Upcoming Publishing Projects

1. The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog will be edited, improved, and garnished with author information and lists. That might culminate in a book of the top hymn texts (250-300). Norma A. Boeckler is adding illustrations, and she helps with every single project.
2. I have started Understanding Luther’s Galatians: Graebner’s Translation - where I am going to add my commentary on OJ versus the Chief Article, with the complete text of the shorter Galatians.
3. I will write The American Calvin: CFW Walther. The parallels with Calvin are overwhelming. Comparisons with Luther are underwhelming. Walther's Election without Faith will be addressed.
4. A group of us will work on Bible texts and translations, to help explain the disaster of the NIV/ESV money machine and its devastating effect on Christian doctrine. 
5. Projects get modified, added, dropped. I think the focus should be mostly Scriptural since that is so widely neglected.
6. I have a folder for Word documents. When I retitle my older books as public domain in that folder, those files will be available for people to use freely in translations, edited versions, etc. 

Coming Events and Books - Bethany Lutheran Church

Advent

The Advent service each Wednesday at 7 PM is followed by a session on Henry Eyster Jacobs' A Summary of the Christian Faith, (print copy) - which can be ordered here.

A Summary of the Christian Faith is also an ebook from the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry.

Pilgrim's Progress - 

January and February

A study booklet will be produced for this set of lessons. We will use Wednesdays in January and February, before Lent, for these lessons.

The print book - Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress can be ordered here.

Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress ebook is linked here.

 Paine's Beginning Greek

Ash Wednesday and Onward -

The Complete Gospel of John in Greek

For Newcomers and Advanced Students

You need Paine - Beginning Greek: A Functional Approach - about $25 from Alibris, Amazon used books, etc.

We will use the traditional text of John in Greek, found here.

John's Gospel of Faith is available free as a PDF and also for 99 cents as a Kindle. This is in English - a brief commentary.

Two Future Books

1. Alec Satin is publishing Luther's Galatians. I plant on a study booklet about Galatians using Luther extensively.
2. The book everyone will love or hate - CFW Walther - The American Calvin.

The eBook linked here.

Upcoming Books

AKA Martin Chemnitz, aka the Second Luther, aka the Senior Editor of the Book of Concord. 

First

Calvin Ruined the Protestant Faith is almost done. The book will be in larger print, full-color, also in Kindle, and later a free PDF. The book includes Zwingli's influence, but try to fit that into a book title.

The author's price will be about $5, so it will be attractive as a book for adult classes.

I am looking into making all my books free PDFs in their most edited form, the level of near perfection sent off to the printers.

Second

We have Luther's House Postils ready for printing next - very close to it. These are sermons for the household, which Ludwig Fuerbringer valued for their advice about marriage, children, and other household matters. There are three volumes, illustrated by Norma A. Boeckler, and to be in color, black and white, and Kindle. Gems will be published a little later (not started yet).

Third

The Ichabod Lutheran Dictionary is being worked on - definitions, trivia, a little fun here and there.

Fourth

Justification by Faith - Exegesis. So many ignorant louts are braying and hee-hawing about their Objective Justification that someone needs to provide the exegesis for Justification by Faith, the Chief Article of Christianity. 

The plan is to do this in English and Greek, with English being dominant. Exegesis simply means - to declare, which means explaining what the text actually says. 

In John 1 - the Logos is the exegesis - He declares the true nature of the Father. Jesus is the exegesis, so we should not be shy declaring the text as revealed - rather than theses from Halle Pietists and Fuller alumni.

Public Domain Notice for All My Books

To help distribute more Gospel material freely, I have made all my books public domain, which means no permission is needed to reprint, edit, or translate my publications, past or future included. No fees are necessary or expected. Giving credit for using the original is sufficient – name, author, and date.

Public Domain, Author's Price, and Free

First of all, all my books are public domain - past, present, and future - so people may translate, copy, and reprint them without a visit from our attorney, Glen Kotten.

I am doing this because the actuaries give me 21 years to live (NML) but God only knows. The problem becomes how to make books available much longer. The UOJ Church Shrinkers ban my books so they sell their garbage - like The Truth about Luther, from Christian News and an ignorant papist bigot. Therefore, there is no profit damage.

