Back to School clothes for my blog

So there's a new layout and design. With all the kids getting dressed up for school to start, I though my blog could use some new duds.

The Dad Life

Yes, I have been gone for a while. Who knows how many of you actually read my posts or how often you check back, but this is pretty funny. And, yes... this is my life.
Not a bag gig... dawg.

My Own Convention Recap

There are a few things that have been on my mind. I got back from Houston about three weeks ago. I was privileged to attend the LCMS convention. Was a good convention. Other than the heat, the long sessions and the umpteen points of order, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Got to room with an old friend. Got to reconnect with several others. Made a few new friends. And got to witness the election of President elect Matt Harrison. (a very dramatic moment, btw) For those things, I couldn't be happier.

But there were a few things I think worth commenting on.

For starters, I was not terribly enthusiastic about the devotional theme chosen for the convention; “One People Forgiven”. “Forgiven for what?” is my question. Obviously I have no problem with forgiveness. I need it every day, first from God, then from my neighbors. But I kept feeling like we were asked to confess sins I am not convinced we all had committed.

The “sin” was typically had to do with disunity and infighting. We were told we needed to be reconciled. Yes, but for what? There seemed to be this idea that the thing that divided us was disagreement over adiaphora – things like politics or structural and governance. This was the BRTFSSG convention. It was hinted at that those who were opposed to structure and governance had a spiritual problem. By inference, then, the sins necessary to confess were those disagreeing with the structure.

Our disunity and disagreement is not over structure. There are honest to goodness doctrinal differences. There is false doctrine within the synod. False doctrine needs to be confessed. False doctrine needs to be repented of and true doctrine believed by faith. The structure, etc. needs to be debated and scrutinized with our best human reason. Bottom line; I felt we were asked to confess sins that were not sins, and the false doctrines that are sinful were overlooked so we could “move forward”.

That was the first thing.

The other thing that troubled me was the response of many of my confessional brothers as the convention was winding down.

As the convention wore on, it became clear that the confessionals were winning the elections by significant numbers. The old guard was out and new blood was in. The candidates supported by Jesus First seemed to be loosing. The confessional candidates kept winning. The numbers and margins are quite striking. Occasionally I heard my confessional brothers taking credit for this. Honestly, I found this somewhat arrogant and foolish.

I am a big fan of Matt Harrison and I am glad that he has a team to work with who will be supportive of his vision and direction for the synod. But no one person can claim credit for this. In my mind there are a handful of contributing factors that made it happen, none of which involve the planning and preparation of those taking credit.

The first was the cancellation of Issues Etc. In previous conventions, LCMS confessionals have had their hats handed to them several times over. This was in part because they were divided and disorganized. Each party supported its own “confessional” candidate and then divided their votes between them while everyone else voted for Kieschnick. But then, a few years ago, a popular and effective voice of confessional Lutheranism in Missouri was canceled by the LCMS higher ups. Official explanation cited “business and programmatic reasons”. But nobody bought it. Issues Etc is a solidly confessional and doctrinal program that takes positions contrary to the direction the Synod leaders wanted to go. So the show was canceled. This was a severe miscalculation. It was assumed the program would die a quiet death and fade into the background. It did not. It came back a few months later independently funded and free from the restraints of the LCMS bureaucracy. Now the host and producers could say and do what they wanted. They could even speak against the direction of the synod. If the show was a problem while it was affiliated with the Synod, it became a bigger problem after it was independent. In addition, it made a lot of people angry. The fans of the show were sad to see it go away. Even the nominal fans recognized its cancellation was an injustice. Cancelling the show gave Synod bureaucracy a black eye and it gave the confessionals had a rallying cry. The cancellation of Issues Etc was the first step in the LCMS power shift.

