare for Launch

December 22, 2010
by jaredoldenburg

Houston, Prepare for Launch

There are really about a thousand ways you can start a church. Some (in my opinion) are good and some, well, not so great.  To tip my hand a little, anything involving clowns, carnies or pyrotechnics is bad.  What follows is not some breakthrough model for church planting. What follows is simply an explanation of the approach we are taking to start Eternal Rock.

Before we get into too many details, some general church planting principles ought to be laid out.  First, it is generally good to start a church in the fall because many people are settling down into some routines after a busy/distracted summer.  Second, if you are going to write about planting your church, make sure you use exaggerated blog titles that make it sound like you are about to send something to Mars. Third, in this day and age, it makes some sense to get to know/serve a community first and launch second.

Alignment (July-December)
Up until this point, our primary goal has been to locate mission-minded WELS members who would like to help our effort.  It is not that we don’t care about the unchurched, but instead we figure we can best serve and reach the unchurched in the future if we strengthen our core group.  To help us align, we chose to go through the book Essential Church.  The book is not gospel truth, but it did provide some great points for discussion.  It looks like we have just over 20 adults who are committed to our efforts and excited to help make it happen.

Prelaunch I (January-May)
Starting in January, our primary goals will move towards the planning aspects of launching a church.  This will be divided up into two types of meetings: Launch and Planning.

Launch
During the Launch meeting, we will be sharing the Eternal Rock mission:  “Follow Jesus: Live Love.”

The first meeting will cover the mission of Jesus and in turn our mission as a church.  During successive monthly meetings, we will be explaining and expanding each of the parts.  For example, “Follow Jesus” would mean follow Jesus through worship and by studying His Word.  During the meetings, we will discuss/present what this will look like at our new church.
Anyone who may want to be involved is invited to these meetings. The first is January 16th at 4:00pm at the Castle Oaks Church (across from Nike) in the Castle Rock Outlet Mall.

Planning
If you think of the launch meetings as casting a vision for the new church, the planning meetings will focus on the business end of launching a church.  Couples and individuals will be encouraged to focus on either worship, outreach, education, or service as we get ready to have our first preview service in May.  If the Launch meetings focus on what it will look like, the planning meetings will focus on what it will take to make it happen.

Prelaunch II (May-August)
During this time we will be holding worship once each month.  The weeks between preview services will allow us time to follow-up on guests and make any necessary changes (location, timing, equipment, etc.).  This is also a time when we will start to emphasize outreach and service to the community.  Not only will we have something to invite people to (worship), but we will also be mobilized to do some things in the community.


Launch (September 2011)
Sometime after Labor Day we will launch our weekly services.  The idea is that by this service date and with the help of the preview services, we will have the location, signage, welcome, timing, equipment, etc, ready so we can focus our greatest efforts on reaching those who are far from God.

from → Castle Rock Mission, Church Planting

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GJ - Somebody should do a census on the emergent churches already in the area. This congregation is another example of Stetzer-based work. "What we believe" is so watered down and vague that any denomination could post the same words.

Their pre launch meetings are being held at Castle Oaks Church - Evangelical Covenant
http://www.castleoaks.org/Home.aspx


I noticed the links to WELS do not work, although the website is "crazy easy" to maintain.

If you do not like this development, write a letter!

If you did not speak to the pastor first, you will be accused of violating Matthew 18. If you did speak to him first, you will be accused of not writing a letter first.

If you meet with other members and pastors and try to do something, nothing will happen, even if the DP meets with you. He probably will not. If he does meet with you, he will blame this blog for getting you upset.

You will not be taken seriously. The DP will retaliate against you, your family, and your friends. Former friends. They will desert you as soon as they find out you questioned Holy Mother WELS.

Or send an email to the Synod President. He will send a secretive message back (if you are lucky) saying that he is working on it.
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