The Rise and Fall of Martin Stephan

Taken from https://leben.us/rise-fall-martin-stephan/

The Lutheran religion did not get off to a fast start in America. None of the early explorers were Lutheran. Most of them were Roman Catholic or Anglican. None of the early settlers were Lutheran. In fact, Lutheranism did not come to America until Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden mentioned a planting of a Lutheran colony in 1624, about 125 years after the new land was discovered. His daughter Christina fulfilled this dream by sending over a colony of Lutheran Swedes to settle in Delaware in 1639. While this colony did not last, Lutherans by name have been in the country ever since.
Yet these so-called Lutherans were not always Lutheran. Calvinism, Piet-ism and Rationalism all had an effect on these people. Pastors were uneducated. They fell into trying to reform the rough life of the new land. They would preach both in Reformed and Lutheran pulpits. Even Muhlenburg, the father of Lutheranism in America, was not necessarily always a confessional pastor. This does not mean that there were not any confessional pastors in America. Men, like John Campanius, the Falckners, the Henkels and others stood firmly in their beliefs. On a whole, however, Lutheranism in America suffered.
Then in the early 1800s more and more confessional Lutherans began to come over to this country to escape Rationalism, especially from Germany. Most notably was a Saxon pastor, named Martin Stephan, who brought over a group of immigrants to St. Louis. This group would start what was the most confessional synod in America at that time, the Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod. This synod established confessional Lutheranism in America. Yet when the synod started, they were without their leader. Only a few months after Stephan led this confessional group to America, he was deposed and cast out of the colony for sinful actions. How could this happen? How could a confessional Lutheran pastor, who held so firmly to God’s Word, fall into such evil sins? How could he be disposed so quickly by a people who loved him and had just followed him to the new colony? Were they jealous of him? Were they looking for power? Or was Stephan deserving of this expulsion? These are the questions that we must examine if we are to understand the rise and fall of Martin Stephan.
Martin Stephan was born on August 13, 1777 in Stramberg, Moravia, which is now in the Czech Republic. His parents were originally Roman Catholic but had been converted to Protestantism before Mart-in was born. They raised Martin with a strict training in God’s Word and were teaching him the family trade, as a linen weaver. However Martin’s parents died when he was still young. His pastor, Johann Ephraim Scheibel saw promise in Stephan to be a pastor. So he gave him free access to the church’s library. This reading en-couraged him to become a pastor and gave him his conservative standpoint, which he held throughout his life.1 With the financial help of some Pietists, he was able to go to St. Elizabeth’s Gymnasium in Breslau before attending both the University of Halle and the University of Leipzig.
Stephan, however, did not graduate from either of these universities. Although he was gifted in many ways, Stephan seemed to have little interest in reading the classics, which were required for graduation from a university. Instead he spent much of the time reading the Pietists’s publications.2 He seemed only to be interested in religious affairs.
Upon leaving Leipzig, he served as a pastor in Bohemia for a year. Then in 1810, something happened to Stephan that would change his life forever. He was called to be a pastor at the unique congregation of St. John’s in Dresden.
St. John’s was formed by Bohemian refugees during the Thirty Years’ War. After the war ended, they were granted special rights by the government, even though they were considered part of the state church, because of their nationality. They could have irregular gatherings, which the state church normally prohibited, choose their own elders and pastors, and exercise their own church discipline. All of these privileges are important to understand when examining the rise of Martin Stephan.
Even though Stephan was not qualified to be called as a pastor in the state church because he had not graduated from a university, St. John’s could exercise its freedom and call the Bohemian to be their pastor. They did this at the recommendation of Court Preacher Doring. At first, Stephan did not stir up much interest. However, soon, Stephan’s fame would spread throughout all of Saxony.
Forster reports that in the first ten years that Stephan was there, membership increased six fold. At the end of 1819, St. John’s had over a thousand members.3 There are a couple of reasons for this increase. First, Stephan’s conservative approach to Scripture was in stark contrast to the rationalistic state church of Saxony. People came to see this man, who was preaching something different, and the Holy Spirit was at work through his preaching. Secondly, Stephan had a strong personality and great communication skills. This, humanly speaking, drew people to Stephan and to his church and soon he had many strong supporters.
Thus the fame and power of Stephan spread throughout all of Saxony. “More and more people looked to him for spiritual leadership. When people in trouble came to him for aid and found it, they went away not only, perhaps not even primarily, as converts to orthodoxy, but as personal champions of Stephan.”4 These champions would then in turn tell others about Stephan and soon people would come from all over Germany, from all walks of life to meet this man. He was famous.
One of the men who sought comfort from Stephan was a troubled student named C.F.W. Walther. Walther had sought help from a group of Pietists, but found no comfort. Instead “he was afflicted with serious doubt and suffered the most excruciating pains of spiritual diseases.”5 One of his friends suggested that he write to Pastor Stephan who had a reputation for helping those who could find an-swers to their troubles nowhere else. Walther took this advice and it changed his life.
When Pastor Stephan wrote a letter back to Walther, Walther was so scared that he fervently prayed to God that this letter would not be filled with what he deemed the false comfort of the Pietists.6 Fortunately it was not. Instead of pointing him to his own good works, Stephan pointed Walther to the atoning and universal work of Christ. He set him free from the burden of the law. Through this letter, and many others that were exchanged between these two men, Walther became a convinced Lutheran and an admired follower of Stephan because he had explained the gospel to him.
Despite his growing fame and power, Pastor Stephan’s Bohemian congregation was not completely happy with him. With all the new members that were coming in, they were feeling left out. They did not always welcome the new people that were from a different heritage than they. They liked their little Bohemian congregation with their special privileges and Stephan seemed to be ruining it. They did not think that he was fulfilling his pastoral duties to those who were actually his members.7 He was spending too much time counseling other people.
This led fellow pastors in the area to not be pleased with Stephan as well. It seems as if Stephan had no regard for the so-called “sheep stealing”, meaning taking members from other local congregations without their permission. To accommodate the growing crowds, Stephan had to hold six services every Sunday in both Bohemian (Czech) and German.8
The greatest opposition to Stephan came from his superiors in both the state church and the government. Stephan did not teach the rationalistic beliefs that his superiors in the state church taught. Instead, he held firmly to the truths confessed in the Lutheran confessions. The state church, however, could not depose Stephan because of the right, granted to the Bohemian congregation of St. John’s, that they could choose their own pastor. Instead of removing him, they attacked him in the press.
They attacked Stephan constantly, accusing him of running a sect. They said he was a separatist, who was causing criminal acts by his false, extreme teachings. They made these charges for many years and for the most part Stephan remained silent, letting his followers defend him. A few times, especially before 1823, he responded.
On one occasion in 1821, Stephan decided to defend himself. Writing back to those accusing him, he said, “I am not a member of any sect, old or new;…I am an evangelical Lutheran preacher and I preach the Word of God as recorded in the Bible…I preach the apostolic religion, which Luther preached in its purity with such courage.”9
Yet his accusers continued their attacks. Some would say that they had good reason to do so, not on the basis of what he taught, but on the basis of his actions. Stephan was known for his irregular meetings, especially late at night. These types of meetings were outlawed in Saxony for all people, even for churches, because they feared social riots. However, Stephan was allowed to do them because of the special rights given to his unique congregation. This made the legal authorities suspicious of Stephan.
Stephan claimed that these meetings were open forums, a question and answer session dealing with such things as the Formula of Concord.10 He claimed that he was doing nothing wrong at these meetings. Not everyone believed him. Many people thought that evil sins were being committed during these meetings. These suspicions rose higher and higher throughout the 1830s. No longer was Stephan just meeting with members of his church but he also began going on long walks, late at night with females.
