The Exuberance of Catechesis

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. (Psalm 89:15)

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. (Proverbs 20:7)

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

The little ones look to their parents and especially to their fathers for their identity, for their sense of wholeness and well-being. Careful catechesis is the sure sign of parental love, and the children rejoice to receive it from their parents and especially their daddies.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (1 Corinthians 11:28)

Loving fathers, as the head of their house, make certain that all who are of his house are baptized into Christ’s Holy Communion as members of His body so that together they dwell in the house of the Lord and taste and see that the Lord is truly good as they feast upon Him in the meal of forgiveness and life.

(For those who don’t know, catechesis is instruction. The term has long been used in the Church for the lifelong teaching of the love of God in Christ, and especially in the early stages where the chief parts of the Apostolic Doctrine are taught.)

Grace Walk Ministries

On the radio in my truck, I tune in to AFR and listen for as long as my stomach will allow me. The theology is so bad that it literally makes my stomach hurt and I have to change the dial to something else. But I listen almost every day.

One of the frequent blurbs is Steve McVey’s 2 minute devotional. Today I heard him address the matter of a man’s concern over whether or not he had truly accepted Christ into his heart and whether or not his prayer of acceptance was genuine. The answer that Steve gave to this hurting fellow was that the only thing that he needs to do or must do is to believe in Jesus.

This message is repeated in all of Steve’s devotionals and in all of the Grace Walk Ministries materials. Over and over again people are told that the only thing that they must do is to believe in Jesus.

I am bewildered by this. People cry out under the burden of their inability to believe and they are told to take comfort in knowing that the one thing that they are completely unable to do for themselves is the only thing that they must do!

In another devotional the scenario is presented where a hurting man approaches his pastor asking for a receipt that would prove to him that he was really a believer. The pastor flippantly scribbles a receipt on a piece of scrap paper and says “Here you go.” Then he tells the man that all that he must do to be certain that he is really a believer is to trust in Jesus.

How I wish that Grace Walk was the only group with such inherent deafness! But it pervades Christendom.

As I listened to the scenario with the man asking for a receipt, I desperately wanted to shout to him over the radio that God has provided a receipt. Yes! It is declared in Acts 2:38-39, 1 Peter 3:21, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:26-27, Titus 3:4-7, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 4:30, Colossians 2:6-15, 2 Timothy 2:11-19, and Acts 19:4-6.

In case you somehow overlooked God’s receipt, or seal, it is the Holy Spirit poured out in Baptism. Yes, God has given Baptism for the remission of sins and the seal of faith, that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit. By this means God gives us His mark and seal for our assurance that faith is His work and not ours and therefore it can be trusted as completely genuine and effective. Since as St. Paul assures us in Ephesians 2, faith is the work of God and not of ourselves, we know that the faith that we receive in connection with Baptism is not only valid but absolutely trustworthy. The pure faith that we cannot produce for ourselves is given freely by God, poured over us in connection with the pronouncement of His holy name connected to the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

This is the source of our faith. This is the receipt to which the Scriptures direct our hearts and minds and spirits. God HAS provided us with a receipt. He has commanded Baptism so that we would know beyond any doubt that our salvation is not dependent upon our work of believing, but rather, that our existence as believers is dependent upon the regeneration that the Holy Spirit works through Baptism.

Since the Scriptures are replete with references that plainly declare the efficacious nature of the gift of Baptism, how is it that so many completely ignore and in many cases even openly argue against it? How is it that when God has given us this clear sign of His grace that preachers and people turn it into yet another work of men and into a ritual of one’s own devotion and commitment?

It seems that people simply cannot believe that grace is really grace. There always arises the idolatrous question of, “Well, I must believe, mustn’t I?”

Even when a person reads that faith is not of ourselves but it is the gift of God, still people come back with the same tired old response: “Well, I must believe, mustn’t I?”

If a person Must Do anything, then salvation is by works of the Law and not by Grace.

That is why the Scriptures repeatedly declare that faith is the gift of God. The Holy Spirit made certain that it is recorded for us so that we can see it in black and white.

God does not want us to be in doubt of our salvation on account of thinking that we must do something to be a Christian. He has taken care of it all. Yes, even faith is God’s work.

So the next time that your heart begins to doubt whether or not you can be certain that you are a believer, turn to God’s receipt. Return to your Baptism and rejoice in what God has done, knowing that His work is without flaw and without deficiency. Your baptism is God’s seal of a good conscience in connection with the resurrection. The Holy Supper is the ongoing renewal of God’s Holy Communion into which He has sealed you through Baptism.

These are God’s means of grace through which He has sealed you as His beloved child and through which He continues to sustain you in His grace. Because of these, even in your weakest moments you can be sure of your place in His kingdom.

Money as Debt

The following video is posted at GCNLive, a worthy source of news in this current age.

Paul Grignon's Money As Debt
One Of The Most Important Videos You Will Ever See
(on what is happening in the nation and the world today)

After viewing this and observing the “Why” behind the secularly observed slavery of this age, then compare the current candidates being offered in the mainstream.

Then consider that we actually have candidates who are seeking to Reform the nation and to counter those things that currently rule over the populace.

Are not these men and women worthy of full consideration?


