tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27408866016291117062024-03-13T04:52:48.405-04:00A Lutheran LaymanAn Ex-Evangelical-Non-Denom-Christian Turned Confessional LutheranA Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.comBlogger985125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-21721678456092699232022-12-27T13:45:00.014-05:002022-12-27T13:46:11.931-05:00Reverse Thinking<span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is one of the most compelling videos that I've seen in awhile.
<br /><br />Make sure you watch this all the way to the very end!
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jgFU5Ak88-k" title="YouTube video player" width="550"></iframe></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-8145114094809757962022-12-25T13:00:00.043-05:002022-12-27T13:57:56.621-05:00Merry Christmas!<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaU0ANuH6IuPpzs_qqGgiPfKTVaab4w_Kdwev9VZf0Ogpb9i2ZbP2v83XiGI5sjqPjcHBHtCLJYZKjgOJuk-pwDZydF64p9i7CzRURGstaqXrl1ByfaljiFWraZBpQsPS-RsrSQ9Lo0lx6AvOION8lJRlx01Cba7SuhmGp5nQheXXGZGNjrW63wmI/s514/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Christmas%20Eve%20Day.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaU0ANuH6IuPpzs_qqGgiPfKTVaab4w_Kdwev9VZf0Ogpb9i2ZbP2v83XiGI5sjqPjcHBHtCLJYZKjgOJuk-pwDZydF64p9i7CzRURGstaqXrl1ByfaljiFWraZBpQsPS-RsrSQ9Lo0lx6AvOION8lJRlx01Cba7SuhmGp5nQheXXGZGNjrW63wmI/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Christmas%20Eve%20Day.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>
"Jesus, Lord at Thy birth."</i> #SilentNight
<br /><br /><b>Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)</b> <i>"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
</i><br /><br /><b>Matthew 1:21 (ESV)</b> <i>"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
</i><br /><br /><b>1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (ESV)</b> <i>"For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."
</i><br /><br /><b>2 Corinthians 9:15 (ESV) </b><i>"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"
</i><br /><br /><i>"For the gospel teaches that Christ was born for our benefit and that everything He did and suffered was for us. As the angel says here, 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you.' With these words, you can clearly see that He was born for all of us. The angel doesn't say, 'A Savior was born,' but rather, 'A Savior has been born to you.' In the same way, he doesn't say, 'I have good news,' but rather, 'I bring you good news.' For you! 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.' This joy is for everyone who has this kind of faith. I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord."
</i><br /><b>-- Martin Luther
</b><br /><br /><i>"So, this evening we hear the story of the birth of this Christ-Child into human history. And as we hear this story, our hearts and minds bow before the manger knowing that we can never thank Him enough. Our hearts and minds bow before the Christ Child knowing that we cannot give Him anything that would sufficiently thank Him for what He’s done. We bow before the Christ Child knowing that He was born to take our sin, our guilt, and our evil upon Himself – to die and rise for our justification. Indeed, we bow and praise this Christ Child this evening for we would never dare come to Him if He had not come to us first. We bow and praise Him this Christmas Eve knowing that He came to humanity in that manger long ago and comes to us tonight in His Word, to forgive, renew, and bless us with eternal life. Dear friends, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly this evening, teaching and admonishing you in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. In the name of Jesus: Amen."
</i><br /><b>-- Pastor Matt Richard
</b><br /><br /><i>"God Became One of Us. The Word of God became flesh and blood, nursed at Mary’s breast, had His diapers changed, and governed the universe from His cradle at the same time. Christ was laid in a manger of wood, pointing to the time He would be laid on a wooden cross. Eight people were saved by the Ark. Israel was saved by the Ark of the Covenant. Now the world is saved by the contents of a wooden manger. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, pointing to the time He would be wrapped in linen cloth in a tomb."
</i><br /><b>-- Dr. Arthur Just
</b><br /><br /><i>"THIS festival of the birth of our dear Lord Jesus Christ is instituted among Christians especially that we may preach this history and learn it well, that it may be kept in remembrance by the young and the common people, that it may be impressed upon their hearts, and that they may rightly learn to know their Savior. For although we tell it yearly, yet we cannot sufficiently preach nor learn it."
</i><br /><b>-- Martin Luther ("First Sermon For Christmas")
</b><br /><br />From the manger to the cross, Jesus Christ was born so that He could die for you, for me, and for all mankind. Merry CHRISTmas from A Lutheran Layman!
<br /><br /><br /><br /><b><i>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</i></b></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-8290396718404751402022-12-22T14:30:00.015-05:002022-12-27T14:30:22.513-05:00There's No Excuse Thanks To Popular Christmas Songs <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLcXkNK97OZcFkWU6FZ7iZ-ZnNuG8L_CuaAiZZIX8FWGjz0Jki9dUjs2-ZbyYqCCiOHQG-ua6CTeN7hp2r-q3jYJQLZCSiBkyIMcDdTUsfgakxEUxLPRJe_QWa7-5kqlFxwKh-Tvvg2cxp2HEo9b94IAYY55U0-mssc952tguP21a3VB3CtnIOJuZ/s540/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Christmas%20Songs%20Hymns%20Gospel%20Jesus.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLcXkNK97OZcFkWU6FZ7iZ-ZnNuG8L_CuaAiZZIX8FWGjz0Jki9dUjs2-ZbyYqCCiOHQG-ua6CTeN7hp2r-q3jYJQLZCSiBkyIMcDdTUsfgakxEUxLPRJe_QWa7-5kqlFxwKh-Tvvg2cxp2HEo9b94IAYY55U0-mssc952tguP21a3VB3CtnIOJuZ/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Christmas%20Songs%20Hymns%20Gospel%20Jesus.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
As a friend of mine once commented while thinking about all of the classic, traditional Gospel-soaked Christmas carols...
<br /><br /><i>"On Judgement Day, nobody who regularly celebrates Christmas and who hears the wall-to-wall Christmas carols played and sung each year from the start of November through the end of December, will have an excuse or the right to claim they didn't know who Jesus Christ was, they didn't know why He came into the world for us, or that they just didn't have enough information to know anything about Him or God's plan for humanity."</i>
<br /><br />This is most certainly true.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-45810958473456006162022-12-08T14:30:00.016-05:002022-12-27T14:35:32.786-05:00An Advent Reflection<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkv3IV7uN820NS49PSnh4QryNLxjZ7E0h12fS1JoZPUZdgflynyTuY7oy-FdN1aBpjSEaY0OB2Z99SAqMs3BuPim9n-pW9i3RKkfgj-UYzBQN7SRf4RPedfgAdVOUJ28-ElBM0Pde_dTR6m-IlajyuVfRGvdQLxJvXL4eOMwNGXr5ZZ7PP0lxpgHv/s450/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Advent.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkv3IV7uN820NS49PSnh4QryNLxjZ7E0h12fS1JoZPUZdgflynyTuY7oy-FdN1aBpjSEaY0OB2Z99SAqMs3BuPim9n-pW9i3RKkfgj-UYzBQN7SRf4RPedfgAdVOUJ28-ElBM0Pde_dTR6m-IlajyuVfRGvdQLxJvXL4eOMwNGXr5ZZ7PP0lxpgHv/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Advent.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
"Advent is therefore a very important season for us to observe so that we might appreciate the significance of Christmas. Advent teaches us about our weakness, and it therefore directs us to take great comfort in the Son of God becoming flesh in order to serve us and give His life as a ransom for us. Indeed all of Advent, is about preparing us for Christmas, in which God claims our flesh and blood as His most treasured possession, so dear to Him that He suffers His own wrath to redeem it from sin and hell." </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">-- Rev. Andrew Preus</span></b></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br /><b><i>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</i></b></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-26267627678355083512022-11-24T14:00:00.029-05:002022-12-27T14:04:01.669-05:00Thanksgiving Reorients<span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is from Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller and it's really good...
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje57F_w8IvQg1dFivK0Exq50sZSRbV4wlBfKtU6aIwlXBKejjV5yEtG9p2IS54ywIaH2NGeqSIUs_G64JmnHODgJbPGqY6RxipPIOdPaVz_9orVJze-6dwg8NOskCW-uStEzaTwRBbyPDa_zQzKravq77s6uKeUD7JWV03PP6qyZJYEjI-aDMJvuyX/s521/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Thanksgiving%20Day.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img a="" alt="" border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje57F_w8IvQg1dFivK0Exq50sZSRbV4wlBfKtU6aIwlXBKejjV5yEtG9p2IS54ywIaH2NGeqSIUs_G64JmnHODgJbPGqY6RxipPIOdPaVz_9orVJze-6dwg8NOskCW-uStEzaTwRBbyPDa_zQzKravq77s6uKeUD7JWV03PP6qyZJYEjI-aDMJvuyX/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Thanksgiving%20Day.PNG" width="320" /><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></a></div></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>"Thanksgiving Reorients"</b> </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I’ve been thinking a lot about the spiritual efficacy of Thanksgiving, especially in the context of Romans 1.