After 1830, Stephan became extremely secretive about what was going on. Often these walks or meetings would be very late at night, going until two or three in the morning and would involve married or unmarried women. Stephan claimed that he needed these long walks to fall asleep and the women were free to come as they chose.11 Coupled with the fact that Stephan and his wife did not have the best marriage and he seemed to give little attention to his eight children, rumors about these meetings arose.
Accusations of sexual misconduct arose, but no matter how hard they tried, the authorities could not prove anything. They had a lot of wild accusations against him but they could not find substantial proof. Newspapers ran stories and cartoons depicting Stephan as a man acting immorally. People began to develop strong feelings and to take sides. Because of this, the authorities tried to dispose him from office. They feared that some sort of a riot would happen.
In November of 1837, the authorities planned a raid on Stephan’s private lodge, where many of these late night meetings took place to try and catch him in the act, but when the police raided the lodge at midnight, they did not find him there. Instead they found only five of his companions deep in conversation. Stephan himself was on a walk with a female companion. When he returned, both he and his companion were questioned for a long time but they would admit to doing nothing wrong.
On the very next day, however, the state was able to gather enough accusations and enough support to suspend Stephan from office. Previously Stephan had been arrested but had always been cleared of accusations. This time, however, was different. This suspension caught both Stephan and his close followers by surprise. They were not prepared for it. They thought that Stephan’s popularity, connected with his unique position at the Bohemian congregation, would save him from suspension. They were wrong. Because of this suspension, Stephan hastened his plans of coming to America.
Already in 1830, Stephan had thrown around the idea of coming to America with some of his closest friends. He had good reason to do so. The state of religious affairs was not very good. There were very few confessional pastors in Saxony. When Stephan tried to unite these pastors around 1830 nothing happened. Plus, the Prussian Union was influencing all those around him. He thought that soon he would be either under their control or under something similar. This led Stephan to say, “Will it not soon come to this that we must leave Babylon and Egypt and emigrate? Where will we turn? In the German states we can find no refuge. Everywhere there is great hatred for the pure Lutheran doctrine…So my eyes are being directed to North America.”12
These plans for emigration really picked up speed after 1836, when more and more accusations were brought against Stephan. Yet this was not the main reason that Stephan gave for his plans. Stephan always blamed the false religions of his day, which were persecuting him. He claimed that these enemies were the ones who were bringing up these false accusations of sexual misconduct so that they could prevent people from flocking to Stephan. There probably was some truth to this. Stephan was being persecuted by his enemies for his sound beliefs. He would never back down from his firm stance on Holy Scripture. By blaming his enemies instead of the accusations, Stephan managed to turn the attention from his actions to his strong confessional stance.13
Stephan was well known throughout the community, and everyone had an opinion on him, either good or ill. All knew of the accusations and his plans to sail to America. Stephan could say, “When my emigration became known, a company of 700 people willingly joined me, even though I had asked no one.”14 This is probably embellished a little by Stephan because it is known that he did ask those close to him in his church to join him.
Those who were close to him, believed that Stephan was such a good man that he would admit it if he did anything wrong.15 They wholeheartedly believed that they were emigrating to America for religious reasons, not to escape allegations of criminal behavior. They believed their pastor when he said, “No hope remains for maintaining the Lutheran Church in our land.”16
It is clear that this is the way that those who went with him to America thought of him. They had no problem subjecting themselves to any of his demands, whether they agreed with them or not. One demand was that Stephan required all people to be confessional. He required that they subject themselves to God’s Word and to the Augsburg Confession.17 He wanted everyone in his colony to have the same beliefs. He also demanded that everyone pay 100 thalers as a fee for the journey to the new colony, no matter what their income. Although most of the notable people were professional, a good number of farmers came over on the trip, as well, who were not as rich. Of course, it was necessary that there be some sort of a fee to pay for the journey across the ocean but it hardly seems fair to charge everyone the same price. Plus, although he denied it,18 Stephan had access to the money and Forster claims that Stephan used this to his advantage by buying stuff to make his journey a little more comfortable,19 both before and during the trip. Later on, when he would be expelled from the colony, the colonists charged Stephan with falsely taking their property. But for now they trusted him and paid the money without question.
Finally in October of 1838, all the preparations had been made and Stephan and his group were ready to set sail for St. Louis in America. Stephan chose St. Louis over other Midwest cities because it was safer. The Native Americans were not as hostile there as they were in Wisconsin or the Dakotas. Plus, St. Louis was a developing town and they could buy land for the colony at a good price.
From November 3rd to November 18th, five ships set sail at different times to America carrying Stephan and his followers. Stephan was the unquestionable leader of this group. He was the one who came up with the idea of moving to America, promoted it and organized it. He decided who would go on what ship and who would be in charge of each ship. Of course, all the important people sailed with Stephan on the Olbers. Stephan probably put all these important people on his ship so that he could keep an eye on them just in case they would try and usurp control.
This seemed to have happened. Stephan became very domineering on the ship. His companions noticed that his attitude had changed once he had boarded the ship. No longer were all wholly devoted to him but some leaders were questioning his authority, most notably Marbach and Dr. Vehse, two lay leaders.20 This led Stephan to become stricter, hoping to squash these subtle attacks. On the ship, he was successful. Stephan was able to convince both Marbach and Dr. Vehse that these actions of theirs were sinful because he had been appointed the leader of this colony.
A few days later, after squashing these attacks, Stephan’s leadership was made official. On January 14th, a day after the first colonists reached St. Louis, as the Olbers was in the Gulf of Mexico, the men on Stephan’s ship elected him bishop of the colony, in charge of both the civil and religious affairs. The four prominent pastors, O.H. Walther, G.H. Lober, E.G.W. Keyl and C.F.W. Walther, signed a document which asked Stephan to accept this position of bishop. The document said,
Your reverence has, according to the gracious council of God, remained standing as the last, unshakable pillar on the ruins of the now devastated Lutheran Church in Germany…accordingly you have already for a long time occupied the position of a bishop and performed Episcopal functions among us…we have been instructed by you in many things in accordance with the Word of God…In consequence of all this, therefore we approach you with the reverent urgent plea: Accept Reverend Father the office of bishop among us bestowed on you by God and grant that we may now express our unqualified confidence in your fatherly love and pastoral faithfulness towards us.21
It is amazing to see the power that Stephan still had over these men. Even though they were now sensing that something could be wrong, he was still elected bishop and given complete control over all things in the new colony. In fact, a month later, as they were on the steamboat close to St. Louis, these men confirmed Stephan as bishop. They pledged their complete loyalty to him on February 16th22 saying,
We affirm and testify before the countenance of the omniscient God, in agreement with the truth, that we have complete and firm confidence in the wisdom and fatherly love of our Reverend Bishop; and we abhor all distrustful, suspicious statements and thoughts, in which he is accused of injustice, harshness, selfishness, carelessness in the administration of our temporal goods…Further we pledge ourselves to submit with Christian willingness and sincerity to the decrees and measures of His Reverence in respect to both ecclesiastical and community affairs.23
News about these documents spread rapidly to St. Louis, where the other members of Stephan’s party had already gathered. In fact, this news spread to all who were living in St. Louis so that many people were waiting for Stephan when his steamboat arrived on the shores of the Mississippi. However they were disappointed.