What would happen if every person who believed that it is foolish to vote for the lesser of two evils actually voted for someone who stood for something? What if we all actually voted FOR a candidate rather than voting against a candidate? What would happen if we all voted for candidates who actually tell us what they believe and do so consistently rather than checking the polls to find out what we want them to tell us that they believe?

Believe it or not, such candidates of integrity DO exist and are actually on the ballots.




(In the paragraph above, the secularly observed slavery is meant. Sin is the true cause of the slavery of mankind, and of course, the current matters are manifestations of that total slavery which can only be undone through the grace of God through faith.)

A Great Big Lie

On Wednesday the Wichita Eagle featured this headline & article on the front page: PUBLIC PRESSURES CONGRESS TO ACT.

This headline was based upon the following paragraph:

There was a widespread sense on Capitol Hill that Monday's vote had snapped the public to attention about the potential repercussions of Congress's failure to act. Last week, House and Senate offices were bombarded with calls from opponents who viewed the bill as a Wall Street boondoggle. That call pattern shifted sharply after Monday's vote, aides to lawmakers in both parties said. "It's completely in the other direction now," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

I called to express my great concern and to reiterate the direct violations upon the Constitution that this bill imposes. In talking with the staff person from one of the senators I asked about this report of a reversal of the expressed desire of the public. I asked how many phone calls had been received that supported and called for this action from Congress. The staff person was silent.

I asked again, “Have you received any phone calls calling for this action from Congress?”

The answer was, “No. They all have been negative.”

Is it really possible that Kansas stands alone from the rest of the citizens of this country? Or is there a great big lie being propagated?

Certainly, beyond any doubt, the Wichita Eagle deliberately ignored what is clearly being expressed in Kansas. Why?

Isn’t it time that we ask this question openly, and not only of the Wichita Eagle, but of all of the media and especially of our President and Congress?

Bipartisan.

Whom are they really representing?

Hurray for Now!

The House narrowly defeated the notorious Bailout bill.

House defeats $700B financial industry bailout.


The vote was 228-205.


For now the bill is killed. But for how long?

Not all who voted to kill the bill did so because of their love for the American People and for the love the the Constitution and the freedom that it protects.

No, they state in their own words why they voted against it: because they love their jobs. See the article and read what they say.

Yes, the phone calls of outrage made a difference.

At least for now.

But read the proposed bill that was compiled over the weekend and you'll see what the real motives of this bailout package are. See the post below for a link to the PDF file where you can read it for yourself.

This is not over.

They'll try again, only in all likelihood, they will be much less open about it, just like they have not been open about the troops that are being trained to begin controlling us as early as October 1st. See below.

Bailout Package

At the following links you can examine for yourself the Bailout Package that was compiled over the weekend.

PDF version.


HTML version.


I've prepared a synopsis, but the full document is available at these URLs.

Economic Crisis

$ $ $ $ $

We are facing an economic crisis. And what is this crisis? It is not that certain banks will fail. It is not that irresponsible offers of loans have been made or that irresponsible borrowing has occurred.

What is the economic crisis?

The crisis is that our government is going to make YOU pay for it, and not only this time, but perpetually.

Did you know that included in the bill that the president is pressing upon Congress is that the Secretary of the Treasury will be authorized to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets at any one time? What this means is that this is not a one time bailout, but the establishment of many such bailouts. What this means is that those who work hard day in and day out to support their families and nation will be forced to pay for the massive ripoffs that these big banks are pulling.

Is this your idea of freedom? Is this your understanding of truth, justice, and the American way?

Even the fictional Superman does not dream of being able to pull off such an enormous feat as to pay for such outrageous spending and irresponsible financing!

Yet this is what the President of the United States and your Congress are telling you that YOU must do.

Here is an explanation by Congressman Ron Paul:

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dear Friends,

Whenever a Great Bipartisan Consensus is announced, and a compliant media assures everyone that the wondrous actions of our wise leaders are being taken for our own good, you can know with absolute certainty that disaster is about to strike.

The events of the past week are no exception.

The bailout package that is about to be rammed down Congress' throat is not just economically foolish. It is downright sinister. It makes a mockery of our Constitution, which our leaders should never again bother pretending is still in effect. It promises the American people a never-ending nightmare of ever-greater debt liabilities they will have to shoulder. Two weeks ago, financial analyst Jim Rogers said the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made America more communist than China! "This is welfare for the rich," he said. "This is socialism for the rich. It's bailing out the financiers, the banks, the Wall Streeters."

That describes the current bailout package to a T. And we're being told it's unavoidable.

The claim that the market caused all this is so staggeringly foolish that only politicians and the media could pretend to believe it. But that has become the conventional wisdom, with the desired result that those responsible for the credit bubble and its predictable consequences - predictable, that is, to those who understand sound, Austrian economics - are being let off the hook. The Federal Reserve System is actually positioning itself as the savior, rather than the culprit, in this mess!

• The Treasury Secretary is authorized to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets at any one time. That means $700 billion is only the very beginning of what will hit us.

• Financial institutions are "designated as financial agents of the Government." This is the New Deal to end all New Deals.