See how the lack of thanksgiving is a mark of the pagan, unbelieving mind, and how (1) not honoring God, and (2) not giving thanks are the two indications of a mind becoming futile and a heart becoming dark. And more, this is the first step towards idolatry and social/moral upheaval. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Romans 1:
</b><i>18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them,
because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely,
his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God,
they did not honor him as God
OR GIVE THANKS TO HIM,
but they became futile in their thinking,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise,
they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. </i></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">…and we know what comes next. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If the honor of God and thanks are missing, thinking is futile and hearts are dark. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On the other hand, when we honor God and give thanks, minds may be strong and hearts may be clean. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why?
Why is thanksgiving such an important part of the Christian life? </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a deep mystery, but thanks is connected to faith. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thanks recognizes what God has done. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thanksgiving reorients us, instead of having our focus and attention on the things I need to do today, thanks rejoices over the things God has already accomplished. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the re-orientation of Thanksgiving.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /> </span></p><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</span></i></b>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-31060449974880178832022-11-02T14:15:00.013-04:002022-12-27T14:09:57.852-05:00All Saints Day | All Souls Day<span style="font-family: helvetica;">A blessed <b>"All Souls Day"</b> (November 2nd) to everyone today. <br /><br />We give thanks to Almighty God, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for remembrance of the faithful departed, especially those among our family and friends who have heard the words <i><b>"well done thy good and faithful servant"</b></i> (Matthew 25:31-40). <br /><br />Until we meet again! Thanks be to God!
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dt7skiw8iR3DT4gal3EWlKb8jwyxbngS5Xv60-1gn0rDXidp_qNvBSXMGNYa3EIKjEFQDGZiYEnEsq_3TjrsowaJQC2Q1t-dzD_CFFnR3jHj7JZtrhqBT6e_s3EfWun8qRPcJ0ApUv8DGJl6o7Ier3XqPoz9XHyb30DSR-EXVEIXC9KaXjsUFOGe/s960/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20November%20All%20Saints%20Day.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dt7skiw8iR3DT4gal3EWlKb8jwyxbngS5Xv60-1gn0rDXidp_qNvBSXMGNYa3EIKjEFQDGZiYEnEsq_3TjrsowaJQC2Q1t-dzD_CFFnR3jHj7JZtrhqBT6e_s3EfWun8qRPcJ0ApUv8DGJl6o7Ier3XqPoz9XHyb30DSR-EXVEIXC9KaXjsUFOGe/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20November%20All%20Saints%20Day.jpg" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)</b> <i>"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing."</i>
<br /><br />From Pastor William Weedon...
<br /><br /><i>"All Souls Day is what today was traditionally called. A most fitting day, then, to offer up to God this wonderful little prayer from Seed Grains of Prayer, which Loehe gathered from the great Lutheran devotional tradition (prayer 341):
I would remember before Thee also my parents, pastors, teachers, children, kindred and benefactors, who have gone before me in the blessed faith and are now at home with Thee. If, through Jesus Christ, my prayer finds favor in Thy sight, do Thou, in my stead, repay unto them my thanks and love, in whatever manner it be possible.
Unto all whom I have ever pained, deceived, or caused to sin, or whom I have robbed of honor, health, or possessions, whom I can no longer ask for pardon, nor restore unto them, because they already are gone into joy and pardon of every sin -- gone home to Thee -- to all these, O Lord, grant good for all my evil, both now and in the day of the resurrection of the just; even as Thou knowest how, and in how far all this which I ask can be granted.
As for myself, let me spend my remaining days in prayer, in adoration of the most holy name of Jesus, and in praise and thanksgiving for the hearing of my prayers and those of all Christian people which have ever been offered up unto Thee through Jesus Christ. Amen."
</i><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><i>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</i></b></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-29352500049911745162022-10-30T14:13:00.020-04:002022-12-27T14:16:16.213-05:00A Few Lutheran Thoughts As We Approach Halloween...<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55Yd1cfB9BlOdxUl8A2H6mLm2jd_rG0x1SgkaN8kRAkopAhG-rUl1TAu3_SsiX6LcJQphqGIGpNP0eqMw2rSdZyKRH1RFesdoDRKBZ9Dx1fkn4KgnGODCJV2mGNE-a5HIg7bw4rl68LlNyvv9sHl7Zi2S_DAZL-bDomZKKzJSuq7Ru4UpG-uHtCVD/s960/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Martin%20Luther%20Thoughts%20On%20Halloween%20Masks%20Fake%20True%20False.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55Yd1cfB9BlOdxUl8A2H6mLm2jd_rG0x1SgkaN8kRAkopAhG-rUl1TAu3_SsiX6LcJQphqGIGpNP0eqMw2rSdZyKRH1RFesdoDRKBZ9Dx1fkn4KgnGODCJV2mGNE-a5HIg7bw4rl68LlNyvv9sHl7Zi2S_DAZL-bDomZKKzJSuq7Ru4UpG-uHtCVD/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Martin%20Luther%20Thoughts%20On%20Halloween%20Masks%20Fake%20True%20False.jpg" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
Hey kids, even "Martian" Luther with his "95 Reese's" says you should check your candy for razor blades, but also your theology for <i><b>"leaven" </b></i>(Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6).
<br /><br />Why? Because the world and the church is still full of <b><i>"wolves"</i></b> in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15; Matthew 10:16) as well as <i><b>"goats"</b></i> (Matthew 25 ) and <i><b>"tares"</b></i> (Matthew 13:24-30) just like God said it would be.
<br /><br />As my Pastor reminded us on Sunday morning, abide in Him and in His Word! That way, you'll not only allow the Holy Spirit to "reform" you on a daily basis through repentance and faith, but you'll also be better equipped to see through the "costumes" and "masks" to identify the "true" and the "false" while also being able to distinguish between "right" and "almost right" too. <br /><br />Thanks be to God we don't have to go through this life without Him let alone fear the devil and what he can do to us anymore!
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-37717865694670056192022-10-13T11:45:00.026-04:002022-10-13T12:05:31.107-04:00VIDEO: An Introduction To Lutheran Worship<span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is one of the best short introductions to Lutheran worship I've seen. <br /><br />Pastor David Arthur Kind explains how a sacramental view of creation, salvation, and worship makes Lutheran worship distinct from that of other churches.
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">VIDEO: An Introduction To Lutheran Worship (10-Minutes) </span></b></blockquote><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hAuAuxg2Sp4" title="YouTube video player" width="550"></iframe></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /> Pastor Kind also wrote what I still think is the best short introduction to the Liturgy in a book titled <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/About_Our_Liturgy.html?id=Gr7UMwAACAAJ" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">About Our Liturgy</span></b></a>.
You can learn more about <a href="https://ulcmn.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">University Lutheran Chapel</span></b></a> which is an LCMS campus congregation at the University of Minnesota.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-27474917670118195582022-10-13T10:00:00.079-04:002022-10-13T11:42:59.863-04:00VIDEO: "Rise of Effeminacy And Contemporary Worship (CoWo)" Presented By Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Recently, the 7th Annual ACELC Free Conference "Christ For Us: The Order of Creation" was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE.
<br /><br />I was particularly interested in Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer's presentation and the topics he discussed. It was titled the <b>"Rise of Effeminacy And Contemporary Worship (CoWo)"</b> and it reminded me of a commentary I once wrote back in 2015 titled <a href="http://www.lutheranlayman.com/2015/01/newsflash-whats-wrong-with-christs.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"NEWSFLASH: What's Wrong With Christ's Church? Too Many Women 'Pollyannas' And Men With 'Peter Pan Syndrome'"</span></b></a> which addressed some of the same themes in Christ's Church today.
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsroIftJERRcjwWkuI3XkdPHyMOdHU1oXutxuqxE53JxQCm6NSFkd_SwHXf7LEw3dBQhOolqWKV9Hfe1NFZrjVHYcnX-K_aY_AEhRpRe9IABDqEzV8quKonrbK8wlr7SfyGSKvcq3eRH4asDBwarJNenNBqvHethLcOl-gvI33-GCfUSQdAteUsauB/s835/Christian%20Confessional%20LCMS%20Lutheran%20Rev%20Jeffrey%20Hemmer.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsroIftJERRcjwWkuI3XkdPHyMOdHU1oXutxuqxE53JxQCm6NSFkd_SwHXf7LEw3dBQhOolqWKV9Hfe1NFZrjVHYcnX-K_aY_AEhRpRe9IABDqEzV8quKonrbK8wlr7SfyGSKvcq3eRH4asDBwarJNenNBqvHethLcOl-gvI33-GCfUSQdAteUsauB/s320/Christian%20Confessional%20LCMS%20Lutheran%20Rev%20Jeffrey%20Hemmer.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaotYZcL37Q" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: helvetica;">LECTURE: Rise of Effeminacy And Contemporary Worship (CoWo) - 36 Minutes</span></b></a></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />I like that he discussed the ratio of men to women in church, discussed why men hate going to church, and even commented on what he calls the "adversarial relationship" with Jesus. Very good stuff here!
