Messages

1

Your Turn / Re: Liz Cheney Commencement Address

« on: Yesterday at 02:47:16 PM »

On July 18, 2015, Donald Trump was in Ames, Iowa attending
a Faith Leadership Conference while campaigning for President.

Moderator Frank Luntz asked Trump whether he had ever asked
God for forgiveness for his actions.  Trump replied: " I have never
asked God for forgiveness. If I do something wrong I just try to
make it right.  I don't bring God into the picture."

2

Your Turn / Re: Liz Cheney Commencement Address

« on: Yesterday at 11:22:30 AM »

Thanks for posting this Father Slusser.

Liz Cheney is a wonderful person who wants what is best for our nation.
She had two great parents who modeled for her good citizenship.  Her
goal of living in the truth is to be commended as we do the right thing
and demonstrate kindness toward one another.

3

Your Turn / Update On LCMC (Lutheran Churches In Mission For Christ)

« on: May 28, 2023, 03:08:12 PM »

What we know:

LCMC started in 2001 as a breakaway from the ELCA.  At the present
time it has 970 congregations with about 375,000 members. Is there
anyone on this forum who is associated with this group?  Does anyone
here have any more information about LCMC?

4

Your Turn / Re: Traditional/Revisionist divide and Church unity

« on: May 27, 2023, 11:05:02 AM »

Pastor Engebretson's post reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

"In the last days there will come times of difficulty.
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money.....
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God".

5

Your Turn / Re: Global Methodist Church Is 1 Year Old

« on: May 25, 2023, 02:36:19 PM »

This week on May 23, there were 83 churches from Iowa
who voted to leave the United Methodist Church denomination.
Their release was approved.  The deadline to separate is Dec.
31, 2023.  Again the main issue was that these 83 churches
disapprove of same sex marriage and gay/lesbian clergy.
These 83 churches represent about 11% of the United Methodist
parishes in Iowa.

6

Your Turn / Re: Tim Keller, R.I.P.

« on: May 23, 2023, 03:07:59 PM »

Bill Hybels was a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in
Biblical studies.  He never attended any seminary but started
out as a youth minister.  In the early 1970's he surveyed a
community in suburban Chicago to find out why people did not
attend church.

He got answers like: "church is boring", "they are always asking
for money", "I do not like being preached down to"  So Hybels
opened up his church in 1975 with modern music, dramatic skits,
multimedia presentations, and relevant language in preaching.
By 2017, Willow Creek Community Church was averaging 24,000
people per week with  six services.

By 2000, Hybels admitted that his approach had produced a shallow
Christian.  His church members had no in-depth knowledge of Holy
Scriptures and lacked a meaningful and personal relationship with Christ.

7

Your Turn / Re: Cohabitation and the Crisis of Commitment

« on: May 17, 2023, 06:49:30 PM »

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, "The Cost of Discipleship" says that
costly grace has been turned into cheap grace without discipleship.
He states that grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is
grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

Bonhoeffer believes that cheap grace is Baptism with church discipline.
It is Holy Communion without repentance  It is absolution without
personal confession. The life of discipleship is a life of obedient faith
to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

8

Your Turn / Re: LCMS Dystopian Future

« on: May 17, 2023, 02:52:24 PM »

I am certain that some LCMS parishes were singing:

Children Of The Heavenly Father and Great Is Thy Faithfulness

before these hymns made it into the 2006 Lutheran Service Book.

My point is that there is no one hymn book sanctioned by the LCMS
that could hold all the doctrinally correct hymns available.

9

Your Turn / Re: Cohabitation and the Crisis of Commitment

« on: May 15, 2023, 06:26:58 PM »

We teach our 7th and 8th grade confirmation students that
one of the attributes of our God is that He is unchangeable
and immutable.

Malachi 3:6..."I the Lord do not change"

James 1:17..."Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting darkness."

10

Your Turn / Re: Cohabitation and the Crisis of Commitment

« on: May 13, 2023, 04:19:45 PM »

 As mentioned above, some married couples get divorced when they
are empty nesters.  The only thing that was holding their marriage
together was their children. So much time and energy were expended
as father and mother, that they never developed their relationship
as husband an wife.

It is important that the role as husband and wife remain the number
one priority throughout the wedded years.  Children were not intended
to be the main focus of the marriage. Someday they will leave home
and the roles of husband and wife will need to be strong & trustworthy.

11

Your Turn / Re: Cohabitation and the Crisis of Commitment

« on: May 11, 2023, 04:28:10 PM »

One of the reasons for cohabitation given by couples is:

We want to find out if we are really compatible and meant
for each other. Of course, they mean sexual compatibility.

The guy will say something like I never buy a car until I take
it for a test drive. The gal will say something like if it does not
work out then nobody gets hurt.

As our American culture becomes more secular and pushes
God out of the picture, you will continue to see less marriages
and more cohabitation arrangements.

12

Your Turn / Re: Cohabitation and the Crisis of Commitment

« on: May 10, 2023, 10:34:34 AM »

 U.S. Census Bureau reports that cohabitating couples (unmarried
males and females) have gone from 6 million to 17 million in the
last 2 decades. Yes, it has nearly tripled as couples avoid marriage.

Marriage is God's plan for a man and a woman to make a life-long
commitment.  They will have companionship, the desire to have
children, and the opportunity to avoid immorality.

Co-habitation is a human arrangement to avoid a life-long relationship.
This is a selfish way to avoid God's institution of marriage and submit
to immorality.

13

Your Turn / Re: Global Methodist Church Is 1 Year Old

« on: May 09, 2023, 11:37:55 AM »

The United Methodist Church Bishops ended their conference
in Chicago last week. They are focused on those congregations
who are leaving.  At the end of 2022, about 2000 parishes had
left. Now the figure is 2,804 at this point in 2023.  The deadline
to leave the UMC without penalty is Dec. 31, 2023.

Bottom Line: The UMC Bishops do not meet again until 2026 and
they want to start focusing on the parishes that are staying with them.

14

Your Turn / Re: The Aging LCMS Pastors & Laity

« on: May 08, 2023, 11:52:50 AM »

My experience in the LCMS circuits is that the Circuit Counselor/
Circuit Visitor plays a key role in developing a positive fellowship
among the brethren.  The monthly program needs to start with
an uplifting worship service followed by a Bible study which will
strengthen the pastoral ministry.  A topical study also needs to be
relevant to the parish ministry.  Also on the agenda is a time for
each pastor to share exciting things happening in his parish. Some
circuits also have a noon meal to enhance the fellowship atmosphere.

15

Your Turn / Re: The Aging LCMS Pastors & Laity

« on: May 07, 2023, 01:44:05 PM »

Our once a month circuit gathering of pastors and wives was
open to everyone.  As circuit counselor, I announced that
every family  was put in the rotation to be a host. It would not
have been successful if it was by invitation only.   That idea is
contrary to building a esprit de corps among us.