GDP Update

 

I put a couple necessary finishing touches on Gerhardt Daily Prayer effective this morning, and like I mentioned in the last post will incorporate it into the Endurance Logbook. I will include updates regarding this and the Logbook as they come. One on the Logbook - I'm thinking of an outer flyleaf just inside the cover, and then another section at the halfway point of the book. The halfway point would be the devotionally focused materials, including a Luther quote on prayer from the Large Catechism, as well as GDP, possibly the Sons of Solomon Psalms, and more. 

Gerhardt Daily Prayer

 

Paul Gerhardt, born on 12 March 1607, is my favorite hymnodist and undoubtedly one of the top 3 all-time Lutheran hymn writers (along with Philipp Nicolai and Johann Heermann). Inspired by the sainted man, I developed an order for daily prayer called Gerhardt Daily Prayer, which incorporates two of his excellent hymns - one meditation on Christ's crucifixion and the other on his resurrection.

This order for daily prayer, along with other exciting resources and features, will be made available to the public with the release of the Endurance Logbook just a few months from now. By then, I will have tested it out and may have further analysis. Gerhardt Daily Prayer (GDP!) requires two tools - a Bible and the LSB (ideally the pocket edition).

Creating devotional orders has become a surprisingly counterproductive hobby of mine - since I spend more time making them than using them. Gerhardt Daily Prayer is here to flip the script, end the search for the latest and greatest new blast of wind, and provide a long-term solution for daily prayer, centered around the Word of God. 

It's not about finding the perfect solution. It's about finding something good, and then rooting yourself in it, like a tree planted by streams of water.

God be praised! And thank you Jesus for all the saints, especially today for Pastor Paul Gerhardt.

Suggestions for a New Hymnal

 

When Lutheran Service Book (LSB) was published in 2006, it was designed to be a unifying hymnal for the synod. Specifically, they wanted to get the vast majority of congregations behind a single book. At the time, I'm guessing the synod was primarily split between three worship resources: The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and contemporary music. While the synod will probably never (again?) all worship from the same book and in the same way, they wanted to give it their best shot to appease both the TLH and LW folks, while also giving a nod to the contemporary congregations, all without sacrificing faithfulness and quality.

I came into the history of Lutheran hymnody pretty late in the game, since I was only born 9 years before LSB came out. My congregation growing up used TLH, but my father gave every member of our family an LSB, seeing the potential benefits in getting us used to the hymnal that most of the synod would be using, as well as the benefit of trying to use the same (new) Bible translation across the board - ESV.

Lutheran Service Book has become my favorite Lutheran hymnal, chiefly because it's the one I grew up with, and the one I continue to use. I don't necessarily think it's the best; one of the old books from the '20s or even Walther's Hymnal probably have it beat. But if the goal was to unify the synod without becoming unfaithful, I think the writers and editors of LSB did a fine job. The hymnal retains a great many treasures of Lutheran hymnody. It employs a genius numbering system to prevent confusion across sections. Its wide array of resources is eminently useful. Its liturgies are faithful and mostly beautiful. The pocket edition especially, which I've written about before, is just golden; I believe the first hymnal in our synod's history to contain all 150 Psalms.

At the same time, Lutheran Service Book has a number of weaknesses, mostly borne from their desire to create a unifying hymnal - trying to do a lot of things well often ends up meaning some depth and quality is lost. Specifically, here are the hymnal's weaknesses as I see them:

• Not having all 150 Psalms in the standard hymnal
• Too many orders of worship and divine service (the Lutheran Service Builder has made a lot of that simply unnecessary - a technological advancement that would not have been foreseen at the time)
• Too many third-tier hymns
• The amputation (shortening or eliminating) of too many first-tier hymns
• The lack of inclusion of other confessional documents

Allow me to briefly defend each of these points. First - the Psalms. As our doctrine and practice become increasingly watered down with soft antinomianism, the Psalms stand firm as a stalwart boon against this evil. I think it's a crime for a hymnal not to contain the hymnal God has already given us.

Second - the orders of worship. People are going to take liberties in creating orders of the divine service. We should offer between one and three set liturgies for the unity of the synod, but not try to accommodate and plan for every little variation that individual congregations will want to bring in.

Third - the third-tier hymns. In an effort to appeal to a broader base, LSB contains some real duds in terms of hymnody. Here's what I mean with tiers -

First tier - hymns of great quality, theologically and musically (think Gerhardt, Heermann, Nicolai, etc.)

