Receiving Good Gifts from God

The Lutheran Confessions are resources for extending and defending vigorously the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are powerful tools for everyone to use, in all circumstances, for preaching, teaching, and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the truths of God’s Word in the church, school, home, workplace, community, and throughout the world.
Concordia : The Lutheran Confessions, Edited by Paul Timothy McCain, xvi (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005).

I don’t know about you, but I have crossed paths with many who have been broken by the “bait and switch” tactics that are currently popular in many churches of many denominations (and non-denominations). The Christian life is portrayed as all sweetness and light… a life of ease and plenty. (… At least it’s supposed to be that way as long as you are appeasing the angry God…)

That’s all well and good, until the reality of flawed people bumping into each other gets tiresome. No matter how hard people try, it isn’t quite the way it’s portrayed.

Dr. Rod Rosenbladt has something to say to those of us who run into these “Broken by the Church” people, and New Reformation Press is making it freely available in PDF and audio formats here

http://www.newreformationpress.com/blog/nrp-freebies/the-gospel-for-those-broken-by-the-church/

I’m going to miss “Jack Bauer,” and I don’t think the movie(s) will feel quite the same. Still, it was time for the series to end.

Robert Waters did a better job of commenting on the wrap up then I feel like doing. Check it out here

Tags: TV, 24, series endings

Tags: Interesting Websites

Happy Wednesday! I’m not particularly well-focused today, so I will just show you some random fun stuff…

I appreciated the short article at Christian Apologetics And Research Ministry, “What Is Legalism?” http://www.carm.org/what-is-legalism
While it is a short article, it would be a good way to begin discussions with Christians and non-Christians about legalism and pietism — and Grace itself! I’d be interested in your take…

More salvos in the battle between Science and Religion show up here http://chronicle.com/article/The-New-War-Between-Science/65400/

Issues Etc. http://issuesetc.org/ pointed me to a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj4lHTz8gW0&feature=player_embedded (I didn’t say that it was good, I just pointed you to it!)

What cosmonaut’s and astronauts can see the oil slick is unsettling http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/gulf-oil-slick-scary-from-space-100518.html

}}:-| It looks like someone is auctioning off a Klingon musical instrument http://www.profilesinhistory.com/items/hollywood-memorabilia-auction-40/klingon-musical-instrument-fromstar-trek-deep-space-nine.html

Tags: Adapting to Life, Disability, Ongoing, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Wheelchair

Yes, I made it to church yesterday. The possibility was up for debate, though… Mother and I were both dragging and running late. Still, we were there for most of Bible study and she got to r choir warm-up.

That is when chaos ensued. We thought that the shortest distance would be the best, so we entered through the door where they setup communion. The door was narrower than any that I have tried thus far… while I went through… finally… I’m not going that way again!

I do fit into the wheelchair pew Now, so at least I did not have to try to “stand in line” for receiving communion. I am really going to enjoy that! Instead of focusing on where I’m supposed to be and not hitting anyone or anything, I can pay attention to what God is doing.
… But… yesterday, I was way distracted. Worrying about “creating a spectacle” just isn’t conducive to listening to a sermon. I’m just going to have to get over myself.
Leaving the pew was yet another adventure! I think I need my wheels aligned! While my controls said that I was going straight forward, I was drifting left into another set of pews. Then I overcorrected and zigzagged all the way out the church.
Driving lessons are most definitely in order. I hope that I get better at this soon.

Wonderful news came in the e-mail today. Discourses in Matthew is available via Kindle for PC.
To be honest, I’ve wanted a digital version of this book for a long time. Before I realized the copyright issues, I tried to convince a few friends to read it to me and save MP3 files.
But then I learned that that is illegal.
When I heard that DiM was a required text for my first class this summer, I was delighted. I figured that there HAD to be some sort of accommodation for being unable to hold books.
For a little while, I thought I might be able to purchase a copy and scan it into my computer. The publisher, though sympathetic, nixed that idea. It was frustrating… and part of the reason I was asking about my textbooks already. There is always some sort of glitch.
Just as I was beginning to think that I would have to just guess at what the textbook held, news about the Kindle version came. I’m happy and delighted!

My exploration into the technologies currently available in wheelchairs is coming to a conclusion, for now. I have one that I can drive. The only thing lacking is the tiedown restraints for within the vehicle — we don’t want the wheelchair bouncing around like popcorn whenever somebody makes a turn.