I am going to reduce all my Kindles to 99 cents, which will make the books even easier to distribute. The print books on Amazon will also have no profit, a minor reduction in price.

The best price for printed books is always the author's price,  ordering through me. Many times extra books are provided as well.

DropBox Public Folder
Everything will go into the public folder in DropBox, which means anyone can download - whether they have DB or not. I suggest getting the free version to make it easier to store them and save other documents.

I will look into obtaining all the old books in their final form so they can be ebooks in the public folder. There will be no limit in sharing them, copying them, using them in various forms. Since they are public domain now, use them as desired, noting their origin.

Breaking News - Volume 8 of Luther's Sermons Is Finished at Amazon. The Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons Will Be Sent Today

When I see this Veterans Honor rose in the garden, I recall the funniest story told by my wife's cousin Peter. He was on KP duty for some reason, but was forced to keep potato peeling and cleaning for an extremely long day. Peter was short and about 110 pounds. The sarge came in and wanted to keep him working hours more. Peter got excited about that and began yelling and waving his little potato knife in the process.

The sarge reported him for attacking him with a knife. When Peter repeated the entire experience to the officer, the man could not help but laugh about Peter being a threat, waving a little potato peeler and yelling in frustration at this big muscular sargeant. Peter was judged innocent, and he had us doubled over in laughter about the whole story.

Publishing is like that, because there may be a jealous someone who wants to make something out of nothing. But nevertheless, the Sermons are done and the Gems are finishing today. Certain events have made me decide to make all the published books free online, although I am not sure about the platform. Q may need to liberate Kindle before this is all done, but there are many, many options for ebooks, including DropBox.

Rest in Peace, Peter Ellenberger, one of five family members born in Europe, but hserved in the US military.

Luther's Sermons - So Far

Volume 6 was tied up for a time by HAL - long story. The color version has been set free.

A Kindle issue is being addressed.

The Gems Mined from the Sermons of Martin Luther volume needs to have pagination added to each quotation - not a big job, really a fun and inspiring task.

Gems - selections from each of the eight volumes, designed to introduce people to Luther's Sermons. This is smaller in size so it will be full color only and Kindle.

Volume 8 is being prepared by Janie Sullivan for Amazon-Kindle.

If someone does not grasp this gem from Luther, he does not understand the Reformer, the Gospel, or the Scriptures.

Anticipated Results

When everything is done, the sermons in black and white will be about $40 TOTAL for all eight volumes - author's price. With sales tax and shipping for the whole set, that might be $60 - 70 or so. Sales tax varies quite a bit.

The Gospel Sermons - Volumes 1-5 - would be about $40 with taxes and shipping. Don't kid yourself, the Epistle Sermons are just as good.

Kindle ebook prices will be a little higher but I may run some specials, which will be noted here.

Gems will be $10-15 (author's price) and a good gift or library addition by itself.

Pastors who get stuck for sermon ideas should turn to Gems, or the complete set of Luther's Sermons, not to ELCA preaching books (yuk!), or Calvin's Commentaries (Why?) or the Pietistic Spoonfuls on Purpose.

 No, we saved a few titles.

Last Ash Wednesday, The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine. This Year - Luther's Sermons Almost Done

 Norma A. Boeckler

Last Ash Wednesday I was finishing The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, about Luther's Biblical Doctrine of the Word.

This year, Luther's Sermons are being finished.

• Volume VI is with Janie Sullivan, being prepared for Amazon and Kindle.
• Volume VII is almost ready for Norma A. Boeckler's art.
• Volume VIII is being read and corrected by Virginia Roberts.
• The Gems volume is almost ready, by virtue of having each volume's gems selected as we publish.

More New Testament Greek will be taught, starting tonight.

Romans 1-5 will be taught during the Easter season.

Looking ahead, these volumes are planned:

• Luther's Two Catechisms
• The Gospel of John in English and Greek
• The Ichabod Lutheran Dictionary - fun and informative.
• Some other alarms and diversions for the apostates to suffer.

