The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge from KFUO Radio

The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison is president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. His published works include At Home in the House of My Fathers, A Little Book on Joy, and an English translation of Johann Gerhard’s Meditations on Divine Mercy — recently featured as the Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club’s 2024 Reformation read.

In this episode, Pastor Harrison tells the stories behind this little book — both Gerhard’s story as author and his own as translator. Who is Johann Gerhard, and why is he one of the great Lutheran theologians? Which of Gerhard’s meditations does Harrison keep revisiting in his own prayer life, and why?

At the end of the episode, Erin takes the opportunity to ask Pastor Harrison some more personal questions: Who are the most important women in his life? What are the coolest things he’s gotten to do as president of the LCMS? Who is the person who keeps him most humble?

Get to know both Gerhard’s Meditations and President Harrison more deeply in this warm and personal interview.

Click to listen to our recent book club wrap-up episode or order your own copy of Gerhard’s Meditations on Divine Mercy.

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].

On October 26, the church commemorates THREE notable Lutheran hymnwriters: Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt.

Hold onto your hymnals, friends: this Hymn Sing with Sarah episode is a harmonious hymn fest in triplicate.

Hymns featured in this episode include:

• “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying”
• “O Morningstar, How Fair and Bright”
• “O Christ, Our True and Only Light”
• “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”
• “I Will Sing My Maker’s Praises” (PDF from CTSFW: ctsfw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/LSB-977-I-Will-Sing.pdf)

To learn more about these and other beloved hymnwriters, check out Hymnary.org or the monumental Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns from CPH. For readers seeking a more compact treatment, CPH also offers Eternal Anthems: The Story behind Your Favorite Hymns in two volumes.

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].

Sarah, Erin, and Rachel “close the book” on their latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club discussion with this episode on Johann Gerhard’s Meditations on Divine Mercy, translated by the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison.

Can a 400-year-old prayerbook help Lutherans grow in their faith today? How can we more faithfully structure and prioritize our prayers to make the most of every moment before the throne of God? And how can such a tiny book take such a lot of time and effort to get through?

At the end of the episode, the Ladies announce their next book club pick: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.

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].

Who says Lutherans don’t have a sense of humor?

Beloved Lounge alum Bri once again visits the podcast — this time as her hilarious alter ego “Trish,” who “after, like, three years” of calls and emails has finally scored a meeting with Sarah, Erin, and Rachel to pitch all her best podcast episode ideas.

Will Trish’s pitches on “canning the fruits of the Spirit” or “forging handmade spiritual armor” find an eager audience? Will the Ladies decide to cover the “Emoji Standard Version” of the Bible? And what exactly does it mean to be the graduate of an “accreditedited” online spiritual memes certification program?

Disclaimer: This episode is satire, Trish is a fictional character, and none of the URLs or Instagram accounts mentioned in the episode are real. Enjoy.

Click here to read movie reviews by Pastor Ted Giese (mentioned in the episode) or to enjoy previous Bri’s Radio Theatre episodes.

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].

Sarah, Erin, and Rachel welcome Julianna Shults to the Leading Ladies interview series, in which they seek to celebrate and learn from Lutheran women in notable positions of influence in the church and the world.

Julianna Shults is a fellow Lutheran lady and rostered Director of Christian Education (DCE), currently serving as program manager of resources and leadership for LCMS Youth Ministry. Previously, she served in congregational youth and family ministry and at the helm of the LCMS’s Lutheran Young Adult Corps. She is co-author of Relationships Count: Engaging and Retaining Millennials and Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry (CPH), and she co-hosts the KFUO podcast End Goals.

Click to learn more about LCMS Youth Ministry, the LCMS Youth Gathering (registration opens November 1), or the End Goals podcast from KFUO.

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].

Class is back in session, ladies!

Once again, Sarah’s sharing study notes from her graduate courses at Concordia University Irvine’s Townsend Institute for Counseling and Leadership. In this episode on achieving “wildly important goals,” she covers how to:

• Identify and focus on life goals that are “wildly important” — and worth going after wholeheartedly
• Act on “lead measures” of progress while tracking that progress through “lag measures”
• Keep a “compelling scoreboard” to help you visualize and celebrate every small achievement
• Create a “cadence of accountability” to keep you honest, on pace, and moving forward

“If you made ONE change in behavior, habits, schedules, what would it be that changes the course of your life?” Sarah challenges Erin and Sarah in this episode, adding later, “This is supposed to be a winnable game, but also a really high-stakes game.”

To dig more deeply into the material covered in this episode, check out The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling.

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].

September 20, 2019: The first-ever Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge episode dropped.