• Then there's this: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." Translation: the Secretary can buy up whatever junk debt he wants to, burden the American people with it, and be subject to no one in the process.

There goes your country.

Even some so-called free-market economists are calling all this "sadly necessary." Sad, yes. Necessary? Don't make me laugh.

Our one-party system is complicit in yet another crime against the American people. The two major party candidates for president themselves initially indicated their strong support for bailouts of this kind - another example of the big choice we're supposedly presented with this November: yes or yes. Now, with a backlash brewing, they're not quite sure what their views are. A sad display, really.

Although the present bailout package is almost certainly not the end of the political atrocities we'll witness in connection with the crisis, time is short. Congress may vote as soon as tomorrow. With a Rasmussen poll finding support for the bailout at an anemic seven percent, some members of Congress are afraid to vote for it. Call them! Let them hear from you! Tell them you will never vote for anyone who supports this atrocity.

The issue boils down to this: do we care about freedom? Do we care about responsibility and accountability? Do we care that our government and media have been bought and paid for? Do we care that average Americans are about to be looted in order to subsidize the fattest of cats on Wall Street and in government? Do we care?

When the chips are down, will we stand up and fight, even if it means standing up against every stripe of fashionable opinion in politics and the media?

Times like these have a way of telling us what kind of a people we are, and what kind of country we shall be.

In liberty,

Ron Paul

Another very helpful article from Campaign for Liberty is Crisis on Wall Street.


If you believe that this is an outrageous attack on the Constitution and on your liberty and upon the liberty of the posterity of this nation, then you need to call your legislators and make your outrage known to them.

Don’t wait, because they are not waiting to hear from you. They are acting NOW. You need to call them NOW!

† † †

The number for the Congressional Switchboard is: 202-224-3121.

† † †

If you prefer to call your congressman direct, you can find the contact numbers at the following two sites: House of Representatives or Senate.

U.S. Troops In Homeland “Crowd Control” Patrols From October 1st

Looking at this photograph, where would you guess these troops are patrolling?



Did you guess Afghanistan? Perhaps you guessed Iraq.

Nope. These troops are in the USA.

The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team is training for the patrolling scheduled to begin October 1, 2008.




You can read a very short version at
infowarsnews

The fuller explanation is at
U.S. Troops In Homeland “Crowd Control” Patrols From October 1st


And in case you think this is just someone’s farfetched and delusional conspiracy, here is the official report from Army Times.


Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1


Why is this not told in the mainstream media? Can you guess?



Amazing, the training is not for the purpose of protecting us against terrorists or against those invading our nation under the guise of illegal immigration, but to CONTROL US!


Is it time yet to call your congressman?

The number for the Congressional Switchboard is: 202-224-3121.

If you prefer to call your congressman direct, you can find the contact numbers at the following two sites: House of Representatives or Senate.

Labor Day Every Week

In yesterday’s Hi & Lois comic strip, Hi and his neighbor are enjoying the last hours of the Labor Day holiday and the following is what they say:




This is really an interesting conversation, for I can remember when Labor Day WAS a weekly holiday. Yes, not all that long ago every weekend the only businesses that were open were the emergency services and a few others that simply needed to “stay open for business” for safety reasons. Every Saturday was counted as a day off and every Sunday was counted as the holy day of rest unto the Lord. The local communities actually had laws in effect that protected people from having this sacred day stolen from them.

Now, however, we have experienced Man’s version of progress and the focus is no longer upon what God declares to be good and necessary. Just look at how we have progressed! Now we have regular advertisements about the new drugs available for depression and anxiety and other spiritual, oops, mental/psychological/emotional disorders.

Well, for those who did get to take off for Labor Day, it was a good day.

For those who desire the rest that God gives, it still is available where the Divine Liturgy is still embraced on the Lord’s Day, with the full refreshment of the feast of the Gospel and the blessed Sacrament of forgiveness and life.

Remember, Be Careful!

How often do mothers and fathers cry out with these words to their children and wives to their husbands? “Remember, Be Careful!”

Yet even while being careful, things like this still happen.





This is the second day, when it looks much better. I’ve started soaking it in vinegar today, to help reduce the swelling. It looked rather bad when I pulled my hand from my work glove.

It was the end of a long hard week, with many challenges and long laborious hours. But Saturday night was the end of a good week. Overall it had been quite productive and all the challenges had been met successfully and without dangerous incident. Saturday had been a long day. One tree had been felled, other trees and their canopies raised and their deadwood and internal growth cleaned. The limbs have been cut up and chipped. The logs and stump had been cut and all but the last load of the largest logs had been loaded and hauled. It was after eight o’clock and darkness was encroaching and as I was swinging one of the logs into the pickup, I did not swing quite highly enough, and the log slammed my finger against the edge of the tailgate. The finger and log rolled over the edge of the tailgate into the truck. I rolled the log off my finger and cried out, “Ow! Shoot! Oh that hurts! Ahhh!” (Yes, those are the actual words.)

