Droege Boys Dropped (2023)!

Welcome to Droege Boys Dropped 2023! There are people in the world who are survival experts. They have the skills to survive in any kind of climate with almost nothing. They are tough. They are brave. They have been trained for extreme conditions. They are true professionals. These guys below are not those people. But they are still getting dropped into the Georgia wilderness with almost nothing! They must try to try to scratch a living off the land and survive for 50 hours. Let’s meet the players . . .

The Players

The players in this year’s survival challenge are:

JAY

This is obviously a picture of him trying to appear as tough and rugged as he can. We shall see . . .

TIM

Is this guy seriously taking a slipshoddy picture of himself at a stoplight just so he can upload this post today? The answer is . . . yes.

JACOB

Somebody better wipe that smile off his face because there are no Christmas presents where he’s going. Even poorly wrapped ones . . .

LUKE

So he can easily punt a ball 50 yards, but will Mr. Football have the bandwidth to go 50 hours? There are doubters.

ISAAC

This guy looks prepared for action, but let’s see how he does without his precious poncho.

The Location

The Droege Boys are getting dropped into a remote location in North Georgia where there will be zero access to food.  Survival participants do not get to leave the allotted territory for rescue at any time.  Even if they were to run across another human being, they cannot ask for help or receive any.  If there is no water, tough!  If there is no food, tough!  There is no shelter of any kind that the Droege Boys will start with.  If they want one, they will have to make one with the raw materials they find around them.  They are completely and totally on their own in our good Lord’s rugged creation.

The Rules

Image result for public domain, referee blowing whistle
  1.  The Droege Boys must survive for 50 hours dependant only on their own limited skills to survive.
  2. Everybody has to stay.  If one person cries, whines, and decides to quit, everyone loses.
  3. Each survival participant can bring one item.  The item cannot be food.  Or drink.  Or a tent.  Or any bedding supplies.  Or a fishing pole.  Or anything that makes instant flame.  Or water purification tablets.  Or any artificial illumination like a flashlight.  And this year, all multi-purpose tools are now outlawed. Sorry fellas! Make sure you choose wisely!
  4. The Droege Boys will receive 1 bonus item. It will be chosen by this year’s drop masters (the Deluca’s!). The bonus item may not even be necessarily helpful, but perhaps they will be usable.  Be kind somebody! 

The Purpose

Our purpose is to raise support for ministry of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Pakistan which is now preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in Pakistan.  God is doing miracles through His Word and reaching many people! Many of the poor Christian families that the LCCP reaches are trapped in indentured servitude (slavery) with no way of escape. Pastor Jay Dass and his wife Julie pay the price for their release (sometimes less than 50$ per person) so that these Christians can be set free and start a new life. These families have been getting new clothes, receiving daily meals, studying the Bible, learning the Catechism, and being confirmed to become members of the church. Baptisms are happening for adults, youth, and infants on a regular basis. Many of the people have never known about the Biblical teaching about Holy Baptism (God’s act for us!). The children have never been allowed a regular education on account of their faith in Jesus. Our tiny effort seeks to give care, support, and love to our brothers and sisters in need in the name of Christ as they get healthy in Christ and prepare for their own vocation.  We seek to draw attention this crucial work where God is meeting human needs through His beloved Church while also teaching God’s Word and delivering His life-giving gifts.  Below, are a few of the kids that are now receiving both regular and Bible education at the church. We want to support Pastor Dass and his dear wife Julie in this ministry.

How to Participate

This challenge intends to raise support for the LCCP and works this way.  If you want to participate, there are 4 different pledges that we are suggesting.  If you want to do something other than these suggestions, you are free in Christ to do so!

  1. A support pledge of $10
  2. A support pledge of $100
  3. A support pledge of $1000
  4. A support pledge of $10,000

To do this, simply write a check out to the “LCCP” with “LFLC Challenge” in the memo line and send it to:

Attn: Dave Koch

Living Faith Lutheran Church

P.O. Box 992

Cumming, GA 30040

If you would like to make a pledge online, go to the LCCP homepage at LCCPmission.org.  Click on the “Giving” tab. Scroll down to click the “Give” button. On the right, you will see a heading that says “Donate Now” and a bar under that heading which says “General.” Click on that tab and select “LFLC Challenge.” Follow the prompts from there and choose whatever donation you like. We completely understand if you are not able to support the mission right now, but you can each help them by getting out this message far and wide by sharing or reposting!

The DROEGE BOYS DROPPED! event will take place June 22-24, but the results will not be made known until July 6, 2023.  If the Droege Boys are unsuccessful, no one will be held to their pledge commitment.  People will be free to do whatever they choose.  Once the DROEGE BOYS DROPPED! video is put together, you will know the results!  The results of the challenge will be on the Kairos Network website.  To get updates and results directly, sign up to FOLLOW the Kairos Network at http://www.thekairosnetwork.org.

Emmanuel Lutheran’s First Bible Study!

