The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality

August 19, 2009 | by: John Piper | Category: Commentary

I saw the fast-moving, misshapen, unusually-wide funnel over downtown Minneapolis from Seven Corners. I said to Kevin Dau, “That looks serious.”
It was. Serious in more ways than one. A friend who drove down to see the damage wrote,

On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts—most saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis.

The tornado happens on a Wednesday...during the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's national convention in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The convention is using Central Lutheran across the street as its church. The church has set up tents around it’s building for this purpose.

According to the ELCA’s printed convention schedule, at 2 PM on Wednesday, August 19, the 5th session of the convention was to begin. The main item of the session: “Consideration: Proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality.” The issue is whether practicing homosexuality is a behavior that should disqualify a person from the pastoral ministry.

The eyewitness of the damage continues:

This curious tornado touches down just south of downtown and follows 35W straight towards the city center. It crosses I94. It is now downtown.

The time: 2PM.

The first buildings on the downtown side of I94 are the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran. The tornado severely damages the convention center roof, shreds the tents, breaks off the steeple of Central Lutheran, splits what’s left of the steeple in two...and then lifts.   

Let me venture an interpretation of this Providence with some biblical warrant.
1. The unrepentant practice of homosexual behavior (like other sins) will exclude a person from the kingdom of God.

The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

2. The church has always embraced those who forsake sexual sin but who still struggle with homosexual desires, rejoicing with them that all our fallen, sinful, disordered lives (all of us, no exceptions) are forgiven if we turn to Christ in faith.

Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

3. Therefore, official church pronouncements that condone the very sins that keep people out of the kingdom of God, are evil. They dishonor God, contradict Scripture, and implicitly promote damnation where salvation is freely offered.
4. Jesus Christ controls the wind, including all tornados.

Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41)

5. When asked about a seemingly random calamity near Jerusalem where 18 people were killed, Jesus answered in general terms—an answer that would cover calamities in Minneapolis, Taiwan, or Baghdad. God’s message is repent, because none of us will otherwise escape God’s judgment.

Jesus: “Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:4-5)

6. Conclusion: The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great Lutheran heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from distorting the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners.

Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) to Close

Florida Naval Base to Graduate Final Class

By MELISSA NELSON

Associated Press Writer




PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. (AP) -- The college graduates who are soon to complete training at the nation's oldest naval air station will be the final class to graduate from the base's officer candidate school, ending a military tradition that lasted about seven decades.

After graduation ceremonies on Friday, the school will close and consolidate with a training center in
Newport, RI.

"Hundreds of classes have suffered out there" on the exercise field and parade deck at Penasacola Naval Air Station, said Allen Hamby, a 21-year-old admiral's son and University of Central Florida graduate who plans to be a supply officer. "And we are going to be the last class doing it."

Richard Gere portrayed an officer candidate in the 1982 mega-hit "An Officer and A Gentleman." The movie was based on the Pensacola school, although it was set at a fictional naval air station and filmed elsewhere.

Just minutes after reporting for duty last July, a few of the candidates lost their composure, their voices cracking as instructors barked commands over the ocean breeze. It was a first taste of military discipline for some.

When one candidate was slow answering a question, an instructor scrawled "Goldfish" on masking tape and stuck it on his back.

"Goldfish die after a week, you know that? We might have to change your name to 'Gnat,' though, because gnats only live for day," he said.

For Pensacola residents accustomed to seeing officer candidates out on the town in their dress white uniforms, an era is ending.

"It is one of those things you don't appreciate until they tell you it's going," said Jack Williams, whose family owns Seville Quarter, a popular block of clubs and restaurants frequented by officer candidates.

"We will miss seeing them walking around downtown and coming in here and checking their hats in our gift shop," he said.

Over the years, he's taken some early morning calls from candidates who forgot to retrieve their hats before leaving his bar. And he's headed off a few fights.

"It's rare that you have to make a call out to the school, but it does happen. They train them to be confident and that comes out some times. Usually it's about a girl or someone looking at a girl," he said.

The closing after about 70 years is also the end of an era at the base, where officer candidates run along the streets in their navy blue shorts and white T-shirts, and the sound of drill instructors often drifts into offices.

"Every time we come across people out on the base, they let us know how long they have been supporting the officer candidate program and how sad they are to see it go," said William Brinkmeyer, an officer candidate from the final class.

Flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station dates to 1914, but those original aviators came as officers from the U.S. Naval Academy. The base began officer training for aviators in 1936. In 1994, the Aviation Officer School was combined to include candidates in other career fields.