<br /><br />Be sure to share these videos with the Boomers in your congregation, especially if your church also happens to be talking about hymns, hymnals, and the liturgy these days while trying to grasp the reality of how that is better than any "Contemporary Worship" Service.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-85471833971844312342022-10-10T12:45:00.036-04:002022-10-12T13:32:49.034-04:00Yes, I Desperately Need The Lord's Supper Every Week<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here's a beautiful description of the Means of Grace we call the <b>Lord's Supper</b> (a.k.a. Holy Communion)...
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFgeIk8Bz-SpxYeVB_9zSOdbECPxhzVXMEaR1zp0RfftyvV62TB-Si9TEVho746ss0OPsJE7x8JpDf6GeP6jMF8-ZYR8m4lXpEn9jqBO_AoDrSkCbwYR5MwShb8VNkd3KgPMH32ziovZpiEAeKxaZUadRMFJ5vKKeLcdgZuhk2grYeHu8AW5XYQvU/s2000/Christian%20Confessional%20LCMS%20Lutheran%20Lords%20Supper%20Holy%20Communion%20Sacraments%20Divine%20Service.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFgeIk8Bz-SpxYeVB_9zSOdbECPxhzVXMEaR1zp0RfftyvV62TB-Si9TEVho746ss0OPsJE7x8JpDf6GeP6jMF8-ZYR8m4lXpEn9jqBO_AoDrSkCbwYR5MwShb8VNkd3KgPMH32ziovZpiEAeKxaZUadRMFJ5vKKeLcdgZuhk2grYeHu8AW5XYQvU/s320/Christian%20Confessional%20LCMS%20Lutheran%20Lords%20Supper%20Holy%20Communion%20Sacraments%20Divine%20Service.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
"So far as we humans can judge, a church bereft of the Sacrament would be swallowed up by the world and cease to be church, just as has in fact transpired. Whenever the Lord’s Supper has been permitted to decay, the boundary lines between church and world have universally disappeared and the church has been absorbed into the world. The Supper is thus the Sacrament in which the church’s 'foreignness from the world,' and hence her essence as church of God, finds visible expression. ... Because the church possesses this Sacrament, she can wait [for Jesus' return] for centuries and millennia on end. The Supper bridges the space of time between Jesus’ days on earth and his return. ... It is eaten on the migration from the world to the kingdom of God, from time to eternity, from the here and now to the beyond. ... All attempts to build Christian congregations without placing at their center the congregation-forming Sacrament of the Altar are just as much condemned to failure as are efforts to renew the Divine Service without renewing the Sacrament. ... Where the custom of churchgoing has lapsed with the consequence that the Christian congregation is dead or dying, there is but one single means for getting people back to church. Hunger and thirst for the Lord’s Supper must be aroused in them. Whenever this hunger and thirst awake — and it obviously does not lie within our power to awaken them — people go to church again. ... The renewal of the Christian congregation and her Divine Service therefore begins, in a way that most theologians today still find incomprehensible, when we once again seriously learn and teach what the NT and the catechism say on Baptism and the Supper. ... A church that does not continually gather around the Supper must undergo secularization. It must irreversibly turn into a piece of the world, because the Supper establishes the boundary between church and world. ... Thus, the Gospel itself dies with the Supper." </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
-- Hermann Sasse (Church And Lord’s Supper, The Lonely Way, 1:381, 393, 395, 420, 421)</span></i></b></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />"What does this mean?"
<br /><br />In short, it's a reminder to us about the importance of the "Means of Grace" (His Word and His Sacraments) and why God established them let alone how He will use them to build Christ's Church. <br /><br />We Lutherans are unique in our understanding of the Means of Grace. No other branch of Christianity attributes to the Gospel the efficacy and power that we do. <br /><br />It is said that Martin Luther gave too much importance to the Means of Grace (continuing in the example of the Church in Rome), but Luther simply taught the power of the Word not because of the influence of Romanism, but because Scripture itself teaches that the Means of Grace are all-important in our salvation.
<br /><br />Ok, so what is the connection between Justification and the Means of Grace then? The Gospel in Word and Sacrament is the means God has given through which we receive His grace (Means - of - Grace). <br /><br />Without it, we would not be able to receive God’s justification. <br /><br />The Apology makes the connection between the two saying: <i>"One cannot deal with God or grasp Him except through the Word. Therefore, justification takes place through the Word as Paul says..."</i> <br /><br />Furthermore, the Lutheran confessors agreed with Luther on the doctrine of the Means of Grace. In Article V of The Augsburg Confession, they confessed that the Holy Spirit works ONLY through the means of the Gospel (ONLY through His Word and His Sacraments because these are the ONLY two things He ever promises to work through to accomplish justification/salvation), and condemned those who taught otherwise: <i>"To obtain such faith God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, provided the Gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where He pleases, in those who hear the Gospel. And the Gospel teaches that we have a gracious God, not by our own merits but by the merit of Christ, when we believe this. Condemned are the Anabaptists and others who teach that the Holy Spirit comes to us through our own preparations, thoughts, and works without the external word of the Gospel."</i> <br /><br />Nowhere does God promise to work faith in our hearts outside of the means of Grace -- the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. The Gospel is the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to create faith in the sinner’s heart and bring the saving work of Christ to mankind. Apart from the Gospel there can be no salvation. Paul makes this connection clear in Romans 10:13-15 too. <br /><br />So, this quote from Sasse above is simply a response to those Lutheran churches who have forgotten that to the point where the Lord's Supper isn't offered regularly (if at all!) because it has become more symbolic or "an act that we do" rather than being something Jesus does for us, or the "Real Presence" of Christ's body and blood "in, with, and under" the bread and wine, granting us His blessing of the forgiveness of sins. <br /><br />I hope that helps explain it a little better. In a Lutheran layman's terms, this is why I desperately need the Lord's Supper each-and-every week! <br /><br />Check out Sasse's essay on the Lord's Supper in <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-2904-the-lonely-way-selected-essays-and-letters-volume-1.aspx" target="_blank"><b>"The Lonely Way"</b></a> which is absolutely outstanding and "Required" reading (if I remember correctly, it's in Volume 2).
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-50528340836791876072022-10-10T11:15:00.070-04:002022-10-12T12:17:51.380-04:00A Pastor's Reflection On The Annual 'The Body of Christ And The Public Square' Conference<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm always on the lookout for good content from other Pastors on Social Media.
<br /><br />One such provider of consistently exceptional content is Rev. Christopher Thoma who's a Lutheran Pastor in Hartland, MI at <a href="https://www.oursaviorhartland.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church & School</b></span></a>.