If you are living in Norcross and want to dive deeper into the Word of God, join us on March 15 for the very first Bible Study of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Norcross! If you working in the area and get a lunch break, stop in! We will be meeting at the Norcross Community Center at 10 College St. in Norcross every Wednesday at noon. Thanks Dave Koch for putting together this great sign and website!

The Common Places Bible Study

The understanding behind this study is that there are teachings so large, unavoidable, and necessary for every Christian in the Bible that they form the common ground for our life in Christ.

  • March 15 – Knowing God
  • March 22 – The Holy Trinity
  • March 29 – Sin and Evil
  • April 5 – God’s Law
  • April 12 – A Bound Will
  • April 19 – The Son of God
  • April 26 – Justification
  • May 3 – Receiving Christ
  • May 10 – Good Works
  • May 17 – The Church
  • May 24 – Baptism
  • May 31 – The Lord’s Supper
  • June 7 – Absolution
  • June 14 – Masks of God
  • June 21 – Last Things

Mission Front Report from the LCCP

MESSAGE FROM PASTOR JAY DASS FROM THE MISSION FRONT IN The LUTHERAN CONFESSIONAL CHURCH OF PAKISTAN.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We are happy as we are able to adopt two families here and are raising baptized children. We are now marching into March.

It seems like we are going to have an unusually hot summer this year as winter was short and mild, we jumped from winter to summer this week which is unusual for Islamabad at the foot of Margalla Hills.

We are rejoicing for 8 baptisms this Sunday 6 children and 2 adults and the completion of 4 months long alteration and renovation project at St Mark Lutheran Church, when we were building the church hall at first floor of 5 story building, we were expecting 30-40 people in the beginning but in February we had 40-50 people and the First Sunday of Lent brought us 75 people and at least 15 sat on the floor. As we equipped the hall for 55 people which means more chairs. Our fellowship hall can hold 75 people and we were full and a humble meal was served as the first Sunday of Lent is always a simple meal here.

Why we serve meals after church:

A lot of people walk for 20-30 minutes to the church, and we are located right next to a large slum area and children get hungry after an hour of Bible Study and then 30 minutes of fellowship and then 1-1/2 for service. 

Our congregation (55% children as every couple have 3-5 children) is mostly based on low income, or no income area and a meal is just right as we feed them with God’s Word and the food for the body as well. There’s a famous saying in Urdu language, “a man cannot provide bread for another man, only God can provide bread for men.” Matthew 14:21 This scripture becomes so clear at that moment. We praise God that He is always providing for His baptized children and the leftovers feed the family who is moved into living rooms upstairs at St. Mark Lutheran Church and School (wait for their story)

Our classrooms received the final shipment of chairs as we built the tables ourselves to save some money, we have budgeted in October and since then the dollar rate has fluctuated so much that everything went 35-55 % higher than October. We thank God that we were able to put the initial deposit and lock the rates for chairs, but tables were not available. 

We are finished with library shelves and computer lab (like) long workstations.

We request your prayers and support for a few needs that we never budgeted or thought about while we were building and renovating.

We need a Kitchen as we are cooking at a seminary house and then transport food to church. It takes a lot of extra time and the workers cannot attend the service, also gas prices increased 55%.

We request for a

Stove, Refrigerator, Pots and Pans (we are renting it right now) and a water filter/cooler machine for approval

Refrigerator $1539.00

Stove: $ 789.00

Microwave: $ 279.90

Water Cooler/Filtration system for clean water $595.00

5 Classroom monitors 40″: $1309.99

Pots, Pans, plates and glasses for food serving $ 1570.00 (for 75 people cooking and serving) 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Rev. Jay William Dass

IF ANY OF YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP, CONTACT LIVING FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH BY EMAIL OR PHONE. GO TO THE WEBSITE FOR INFO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT FOR THIS COLOSSAL WORK OF GOD!

LivingFaithLutheran.com

New Church in Norcross

Plans are being made to begin a new mission congregation in Norcross, Georgia, called Emmanuel Lutheran Church. The very strategic meeting for all prospective members and leaders of this new congregation will be held at the Norcross Community center. The address is 10 College St in Norcross and the meeting will be held from 9 AM – 11 AM on February 18. If you have ideas about how a new church could meet the needs of your community or family then please let contact Pastor Tim Droegemueller at lflcpastor@gmail.com. If you would like to be a part of the excitement of planting a new church, then we would like to hear from you also. We want to serve our community by reaching out with the mercy of Christ and the saving message of the Gospel and would love for anyone to be a part of this. If you or anyone else has a language specific need like Spanish, Korean, or Telegu, please contact us as soon as you are able. We will then be aware of how we can incorporate that need into the DNA of this new congregation.

As you know, this work will begin by trusting God’s Word alone to do it all. Bibles, catechisms, and hymnals will be needed as people start to develop habits of studying the Bible, training in the faith, and preparing for worship. If you want to help, we would rejoice!

Trinity Lutheran starts in Norcross!

On April 14, 2019, Trinity Lutheran Church begins Word and Sacrament ministry in Norcross, Georgia!