Then I looked at my glove to see whether I’d torn it. I had not, but I observed the flow of red oozing into the fabric over my knuckle. Extreme pain and red are signs that things are not well. The man who had taken some of the logs and was helping me load the ones he did not want asked me if I had broken my finger. Thankfully, no. I removed the glove and found that I peeled back the skin from over my knuckle. It was bleeding but not badly. So I asked the customer for a bandage, and a few minutes later, having found one in the house, he applied it to my finger. By then I was feeling dizzy, nauseous, and even faint. I knelt down on the ground, and then lay in the grass for a couple of minutes. Then I finished loading the truck, drove home, unloaded the truck, and went in to tell Stephanie, who helped me clean it and apply peroxide and a new bandage.




Now this is what I must present to the world as I try to keep my finger straight so as not to reopen the wound. I hope that others understand.



Such occasions as this are truly observances of the goodness of the Lord. Certainly the injury could have been much worse, which He prevented. But even beyond that, it is an occasion to observe the marvelous design that He created in the functioning of our bodies. That such an injury can occur, and yet the skin can pull together and mend again, that the bruised bone also will heal, the trauma to the flesh will be repaired, and all without any work on my part. Such is the goodness of the Lord. Such is His good and gracious will. Such is His providence.

Therefore, though I am frustrated with myself for becoming too tired to work carefully and for my misjudgment that caused me this injury, nevertheless I find myself thankful to God for His great mercy and continual protection and never ending display of His love.

Stupid Driver?

Yesterday, as I was driving, a driver pulled out in front of me, entering the roadway from a highschool driveway. There was ample distance for safety, but the car accelerated very slowly causing me to reduce my speed considerably. The driver never accelerated to the posted speed limit but remained ten miles per hour below the speed limit. After the next intersection the same thing occurred, very slowly accelerating to forty-five miles per hour in a fifty-five mile per hour zone.

Frustration arose within me very quickly. I began to think, ”Come on! What are you doing? What’s wrong with you? Can’t you find the accelerator pedal? Can’t you push it down?”

Then my heart was turned so that I began thinking of the other person. Suddenly I began to think that there could be a reason for the person driving like this. My frustration evaporated.

I began to think, “Hmm. I wonder. Could this be a young teenage driver just learning to drive? Could this person be exercising caution? The car did exit from a highschool.”

At the next intersection the car turned left and I could see in the driver’s side mirror a very young and tender face, the face of a very young girl. Her face was brimming with a smile that melted my heart and I knew that indeed this was a young driver whom Dad or Mom was letting drive the car to get the experience needed to become a safe driver.

I was happy for this young driver and I was happy to realize that she was being careful. I was glad that the Holy Spirit took hold of my selfish heart and turned it away from my anxious and frustrated thoughts toward what could be the needs of the other person. I marveled that God’s power could work so quickly in me to change my thoughts.

Stupid driver? More and more as I drive, with the many crazy things that people do on the roads, I find myself thinking “Stupid Driver!” But then the Holy Spirit takes hold of my heart and mind and I realize that I am the stupid driver when I let these things rule over my heart and mind and to steal God’s peace from me.

When the Holy Spirit works this miracle and brings me again to His repentance, all that remains for me to do is to give thanks and to rejoice in God’s goodness. Then peace again rules my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Truly the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. Amen.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Household Products

This article is from a Newsmax.com Health Alert e-mail that I received today. To the health savvy person this should not come as a big surprise. However, the fact that it is being publicized is news. Moreover, it is worthy of note.

Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Household Products

A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.

"I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me that the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from laundry products vented outdoors were making them sick," said Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs. "And I wanted to know, 'What's in these products that is causing these effects?'"

She analyzed the products to discover the chemicals' identity.

"I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found," Steinemann said. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; and acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1, 4-dioxane.

"Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air pollutants,' which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level," Steinemann said.

Steinemann chose not to disclose the brand names of the six products she tested. In a larger study of 25 cleaners, personal care products, air fresheners and laundry products, now submitted for publication, she found that many other brands contained similar chemicals.

Because manufacturers of consumer products are not required to disclose the ingredients, Steinemann analyzed the products to discover their contents. She studied three common air fresheners (a solid deodorizer disk, a liquid spray and a plug-in oil) and three laundry products (a dryer sheet, fabric softener and a detergent), selecting a top seller in each category. She bought household items at a grocery store and asked companies for samples of industrial products.

In the laboratory, each product was placed in an isolated space at room temperature and the surrounding air was analyzed for volatile organic compounds, small molecules that evaporate from the product's surface into the air.

Results showed 58 different volatile organic compounds above a concentration of 300 micrograms per cubic meter, many of which were present in more than one of the six products. For instance, a plug-in air freshener contained more than 20 different volatile organic compounds. Of these, seven are regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. The product label lists no ingredients, and information on the Material Safety Data Sheet, required for workplace handling of chemicals, lists the contents as "mixture of perfume oils."

Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients used in laundry products and air fresheners. Personal-care products and cleaners often contain similar fragrance chemicals, Steinemann said. And although cosmetics are required by the Food and Drug Administration to list ingredients, no law requires products of any kind to list chemicals used in fragrances.

"Be careful if you buy products with fragrance, because you really don't know what's in them," she added. "I'd like to see better labeling. In the meantime, I'd recommend that instead of air fresheners people use ventilation, and with laundry products, choose fragrance-free versions."