When the ship arrived in the middle of February, Stephan stayed in his luxury cabin, complaining of a sickness rather than going out. Finally in the middle of the night, he made his way into the city, where a room was prepared for him. Stephan would spend most of his time in St. Louis in this room, distant from all his fellow colonists. He would not let anyone come in to visit him without an appointment, except for those who were really close to him and came out mostly to maintain control.24 Truly Stephan’s attitude had changed from the man who would counsel and talk with all who came to him in Dresden. He had become a different man. His fellow colonists would see this soon.
No one knows for sure what had caused this change in Stephan. He was no longer the man with the engaging personality, standing up for the true Word of God, counseling all who came to him. Instead he had become distant. Maybe the years of accusations had finally taken its toll on him. Maybe his ego had been built up by the constant years of praise that he thought of himself so highly. Maybe he was covering up some sins and his conscience was burdening him. Or maybe it was a combination of a couple of these. No one may ever know what caused this change in Stephan. It quickly became apparent in the new land.
On March 3rd, the first service of this new colony was held at Christ’s Church25 in St. Louis. Stephan, of course, was the preacher. There were a large number of people in attendance at this first service, waiting anxiously to hear Stephan. All, who had made the trip over to America, came. Plus many people from the city of St. Louis attended because the newspapers were constantly running stories, updating people on the actions of this famous Bohemian migrating to America. At this service, however, Stephan did not impress anyone. Apparently Stephan, who was preaching in a church for the first time in about a year because of the suspension and the long boat ride over, did not give an engaging sermon. Two days later, the newspaper stories of this service were kind to these new colonists, calling them intelligent and dignified but they made no mention of Stephan.26 Most of his own people, who had followed him to America, were disappointed in his efforts. Stephan, of course, blamed the people for their lack of faith and their doubting. It was not his fault that the people were not impressed with his sermon but theirs. While he had never been the most engaging preacher, his sermons were now lacking substance. From then on Stephan rarely preached.27
Part of the reason was that Stephan was bishop over both ecclesiastical and civil affairs. He had control over all things in the colony and this took up a lot of his time, especially in the beginning. Stephan had very specific ways in which he wanted his colony run. It took him a month to enforce these demands.28 Plus the colonists had purchased land in Perry County, about one hundred miles south of St. Louis, where they would establish their colony. Before they could move down there, many preparations had to be made. Stephan oversaw most of these preparations.
During this time, from February to April, Stephan was ruling with an iron fist. This once again caused his close followers to question his authority, especially Marbach.29 Marbach wanted a separation of a church and state. He thought that Stephan had too much power and later on this turned out to be true. Whenever these small uprisings would occur, he was able to put them down. As long as he was on the scene, the majority of the people would back their bishop.30 By May of 1839, Stephan thought that he had established enough control over his colonists that he could leave them in St. Louis and make preparations in their new land of Perry County. He went to Perry County with about 200 men, leaving 400 still in St. Louis.
Therefore Stephan was in Perry County on May 5th, trying to get things ready so that the colonists could move down there, when Pastor Lober preached a sermon to the colonists in St. Louis that would change Stephan’s life forever. Lober’s sermon was on the 6th Commandment. In it, he must have mentioned some piercing law that had an effect on a couple of women in the congregation. Two women, independently of each other, without each other’s knowledge, came to Lober that afternoon and confessed that Stephan had seduced them. This shocked Lober and he quickly told C.F.W. Walther. Within a few days, all the prominent clergy had been informed of this heinous crime.
This accusation was the straw that broke the camel’s back. These men, who had been shown the great comfort of the gospel by Stephan, who had defended him against all the accusations in Dresden, who had willingly followed him to a new colony in North America, who had a deep love and admiration for their leader, finally realized that Stephan had been living in open sin. They finally had the proof to make charges against Stephan and take away his power as bishop.
It is amazing the change that took place in these men. Only a year earlier, they had defended their beloved bishop against numerous attacks in Dresden, asserting that Stephan had to be innocent because if he was guilty, he would have confessed.31 Only three months earlier they had elected him bishop over ecclesiastical and civil affairs and affirmed their subjection to him. Now they were making plans to depose him from office. The clergy thought even if he was innocent of these charges, he should resign for the good of the colony.32 Truly these men had seen a change in Stephan.
The clergy set into motion a plan that would depose Stephan from his office of bishop. They concluded since they called him to that position on the boat, surely they had the power to remove him from office. Therefore they leaked out the information to the people. When they did, a few other women came forward with similar accusations of sexual misconduct.33 The clergy even decided to send Walther34 to Perry County to inform the people, who were working on this new place with Stephan, of the accusations.35
Since Walther had gone here without Stephan’s authority, he was not welcomed by Stephan. The people, however, readily accepted him and believed the accusations. They quickly turned against their leader. This shows that they too had seen a change in Stephan and were feeling oppressed by his new domineering personality. They even went into the woods to hear Walther preach on Pentecost instead of listening to Stephan’s sermon.36 The people had been turned against their bishop. Stephan’s fate was sealed. Brought before the Council, and refused the opportunity to defend himself, Stephan was quickly found guilty of adultery, misuse of property and false doctrine, and excommunicated.
They wished to forcefully remove him from his house and send him across the Mississippi River to Illinois as punishment. However there were many logs being floated down the river at this time, which made it impossible to cross. Therefore they put him up in a tent for the night, not allowing him the comfort of his own home. Stephan, recounting this miserable night says, “I was very thirsty and begged only for a glass of water but no one gave me anything nor did anyone care about my health.”37
On the next day, May 31st, before they sent him across the Mississippi, they forced Stephan to sign a document, in which he gave up his rights as bishop. The document says, “I, Martin Stephan…do certify by the discussions that took place on this day…to voluntarily cede and give up control of the above mentioned congregation to her trustees.”38 Then Stephan promises never again to come back to the colony. The document says, “I promise never to come back to the territory of the said company and to the state of Missouri.”39
Even though Stephan signed this document, it did not mean that he confessed to any of the accusations. In fact, he maintained his innocence until the day he died. When he boarded the ferry, which would take him across the River to Illinois, he was still protesting his expulsion but to no avail. When he left, they gave him “the necessary clothing, a cloak, linen, 2 beds, 2 chairs, 1 clock, 1 sofa cushion and its frame, books of meditation and 100 dollars in money.”40 Plus they gave him an axe and a spade so that he could do work.41 At 10:30 AM on May 31st, two days after they formally accused him, Stephan left the colony.
Reverend Stephan never admitted to doing anything wrong, yet the constant attacks on him during the latter years of his life, coupled with multiple women on separate occasions accusing him of adultery were enough to convince the colonists and most people. After the Saxons had disposed of Stephan, his maid, Louise Guenther, confessed to having an affair with him, as well.42 Before they could punish her, however, she fled the colony to join Stephan and lived with him until he died.
Reverend Stephan would be called to serve in several congregations, ending his career at Trinity Church in Horse Prairie, Illinois. He died quietly on February 26, 1845. He is buried in Trinity Cemetery. A picket fence surrounds his grave and a ten-foot cross serves as its marker. According to tradition, his casket was carried around the church three times before he was buried, showing the respect they had for this man.43
Even though Martin Stephan had many troubles in this life, and more than likely committed grievous sin, which caused his expulsion from the colony and the church, God nevertheless used him to achieve His purpose here on earth. Though estranged from C.F.W. Walther, Stephan’s influence on the man most associated with the founding of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod was, in retrospect, almost entirely positive. For the broader church, the message is Paul’s message to the Corinthians, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (I Cor. 2:5)