<br /><br />Here's his self-reflection on the Annual <a href="https://www.oursaviorhartland.org/events-2/the-body-of-christ-and-the-public-square/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>"The Body of Christ And The Public Square" Conference</b></span></a> just held there at his church.<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy_if8DC6huqeVc7ebD5reBhN39arxO0JU-1-ezzQ2yeHAQ25LoKtVdxu2LKhkESqYtzMTyRKvl6X4YuqXBg-rkNt_Pa5wnH1bWRLIaWABWMUuMhkoMEk1o9u1VfiGz8ABmUeFoNYJKNaZfWjM3Z3rVEn6l4fMrTkZ1iUu-q_B6iiLSMss-KXmoMr/s2048/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20The%20Body%20of%20Christ%20And%20The%20Public%20Square%20Conference%20Thoma.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy_if8DC6huqeVc7ebD5reBhN39arxO0JU-1-ezzQ2yeHAQ25LoKtVdxu2LKhkESqYtzMTyRKvl6X4YuqXBg-rkNt_Pa5wnH1bWRLIaWABWMUuMhkoMEk1o9u1VfiGz8ABmUeFoNYJKNaZfWjM3Z3rVEn6l4fMrTkZ1iUu-q_B6iiLSMss-KXmoMr/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20The%20Body%20of%20Christ%20And%20The%20Public%20Square%20Conference%20Thoma.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
After enjoying a richly fruitful event yesterday — our <b>Annual “The Body of Christ and the Public Square” Conference</b> — I’m again reminded of life’s strangeness. I acknowledge that Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland, Michigan, is by no means a powerhouse of financial magnitude, nor are we large by comparison to many other churches. In truth, we are a relatively unassuming bunch of Christians who gather for Word and Sacrament ministry. By God’s grace, in that gathering, we have discovered ourselves equipped for accomplishing some pretty incredible things — namely, the courageous carrying of Christ’s Gospel into the world in ways one might not expect from a troupe like us. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We do this as Confessional Lutherans — people who are disinterested in using candied entertainment to lure people through our doors. Instead, we hold to the historic Rites and Ceremonies the Church has enjoyed for two millennia. That’s been our identity for our six-and-a-half decades here in Hartland. Within the last ten years, as the world has intensified its efforts to invade and destroy all things Godly, we’ve seen our shiftless identity draw others alongside us in defense. Some of these folks are ones you only see on TV — such as <a href="https://candaceowens.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Candace Owens</span></b></a>, <a href="https://thecharliekirkshow.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Charlie Kirk</span></b></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnQC_G5Xsjhp9fEJKuIcrSw" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ben Shapiro</span></b></a>, <a href="https://dineshdsouza.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dinesh D’Souza</span></b></a>, <a href="https://dennisprager.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Dennis Prager</span></b></a>, and of course, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mattwalsh" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Matt Walsh</span></b></a>, who so graciously joined us for yesterday’s conference. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How did this happen? Well, that’s a question I’m asked quite frequently. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The honest answer is, “I don’t really know.” Or perhaps better stated, “Only God knows.” Although, I suppose I could say that I’ve found myself in the right places at the right times talking with the right people. I’ll add relatively frankly that those same people found the depth and relevance of our identity refreshing. That said, even as the one running point on these conversations, I never expected any of the opportunities we enjoy today. I was doing what pastors are supposed to be doing, plain and simple. The congregation I serve was, too. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Admittedly, I’ve grown in my awareness that the times, as they say, “are a-changing.” Things are much harder for the Church these days. In fact, the way I’ll often describe this is as it relates to clergy: the days when people tipped their hats kindly to a passing clergyman on the street, listened to him with gladness giving the invocation at a public school event, or smiled as he engaged in community affairs — these are all ancient and alien experiences compared to today.</span></i> </blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Nowadays, the chance of a clergyman being attacked or spit upon by a passerby is a ready possibility. I speak from experience. Still, God leads His undershepherds accordingly. The same goes for the people who know the Good Shepherd’s voice. His mission and its subsequent peripherals haven’t changed. With that, and speaking only for myself, I’ve spoken to particular topics in specific contexts as the Spirit required. This produced results. Sometimes good. Sometimes not so good. Either way, friendships emerged. Those friendships expanded to others, eventually moving into certain spheres where an in-the-trench congregation and her pastor would subsequently find themselves engaging with some of this world’s darkest forces. And yet, God saw fit to send help from others. Some of these reinforcements speak from exceptional platforms and bear extraordinary resources. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Indeed, God has blessed us in this. And so, we go forward. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is a saying that victory has many fathers, but defeat is an orphan. The point is that when things are going well, plenty are willing to say they had a hand in it being so. But when the threat of trouble comes, associations grow thin, and people take cover in the shadows. The thing about God’s people here at Our Savior is that, for the most part, we’ve never been a congregation with the urge to cut and run when things got tough. As it is in most congregations, individuals have departed from our fellowship for one reason or another. Some because they simply didn’t like me and wanted me gone. In fact, they worked really hard to get rid of me. That’s fine. Not to be too bold, but they’re elsewhere, and I’m still here. Apparently, God had other plans. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Others left because of our congregation’s hard stance against abortion, LGBTQ impositions, CRT, and the like. Unfortunately, and in my opinion, those folks couldn’t exchange their love of this world for alignment with God’s Word. Interestingly, some left our fellowship for various reasons, but when they discovered the theological conditions in other places, they regretted the decision and returned. They realized the essentiality of Confessional Lutheranism’s inherent resistance to the ever-altering whims of culture. And why are confessionally liturgical churches so sturdy? At some point, I’ll probably write a book about it. Until I do, let’s just say it’s because their identity isn’t bound to the here and now. They share ownership of a singular identity with countless generations of Christians before them. As a result, they’re less inclined to roll over and give it away when the enemy comes calling for something new. They will fight as their fore-parents fought, knowing they’re not in the fray for the temporal successes bound to this world’s timeline but for the timeless successes that only God can provide—the kind He has supplied to the confessing Church during her most challenging days throughout all of human history. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There’s something else to keep in this regard. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Strangely, success often appears among such people as defeat — as struggle, suffering, hardship, and adversity. If you doubt it can be this way, consider the crucifixion of Jesus — the absolute epitome of the world’s depiction of failure. And yet, by the Lord’s gruesome self-giving, the cure to Sin’s poison was accomplished and delivered, and the old evil foe, the devil, was forever defanged. The incarnation of Jesus — God’s lowering of Himself to our station — and His eventual death on the cross, these two things demonstrate the truest glory of God. Jesus and His Heavenly Father believed and acknowledged this together in John 12:23-32. In the same way, Christians who crave faithfulness to this glory rather than the glory of prestige already have a proper bearing. They can trust even as victory and defeat seem blurry, assured that God is in the fracas with them and He is using even the hardest moments for His faithful people as it serves His righteous purposes. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There’s another saying relative to this that’s worth considering. I’ve heard it said (and I’ve likely shared it before) that the real tragedy in loss is the pain experienced from almost winning. I don’t know who said it, but I certainly appreciate its insight. It’s an honest observation of how it can hurt to arrive at the finish line but not cross it. But again, for Christians, it’s not necessarily about the finish line. It’s about the race. When it comes to humanity in general, the finish line gets crossed in death. Although, in one sense, Christians have already crossed the finish line as they’ve died to themselves and were reborn in Jesus. Baptized into Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work for faith in the One who already crossed the threshold by His death and resurrection, ultimately winning the victory, a Christian is accounted with His finish-line triumph. Knowing this, the race becomes a joyful venturing alongside the One who promises never to leave or forsake us as we run. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Of course, just as the world would interpret the Lord’s death as defeat, so also will it see the struggles we face as Christians — and even our mortal death — in the same light. But again, Christians know better. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Saint Paul wrote those words. His words consolidate both living and dying into one unending life. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As Paul’s words meet with the here and now, we know that the hills and valleys, the straightaways and the turns, the uneven roads and the smooth terrain all provide opportunities for God’s victorious Gospel to drive us toward the next moment. What that moment will be — how it will feel, what will be at stake, the measure of effort it will exact — we don’t know. But what we do know is that if God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31). He’s on our side. The victory is His. We get to go forth in faithfulness to Him regardless of the current climate of our culture. There’s courage to be had by this knowledge. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> I mean, when not even death can scare you, what would any of us have to fear if someone vomited threats on us for saying that an unborn child is a person worthy of life; or that men can’t be women and women can’t be men; or that the answer to racism is not more racism as Critical Race Theory would insist? Of course, these are rhetorical questions easily answered. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Death has been conquered. In Jesus, we have life. This is at the heart of what we do here at Our Savior in Hartland. God is blessing our efforts as they’re born from this trust in the middle of both ease and struggle. I’m glad for both because I know they serve as tools of a God who has given unbreakable promises of His loving care.</span></i></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-77472987596891688032022-09-29T11:15:00.034-04:002022-10-07T11:35:59.256-04:00Victory Through Death<span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>LUTHER: </b><i>"Just as the devil couldn't hold on to Christ in death, so the devil can't hold on to us who believe in Christ."
<br /><br /></i></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXHmFjxSg_ftU63ajZuj76ZIAKx_H38NNEVpB8VJ5QHchOKxQRWmhRQ44jE-DJXxWfO2FVMvbjMp1h5U9YMiv9JiOooW5iDm7p_B7n_bo9tW_xhzcl81RXESJIoG-MJ-LSkafd4Li-lWHleuim1sRaKnOfGyJArRrb3pD0VGM71W7DvWfzORSTrF4/s2048/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Victory%20Through%20Death%20Devotion.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXHmFjxSg_ftU63ajZuj76ZIAKx_H38NNEVpB8VJ5QHchOKxQRWmhRQ44jE-DJXxWfO2FVMvbjMp1h5U9YMiv9JiOooW5iDm7p_B7n_bo9tW_xhzcl81RXESJIoG-MJ-LSkafd4Li-lWHleuim1sRaKnOfGyJArRrb3pD0VGM71W7DvWfzORSTrF4/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Victory%20Through%20Death%20Devotion.jpg" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
Such a comforting reminder! We all need to be reminded of this on a daily basis I'm sure.
