Justification by grace through faith for the sake of Jesus Christ

It's been a while

2009-01-06T22:19:00.003-05:00

Well, I don't know if I have any readers out there, but if I do, welcome. Well quick update. I just finished my first semester of my second year. that means only 6 and a half more! But, whose counting? I have added another major, Biblical Languages. That means i am in the Pre-seminary program and have a music major and biblical language major. Right now I am studying Hebrew. I love studying languages again. I have really missed studying a language since high school. I said I wasn't going to quit studying Chinese when I graduated but I haven't don't it and now i am forgetting what I learned in four years. Other things happening in life: I am thinking about switching LCMS. Now it's not written in stone. I am having a hard time with how the ELCA interprets scripture. I have to weigh the pros and cons of staying in each. To make matters harder I just recieved money from my congregation for college. The church itself gave me some then the Women of the Church and then a couple gave me money. So my thought is, if I left the ELCA and went LCMS I would feel like I was stealing money from them. It's a hard decision. If there is anyone out there, please pray for me. If the whole ELCA was like my church I wouldn't have a problem staying, but its not. Now I am rambling. Most people are trying to discern whether to be a pastor or not. I am trying to deal with doubts about a call and on top of that whether to switch or not! This is where I need to say, "Chad, it is ultimately up to God. Don't worry about it." In Christ +

Ranting

2008-06-19T23:08:00.002-04:00

So it seems the best way to get stuff off my mind is to rant about them. My family is tired of hearing them so I might as well put them on here. So I have been reading about how the Episcopal Church USA are marrying same-sex couples in Cali. I just don't understand how the people in this Christian Church do not see the wrong doing happening. Throughout the Bible it shows that YHWH (the LORD) made man for women and women for man. Not man for man and women for women. Marriage is described between a man and a women. It just breaks my heart that the Christian faith is suffering what Christ did not intend. Division. As you may tell I stand on the solid rock of the Word of God. In the words of Martin Luther, "Here I stand."

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Episcopal Church. In fact I attend one down in Ann Arbor when in school. It's not my preferred choice but it's where I can be fed with the Eucharist. In Ann Arbor all the ELCA churches are showing "gay friendly." The problem besides that is I consider myself more "high church." So I figure if I have to go to a liberal church I might as well go to one that is "high church."

Sometimes I just think it'd be easier to become Catholic because then the Pope would tell us was was right and wrong. As of now I am quite concerned at where I will be in the next year after the Church-Wide Gathering. I will make my decision on their decision about same-sex relationships. If they go the Liberal route, I'll see if there is a split which I can forsee or if their isn't then I'll be transferring to an LCMS church. It depends where God is leading me. Right now my soul is heading to the LCMS synod.

I wish my faith was childlike again because when we were children we didn't have to worry about what was wrong and right, we believed and that was good enough. As for me I reflect back and remember that I thought all worship was Lutheran Style. I even used to stand up front when my mom was cleaning and started preaching right off the top of my head. I was only in the 2nd grade maybe younger. My pastor caught me and just let me be. That was my first realization that I was feeling a call into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament.

+++SOLI DEO GLORIA+++

ARG!!! BOSSES

2008-05-21T22:13:00.002-04:00

As I said in my title, "ARG BOSSES!!!" Lately I have been feeling betrayed and taken advantage of. For the past three summers I have been lucky to have had 40 hours of work each week at the resturant. Well, this summer it looks as though I am not going to be even hitting 30! The problem is, is that I need the money so that I can make it through the next few months of school. September-April to be exact. As of now I won't be able to live off of the stuff I make during the summer. I thought about getting a job in Ann Arbor when I get back to school except I am carrying too many credits, 19 in total. That doesn't leave much time for fun. Just homework. It'll be busier because I will be starting Hebrew and want to learn it well so that I don't have to retake it at seminary. So needless to say, I am really nervous about next year. This is going to sound 'New Age" Christianish of me, but I know God will give me the money to get me through. Maybe I should go to school at a massage school to get my massage license to make extra money to get me through college and seminary. Or maybe even go to get a barber license.

OH LORD, let your will be done and let me do your will. Be with me always even in this time of need. Amen

+SOLI DEO GLORIA+

It's been a while

2008-05-19T22:47:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been awhile. I finished my first year of college with a GPA of 3.7980! Not bad, eh? My favorite by far are my religion classes. Lately, I have been working, and thinking. I have been doing a great deal of thinking. Mostly, about my call into the ministry. Sometimes I fear I wont be able to do it. Then I have to think, I know God will always give me the strengths and the words to say.

On the side, I have been trying to get into more reading and learning even over the summer. I am trying to teach myself German. I have always been good with languages. I really missed studying my Chinese this past year and I have forgotten quite a bit. So I thought, "Why not learn a language you really wanted to learn in the first place." Then I have a reading schedule for different books that are recommended to be read. Well, I guess that's all for now. I'll try to post more often!

+SOLI DEO GLORIA+

People Sometimes

2008-04-10T23:55:00.003-04:00

So I just got back from devotions. We went to Applebees to have it. Everything was going great and some of the guys started talking smack about the ELCA...I bit my lip the whole time because I knew there was nothing I could say to change their minds! Most of them are German and Lutheran and we German Lutherans don't change easily. We have hard heads! They then started talking about other denominations and it angered me especially talking about the Catholic Church. I guess this is what I get for going to a Unversity that is affliated with a judgemental Church. I still love it here. They just need to realize that we are all Christians. That is one of the major things keeping me from switching over is that aspect of being judgemental and not accepting other people.

If there is anyone out there who reads this...feel free to comment sometime...

Gospel in the Old Testament

2008-04-08T14:59:00.002-04:00

So I guess I wasn't well informed but in Old Testament class we have been studying the prophets. I guess I hav never realized how much Law and Gospel were part of the Old Testament. Now that i look back at it I remember learning. There are many times we do stuff that goes against what God wants for our lives, but God just keeps on loving me and everyone around me. It's amazing how much I learn about the Bible each time I go class! SOLI DEO GLORIA!!!

Just the beginning

2008-03-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

Well, this is my first time writing...I need someplace to rant and maybe find encouragement. So anyhow, I'll tell you a bit about myself...I am Lutheran, I go to Concordia University Ann Arbor and studying Church Music and Pre-Seminary...Something special about that is I am the only ELCA lutheran at the school...yea it does get lonely once in a while, but I feel special.

So today is Good Friday, it never ceases to amazed the depth of the love God had for us all during this Holy Week. We are not worthy of someone else taking on OUR sin. A person who was SINLESS! That's a humbling realization. I do not deserve that. I have sinned so much and then just to have my sins washed clean.

I don't know how come God has called me into the pastoral office. I am unworthy beyond all belief, but I begin to think of people God has called that has sinned. Then I think of the Gospel message we are celebrating on this Good Friday. Christ died and have have become a new creation in my baptism and by taking the Eucharist. Well that's all for today!

SOLI DEO GLORIA