Classic Joke

Why did Beethoven get rid of his chickens?

They kept saying "Bach, bach, bach"

The Deepest Wounds and Scars

"This does not mean that you [Soldiers] are war mongers. On the contrary, the Soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.'"

-Gen Douglas MacArthur



Almighty God, You alone can establish lasting peace. Forgive our sins, we implore You, and deliver us from the hands of our enemies that we, being strengthened by Your defense, may be preserved from all danger and glorify You for the restoration of tranquility in our land; through the merits of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. (228)

Sola Scriptura

I come from a heavily Roman Catholic part of the country. I also live in a part of the country that is consumed with Marian devotion... to the point that even the Roman Catholic church has had to correct and reprimand members of the laity.

So I wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth (unfortunate choice of words, I know). What does the Roman Catholic church officially say about the Blessed Virgin? How far does this "devotion" thing really go?

I am reading "True Devotion to Mary" by St. Louis De Montfort. This book has the endorsement of several Popes. John Paul II called reading it a "decisive turning-point" in his life. I haven't even answered my original question yet, but reading this has taught me one fundamental thing about Roman Catholicism. (Something that I already knew more or less, but it is always nice to get some validation.)

The lesson I take from this book:

I now understand why it is taught by the Roman church that only the Roman Catholic Church can interpret Scripture properly. Why? Because, in many areas relating to newer doctrines, it is impossible to read the same thing that they read and draw the their same conclusions. When one uses grammatical context and stays within the confines of the information that is available in the text, you cannot see what they see, believe what they believe, or teach what they teach. Their interpretations are so wide and allegorical that it is impossible to follow their philosophy without being told (by them) how to think.

The authority of church Tradition has become so important to the Roman theological system that it cannot stand without it. Without the authority to formulate external doctrines and fabricate new teachings, there can be no distinctively Roman church. More often than not, the only reasonable answer that this mother can say to quell the questions of her children is the ill-advised, "because I said so."

New light has been shed upon the frustrations of the Lutheran Fathers as they waded through this quagmire of Aristotelian scholarship and romantic conjecture.

Self Awareness and Presumption

I barely know myself; why is it that I presume that I can know so much about my neighbor?

When I Say We Had a Sandstorm...

...I mean a SANDSTORM!

One morning, not too long ago, we looked up and saw... this dwarfing everything (note the tiny buildings and vehicles at the bottom of the photo to get the scale):

...and in under an hour, we were surrounded by this:

...and it remained like that for the rest of the day before it started to clear up.

...but it was days before we saw any blue in the sky.


The pictures do not do it justice.

A Prayer Request

Because the purpose of "the news" these days is to engage in gossip, place blame, and fill you with irrational, glued-to-the-television fear (rather than inform you about the world in which you live), it would be virtually impossible for you to know about this event that is of true significance.

Iraq has been going through a troublesome drought since last year. As the dust storms north of Baghdad grow in severity and frequency, there is increasing concern about the crop harvest this year. Please keep this nation's security and stability in your prayers and pray for the farmers who are facing this true threat to their livelihoods.

...not because we are invested in their future over here... not because you want your political party to be right... but just because they are people and they need God's blessings if they are to eat and live in peace in the coming months.


O God, most merciful Father, without Your care and preservation all things wither and die. Open the windows of heaven and send bountiful rain on us to revive and renew the land. Graciously hear our prayer that we may praise and glorify Your name forever and ever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (236)

O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (410)

May 7th - C.F.W. Walther, Pastor and Theologian

Walther on the Office of the Ministry:

"O, glorious office! No matter how sick a person may be in his soul, the Gospel can heal him. No matter how deeply ca person has fallen into the corruption of sin, the Gospel can pull him out. No matter how troubled, frightened, and afflicted a person may be, the Gospel can comfort him. Whatever the condition in which a person finds himself, even if he is convinced that he must perish because of it, the preachers can confidently oppose him, saying: 'No, as certainly as God lives, He does not want the death of any sinner. You shall not perish; instead, you shall be saved. Turn to Jesus, who can evermore save all who come to God through Him.' And if one who lies near death calls out: 'God, what have I done? Woe to me! Now it is too late! I am lost!' the preachers should call to him: 'No, no, it is not too late! Commit your departing soul to Jesus. You too shall still be with Him in paradise today.' O, glorious, high office, too high for the angels! May we always hold it in high regard, not looking at the person who bears it and despising his weakness, but looking instead at the Institutor of this office and His exuberant goodness. Let us turn to Him in faith so we can experience the blessings of which the preachers have spoken and, through them, be gathered together one day into the barns of heaven as a completely ripe sheaf."

