Pastor Eric and Marnie are in studio to talk about the two sacraments that Lutherans practice. Don’t know what they are? You will have to listen in to find out! Eric explains why the Lutheran Church only deals with two sacraments, as opposed to the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. He breaks down the three-part criteria the Lutheran Church uses to determine the two sacraments, walks us through how our Spirit of Joy worship space is organized around these sacraments, and answers a couple questions Marnie has been wondering about. (Originally aired April 27, 2026)

Heather Wald joins Marnie to talk about the role the Visual Arts team plays in creating the various visual aspects of what we see in worship on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, because worship is designed to be experienced by all our senses. Heather walks through the different colors representing each church season throughout the year (think of it as our own holy rainbow connection). And, for some reason, Heather thinks that show-and-tell will somehow work in a podcast format. (Originally aired May 18, 2026)

Today’s podcast should help offer some incite into how Lutherans read the Bible. In a nutshell…we read it through a lens of faith and grace. Pastor Eric Ohrtman breaks it down into three things we do when reading scripture: 1) We use the Bible to understand it, 2) We put things into context, 3) We read with our eyes on Jesus. He talks through the competing paradoxes of saint and sinner, law and gospel, fear and hope and love. And the importance of reading and hearing it collectively as a church, and how the lectionary is designed to help us do this together. (Originally aired May 25, 2026)

Spirit of Joy partner, Sioux Falls native, and aerospace engineer, Doug Daniels, joins Marnie in the Full of Joy studio to talk about his complex faith story. Doug shares his history from being raised Catholic to eventually joining the Lutheran church after marrying his wife, Kara. He dives deep into the challenges and questions he has dealt with over the years on his faith journey, and how today he has found the grace he needs to hear. And if you like popular music, he even brings U2 into the discussion. (Originally aired May 4, 2026)

Did you know there are over 30,000 Christian denominations in the United States? Don’t worry, we’re only going to focus on the Lutheran ones today (and, more specifically, the ELCA). Pastor Eric Ohrtman gives us a brief history of Lutheranism in America, including some things the ELCA emphasizes—i.e. education and the social gospel. (Originally aired March 23, 2026)

For more information, check out these webpages mentioned in the podcast:

1) https://medium.com/migration-issues/a-very-brief-history-of-american-lutheranism-be8b7a26fd59

2) https://www.elca.org/about-the-elca/who-we-are/history

The Prayer Labyrinth. You may have seen it stretched out on the floor of the Shalom Center during Holy Week or Epiphany. Or maybe you know (or didn’t know) that we have one mowed into the grass in our church gardens. But what is it exactly and where did this idea come from? Jodi Hanson joins Marnie to give us more insight into walking the prayer labyrinth. Believe it or not, they have been around since 1200 A.D. (the one at Spirit of Joy is modeled after a labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral in France). It is a spiritual practice that you can do alone, with a group, at your own pace, to help guide you through prayer and meditation. (Originally aired April 20, 2026)

For more information: https://labyrinthsociety.org/historical-overview