Inspired by the LCMS Youth Gathering, the Ladies embark on part two of a three-part summer series celebrating young Lutheran ladies.

In this inspiring conversation, the Leading Ladies series gets aged way down, as Sarah, Erin, and Rachel welcome LCMS YouthLead executive team and participants Reagan, Ava, and Lucy to the Lounge to share their stories and perspectives on leadership.

How did these audacious young women first step into leadership roles in their churches?

What is YouthLead, and how did they get involved? How have they grown through leadership opportunities, including YouthLead? What do they think is important for other young Lutheran Ladies to know about leading in their own communities and congregations?

About YouthLead (from LCMS.org):

For 40 years, YouthLead (formerly Lutheran Youth Fellowship) has equipped teens to develop and use their leadership skills as they serve Christ within their congregations and communities. We offer resources and training to equip teens to lead and mentor each other.

Our annual leadership training event is facilitated by the teen YL Leadership Team. The event makes use of leadership resources developed to give teens the tools they need to mature in their faith, become leaders in their congregations, and reach out to their peers with the love of Christ.

Click to learn more about YouthLead, LCMS Youth Ministry, and the LCMS Youth Gathering.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

Inspired by the LCMS Youth Gathering, the Ladies embark on a three-part summer series celebrating young Lutheran ladies. It’s “bring a teen to Book Club” day in the Lounge!

Lutheran lady teenagers Lorraine, Janice, and Eva stop by for a book club recap episode, joining Sarah, Erin, and Rachel as they talk through questions raised by E. Jane Mall’s cozy Lutheran classic Kitty, My Rib.

What did our teenage readers think of Mall’s fictionalized depiction of Katharine Luther? Did they learn anything new about not just about Katie and the Reformation but also about 1950's-era Lutheranism in America (when the book was written)? What spiritual lessons can readers of all ages take from this book? What can Katie’s example teach us about how to live out our Christian vocations here on earth?

At the end of the episode, the Ladies unveil their October book club pick: Joel Biermann’s Day 7: For Work, Rest, or Play.

Learn more about Kitty, My Rib here.

To dig more deeply into Katharine Luther’s life (and follow up on Lorraine’s recommendation for further reading) check out Katharina Von Bora: A Reformation Life by Rudolf K. Markwald and Marilynn Morris Markwald.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

The Ladies are celebrating our nation's birthday on July 4 by revisiting a favorite episode from 2022 all about hymns for the nation.

Hymns for the Nation, or Patriotic Songs? Or both? As Americans are celebrating Independence Day, Lutherans once again consider the worth of hymns and songs that focus on God’s gift of land and government. Within the context of our Two Realms (or Two Kingdoms) theology, Sarah considers the hymns found in the “Nation and National Songs” section of the Lutheran Service Book, along with some popular American favorites.

Hymns featured in this episode include “God Bless Our Native Land,” “Before You, Lord, We Bow,” “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” “God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Arm,” plus a few American songs you’ll likely know.

The third hymn in the Nation and National Songs section, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was featured in the Hymns Sing with Sarah episode for Black History Month.

Read all 101 additional verses for “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” in this PDF from alliedmerchantnavy.com.

To learn more about these and other hymns in Lutheran Service Book, check out CPH’s two-volume set Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

[Enter Sarah]: “All right! Here we go! Time to record our 300th episode. Open up the studio. Turn on the mics... Wait a sec. Where’s Rachel? For that matter, where’s Erin? Where are my fellow Lutheran Ladies? My sisters in Christ? Something is definitely fishy here.”

What happens when Erin and Rachel are late to a podcast recording session and Katharine Von Bora shows up instead — in her very own, state-of-the-art herring barrel time machine?

It’s a Story Time adventure for the ages as the Lutheran Ladies celebrate their 300th episode in rare style. Join Sarah and Katie (soon-to-be Luther) as they travel through time on a quest to find their fellow Lutheran ladies — their sisters in Christ — and end up meeting a Who’s Who of Lutheran women along the way.

To revisit the stories of each of the women featured in this episode, click the links below:

• Anna Magdalena Bach: {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Story Time with Sarah: The Wives of J.S. Bach - KFUO Radio
• Emilie Buenger Walther: {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Story Time with Sarah: Walther's Wife, Emilie - KFUO Radio
• Catherine Winkworth: {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Story Time with Sarah: Catherine Winkworth - KFUO Radio
• Bessie Effner Rehwinkel: {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Story Time with Sarah: Dr. Bessie Rehwinkel — Pioneer, Doctor, Pastor's Wife - KFUO Radio
• Gertrude Simon: {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} The Heroic Story of Gertrude Simon: China, 1943 - KFUO Radio

Special credit to Aubrey Blank for voice acting the scene transitions.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

The word “heretic” gets bandied about online so much these days that it has become almost meaningless, but it remains an important theological concept with serious implications for the life of the church.

In this unexpectedly sobering Trivia Challenge, Rachel quizzes Erin and Sarah on the meanings and history of major heresies in the church, from Gnosticism to modernism and beyond.

