About this site:
My favorite writing and speaking topics include:
The Bible, Daily Devotions, Ancient Christianity, Christian Fellowship, Listening, Jewish Studies, Astronomy, Nature, Music, Arts, History, Language, World View, Self-help, Humor, and more.
My musical tastes are extremely diverse, but I tend to focus most on Classical, Folk, Traditional Christian, Contemporary Christian and 1980s music.
My wife and I live in my home town of Alexandria, Minnesota, with our dog and a couple of fish. I’ve served as pastor of four Free Lutheran churches in Texas, Indiana, and South Dakota, and I recently served as interim pastor of my home church in Brandon, Minnesota. I’m currently pastoring a very small church called St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Moe Township, in the beautiful countryside about 13 miles WSW of Alexandria. I’m a graduate of Concordia College and the Association Free Lutheran Theological Seminary, and I’m working on an MSJS degree at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. When I’m not playing cello, banjo, or harmonica, or helping my wife at her small bookshop, or working at my evening shift job at a local industrial plant, I might be looking at the moon, planets, and other celestial wonders with one of my telescopes.
Contact:
700 Cedar Street, Suite 122, Alexandria, MN 56308
320-304-1371
petersoncello at juno dot com
Ah, we must talk about that Lutheran stuff one of these days…. I was raised a Lutheran… My 98 yo dad still insists that my kids and I are all Lutherans… including my wife…
I’ve a lot of …”problems” with Lutheran teachings.
Someday….
Sounds like an open door to discussion! As Ross Perot actually said once in a presidential debate, “I’m all ears.”
Ah, how shall I start?
I was raised in the L church…(ALC or LCA???). There was no liturgy, no repeating after the pastor, no nothing except long, long, sad old- fashioned singing hymns, good strong pastor’s sermons that rocked the lights hanging from the ceiling…oh, yah, the Creed and Lord’s Prayer.
There were no robes, ribbons, incense, etc…. no one kissed anything.
There was none of the pastors reads, the congregation reads. There was no bowing at the cross. There were no candles lit and put out later.
Most folks thought we were Baptists …’cept there were NO Baptist churches in our town. (500 pop.)
If a Lutheran boy married a Catholic girl, the town was in an up-roar until the reverse happened. (It was similar between protestant churches too but not in the same degree.) Protestants didn’t often socialize with Catholics. I could go on and on……….
I recall our Norwegian pastor screaming at us to read the Bible and not let the “Good Book ” gather dust.
Later, I tried Lutheranism again… I only had Wisconsin Lutheran to choose from… and what a world of change!!
We are talking about 20 plus years here. This church wouldn’t let us read the Bible because we were too stupid to understand it. We should not pray, because only the pastor/priest knew how to pray…and his prayers always rhymed and that was the best kind.
We had to bow at the cross, coming and going. We were encouraged to cross ourselves at different times during the service.
We were not allowed to pray with non-Lutherans. IF a friend was dying in the hospital and there were non-Lutherans in the room, we couldn’t pray for him.
There was tons of pastor/priest says something out of a book…then congregation followed with their part of the script.
And to top it off, the pastor/priest forgave us all our sins!
Even I know only God forgives us our sins so that always really bothered me. We didn’t even have to confess our sins… we just had to admit we did sin once in a while.
Pastor/priests weren’t tried out in our church if we needed a new one…. the head-quarters just sent us a list of 3 or4 and we got to “elect” the one we liked best by how many kids he had, if he had a hobby we liked, etc… We couldn’t even interview him! Prayer on making a good decision wasn’t even considered.
My wife and I started a Bible study/prayer group in this church but in our home. The pastor/priest canceled it.
We had no authority to do this and we had no idea how to pray or read the Bible!
We started spaghetti dinners in the church basement as a fund-raiser for various school needs.. This was a hit until I gave the dinner prayer that wasn’t , “Come Lord Jesus be our guest, let this gift from you be blessed.” I gave a non-rhyming prayer that was informal and un-rehearsed, etc.. The whole basement full of people got up and left their spaghetti uneaten and went home. The pastor smiled.
The only similarity of these churches were the hymns. Most had 8 or 10 verses, all sounded like they were written for a funeral and ALL the verses had to be sung.
Now, I’ve been to other L churches in my life… most fit in with the latter style above.
I’ve attended my dad’s L church when I go visit him to make him happy and its the same as above. Even the food prayer is the same.
The only different L church I’ve attended several times is the Evangelical L church my brother attends. (This church hasn’t approved homosexuals into the pastor-hood yet…)
This church sounds more like my old L church of years ago…
no robes, incense and real non-rhyming prayers. People are encouraged to read the Bible AND PRAY. They also believe in being “Born Again”!
And would you believe it, the pastor is Norwegian and even LOOKS and sounds like Billy Graham!!!
Ok… I’ve mouthed off enough for this time….. what-cha-gotta-say?
Sounds like the “L church” has let you down more than once, big time. I wouldn’t blame you for checking out what else is available in the Kingdom of God.