<br /><br /><b>Romans 8:1 (ESV) </b><i>"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
</i><br /><br />In the Large Catechism II 28-30, we find: <i>"We fell under God's wrath and displeasure and were doomed to eternal damnation, just as we had merited and deserved. There was no counsel, help, or comfort until this only and eternal Son of God -- in His immeasurable goodness -- had compassion upon our misery and wretchedness. He came from Heaven to help us (John 1:9). So those tyrants and jailers are all expelled now. In their place has come Jesus Christ, Lord of life, righteousness, every blessing, and salvation. He has delivered us poor, lost people from Hell's jaws, has won us, has made us free (Romans 8:1-2), and has brought us again into the Father's favor and grace."</i>
<br /><br />For those with a conscience that burdens them for whatever reason, please remember these truths.
<br /><br />Check out Romans 8 too. It begins with the words <i><b>"no condemnation ... in Christ"</b></i> and closes with the victorious affirmation of no separation from God's love in Christ.
It's beautiful that God's reverse declaration for those in Christ is that "You are not guilty!" <br /><br />Those of us who believe and are baptized into Him (Romans 6:3-4) are NOW AND FOREVER FREE from the Law's cold verdict and terrifying sentence. <br /><br />Our victory through His death!
<br /><br />Thanks be to God!
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-32464332612024481722022-08-31T11:30:00.028-04:002022-10-07T11:35:25.741-04:00Do You Hate And Make War Against The Sin Your Old Adam Loves To Try And Get You To Commit?<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I can only wonder if Martin Luther had Hebrews 10:26-31 in mind when he wrote these sobering words pictured below.
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2UpK0QVVM87MyK2-i3waO9Cmgmm2yNLiMQldZII6PjGi6zH5j9TJUL5Px3uOyBDQ2zvkXUbjynPfDSa8ldUOHvrtEZjBSFBsxPvJQPmreYG21IFbMzYiEpvCyQq9q_1eD0eYlkXvB1N9WR_-DhlwheMTR41PKWUa6D8eT63cr7N59Pf12RYiddg-/s960/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Martin%20Luther%20Real%20Faith%20Sin%20War%20Hate.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2UpK0QVVM87MyK2-i3waO9Cmgmm2yNLiMQldZII6PjGi6zH5j9TJUL5Px3uOyBDQ2zvkXUbjynPfDSa8ldUOHvrtEZjBSFBsxPvJQPmreYG21IFbMzYiEpvCyQq9q_1eD0eYlkXvB1N9WR_-DhlwheMTR41PKWUa6D8eT63cr7N59Pf12RYiddg-/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Martin%20Luther%20Real%20Faith%20Sin%20War%20Hate.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
Disclaimer: This DOES NOT mean that Christians never sin (see Romans 7), but only that we should NEVER take sin lightly, excuse it as "no big deal," or revel in it like we once did before we were brought to the knowledge of the truth by His grace and mercy.
<br /><br />Also, see 1 John 2:1 and prayerfully consider the <i><b>"if you sin"</b></i> as opposed to <i>"when you sin"</i> type of language used in the divinely inspired Word of God here, which seems to imply that even though we know that Jesus Christ has already defeated sin for us, and even though we already know that we are simultaneously saints and sinners, we should still be drowning our "Old Adam" and sinful fleshly desires so-to-speak in our holy baptism and repenting on a DAILY basis.
<br /><br />So yes, I guess we should always be "striving" against sin in a sense, but just as long as we recognize that "sinless perfection" or becoming a "Super Christian" is not attainable by us in this life like some Christians teach, unless we're talking about Christ's sinless perfection imputed to us as our own.
<br /><br />The Scriptures clearly tells us that faith that is of God does not delight in what is offensive to God. <br /><br />The very idea that a person could hate their neighbor, steal from them, commit sexual immorality before the Holy One who died to save us from the consequences of such actions saying, <i>"Hey, thanks for dying for me so I can go on delighting in my pet sins which aren't that bad compared to..."</i> is as far from Scripture as one can go. <br /><br />Perhaps some Pastors I'm connected to can chime in and tell me if this is the correct understanding.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-72599972488041455922022-08-27T11:45:00.027-04:002022-10-07T11:45:16.677-04:00A Christian Response To 'Cancel Culture'<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wise words from <a href="https://steadfastlutherans.org/2020/08/cancel-culture-my-first-impressions/?fbclid=IwAR0JtQXEoRg8QlJnO0qunCMj-WhrT_P28QC8nPJX-jAW6wqckNkLwVaQirs" target="_blank"><b>Pastor Jacob Deal back in 2020 regarding "Cancel Culture"</b></a> and the proper Christian response to it...<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdlV77gNfqhhX8DHtfw6rHySngbizH5ExQYZboGHMzsMNxmXh5c5gaySPuYtLZoIFnJ3kOVZh3YEqggYTXC5fQhevFo1um22MkNJAxcenedw9z7nU_m0eyX2S5L7y9c_OoUUJqbSaqPTSTqW_ONkI6pClMnksmmJFQWGM_OHeW1QCBNn5NQv04hWO/s660/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20A%20Christian%20Response%20To%20Cancel%20Culture.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdlV77gNfqhhX8DHtfw6rHySngbizH5ExQYZboGHMzsMNxmXh5c5gaySPuYtLZoIFnJ3kOVZh3YEqggYTXC5fQhevFo1um22MkNJAxcenedw9z7nU_m0eyX2S5L7y9c_OoUUJqbSaqPTSTqW_ONkI6pClMnksmmJFQWGM_OHeW1QCBNn5NQv04hWO/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20A%20Christian%20Response%20To%20Cancel%20Culture.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
"We read in Proverbs 10, <b>'Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses' </b>This CANCEL CULTURE is diametrically opposed to Christianity. It stems from hatred and it certainly does not profess a love for one’s neighbor. It puts the best construction on nothing and vows to tear down everything that stands against it. Do not expect graciousness from cancel culture. Expect rather that every aspect of your life will be brought into scrutiny under a microscope. Every photo, tweet, comment, like, post, friend, vacation, and place visited is all fair game to be used as ammunition against you to destroy your character. I don’t say this to scare you, but to ready you for battle. We will need to be armed with faith in the Word of God to extinguish these flaming darts of the evil one. We will need to be armed with prayer, not only for ourselves, but our brothers and sister in Christ, and yes, even our enemies (Ephesians 5:16-18; Matthew 5:44). </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
What we are seeing is not unprecedented. This is what a nation collapses into when minds are no longer bright with thought, but when the inner rage of emotions from the evil heart spill out and the utter lack of self-control is let loose. This is the mere fruit of society calling what is evil 'good' and what is good 'evil' (Isaiah 5:20). It really makes sense from the other side. If you have nothing good to debate and no foundation for your fickle morals, what then is there left for you to do in order to win? All that is left is to terrorize and war against the person to destroy who they are and who they love until they give in or die."</span></i></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br />#CancelCulture
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-68534498621317415632022-08-23T11:30:00.090-04:002022-09-30T14:58:32.913-04:00Yes, Jesus Is REALLY Coming Back Someday!<span style="font-family: helvetica;">What an experience my wife and I had this past weekend!
<br /><br />This Summer, my wife and daughter have been babysitting a friend's kids a couple of days a week when her and her husband are working.
<br /><br />It's a full day but we've treated them as our own which means they get to go along for the ride to wherever my family's headed and they get to have fun and enjoy any special treats along the one.
<br /><br />One "treat" for me personally as a Christian and someone who still works from home was when the 8-year-old boy randomly came into my office one morning and said, <i>"I saw a church sign the other day that said Jesus is coming back..."</i> <br /><br />You can imagine how such a truth out of the mouth of babes warmed my heart, especially since it was unsolicited too! I mean, it wasn't like anyone else in the house was talking about our faith either!<br /><br /><i>"That's right! Isn't that exciting?" </i>I asked.<br /><br /><i>"When is he coming back though?"</i>
<br /><br /><i>"Oh we don't know when He's coming back. The Bible only promises that He will come back some day but it also tells us that no one can know the day or the hour when that will be."
<br /><br /></i></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_B0pHaceJ76zuDKmv8xn7O3-6kB0x_4yhS_YLYkuW_CglS8Rbsh8y77viJdH5SmdQOIqJoAXCsYuMWOKsiSikC0Lwk3zA7QAmO_z1kDylmttwO3c-3E7wG0mxIGEK0SWMc3iuPYP2KUANflM5lkeIUGiV8v4pngMBGB8a5jzgVhOaxzpPTFtiDhu5/s1065/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Jesus%20Christ%20Is%20Coming%20Back%20Second%202nd%20Coming.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1065" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_B0pHaceJ76zuDKmv8xn7O3-6kB0x_4yhS_YLYkuW_CglS8Rbsh8y77viJdH5SmdQOIqJoAXCsYuMWOKsiSikC0Lwk3zA7QAmO_z1kDylmttwO3c-3E7wG0mxIGEK0SWMc3iuPYP2KUANflM5lkeIUGiV8v4pngMBGB8a5jzgVhOaxzpPTFtiDhu5/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Jesus%20Christ%20Is%20Coming%20Back%20Second%202nd%20Coming.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
At this point, I noticed a little concern on the poor boy's face, so I added, <i>"But don't worry! It's been over 2,000 years and He hasn't come back yet and you and me and all of us will be ok when He does because He'll keep us safe because we're Christians."</i>
<br /><br />That was the end of that conversation and topic (or so I thought!).