 Norma A. Boeckler

Volume V Glitches Seem To Be Solved

Each volume has its own glitches, though some have a way of appearing again.

While waiting for the student economy version to be processed, several issues came up in the printing department.

That seems to be resolved now, and everything is fine again.

Sometimes the books ordered are sent quickly, but they can take some time to be printed and mailed.

Remember to order through me for the author's price.

The Sermons of Martin Luther - Volume V

Norman and Jean Woehrle have distinguished themselves in
service to our country and the Lutheran Church.

Norman Woehrle served as a Marine in the Pacific theatre, World War II. As many people know, the Marines made countless landings in hostile islands occupied by Japanese troops. Our forces used LSTs - Land Ship Tanks. Norman's job was to be the first off the ramp, holding a smudge pot blowing smoke to obscure his fellow soldiers from enemy fire. Another Marine shared the honors.

I asked Norman about the medals he earned. He laughed and said, "Oh, the usual bunch." He later worked for AT&T, and Jean worked as a nurse. They have always stood up for the truth, whether dealing with issues for patriotic Americans or problems in the Lutheran Church. When the pro-life counseling center needed help, Jean was always will to help.

They are members of Shepherd of Peace, WELS, in Columbus, Ohio.

 The Gems volume - IX - will include the selected gems
from all eight volumes.

Volume V Completes the Gospel Sermons
The first five volumes include all the Gospel sermons in the Lenker series.

We are now working on the last three volumes, the Epistle sermons.

Little Ichabod called this "publishing at a blistering pace." That would not be possible without the help and encouragement of:

1. Norma Boeckler, our artist-in-residence.
2. Virginia Roberts, our remarkable editor.
3. Janie Sullivan, our editor for the print and Kindle e-books.
4. Terry and Lori Howell, members who worked on one volume.
5. An LCMS pastor who edited a volume or two.
6. My wife, who has always enjoyed helping in all publishing work.
7. Bethany Lutheran Church members and friends.

Progress Report - The Sermons of Martin Luther

 Norma A. Boeckler designed the cover
and illustrations for Volume IV.  She had an author's
day at the Midland Dow Library in Michigan.
Her latest book is Those Days on the Farm.

Norma A. Boeckler's extensive list of books and illustrated books is listed here by Amazon.

Progress, The Sermons of Luther -
Volume IV is being prepared for Amazon print and Kindle e-book publication by Janie Sullivan.

Volume V is edited for typos and being finished for Janie Sullivan and for artwork by Norma A. Boeckler.

Volume VI is being read for typos, glitches, and other barriers to good reading.

The last two sermon volumes and The Gems of Luther's Sermons will be finished very early in 2018.

Future Plans
God willing, as always, publishing plans include the two Catechisms and Galatians.

New titles being planned include -

1. An Ichabod Lutheran Dictionary, 
2. The Gospel of John - A Brief Commentary, and 
3. Calvinism Ruined the Protestant Church.

The Sermons of Martin Luther, Volume II, Published

The full color edition of The Sermons of Martin Luther, Volume II, is now published.

The Kindle e-book version of The Sermons of Martin Luther, Volume II,  is also available, and naturally, it is full color too.

The no-excuses edition of Luther's Sermons, Volume II, black and white interior, is also in print now.

The author's price is much less than the retail, especially in the full-color version. I used the retail links because clicking on them will increase visibility on the Internet. Everyone has a book about Luther this year, but clearly, few are reading his sermons. The professors are the worst in this category.

Posting a review will greatly increase the results of Google searches. Some are doing posting their reviews.

So will clicking on my Amazon Author's Page.

I will sending out copies of Volume II now. I was waiting for the black and white one to finish - another glitch - but settled. When all the print titles are done, the full color versions will be named

• The Sermons of Martin Luther on Amazon.

and the black and white student economy editions will be named

• Luther's Sermons on Amazon.

Opposition to My Books Is Scriptural

 Creation Gardening teaches the relationship between
toxin-free methods, Genesis 1, and John 1 -
"All things were made through Him."

Every so often, the shun button is suspended for a few moments. I was mildly surprised to find the May 15, 2017 Christian News  featuring the covers of the latest two books, quoting some of the introductory material.