"It's been such a visible aspect of the base for such a long time," base historian Hill Goodspeed said.

And Marine drill instructors have always overseen the training.

"Every candidate I've ever talked to always remembers their drill instructor because they are such a dominating presence, a larger-than-life presence," Goodspeed said.

The drill instructor for the school's final class is Gunnery Sgt. Jason Jones, a veteran of two combat tours in Iraq. His gravely voice comes from years of yelling commands.

"You'd be surprised how many people say I have a problem with my voice or something is wrong with the way I speak, but the candidates learn real quick to understand what I'm talking about," said Jones, who stands with perfect posture and gazes with a classic Marine thousand-yard stare.

He was quick to remind students of their place in history as the last of thousands of classes to march on the parade field of Pensacola Naval Air Station.

"Go out with a bang," he told candidates.

William Gum, 25, was teaching high school math and science when he enlisted to become a Navy pilot. He asked to attend officer training in Pensacola before the school closed.

"Pensacola is the place to go if you are a Naval aviator. When I am out there doing drills and the Blue Angels are flying around ... It sounds cheesy, but it makes the hairs on your arms stick up," he said.

He will attend flight school in Pensacola after completing officer training.

The final class will be the 20th to graduate this year. Twenty five of its original 56 candidates dropped out, including the one labeled Goldfish.

As graduation approached, students became more confident in their futures as Navy officers.

"The entire experience is worth too much to give up. We are starting to come together as a class, and it is starting to be fun," said candidate Julie Wonder, 22, a University of Oregon architecture graduate.

Lt. Scott Kykendall, an instructor and Naval aviator, will return to Iraq instead of moving to Rhode Island.

He said Pensacola will always be a unique place, especially for aviators starting their Navy careers.

"It's just so motivating in the mornings to run students around these streets and see the history. When you think about the people who have gone through flight training here - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, John McCain. Need I say more?"

In Memory of LCDR Mark Damisch

MARK D. DAMISCH - VP-10 P-3C Patrol Plane Commander

TOLEDO — A funeral liturgy will be celebrated for Mark Daniel Damisch at 10:30 a.of his death, Mark was employed as a computer consultant at MergeGlobal in Arlington.

Mark had a passion for aerobatic flying. He recently started skydiving as a hobby. He adored his dog, Banja.

He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Damisch Jr.; his grandfathers, Charles Damisch Sr. and BerDell DuToit; and a cousin, Martin Sebesta.

He is survived by his mother, Betty Damisch of Toledo, a brother, Terry Damisch and his wife, Wendy, of Victor, Iowa; a brother, Ron Damisch and his wife, Gwen, of Marengo, Iowa; a sister, Brenda Damisch of Urbandale; a brother, Kevin Damisch of Cedar Rapids; his grandmothers, Elsie Damisch of Cedar Rapids and Elsie DuToit of Toledo; and seven nieces and nephews.

Mark's funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Hand Funeral Home, Tama-Toledo, (641) 484-2420.

m. Saturday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Tama with Reverend Keith Birch officiating. Burial will be in the St. Patrick's Cemetery in Tama, with military honors being provided by the Reinig-Fredrich American Legion Post #72, of Toledo.

Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. Friday at the Hand Funeral Home in Tama, where the family will be present to greet friends from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be a vigil service held at 7 p.m. Friday at the chapel of the Hand Funeral Home, Tama. A memorial service will be held at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 8.

A memorial fund is being established.

Mark D. Damisch, 37, of Arlington, Va., formerly of Garner, entered into eternal rest Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2003, as a result of fatal injuries he sustained in a plane accident near Queen Anne, Maryland.

He had been flying aerobatic maneuvers in preparation for an upcoming International Aerobatic Club competition.

Mark Daniel Damisch was born on April 30, 1966, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Later that same year his family moved to the Cedar Rapids area. In 1976, his family moved to Garner where Mark graduated from the Garner-Hayfield High School in 1984 and later from the United States Naval Academy in 1988. He went on to serve our country in the U.S. Navy as a pilot and flight instructor until 1996. He then worked as a computer consultant in Arlington, Va. He also served as a pilot in the United States Navy Reserve until 1999, at which time he left as a Lieutenant Commander.
At the time of his death, Mark was employed as a computer consultant at MergeGlobal in Arlington.

Mark had a passion for aerobatic flying. He recently started skydiving as a hobby. He adored his dog, Banja.

