The Burr in the Burgh

One of the things that struck me about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Siberia is how youthful it is. And I'm not just referring to the newness of this Confessional Lutheran church body. I mean that there are lots of kids, teens and young adults active in this church and that is so encouraging. And refreshing. Even their head bishop-elect and many of their clergy and lay leaders are young.

It seems to me that the generation who came of age after the fall of the Iron Curtain are eager and open toward spiritual matters. And they crave substance. The Christianity Lite which American Christians often prefer isn't going to cut it. I just pray that they continue to have a zeal for sound doctrine and in-depth teaching. It is bearing amazing fruit thus far.

Thanks to everyone who remembered me in your prayers while I was traversing across Siberia for the past three weeks. I visited 8 cities, went through 11 different airports (half of them twice), 4 different train stations, and slept in at least 10 different beds. I literally flew and trained around the globe. I left going west and never stopped going west until I landed again in Chicago 3 weeks later.

I got home yesterday (about 7 p.m. Eastern time), a teensy bit tuckered out. The photo you see here is me at Red Square in Moscow on our last day in Russia. Notice on the left the famous onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral. And to the right, the ziggurat thingy in front of the clock tower, is V. Lenin's tomb.

The trip consisted of three main stops in order to participate in theological seminars for laity and clergy alike. The local Lutheran congregations have used these seminars quite successfully as opportunities first to further catechise their parishoners and secondly as means for outreach and evangelization. I had two sets of lectures at each stop: Christian Ethics and The Meaning of Suffering.

We began in the far east of Russia at Petropavlovsk in Kamchatka. The second seminar was held at a spa resort (not as fancy by Western standards as it might sound) in the woods outside of Chita. And lastly at St. Luke's parish in Abekhan. There is too much to say to go into any length about the trip here in a single post.

I'll just say that it was an excellent mission trip. The people were wonderful and responded favorably to the seminars. I enjoyed very much getting to know these fine Russian Lutheran Christians.

Hi everyone. This is the last post from Julie. Scott got home safely last night. Just wanted to update everyone, since he is somewhat sleepy right now. His flight was a bit late, but he had no problems with luggage or any other delays. He was a bit bleary-eyed last night, but also dying to show us his photos and tell us lots of stories from his trip. I'm sure he will want to give an update, just as soon as he's semi-conscious again. Thank you again for all of your prayers.

It's Julie writing again. By now, Scott is probably in Novosobirsk, so he is on his way west! He said they have a layover there for awhile, so they were thinking about taking him over to the Lutheran seminary. Then they catch their plane to Moscow for an overnight stay, and then Scott will be on his way home.

I'm sure he is excited about updating all of you about his travels, and I personally want to thank you all for keeping our family in your prayers.

Julie here again. Finally an email got through from hubby. He has been trying to write ever since he got to Russia, but the messages kept bouncing back to him. Apparently, a lot of spam comes from Russia, so our server was automatically blocking them.

Anyway, Scott is now in Abekan, Khakassia, and I just found out on this website that in that region, they are exactly the opposite time zone from eastern daylight savings. So, he is truly on the other side of the world.

It sounds like his seminars are going very well, and should be wrapping up in the next day or so. Then they'll travel to Moscow and Scott will come home, through Frankfurt and Chicago this coming Friday, July 7.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Heard today from Scott again, briefly. He said they arrived safely in Chita by train. When he called it was around 3 a.m. for him (Sun. afternoon in Pittsburgh) and they had just gotten in from the train station. He said they are doing well. I assume they will start their teaching in Chita on Monday or Tuesday. Sounds like everything is going well.

It's Julie writing again. Scott called this afternoon around 4:00 (which was Thursday morning there). He said he was doing well, and is really enjoying his teaching. Yesterday was his last day of teaching at his first stop of Petropavlosk, Kamchatka. Pastor Quill from the Fort Wayne seminary is also teaching with him. He said today was a free day, so they had a little time to do some sightseeing.

Scott said he worked with two different translators, a husband and wife team, Pastor Alexei and Lena Streltsov. We knew Alexei and Lena when we were in Fort Wayne. Alexei is now the rector of the Lutheran seminary in Novosobirsk. Lena told Scott that she remembered that I taught her and her husband English when we were in Fort Wayne. I taught English as a Second Language to some Russian children as well as some of the seminary students and their wives. But Alexei and Lena both had excellent English, so I doubt if I taught them much. But still, it is kind of ironic that I taught them, and now they are translating for my hubby!

Tomorrow Scott, Pastor Quill and Pastor Streltsov are traveling back to Vladivostok, and from there will take the train to the Chita region.

Hi everyone - this is Pastor Stiegemeyer's wife, Julie. I just got off the phone with Scott, and he asked me to update his blog to let everyone know what's going on with his mission trip.

He arrived in Vladivostok yesterday (I think pretty late last night), and now they are getting ready to leave Vladivostok and fly to Petropavlosk. Even though here in Pennsylvania it's Saturday around 7:45 p.m., he said it's already Sunday morning there. Once they get to Petropavlosk, they will have one night to rest, and then will be starting their teaching on Monday, which he said is tomorrow according to his timetable. (Whew! I can't keep up with the time changes.)

I have Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia on my computer (which is kinda cool) and am looking at a map of Vladivostok. It's adjacent to Japan, which is just how far east he is. If you have a decent map, check it out.

Here's a pretty good link to time zone info. This link shows the current time in Kamchatka, which is the region where Petropavlosk is--where he'll be tomorrow (or is it today?).

Anyway, thank you all for your prayers. God's holy angels are protecting and watching over him.