<br /><br />A few days went by and me and my family were driving to go camping when this boy's mom texted my wife and said, <i>"What did you say to my kids!?! They're both crying over here saying that you and Jeff told them Jesus was coming back TODAY and now they think they're gonna die!"</i> <br /><br />Never mind how hurt we were that a so-called "friend" started a conversation this way or that they should know us well enough by now to know we wouldn't have done something like that, but it saddened us that these two Elementary School age children who have been in a Private Lutheran School their entire lives and who have Christian parents reacted this way to the thought of Jesus' Second Coming.
<br /><br />Matthew 24:36 says plainly, <i><b>"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."</b></i> An important interpretive key for everything Jesus says about the end times is that NO ONE can decipher the day or even the year of His return in glory. <br /><br />Even so, we should be taught to look forward to and to welcome this coming day even if it's not likely to happen in our own lifetime. I addition, we should <i><b>"always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect"</b></i> (1 Peter 3:15).<br /><br />So, parents, teach your kids to look forward to the coming of the Lord with joy and peace.
<br /><br />So, Lutheran Schools, teach your students to look forward to the coming of the Lord with joy and peace.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-40824043268196238012022-08-19T12:00:00.020-04:002022-10-07T11:57:39.900-04:00'Give The Devil An Inch And He'll Become Your Ruler!'<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Who hasn't heard the saying <span style="color: red;">"Give The Devil An Inch And He'll Become Your Ruler!"</span> in this life?</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhAKxvZcOdAhYijTd3Y2P-pmUhbdEL9BLPIJ6S_iwIhiVZQVHGydsFszwBGLyGD2djNXmuf49uC8uztQX3TOLsfsg1n8MTWvWpjqKg6upfTizu1r0kKIZUD5LqtV01CGiL-J9ONw_R5liNUX-O4JX3qI2ajd3vz4HIriwY_hib_ZU_ABszbWspKxq/s924/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Devotion%20Give%20The%20Devil%20An%20Inch%20And%20He%20Will%20Become%20Your%20Ruler.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="914" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhAKxvZcOdAhYijTd3Y2P-pmUhbdEL9BLPIJ6S_iwIhiVZQVHGydsFszwBGLyGD2djNXmuf49uC8uztQX3TOLsfsg1n8MTWvWpjqKg6upfTizu1r0kKIZUD5LqtV01CGiL-J9ONw_R5liNUX-O4JX3qI2ajd3vz4HIriwY_hib_ZU_ABszbWspKxq/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Devotion%20Give%20The%20Devil%20An%20Inch%20And%20He%20Will%20Become%20Your%20Ruler.jpg" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
"This is something which confessors of the faith need to learn – the Devil will gladly only take a part of the pie at first. Little step by step, he is more than happy to eat away at the truth. In doctrinal matters, what some folks refer to as compromise (or even coexistence) is actually victory for error's patient walk towards total dominance over church teachings. It all is reminiscent of C.P. Krauth’s three steps to how error works: (1) Asking tolerance of it (2) Obtaining equality and then (3) Demanding dominance followed up with persecution of the truth." </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
-- Pastor Joshua Scheer</span></b></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Wise words for us to prayerfully consider. <br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-15897705746695733832022-08-18T12:15:00.032-04:002022-10-07T12:15:21.733-04:00Don't Be Surprised When The World Hates You<span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bible is pretty crystal clear when it tells us that we shouldn't be surprised when certain things happen to us due to the fact that we're Christians.
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxhavKSM52gkVdqZ_ZKJJY4CNVkFQ8CWhGZqdPfYBkVGSQWUhyK5P8PFUZqKb9U3Go35pZL4LoCk84P55mSs0g35DsgTofbGFwQJTe3mI1SIkg535J0-v2K72_u8bP3h233yCjhv-QsnA07MyONpXdccycxbpVKku725_AcJYwE3cS03WVmz-5kyN/s960/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Apologetics%20John%2015%20If%20The%20World%20Hates%20You.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxhavKSM52gkVdqZ_ZKJJY4CNVkFQ8CWhGZqdPfYBkVGSQWUhyK5P8PFUZqKb9U3Go35pZL4LoCk84P55mSs0g35DsgTofbGFwQJTe3mI1SIkg535J0-v2K72_u8bP3h233yCjhv-QsnA07MyONpXdccycxbpVKku725_AcJYwE3cS03WVmz-5kyN/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Apologetics%20John%2015%20If%20The%20World%20Hates%20You.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>
John 15:18-21 (ESV)</b> <i>"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me."</i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /> Here's how one Lutheran Pastor put it...
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"The Gospel is not in need of worldly affirmation. A Gospel seeking worldly affirmation is not the Gospel at all, but a human perversion of it. The Savior is 'despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows' (Isaiah 53:3); what makes us think that the preachers sent by this Savior will be treated any differently? His Word was anathema to the world powers when He preached it, when we preach it will it be treated any better?" </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
-- Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray</span></b></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /> In a Lutheran layman's terms, don't be surprised when the world hates you because of your faith in Christ Jesus. We were told it would be this way.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-64830411868151743522022-08-16T07:00:00.017-04:002022-08-18T17:04:55.058-04:00Johann, Elector of Saxony (John The Steadfast)<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Today is the 490th Anniversary of the death of <b>Johann, Elector of Saxony</b>; perhaps more famously known as, <b>"John The Steadfast"</b> to most people.<br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m1o9L_vVHhmmnNv1-mvD5n7E34ub7WmjSeF9mxESkPOKmUMfD1WIY0VVOfB88maySlIm_sLzvskT4k-7f3FCZMkUmZmSy9ubpwKWQSssHkaplrdz0wH-OipQuNr6GOP3BdqlUCVuVEnN68VDrCfYme1njKepn3PC-yqBj13XXUWO7MsNTbk4Oc-L/s1868/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Johann,%20Elector%20of%20Saxony%20John%20The%20Steadfast.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1868" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m1o9L_vVHhmmnNv1-mvD5n7E34ub7WmjSeF9mxESkPOKmUMfD1WIY0VVOfB88maySlIm_sLzvskT4k-7f3FCZMkUmZmSy9ubpwKWQSssHkaplrdz0wH-OipQuNr6GOP3BdqlUCVuVEnN68VDrCfYme1njKepn3PC-yqBj13XXUWO7MsNTbk4Oc-L/s400/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Johann,%20Elector%20of%20Saxony%20John%20The%20Steadfast.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
It is arguable that, without him, The Reformation, and the reclamation of the Gospel for the Church, would never have fully taken root.
<br /><br />One of <a href="https://steadfastlutherans.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">my favorite Lutheran websites</span></a> is named in honor of him.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-59911955842889834712022-08-13T12:15:00.025-04:002022-10-07T12:22:59.989-04:00The Secular Case For Church Discipline<span style="font-family: helvetica;">This brief commentary on what the author called <a href="https://steadfastlutherans.org/2015/03/the-secular-case-for-church-discipline/?fbclid=IwAR0RBBYs3uJ2Ei87bibJqRJyYXR11kvxmmE5NOUh50fot_iHwGQRt3blIl4" target="_blank"><b>"Secular Church Discipline"</b></a> from 2015 is more relevant today than it was back then some 7 years ago now, because it applies to so many facets of our contemporary culture. 🤔🤫
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uczZdWWOC3FKmSz9ZMPbu-f0MkA1jbuBh_nX-r7A1E93zHvGGvvcGExUAH9TEY6yv_mpVGJ4pvC9tmsxQlS_pz4R_HrECfgv2qO3egz_TNW3miNwY7hNxPV7D5_kkBMFlKgfnaZgX2OEr4KdkbnY620l3XzDWrwkU5oHexriPeLPL7mAnIIu53_w/s1000/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Church%20Discipline.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uczZdWWOC3FKmSz9ZMPbu-f0MkA1jbuBh_nX-r7A1E93zHvGGvvcGExUAH9TEY6yv_mpVGJ4pvC9tmsxQlS_pz4R_HrECfgv2qO3egz_TNW3miNwY7hNxPV7D5_kkBMFlKgfnaZgX2OEr4KdkbnY620l3XzDWrwkU5oHexriPeLPL7mAnIIu53_w/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Church%20Discipline.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>
Galatians 5:9 (ESV)</b> <i>"A little leaven leavens the whole lump."</i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-58192392255156892772022-08-05T11:15:00.049-04:002022-09-30T11:27:31.083-04:00What The Gospel IS And What The Gospel ISN'T<span style="font-family: helvetica;">When it comes to the sermons that are preached each week by Pastors from the pulpit, do you know what the Gospel IS and what the Gospel ISN'T? <br /><br />You might think it's "easy" to determine, but not so fast. <br /><br />One Lutheran Pastor chimed in on this for us.
