Baptismal Greetings!
Reverend Mike Hughes Reflections: Reverend Mike Hughes was born on Christmas in July Eve (July 24, 1978) and his given name is Michael. Reverend Hughes has a wife called Cory, a son called Brennen, and a daughter called Emelyn. Reverend Hughes and I were very close, when he was the pastor at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Lima, Ohio and when I was a very active member there. Reverend Hughes has a very warm and jolly personality and he is very empathetic to people and to their problems. There were many times both in his sermons and his one-on-one counseling sessions with me, when Reverend Hughes channeled both Dr. Martin Luther and Reverend C.F.W. Walther, who was the First President of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), with both God's Law and God's Gospel. There were times, when Reverend Hughes needed to theologically "smack me up side" with God's Law, and there were times, when he needed to comfort me with God's Gospel.
Reverend Hughes is very educated and very scholarly. Reverend Hughes graduated from Madison High School in Mansfield, Ohio in 1996. Reverend Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education (1st Grade-8th Grade) with a focus area in Scottish History and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from the famous Lutheran college called Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Reverend Hughes graduated with a Masters of Divinity Degree in 2010 from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. Trinity Lutheran Seminary serves The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) by training pastors and I considered attending there for a Masters of Divinity, but Reverend Hughes believes, that I am too conservative and confessional for either Trinity Lutheran Seminary or The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Reverend Hughes did his internship aka vicarage aka "student preaching" at Zion Lutheran Church (NALC) in St. Marys, Ohio, which left The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) over The ELCA's pro-homosexuality stance and pro-choice stance and The ELCA's overall liberalism.
Reverend Hughes has had an interesting work history. Reverend Hughes was the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Jenera, Ohio from June 2000 to November 2001. Reverend Hughes was the Program Director at Camp Mowana in Mansfield, Ohio from December 2001 to August 2006. Reverend Hughes was the pastor at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) from September 1, 2020 to June 9, 2019. Reverend Hughes is now the pastor at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Stoney Ridge, Ohio and he started serving this congregation on July 21, 2019.
Reverend Hughes has connections to two good ELCA Bishops. Reverend Hughes was ordained by his Grace Bishop Marcus Lohrmann, who was the Bishop of The Northwestern Synod of The ELCA for many years, in 2010 and his Grace Bishop Daniel Beaudoin, who is the current Bishop of The Northwestern Synod of The ELCA, was the pastor at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Stoney Ridge, Ohio, when his Grace Bishop Lohrmann served as Bishop of The Northwestern Synod of The ELCA and when Reverend Hughes was still my pastor at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Lima, Ohio. Reverend Hughes and these two ELCA bishops are rather unusual clergymen for The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), because they are conservative Lutheran clergymen. Reverend Hughes, his Grace Bishop Lohrmann, and his Grace Bishop Beaudion are pro-life and they oppose homosexuality. If they did not believe in having women pastors, then they would make great pastors in my church body, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). However, his Grace Bishop Lohrmann was one of the Seminex rebels, who left The LCMS in the 1970's and who was instrumental in founding The ELCA in the 1980's. Perhaps pastors in The LCMS would suggest, that his Grace Bishop Lohrmann would feel more at home in The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) than in The LCMS. Granted Reverend Hughes, Bishop Lohrmann, and Bishop Lohrmann are more conservative and confessional than the Reverend Doctor David Maier, who is the liberal and anti-Lutheran Confessions President of The Michigan District of The LCMS.
The featured image for this blog post shows his Grace Bishop Marcus Lohrmann ordaining Reverend Mike Hughes, who is kneeling and waiting for Bishop Lohrmann and the other pastors to lay their hands on Reverend Hughes' head. Bishop Lohrmann has dark hair and he is the gentleman standing and reading the book.
Reverend Hughes is known for two main Christian Doctrines; Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. In a world, where Holy Baptism and Holy Communion have lost their true and Biblical meanings, Reverend Hughes stands up for the truth of these two Christian Doctrines and he helped me better understand them. Holy Baptism is water and God's Word uniting together in Presence of the Holy Trinity to save the person, who is experiencing Holy Baptism. Holy Baptism saves! Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit deliver the Salvation, which Jesus won the True Cross on Calvary, in Holy Baptism. Holy Baptism is absolutely not the work of human beings, rather it is solely the Work of Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Holy Communion is not a mere symbol of Jesus' Death on the True Cross, but it is the literal Body and Blood of Jesus. The Miracle of Holy Communion happens, whenever the Words of Institution are read during the Mass. This Lutheran Teaching on Holy Communion goes back to Jesus' Apostles and the Church Fathers. In the days of the Roman Empire, Greek and Roman Pagans accused Christians of being cannibals, because the bread and wine become the literal Body and Blood of Jesus our Messiah during Holy Communion.