He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Damisch Jr.; his grandfathers, Charles Damisch Sr. and BerDell DuToit; and a cousin, Martin Sebesta.

He is survived by his mother, Betty Damisch of Toledo, a brother, Terry Damisch and his wife, Wendy, of Victor, Iowa; a brother, Ron Damisch and his wife, Gwen, of Marengo, Iowa; a sister, Brenda Damisch of Urbandale; a brother, Kevin Damisch of Cedar Rapids; his grandmothers, Elsie Damisch of Cedar Rapids and Elsie DuToit of Toledo; and seven nieces and nephews.

Mark's funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Hand Funeral Home, Tama-Toledo, (641) 484-2420.

http://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/published-wednesday-october/article_221f1940-39d5-514c-9b70-e00739f47a25.html

In Memory of LCDR Jerry Meadows Sadler

In Memory of LCDR Jerry Sadler: 
 
Jerry Meadows Sadler Obtituary

Funeral services for Mr. Jerry Meadows Sadler, 41, of Brentwood and formerly of Livingston, were conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 14, 1999, from Livingston Church of Christ with Bro. Chris Coil and Bro. Glen McDoniel officiating. Burial with military honors by the Naval Reserve of Memphis was in Rob Draper Memorial Cemetery with Speck Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Sadler, a pilot for Federal Express, died Thursday, November 11, 1999, at his home. Born June 12, 1958, in Overton County, he was the son of the late John Fowler and Mary Anderson Sadler. He was a member of Livingston Church of Christ. He was lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves, awarded the U.S. Navy Wings of Gold, and the recipient of two naval achievement medals.

Survivors include his wife, Teresa Poindexter Sadler, Brentwood; a son, John Logan Sadler, Brentwood; two daughters, Rebecca Sadler and Alison Sadler, both of Brentwood; four brothers, Dr. John Sadler, Washington, Kenneth Sadler, Chattanooga, David Sadler, Livingston, and Donnie Sadler, Cookeville; three sisters, Nan Sadler and Gale Little, both of Cookeville, and Dr. Diane Sadler, Livingston; 19 nieces and nephews; and 15 great nieces and nephews. Pallbearers were Dr. John Sadler, Kenneth Sadler, David Sadler, Don Sadler, Dan Bartula, and Bob Stewart.

Jerry was a BEST FRIEND to many of us, always a gentleman, and a damn fine officer and pilot.

Overton County News
415 West Main Street
P.O. Box 479
Livingston, Tennessee 38570

In Memory of LT Craig Munsen

August 9, 1996: An F/A-18C, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, operating from the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT CVN 71 crashed at sea. Lt. Craig M. Munsen was killed. 

Lt. Munsen was the husband of Emmanuelle and the father of Nicolas. He was a graduate of Jacksonville University and born in Story City, IA.

Craig was my first flight student. He was extremely bright, a superb pilot and always a perfect gentleman.  His family will be forever in my prayers.

 

--------------

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/navywire/nwsa96/nwsa0812.txt

THEODORE ROOSEVELT (NWSA) -- An intensive search has ended for the pilot of an F/A-18, which was lost on approach to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), near Puerto Rico Aug. 9.

LT Craig Munsen, 29, of Des Moines, Iowa, of Strike FighterSquadron (VFA) 105, has been declared dead. He had been conducting routine training flight operations when the aircraft was lost at about 10 p.m. Friday.

Two H-60 "Seahawk" search and rescue helicopters responded immediately after the aircraft was lost. USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), from Mayport, Fla., aided in the search. While some debris from the aircraft was located, Munsen was not recovered.

A memorial service for Munsen was conducted in Theodore Roosevelt Monday morning.

VFA-105 is based at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Fla.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the mishap.

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Happier Times, VT-27 1989:

In Memory of LT Richard Michael McBride and ENS Graydon Webster

In Memory of LT Richard McBride (my replacement at VT-27):

CORPUS.CRASH.FINAL

Airman missing after Navy air crash kills one other

Publication Date : January 15, 1992

CORPUS.CRASH.FINAL Airman missing after Navy air crash kills one other Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports

Searchers recovered one body and continued looking for a second missing airman after a midair collision between two Navy aircraft over Corpus Christi Bay, Coast Guard officials said.

The T-34 training aircraft, assigned to Training Squadron 27 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, plummeted into the bay about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday after it clipped the wing of a Navy F-14 aircraft, said Lt. Leslie Hammes, spokeswoman for the air station.

