The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge from KFUO Radio

In this special hour-long Sharathon episode, which aired on KFUO Radio AM 850 on Thursday, June 25, 2020, the Ladies offer listeners a representative sampling (in miniature!) of four different kinds of Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge podcast episodes:

• “Hymn Sing with Sarah” digs into the backstory of the beloved Tanzanian hymn “Listen, God Is Calling.”
• “Rachel’s Trivia Challenge” quizzes Ladies and listeners alike on the early history of KFUO.
• “Erin’s Recipe Card” showcases devilled egg recipes that run the gamut from classic to daring.
• “How to Lutheran with Bri” pays homage to the faithful generosity of donors around the LCMS.

Prayerfully consider supporting KFUO Radio at kfuo.org/sharathon.

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.

Happy Father’s Day from the Lutheran Ladies!

Not being fathers themselves, Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel take the unusual step of inviting two veteran fathers and friends of the show — Michael Grannis and Tony Alter (better known to listeners as “Erin’s Dad”) — into the Lounge for a special Father’s Day interview.

Reflecting on what fatherhood means to them, what Lutheran women can do to support fathers, and how churches and church leaders can play a vital role in the lives of young men without fathers, this lively and far-ranging conversation will provide rich and timely food for thought.

The episode ends with a groan-inducing round of “Dad jokes,” led by Bri.

The Rev. Michael Grannis is senior administrative pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Lincoln Park, Mich., and the proud father of eight children. The Rev. Tony Alter is a retired LCMS pastor, who remains grateful to his childhood congregation of Immanuel Lutheran in Memphis, TN, (then under the leadership of Pastor Gordon Gross) for helping him find and live into his vocation as both a father and a pastor.

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.

It’s summer—and in most Lutheran churches, at least, and in most years, that means Vacation Bible School.

In her latest Trivia Challenge, Rachel quizzes Sarah, Erin, and Bri on the past, present, and uncertain future of this beloved children’s ministry tradition.

Who hosted the world’s first VBS programs and when? What factors helped make Lutherans relatively late (but nonetheless enthusiastic) adopters? What makes a Lutheran VBS so distinctive? How is Concordia Publishing House working to create innovative resources to help churches do VBS during a pandemic?

A hilarious lightning round at the end encourages listeners to guess: VBS theme or 60s B movie?

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.

Argula von Grumbach (1492–c. 1554) was a Bavarian noblewoman who became the first Protestant woman writer, publishing letters and poems defending Martin Luther’s groundbreaking theology.

In this installment of “Story Time with Sarah,” Sarah introduces Rachel, Erin, and Bri, to one of the coolest ladies of the Lutheran Reformation you’ve probably never heard of. Learn about how Lady Argula’s education, life experiences, and “straight shooting” personality each prepared her for the distinctive role she played in the early years after Luther’s 95 Theses — and about the high price she and her family paid for her outspoken promotion of Lutheran ideas.

Click to learn more about Argula von Grumbach or to read the full text of her 1523 letter to the University of Ingolstadt.

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.

It’s summer — and for many of us, that means beaches … and sunbathing … and swimsuits …

(Feeling insecure yet?)

In this episode of The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge, Bri leads Sarah, Erin, and Rachel in a conversation full of big questions about what it means to be “body positive” in the Kingdom of God.

How can we better understand our bodies — and the food and exercise that sustain them — as good gifts of God? How do Christ’s “rich wounds yet visible above” help us reimagine our own physical scars? How can we make peace with our bodies (no matter what they look like) and learn to become godly stewards of the physical vitality God has given us?

In short: what happens when we learn to measure our worth by the cross of Christ and not our pant size?

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.

It’s time once again to finalize the next pick for the Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club! The category this time is “memoir,” and every one of the four finalists came directly from the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group.

Listen in to this Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge short to hear which book they (and hopefully you!) will be reading next.

Members of the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge group on Facebook can watch the events page for a chance to RSVP to the next book club discussion, coming in July, 2020.

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.

Katherine Paterson’s Newbery Award-winning novel Jacob Have I Loved has been inspiring deep personal reflection for four decades. In this latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club recap episode, Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel draw upon insights from their fellow online book club members as they talk their way through some of the big questions and ideas raised by this “deceptively simple” book.

What do we leave behind as we grow up? How does physical isolation intensify relationships? Do we really have to carry around the bitterness we feel? Who are the people who speak truth to us that we can actually hear? And how do the years change the way we encounter a beloved book?

At the end of the episode, they announce the next Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club’s pick: Edie Wadsworth’s All the Pretty Things: The Story of a Southern Girl Who Went through Fire to Find Her Way Home.

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.

Ready for an extravaganza of colored fluffs and congealed salads? Good!

In this special extended installment of Erin’s Recipe Card, the Lutheran Ladies pull out recipes old and new as they prepare and taste test an eclectic range of variations on that iconic Lutheran potluck staple: Jell-O® salad.

Whether you prefer your gelatin sweet or savory or somewhere in between, unadorned or crammed full of flavors and textures, barely sweetened or knock-your-socks-off sugary, you’re sure to encounter a recipe here that tickles your fancy.

Find recipes and photos of the ladies' creations at facebook.com/groups/lutheranladieslounge.

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.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and to celebrate the occasion, Rachel’s three young “Lutheran Ladies-in-training” recently stopped by the Lounge to give their mother a few minutes’ much-needed time off.

In this special “Mom’s Day Out” edition of Bri’s Big Question, Bri quizzes Elanor, Evalyn, and Emalie Bomberger on a wide range of topics including why they love church, what they really think about their mom, and which potluck foods they like best — and also least. (The answers may surprise you …)

It’s barely controlled chaos (in the best sense of the word), and Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel have rarely had more fun on air.

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.