The second factor as I see it is the fact that the Synod is financially troubled. It is no secret that Synod has been losing money. Contributions to the synod continue to go down. Spending and programs and either maintained or added. The Ablaze initiative has also seen its financial problems with huge fund raising costs and limited success. It was easy to see that the Synod needed a new financial plan. Bureaucracy acknowledged this. The BRTFSSG was convened around the purpose and intent that the Synod be streamlined so that overspending and waste could be eliminated. In addition, the Synod decided to sell KFUO FM. KFUO has been a symbol to many of the forward thinking evangelistic outreach of the LCMS and there was a good deal of synodical pride attached to it. Selling it was unpopular. I am not sure that the convention was willing to fix blame on anyone, after all the past decade has been financially challenging for everyone. But I believe the convention felt the Synod needed a new financial direction.

This brings me to the last point. All of these factors add up to serious dissatisfaction, but that alone wouldn't go anywhere were it not for the fact that the Confessionals were able to put forward a gifted man to take the position. They found that in Matt Harrison. Matt had all the key ingredients necessary to win the election. First, he is solidly and confessionally Lutheran. He has written ample papers and books and essays and each one comes from a confessional Lutheran perspective. He is missional and merciful and evangelistic and pastoral. Confessional LCMSers were able to rally behind him in a way that they have not in previous conventions. In addition, He is a solid manager. In a decade of financial deterioration, his World Relief and Human Care successfully administrated hundreds of millions of dollars and even floated loans to the synod at large to keep it from going under. Finally, he is likable. He is good in front of a crowd. He is humble, warm & friendly, he takes time for people. He has a bushy, trademark mustache that hides a broad smile while he strums away on his his banjo. The guy probably likes babies and kittens too. He was a guy who couldn't miss.

Lots of people in their post convention analysis wanted to take all kinds of credit and pat themselves on the back for their hard work and diligence. Hard work and preparation are good and necessary, but they don't get you anywhere without the God who provides daily bread for the hungry soul. Psalms says that the horse is made ready for the day of battle but the victory belongs to the Lord.

I believe there were a number of things that set the stage for the direction the convention went. We didn't have any control over any of these things. Rather the Lord provided a “perfect storm” of financial turmoil, unpopular management decisions and a solid alternative candidate for the job. In my estimation, this is what won the day.

The Tyrrany of "Cause & Effect"

Every child, somewhere during their toddler years, learns the lesson of “cause & effect”. You fall, it hurts. Pull a dog's tail, you get bitten. Touch something hot, you get burned. And so it begins. And that lesson terrorizes us until the day we die. “Cause & effect” teaches us lessons – avoid the dog's teeth, precarious balancing acts, and open flame. Especially when it comes to faith, we mistake these lessons for wisdom. We mistake these lessons for faith.

Foolishly we believe that faith bears a “cause & effect” relationship. Sin, get punished. Repent, get forgiveness. Doubt, loose blessings. Believe, get blessings. We think it's all “cause & effect”. It isn't. “cause & effect” is law. Faith is gift. Faith is gospel. Faith is freedom.

Consider the example of joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a gift that God gives for free through His Holy Spirit. It is ours because he has given it. Yet, we so often find ourselves less than joyful. We want joy. We don't have joy. We try to get joy “cause & effect” style.

As a child I learned to sing a song, “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength”. In that song I was taught to sing, “If you want joy you must sing for it. If you want joy you must sing for it. If you want joy you must sing for it. The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Don't you see it? “Cause & Effect”? Sing and you will get joy. The reason you don't have joy is because you didn't sing. You missed out on the effect because you forgot the cause.

The truth of the matter is that the fruit of the Spirit, joy included, is a gift God has already given. Sin, fear, “cause & effect”, worry, doubt, unbelief; these thing rob us of joy. We are too foolish to see it. So we keep singing and singing, and shouting and shouting, and praying and praying, all the while fearing and fretting that we have no joy. How foolish! It is already yours! Confess your unbelief, your sin, your wretchedness and seek Jesus.

Jesus commands us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.” When we seek Jesus the Holy Spirit gives us “all these things”. That includes Joy. It includes peace, patience, kindness, self control, faithfulness, gentleness. These are gifts from God that he gives for free because He wants to. He gives them in Jesus. It's not because we have sung, shouted, prayed, believe hard enough to get it. It is because He is good and He loves to give it!