A student pilot and instructor were aboard the propeller-driven T-34, Hammes said.

The F-14 landed safely at the air station and its pilot was uninjured, she said.

"We located one body about 4:30 p.m. and we're still searching for the second missing crewman," Coast Guard Petty Officer Joe Bynum said.

The dead pilot was identified late Tuesday as Navy Lt. Richard Michael McBride, 29, of Houston.

McBride had been a member of Training Squadron 27 since Nov. 1989, Hammes said.

The missing crewman was not identified.

The collision occurred when the pilot of the F-14 jet, from a reserve squadron in Miramar, Calif., notified officials there were indications his landing gear had not deployed properly, Hammes said.

The T-34, part of a training formation flight that was under way, was dispatched to visually check the F-14's landing gear.

The trainer's crew flew the plane close to the F-14 and confirmed the landing gear was deployed, Hammes said, but when it veered to leave it clipped one of its wings on the F-14.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, officials said.

McBride is survived by his wife, Laura McBride, who is expecting a second child. He is also survived by a daughter, Megan McBride; mother, Brenda Edinburgh of Missouri City; and father, Jon McBride of Lewisburg, W. Va., Hammes said. His father is a former NASA astronaut. 

San Antonio Express-News
Page 17A

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NAVY.COLLISON

Safety requirements changed after collision of Navy planes

Associated Press

Publication Date : January 14, 1993

CORPUS CHRISTI The Naval Air Training Command has altered safety requirements in the wake of an investigation into a midair collision that killed two Navy pilots one year ago.

One new requirement that aircraft fly at 2,500 feet or higher when visually inspecting landing gear could have saved the pilots' lives if it had been in place at the time of the crash, according to a report on the investigation.

"In this accident, the aircraft should have been higher," Rear Adm. William McGowen, head of the training command headquartered at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, wrote in the report.

Details of the report were published Wednesday.

Investigators also concluded, however, the cause of the accident probably never will be known for certain.

Ensign Graydon Webster and Lt. Richard McBride were killed Jan. 14, 1992, when their T-34 'Turbo Mentor' trainer aircraft and an F-14 'Tomcat' collided and tumbled into Corpus Christi Bay.

Before the crash, they had been flying at about 1,000 feet in close formation underneath the F-14 to check whether its landing gear had malfunctioned.

The report says it is likely the T-34 lost control while flying in the aerodynamic wake of the much larger, heavier F-14.

Investigators also stated communication between the two craft was "woefully inadequate" while they were flying in close formation and the crew of the F-14 pulled out of a turn without warning Webster and McBride.

Navy investigators determined at least one of the aviators tried to bail out. But the 1,000-foot altitude allowed too little time for an escape, investigators said.

T-34s have no ejection system. In the event of an emergency, students and instructors must open the canopy and jump from the craft.

In addition to the new altitude requirement, operating procedures in the training command now include data on hazards of flying different aircraft in close formation.

Lectures on aerodynamic interference have been added to the indoctrination classes that new student pilots must take. Instructor training includes lectures on the hazards of flying close formations with different aircraft, and the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., is conducting an analysis on how air acts around different airframes.

---------------------------------

In Honor of Lt. Richard McBride

By everfaithJanuary 14, 2012honor losing a service member marathon memorial Team Red White and Blue

Dear Rich,
Twenty years ago today, you followed Christ to the end of your life on earth when you laid down your own to help save the lives of your fellow naval airmen. I did not know you or your family then, but your life impacts mine in ways that neither of us could have dreamed. You see, I met your little brother the same year you entered Jordan, only, at 6’2″, he wasn’t exactly little anymore! A few years later, I married him and took your precious family to be my own.
I never met you, Rich, but you had a profound impact on your brother — I thank you for loving him and helping him grow into the man he is today. The Christmas before you died, you gave him a Bible in which you wrote:

We hope you find the keys to future success through these pages. All our Love…”

Less than one month later, your brother used that Bible as he addressed the crowd at your service. A sticky note inside the Bible marks the place he used as a text that day and today. You see, your favorite Bible verse rippled through his heart and still impacts the way he lives his life today. Deuteronomy 29:29 was true that day just as it is true today:

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

I didn’t know you, Rich, but I feel as if I do know you when I think on that favorite verse of yours. I see that you revered God’s holiness and righteousness. I can tell that your daughter and then-yet-unborn son were vitally important to you. You viewed it your responsibility to share what God’s law revealed to you to your children.
Speaking of children…your daughter and your son grew up into beautiful people who love the Lord. Your gorgeous wife eventually remarried and added another daughter to the family. Your daughter’s inner beauty shines through her artistic endeavors — photography, painting, sketching, poetry, graphic design…she does it all with God-given talent.