This article seems to indicate that there is a more recent study being submitted for publication, although it is not clearly stated. The 2004 study is available at Human exposure, health hazards, and
environmental regulations as a PDF file. It is worth the time to examine.


Steinemann’s comment should be taken seriously, but with a slight modification. Those who are concerned about what things affect their physical and mental health should truly be careful about everything that they buy. Our government is allowing many harmful ingredients to be used in the everyday products that most people trust and use. Especially such things as fragrances should not only be treated with caution on account of not knowing what may be in them, but especially because honest labels will not hide behind such labels as “fragrance” but will actually include the full listing of ingredients. If a product’s label does not give full disclosure, the assumption should be made that something is being hidden, for indeed it is. And if it is being hidden, why is it being hidden? A person can be certain that non-disclosure of ingredients is for nefarious reasons.

By the way, many natural products are available that accomplish the same results as the toxic substances, and often even more effectively. However, natural products do sometimes cost more and may have a shorter shelf life. But isn’t good health worth a bit of investment in both effort and money?

Ooohhh! Poor Thing!

This morning I was awakened by a sound that cut through my drowsiness and caused me to jump from bed to peer out the window leerily.

It was a squeaking, the kind of terrified squeaking that a small creature makes in the face of pain and death.

Outside the window was that old gray cat with a baby by the neck. I could not tell for certain whether it was mouse or a bunny. It held the little thing and kept biting the neck till it stopped moving and squeaking. Then it dropped it and bounded a few feet back, pausing for a few moments and then bounded into the flower bed from whence a brand new squeaking immediately ensued.

I felt sick. I hate death. I hate suffering.

I went out a bit later to confirm what I had observed. Indeed it was a baby bunny.



I felt especially badly, knowing that cats often kill just for the “fun-of-it,” leaving the “toy” after it stops functioning. Even though the silly bunnies eat our garden vegetables and cause other little problems, I still felt badly, especially thinking that it had been wasted rather than consumed by the mean old cat.

A while later I checked through the window and could not find the little carcass. I went out and checked and found that indeed the little snack bunny had not been wasted after all, but had been carried off with its sibling to be food for little baby kitties (presumably anyway).

While I was somewhat relieved to know that the food value of the bunny was not wasted after all, I nevertheless was reminded of the painful reality of the curse upon the creation and upon the ground for Mankind’s sake.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. (Genesis 3:17-20)

Yes! A painful reminder of how the choices of Mankind have brought such terrible things into the world. Because Adam listened to his wife rather than to the Lord, sin was introduced to the world, and with sin, the separation from Life, Life which exists only in communion with God. Sin, death, and the power of the devil now would rule over mankind.

But this would not do. The Lord already had established the plan of salvation. He was ready for this tragedy.

“Cursed is the ground for thy sake!”

Mankind chose the way of accursedness. But the Lord overruled Man’s choice and cursed the ground for Man’s sake. The ground or the earth became cursed so that Man would be set free. The earth became cursed so that Man would be called to repentance and faith and receive the redemption that was promised through the Seed of Woman. Now mankind would live in hope again, as Adam immediately declared, giving a new name to his wife. Now her name was Eve, or Life. This is what the Gospel does for those who openly hear what is declared by the curse that is placed upon the earth for Man’s sake. The Gospel turns the heart away from the way of accursedness and away from the way of death, so that Life is restored through the renewal of God’s holy communion in Christ with the one in whom repentance and faith has been worked.

So little bunny, so old gray cat, thank you for the reminder. While the seasons of Lent and Easter have already come and gone in the Church Year, nevertheless, the cursed earth continually cries out so that we may hear the blessed Gospel and rejoice in God’s goodness.

Thank you little bunny. Thank you hungry kitty.

Thank you God!

Effective & Powerful Prayer

Which of the two men in the parable of today’s Gospel reading prayed the “effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man that availeth much”? (James 5:16)

Luke 18:9-14 — “Toward Some Who Continued Being Persuaded Concerning Themselves That They Were Righteous”

Help!

And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)

O Lord! O Lord! O Lord!

To the child of God who truly knows the Lord and fears, loves, and trusts in Him above all things, this is a true prayer.

There have been times where I have found myself praying:

The Lord is my Shepherd.
The Lord is my Shepherd!
The Lord is my Shepherd!!

For me, one who has been baptized into Christ Jesus and into His death and resurrection, one who knows and communes in the Holy Communion of Christ’s body, one who knows what it truly means that the Lord is my Shepherd, this is a true and complete prayer.

I have prayed this way at various times when my heart was troubled and I could not attain peace. My spirit was overwhelmed by the many troubles popping up around me. My heart felt as though it was racing toward the point of exploding. My mind could not focus. I was in trouble.

With those five words, all of the Twenty-third Psalm was at my heart’s assistance. All of the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures was flowing through my heart, mind, and soul. The confidence of a good conscience was restored in connection with the name of the Lord, the name given to me, as God’s baptized child. All of the assurance and comfort of the Holy Communion surrounded me as these words reminded me of God’s promise that for Christ’s sake I am a true and worthy partaker of His body and blood and of all that these heavenly gifts convey.

