This visit to Gateway was to the mother ‘church’ of the Austin area, Gateway North. My wife’s initial impression as we’re walking to the car: “I don’t know why this week I came away depressed while last week I didn’t.” Then as we’re driving away she worked her way to why: It was all works. Bingo. And works that you could do.
Continue readingGateway to Bait and Switch
Posted in Ablaze, Contemporary Worship, Missouri Megatrends
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Gateway to What?
Gatewaychurch.com says of itself: “Gateway is a COME AS YOU ARE kind of church – a community of imperfect people doing life together, helping each other become all that God created us to be. Whether you’ve had a relationship with God for years or you’re not even sure God exists, come as you are. Bring your questions, doubts, fears, and hurts – but as we say, NO PERFECT PEOPLE ALLOWED — because pretending just keeps us stuck” (https://www.gatewaychurch.com/new-here/new-to-gateway/getting-started/). They have 5 Austin area locations and one in Branson, Missouri. They are indeed a gateway, but to what?
Continue readingOf Popular Music and Unpopular Crime
I’m breaking my 10-year rule. This blog is not quite 9-years-old, so I’m repeating myself rather than citing. In a discussion over the recent shooting, I was reminded that I wrote something after Sandy Hook. Actually, I wrote right after a senseless shooting in Oklahoma. It’s worth another read.
Continue readingThe Library of Babel
Below is an excerpt from the book The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson. Two things commend this book in my mind. None of the 5 or so people I have recommended it to have been disappointed. Also he is able to get far more out of author Jorge Luis Borges than I can. After reading Ferguson’s remarks, I brought the Collected Fictions of Borges. Here’s what I wrote after reading them: “Read the translators notes and don’t read the book.” Here’s Ferguson’s remarks about Borges’ work.
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Pleasantly Surprised – Visit To Redeemer, Austin, Texas
Over twenty years ago a confessional pastor after visiting the above’s 8 AM traditional service said, “There was nothing about the service that you would recognize as Lutheran.” So when I “attended” the 8 AM traditional service for 28 February 2021, I was expecting anything from loincloths to tongue-speaking. I got vestments, liturgy, and clear gospel.
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Self Surgery
“Physician heal thy self,” is the old canard against pastors. Well, originally quoted against the Pastor of pastors. No, not churchmen, bishops, or district presidents, but Jesus. Why doesn’t it go the other way? You would think among those who know AC XIV it could/would/should.
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Posted in For Pastors Only
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Living in Fear of Dr. Seuss
The other day my gastroenterologist called me up and asked me how my stomach was doing. About two weeks ago my GP called to check on me. The week before that I heard from my chiropractor and dentist. Can you believe that? Of course you can’t, because only salesmen make sales calls. Professionals don’t “reach out to you”; you do to them when you need them. Makes sense. Best use of their time, right? This is true for all the above but not pastors. For them the paradigm is upside-down.
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Posted in For Anyone who dares
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Yes, There is a Difference
Lutherans aren’t the only ones who distinguish between themselves with letter acronyms. The Reformed do too, particularly the Presbyterians. They have PCUSA, PCA, and OPC. This corresponds to Lutherans ELCA, LCMS, and ELS. I’d never been to an OPC that’s Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I have now in a fashion.
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Posted in Families, For Pastors Only
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Dataism, Reductionism, and Edellism
The first two are real. The third is a term coined by me, but it means the same as the first two. My research assistant, Dr. Richard Strickert, Ph.D., showed me this. I brought up Dataism in Bible Class; he thought of the reductionism of a book he read some 50 years ago; and I thought of Edellism when he emailed me about it. Let’s get a view things clear: No one in the Bible Class knew what Dataism was, they thought I was saying Dadaism, the 20th century avant-garde art movement which is a really funny place for nerdy, techy, math and science people to go. The second thing to make clear is, I won. This is the first time the Boomer beat the Millennials. Third, Dr. Strickert is NOT my research assistant. He has forgotten more math, science, and research that I have ever known or will know. The fact that he remembered reading something 50 years ago when I have trouble with 5 days ago shows who is assisting whom.
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Posted in For Anyone who dares
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Halfway to Concord
Concord is a Lutheran word. We have the Book of Concord of 1580 and the Formula of Concord of 1577, and yet we never seem more than halfway there. Despite having a formula for it and book of it. Something is askew here.
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Posted in For Pastors Only, Missouri Megatrends
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