When the first edition of Thy Strong Word was published in 2000, Otten refused to publish any positive reviews of the book. Nevertheless, one of our members, from the Jackson area, was attracted to our congregation because of the mention of TSW in Christian News.

I was talking to our congregation's attorney yesterday. He got me interested in teaching New Testament Greek over the Internet, and a class quickly formed. He wanted extra copies of Thy Strong Word and Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. A WELS pastor recommended Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant to him, and that led to Thy Strong Word being read. He said, "I could not put Thy Strong Word down."

The synods have neglected basic Biblical doctrine for so long that people are starved for the training denied them in college, seminary, and the congregation.

That is the thesis of The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine. Luther's doctrine has been forcibly ejected by the Lutherans, notably by the synodical leaders who endlessly honk, bray, squawk, and cackle their Universal Absolution and Salvation without Faith (OJ - UOJ). The ELS and WELS, LCMS, ELCA, and CLC (sic) are completely in harmony - concordia - with each other. When they say "grace," they mean Universal Forgiveness and Salvation. Some clergy and most laity disagree - if they are told the truth about their official positions.

Stephan-Walther trump the Bible and the Book of Concord. The Kokomo Statements only define the Scriptures, because WELS has no use for the Confessions. They do have around 60 essays in their beloved Essays file, praising their beloved UOJ dogma, some of them written by atheists who were once WELS clergy.

Christian News consistently trumpets the ELCA-ELS-WELS-LCMS Kokomo Statements.

I enjoy the opposition, because hatred, enmity, and shunning must accompany the Gospel. Even when Christian News tries to appear pleasant, the barbs necessarily appear.

Both of my books are described in CN as "manufactured by Amazon," a peculiar term to use. Christian News is manufactured by a local printer. Christian News is a vanity publication that the Otten family sells to the public. They have $500,000 in assets, according to public documents.

 "Shun the evil-doer! Make these books go away.
Does my beard look Eastern Orthodox?"

Martin Chemnitz Press books are largely given away, thanks to gifts from various people and my tent-making activities in higher education. ELDONA received free MCP books and KJV Bibles, but His Holiness the Bishop had his flunky tell the donor, during a meal - "Make these books go away!"

"Lutheran News, Inc., publisher of Christian News, is a non-profit organization recognized for tax-deductible giving by the federal government."

All books are manufactured somewhere now, because few publishing houses have their own printing facilities. NPH published my Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure, after ferocious opposition from the Church Growthers tried to stop the presses - and it sold very well. WELS later gave me the rights to the book. NPH manufactured it earlier. Now I do, through print-on-demand, Amazon.

Thy Strong Word is in its third edition.

Otten was going to publish Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, after WELS put it on their list to print, then cancelled. I know Valleskey and Bivens were bitter opponents, because they threatened to boycott a WELS printer who asked to publish my books.

Publishing means paying for the printing and then selling the title for a profit, with royalties given to the author. Otten backed out of his promise, but later claimed to be the publisher. He sold it and sent off boxes of CLP to NPH, which was promoting and distributing the book like crazy.

For a long time I gave away PDFs of my books, but DropBox changed their public linking rules, nullifying that giveaway. However, I am going to repost new links to many of the PDFs. Lulu.com has some of those PDFs posted as free downloads.

 Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant
uses the material from each traditional group
to compare and contrast their teachings.

Almost on Amazon and Kindle - The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine

Click this link for the Amazon book list for Gregory L. Jackson.
If you do, an angel will get his SEO wings.
SEO = Search Engine Optimization

Amazon will soon be hosting The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, the printed version and the Kindle ebook. I have already sent out the first few, but I have not seen the printed version so far.

Yesterday I put two more volumes of Luther's Sermons into Word. I expect to do the final two volumes today. I found a rhythm for getting that done- I could teach copy and paste at Mordor - except I favor Reformation theology over Halle dogma.

I need a couple more volunteers to help edit, if possible. The set has typos from the original Optical Character Reproduction software someone used. There will be format adjustments too.