What even is “heresy,” anyway? Where is heresy mentioned in the Bible? How were the ecumenical creeds specifically formulated to combat heresy? What are good and bad ways to respond to heresy in the church? And is heresy still something we actually struggle with today?

Resources referenced in this episode include the following:

• Journey through Church History: Student Book - Concordia Publishing House (highly recommended for families and educators!)
• Journey through Church History: Leader Guide - Concordia Publishing House
• Lutheran Witness: May 2025 – The Lutheran Witness: Councils and Conventions
• Lutheran Witness: August 2023 – The Lutheran Witness: Heresies Ancient and Modern

Other sources mentioned include:

• Jakob Wendesten (@jakobwendesten) | TikTok
• HETERODOX Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
• DOXOLOGY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
• 36 Bible verses about Heresies
• Arianism | Definition, History, Christology, & Controversy | Britannica
• Bishop Nicholas Loses His Cool ::: St. Nicholas Center
• Did St. Nicholas punch Arius at the Council of Nicaea?
• Ecumenical council - Wikipedia
• Albigensian Crusade - Wikipedia
• Gnosticism | Definition, Texts, Movements, & Influence | Britannica

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

The sun is out, boats are on the water, fish are jumping, and the beach is calling. It’s the perfect time to revisit one of the Bible’s most memorable water-based narratives: the story of Jonah.

Welcoming former co-host Bri Gerzevske back once again for another hilarious installment of Bri’s Radio Theatre, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel are jumping feet-first with her into the briny deep.

How will Captain Trish handle the runaway prophet on board her ship? What will the Ninevites do when they hear Jonah’s message of doom and gloom? Will Jonah ever learn what God wants to teach him? And what does this all have to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus?

Disclaimer: This episode is satire, Trish is a fictional character, and we already know our script probably wouldn’t pass LCMS Doctrinal Review on the first try. Enjoy.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

A blessed Pentecost to all! To mark the feasts of Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, Sarah’s digging into a dozen hymns associated with these holy days in a brand-new Hymn Sing episode.

Hymns featured include fan favorites “Holy, Holy, Holy” (LSB 507), “Holy Spirit, Light Divine” (LSB 496), and “Glory Be to God the Father” (LSB 506), together with lesser-known classics like “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest” (LSB 498/499), “O Day Full of Grace” (LSB 503), and “Come Down, O Love Divine” (LSB 501).

Get to know the stories behind the hymns you love — and get better acquainted with hymns you may not yet know well — as you sing along with #hymnnerd Sarah.

As always: to learn more about these and other hymns in Lutheran Service Book, check out Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns, available from CPH.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

As the weather warms up and the sun grows brighter and hotter, Rachel’s taking the opportunity to ask a big question that turns out to be just a little more controversial than one might expect:

Should I line dry my clothes?

Beginning with a quick survey of the history of laundry drying techniques and traditions, Rachel then looks how and why American housewives made the transition from “drying greens” and clotheslines to gas or electric tumble dryers — and how the “right-to-dry" movement in the 2000s and 2010s marked a resurgence in popularity for the humble, affordable, counter-cultural, and even occasionally illegal clothesline.

Resources referenced in this episode include:

• Old and Interesting: History of Laundry
• Ronald Reagan " Live Better Electrically" comercial de "GE Theatre"
• "Live Better Electrically" commercial from "GE Theatre" (1950s)
• Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to ... - Ellen Sandbeck - Google Books
• Clothes line - Wikipedia
• Drying for Freedom - Drying For Freedom Official Trailer 1 | IMDb

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

In honor of the Feast of the Ascension, the Ladies are once again welcoming listener submissions for a Write This challenge — this time based around the Venerable Bede’s eighth-century lyric “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing.”

Featuring 25 original hymn verses— covering Easter, the Ascension, the Sacraments, and more — from 15 creative contributors, this episode will inspire and deepen devotion as Christians everywhere prepare to celebrate one of the church's most ancient holy days.

For a good chuckle, check out Rowan Atkinson’s character Mr. Bean struggling with the peculiar meter of this beloved hymn tune.

To learn more about the historic names for Easter and read their respective introits in the one-year lectionary, visit the Lutheran Lectionary website.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].

What have you always wanted to know about LCMS International Missions (but were maybe afraid to ask)?

In this second International Missions 101 conversation, Erin draws on insights from her day job as Director of Short-term Mission for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to answer common questions about how the LCMS equips and sends missionaries and engages in missions throughout the world.

How does the LCMS do missions? What is the central focus and goal of all mission activities? How do we decide where to plant new missions? What kinds of people become missionaries (are they all pastors?), and what kind of work do they do?

To learn more, check out the following links:

• International Mission – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
• LCMS International Mission Facebook Page
• How you can serve: Missionary Service – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
• Short-term mission opportunities: Serve Now – Mission service opportunities
• Erin’s *other* podcast: 5 Minutes with a Missionary Archives – KFUO Radio
• Coffee Hour episodes with missionaries: Short Term Mission Stories

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at [email protected].