Territorial Bloggings

Yes, it’s time again to blahg. Cheap therapy for me. An easily skippable posting for you. Win-win. w00t…

Granted, I’m not in an overly depressive state of mind. The melancholia doesn’t have me that mired down (yet). I’ve just been in a dangerously contemplative state of mind. Not really dissatisfied with my lot in life, but neither all that satisfied. If you know what I mean (and I know you do, big sis…). Work is, well, work. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. It’s hard slogging through. I know that I”m not always doing things the right way, either in work arena, or in the personal arena (not the least of which is taking care of myself, fat, lazy, undisciplined schlub that I am…). It’s times like these where I am completely overwhelmed by identifying with that described by Paul in Romans 7:19.

I know some things that I need to do. I just need to get to doing them.

Even so, I know that I cannot do it all myself. The urge to take it all on me & my own actions is palpable & nearly overwhelming. Even as I despair in the assured failure of my inadequacies, I still feel compelled to repeatedly say to myself, “Self, not only can you do it all yourself, you must do it all yourself – it’s all about you & your willpower/gumption/fortitude!” It’s a vicious circle of wallowing in my own wretchedness…

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t let me wallow & fester in that sinful morass. He grabs me. He cleans me. He daily reminds me of that day in January 1968 when He made me His own through water & the Word. He beckons me to the comfort that is found at the foot of His cross.

He gives me rest.

He won’t let me forget.

He will never abandon me.

He loves me.

He allows & enables me to trust.

He will gather me home.

Amen.

-ghp

For some reason, I feel like writing today. Actually, I feel like writing most days, but I end up talking myself out of it for various & sundry reasons. Given what I do blog about, I sometimes think (‘worry’ might be too strong a word…) about the picture that folks who read my blog get about me. I mean, looking back at my entries, they make perfect sense to me because, after all, I have all the necessary context. But most all y’all (excepting perhaps big sis) don’t. So, I wonder about the possibility (or rather likelihood) that my bleatings on this blog are putting out a (and let’s be nice about this) slightly skewed version of who I am. I don’t think so, all things considered, as I think the general picture of me is/can be accurately distilled from reading what I’ve written here. It’s not enough to get the full 100% “ghp experience”, but it’s probably as close as most of y’all would ever want or need, knamean? But, as is often my wont, I digress — I’m really a sweet lovable Lutheran…

I should really try and blog during the moments just before I fall asleep in bed at night. For it is at those moments when I am the most creative and ambitious person alive! Really… if I lived my life with the creativity & resolve I feel during that time just before sleep, I’d be in tip-top shape, great health, and weigh less than 190 lbs. with nary the hint of type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. Heck, I might even have a full head of hair! (prolly not, though…) I would have committed the Bible & Book of Concord to memory, and my children would be shining examples of well catechized little Lutherans. Yup, I’d be all that and a bag of brats (’cause chips are for those heterodox Anglicans, don’tcha know)!

But, alas and alack, I’m not the person of those last, waning moments of consciousness. When I wake up, I’m still the dumpy, overweight, prone to headaches/migraines guy with surprisingly little willpower, who generally finds ways to fall way short of where he really should be. For example, on a day like today, I feel the shame & guilt of not having gotten the family to church. For the third week in a row. Oh yeah, I’m the guy who should be on the board of elders, suuuuure… I’m a hypocritical wretch. I suck. Yet I’ll still be in Heaven someday, because God has given me the saving faith necessary to trust in my Baptism. I feel the daily assault of Satan, make no mistake about it, especially in the form of pietism and the oh-so-tempting idea that I can contribute something along and/or show just how good I am. Thankfully, God continually reaches down into the muck of my sin and cleanses me by drowning my old Adam in the waters of my Baptism.

So I’ve got that going for me, which is nice…

-ghp

Interesting new topic over at Worldmagblog.com, regarding a controversy in Australia over Baptism. More specifically, here’s the entry by the Worldmagblog.com editor:

Archbishop John Bathersby has accused St. Mary’s Church in Brisbane Australia of performing invalid baptisms. Fathers Peter Kennedy and Terry Fitzpatrick have baptized infants for several years in the name of the “Creator, Liberator and Sustainer.” Kennedy defended the new liturgy as “more inclusive and less patriarchal.” Whatever the dubious motives behind such language and setting aside the paedo/credo debate, are baptisms performed in this manner truly invalid?

Ok. Now, I’m going to answer the question before I even go about reading the responses in the Worldmagblog.com discussion thread.

This is pretty clear cut, as far as I’m concerned. These have not been valid baptisms, and the priests in question have been engaging in spiritual malpractice.

The Bible is pretty clear & straightforward about how we are to carry out Holy Baptism, and in Whose name we are to do it — Father, Son, Holy Ghost. It is what it is, and it’s relevant & meaningful because God said it!

While this greatly saddens me, it doesn’t really surprise me. The Old Adam’s capacity for sinful hubris is inexhaustible.

-ghp