Believe it or not, Liberalism was first printed that way - scan the manuscript, try to find the scan mistakes. WELS first published Liberalism and the Church Growth fanatics hated it. WELS also accepted Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, put it on their schedule, and then spat it out. But they promoted it once I had it in print via Otten's printer.

I am definitely doing a book on Luther's Large Catechism after the Sermons are done. Some other volumes are on the list, with Luther's works at the top.

Rules of Book Reviewing - For Search Engine Optimization

 Click here for the Pastor Gregory L. Jackson author page,
pick a title, and write a review.
For each one, an angel will get his wings.

The social media work through big data. They associate things together, which makes the most popular ones come out on top in searches. That explains why people began complaining about this blog coming out on top in all searches of Lutheran topics, not to mention Lutheran graphics.

The answer is Search Engine Optimization. I use links within all articles to build up SEO.

As the graphic above shows, even a brief review will help a title come up in searches.

 Norma Boeckler's Amazon page is here.
Click and write a review.

Publishing in 2016

One donut to rule the world,
and in the cafe bind them.

One thing I learned in playing chess was this - the opening moves determine the rest of the game.

Early in 2016 my wife and I decided that the extra job at Walmart was counter-productive. Not knowing what was ahead, I decided to trust the shaky teaching business and get more book publishing done.

Teaching was volatile, but the time invested in publishing meant that a lot of titles were published or re-edited for Amazon and Kindle e-books. Three more new titles are on the way:

1. Creation Gardening
2. The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine
3. To Be Announced.

Toward the end end of 2016, some things were clear -

• My author's page at Amazon had a lot more titles on it.
• Interest in traditional Lutheran doctrine and practice was growing.
• People really wanted more titles to read.
• Almost all my time is spent in teaching theology, which is both fulfilling and enjoyable.

The Grateful Dead, no longer producing - for which I am grateful - taught me one thing. Instead of jealously guarding their so-called music, they gave it away to any and all, assuming the fans would still buy their work. Publishing against apostasy is not the road to riches, but the lure of financial rewards diminishes with age. 

My classmates have said in their Facebook posts, "I don't need one more thing in my house. Do me a favor and take something with you each time." So I do that with books. Most of my library has been given away, including my most favorite titles, so others can enjoy them. In the same spirit, some of the best Lutheran books were given to me to distribute, and they energized the reading of a number of laity who really appreciated them.

As planned, Thy Strong Word serves as a library of Lutheran doctrine for many laity. The errors of Church Growth and Universal Objective Justification are laid out - with a vast collection of sound and foul doctrinal quotations. At the time I thought, "Why not share my explorations of Lutheran theology with a thousand or so of the most informative quotations, listed with the citations, for easy kelming and sharing?" That is exactly what people have enjoyed and used.

I use Kindle Unlimited, which means anyone with a $10 a month subscription can download all the Martin Chemnitz Press titles for free.

"Two things I regret. One - wearing this Presbyterian get-up.
Two - Brett starting that Ustream worship service."

Lutheran laity have been the mainstay of everything. Brett Meyer and his extended family got the Ustream services going, long ago, and we are still far ahead of most congregations. ELDONA asked me about how to set up services in 2016, and I was glad to point out what worked best for us. 

The best insights and questions come from Lutheran laity. I hear positive things from laity all the time, and I answer almost immediately. Many insights and questions are worked into book and blog publishing. 

The jabbering, hostile hordes of UOJ Stormtroopers are silent now. They do not even use my public email address to send their pointless insults, which make such good fodder for posts. I miss the fetid, alcohol-driven ravings of the Fox Valley WELS circuit - really.

I seldom hear from clergy at all. One is in Australia, our dear friend Dr. Lito Cruz. A couple of men are Lutheran pastors in the USA. On Facebook I have about 500 LCMS friends, which suggests they enjoy reading my posts. Opponents have unfriended me (sob) and I have eliminated synod-minders, who think it is their job to toss stink-bombs.

Irony - the former LCMS Synod President is still my Facebook friend, but the great reformer, the current SP, Matt the Fat, unfriended me faster than a New York minute. The bloggers who helped him defeat Kieschnick and get re-elected are now forbidden to write about Lutheran doctrine - lest the LCMS kick them out. 