Second tier - good, solid hymns

Third tier - hymns that are "fine" but lacking in depth, beauty, and clear confession of faith

Fourth tier - hymns that are mystical, heterodox, or heretical

While I appreciate the desire to appeal to lovers of modern hymnody, and there is good modern hymnody out there, I don't think our churches will be helped by weak words that do a poor job of delivering and proclaiming the clear Word of God. 

Fourth - amputation. A flip-through Walther's Hymnal revealed to me a troubling truth. Many of the gems that do remain in LSB are only shadows of themselves. Their original texts are far more beautiful, far more complete, and often written with bolder and less androgynous language. This feminization of hymnody has no place in the faithful Lutheran church - and we're stealing a lot of serious Biblical truth and strength from a lot of these astoundingly good hymns.

Fifth - inclusion of confessional documents. We will inevitably stray away from the Book of Concord if we don't read it, and I think the first step is getting it in people's hands any way we can. It would be excellent if the hymnal were to contain one of the shorter writings from the Confessions, as has been done in the past. I would suggest the UAC, Large Catechism, or Formula - Epitome.

In all likelihood, the LCMS will one day publish a new hymnal. I hope and pray that it will not be soon - these kinds of changes can cause great strife and trouble, and should only be undertaken when necessary. As Luther says, it's extremely valuable to hold to the same form of words; even in a new hymnal, we should do all wae can not to change details of existing words. Let's say it's the year 2050, and the synod needs to take a step deeper into faithfulness as the world goes crazier. Here's how I would design the next Lutheran hymnal:

Reductions

• Remove the Gloria Patri from the end of each Psalm. This is a space-saver. While the Trinitarian focus is commendable, it sometimes weakens and undermines that divinely-chosen ending of each Psalm.
• Remove Divine Service 2, 4, and 5. 
• Remove either Responsive Prayer I or II
• Remove the service of Corporate Confession and Absolution
• Condense the "Prayers, Intercessions, and Thanksgiving" section, with only about half the prayers, but make them better quality drawing from one of the older versions of the Lutheran Book of prayer. make each prayer a bigger deal instead of just throwing a bunch in there.
• Remove 10-20 third-tier hymns, and any and all fourth-tier hymns
• Remove a few of the repetitive "liturgical music" hymns such as various ways to sing "Alleluia"

Additions

• Add the missing Psalms to include all 150
• Add another couple Psalm prayer plans in addition to the table for daily prayer; one for praying through them every 28 days.
• Keep Divine Service 1 and 3 and still call them those, then make a setting 2 that combines the best elements from 2, 4, and 5. Three is still plenty of options, but with the Service Builder out there, again, you don't need to try to tailor it to every person.
•  Include a prayer for each day of the week in the Daily Prayer section, instead of just suggestions for topics.
• Add all the original stanzas to several 16th and 17th century hymns, with priority given to the best of Gerhardt and Heerman. Present the hymn with batches of verses split into and labeled with roman numerals, to encourage congregations to sing the whole thing split throughout their service. For instance, a 15-stanza hymn would be divided into I (1-5) II (6-10) and III (11-15).
• Add a handful of new hymns, with priority given to those which are of the highest quality and are most needful for the modern Lutheran at the time.
• Add the Unaltered Augsburg Confession

I wonder how this would all play out in terms of space. I know that, ultimately, the editors need to produce a publication that will fit in a pew rack. Difficult decisions would undoubtedly need to be made in this process, but I think it could be done. I think that, overall, we should be unafraid, to significantly cut down on the total number of hymns, and prioritize quality over quantity.

I don't know what this hymnal would be called, as many of the obvious names have, at this point, been taken. 

Pocket Notebook Ideals

 

When you use a tool on a very frequent basis, I think it's natural to form a strong opinion about that tool. For example, you probably have a pretty clear understanding of what you do and don't like about your phone, or your car, or your front door. 

This is how it is with me and pocket notebooks. I use them daily, and I've used a wide variety of them. Not only that, but I enjoy them. Again, imagine how much thought a car guy would put into the car he drives every day.

Despite experiencing a resurgence, pocket notebooks are still small fries overall in the modern American consciousness. For those who do use them, each person forms specific preferences based on factors like their vocations, usage environments, most common types of note-taking, and writing instruments. 

There are three priorities I've come to value and appreciate the most in my pocket notebooks.