This *IS* Texas. The road can be… interesting.

I started looking for this wheelchair about a year ago, when I could see how much weaker I have become. It’s to the point that it was affecting my driving of the wheelchair. The joystick, though incredibly sensitive, was still what they call “proportional drive”. The harder I pushed, the faster I would go.

At least that was the theory! If I was chilly or if I was the least bit out of position (and to me 1/64th of an inch made the difference), I could not control the wheelchair. It was frustrating and unsettling sometimes.

Yes, Spinal Muscular Atrophy is unwelcome and progressive in its effects. It is also in my life until Christ’s return. I have to deal with the effects, and have gotten pretty good at it after 50 years of practice.

Still, this time I was dreading the procedure for getting a new wheelchair. I figured that… this time… they would tell me that I am getting too disabled to use the chair.

I was wrong.

Stuart Strack of Alliance Seating and Mobility worked well in listening to my concerns, abilities, and limitations. The evaluation with rehabilitation doctors and physical therapists was detailed. In the office, Kay Barker “walked with me” through the paperwork and approvals from Medicare.

If I had gotten on the stick instead of worrying about the process, I could have avoided about three months of uncomfortable driving situations.

But… the past is the past. I am content with the wheelchair… more than content. This is the first time in years that I have felt reasonably confident in my driving — in spite of the that I’m still re-learning how to control a piece of equipment.

You see, the joystick isn’t exactly a joystick. There is an incredibly sensitive on-off switch, combined with a display that progressively cycles through eight possible directions and a mode-selector section.

While a joystick is an intuitive device that allows minute adjustments in direction and speed, this system requires a complete stop to change in those things. Doorways are a little bit of a challenge, especially the door from outdoors coming in. (I am going to blame that on the fact that my balance point is in a different place — my rear end sticks out a little farther than I expect. I guess that’s true of many women my age, in and out of wheelchairs…)

This “Not-Quite-a-Joystick” is a blessing, though. Just being able to drive again without fears is an utter delight. This “joystick” is also my computer mouse. When Dragon NaturallySpeaking freezes up, I don’t care anymore — I can fix the problem myself.

There are three speeds: Parking Jets/Indoor Mode (0.6 Mph), Impulse Drive (1.7 Mph), and Warp Speed (2.8 mph). The seat belt system sort of resembles the thing that straps infants into car seats — I’m not going anywhere.

Yes, I’ve given my wheelchair a name: The Captain’s Chair, or in Klingon HoD quS

Tags: Disability, Wheelchair, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Adapting to Life

Yes! I am already behind on this blog. I wanted to think aloud about Wednesday night’s Bible study so that I wouldn’t forget. Naturally, I’ve already forgotten vast amounts. I will just try to remember a few snippets…

We have been going through CFW Walther’s “Proper Distinction” for several months now. It is a tough slog through a book that requires serious thought and attention to Scripture.

… And I’m enjoying it in spite of the fact that my head feels like it’s going to explode sometimes…

We don’t just stick to that one book, though. We pull in several translations of the Bible. We read from The Book of Concord. Sometimes we look at the original Greek. Sometimes we pull in examples (good and bad) that we’ve seen in the past. A “Lesson” can take anywhere from a week and one half to… six or more weeks to go through. I’m starting to think that studying the Bible and related topics is like living inside a three or four-dimensional fractal image!

One of the “rabbit trails” we explored was a consideration of “The Feeding of the 5000.” We have all heard so many sermons about this event. Most of the ones I can remember talked about the “powerful display” that turned what was basically a “Happy Meal” into sufficient for something like 15,000 people. The people at that time seemed to think that it was such a neat trick that they wanted a coronation then and there. (I think I will avoid all the possible political commentary… saves that treat for another day!)

What if that narrative was not just about God’s Power? What if it isn’t about, “God meets our needs…” What If it isn’t some of the sermons that are popular on TV and radio?

God seems to have chosen incredibly common things in HIS Plan of Salvation. He uses Words, water, bread, wine,… and deeply flawed human beings. We want flash and dazzle, and an unending source of happy meals. God hides HIMSELF in the unexpected and despised things on this planet.

… Now you know why I absolutely cannot wait until classes start this summer. We are beginning with the gospel of Matthew… and I’ll finally be able to say what I want to say!