Bibliography
Bekenntis der Louis Guenther. June 3, 1839. Manuscript from Concordia Historical Institute.
Forster, Walter O., Zion on the Mississippi, Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis, MO. 1953.
Pastor Stephan Stephan, Manuscript from Trinity Lutheran Church in Horse Prairie, IL.
Pledge of Subjection to Stephan Feb. 16, 1839. Manuscript from Concordia Historical Institute
Rast, Lawrence R. Jr., Demagoguery or Democracy? The Saxon Emigration and American Culture. Concordia Theological Quarterly 63.4 (1999), 247-268. Available from http://www.ctsfw.edu/library/files/pb/1767
Sentence of Disposition Pronounced Upon Stephan. May 30, 1839. Manuscript from Concordia Historical Institute
Spitz, Lewis The Life of Dr. C.F.W. Walther. Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis, MO. 1961.
Stephan’s Investiture, January 14, 1839. Manuscript from Concordia Historical Institute
Stephan to Flugal. Oct. 12, 1841. Manuscript from Concordia Historical Institute
Stephan’s Renunciation of the Claims on the Gesellschaft. May 31, 1839. Manuscript from Concordia Historical Institute

ENDNOTES
1 Forster, Walter Zion on the Mississippi. Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis MO 1953. p. 27
2 Ibid., 28
3 Forster, 33
4 Forster, 61
5 Spitz, Lewis. The Life of C.F.W. Walther. Concordia Publishing House. St. Louis MO. 1961. p. 17
6 Ibid., 21
7 Ibid., 32
8 Ibid., 33
9 This is a letter to the paper that is quoted in Forster p. 35
10 Forster, 69
11 Forster, 73
12 Stephan to Kurtz in March of 1833. Quoted by Forster, 87
13 Forster, 107-112
14 Stephan to Flugal. Oct 12, 1841 CHI MSS
15 A quote from Keyl quoted by Forster, 70
16 Protocol of the emigration, May 18, 1838. Quoted by Forester, 137
17 Forster states this on both p. 90 and p. 151
18 Stephan to Flugel 1841. Stephan says, “I had nothing to do with this cash. I did not know, even today, the cash flow or their gifts.”
19 Forster, 167
20 Forster, 282
21 Stephan’s Investiture. January 14, 1839. CHI
22 This is only three months before they would expel him from the colony.
23 Pledge of Subjection to Stephan Feb. 16, 1839. CHI
24 Forster, 325, 353
25 Christ’s Church was an Episcopal Church, which served as the colonist’s church for the first three and a half years they were in the new land, until they could afford to build a place of their own. The colonists would worship either on Sat afternoon or most of the time on Sunday afternoons.
26 Daily Evening Gazette ran an article on March 5th two days after this sermon expressing this. This article is found in Forster, 322-323
27 Forster, 323. Forster references a couple of first hand accounts in support of these statements. He references Winter to Guericke on April 28, 1841 and Hohne to his brother on Sept. 26, 1840.
28 Ibid., 355
29 Stephan to Flugal, 1841
30 Forster, 390
31 Keyl said this quoted by Forster, 70 (see footnote 17)
32 Forster, 394-395
33 Forster, 395-398
34 This was really the first time that Walther is seen as a leader of the colonists. By stepping up during this controversy, Walther was now perceived by the people as the leader.
35 Forster, 403-405
36 Ibid., 409
37 Stephan to Flugal, 1841
38 Stephan’s Renunciation of the Claims on the Gesellschaft CHI MSS Also in Forester, 421
39 Ibid.
40 Ibid.
41 Ephan to Flugal, 1841
42 Bekenntnis der Louise Guenther. MS CHI
43 Pastor Stephan Stephan. MSS from Trinity Lutheran Church in Horse Prairie, IL

The Gospel is Not Self-Care: Overcoming Burnout

Read the article at https://mbird.com/2021/02/the-gospel-is-not-self-care-overcoming-burnout/

Talk of burnout usually unfolds in statistics. There are percentages and fractions. A high percentage of people in a given profession feel “emotionally unequipped” for their job. One in five members of another profession report a major health problem attributed to their work. A low but statistically significant percentage of people in the same profession reported extreme stresses on their families. A lower but terrifyingly high number report something worse. We hear these statistics in seminars we attend for our employers or central church offices. Maybe we read them in some clickbait that floated onto our social media page. But wherever they land, these stories are meant to warn us. Care for yourself or else.

Read the article at https://mbird.com/2021/02/the-gospel-is-not-self-care-overcoming-burnout/

Finding Quiet After the Marathon

Read the Whole Article Here https://mbird.com/2021/01/finding-quiet-after-the-marathon/

trong strides, swinging arms, tired-yet-powerful legs propelling myself forward — this is how I imagined myself finishing my first marathon. Imagining how my marathon would go was a strategy I’d used in races before, along with repeating phrases like “I am strong!” when experiencing pain. Coupled together, these strategies are meant to help runners cope with the mentally grueling aspect of racing. But as most marathoners can attest, the actual race didn’t go as I’d hoped. I hit “The Wall.” Cramps crept up at mile 18 and caused my fantastic finish to be more of a horrific hobble. My marathon ended with me crying into the arms of a finish line volunteer. She put a gold medal around my neck. I kissed it. And then I vomited. 

After my marathon, my typical reply when people aske………………………………..