The particular Lutheran church body that Lars and I both belong to would be more like the one of your earlier years, the less liturgical one which isn’t afraid of the perfectly biblical phrase (see John 3) “born again.”
I’m curious what your affiliation is now, and how you came to be part of whatever you’re part of now. I also might start a new post suited for this line of discussion.
Thanks for sharing, bro!
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Michael,
Just a few questions.
1. What kind of, ” …small bookshop…” does your wife operate?
2. What do you do on your shift at the plant?
3. What is your opinion of the Dakes study Bible?
4. Do you believe the KJV is the one and only Bible the Lord
“wrote” for us? Are any other Bibles worth His Salt?
Answer as you have time.
Thanks,
John Book
1. It’s mainly a used bookstore, with a number of inspirational and theological Christian books, Classic literature, Philosophy, Children’s books and cookbooks, videos, and whatever else we’ve gotten our hands on. The building it’s in was a Catholic hospital many years ago, but now has a number of business and human service offices in it. We literally took three closet spaces and turned them into a small store. We call them “kiosks” to put a positive spin on their smallness. :O)
She also sells books online through Amazon under the name “old-and-new-books”.
2. I’m a press operator at a plant that makes plastic parts by the injection molding method. I’m also a trainer for new employees, and a backup material handler (material handlers make sure that the presses have the raw plastic material, inserts, etc. that they need).
3. I’m not familiar enough with the Dake’s to have an opinion. I’ve seen a few copies, and I’m sure it has its strong points. I’m aware that there are some who see it as pretty much the final word in study Bibles.
4. I disagree with the “KJV only” position in its various forms. When I was in Texas a man I met gave me a copy of the book “New Age Versions” by G. A. Riplinger. It’s one of the most poorly argued books I’ve ever read. I haven’t looked at it lately, though I do have it around here somewhere, probably in a box (we’ve moved three times in the last two years). But among other things I remember it argued that modern Bible versions deny the Trinity. I think her arguments were very weak, and in fact it’s not difficult at all to prove/defend the Trinity from the NIV, NASB, etc. In fact, the Trinity can even be proved from the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ “New World Translation” even though it’s deliberately mistranslated in certain places – they missed a few places! The Word of God is that powerful, in any version. The King James Version is a a fine version and a wonderful work, but I don’t believe it is more inspired than other versions. The translators themselves didn’t see it that way, as you can see by reading their “preface,” which you may find here:
http://pastoralmusings.com/2009/05/28/the-king-james-version-translators-preface-to-the-reader/
Thanks for those good words sir. It is interesting getting to know you.
What are the plastic parts you are vacuum-forming?
Some folks in my church are pretty impressed with Dakes.
I on the other hand am not excited about KJV only…..
I’ve used NAS for decades with aRyrie study guide. I still don’t like the few “thees and thous” I find there.
Lately in a men’s Bible study I attend, I’ve switched to a NIV and like the easy flow…. I also like the NIV for my daily chronological reading… easier somehow….
I’m enjoying getting acquainted as well! At the plant we basically make industrial components. Among are main customers are companies that make banking machines, spray paint applicators, filtration systems, ice machines, water purification systems, and so forth. We also make some flexible zipper clamp-type things that are used in open-heart surgery. When I used to work here for awhile about 10 years ago we made some consumer products as well, such as junk drawer organizers, etc. that were sold under the Martha Stewart line at K-Mart, but we don’t seem to do that stuff anymore.
The Wikipedia article about Dake & his study Bible has me a little concerned:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finis_Jennings_Dake
Of course, an honest appraisal would involve a careful look at the primary sources, such as the Dake Bible itself.
One thing I’ve learned from studying the original biblical languages is that the Bible versions we have really are quite good overall. There are things that are missed in translation, but you can be confident that your NIV (or KJV) isn’t pulling the wool over your eyes about something.
I checked out the Wikipedia you mentioned in your post.
I WILL NOT be getting a Dake’s Bible at any time. I read the part on “Confused Theology” and found it most devastating for making a case against Dakes.
So, much for that idea…. I’ll have to inform my fellowship group Sunday as to my, (your), findings.
Your job sounds like it would keep you busy. I’ve never actually worked in a factory-type setting, but I have investigated fraud in just about every factory or business in Oregon. I love to understand how and why things work the way they do and how they are made. I guess that is why I am into do-it-yourself stuff. I enjoy watching craftsmen work ….making barrels, sledges, furnature, etc…
When I was in Japan as a missionary, I sought out craftsmen. The real ones work much differently than US craftsmen. In Japan, it is like they are putting part of their soul into the object. Because they usually are quite modest in most of their lives, a craftsman will leave a tiny spot on an object they create that is not finished. It is to let you know that the craftsman is not perfect, so what he makes is also not perfect. This proves the craftsman has much to learn yet… Some apprentice times can last over 20-30 years!!
The 15 years investigating and the 4 years of missionary work I did were the best, most interesting years of my life.
The missionary time was the really best of my life.
Have an abundant day.
Glad I could help out with the Dake’s issue.
Some of the people I admire the most at the plant are the engineers, as they’re the ones who truly have a deep understanding of how things work. The ones I work with also have a good way of making one feel included in the problem-solving process as well, which I appreciate.