Seminary or Bust

Seminary kicked my butt. And I am happy to admit it. I am a better pastor and my congregation is better fed because of it. I arrived at seminary thinking I was special, that I had what it would take to light the world on fire. Seminary cured me of these notions.

My first quarter introduced me to Dr Horace Hummel. Dr Hummel kicked my butt. I had never worked so hard hoping only to pass. Second year introduced me to Dr Norman Nagel. Dr Nagel obliterated me. And I love him for it. He broke down my legallstic and limited notions of God's work and tore the roof off my understanding of the Gospel. I got to know Dr Jeff Gibbs who introduced me to the sheer joy of exegesis. I got to know Dr Fueherhann who brought thoughtful analysis to my own history as he opened up the ideas that string from generation to generation. I can personally say with no hesitation that I can see farther and clearer because I stand on the shoulders of these and other men who were my teachers during my years at the seminary.

There is currently a movement in our synod to to deprive burgeoning pastors of the treasure trove of seminary education. Through various programs such as the Specific Ministry Program, men can become pastors with little to no residential time on our seminary campuses. In my mind this is sentencing us to poverty.

Think of it this way, suppose you were the owner of a 5 star restaurant famous for its culinary delicacies. Would you turn your kitchen over to someone who studied at home via the internet? Would you want a chef trained from a video series? Or would you want a chef mentored by the world's foremost and best chefs? Would you want a chef who spent time being trained and personally tutored by those who know the craft inside and out?

It is true that there are some pragmatic reasons for moving away from a residential seminary training program. Seminary training is expensive. A three year residential program is inconvenient. Non residential programs provide an easier means for capable men to become pastors. However, at the same time there are those who resent their seminary training. They arrive, as I did, thinking seminary was a hoop to jump through. They are resent their instructors, seeing them as unreasonable and harsh for their expectations. They get through their time at the seminary with a minimum of work and effort and then brag about leaving their Greek New Testament and their Book of Concord on their shelf. I thank the Lord that he moved me to repent of these sins and see the error. Yet I fear that our current "seminary lite" programs are a capitulation to those who deny the fruitfulness of seminary training. I am afraid that our 5 star restaurant could soon become a Denny's.

Everyday Miracle

In the second chapter Acts, Saint Luke records an astounding miracle. As you may well know, Acts 2 records the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. As they prayed in the upper room, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and then went out into the streets to preach, each one in a language that he had never learned or studied. Usually when we think of miracles in Acts 2 this is the one that comes to mind. But there is another. If you keep reading to the end of the chapter you will find that Luke records another miracle.

⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)

When you stop to think about it, this is an astounding miracle. It was only a matter of weeks before that these very same people, the residents of Jerusalem, were gathered together at the trial and execution of Jesus. They were threatening to riot if Pontius Pilate did not hand Jesus over to them so that they could murder him. And now, only about a month and a half later they have been transformed from murders into philanthropists. They have opened their hearts and their hands to share what they had in common with all those who had need. This is nothing short of a miracle.

So, one must ask, what changed?

The best answer, the only answer, is Jesus. Jesus changed everything. To begin with, Jesus died. Not for his own crimes but for theirs. And even though they were murderers, he did not hold their crimes against them. Secondly, Jesus rose. Following his death, he demonstrated his authority over death by defeating it. Death had to let him go because he fulfilled death's penalty. Thirdly, he ascended. Jesus, the God-man ascended into heaven to sit on heaven's throne and to send His Holy Spirit. Fourthly, Pentecost came. The Spirit came. He came to the Apostles and then he came into the hearts and lives of those murdering Jerusalemites through the preaching of Peter and the apostles.

Luke tells us they were cut to the heart. The Holy Spirit convicted them of their sin. Luke tells us they asked the apostles what they should do. They were told to repent and to be baptized. The murderers repented. The sinners were baptized. They received the gift of the Holy Spirit. And then, they were filled with the love of God for one another so that they gave of themselves generously and saw to it that no one was hungry and that no one had a need.