Read the Whole Article Here https://mbird.com/2021/01/finding-quiet-after-the-marathon/

Wrestling with Scripture (and God)

Read the article here https://mbird.com/2021/01/wrestling-with-scripture-and-god/

The story of Jacob wrestling with an unnamed man at the ford of Jabbok might be one of the stranger episodes of the Old Testament. After sending his family across the stream, Jacob suddenly finds himself alone and wrestling with a stranger. The reader is never given any indication as to the motive for the struggle, or who initiated it. All we know is that they wrestle through the night, and the stranger, apparently frustrated at Jacob’s perseverance, knocks Jacob’s hip out of joint. But Jacob refuses to let his opponent go unless he first receives a blessing from him. The stranger grants Jacob a new name, “Israel,” for he had “‘striven with God and with humans, and … prevailed.'” Jacob demands to know the stranger’s name, but the stranger just asks Jacob why he wants to know, and proceeds to bless him. Jacob then renames the place “Peniel,” for he had “‘seen God face to face'” and still lived, suggesting that the stranger was in fact God incarnate………………….

Read the article here https://mbird.com/2021/01/wrestling-with-scripture-and-god/

Thank God for Jokes: How Christ Redeems Our Ridicule

Read whole article here https://mbird.com/2021/01/thank-god-for-jokes-how-christ-redeems-our-ridicule/

“Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat and has to run after it. ”

— G. K. Chesterton

Humor, as we like to say, is one of the minor fruits of the Spirit. It is, as Kierkegaard said, “the joy which has overcome the world.” But comedy can have a surprisingly volatile nature about it. Is it any accident that the conclusion of a joke is called a punchline? Any comedian worth his salt will tell you that almost every joke has a target and almost every laugh comes at someone’s expense. As Mike Birbiglia says in his special Thank God for Jokes, “All jokes are offensive … to someone.” A comedian will often begin a routine by offering himself up as the sacrificial lamb, telling self-deprecating jokes to soften up the crowd, but it’s only a matter of time until he executes “the flip” in which the tables are turned and the audience suddenly becomes the subject of ridicule. I cringe every time someone is picked out of a crowd during a stand-up routine. It’s essentially volunteering to be the butt of a joke. Whether or not the person can laugh at himself depends on his ability to accept his own ridiculousness…………………….

Read whole article here https://mbird.com/2021/01/thank-god-for-jokes-how-christ-redeems-our-ridicule/

The Surprising Dream

Click for Original Article But is easier to read below

In lovely Port St. Lucie, Fla., Just an hour north of West Palm Beach, the people at Grace Lutheran Church were wondering what to do with their vast, newly paid-off church property. 

"We currently have a small facility for doing ministry," explained Rev. Cris Escher, pastor at Grace. "But we are sitting on six acres of land in St. Lucie West and have no debt. So, we put together a group in the church to discover a way to get back into debt." 

While most other churches aren't typically looking for "a way to get back into debt," in this case, Grace's unique attitude became a blessing in more ways than one. According to Escher, God's people at Grace weren't necessarily interested in building a new sanctuary.

What they were looking for 

"We did not want to build something just for us," he shared. "We wanted whatever we were going to do ... to benefit the community around us. We thought of many different ideas, like daycare, school and so on. Really, what we were looking for was something that would fill a need in Port St. Lucie." 

Around that same time, the church heard about Alzheimer's Community Care, an organization that provides daytime care services for Alzheimer's patients. Escher said that a member of Grace was taking his wife to one of their facilities and spoke with the church about it. 

"The patients are given the best care by giving them things to do to stimulate their brains and bodies," explained Escher. "They bring people in to sing with them. They also will paint and play games. Their caregivers love how active their loved ones are because they sleep better at night and are generally healthier and happier."  

Could hosting a facility like this on the church property be the opportunity the people at Grace were looking for? 

Hopeful findings

"We hired a Florida-based Alzheimer's center expert to research the Port St. Lucie area to actually see if there was a need," said Escher, which they discovered was the case. "These findings were backed up when Alzheimer's Community Care told us that both of their facilities in St. Lucie County had long waiting lists. The lists were so long, they said, that if the facility could open tomorrow, it would be full." 

After discussions with Alzheimer's Community Care, the next step for Grace was to call Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF).  "I had just conducted an LCEF Sunday at Grace, and I remember that Pastor Cris and the church were looking for an outreach ministry," recalled Jay Wendland, LCEF district vice president for The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Florida-Georgia (FLGA) District. "A couple of months later, we got a call from Pastor Cris with this opportunity. I think it is a first for the district." 

The plan unfolds

A plan was made together  with Alzheimer's Community Care: a new building would be constructed on the church campus that would belong to the church. but Alzheimer's Community Care would rent the facility from Grace and run the day-to-day operations. So Grace worked together with LCEF on a new loan for a facility that would be built specifically with the needs of Alzheimer's Community Care in mind.  "We have looked at this as a partnership with [Alzheimer's Community Care] since the beginning," noted Escher. 

"We have been working hand-in-hand to make this building happen. LCEF was willing to talk with our partner,  Alzheimer's Community Care, to work out a deal which worked for all." 

Of course. there were a few challenges to work through during the process. especially considering the unique nature of the partnership between Grace and Alzheimer's Community Care.
"The church has responsibility for the loan and property," explained Wendland. "it was interesting to do a loan for them since they don't have total control over the facility. so there were a lot of negotiations going back and forth." 

Why vocation is important

The new building. slotted to open in early 2021, will serve 

30 patients from 7:30 a.m. to 5 30 p m , Monday through Friday. The hope is that the church will get to visit with them each day and hold Bible study. devotion and prayer once a week. "While this is not a distinctly Lutheran endeavor, Luther understood the importance of good vocation," said Escher. 

"This was a need in the community, and we can give those who are struggling with Alzheimer's some good news. Good News they probably have not heard in a while." 

It's good news also for Alzheimer's Care Center, who required another facility to host. as well as for Grace, who had been looking for an outreach opportunity and a way to use the gifts that God has given them in a way that would benefit the community.

Hold on Loosely to Your Politics

Read the Article Here https://www.1517.org/articles/hold-on-loosely-to-your-politics

I will hold with a white-knuckled grip of love to my family and my close friends. You come after them, you’re gonna have to deal with me. Chances are, when the dust has settled, I will have said and done some things in my zeal that went too far, but I will never regret being in their corner.

They are gifts too precious to let go.

I have wrapped my hands around the Scriptures, the creeds and confessions of the church, the faith which boldly proclaims, “Jesus is Lord.” I have sworn, before God and men, that I will suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it. Mock me. Threaten me. Spit in my face. I’m not changing.

The gifts of Christ are of too eternal an importance to let go………………….

Read the Article Here https://www.1517.org/articles/hold-on-loosely-to-your-politics

An Epiphany for the Haters: Another Year Begins

Read the whole article here https://mbird.com/2021/01/another-year-begins-an-epiphany-for-the-haters-and-anyone-else-tempted-to-call-it-on-2021/

“Make the world go away / Just get it off my shoulder.” Elvis sang those lines in 1970 and the refrain has been ringing in my head the last few days.

