The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge from KFUO Radio

What does it mean to be the “perfect” seminary wife?

This is “Bri’s Big Question” for back-to-school season, and the answer, it turns out, is, well … complicated, at best.

Being married to a pastor or seminary student (or any church worker or church work student, for that matter) can be as fraught with anxiety and expectation as it is filled with blessings. It’s a way of life that at various times calls for humility, flexibility, resilience, self-awareness, desperate faith, a dash of therapy, and a whole lot of love.

Drawing on the real-life experiences of sem-wife Bri and pastor’s-wife Rachel — and further informed by a range of voices from the Concordia Seminary Facebook wives group — this honest conversation offers hard-won practical wisdom both to women who are “married to the ministry” and to women who want to better understand and support the ministry families around them.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

In this “How to Lutheran” episode, Bri offers a heartfelt tribute to that acme of Lutheran artistic expression: the felt Confirmation banner.

Tracing the history of felt making back to its earliest roots in ancient Mesopotamia and touching on the long legacy of faithful women creating liturgical fiber arts as an act of devotion and encouragement, the Ladies also reflect on their own Confirmation memories and consider the significance of this spiritual rite in the lives of those who receive it.

The episode ends with a discussion of Confirmation Bible verses, as Sarah, Erin, and Rachel propose alternate “runner-up” verses for Bri, whose actual Confirmation verse was lost (along with her banner) many years ago.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

What do the Lutheran Ladies talk about when they think no one’s listening?

Sometimes Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge recording sessions flow smoothly and without interruptions. Sometimes they don’t—and when that happens, super-producer Sarah has a little cutting to do.

In this Lounge short, the ladies gather up a few loose scraps from the cutting room floor and offer them as a full-length stand-alone outtake. If you’ve ever wished you could be a fly on the wall during a “time out” in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge, here’s your chance.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

In her latest “Hymn Sing” episode, resident #hymnnerd Sarah treats Erin, Bri, and Rachel to the history and personalities behind several favorite evening-time hymns and lullabies, focusing especially on listener favorites “Abide with Me,” “Now the Light Has Gone Away,” and “Now Rest beneath Night’s Shadow.”

Did you know that Henry Francis Lyte wrote “Abide with Me” as a kind of self-obituary? Or that Francis Havergal’s English version of Luise Hensel’s “Mude Bin Ich” is more of a paraphrase than a translation? Or that Johann Gerhardt caught Enlightenment-era flack for some of the logical (yet theologically appropriate) inconsistencies in his most famous nighttime hymn?

Grab your pillow and snuggle into your jammies. As it turns out, there’s no better way to end the day than with a hymn.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

In this Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge short, the Ladies discuss their options and announce the next book club read: Rosa Young’s Light in the Dark Belt.

Click to learn more about or order Light in the Dark Belt; to listen to Sarah’s Story Time episode on the life of Rosa Young; or to check out LCMS Black Ministry’s recommended reading list and resource order form; or to browse all the Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club picks and honorable mentions to date.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

In this episode, Rachel leads Sarah, Erin, and Bri in a recap discussion of the latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club selection: Edie Wadsworth’s memoir All the Pretty Things.

What makes poverty such a complex and thorny problem? What is the essence of Christian hospitality (and how does it tie into evangelism)? How does experiencing church for the first time (or for the first time … again) help us appreciate God’s gifts with new eyes? How can a memoir teach us compassion for people who carry around wounds we may know nothing about?

At the end of the discussion, the Ladies announce the next book club read: Rosa Young’s Light in the Dark Belt.

Click to learn more about All the Pretty Things or Light in the Dark Belt; to listen to Sarah’s Story Time episode on the life of Rosa Young; or to check out LCMS Black Ministry’s recommended reading list and resource order form.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

In her latest “One-Question Interview,” Erin and the Ladies welcome Deaconess Tiffany Manor to the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge for an engaging, wide-ranging conversation about life, vocation, community, advocacy, and the church.

“Be present,” the newly installed LCMS Director of Life Ministry tells listeners who want to make a difference for life.

“Be curious. And listen.”

LCMS Life Ministry supports and encourages life “in the image of God,” through life-affirming programming, advocacy and teaching at both the national and international level. Learn more here.

Deaconness Tiffany Manor is director of LCMS Life Ministry under the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM). Before joining the ONM, Manor served the LCMS New England District in the areas of church worker wellness, human care and school ministry. She also contributed to the Synod’s Ministerial Care Coalition (MC2); volunteered as a counselor at a pregnancy resource center; and served on the Lutherans For Life board of directors. Manor earned a Master of Arts in Deaconess Studies from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Congregation and Family Care at Bethel Seminary, Arden Hills, Minn.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

(SL)AW YEAH. It’s Slawfest season in the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge.

In the latest installment of “Erin’s Recipe Card,” Erin introduces Sarah, Bri, and Rachel to a tangy twist on a summertime favorite: Cowboy Coleslaw.

Will Rachel love or hate this complex concoction featuring apples, grapes, dill pickles, onions, and stone ground mustard? Can Sarah find a way to modify the recipe that will allow her to enjoy coleslaw again for the first time in years? And what makes Bri love coleslaw so very much?

Tune in to learn all about the recipe that will have people talking (in a good way!) at your next church picnic — and don’t miss Bri’s epic power ballad to coleslaw at the halfway mark.

Cowboy Slaw

Combine for the dressing:

1/3 – 1 c mayonnaise

2 T vinegar

1 T sugar

2 t coarse brown mustard

1⁄2 t salt

1⁄2 t freshly ground black pepper

Combine for the salad:

4-5 c coarsely shredded cabbage

2 med tart apples, chopped

3 lg dill pickles (1 c), chopped

1 c seedless grapes, halved

1⁄4 c chopped onion

Combine dressing and salad, mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge 2-6 hours before serving.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

Which is the greatest church picnic activity of all time?

Bri attempts a definitive answer in her latest installment of “How to Lutheran,” as she offers listeners a ranked list of the best — and worst — ways to pass the time at a summertime church picnic.

Which is better: softball, kickball, or dodgeball? Why do mothers in particular hate the egg toss? Which picnic activity has the most fanatical adherents? Which is almost guaranteed to end (or at least seriously strain) childhood friendships?

Find out answers to these questions and more — including the ultimate question: which will win? — in this hilarious send-up of a beloved summertime tradition.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878) was not German; neither was she Lutheran. How, then, did this 19th-century Anglican literary spinster become the foremost translator of German Lutheran hymns into English?

In her new “Story Time” episode, Sarah introduces Erin, Bri, and Rachel to the life and times of Lutheranism’s most ubiquitous female translator, the woman who penned the English lyrics to many of the our most cherished hymns, including “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” “From Heav’n Above to Earth I Come,” and “Now Thank We All Our God.”

From her sickly childhood, to her distinctive education, travels abroad, translation work, and advocacy for women’s education, to her untimely death in 1878, Winkworth’s life was marked by faith, hope, and loving devotion to her craft. This episode is sure to give you a new understanding and appreciation of this remarkable woman and the hymn lyrics she left behind.

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erin.alter), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.