Blessed Reformation and All Saints Days

Blessed Reformation and All Saints Days!

Thy strong word did cleave the darkness;
At Thy speaking it was done.
For created light we thank Thee,
While Thine ordered seasons run.

Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness,
Dark as night and deep as death,
Broke the light of Thy salvation,
Breathed Thine own life-breathing breath.

Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous;
Bright with Thine own holiness,
Glorious now, we press toward glory,
And our lives our hopes confess.

From the cross Thy wisdom shining
Breaketh forth in conqu’ring might;
From the cross forever beameth
All Thy bright redeeming light.

— “Thy Strong Word,” LSB 578:1-4.

From the cross shines the wisdom of God.  This wisdom is foolishness to the world and the worldly.

Notes:

The picture is of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in downtown Appleton, WI.

Lutheran Artists

We glorify God through art because through it we reflect the image of God.  Our art reflects us, and we reflect God.  We make because we are “made in the image and likeness of a Maker.”  (J.R.R. Tolkien).

In pursuit of my interests in art, specifically the visual, liturgical, and writing arts, I’ve discovered other Confessional Lutheran novelists and artists.  Here are some worthies:

• Ad Cruciem
• Brandywine Books
• Lars Walker
• Scapegoat Studio
• The Death You Deserve
• Weak and Loved

If there are any worthy Confessional Lutheran artists that I missed, please leave a comment letting me know.  Thanks.

Pastor Lidtke’s Letters of Recognition

Recently after the divine service at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Pastor Paul Lidtke received some letters of recognition.  In the picture above from left to right is Pastor Lidtke, State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt, Congressman Glenn Grothman, Camille Solberg, and the congregation president Greg Kargus.

Many of Pastor Lidtke’s accomplishments came as a surprise.  Apparently, in addition to preaching and visitation, he also does many other things such as help counsel offenders and victims of crime.

I have always been impressed by his good pastoral care and common sense.  He is an earthy preacher who proclaims the pure word of God without adding a bunch of nonsense; for example, he doesn’t preach about himself.

And that is why he was embarrassed by the letters of recognition he received.  (He did not know that he was going to get them until only a few days before the service).  Nonetheless, they were obtained for him out of love and appreciation.

One of the challenges of photography at Bethlehem Lutheran Church is the amber stained glass windows.  They can make it difficult to get a clear color-balanced picture.  Nonetheless, I like how the pictures above and below brought out the beautiful color, grain, and texture of the wood in the sanctuary.

In the end, it is all about Christ.  His cross, his sacrifice, his sacraments, his grace and mercy are the beginning and end of all life.  (John 14:6).

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Notes

For all the pictures in this post, I used Digital Photo Professional to do the white balance on RAW files.  DPP came bundled with my camera, and can be very useful when dealing with certain types of tricky indoor lighting.

Pictures from the 2015 BJS Conference

The Brothers Of John the Steadfast held their annual conference in Naperville, Illinois on February 20 & 21, 2015 A.D.  It was an excellent conference with a lot of insightful presentations, good food, entertainment, and enjoyable fellowship.

The Brothers of John the Steadfast is a group of mostly LCMS (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) laymen and pastors dedicated to promoting Confessional Lutheranism.

The conference was held at Bethany Lutheran Church and School.

The theme of the 2015 conference was, “When Heterodoxy Hits Home.”

All the pictures in this post are from that conference.

The first session was with Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller.  His topic was: “The Obligation and Temptation of Dealing with False Teaching.”

One of the challenges of taking photos at this conference was the new candle holders that Bethany had installed down the center isle.  I tried to incorporate them into the photos as best as I could.

Audio presentations from the 2015 Conference can be found on the Brothers of John the Steadfast website.  Video of the conference can be found at this link: on the BJS website.

Bethany Lutheran’s unique stained glass windows can be seen in the background.

This stained glass window depicts God’s gift of Woman to Man.   (God was depicted in the window above this one, and was the source of the yellow rays of light that blessed our original parents).

Pastor Rossow introduced the next speaker.  Pastor Rossow was an excellent and gracious host.

The second speaker on Friday was Pastor Clint Poppe of the ACELC.

The topic of Pastor Poppe’s presentation was, “The Barking Dog Approach.”

Dinner followed, and then there was the evening prayer.

In commemoration of the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp, the liturgical color for the evening prayer was red.

On Friday evening, the Brothers of John the Steadfast gathered in private homes for the “No Pietists Allowed” parties.  Then the next morning on Saturday was the “Manly Man’s Breakfast” at Bethany.

On Saturday morning, Pastor Joshua Scheer introduced the Reverend Larry Beane.

Pastor Beane’s presentation was entitled, “Doctrine And/Or Practice?”  During his presentation, he maintained that the entire Book of Concord was descriptive.

Pastor Hans Fiene was the second speaker on Saturday.  Pastor Fiene is the creator of The Lutheran Satire.  He spoke about when satire is appropriate to use in defense of the faith.

The last speaker was Pastor Todd Wilken from Issues, Etc.  Pastor Wilken spoke about our need for perspective, patience, and perseverance.

Please go to the Brothers of John the Steadfast website, and check out all the audio presentations from the 2015 conference.  Or check out the videos of the conference by clicking here.

The Lord blesses his people when we gather to hear, discuss, and ponder his word and Sacrament.

Thank you to all who were involved in making this an enjoyable conference.

Thank you.

Additional Pictures

Click here for additional pictures from the 2015 BJS Conference.

Click here for additional pictures from all the previous BJS Conferences (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013).

God’s blessing to you.