This is a week, after all, usually spent generating excitement about the new year. Brainstorming, organizing, “casting vision,” setting balls in motion, girding loins, possibly pretending we’re not still wiped from December. It’s hard enough in a “normal” year, but the whiplash this time around just feels insurmountable.

Because the world won’t go away. Whether it’s lunatics in the capitol, or a fatal car accident, or a new strain of COVID, or the soul-sucking rodeo of rancor and self-justification known as (social) media, these things intrude.

It’s gotten to the point where I envy those who react with anger, which at least seems energizing. For me the knee-jerk has always been sadness accompanied by the desire to retreat — into nostalgia or art or the minutiae of life with small children. I suppose I’d be tempted to reconsider the Benedict Option if that allowed a person to retreat from fellow Christians too. My fantasy is more the McFly Option.

Read the whole article here https://mbird.com/2021/01/another-year-begins-an-epiphany-for-the-haters-and-anyone-else-tempted-to-call-it-on-2021/

Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Is The Only Holiday Special Worth Watching

Read the article at https://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tv/why-a-charlie-brown-christmas-is-the-only-holiday-special-worth-watching/

Santa Claus never makes an appearance in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Sure, Charlie helps his sister Sally write a letter to Saint Nick, but unlike other Christmas classics where Santa is essential (e.g. The Santa Clause, A Christmas Story or Elf), Kris Kringle’s absence from Charlie Brown does nothing to diminish the story.

How It's a Wonderful Life Went From Box Office Dud to Accidental Christmas Tradition

Read the whole article here https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90135/how-its-wonderful-life-went-box-office-dud-accidental-christmas-tradition

Director Frank Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life is sacred in the holiday movie pantheon. It's not as quotable as A Christmas Story (1983) or as lyrical as 1966's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, but the story of George Bailey has a universal message behind it that endures more than 70 years later. Though the movie is the quintessential Christmas tale today, when it was first released in 1946, audiences and critics were lukewarm toward the picture, resulting in a box office disappointment that killed Capra's nascent production company, Liberty Films. In a strange twist, decades after it was first released, an unlikely clerical screw-up managed to turn It's a Wonderful Life into the Christmastime staple we know today.

In the 1930s, Capra became a magnet for Academy Awards, directing movies like the screwball comedy It Happened One Night (1934) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). After Pearl ………………….

Read the whole article here https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90135/how-its-wonderful-life-went-box-office-dud-accidental-christmas-tradition

Why Christmas Matters

Read the whole Article here. https://www.relevantmagazine.com/faith/why-christmas-matters/

From Tim Keller

We sing it every year in our Christmas carols, especially in “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” when we cry out: “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity.”

The Apostles’ Creed doesn’t use it, but it teaches the doctrine of it when we read, “conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.”

Incarnation. If you understand the word incarnation, you’ll understand what Christmas is about.

Christmas is frankly doctrinal. The invisible has become visible, the incorporeal has become corporeal. In other words, God has become human.

This is not only a specific doctrine, but it’s also unique. Doctrine always distinguishes you. One of the reasons we’re afraid to talk about doctrine is because it distinguishes us from others.

Here’s why the doctrine of Christmas is unique. On one hand, you’ve got religions that say God is so immanent in all things that incarnation is normal. If you’re a Buddhist or Hindu, God is immanent in everything. On the other hand, religions like Islam and Judaism say God is so transcendent over all things that incarnation is impossible.

Read the whole Article here. https://www.relevantmagazine.com/faith/why-christmas-matters/

Pearl - The Bad Christmas Gift [Funny]

Attention Facebook Land! It's FINALLY HERE: The 2019 Pearl the Mermaid Saga Re-Telling! I was going to wait until 12/24 to post this, but I know some of you need to prepare for your Christmas Eve dinner readings. The more I think about the Pearl Saga, the more I think about how it really symbolizes my motherhood journey.

If you are new to the Tale of Pearl, welcome. If it is your 4th re-read, hopefully you will find magic and new secrets along the way. Let's journey back....to December of 2015.....when all Ellie wanted for Christmas was a real merbaby…..

Many of you have been thinking and asking about Pearl and her strange skin, "creepy eyes", and flowing green hair, and I feel like enough time has passed that I can now reveal to you the entire Pearl Saga. For those of you who might have lost track of the Pearl story or might have forgotten an essential plot point, I'm going to sketch it out for you.

Part I (December, 2015)- Ellie dreams of having a mermaid baby. Not just a mermaid, and not just a baby. A mermaid baby. Being the adventurous gift buyer that I am, I searched and searched and finally found a hand-made mermaid baby doll on ETSY. In the pictures online, it appeared that Pearl was wearing a veil of some sort. But no, that was her creepy and weird skin. When Pearl arrives, I am thrilled! I show her to several teenaged students who react to her face in sheer horror. I ignore this reaction, knowing that Ellie will love Pearl.

Part II (Christmas Morning)- Ellie wakes up and excitedly runs to the tree to find Pearl. The video is attached so you can see the real-time reaction. Basically, she was like, "OMG, this doll is hideous. What is wrong with you, Santa??" (Ellie later notes that Pearl was her first indication that Santa was not real.)

Part III ("Post Christmas")- Ellie is so grossed out by Pearl that she affectionally refers to her as "DisgustING" (We had just watched "Inside Out"). I come to the desperate conclusion that Pearl's hideousness lies in her strange, green locks of hair. I go to CVS and purchase 2 different colors of hair dye and attempt to dye Pearl's hair from green to a "strong blonde". My attempts fail miserably and Ellie looks at me with pity for a few days. "Pearls' hair is even more hideous, Mom. Please, just stop." Ellie's babysitters have begun staring at my multiple "L'Oreal and Clairol" kits. Ellie refuses to hold Pearl. I am, of course, devastated by my failure and more determined than ever to remedy it.

Part IV ("The Doll Hospital")- I locate a doll and teddy bear hospital in Secaucus, NJ. I call them immediately and discover it is run by a group of very strict and serious Germans. They take their doll and teddy bear hospital very seriously. They are interested in seeing Pearl's "condition" and then will give me an estimate for all of the cosmetic work that needs to be done to make her "lovable". (Poor Pearl) I ask Ellie to bring Pearl on the airplane to TN to visit Leslie. Ellie refuses, pointing out Pearl's many, many hideous traits.

Part V ("Sending off Pearl")- I pack Pearl up in a box and address it the doll hospital. I tell Ellie that Pearl is going off to the hospital to have her face and hair "adjusted." Ellie wisely informs me that "Pearl has even greater problems than those." Then, she proceeds write on the box, "Please, please, help this doll. She has so many problems.”

Part VI ("4 Weeks Pass")- I hear nothing from the Germans. Clearly, they want nothing to do with poor Pearl. I call a few times and ask about a price, offer to send money, etc. They keep forgetting who I am until I say, "My doll is Pearl, the ... merbaby." Then the Germans say, "Oh, God. Yes, ok." I finally get a (very expensive) answer and immediately send them more money. The work begins.