And your son, who was born just a few months after you died, is studying biochemistry and is on track to follow his medical dreams. One day he’d like to serve as a missionary doctor. It’s a privilege to know and love them both. In a way, I learn a little about you through my interactions with this precious family you left behind.

But there are other ways that I am privileged to get to know you, in a roundabout way. My husband saved photos and letters from you that were written during your deployment, and browsing through them gives me an inkling of the kind of person you were. I like to think we would have been friends. For sure you would have made me laugh — you and your brother apparently shared a similar sense of humor:

I snorted at your description of your part-time home as being the Land of Uncooked Shellfish. Your niece also shares your propensity for humor and wit. When she was only four years old and learned we were moving to Florida, she immediately renamed it The Land of No Shoes. Her only experience thus far with Florida was a sunny, warm vacation that allowed her to traipse around barefoot.
The letters you wrote give me even more insight into your personality, and they also illustrate your love and concern for your family. I hope you don’t mind that I share a little of one of these letters here on my blog because I think your advice is applicable to all of us as we look ahead to the coming year.

Monday, 22 June
9:12 a.m.
I’ve been at sea now for some time and it has finally dawned on me that I have a younger brother who is about to embark on one of the great adventures of all time: your senior year in high school. I can’t help but be amazed at how swiftly time has passed as it seems like only last year that I was in your shoes. My, what a glorious, if not treacherous, time.
I suppose you are well into the summer by now and enjoying all that the season has to offer. You realize that I envy you as I sit on this floating piece of steel in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It would be heavenly to feel my toes dig into the sand and listen to the waves pound up on the beach again. Are you taking advantage of your windsurfer? I have a friend on board who windsurfs in Hawaii all the time. He’s a pretty radical character. He lives for those 25-30 knot trade winds. He’s offered to teach me how when we get back to Hawaii, so when you come over to see us we can go for it.

This cruise has been relatively uneventful thus far. We’ve spent a lot of time in Diego Garcia — a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean which isn’t too bad considering we could have been out at sea during this time. I’ve managed to start getting into pretty good shape out here. I’ve been doing a lot of running, swimming, and lifting. I’m going to enter a few triathlons when I get back home. I thought I would take advantage of all the outdoor sports Hawaii has to offer. There’s also a 5 mile open ocean, rough water swim coming up that I plan on entering. I’ve managed to run three-four miles every other day followed by a 2000 meter swim (about 1.25 miles). It’s really relaxing when you get into it. Diego Garcia just had a 1 0K run last Saturday and I got 44th out of about 160 runners. I felt pretty good, though, because it was the first time I’d run hard since my knee operation, and it was my first 10K.
I guess you’ve done some thinking about where you might want to go to college. Mom said that you aced your SAT which is super. I just want to make a plug about schools in general. The most important service you can do yourself is to follow your own desires and goals. Make sure that you don’t do something for anyone but yourself when it comes to college selection, field of study, etc.
There is nothing as disappointing as not enjoying where you are, or what you do. You’ll have to search your own heart and be honest with yourself, which may be not entirely comfortable, but you will benefit from it in the end. What is important is that you’ll have my support no matter what road you choose. And feel free to ask me anything about schools, etc. I’ve known people from the best schools and the worst schools, and have a few insights of my own.Well, I’ll close for now, but I promise to do better about writing in the future. Let me know what’s happening around the home front. And send me a picture if you can. You know that I’m behind you at all times, even though I’m far away a lot. Take care and be good. Support Mom and M. and Dad as much as possible. I love you!
Your “brudda,”
Rich

Well, Rich, I want you to know that your brudda has taken up your fitness torch and is running a half marathon for Team Red, White and Blue tomorrow at the Louisiana Marathon Race Expo, in honor of your sacrifice. He will be carrying your flag in his backpack, so, in a way, you really will be behind him as he runs the race tomorrow.
I believe you’re behind him as he runs the race for Christ…and your wisdom and love are behind him still today.
Thank you, Rich, for your sacrifice. I look forward to the day we will meet on the other side.

Patrol Squadron Ten (VP-10), CAC-12, Desert Storm (P-3 Orion)