Matt Harrison, Pastor of Pastors

On January 26, 2015, Matthew Harrison, the President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod said:

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.
Facebook post, January 26, 2015 A.D.

Pastor Harrison was referring to Matthew Becker an ordained LCMS clergyman and teacher at Valparaiso University, an alma mater of mine.

As you can see in the photo above, Pastor Harrison is an actual pastor.  He is a pastor of pastors.  And the vocation of a pastor involves calling out sin and false doctrine.

Apparently, he does not have the direct bureaucratic power to fix this sore situation, but he does have the power of the word of God.  And that is a power not to be underestimated.  However, even though God’s word is all powerful, that does not mean that it is God’s will to fix the LCMS.  There is only one holy Christian Church, and it is not coterminous with the LCMS or any other Lutheran synod.

God is in control, and our prayers are with President Harrison.  May God give him strength, wisdom, and especially, faithful helpers.

Kyrie eleison.

Brother’s Book on Amazon.com

My brother Jonathan just finished a novel called The Death You Deserve.  It’s available for purchase on Amazon.com.

I purchased the book on Kindle, and have just started reading it, so I can’t give much of a review yet, but the title, the book cover, and the writing seem top notch.  (As a warning, the story has R rated violence, strange supernatural elements, and adult themes such as suicide).

There are already three reviews on Amazon.com, and all the reviewers seem to like the book quite a lot.  One said he is reading the book a second time already.  Another said that the author’s

original take on fantasy transcends the genre by bending it, not merely to be different, but to provide the reader with … a story as unpredictable as it is familiar, as fascinating as it is satisfying.

That comment interests me because I believe that truly good art subverts the worldly culture around us.  However, instead of calling such art subversive, some authors call it “superversive.”  By that they mean that instead of undermining the truth, the “superversive” work of art recognizes and affirms the truth, and in turn undermines the worldly culture.

Anyway, it’s all very exciting.  If you are interested in dark sword and sorcerer type stories with complex characters, please check it out.

Chapters of Brother’s Book on Wattpad

My brother Jonathan is writing a fictional book called, The Death You Deserve, and recently he has been posting chapters on Wattpad.

Writers post chapters of their books on Wattpad to get exposure and also to receive feedback.  For example, as a result of feedback, my brother rewrote the main character, Theel, to be more sympathetic.

I haven’t read the entire book yet, but I can say that it has R rated violence and adult themes such as suicide.  Also, it is a medieval fantasy and magic story.

Here are the opening two paragraphs of his book:

Theel turned the knife in his hand, aimed the point back at himself, and wondered if this was the day he would die.  There would be no one to mourn him if he did it.  Not his mother, who he’d never known.  Not his father, whose funeral gathering was just beginning outside the window.  And not his brother, who remained at his side, but only from a sense of duty.

Now with his father gone, Theel no longer owed anything to anyone.  His life was now his to do with as he chose.  Perhaps this should be his life’s first and last free choice.  Perhaps this knife, which had never tasted blood, should finally find its purpose, its home, in his hurting heart.

— Click here to continue reading on Wattpad.

I find the opening two paragraphs to be compelling, and look forward to seeing the full story in polished form.  Also, I am interested in following more stories written by Confessional Lutheran Christians.

Book Cover for Brother’s Book

My brother Jonathan is writing a fictional book called, The Death You Deserve, and he recently released the cover art for the book.  Jon is a Lutheran Christian, and I’m curious to see whether the title will lead to any theological or philosophical implications.  I’m planning to follow his efforts closely because I’ve also taken an interest in reading and writing fiction.

A recent book that I read, and can recommend is The Year of the Warrior by Lars Walker.  Lars is a somewhat well known Lutheran Christian author with numerous books already published.  The Year of the Warrior is a work of historical fiction set in the land of the Vikings.  It deals with topics of paganism, Christianity, swordsmanship, the supernatural, magic, history, and politics.  One topic that it did not cover, but one that that I would have enjoyed, was romantic love.  The Year of the Warrior had lust, but no real romantic love.  Overall, I liked it, and gave it three out of five stars on Goodreads.com.  I also added Lars’ Troll Valley to the list of books I’d like to read.

A Thrivent Christmas Comparison

The Lutheran Satire produced the above video.

The Lutheran Satire is a good YouTube channel.

Unfortunately, the above video is not satire.  Herod tried to kill the child while Joseph protected him.  “Because they got caught supporting Herod … Thrivent no longer supports Joseph.  Please pray for everyone at Thrivent.”  (“A Thrivent Christmas Comparison,” The Lutheran Satire).

an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt …

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

— Matthew 2:13-18, ESV.

Kyrie eleison.

A popular satirical video for the season of Christmas from The Lutheran Satire is: “Horus Ruins Christmas.”

Saluting a Veteran

Recently, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel began a weekly series “saluting Wisconsin’s veterans.”

For week two, they saluted Sergeant Jonathan Donnan.  Please click on the image in this post to read a pdf copy of the Journal Sentinel’s salute to Sergeant Donnan.  (If you are unable to view pdf documents, please click here on the Journal Sentinel’s site, scroll to the bottom, and then click “Week 2”).

I don’t think a civilian can salute a veteran, at least not officially, but I would like to add my thanks to Jonathan for his service to our country and our church.

Jonathan and his wife Mara are members of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Appleton, WI (WELS).  And like me, they are also former members of St. Peter & The CORE (also in Appleton, WI (WELS)).  Jonathan is originally from the Ukraine, and came to Confessional Lutheranism through the Thoughts of Faith mission outreach program.

Sergeant Donnan has not only well served our country, he has also served our church with bravery, honor, dignity, and courage.

Thank you Sergeant Donnan.