Part VII ("The Phone Call")- I was at MSM teaching on a crisp January morning when my phone rang. I ignored it and then listened to the message between students. It was a Detective from the Secaucus Police Department. He really needed to talk to me-- "immediately". I called him back right away and he demanded that I come down to the precinct at once. (I thought "precinct was just a word they use on "Castle" and "Bones" but it turns out real detectives use it too.) Anyway, I told the detective I couldn't leave teaching (DUH) and asked what this was about. I informed Detective Sigmund that I do not "DO" "Make up Lessons" and would not be leaving my school. He didn't seem to understand.

Part VIII ("The Big Reveal") - The Detective tells me that the Germans called the the police down to the doll hospital that morning. When they removed Pearl's head to repaint her offensive skin, they found 2 ounces of COCAINE. STUFFED IN HER HEAD. The detective first suggests that the drugs are mine. I adamantly argue, and insist that I have never seen cocaine in my life. He relents, agreeing that it would be strange for me to stuff cocaine in a doll's head and then ship it off to an expensive doll hospital. Then, in what is probably the strangest conversation of my life, the detective asked me what was "up" with Pearl. Did a weird uncle put drugs in Pearl's head 30 years ago and then I inherited Pearl? I explained what Ellie wanted for Christmas, how I found Pearl on ETSY, and why I shipped her off to the Germans. The detective then said, "You spent money on this doll? Have you ever heard of Ariel? She is a pretty mermaid. You can buy her at any Disney store." And I said, "DETECTIVE, Ariel is a GROWN UP Mermaid. Ellie wanted a BABY mermaid. She will not be fooled by a fake baby mermaid!" The detective said it seemed challenging to be Ellie's mother and then went on to reveal that this is the strangest thing to ever happen at the DEA in NJ. After obtaining all my ETSY information, he hung up and went to work. I called Andrew Kirjner into my studio and told him that I was probably going to jail. I called my mom to alert her that detectives from the DEA might be coming by to search the house for more drugs. She laughs and laughs and laughs.

Part IX ("The End") - After "running" my ENTIRE family through the "system", Detective tells me that neither me or my parents have any drug convictions and that they do not believe the cocaine came from us. (PHEW!) The NJ DEA and Alabama DEA are now working together to plan a "sting" on the doll maker in Alabama. Then he said, "I'm sorry to disappoint your daughter, but Pearl can't come home. Ever. She is going to be locked away in evidence awaiting an international drug trial. Sorry." I hung up the phone and told Ellie, "Honey, Pearl is going to stay at the doll hospital for longer than we had anticipated. It turns out that she has .... many problems." Ellie nodded and said, "I told you, Mom. The doll is MESSED UP.”

The End. Everything we do for our children....we try to get the best Christmas gift and accidentally buy a mermaby stuffed with cocaine and become embroiled in an international drug smuggling ring. I hope all of your holidays, Christmases, New Years, are exactly what you planned. And are mermaid-and-drug-free. And if cocaine accidentally shows up under your tree, know that I understand and that you tried your best.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Love, Elizabeth

The Coming

Today is the first of the four Sundays in Advent, the beginning of the Christian year and the start also of a season in which many Christians will try to prepare themselves for the great feast to come.

For many of us, that sense of preparation has dwindled down into buying presents, planning meals, making travel plans and somehow trying to trick ourselves into the holiday spirit when we will suddenly feel festive and full of good cheer.

There’s actually nothing wrong with most of that, and there are lots worse things to do with our money and time than buying gifts we think will please those we love and making plans to visit our dear ones. But Advent is about something bigger: about the coming of God into the world and although nothing we could ever do would fully prepare us for that, the goal of this season in the Christian life is to help us understand just a little bit more what it means to welcome God into the world as a baby.

As a kid I could never understand why Advent was a season of fasting and solemnity in the church rather than a time of feasting and dancing. What better way to prepare for a really big celebration than to have a lot of little celebrations as you approach it?  What better way to get into the mood?

That’s pretty much the way the world treats what is generally called in mixed company “the holiday season.” December is a round of office parties and other events where, with festive music playing in the background, we eat and drink far more than we should and anticipate Christmas even if we aren’t doing much to prepare for it. Frankly I’m enough of an old curmudgeon now to wish we still followed the old custom of doing the celebrating and the partying in the twelve days of Christmas up through January 6; the first week of January, with the holiday fading behind us and the cold, dark winter stretching endlessly ahead, is probably the single week in the year when we would all benefit most from some wassail and cheer. Let’s hope that one benefit of migration from Spanish speaking America will be a revival of the great twelfth day feast celebrated there as Three Kings’ Day, a bright candle lit in a dark time of year.

But as I’ve reflected on the holiday over the years, I think I see more reason for making Advent a season of restraint and reflection rather than anticipatory fun. We can never really understand Christmas unless we understand how much we need that baby in the manger. Advent is a time to think about the ways that life without God is an empty husk.

Unfortunately in times like these, feeling bleak is an easy thing for a lot of people to do. Times have been tough since 2007; a lot of people have lost homes and jobs and a lot of us are having a harder time in the world than we expected back during the boom. For a lot of people today, life without God doesn’t even offer much tinsel. It’s a bleak, bleak world for all whose lives have fallen short of their hopes — the promotions missed, jobs lost, marriages broken, families severed, and so many other sorrows and setbacks.

And this life, even when it’s going well, doesn’t last. I remember Christopher Hitchens saying once that we were all like mudballs, catapulted up into the air and sailing along very nicely, but that one day all of us, sooner or later, will hit something and go splat. Advent is a time to remember that it will all end and end in a splat. There are those who think that we should try not to think about depressing subjects like that, but in fact the ability to face the prospect of life’s end with some dignity and courage is part of what makes the rest of life rich and worth living.

For Christians, and nobody else really has much business thinking about Advent or observing it, there is something else. If there is no Christmas, there is no Cross, no answer to the problems of sin, separation, failure and pain. Advent is a time to think about what life would be like if we didn’t have faith in a Redeemer, a Savior who was ready, willing and able to complete the broken arc of our lives, forgive what is past and walk with us step by step to help us build something better in the time that is left.

Advent is a time to remember that we need something more than what we can summon with our own resources to make our lives work. It’s a time to remember how lost we would be if Someone hadn’t come to find us. People in Twelve Step programs think back to what things were like before they found new friends, new fellowship and a program to help them back to life. They talk about “keeping it green,” remembering what life was like without the sudden surprise, the grace that changed everything and put us on another path. The preparation for Christmas begins by reflecting on what kind of world this would be, and what kind of lives we would have, if Christmas had never come.

There are worse ways to start your preparation for Christmas than by using this prayer from the old Episcopal Church Book of Common Prayer:

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

One of my favorite Advent hymns has always been the Veni, Veni Emmanuel, known to English speakers as O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The first verse in particular captures some of the sense of exile and hopelessness that we would feel if Christmas had never come.

You can listen to it here: the words are below.