-C.F.W. Walther
from The Treasury of Daily Prayer, pg 212

Two Roads... but Only One Truth!

There are two roads that claim to lead to all truth.

The first road--the wide and beautiful road--is the false teaching that ultimately says, "Man serves god." This well-traveled avenue was constructed by Satan and his demons using lies for stone and human arrogance for mortar. Along this road you can find every kind of man-made religion imaginable. These teachings of men come in all kinds of varieties. Every belief on this road comes from the invention of man. They have all kinds of philosophies that build on the simple idea that "Man serves god". There are lots of churches on this road, too. They are right next to mosques, temples, prayer circles, and the homes of various spiritual gurus. Crosses and 'Christian' bumper stickers abound on this road. If you are an atheist, you can even go to the false religion that says "Man serves god... and god is you!"

The buildings may look different and may seem to offer all kinds of various teachings and trappings, but if you look at the foundations of those buildings you will find that they all sit along the same road where Man must work. This is the road of failure and disappointment because (as you have already figured out by the example of your own life) the fact is that Man cannot work. He is never good enough, never true enough, never perfect enough to reach an infinite truth or please an infinite being.

You can foolishly pick whatever you like, but it is all built on the same, demonic road... the road that leads to destruction. This is the road to eternal torment and isolation in hell; not because the people on it failed to believe in what they were doing, not because they failed to try their best, but because this is simply not the way to reach God.

That is why our loving God did not build this road. That is why man, in his sinful pride and rebellion, had to construct it for himself at the behest of God's sworn enemy, Satan, who is the father of lies. He designed this road in the Garden of Eden and whispered its plans into the ears of Adam and Eve. This road serves a secret purpose. It does the exact opposite of what it promises. It promises truth but serves lies. It promises life but ends in death. It promises heaven but earns you hell. It promises to find the divine but reveals the devil. It promises hope but curses you with dispair and torment.

The second road--the narrow and difficult road--is the only true teaching. This divine Word says, "God serves man." This is the only teaching that comes from the very mouth of God and is demonstrated on the cross of Christ. This road does not merely claim to lead to God. It literally comes out from God and leads straight to you so that you can be picked up and brought to where God is.

The second road is not like the first road where you sojurn and wander to find God, but never succeed. It is quite the opposite. It is a road of collection where God comes and gets you and brings you back home by merciful grace. This road returns to Eden where God and man walked together in fellowship and where man did not toil because his every need was provided for by his loving Creator. Now, outside of Eden, our God the Father works through Word and Sacrament where the true religion exists in a system in which God constantly lifts up man, refreshes him, and brings him to everlasting life by faith alone in God the Son, Jesus Christ.

In this one and true faith, God also serves man through his fellow man as God the Holy Spirit fills us with faith, brings us to the righteousness of faith, and by faith performs true good works in us that bless our neighbor. This is the road that leads to eternal life in Christ Jesus which follows in the shadow of the cross where God draws poor sinners to Himself. This is the way to life everlasting.

There is no middle road.

...Another Interesting Statistic

According to the Associated Press, 16 people have died worldwide from the Swine Flu "pandemic". (That's another thing... if you are getting reports of 150+ deaths out of Mexico, that number has been debunked by the World Health Organization. Good science has reduced that statistic from a very low number to an even lower number.)

Evidence suggests that 150 people die every year from concussions sustained by having a coconut fall out of a tree and hit them on the head.

We still have 134 deaths to go before this reaches the level of the "coconut concussion crisis".

Cutting Through Bad Journalism and Irrational Fear with Simple Numbers

Number of US residents who die each year from flu-related symptoms or complications from flu:
36,000 people

Statistical daily mortality rate for the common flu:
98.6 people each day every day

Statistical hourly mortality rate for the common flu:
4.1 people each hour every hour... day after day with no news panic

Number of US residents who have died since the Swine Flu "pandemic":
0 people

Percentage of US residents who have caught the Swine Flu and are still alive:
100%

Total US population:
303,824,640

Total reported cases of Swine Flu in the US:
114

Percentage of US residents who have caught this normally nonfatal illness:
0.0000375%