Rachel leads Sarah and Erin in a lively romp through their latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club selection, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

What does this book written by a woman about a woman surrounded by women teach us about what it means to be a woman? How comfortable are we really with Jane and Rochester's May/December, boss/employee romance? How well do the book’s many religious moments and messages fit within a Lutheran worldview? What difference does it make in a person’s life to know how to forgive others — quickly, freely, and completely?

At the end of the episode, the Ladies announce their next book club pick: Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.

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].

At the beginning of this new calendar year, Sarah’s celebrating beginnings — specifically those hymns in the “Beginning of Service” section of Lutheran Service Book. These classic favorites may sometimes go unnoticed and unappreciated, sitting as they do at the very back of the hymnal, but there’s nothing unlovable about them.

Hymns covered in this episode include “Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty (LSB 901), LSB 902 “Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now” (LSB 902), “Come, Thou Almighty King” (LSB 905), “O Day of Rest and Gladness” (LSB 906), “God Himself Is Present” (LSB 907), and “Christ Is Our Cornerstone” (LSB 912).

Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook group members click here to view and participate in our ongoing poll!

Learn more about the Friedenkirchen (“Churches of Peace”) discussed at length in the episode here.

Hear musicians from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Saint Charles, Missouri, perform "Lord, We’ve Come This Day to Worship” (the dark horse hymn of the episode) on YouTube.

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].

There's a star in the East, and Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar — together with their newfound friend and hanger-on Trish (who has just completed her "spiritual road trip certification") — are on an epic journey to worship the Christ child in the manger.

Will they opt for meaningful and traditional gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh), or impulse buy the adorable onesie instead? Will they fall for Herod's duplicity, or decide that he definitely doesn't "pass the vibe check"? And will Trish lead the whole party astray at the first Chick-fil-A sign she sees?

Former co-host Bri Gerzevske (along with her hilarious alter ego, Trish) is back for an all-new Epiphany Radio Theatre sketch: "The Four Magi Road Trippin'."

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.

Click to browse previous episodes of Bri's Radio Theatre.

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].

“ You have told a story that no other living person could have told us.”

This Wild Card episode is a glimpse into KFUO Radio’s rich 100 years of history with audio from KFUO’s 25th Anniversary in 1949. KFUO Host Elmer Knoernschild interviewed Certified Lutheran Lady Mrs. Kretzschmar, who was the wife of one of KFUO’s founders, the Rev. Dr. Richard Kretzschmar. In this conversation, she shared her memories of those very early days of KFUO Radio and how the Lord made this dream of a radio ministry a reality.

 “Dr. Maier very often has something to say about that meeting that we were in. I said, oh yes, that day I thought you were both dreaming. He said, I thought that myself.”

“That's right, but it was a dream that came true. The Lord saw to that.”

Find more KFUO history at kfuo.org/100.

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. John Kleinig is emeritus lecturer at Luther College, Adelaide, South Australia, and author of several books on Lutheran theology and spirituality, including Grace upon Grace, Wonderfully Made, and the volume on Prayer in the Lutheran Spirituality Series. In this warm and pastoral Kitchen Table Talk conversation originally from February 23, 2024, Dr. Kleinig answers vital questions on prayer from a biblical Lutheran perspective.

What is prayer? What different forms does it take? Is there such a thing as a “Lutheran rosary”? How does Christ teach us to pray, even today, through His Word? What does it really mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”?

For further reading, check out the following books by Dr. Kleinig, which were referenced in the episode:

• Lutheran Spirituality: Prayer
• Grace upon Grace: Spirituality for Today
• Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body

For further listening, check out our Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club discussion of Wonderfully Made.

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].

How well do you know your favorite holiday songs? We're revisiting an episode of Rachel’s Trivia Challenge—all about Christmas carols!