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow’r to save;
Bring them in vict’ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

You Are Forgiven

Read the Article here https://www.1517.org/articles/you-are-forgiven

When I was 15 years old I stole my parent’s car to hang out with this girl I was crushing on. Have you ever done something stupid like that before? Yeah, no driver’s license yet; not even a permit! But wait – it gets worse! I devised a plan to steal their 1988 Chevy Astro minivan so I could drive from where I was living in New Jersey over to Pennsylvania when my dad was out of town and my mom was working late (yeah, pretty sure that’s a felony). And I almost got away with it. In fact, I would have if it wasn’t for the guilt welling up inside me. So, the night before my dad was coming home, I fessed up. By the way, my dad’s name is Thor – so you can imagine why I was a little nervous confessing!……………….

Read the Article here https://www.1517.org/articles/you-are-forgiven

You Are Forgiven

The Importance Of Spiritual Dry Seasons

Read the Article here
https://www.relevantmagazine.com/faith/the-importance-of-spiritual-dry-seasons/

If you’ve ever been to the top of a mountain, you know nothing quite beats the experience. Sure, the hike to the top was difficult, but nothing beats the sense of fulfillment of overcoming an obstacle in order to enjoy a beautiful view. Sure, you could probably just Google images from the top of the mountain but everyone knows that’s just not the same. The struggle adds immeasurable value.

There is no denying that our world today tends to want easy access to blessing — without having to endure the harsh lessons of a wilderness. Therefore, it may profit us to discover what a desert experience can offer. 

Deserts inspire worship

My first encounter with the enormit……………….

Read the Article here
https://www.relevantmagazine.com/faith/the-importance-of-spiritual-dry-seasons/

God’s Hands Across America

Read the Article here https://mbird.com/2020/11/gods-hands-across-america/

In 1986, there was a nation-wide campaign called Hands Across America, in which 5 million people held hands in a human chain for fifteen minutes along a path across the continental United States. It took a staff of 400 people and a slew of celebrity cameos nine months to prepare and publicize. The event was deemed a success — money was donated to charity and there was an increase of “homelessness awareness” — but it didn’t exactly bring everyone together. While some cities had enough participants for lines to be six to ten people deep, there were inevitably big pockets where the chain was broken, specifically the low-population areas of the midwest and the desert southwest. According to the Los Angeles Times, there were big gaps in some of the dodgier sections of East LA, and volunteers had a hard time recruiting people to join the chain from their front porches………….

Read the Article here https://mbird.com/2020/11/gods-hands-across-america/

Wisdom for When Things are Out of Control

Read the article here. https://www.1517.org/articles/wisdom-for-when-things-are-out-of-control

To be sure, Ecclesiastes is one of the most daunting and frustrating books to sermonize. Chapters 7—10 are especially problematic with their wide assortment of proverbs and pronouncements about life’s inequities. The Preacher’s labyrinthine observations regarding life “under the sun” continually confound clergy and laymen alike. Renowned Scottish orator Alexander Maclaren, for instance, asserts in one of his sermons on Ecclesiastes 12 that the Preacher’s conclusions are a mix of untruths, partial truths, or exaggerations.(1) This is indicative of the varied and assorted opinions one can find when trying to determine the precise meaning of the Preacher’s sayings.

In fact, it is on this point that I diverge from Maclaren’s estimation ………………………..

Read the article here. https://www.1517.org/articles/wisdom-for-when-things-are-out-of-control

It’s Impossible To Find Happiness In An Election

Read the whole article @ https://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/its-impossible-to-find-happiness-in-an-election/

“Don’t you realize elections have consequences?”

“If ____ doesn’t win, I’m leaving the country!”

“If you vote for _____, as far as I’m concerned, our friendship is over.”

Social media is littered with people’s election declarations. If you haven’t seen at least one of these phrases on your social feeds yet…you’re either not from the United States, or apparently I need you to teach me your secrets. Everyone’s taking sides, and even worse, the sides are deeply polarized.

No one’s denying it: presidential elections are important. 

But we’ve become obsessed. We’re glued to the news cycle and the polling numbers……………………..

Read the whole article @ https://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/its-impossible-to-find-happiness-in-an-election/

How Dirty Dancing with Jesus Can Set You Free

Read the Whole Article Here https://mbird.com/2020/10/how-dirty-dancing-with-jesus-can-set-you-free/

It is late, almost midnight, and I call an emergency staff meeting. Sitting in a circle, as I prepare to speak with our 14 college-aged summer staff members, I feel like a fraud. I told them that we could do this. That God would bless our efforts. We just finished our second week of the summer and we are dealing with a situation that may put the rest of the season in jeopardy. 

One of our staff members has been exposed to the coronavirus and will have to be quarantined for 14 days. While at this point they exhibit no symptoms, if they test positive or start to get sick, the rest of our staff will be at risk of getting sick or having to be quarantined. This may start a snowball effect that results in our cancelling the rest of our summer. Not to mention that it would be a devastating blow to my own personal sense of self-worth.

Camp Arcadia is a Christian family camp on the shores of Lake Michigan that has been around for almost 100 years, with families returning year after year. It is more resort than rustic. I’ve often described it as Dirty Dancing with Jesus — nobody puts Jesus in the corner. At Camp Arcadia we normally serve around 3,000 people a summer, with around 42 college-aged staff. This summer, under the COVID-19 restrictions, we had created a plan to serve around 1,000 guests with just 14 staff. Many thought (including me) that we might not be able to have any camp at all. So having camp, even a much reduced camp, was a pivotal decision.

We had spent months planning how to run camp during a pandemic. Then, we spent a week training the staff and ………………………………………..

Read the Whole Article Here https://mbird.com/2020/10/how-dirty-dancing-with-jesus-can-set-you-free/

Jesus is Bigger than Your Vote

Read the whole article Here. https://www.1517.org/articles/jesus-is-bigger-than-your-vote

You are free from allowing anyone to cast doubt on your salvation based upon your political preferences. And free from causing anyone else to question their faith due to what Christian convictions they may have to compromise to vote in one direction or the other.

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It’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything. Between running a very demanding business during COVID and just an overall lack of inspiration I haven’t had much time or energy to write anything. But here I find myself at my keyboard this morning with more time on my hands, because my business is seasonal, and for the first time in months I feel like I have something to say.

If you have spent any time on social media or in front of a television this Summer and early Fall you have been bombarded with encouragements to vote. I can’t remember any other election in my lifetime where there has been so much emphasis placed upon the importance of registering to vote. We are continually being told that this is “the most important election in our lifetime.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, maybe it is, but who decides these things?

The NFL is running a whole campaign urging Americans to vote. Facebook is even paying for ads on television, as if their ubiquitous “are you registered to vote?” banner on your newsfeed isn’t enough! So in the spirit of election season, I’ll add to the cacophony with another encouragement to vote. Yes, if you’re of voting age and you live in a place where you are given the freedom to cast your ballot then by all means show your love for neighbor and go vote. However, please recognize that your vote does not define you, it’s not your identity, and those that vote differently than you are certainly not your enemy (but even if they were you’re still commanded to love and pray for them (Matt. 5:44)……………

Read the whole article Here. https://www.1517.org/articles/jesus-is-bigger-than-your-vote