<br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3Tff7YI7G0R_Qek1HsmbU7F2_m-LmyCwIMRHAer8qwVaLZ6jFhAc7_iBgC56jEp3jJnCIl7UUu_zf0rQcwfXr4vnS3hQEqIW-HwBvKyD03buZu2Z3CXu0QVaBOxb_jJeWfWBDcdIymO5CllePMYX7zI9AsBGMXE4iMQLhcIzKyYLcaGwKbURMYo3/s800/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20False%20Gospel%20Galatians%201%20Social%20Gospel%20Apologetics%20False%20Teachers.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3Tff7YI7G0R_Qek1HsmbU7F2_m-LmyCwIMRHAer8qwVaLZ6jFhAc7_iBgC56jEp3jJnCIl7UUu_zf0rQcwfXr4vnS3hQEqIW-HwBvKyD03buZu2Z3CXu0QVaBOxb_jJeWfWBDcdIymO5CllePMYX7zI9AsBGMXE4iMQLhcIzKyYLcaGwKbURMYo3/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20False%20Gospel%20Galatians%201%20Social%20Gospel%20Apologetics%20False%20Teachers.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
"False teachers will not focus on Jesus, but their sermons will consistently be on money, or morality, or tolerance, or social justice, or environmentalism. Pick your project, but the message is the same; it is not Christ-crucified for the forgiveness of sins, but rather some project or contemporary social event. False prophets will diminish sin, take the focus off of Jesus, and put it on you, and then stick you on some sort of project or social event. This is anti-Christian, because it eliminates Christ. If we are not sinners, we do not need Jesus, for Jesus came only for sinners. If we are focusing on the Christian and not the Christ, it also eliminates Jesus. May God protect us from this wretched theology that strips away the central message of Jesus Christ dying for sinners -- such as us." </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
-- Rev. Matt Richard</span></b></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /> These are such important points for us to prayerfully consider at all times. <br /><br />Sure, you might think that it's perhaps a little "too harsh" for Rev. Matt Richard to label such Pastors as "false teachers" or to classify these types of sermons as "another gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-7) even, but it's not a stretch at all given the abundance of Scripture that supports his warning here, and especially when you recall that <i>"a little leaven leavens the whole lump"</i> (Galatians 5:9). <br /><br />Of course, Christian Pastors (and Christians alike) should be the salt and light in this world with something truthful to say about morality and social justice issues. <br /><br />However, you know as well as I do that preaching a sermon on a moral issue like abstinence or a socio-economic of social justice issue like racism let's say is not the Gospel, and the Gospel should always take precedence (particularly from the pulpit) over and above any socio-political talking points. <br /><br />This isn't about "pastoral arrogance" either as some might claim, but about what God's Word and the Confessions say about Pastors and the Office of the Holy Ministry. <br /><br />This isn't about a "YouTube star" or "theological perfection" either (what's that anyway?), which is what some on my Facebook page said in response to all of this.<br /><br />Again, it's about the simple fact that there's a simple formula for all called and ordained servants (as well as for the laity who are confessing faithfully in their vocations daily) and that's to simply confess Christ crucified for the sins of all mankind. <br /><br />Any comments we have about morality and social justice are always <u>SECONDARY</u> to Law and Gospel, are they not? That is not "idealistic" in any day-and-age since the Gospel always transcends culture, times, and places. That's the reality, is it not?
<br /><br />Bottom line, it's always supposed to be about "CHRIST For You!" and not <span style="color: red;">"YOU For Christ!"</span> much less a message that <span style="color: red;">"Jesus Suffered And Died On The Cross For Your Sins And The Sins Of All Mankind So That You Can Have...<u>FILL IN THE BLANK</u>...In This Life!"</span> Yeah, um, no.
<br /><br />His suffering, death, and resurrection was to atone for your sins and mine whether committed in the past, present, or future (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). <br /><br />His suffering, death, and resurrection was to earn and then offer us the free gift of God's forgiveness, grace, mercy, and salvation from your sins and mine (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). <br /><br />His suffering, death, and resurrection was to win victory over death so that it would have no sting upon you or upon me (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).
<br /><br />His suffering, death, and resurrection was to secure eternal life for you and for me (John 3:36; John 17:2-3; 1 John 2:24-25; 1 John 5:11) <br /><br />This is what you should be hearing at church from your Pastor on a regular basis, because this is what it means to be truly #ChristCentered and #CrossFocused.
<br /><br />Thanks be to God that Redeemer Lutheran Church in Colden, NY is a church with a Pastor who understands this.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><b><i>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</i></b></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-58337415219529782582022-08-01T09:15:00.015-04:002022-09-30T11:29:21.247-04:00Our Present Sufferings (Romans 8:18)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-gtP6ekXgQCx6vAFj-3m_o9zG3XihFBp8DrY-Q4fwpoI7sFZipuB6Y6s28HA1-KuELQoWy267JQew2AJkqRIWhLLZvZ7WIV47DtD7LUb5D3u51KbGldlu066wG2PQi8kOqwy7RFOK3wG-9IEg5oprufYi-jV8bC9APM4rhaHVx11ysbTDHn9Z7Ft/s536/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Romans%208%2018%20Our%20Present%20Sufferings.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-gtP6ekXgQCx6vAFj-3m_o9zG3XihFBp8DrY-Q4fwpoI7sFZipuB6Y6s28HA1-KuELQoWy267JQew2AJkqRIWhLLZvZ7WIV47DtD7LUb5D3u51KbGldlu066wG2PQi8kOqwy7RFOK3wG-9IEg5oprufYi-jV8bC9APM4rhaHVx11ysbTDHn9Z7Ft/s400/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Romans%208%2018%20Our%20Present%20Sufferings.PNG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>
"God always has a purpose in the crosses He places on us. Sometimes the greatest cross is His apparent absence. This world and what goes on in it severely challenges our faith. We may grow confused and our faith may be shaken as we are attacked by physical pain, devastating emotional pain, broken relationships, bankruptcy, loss of hope, anger, bitterness, stress, sorrow, and the list goes on and on. Where is God's plan in all of this? Finally, we cry out for God's help, which puts us in good company.<br /><br />In many of the Psalms, we hear God's people crying out to Him in anguished expressions of pain, distress, and misery.
God does not abandon us. He knows what we are experiencing. He knows what we need and what is best for us. Life is not luck, it is not random. Life is a gift from God, and He sustains and provides for all our needs. God watches over us, protects us, and provides for us. He hears our anguished cries for help, our prayers of need. We may not always understand God's answers, so He points us to the day when all suffering will end. He reminds us that we are pilgrims on this earth (1 Peter 2:11) who look forward to an incorruptible inheritance reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4).<br /><br />And God reminds us through the apostle Paul that 'the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us' (Romans 8:18).
God uses our suffering and weakness to drive us to confess our helplessness before Him, which then drives us to Jesus. Jesus is always the answer to the questions and prayers of every Christian. Through the crosses He places on those He loves, God assures that His children will never stop looking to Jesus as Savior."
</i><br /><br /><b>-- Pastor Daniel Preus
</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-33904811945891745982022-07-23T09:30:00.032-04:002022-08-19T09:31:00.263-04:00The Antidote For Anger<span style="font-family: helvetica;">What do we do when we're so angry at someone else? <br /><br />What are we supposed to do as Christians?
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz1EXMRMlN5M6acBREE3i_oBbm0sCjJ-iAnsyMlLoWZaQAyowRYTzk6ZsyiID0ZCJnP70Vd2N34V-VZvAn0cZRbOB1_mzNu9Oj54EmRIn3vfzAPiLOW5rC6Dn4PnelaUXDGfiPQ6p4JHyMzn4M6Gbn90UIx4LG1zr4PVIy7my94fRlGpiQlr5xzbG/s537/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Anger%20Prayer.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz1EXMRMlN5M6acBREE3i_oBbm0sCjJ-iAnsyMlLoWZaQAyowRYTzk6ZsyiID0ZCJnP70Vd2N34V-VZvAn0cZRbOB1_mzNu9Oj54EmRIn3vfzAPiLOW5rC6Dn4PnelaUXDGfiPQ6p4JHyMzn4M6Gbn90UIx4LG1zr4PVIy7my94fRlGpiQlr5xzbG/s400/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Anger%20Prayer.PNG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>
Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV) </b><i>You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.</i></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br />That's a great start. <br /><br />We also shouldn't let the sun go down on our anger either (Ephesians 4:26).