This is why the true faith is of absolute necessity in the Church. This is why compromise of doctrine and practice are forbidden by Our God and Father, the Good Shepherd. We need to be free of doubt concerning our relationship to God, the relationship that exists purely by the reconciliation that is worked through the pure administration of the means of grace. When we know that we are truly members of Christ’s body, when we have rightly discerned the body of the Lord so that we commune in the confidence of His body and blood regularly, then in moments of weakness and fear our hearts know instinctively where to turn, just as a frightened child instinctively cries out, “Daddy. Daddy! Daddy!!”

Anyone can cry out. Anyone can cry out, “O Lord, help me!”

However, when the person has not feasted upon the steady and pure diet of the pure and unadulterated Gospel, the prayer is not a cry of true faith. It is a prayer mixed with doubt, which is a prayer that has no power, no effect. For such a prayer is not truly in the name and power of Jesus. Rather, it is in the confusion of the person’s jumbled beliefs. It is a prayer based upon the person’s own faith and feelings. The person’s own faith and feelings have already failed. That is why the desperate cry for help is needed in the first place. Turning back again to one’s own faith and feelings has no power to help.

But the prayer of faith, true faith, the faith that comes from hearing the pure Gospel, this prayer is powerful in its effect. Such a prayer is called the prayer of the righteous man, for it is in the name and by the faith of the one true Man of righteousness. Therefore this prayer cannot fail, even as Jesus cannot fail.

The true faith can be known with absolute certainty and this faith never fails, for it is not produced by one’s own reason and strength and is not worked by oneself, but it is the gift of God by His grace. This is why we can pray without doubting. This is why our prayers are effective. God’s faithfulness is the source of our confidence. God’s faithfulness is our hope.

This is why the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray with petitions that are statements of what God has declared rather than with petitions that flow from our own perspective and desires and thoughts. Recite the Our Father and try to find a question or a request. You won’t find one. What you will find is what God has already promised in Christ Jesus. This is why we are commanded to pray believing that we WILL receive what we ask in the name of Jesus. We are to pray according to what God has declared is His will. If we pray according to what He has already declared to be His will, where is there any room for doubt?

The Lord is my Shepherd.
I shall not want!

This is not wishful thinking. This is a statement of fact. If we truly understand all that this declares to us, it is all that we need in our times of trouble.

God’s peace to you all in Christ Jesus, the Lord!

Postcard Virus Warning

Today I received an E-mail from a dear friend wherein a warning is posted regarding a virus that is being spread cloaked in the form of E-mail Postcards from family and friends. The warning has some important errors, however, and this information should be corrected.

While Snopes lists this as a real virus, they also correct the misinformation. Below is a quote from the end of the Snopes article.

Although the Postcard virus is real, it isn't a "BIG VIRUS COMING" (it's already been around in multiple forms for a long time now), it will not "burn the whole hard disc" of your computer, CNN didn't classify it as the "worst virus" ever, and it doesn't arrive in messages bearing a subject line of 'Invitation.'

To read the full article, which is a very good idea: Snopes Postcard Virus Article. The article was updated on May 14, 2008.

Ballot Access - Chuck Baldwin

Leadership Moment

Saturday I heard on the radio a very disturbing message. It hurt my spirit to hear it. It made my heart ache.

The message was a very brief comment called “Leadership Moment” offered through a company called Equip. Since I was driving I only had the ability to stop momentarily to write down the URL for the Leadership Moment web site, and was not able to jot down a direct quote of what was presented. However, what was presented was a “Leadership Moment” reflection of the leadership demonstrated by St. Peter and the apostles in Acts 6.

The host of Leadership Moment, John Hull, gave a brief synopsis of the situation described in Acts 6, and proceeded to explain that the apostles realized that the situation would hurt the “momentum” of the Church’s growth unless action was taken.

This is a most disturbing statement.

The motives of the apostles were not based upon a concern for the “momentum” of the Church’s growth, but upon loving concern for the saints. Their concern is clearly recorded as concern for the Word of God and the ordained administration of the means of grace.

Luke records that the Lord was the leader of the Church and that all of the “leadership moments” were by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and NOT by the wisdom of the apostles or other men. The actions of the apostles and what they presented for the Church to do were based PURELY upon the right administration of the Word. They simply directed the people to follow what the Word declares, and the people responded in faith.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:3-6)

This most certainly was not a decision to “keep the momentum going.”

Luke explains in verse 7: “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

The Word produced the increase as the Word increased among the disciples. This increase was the work of the Lord. The Holy Spirit made this happen. This was not on account of some clever leadership tactics on the part of the apostles. The apostles merely adhered to the office entrusted to them, the office of Christ, the office of the Gospel. They continued in the words of Christ, believing that the Word rules the Church and produces whatever God wills for the Church.

And God’s will was done. In this instance great increase in the numbers of disciples was what God sent His Word to accomplish.

But this is not always what is to be, as is addressed in this week’s sermon from Jeremiah 15.

The point that St. Luke records is that the Word is to be the only provider of leadership in the Church, and those who would be true leaders under God will not forget this. Those who turn the office of Christ, the office of the Word, into applications of human decision and human wisdom, misrepresent the Word and do injury to those who turn to them for leadership.

Rather, the Collect for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity sets our hearts to observe the truth and to trust in the One who works mighty signs and miracles for His Church.

Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee; may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Growing and Declining in Faith

In today’s “Faith & Values” section of the Wichita Eagle the following question was presented to Billy Graham along with his answer. It is a regular feature included in the paper.

The question is a very common question, one that every “person of faith” encounters. The Reverend Graham’s answer is quite typical, and it falls far short for reasons that will be presented later in this post. First the question and the Reverend Graham’s answer:

MY ANSWER/BILLY GRAHAM

DEAR REV. GRAHAM: A year ago I accepted Jesus into my life, and for a time I really felt He was with me. But now I find myself wondering sometimes if God even exists. Why has this happened? Is the devil trying to turn me away from God? --Q.S.

DEAR Q.S.: The devil will always try to turn us away from God; after all, this is the main thing he wants to accomplish in our lives. And one way he does this is by probing for our weak spots and trying to take advantage of them.

But don't blame everything on the devil; he doesn't deserve all the credit! The real problem, I suspect, is that after you gave your life to Jesus you thought this was the end, and it was all you needed to do. You knew your sins were forgiven.

But afterward you never did anything to strengthen yourself spiritually -- and over time you became spiritually weak. In order to survive and grow, you need spiritual food and warmth -- the "food" of the Bible and prayer, and the "warmth" of fellowship with other believers. If these were missing, your spiritual life inevitably suffered.

God has not abandoned you; He loves you and yearns for you to grow stronger in your faith. Confess your weakness to Him, and then take time each day to be alone with God in His Word and in prayer. In addition, ask Him to lead you to a church where Christ is central, and where you can grow in your faith.

The Q&A is also available here.

This question is a very common question. I doubt whether any Christian has lived in this world without facing this challenging question. It is a very disconcerting question. If left without the true answer to this question a person will despair of all hope of everlasting life or will spend a lifetime groping after what cannot be found.

Sadly, the answer given by the Reverend Graham falls short.

It falls short for a reason. That reason is actually given in the title chosen for this regularly offered column in the daily paper.

Did you catch the reason in the title?

The title is: MY ANSWER/BILLY GRAHAM.

This is the reason that the hurting individual is troubled by this dreadful question in the first place. The answer that is needed is not a pastor’s answer. The answer that is needed is not a church body’s answer. The answer that is needed is not the Reverend Graham’s answer.

God’s answer is the one that is needed.

The Reverend Graham’s answer sounds very solid to a undiscerning heart. It sounds very Biblical and godly and Christian. His answer to the hurting and troubled person is: “. . . you never did anything to strengthen yourself spiritually -- and over time you became spiritually weak.”

This is a typical response from those who count themselves as spiritual and “more spiritual” than others. This is the response that people typically expect and even seek to hear.

But is this really the answer? Upon whom does this answer direct the individual to depend?

Consider the rest of the Reverend Graham’s answer:

In order to survive and grow, you need spiritual food and warmth -- the "food" of the Bible and prayer, and the "warmth" of fellowship with other believers. If these were missing, your spiritual life inevitably suffered.

To the undiscerning heart this sounds like a very helpful answer. But upon whom does this answer direct the person to depend?

First and foremost this answer directs the person to depend on self. It directs the person to what actions the person takes to strengthen self.

Is this what the Scriptures teach?

And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:37-40)

Is the “food” by which one’s spirit is fed the “Bible and prayer”?

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:28-35)

The food or bread of life is not the Bible and it is not prayer. Jesus, the Christ, is the bread of life by which the spirit is regenerated and kept alive.

The Bible does not have the power to impart faith. The Bible is the written record that declares the Word. JESUS is the Word.

The question presented by Q.S. betrays the cause of the doubts and fears and pains that this dear soul is experiencing. Q.S. says, “A year ago I accepted Jesus into my life, . . .”

This is a lie. This person is hurting because of a major misunderstanding regarding the way of faith.

No one accepts Jesus into his life.

Jesus comes into the person’s life and then that person acknowledges the presence of the Savior and rejoices in this knowledge..

This sounds trivial until a person understands the fullness of the distinction.

The Scriptures teach that kingdom of God does not come by observation. The Scriptures teach that faith does not come by an act of the human will. The Scriptures teach that a person receives Jesus and is thereby given the power or authority to be born as a son of God.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

This reception Jesus calls a rebirth or regeneration when He explains to Nicodemus the way of life in John chapter 3. He tells the confused preacher and teacher of Israel that no one can even perceive or see the kingdom of God unless that person be regenerated. Then He further explains that no one can enter into the kingdom of God unless that person be regenerated by water and the Spirit.

St. Paul writes to Pastor Titus:

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

Again the apostle writes to the saints in Ephesus:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

By these we learn that faith is not a work that is done by ourselves but a work that God works in us. It is by the hearing of the Word that the Holy Spirit comes to us and works the miracle of faith in us. This faith is a gift of God. He gives it freely. By this faith He regenerates us. Jesus Christ, the Word, is the one through whom the Holy Spirit is given. The Holy Spirit creates faith in us and that faith changes us from unbelievers to believers.

This is truly good news to anyone who has doubts and fears about the strength of his faith. Our faith is weak on account of it being counted as our own. According to our own faith, we do not truly trust God to be merciful and forgiving. According to our own faith we are full of doubt and fear and weakness.

