Steer on Main Street

Each year at the beginning of September the Puyallup Fair gets rolling for a little over two weeks. During that time, over a million fair goers will snarf down cotton candy and ride the Tilt-n-Hurl. Officially, it's called the Western Washington Fair, though even the officials don't call it that.   The fair kicks off with a cattle drive right down the main street of Puyallup, Washington, (prounounced pew - all - up), followed by a big parade with marching bands, clowns, horses, tractors, and other miscellany.  We can actually hear the fair from our house, and if the wind is just right, we can smell the grease from all those corn dogs too.  Here's a few fair photos I've taken over the years.  Two years ago a couple of the steers got thirsty and dropped into the local MiniMart for a Big Gulp.  A cowboy, on horseback, had to go inside and usher them back to the parade route. It's not every day you can grab that cream-filled Twinkie and pack of Marlboros while two Mexican steer stand next to you in line, staring disdainfully at the beef jerky.

Screaming on the Extreme Scream

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University Lutheran Chapel and the MNS - Money Talks

When school is in session, our daughter attends church at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center in Shorewood, Wisconsin – close to both the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee and Concordia University Wisconsin. Our son has opportunity to attend Concordia Lutheran Church in Pullman, Washington – right on the edge of the campus of Washington State University. Each of these ministries is vital to the spiritual wellbeing of students who otherwise would miss out on the life-giving flow of Word and Sacrament at a time in their lives when they sorely need those means of grace. Up in Minnesota, those same means of grace are endangered for the students of the University of Minnesota, a campus of 51,000 students.

The Board of Directors of the Minnesota South District (MNS) made the decision to sell the property occupied by University Lutheran Chapel (ULC) on Tuesday, which leaves the members of ULC and her attending students “homeless.” ULC has been involved in campus ministry for more than 75 years. Past pastors have included Dr. Oswald Hoffmann and Professor John Pless. Her current pastor is Pastor David Kind. How long, oh Lord?

Since I wasn't blogging, I was unable to draw attention to this sooner, which I regret.  In spite of the actions of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota South District, the Lord will continue to feed His Church.  Please pray for the people who attend ULC, that God would grant them comfort in trying times, serenity in the face of adversity, and a forgiving heart.

Hungry for More Lutheran Orthodoxy?

Looking for a nice juicy piece of thick theological steak to sink your teeth into (or eggplant for you vegetarians)? Here it is, a new blog by the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mayes titled Lutheran Orthodoxy.

Dr. Mayes, Managing Editor of the Luther’s Works series over at Concordia Publishing House, is serving up a slice of theology on his new blog, which is subtitled “Translations, summaries, and conversations of the great writings of Lutheran Orthodoxy (1580–1700).”  Also joining him as a contributor is Mr. Matthew Carver, author of the Hymnoglypt blog, and translator of Valerius Herberger's devotional commentary on Genesis, "The Great Works of God" (CPH).

Their initial posts have covered Johann Gerhard, Valerius Herberger, and the 1671 anthology the Treasury of Counsels and Decisions, which was edited by Georg Dedekenn and Johann Ernst Gerhard. If you’re like me and feeling that your hard drive could use a little more data on the Age of Orthodoxy, this looks like a promising place to start your download.

Wooden Beauty – Churches of the Russian North

Every now and then you come across something that enlivens the mind’s eye, and the photographs that follow certainly do that for me.

Inspired by the work of an artist from a previous century, photographer Richard Davies, along with Matilda Moreton, have traveled the provinces of Northern Russia capturing on “film” the beauty of Russian churches of old. Their work not only documents the architecture of these wondrous buildings, it also tells the tale of the people who remain, and the tale of those who previously worshipped there.

Like the previous Russian commoners that suffered under the heavy hand of Communism, many of these churches have little that remains, ravaged by time, abandonment, and the unforgiving Russian winter, yet some of them are being restored. Like a remnant of the Israelites returning from the diaspora, decrepit wooden church buildings are returning from the brink.

The onion domes, three-barred crosses, and icons bear witness to the uniqueness of the Russian Orthodox Church, and for those who understand their meaning, they bear witness to the proclamation of an eternal Gospel.

Later this year Richard Davies and Matilda Moreton will be publishing a book titled Wooden Churches – Travelling in the Russian North, where they’ll be sharing what they’ve seen. In the mean time, enjoy these photographs, used with the permission of Richard Davies. You can view more of Mr. Davies work at his website Wooden Churches: Travelling in the Russian North 100 years after Bilibin. His photos have been exhibited in Russia, England, and Finland.

Church of St Alexander Svirsky, Kosmozero

Church of the Resurrection, Rakuly

Church of the Assumption, Kondopoga

Church of the Virgin Hodigitria, Kimzha

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What Have You Been Doing?

Surely there must be world famous apologists and LCMS haut monde clamoring to see what the return of Stand Firm will look like, but I just don’t go in for all the hoopla. Sorry – there’ll be none of that here. It’s business as usual [must keep a stiff (German) upper lip]. Plus, really, how many of the LCMS upper crust actually read this blog? Although, if any of you are reading this and are looking for something extra to do, I do take submissions, but the editorial board is rather picky.

Where have I been and what’s happened in the past eleven months?

Well…

     • I devoted more time to some of my other vocations.

     • I read a tall stack of books.

     • I bought a bunch more books, even though I don’t have room for the ones I’ve already got.

     • I discovered a great used bookstore, Brused Books, in Pullman, Washington.

     • The local Borders is going out of business.

     • We took our other kid, Zach, off to college. I miss him.

     • Father Hollywood went to Siberia.

     • Pastor Hans Fiene went viral.

     • I’m still simul iustus et peccator – otherwise I definitely wouldn’t be here writing this.

     • The LCMS website got a much-needed facelift.

     • Jeff Schwarz had a baby. Or was it his wife? I can’t remember which.

    • Oh yeah. I added a “RECENT COMMENTS” gizmo over on the right sidebar so you can         see what people are thinkin’ — and you too if you dare to leave a comment!

That’s pretty much all the stuff that comes to mind. Too bad I don’t keep a diary. I’m sure things will creep up as we go along, so it might seem like I’m having flashbacks for a while.

It’s a cat-eat-cat world out here in the Lutheran blogosphere. Trying to come up with original stuff is tough, especially with seasoned bloggers like Pastors McCain and Weedon putting out quality material. So if you come up with any good ideas, let me know. In the mean time I intend to keep up the familiar mix of dubious humor, dusty old quotes from dead guys who spoke German and wrote the book on catholic theology, an occasional post written by someone else, and as much Confessional material as I can come up with.

If you feel like talking, leave a comment or shoot me an email – click on that “Email Scott” button over there on the right. In the mean time, thanks for reading, and stop by tomorrow for some great eye candy.

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Stand Firm will return tomorrow!

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Stand Firm will return in 2 days.

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Stand Firm will return in 3 days.

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Stand Firm will return in 4 days.

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Stand Firm will return in 5 days.