<br /><br />In a Lutheran layman's terms, this is the Bible's antidote for dealing with anger.
<br /><br />#JoyfullyLutheran
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-72526247596368716172022-07-20T09:45:00.015-04:002022-08-19T09:44:37.512-04:00A Prayer Inspired By The Prophet Elijah<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCocfwU4Yuaz44izvcT9WUtvG1b2Nb9LywC3nCMoQqSgzJBnisxkavKh2BTZUwBlkbSELQfmRRLVMZqTrdepfmvGoQ5nv7oDZZzx5oVKb5HoB_lv3F0nneGIsIu69FeGkyULrhhk6Y7213qvPJwsXhVVOIpNNP7_xF8YJXYk0QjcJ8M2AKlyrZeyx/s454/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Prophet%20Elijah%20Prayer.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCocfwU4Yuaz44izvcT9WUtvG1b2Nb9LywC3nCMoQqSgzJBnisxkavKh2BTZUwBlkbSELQfmRRLVMZqTrdepfmvGoQ5nv7oDZZzx5oVKb5HoB_lv3F0nneGIsIu69FeGkyULrhhk6Y7213qvPJwsXhVVOIpNNP7_xF8YJXYk0QjcJ8M2AKlyrZeyx/s600/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Prophet%20Elijah%20Prayer.PNG" width="600" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>
"Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Elijah, You continued the prophetic pattern of teaching Your people the true faith and demonstrating through miracles Your presence in creation to heal it of its brokenness. Grant that Your Church may see in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the final end-times prophet whose teaching and miracles continue in Your Church through the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments; through Jesus Christ, our Lord." </i><br /><br /><b>-- from The Treasury of Daily Prayer
</b><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-82487507672601514992022-07-19T10:00:00.013-04:002022-08-19T09:51:43.143-04:00For The 'I'm Spiritual, Not Religious' Crowd<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikO8K72pHKLsk8HCQ7hxu0KZsHKb9jETC-l7yxQJacqtKuBRl20aB7vlJa0RH9GeYfr2lXIk_lXkyNzZIwFD_moTp3Pp06rt8bFVH0FjerwtNhAYL0Q3wFVFvwirNUuhNfwdYmRmAgh6g6AoST0NKTjthaozUO0L6vO0EOQQAqvd2Xo6KUZ5pQPdx_/s537/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Bryan%20Wolfmueller%20Spiritual%20Not%20Religious.PNG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikO8K72pHKLsk8HCQ7hxu0KZsHKb9jETC-l7yxQJacqtKuBRl20aB7vlJa0RH9GeYfr2lXIk_lXkyNzZIwFD_moTp3Pp06rt8bFVH0FjerwtNhAYL0Q3wFVFvwirNUuhNfwdYmRmAgh6g6AoST0NKTjthaozUO0L6vO0EOQQAqvd2Xo6KUZ5pQPdx_/s400/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Bryan%20Wolfmueller%20Spiritual%20Not%20Religious.PNG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />"This is most certainly true."
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span>A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740886601629111706.post-60547134486614359582022-07-13T15:01:00.061-04:002022-07-14T15:09:55.608-04:00Psalm 46:10 'Be Still' Means What In Hebrew!?!<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Incredible! <b>Psalm 46:10</b> and the words <i><b>"be still"</b></i> from that famous verse mean so much more when we look at the Hebrew roots.<br /><br />Instead, <i><b>"be still"</b></i> is better understood as <i><b>"let go"</b></i> and <i><b>"surrender"</b></i> and <i><b>"know"</b></i> too! <br /><br />What does this mean? It means the goal of being still, of surrendering, is in order to know God.<br /><br />All of that reminds me of this wonderful excerpt from a "Be Still" sermon I read some 7 years ago...<br /><br /><br /></span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-d6O6DB8mmZUzlvCU1StjVRIn9wcil4j9Cy-rv6RKQeg1AvALb_OeQj5NQUEXNwPA8OMvAMzjty9qRZiuaTg0HDtBs6VOyq0wEU06vsQlFaeyD5etpLqt7KxYbGrDmo40x0igWOj5gha6mIC6sNJ8GZo0dycrKIr9JoSXZuNGyvRdHZpOeWwFx_L/s2048/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Hebrew%20Be%20Still%20And%20Know%20That%20I%20Am%20God%20Psalm%2046%2010%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1725" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-d6O6DB8mmZUzlvCU1StjVRIn9wcil4j9Cy-rv6RKQeg1AvALb_OeQj5NQUEXNwPA8OMvAMzjty9qRZiuaTg0HDtBs6VOyq0wEU06vsQlFaeyD5etpLqt7KxYbGrDmo40x0igWOj5gha6mIC6sNJ8GZo0dycrKIr9JoSXZuNGyvRdHZpOeWwFx_L/s320/LCMS%20Christian%20Confessional%20Lutheran%20Hebrew%20Be%20Still%20And%20Know%20That%20I%20Am%20God%20Psalm%2046%2010%201.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><i>"Like the disciples, we too are quick to blame the Lord when it appears that the Lord is sleeping or is nowhere to be found in helping us with the storms of our life. </i></span></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For example: we may want the Lord to grab an oar and help paddle us out of our financial debt. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Or, we may want the Lord to grab a bucket and help us scoop away our marital problems. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Or, we may want the Lord to steer the boat away from the rocks of physical suffering. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Regardless of our circumstance, the point is the same, we want the Lord to awake from His slumber and deal with our belly-aching right away, for the time is urgent. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the Lord does not help you and me. He appears to just lie there, sleeping in the boat like some passed out deadbeat father. While we are screaming our heads off in fear of all the fierce waves of life that threaten to destroy us, He just lies there sprawled out, asleep, or so it seems. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">'[These] are the times when it’s easy to pray with the psalmist, 'Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?' (Psalm 44:23 ff).' [Otherwise stated,] are You [O Lord] in Your [heavenly] easy chair, catching some Z’s while I’m down here [being wounded, getting sick, and] catching hell? Do you not care? Have you retired from your job as rescuer? Do you have Alzheimer’s, living in the past, as if the world is still a trouble-free paradise, forgetting who you are, where you are, who your children are, ignoring their prayers?' </span></i></b></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is no doubt about it, it is easy to grumble like this and it is easy for us to want the Lord to respond to our demands and to help us the way we want, when we want, and how we want, for we have convinced ourselves that we certainly know what is best for ourselves and we also get afraid quite quickly and begin to doubt. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After our ranting and raving and our apparent success in waking the Lord up, we come next to find out that the Lord does not help us or respond in the way that we ask. He will not do things the way we want Him to. He has His own idea of what is good for us and it is typically not heeding to our demands and our desires. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Otherwise stated, He does not help, but rather, He does far more. He forgives. </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We cry, 'Lord, grab an oar and help me paddle out of financial debt.' He speaks to you, 'Be still, be silent, dear child, your sins of greed are forgiven.' </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We cry, 'Lord, grab a bucket and help me scoop away my marital problems.' He speaks to you, 'Be still, be silent, dear child, I forgive you for your lust, your pornography, and your neglect of your spouse.' </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We cry, 'Lord, steer the boat away from the rocks of physical suffering.' He speaks to you, 'Be still, be silent, dear child, do not fear; I have redeemed you, called you by name, and have promised you a resurrected body after this life in the vale of tears is over. I am your life and your salvation, you shall not be afraid. Your health may fail, and your spirit may grow weak, but I remain the strength of your heart and you belong to me forever.' </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dear friends, no the Lord often does not help you the way that you want. He does not paddle your oars and He does not scoop the water out of your boats and He does not steer you away from rocks…He does so much more, He arises and speaks a word to the chaos of the storm, 'Be still; be silenced.' </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We cry, Christ speaks, and He says to us over and over again, 'Be still, be silent, I am the Lord your God...Your sins are forgiven; sin, death, and the devil are defeated...Do not be afraid, believe in me, for I am yours and you are mine.'" </span></i></blockquote><blockquote><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">-- Pastor Matt Richard
#BeStill
#Psalm46</span></i></b></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><br />In a Lutheran layman's terms,<i><b> "be still"</b></i> is better understood as <i><b>"let go"</b></i> and <i><b>"surrender"</b></i> and <i><b>"know"</b></i> and trust Who God is.
<br /><br /><br /><br /><i><b>NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify.
To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself.
With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).
Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth.
Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!</b></i></span><br />A Lutheran Laymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597604598312446960noreply@blogger.com0