While I shall only be in Moscow (picture left) long enough to catch a jet back to the U.S., I will be spending the next 3 weeks in Russia on a mission trip for the Lutheran Church.

I leave first thing tomorrow to meet my travelling companion, Dr. Timothy Quill from Concordia Theological Seminary. Together we will go to three cities in eastern Russia, aka Siberia.

In each location, we will team up with the local Russian Lutheran pastor, congregation, and/or missionary. Then Dr. Quill and I will lead a series of seminars on Christian topics geared for the public.

My two subjects are: Christian Ethics and A Biblical View of Suffering. I'm not sure what Dr. Quill will present. But in each of three different cities, we will spend 4 days presenting these lectures.

The Russian Lutheran Church has used this strategy both to help educate their own laity and to attract interested newcomers. For ten years, Concordia Theological Seminary (Ft. Wayne, IN) has been partnering with the Siberian Lutheran Church in this way and others. And God has indeed blessed their relationship. Many congregations have been started, clergy have been trained and the good news of Christ is proclaimed far and wide.

So please say a prayer for me and Dr. Quill, that we would enjoy safe travel, that the seminars would be well-attended and beneficial for the hearers. Most of all, pray that the saving message of Jesus Christ will be clearly and accurately presented so that those who come and hear - many perhaps for the first time - will be brought to faith.

I think it was C.S. Lewis who said something to the effect that you should read two old books for every new one.

I dug up this quote from Martin Luther on the value of excellent books. He could've said this yesterday.

Since, then, God now has so graciously bestowed upon us an abundance of arts, scholars, and books, it is time to reap and gather in the best, so far as we are able, and to lay up treasures in order that we may preserve for the future something of these years of jubilee and not lose this bountiful harvest. For it is to be feared (and a beginning is already being made) that men will go on writing new and different books until at last, through the agency of the devil, the good books which have now been published will again be suppressed, and demoralizing and godless books, with their useless and nonsensical rubbish, will again multiply and fill every nook and corner.

If you are a cat-lover like myself, you know how those little guys can have certain attitude (which I like to call catitude). Well, this funny story is of Jack the cat chasing a frightened black bear up a tree - twice. The accompanying photograph is worth gold.

Big Ben, Steelers star QB, was injured in what appears to have been a very serious biking accident today. Here's the story.

His coach and supporters have been trying to convince him to stay off the bike noting its danger. Or at least to wear a helmet. See here.

Entertainment Weekly gives us this list of their choices for the 25 most controversial movies ever made.

It's a pretty good list. And though I predicted what they'd put in the number one slot, I am amazed that Brokeback Mountain wasn't even on the list. Have depictions of two men having sex on screen become so mainstream that they aren't controversial anymore?

On a separate but related topic, Brian Godawa's book Hollywood Worldviews is a great place to get a better understanding of how movies communicate and influence ideas.

My friends, the Holy Spirit is doing a marvelous work in Siberia, Russia. The good news of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed and lives are being saved. You need to become familiar with the efforts of the Siberian Lutheran Mission Society.

Go to their website and read some of the newsletters from the archive. The pictures and stories are inspirational. But don't just read about it. Write a big fat honking check. You don't need that Hummer for Father's Day. Slip $30 or $40K to the SLMS.

So, if you were about to spend ... oh approximately 17 hours on a plane to Seoul, Korea then about five more hours on a plane to Vladavostok, Russia and then another four or five hours again to Petropovlovsk, Russia - y'know, give or take - what TEN killer songs would you absolutely positively have to have on your iPod?

I've heard of author Michael Chabon and his novels, but have not read them. This news item did catch my interest however. His book Mysteries of Pittsburgh is apparently being made into a motion picture and doggone if they aren't going to film it here in Pittsburgh. See here.

That's cool. Frankly, I can't understand why all movies aren't filmed here. Every single movie should be made in Pittsburgh, PA. For one thing, we boast the 16th most beautiful skyline in the world. See here.

Moviemakers would save a ton of cash from shooting here rather in that gold-plated brothel Hollywood. And we've got everything. The hills, the rivers. Swanky urban settings. Depressed inner city scenes. Old neighborhoods. More old neighborhoods. Cool architecture. Museums, libraries and parks. Lots of old people. Lots and lots of bars. We even have a real captured Nazi submarine at the Science Center.

And another thing. Not only should all motion pictures be filmed here. But all people should live here. If you live somewhere now that is not Pittsburgh, you should move. You might even get to be in a movie.

Well, it's finally happening. Once upon a time, movies received the PG rating for profanities, sexual element, or mature themes. Now a film, with presumably none of these qualities, is receiving the Parental Guidance warning because . . . (drum roll) . . . it talks about Jesus and God and stuff. And particularly in a favorable manner. We're afraid, you see, that non-Christians might be offended. I sincerely doubt that practicing Jews, Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs will have any troubles since they will see that religious restrictions on Christians will harm them as well. So who are we worried about? Not atheists. No, it's the anti-theists, the secularists. These are the people for whom anti-theism is their governing philosophy (might we say it's their religion?).

But to be honest, I'm not all that outraged. Oh, it's nonsense. Don't get me wrong. But isn't this EXACTLY what we should expect? Jesus said that the world that hated him will hate us as well. The cross is an offense, a stumbling block.

The early Christians were hated and despised, first by the Jewish authorities and then by the Romans. Why? Because they professed belief in Jesus as the Messiah who died on the cross as a blood atonement for sin and rose again to reign at the right hand of God the Father.

I say, "Woe to you if the world loves you. And blessed are you when the world hates you for Christ's sake." Well, actually, Jesus said that.

Thanks to Darrell at SouthCon and Film Geeks for the heads up.