Lutheran Hymns on-line

It has been awhile since I looked at this site, and I'm going to add it to my links. Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) has been added, and I don't believe it was there the last time I looked. Our pastors are mostly from the old American Lutheran Church synod (Scandanavian in tradition), our worship leader is a former Presbyterian, and our choir director for the service I attend comes from a Baptist tradition. Most of the time it's "words projected on the screen," instead of holding a nice hymnbook and singing what you see. So I'll have fun going through this web site and remembering the "good old days."

He who is pregnant

with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. Psalm 7:14

Somehow, I'd missed this reference to men becoming pregnant in the Bible. I watched an old Cosby show (1984-1992) the other night where he was dreaming he was pregnant, as were his son, and two sons-in-law. Moaning, groaning, and hormones out of control funniness. The son gave birth to a sports car, one son-in-law to a small boat, and Bill had an enormous sandwich followed by a liter of pop. The women, Claire and her daughters, were assuming the usual platitudes and asides usually attributed to men.

303 What is a bad Christian?

It's an oxymoron, say Pastor Cholak of Gordon, NE. He saw the phrase in the local paper which provides space for an essay by one of the local churches.

"What happens to a bad Christian? Are they sent to purgatory? Do they have bad things happen to them? Does Satan have his way with them for a few hours? NO, no, and no! Christians are Christians because of the doing of Christ, not because of the doing of the person. Christ says in Matthew 25 that when he comes again he will separate all the people of the nations into sheep and goats. He doesn't say anything about bad sheep...and a goat is definitely not a bad sheep - ITS A GOAT! There are sheep and there are goats. There are righteous and there are unrighteous. Noah was counted righteous by God and therefore was chosen to build the ark...but every inclination of the thoughts of Noah's heart was only evil all the time. He was righteous because the Holy Spirit gave him faith. He was called righteous because God was merciful. A Christian is a Christian because Christ's blood marked his forehead and his sins were taken away by the death of God on the tree of Calvary." more

Sheep don't ask for their wool to grow, he says. It grows because they are sheep and that's the way good works are. And sheep don't become sheep because they can grow wool!

"You don’t ask your good works to come forward, yet they come and your good works don’t make you a Christian - your being a Christian makes the works good. You are righteous because Christ has made you righteous. Christ has called you by name, he has shed his blood for your sake, he forgives all your sins and presents you as GOOD to his heavenly Father."

I had this very conversation with a young man last night--only I didn't say it nearly as well! Thanks Pastor Cholak!

302 Christian band gets the gate, not the take

Wright State University, down the road here 'bout 80 minutes, disinvited a Christian band because they wouldn't tone down their message.

(AgapePress) - A Christian band at Wright State University in Ohio says it has been the target of religious discrimination by the school. "The Ambassadors" recently accepted an invitation to perform at a WSU homecoming event, but the university backed out at the last moment and replaced the Christian music group with a secular band.

The move to bump the band came after the University Activities Board asked the Ambassadors to modify their lyrics for the campus event by removing any religious references, something the band was not willing to do. Sophomore Jason Seidler, a rhythm guitarist and vocalist for the Ambassadors, says the Activities Board members argued that the school could not use public funds to pay for a religious group.

Actually, I don't think the band should sue. Leave that litigious whiney stuff to the atheist and agnostic entertainers. God will bless when you do the right thing. Righteousness is its own reward.

301 Thinking about France

The riots in France are with us in the evening news. This Welsh pastor, Alan Davey loved his job, but decided to go to France to be a pastor about a year ago. In September 2004, he wrote:

"Then about 5 years ago we visited France for the first time. If Spain is needy, France is very needy! Lots of factors became important in my mind. 60 years ago British people fought hard for France's political freedom. But what of her spiritual freedom? Shouldn't we work harder and more sacrificially for that? I seem to be able to learn languages. Pat is plucky and adventurey and is willing to go. The kids are young enough. We have no parents. If we can't go, who can? But how, with whom and where? There didn't seem to be any obvious path ahead. Till UFM & Bordeaux. It seemed that God was opening a door."

More recently he wrote:

"The rioters are described as immigrants. In fact they were all born in France. Their parents or even grandparents came to France, but still they are referred to everywhere as immigrants. I think that speaks volumes in itself. It's even slightly shocking. It indicates a failure to integrate the "new French" or even to accept them. It's especially shocking when you consider that, like Britain, there is no genuine French archetype. Everyone came here from somewhere else if you go back far enough. Even we Celts arrived from central Europe back in the mists of time!"

The blog is Daveys to France.

300 Five centuries of Lutheran Musical Heritage

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has produced the most fabulous collection called "Celebrating the Musical Heritage of the Lutheran Church" and I've just listened to all five centuries! Actually, I listened to the 18th century three times--Bach. If I read the web page correctly, this only available at Lutheran churches. I checked it out from our church library.

New art show at UALC

The UALC Visual Arts Ministry is sponsoring the Ohio Plein Air Society Fall Show at our Church at Mill Run, which is located at 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026. The show will run until December 9. Check the website for directions or map, www.ualc.org. Don't know what Plein Air is? I just found a really terrific site. I assume this blogger is posting her own work.