This community of Christians in Acts was truly a Spirit directed community. They were moved in their love for God to love each other. There was no need for taxes or dues or fees because they willingly gave as each one was able to each one who had need.

For us who are Christians 2000 years and a few thousand miles removed we might ask if the same miracle happened here? Yes it has. The same Spirit has come to us as we have gathered together to break the Bread of Christ's Body. The same Spirit flows through the living waters of Baptism. The same Spirit is alive and active in the preaching and hearing of the Word. This Spirit turns us from murderers and sinners and idolaters to lovers of God and one another.

Has the miracle of Pentecost moved us to the same works and gifts of love? Yes. Consider the gifts that are given each Sunday as Spirit filled Christians open their hearts and their hands to give their offerings so that they might be used to offer gifts of love to the families in our church and local community? Is that Holy Spirit who would prompt us to these gifts ever resisted through sins of greed and selfishness? Yes. Are these sins that we need to repent of? Yes. Does the Holy Spirit bring us to forgiveness? Yes.

We are baptized Christians. In our baptism the Spirit has united us to the death and resurrection of Jesus. This gift continues to be given to us brand new each day. Every night we go to bed confessing the sins of that day and every morning we wake up completely new with a clean slate. Every day we live in the knowledge and assurance that we are redeemed sinners, loved by God.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11)

The Numbers Are In

Those who follow LCMS politics might be interested to know that the nominations for Synod President have been counted. Occasionally I write for a website called Cross Focused Leadership for Missouri. This site has posted a review of these nomination tallies. The review is pasted below.



The numbers are in. LCMS congregations have submitted their nominations for the office of president, those nominations have been tallied, and the numbers have been reported. For the office of president, Matthew Harrison 1,332; Gerald Kieschnick 755; Herbert Mueller, Jr. 503; Carl Fickenscher II 5; and Daniel Gard 3. Those numbers tell an interesting story.

For the last nine years Gerald Kieschnick has served faithfully as our synodical president. Those years have been challenging and at times controversial. Yet through the challenges and even through the controversy, support for President Kieschnick has remained consistent. Even though some have questioned his approach, congregations have opted to give him the benefit of the doubt, backing him with their support through their nomination. For example, President Kieschnick received 1,055 nominations for the 2007 convention. The next closest was John C. Wohlrabe Jr. with 607. That is a difference of more than 400 congregations.

The latest round of nominations tell a new story. As the Synod faces organizational and financial challenges in addition to the doctrinal stresses of the past decade, congregations are nominating a new leader to lead us through these difficult waters. Rather than renominating our current President, who has sought to address these challenges through structural change (via the recommendations from The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Government), congregations are instead nominating a man who maintains that our problem is not structural, but relational. Our biggest problem is not that we need to become more efficient, like a business. Our biggest problem is that we have lost the ability to talk through our differences, like a family. Congregations appear to be in agreement that the structure will work just fine and the financial situation will improve if we stop brushing our issues under the rug and do the hard work of getting together to discuss those things that divide us.

Take another look at the numbers. Whereas in previous years and based on nominations the synod has given its nod to keep going with the direction Gerald Kieschnick had set, this year the margins are quite different. Kieschnick does not enjoy such a wide margin of support. In contrast, Pastor Matt Harrison, who has outlined a plan to bring the family back around to the table, has suddenly received 1,332 nominations.

So what has changed? In the past three years, Matt Harrison has demonstrated great leadership. This leadership has been evident as he spearheaded relief efforts in New Orleans following Katrina, and more recently in Haiti. He has shown himself to be a man proficient in our Lutheran Theology. He has demonstrated a knowledge of our history as a denomination and is conversant with our Missouri Synod source materials. He has a pastoral heart. In addition to his leadership, he has also provided a plan to help lead us out of our challenges and problems; financial, organizational, and relational!We are encouraged that more congregations of Missouri are putting their support behind the man who wants to keep the conversation “all in the family”. This bodes well for our synod.

We hope that delegates to the convention listen to the congregations, elect Matt Harrison as our President, and elect men and women in all offices who support his vision for cross-focused leadership for Missouri.