My Dad also was a great problem-solver with a deep understanding of practical/mechanical things.
I’ll be interested in learning more about your missionary work.
Be blessed!
Well, sir, let me first say that you should get on you knees a bit and thank the Lord that you and your father have a good relationship!
My brother has tears once in a while; dad has never hugged him, said he loves him or complimented anything he has ever done. My brother has been a good son; staying near home to take care of our mother, and now dad in their old ages. He’s helped my dad out for years with no thanks in the slightest.
Me on the other hand, I was the black sheep. I left the state, even left the country and did as much as I could to stay away from my dad…which he holds against me now….
I was the first one to give him a hug and said I love you to him. Now we can say that but it is quite difficult for him.
He has always been violent to our mother, now he’s getting verbally rough on his second wife.
I say too much, I fear…. even at my age, it is something that I wish were so much different!
Now as to missionary work.
I believe I got the “call” when I was a wee lad back in Williams, Iowa, St. Paul Lutheran Church. Our church occasionally had missionaries drop by and show slides of their work areas. Always Africa or S. America.
These are places I NEVER wished to even visit, let alone live in!!
The Lord bugged me on this all my life…..but, I NEVER wanted to go to places with all those bugs, dirt and bad water….. NOT for ME…….
As an even wee-er lad, mom was forever getting me Japanese stuff; origami, ink blocks and brushes, books, etc… She taught me to love Japan and Japanese. (Why she did this to me and not the other kids I have no idea. Why did she love Japan when it was fashionable to hate them so soon after the war?) I know she thought them to be so peaceful and simple in their life-styles but other than their clothes and old buildings, I’m not aware of anything else that contributed to her pro-Japanese ways.
Years go by. I’m in my 40s and I get my first computer.
Since I like Japan of course it dawns on me that I can find out so much stuff on Japan on the net!!!! Wow!! A gold-mine!!!
Soon, someone tells me I can find and actually get “pen-pals” in Japan! Wow!!! This is even better. I start making real live Japanese friends!
An atheist friend of mine, out of the blue, takes me to a Japanese church, (Baptist), where I attend for over a year.
They adapt me make me feel soooo much at home!!!
I’d been attending a Promise Keepers small group for a long time. I wasn’t aware of it, but, I guess I talked a lot about Japan in it. After about a year, there, someone said, “You know, as much as you talk about Japan and how much you like it, why don’t you go over there as a short-term missionary?” I said, “You mean there are missionaries in Japan?”
From this, I spent about a year grilling pastor friends of mine, my Japanese pastor, friends, and anyone else I thought of who might have insight into this. 90 % Christians…
NO ONE, (except my dad who thinks leaving your home state is a capital offense…), had a problem with a mission trip to Japan.
I prayed my head off! I continued to question…finally my Japanese pastor stopped me one day took, me by the arms….(He couldn’t reach my shoulders…) and said,
“Its time you got out of the boat and get onto the water.
Quit wasting time and get over there!”
I did. I went, I extended my stay into a yearly thing and finally stayed almost 4 years. I’d still be there now if some things back here hadn’t gone south and need my attention and a few health things came up.
Mission to the World was my first sponsor. I have nothing but mostly bad things to say about them. Another story, heh?
As a tent-maker, like Paul, my times were the best. I can’t think of times when I was closer to the Lord…. depending on Him more and more…. praying without ceasing…. I’d never experienced more peace in my life!
Now, what about those “keys”…..
Thanks for sharing that. There should be more “older than average” new missionaries. He has a way of taking us to the last place we thought we would go. Thanks for answering God’s call, and for loving your Dad the way he is (but loving him too much to want to leave him that way …)
I posted something about the “Keys” over at the “Open Thread” (sounds kinda like a hobbit tavern or sewing circle or something when I put it that way).
I’m most intrigued by the content on this blog. What’s your email address?
Here it is (I like to spell it out this way, in hopes that it helps avoid spamming):
petersoncello “at” juno “dot” com
I stopped by yours as well, also very intriguing! I’ll comment more over there. Thanks for stopping by!
Can you tell me if comet Elenin is a comet or something else? Some people think it might be “code” for a dwarf star.
Thanks for stopping by! All indications are that it’s a plain old comet, a typically small object with a very small mass, and since it recently had a significant loss in brightness after its closest approach to the Sun, it’s possible that it’s already disintegrating. If it were any kind of dwarf star, it would have to have a huge mass that would already have caused conspicuous, catastrophic changes in planetary orbits, etc., but I can assure you from my own observations that the objects in the solar system continue to orbit and behave very normally and are all exactly where they’re supposed to be. Comet Elenin, if it still exists, will make its closest approach to Earth soon on October 16, and will be close to Mars in our sky on the 15th, so I’ll try to see if I can spot anything then. There’s a lot of good info, including outside links (such as a number of articles written by Leonid Elenin himself about the comet he discovered) at these Wikipedia articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Elenin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision
Wonderful, thank you very much for your prompt response. You have an awesome website, btw.
Glad I could help out, and thanks!
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