FIVE YEARS LATER ...

September 20, 2024: The Ladies are celebrating a milestone birthday party!

In this five-year anniversary episode, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel challenge each other in their own versions of vintage television game shows.

Rachel quizzes Erin and Sarah in a Lounge-themed homage to “The Newlywed Game” —“The Co-Host Game!” Sarah then stumps Erin and Rachel to guess their “Password”-inspired clues on “Mystery Word.” Finally, Erin takes sweet, spicy, cabbage-flavored revenge with a series of wacky minigames a la “I Survived a Japanese Game Show.”

Laugh along at home as the Ladies celebrate the show’s wooden anniversary in style.

To revisit the show’s previous anniversary episodes, click below:

• One Year Anniversary Shoebox Extravaganza! - KFUO Radio
• Rachel's Trivia Challenge: One Year Anniversary! - KFUO Radio
• TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Great Moments in Lutheran Lady History. - KFUO Radio
• Three Year Anniversary: Arch Book Shenanigans! - KFUO Radio
• The Party Planning Committee: A Farewell Extravaganza - KFUO Radio

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 Rev. Dr. Joel D. Biermann is the Waldemar A. and June Schuette Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and author of several books, including Day 7: For Work, Rest, or Play (new from CPH) and Wholly Citizens: God's Two Realms and Christian Engagement with the World (Fortress).

In this lively and insightful Kitchen Table Talk conversation, Dr. Biermann answers timely questions on how to live, talk, think, and vote faithfully as a Christian citizen.

Can Christians (in good conscience) opt out of the voting process? If we are to vote, how do our Lutheran doctrines of vocation and the “two realms” inform our civic engagement? What pitfalls should we try to avoid as we engage in party politics and the democratic process? Can Christians still vote their consciences when there don’t seem to be any truly good or godly choices on the ballot?

To learn and think more about this topic, subscribe to Dr. Biermann’s YouTube channel, or check out his recommended follow-up read, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis by James Davison Hunter.

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 Lutherans young and old head back to Sunday school this fall, Rachel wants to know: How much do you really know about the history of Sunday school?

It’s a Trivia Challenge for the back-to-school season, full of eye-opening factoids about the roots of Christian education in the church.

Where and when did the first “Sunday school” begin? What did pastors originally think about this ecclesial innovation? Why were Lutherans late — but enthusiastic — adopters of Sunday school for young people? And what on earth is a FLANNELGRAPH?

Resources referenced include:

• The Historical Development of the Sunday School Movement in the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (csl.edu)
• Christian Cyclopedia (lcms.org)
• The Christenlehre - Christian Culture (lutherclassical.org)
• Sunday school - Wikipedia
• Flannelgraph - Wikipedia
• Church and Families: The Latest Statistics on Church Attendance (churchleaders.com)

Related episodes:

• {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Adventures in Lutheranism(ish): Rally Day! - KFUO Radio
• {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Sharathon 2024: The Confirmation Party Planning Committee! - KFUO Radio
• {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Rachel's Trivia Challenge: Vacation Bible School - KFUO Radio
• {The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Erin's Recipe Card: Iron Ladle Challenge — VBS Snacks - KFUO Radio

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 should we be talking about that we’re not?”

That’s the starting prompt for every installment of “Erin’s One-Question Interview.” While the answers to this question may change, the quality of these vital, hard-hitting conversations remains the same.

In this episode, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel welcome special guest Cassie Moore into the Lounge to talk about one of the thorniest and most uncomfortable topics of all: suicide.

What do Lutherans really believe about suicide? Why are we so afraid to talk about it? How can we better engage in the sacred work of suicide prevention among hurting young people?

Cassie Moore is an author, speaker, LCMS youth ministry veteran, and fellow Lutheran lady. She is author of Authentic Youth Ministry: Straight Talk about Working with Kids, Teens & In-Betweens and creator of the webinar series From A to (Gen) Z: The Church and the Digital Generation with Concordia Publishing House. Learn more about her work at CassieAHMoore.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling, know that help is available. Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org. You are not alone. Jesus loves you, and so do we.

Resources referenced in this episode include:

• Resilient Minds - Christ-Centered Mental Health Curriculum (cph.org)
• Home - youthESource — free youth ministry resources
• I Will Grieve for the Suicide (lcms.org) — free ebook by the Rev. Peter Preus
• Word Of Hope (word-of-hope.org) — Lutherans for Life deaconess hotline
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Call. Text. Chat. (988lifeline.org)
• QPR Institute | Practical and Proven Suicide Prevention Training QPR Institute (en-US)
• Mental Health First Aid

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].