Trinity’s new location will be at Norcross Elementary School (150 Hunt St. Norcross 30071).  Both worship and Bible study will be in the cafeteria.

Trinity Lutheran Norcross logo with schedule

Get the word out so that people looking for a good church in Norcross can start to gather!  Worship and Bible Study begins at Norcross Elementary School on April 14.  Plan on attending and supporting the ministry as it reaches out to all people in the area with God’s eternal Word and gracious Gifts!

More information on Trinity Lutheran can be found at http://www.TrinityLutheran.net.

 

Rev. Rojas on the Giver of Life

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:13-14


Meditation: The Author and Giver of Life

God is the Author and Giver of Life, and life begins at conception. When God created this world, He blessed Adam and Eve with the command to procreate: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). This wasn’t a command to “be productive” or to “work hard.” This was a command to “fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28) with people. Soon after giving this command, God reveals to Adam and Eve exactly how they will “be fruitful” and “fill the earth”—”A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” It’s a common misconception that “one flesh” refers to some spiritual union between husband and wife (think of the language of ‘soul-mates’ and ‘destiny’). But this is not what Scripture says. When Scripture says, “they shall become one flesh,” it means they will have a baby. An infant is the flesh of only the father and the mother combined. Every human being who has ever lived (except for Adam and Eve, and Christ Himself) are the combined flesh of their two parents: father and mother.

God didn’t keep the joy of creation for Himself—He gave it to us. (Christians should ban the term “reproduction” from their vocabulary; instead, use “procreation.” “Reproduction” is an industrial and business term that refers to inanimate objects. People started to use this word to refer to “making babies.” It’s crass. We “procreate.” This language affirms that there is a Creator—God—who “brings forth” His creation through His creatures. It’s a beautiful image.) God shares a glimpse of His joy of creation with us! The unspeakable joy that a father and mother have in seeing their child’s face at birth and then showering that child with undeserved gifts for the rest of his life is a splinter of the joy God has in creating and sustaining us.

God creates life through a man and a woman. If you ever want to know the definition of marriage and family, just consider where every human being came from—The sexual union between one man and one woman. When God chooses to make another human, when God chose to make you, He chose to first bring together your father and your mother. In doing this, He joined them together in the most profound and blessed union on the face of this planet. And, in God’s time and according to His Will, He caused you to be made in conception. He formed your inward parts. He knitted you together in your mother’s womb—He threaded your veins and arteries from your heart to your limbs, He formed your bones and jointed them together, He placed every hair follicle precisely where He determined it to be. And for all of this, it is our duty to thank and praise Him, serve and obey Him. Every human being is fearfully and wonderfully made.

Lamentably, there are many who deny this. There are many who claim that there is no Creator, that life doesn’t begin at conception, and that some people are not fearfully or wonderfully made. Some people advocate and pay for the murder of infants in and out of the womb(even nominally Christian denominations!), simply because they reject the undeniable and demonstrable truth that life begins at conception. Others are driven to despair and end their life because they hate their bodies, their life, and their entire being. They reject the fact that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by their dear Father in heaven who loves them. Birth defects and physical troubles don’t negate God’s love. These things prove that original sin and its consequence of death is real—This should move us not to deny this life, but to seek eternal life in Christ all the more!

There have been 61 million abortions and counting in the United States alone since Roe v. Wade (There have been 1.5 billion worldwide). This is a holocaust. This all comes from the denial of God as Creator, the Father, the Source, the Author and Giver of Life. When we deny that God gave us life, we will soon deny the life God gave to others. To murder infants—for whatever reason—is an abomination. This is an indescribable horror, one too ghastly to think about. Yet it happens every day.

The world denies God and the life He so graciously gave them. But it shouldn’t be this way with you. Don’t despise God or the life He gave you or the body He so fearfully and wonderfully knit together in your mother’s womb. Learn to accept your life as a gift of God and the life of others as gifts from God as well. Don’t fall into the “pragmatism” of the day that prevents children from being born through birth control or “Plan-B pills.” Learn to confess that children are a gift from God Himself and that we should never prevent God’s Will from being done. Husbands should never deny children to their wives, and wives should never deny children to their husbands (1 Corinthians 7:4). There’s never a good reason to prevent or end the life of a child. However, if you’ve fallen into such vice in the past before, repent. Repent and remember that God, the Author and Giver of Life, willingly gave Himself into death for your sake to forgive all of your sins. Remember that God loved your life and body and existence more than you ever could. He not only loved you into existence, but He loved you into His kingdom as He gave life and limb, flesh and blood for your salvation. The God who formed you in your mother’s womb made Himself to be in the womb of the Virgin Mary to redeem you, to live the perfect life in your place since His conception. He created you. He redeemed you. And now He sanctifies you with His Word.

Rejoice in the life God gave you now, and the eternal life He has promised to you through faith in His only begotten Son. Love and protect the life that He gave to your neighbor, even your neighbors you haven’t met yet still in the womb.

+ Rev. Roberto Rojas Jr.