The threat of expelling pastors for discussing LCMS doctrine and practice - without permission from His Holiness - would have prevented Matthew Harrison Hisself, failed doctoral candidate from ever becoming the Synod President.

God willing, the apostates will keep handing me material to publish, since everyone else is afraid to go beyond correcting each other about the proper colors for a given liturgical season.

The future of Lutherdom in America.

The future is now in Canada.

Now on Amazon - Introduction to the Christian Faith

Introduction to the Christian Faith - Print Edition.
Introduction to the Christian Faith - Kindle E-book Edition

I am moving most of the Lulu books over to Amazon. This is the Amazon author page for Gregory L. Jackson. The author page needs some revising, but that will have to wait.

This book was originally published with the current title as the subtitle, the sub-title as the title. Although that causes a bit of confusion, the fact is, the Net picks up on the main title, so I decided to feature the substance of the book, a basic book about the Christian Faith.

For those who like Kindle for their mobile devices and quoting, the best approach is to get Kindle Unlimited for $10 a month and download all the Kindle books you want, even mine, for that tiny sum. $10 a month covers every book listed under Kindle Unlimited - and include all mine in that category.

These publications do not generate direct cash for me. I built in $1 profit for each one to keep prices low, as my personal email suggests - edlp - Every Day Low Prices. At the moment I am putting together three boxes of books to give away to people who showed an interest in my books and some classic Lutheran books.

The goal is to influence others to concentrate on reliable Bibles - like the KJV family - and the best Gospel theologians - Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz.

Introduction to the Christian Faith
A sainted member of Bethany Lutheran Church asked me to write a book about the basics of the Christian faith, so that anyone could study it and get a Scriptural understanding of Christianity.

My other books are about specific topics, such as the efficacy of the Word and Creation. Introduction to the Christian Faith is more general and basic, centered on the Person and work of Jesus Christ the Savior.

Each section deals with Scripture and many include hymn quotations as well.

The print is large and the book is illustrated by Norma Boeckler.

The Next Two Books
I am finishing The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine and then completing Creation Gardening.

I am planning some shorter works in the future, on single topics, like commercialism in the church, the Heidelberg Disputation, 1518, etc.

Free and Low-Cost Books
I favor sending books to people at the astonishingly low author's price, especially in bulk. I can complete an order of various titles, various numbers of each book, in a few minutes. They arrive faster than Amazon promises. Introduction to the Christian Faith is only $3.50 at the author's price.

Those who want to order Christmas gifts might consider ordering via the author's price. Just send an email for an estimate  and mail a check to cover that amount plus shipping.

Free books are given away all the time, because some people have sent gifts to cover free books. The idea is to share printed books, which are kept for a long period of time, and let the Word of God take effect. Matthew 13 has a Parable about the Sower and the Seed, and Paul offered a similar analogy.

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:15 KJV

Blogging for Books

 My favorite two questions are:
"You know Norma Boeckler?" and
"How did you get to know her?"

I started our chiropractor on his own personal blog. He posted a public lecture and then put the link on his Facebook page, as I suggested - for Search Engine Optimization.

A blog works best when refreshed often with new material. I appreciate clinical and alternative medicine, so I like to help the chiropractor, who has done wonders for my wife's pain.

One reader gave me the melancholy news that my Amazon links need plenty of work. I took a look when still short on coffee this morning and said to myself, "Oh bother." But I am steadily improving them.

One way readers can help is to post a review on that book's page. A retired librarian does this for me - he has always encouraged my work. The effect of posting reviews is to increase attention and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The various social media work together to leverage what is on the Net, so 1 + 1 + 1 = 9.

Someone feels obliged to post nasty reviews, but that does not bother me. Bad reviews published on the Net are better than great reviews never posted.

To do this, go to the Gregory L. Jackson author's page, pick a book, and post a review at the bottom of that book's page. In effect, they are giving me a free website for what I do.

Norma has one, too, so stop at the Norma Boeckler author page. Reviewing her books will help get them around.

Current Plans
I am finishing The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, studying the new Bibleworks 10, and fixin' to complete the Creation Gardening book.