But according to the faith of Jesus, the faith by which He came to the world and lived without sin and then took our sin in His own body to die on the cross and be buried, according to this faith, which is preached in accord with the pure Gospel and administered in the pure Sacraments, no doubt or fear or weakness remains. This is the faith that God works. It is everlasting and it cannot fail. It is a done deed. Therefore we may rely upon it without doubt or fear, and then no weakness of faith remains.

It is essential that we know where this faith lives. It lives in the body of Christ, which is the pure and holy Church that abides in His words and works. The Lord Jesus established His Church of the New Testament in His blood. He commanded that His Gospel be preached without compromise so that all doubts would be dispersed. He commanded that disciples be made through the means of the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, that is, Baptism. He commanded that these regenerated saint/sinners be kept in His grace, mercy, and peace through the Holy Communion of His body and blood.

The Bread of Life is Jesus. The warmth that we need flows from being connected with His body through Baptism and the Holy Communion. This “warmth” is not the sense of comradery or fellowship that people often mistake for the holy koinonia. This warmth is the life that is in Christ’s blood, poured out for the forgiveness of many. This warmth is the life that is received through Baptism and renewed through the Holy Communion.

Contrary to what the Reverend Graham and most Christians imagine, Christ is not the center of life and faith for the Church. Christ is the life and faith of the Church.

When this is understood, people no longer seek to make Christ the center of their lives. Rather, they live in Christ, trusting that He is their life and their all. With this understanding, doubts and fears are washed away, for then the person no longer looks to his own faith for hope and peace and assurance, but simply lives by the faith that God gives. The person simply trusts that Jesus really is the answer, and having received Jesus through the faith that the Holy Spirit works, that person continues in the great Eucharist or Thanksgiving, partaking of the Bread of Life and being strengthened and renewed in His blood of life.

The answer really is this wonderfully simple.

What’s your life worth?

Did you know that the government agencies of the United States of America evaluate the value of a human life and use these bureaucratic calculations in determining laws and regulations?

On the front page of today’s Wichita Eagle an article appears with the headline What's your life worth? A lot less to EPA.

According to the report, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other agencies, use various criteria to calculate a so called value of a statistical life.

What exactly is a statistical life?

Well, YOUR life is a statistical life. Every human being has a life, and that life is treated as a numerical datum. This is the view that results from loving money and making mammon one’s god.

The Scriptures explain this very plainly.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (1 Timothy 6:9-11)

The Lord Jesus declared:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matthew 6:21-25)

When money becomes the basis for deciding what is right and wrong, when cost is the factor by which decisions of life and death are determined, mercy disintegrates. The love of money turns all decisions away from mercy and away from compassion and away from caring and away from goodness. The love of money turns all decisions to selfishness and to the maintenance and preservation of one’s own money and possessions and power.

This is why St. Paul admonishes:

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5)

This way of looking upon others does not develop in a person on its own. It is not even possible to have this mindset by one’s own choice. No, as St. Paul declares, this is the mind of Christ, which is made to be the mind of those who are in Christ.

Thus we will observe certain imitations of this in the world, such as the facade of caring that is presented by the Environmental Protection Agency. But we will never see in the activities of the world and of the world’s agents the real caring that is not limited by monetary considerations. This real caring, this limitless caring, comes from God, who is love.

This is why the larger headline on the same page is: Casinos make pitch to state.

It is about the money!

A person who counts the things of others as just as important and even more important than one’s own things does not seek to use people’s greediness against them. That is, after all, the basis for gambling. Those who gamble and promote gambling are hoping to profit from the greediness and gullibility of others. People do not gamble with the good of others in mind.

The Casino owners want to make profit from others, regardless of how others are injured. The government wants to make profit from the profits of the casinos so that more money can be squandered on various programs that have the false appearance of caring for the people. People want to get something for nothing, knowing full well that someone has to lose heavily in order for this gain for self to occur.

In other words, the lives of others are counted as of less value than the personal or communal or corporate monetary gains.

So what is your life really worth?

To God, it is worth everything. To God, your life is worth His own life. To God, your life is worth the cost of humbling Himself to take on the form of Man, even more, to take the sin of the world and to be made to be sin in the place of Man, to be falsely condemned, to be persecuted and betrayed, and to be tortured to death. This is the mind of Christ, the God who is also Man, the Creator who loves the world so much that He is willing to humble Himself to take into Himself and to continue with the form of the creature for the sake of the creature.

Such value of life is found only in the heart and mind of Christ and of those who through Baptism are made to be one with Christ.

What is your life worth? Do you really know?

If you really know the worth of your life, then will it not show in the way that you value the lives of others? Is it possible to know the mind of Christ and not to have that mind toward others?

What is your life really worth? Do you know? Do you know what value God places upon you? Do you know what power God has for you and how He desires for you to be made to be like Him? Do you know that He has reserved a place for you in His kingdom, to be a coheir with Christ, to inherit all that is of God? Do you know that in Baptism God places His own name upon you and bestows all that is His along with His holy name?

Knowing one’s value changes a person.

Do you really know the value that has been declared concerning your life?

Click here to see your true value.