Which beloved Christmas Eve hymn originally referenced Baby Jesus’s curly hair? Which carol writer once posed as the Virgin Mary for a famous pre-Raphaelite painting? Which faux medieval ballad is regularly sung at Boar’s Head Festivals around the country? And the trickiest question of all: which Christmas carol is Sarah’s all-time favorite (today)?

A lightning round at the end challenges listeners to identify carols based only on the title or first line of the song in its language of origin.

Click through to listen to previous Rachel’s Trivia Challenge 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].

Five years after their first Christmas Poetry Slam in 2019 (routinely “regifted” ever since), the Ladies have finally picked up their pens to write a fresh batch of poems for the holiday season.

And this time, they have help.

Joining Sarah, Erin, and Rachel in the Lounge are authors Katie Schuermann and Lisa Clark. Together, they share original Christmas poems ranging from psalms of lament to epic odes to hilarious parodies. Whether you cry or laugh (or do both at once), you’ll almost certainly be inspired to make poetry a more regular part of your holiday celebrations.

Katie Schuermann is a household name in many LCMS circles, beloved for her cozy novels (among them, our summer book club pick The Saints of Whistle Grove) and for her nonfiction books including He Remembers the Barren and Pew Sisters. Click to visit Katie’s website or browse her books from Concordia Publishing House, Kloria Publishing, and Emmanuel Press. Download the music for her poem "The Last Shall Be First" here.

Lisa M. Clark is an editor at Concordia Publishing House and the author of devotions, picture books, Bible curricula, Christmas programs, young adult novels — and literally hundreds of original hymn texts. Click to browse Lisa Clark’s books at Concordia Publishing House.

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].

“Once upon a time, in a city far, far away (otherwise known as St. Louis), a few men with a big dream and even bigger prayers began a radio ministry that would last the test of time for 100 years ...”

In a major milestone for Lutheran broadcasting, KFUO Radio (home of the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge podcast) is celebrating 100 continuous years on the air this month. In this trivia-rich Story Time episode, Sarah relates key moments from a century of audio excellence.

From its launch in a drafty attic studio to its Lutheran Hour glory days to a landmark 1998 legal victory for religious liberty, KFUO’s history has been marked by boldness, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to the Gospel.

To learn more about KFUO’s history and current programming, check out ...

• 100th Anniversary - KFUO Radio
• KFUO Centennial Documentary
• (8) 100 Years of Christ for You. - YouTube
• KFUO Radio

For more information about the early history of radio broadcasting in America, visit ...

• Early Days of Radio, 1920 — Vermont Historical Society
• Radio Activity: The 100th Anniversary of Public Broadcasting | Smithsonian

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].

Chaplain Sean Daenzer joins Sarah, Erin, and Rachel for another Kitchen Table Talk conversation — this time on the theological hot topic of individual Confession and Absolution.

What is individual (or private) Confession and Absolution? What biblical basis and historical basis is there for this practice? How did Luther (in the Small Catechism) recommend it be done? How does Lutheran Confession and Absolution differ from the more culturally familiar Roman Catholic version of the rite? Why did Lutherans largely abandon this historic practice — and why is it seeing a resurgence today? Who can benefit from it? And how, exactly, does individual Confession and Absolution even work, practically speaking?

Discover more biblical teaching and preaching from Chaplain Sean Daenzer in the KFUO Radio archives.

Find the Small Catechism at catechism.cph.org.

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 a special Leading Ladies crossover with Sarah Goes to School, Sarah welcomes Deaconess Dr. Kim Schave for a conversation on leadership, vocation, and psychological safety. What is psychological safety in the workplace, and what happens when organizations do or don't practice it? How can ministry leaders incorporate psychological safety in faith-based environments?

Deaconess Dr. Kim Schave is Director of MBA and MSBA Programs and Assistant Professor of Accounting at Concordia University Wisconsin & Ann Arbor Schools of Business. She was previously executive director of Humanitri in St. Louis and Director of Project and Policy Administration with the LCMS.

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].