Reverend Hughes is very pro-life. Abortion is one of America's greatest sins. The Holy Spirit, Who is equally God with Yahweh and Jesus, laid the following statement on both Reverend Hughes' heart and on my own heart: "Abortion is both murder and a sin!" Reverend Hughes and I never discussed this statement nor did we overhear each other saying it, before I said it to various people in the Lima community and before he said it in a sermon at St. Luke's. This statement came from God the Holy Spirit Himself and Reverend Hughes and I were merely the mouth-pieces for this sacred truth.
Reverend Hughes has taken and continues to take a conservative stand on traditional marriage. Reverend Hughes called himself "the anti-gay pastor" in a conversation with me, while he was my pastor. Now to channel Luther's Small Catechism, "What does this mean?" Reverend Hughes does not hate members of the LGBTQ community, but he strongly disagrees with their chosen life style. Reverend Hughes loves every single person, because Jesus died for every single person. Reverend Hughes is following the old saying, "Love the sinner and hate the sin." We must all do this as Christians, because we are both sinners and saints, as Martin Luther rightly taught, and because Jesus died to save sinners from death, Hell, Satan, Satan's demons, Original Sin from Adam and Eve, and their own personal sins.
Let us read St. Paul's words in 2 Timothy Chapter 4:
"4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His Appearing and His Kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and Doctrine. 3 For the time will come, when they will not endure sound Doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the Faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His Appearing.
9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. 13 The cloke, that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. 16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God, that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His Heavenly Kingdom: to Whom be Glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. 21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. 22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen" (KJV 1611).
August 2020 Book Signings(s):
- I will not be holding any book signings in August, because August is always an extremely slow month for my new books, which I've written and published, and it is usually a good month for the used books, which I buy and sell for resale for my second company, Ohio Book Mart and More (OBM&M). Instead of having book signings in August 2020 due to book signings typically not being successful in August, I will make house calls and meet up with people at agreed to locations in Allen County, Auglaize County, and southern parts of Putnam County. I can be reached by calling or texting me at (567) 712-8026.
September 2020 Book Signing(s): TBA
October 2020 Book Signing(s):
1. I'll be having a book signing at the Vaughnsville Craft and Vendor Show at the Vaughnsville Community Center in Vaughnsville on Saturday October 31, 2020 (Reformation Day 2020) from 11 AM to 5 PM.
Vaughnsville Craft and Vendor Show: I will be hosting the 2020 Vaughnsville Craft and Vendor Show on Saturday October 31, 2020 from 11 AM to 5 PM at the Vaughnsville Community Center on State Route 12 in Vaughnsville, Ohio. I'm looking for vendors to come and sell their merchandise. I'm pretty much open to anything legal and clean, but homemade baked goods and craft items are preferred. Please see my "2020 Vaughnsville Craft and Vendor Show: Vendor Entry Form" blog post for more information:
https://ohioirishlutheranpress.com/blogs/news/vaughnsville-craft-and-vendor-show-vendor-entry-form
November 2020 Book Signing(s): TBA
December 2020 Book Signings(s): TBA
MAILING CHECKS TO ME FOR BOOKS: I am now accepting checks through the mail for $15 for copies of each book: The Rising of The Moon Book 1: Changing Tides Part 1, The Rising of The Moon Book 1: Changing Tides Part 2, and The Rising of The Moon Book 2: Faith, Hope, and Love. $15 checks will cover the cost of each book and shipping. Please include a note with your on which books you want to buy off of me with your check. Checks may be written out to me, James O'Flannery, and mailed to James O'Flannery 1524 Crayton Avenue Lima, Ohio 45805. I also can meet up with you, if you live in the following Ohio communities, Lima, Cridersville, Vaughnsville, Fort Jennings, Columbus Grove, St. Marys, Delphos, and Ottoville, and sell you books directly.
My Green Irish Angel Statues: My Green Irish Angel Statues are really cute! They are only $1 each and they make great gifts. I have three kinds: 1. Cross-Bearing Angels, 2. Praying Angels, and 3. Angels Holding Butterflies. I like the Cross-Bearing Angels the best, because they are carrying Crosses. Each one bearing a Cross reminds us, that Jesus died on the True Cross to save every single person from death, Hell, Satan, Satan's Demons, Original Sin from Adam and Eve, and their personal sins. They're available exclusively at Jen's Furniture and Collectibles (JFC) on the corner High Street and Chestnut Street in between Circle K Gas Station and Zion Lutheran Church (NALC) in St. Marys, Ohio.
Stores Carrying My Books: My books, which I’ve written and published, are also available at the following stores: Brunner News Agency on Flanders Avenue in Lima, Ohio, Jen’s Furniture and Collectibles (JFC) on High Street in St. Marys, Ohio, The Menagerie at 1178 Indiana Avenue behind Beer Barrel in the St. Marys Business Complex in St. Marys, Ohio, Readmore Hallmark Stores out at Eastgate Plaza and on Elm Street in Lima, Ohio, Wagner’s IGA Grocery Store in Minster, Ohio, and in the Shop section of my website ohioirishlutheranpress.com .
Thank you!
James W. O’Flannery, President and Founder of Ohio Irish Lutheran Press (OIL Press)
Photo Credit: Reverend Mike Hughes' timeline on Facebook