First is durability. It is essential that my notebook remain intact, undamaged, and functional until it is filled. I've had too many notebooks with covers split along the fold, notebooks with pages that are susceptible to crumpling and tearing, and notebooks that are overly vulnerable to moisture. My favorite notebooks have reliably kept their shape in the pocket, being built with high-quality materials. They have had durable covers, resistant both to tearing and minor water exposure. And they have had high-quality pages that can endure some abuse.

Second is usability. My pocket notebooks need to be highly functional and reliable tools. It's best if the inside paper is amenable to a wide variety of writing utensils, whatever happens to be on hand, but usually my gel pen. The notebooks need to be small, thin, and flexible to fit in the pocket without discomfort or bulk. The pages need to be ruled with both written text and tables in mind, as well as the occasional coordinate plane. Graph paper is ideal for a wide variety of applications. Squares should be appropriately sized for my handwriting. It's best when the notebooks provide space for personal information, as well as other useful texts, tables, and writings.

Third is asesthetics. The best pocket notebooks not only work well, but look good. An elegant cover design is a big part of this - something you look at every day should have an element of beauty and good form. Choices regarding colors, photographs, artwork, fonts, etc. all play into the joy and pleasure of using these tools on a daily basis. I appreciate when my pocket notebooks give thought to unity in design. Attention to detail goes a long way in a small, simple product like a pocket notebook.

For me, Log and Jotter meets all three of my pocket notebook priorities, and I will continue using their products as long as they stay in business. Field Notes and Rite in the Rain are the other front-runners, but each has weaknesses that Log and Jotter has been able to solve.

My hope is that the soon-to-be-prototyped Endurance Logbook will build on and learn from the excellence of Log and Jotter, and offer something more specific: not just a great pocket notebook, but a great pocket notebook for Christian men. We are in a spiritual environment where every ounce of divine aid is desperately needed, and the Word and prayer are sorely lacking, despite easier and freer access than at any other point in human history. The Logbook intentionally brings the focus back to the Word and Sacraments, and to prayer and meditation. And I'm designing it to meet the highest standards for excellence in the intersection of durability, usability, and aesthetics. As an avid and opinionated pocket notebook user, it's an exciting prospect. My very first pocket notebook was homemade, and I've continued to grow and learn more about the design and construction of pocket notebooks. I think that the trial and error of my years in the "business" will help to yield an exceptional and invigoratingly fresh pocket notebook for those who, like me, highly value these little tools. Lord-willing, there will be an Endurance Logbook in your pocket some day!

Happy note-taking!

24-25 NFL Season Preview

 

Football is back.

I know that most of the internet flocks here to find out what's going to happen each new NFL season - and my predictions are almost always almost right. For example, last year, one of my five Browns predictions was right, and two others were close (I predicted 10-7, they went 11-6, and I predicted lose in second round; they lost in the first.)

Since my claims prove to be practically prophetic, and since I've spent such copious time in research this summer (well in excess of 300 seconds), it's time to throw down some bold predictions. Buckle up, and start placing your bets...

#1: Nick Chubb will rush for 1,100 yards. 

He's going to be unavailable to start the year, but even if he can play 10 games, the guy could probably throw down 110 per game. Chubb is the hero Cleveland needs but not the one it deserves right now.

#2: The Packers will win the Super Bowl.

Jordan Love was taking names during the playoffs, and he just needs a little more time to grow. Things are looking bright in Green Bay, and if it's not going to be Cleveland or Cincinnati, I'm OK with Green Bay. I think the Bengals will do well but it's not a Super Bowl year.

#3: The Browns will get rid of Watson.

This is more me just explaining what I hope will happen, but at some point they've got to realize they've made a mistake, own it, and cut their losses and start to rebuild. Give it two more years to try out another terrible quarterback choice, then they finally land one, then a few years to develop... 28-29 Super Bowl Champs!

#4: Football will replace Christianity as the most popular sport religion among American men.

Perhaps a little outdated, but please somebody put together a survey and make it official. They should get Fort Wayne or St. Louis to ironically lobby to start an NFL team called the Golden Calves.

#5: Cleveland vs Washington will produce the first 0-0 regulation game since 1943

Sounds like Cleveland's defense will be stout again, and the Redskins' offense is supposed to be bad. Since the Browns are extremely averse to touchdowns and scoring points in general, this could be a real low-scoring game... I mean, real low. You heard it here first, 0-0 on October 6th.