Mourning the passing of LCMS burgundy

Though Martin Luther shook the foundations of the earth when he challenged Rome, his followers over the ages have not been known to be so bold in embarrassing change.

As witness too this fact, I still hear folks referring to one particular service we follow as being from "page 15" even though there is no page 15 service in our current hymnal ( Lutheran Service Book (c) 2006) nor its predecessor (Lutheran Book of Worship/Lutheran Worship (c) 1978/1982). The "page 15" they refer to is from a hymnal published in 1941--71 years ago!

And, so, it is with great astonishment, yet chagrin, that I announce to you a great happening to our corporate brand as a denomination. We are no longer the church of the Burgundy cross. It is now blue. Same cross, and, apparently, the same fonts, as before, but LCMS Burgundy is no longer featured in the color palate. Its blue.

Now, the tri-circled "emphasis" device can be red, green and a different color of blue, but definitely not burgundy or purple. Black? Yes. Grey? Certainly. But not burgundy. Never burgundy.

So, what is an LCMS congregation to do?

Its taken some of us 20 years or more to embrace the "new" old logo. We've finally invested in signs with the burgundy/purple cross, we've installed purple carpeting to match in our sanctuaries, we've printed tons of business cards and letterhead with the purple cross, we have a myriad of Recognized Service Organizations which have implemented the cross and color scheme to their sub-brands. What ever shall we do now? It'll take years to use up all that "old" branded stuff. We are conservative (translation: tightwads) with our money and would never just through it away, especially after buying in bulk quantities which insured us the best deal. What ever shall we do?

But perhaps the most important question of all--What will we call the Purple Palace?
The Smurf Palace?

Workplace Chaplaincy!

As a former employee of arch-rival Monfort/Swift/ConAgra/JBC this blog drew my attention. I applaud Tyson for embracing such a forward thinking, yet controversial possition in this area. Most companies want to stay as far away from religion in the workplace as possible. Tyson has realized that people of faith help the bottom line (and probably get along a lot better at work and in the community as well)
Lutheran Confessions: Visiting some Lutherans at Tyson Foods Corporate: The history of Lutheranism and Tyson Foods in Northwest Arkansas are curiously intertwined. Of course, Tyson is much bigger than Lutheranis...

Survey | Young adults and church--Why Young Adults Leave the Church

Many say they find the church judgmental, unwelcoming or irrelevant. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/13/3368548/why-young-adults-leave-the-church.html?story_link=email_msg

Whether you agree with thier arguments or not, we must listen to what our young adults are saying so that we can find ways to bring them back. Leave a comment on how you think we might break down these barriers to the Gospel?

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders

Alban - Building Up Congregations and Their Leaders: Shame-Less and Grace-Full

by Karen A. McClintock

Here is a pretty good article about how we often, with perfectly good intentions, turn grace into shame. Like Law and Gospel should never be confused, Grace should never be muddled by Shame. Enjoy your read.