The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

Rev. Dr. Charles Gieschen — Provost and Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, and Rev. Dr. Ronald Mudge — Provost and Chief Academic Officer and Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, join Andy and guest co-host Rev. Dr. James Baneck for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about their journeys into church work, the various aspects of seminary life that shaped their individual pastoral formation, what has changed in pastoral formation and seminary life since their days in seminary, and the rigors of current seminary education. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. This program originally aired October 27, 2023.

How is Lutheran Heritage Foundation bringing the Good News of Jesus to people in many languages? Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise — Executive Director of Lutheran Heritage Foundation (LHF), and Rev. Dr. Ted NaThalang — Translation Coordinator for Asia with Lutheran Heritage Foundation, join Andy and Sarah to talk about the upcoming Translation Summit tied to the LCMS National Offering from the 2023 Synodical Convention, where both Dr. Heise and Dr. NaThalang have been able to travel, the impact of the many books LHF is able to produce, and upcoming projects for LHF. Learn more about the National Offering in the Coffee Hour episode here: kfuo.org/2023/02/28/coffee-hour-022823-lcms-national-offering and find Lutheran Heritage Foundation at LHFmissions.org.

How do we persist through the tests or trials of life in this broken world? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 5 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about overcoming through persistence, where we see this theme of persistence in Jeremiah's story, the difference between persistence with commitment to God’s calling and being stuck in a rut, how our perspective impact our persistence, how we persist through the tests or trials of life, and what it means to be persistent in hope. Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing is Professor of Theology & Ministry, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of The Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University St. Paul, and author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah available from Concordia Publishing House. Find all episodes in this series at kfuo.org/tag/overcoming-lifes-sorrows.

What is the Lutheran World Federation, and how do they differ theologically from the LCMS and our partner churches today? Rev. Dr. Jonathan Shaw, LCMS Church Relations Director, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about ecumenism and how Lutherans have historically approached it, how and why the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) began, what was accomplished through the collaborative efforts of churches in the LWF, and how the LWF differs theologically from the LCMS and our partner churches today. Download and read Dr. Shaw's paper at resources.lcms.org/reading-study/church-relations-the-lutheran-world-federation-today.

Deaconess Heidi Goehmann, LCSW, MSW, joins Andy and Sarah in our series on "Emotions and the Gospel" to talk about teens and emotions, including what might be in the emotional soup a teenager experiences, how changes in things like educational settings and biology can affect the emotional soup, and what parents and other adults who care about youth can do for our teens. Find the blog post mentioned at heidigoehmann.com/articles/the-truth-about-mental-health-teens-and-emotions-1. Find your copy of Emotions and the Gospel: Created for Connection at books.cph.org/emotions-and-the-gospel. Listen to all episodes in this series at kfuo.org/tag/emotions-and-the-gospel. Hear Mental Health Mondays each Monday at 9am CT, or listen to all episodes at kfuo.org/tag/mental-health-monday. View Deaconess Heidi's Mental Health Playlist on Youtube, listen to the Life in Relationship Podcast, and find all of her writings and resources at heidigoehmann.com. This program originally aired May 8, 2023.

How does the Divine Service form Christians and church workers? Rev. Sean Daenzer, LCMS Director of Worship and LCMS International Center Chaplain, joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about how the Lord guided him to become a pastor, how his love for church music and worship developed, who has most shaped his understanding and love of worship, how the Divine Service formed him as a Christian and pastor, and the importance of the Divine Service in forming church workers. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

KFUO Radio has been expanding, and now you can hear us all over the St. Louis metro area on FM stations! Gary Duncan, Executive Director of LCMS Radio / KFUO Radio, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about where we've been over the last 100 years, how KFUO has stayed at the forefront of technology since 1924, and how we came to own multiple AM and FM stations in the St. Louis area. Find coverage maps for the new FM and AM frequencies below. KFUO Radio FM (and legacy AM) 92.7 FM: St. Charles County radio-locator.com/info/K224FT-FX 104.5 FM: Metro East, downtown St. Louis, and North St. Louis County radio-locator.com/info/K283CI-FX 105.3 FM: Mid-St. Louis County and North Jefferson County radio-locator.com/info/K287BY-FX 850 AM radio-locator.com/info/KFUO-AM KXFN (sacred music and prayer) 1380 AM radio-locator.com/info/KXFN-AM

It's time for a new KFUO Radio intern! Benjamin Crawford, KFUO's Summer Intern, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what he's studying in college, why he was interested in the KFUO Radio internship, what he's learned so far and what he's looking forward to, and our classic Lightning Round of favorites.

How might the Lord use tests in our lives? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 4 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about what it means for God to test us, how God's Word describes the state of our hearts, the difference between Biblical usage of "heart" and how we use it today, how tests were a part of Jeremiah's life, and how God provides for us through the tests. Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing is Professor of Theology & Ministry, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of The Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University St. Paul, and author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah available from Concordia Publishing House. Find all episodes in this series at kfuo.org/tag/overcoming-lifes-sorrows.

How do churches serve their immediate communities, and what does an LCMS Chaplain do? Rev. Jeremy Gorline, pastor of Child of God Lutheran Church and School in St. Peters, MO (KFUO Radio's Church of the Week), and US Navy Reserve Chaplain, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about how Child of God Lutheran Church and School serves the community, how Rev. Gorline serves as an LCMS Chaplain, how Chaplains serve in the Armed Forces, and how his role as a Reserve Chaplain impacts and shapes the ministry at Child of God. Learn more about Child of God Lutheran Church and School at coglcs.com.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. How do we understand depression and help our loved ones with depression? Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs — author of Making Christian Counseling More Christ Centered (WestBow Press, 2019), Senior Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, LCMS Pastor, and Licensed Psychologist, joins Andy and Sarah for Mental Health Monday to talk about the sorts of questions that people with mental disorders ask themselves and their counselors, how we help children understand mental disorders, what is the key to know when we need to seek help, a helpful way to think about depression, and the role of a pastor in treatment of depression. Find Dr. Marrs' booklet from Lutheran Hour Ministries Journey Through Depression at shoplhm.org/journey-through-depression. Find Dr. Marrs' book at westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/779045-Making-Christian-Counseling-More-Christ-Centered. Hear Mental Health Mondays each Monday at 9am CT! Find all episode with the tag "Mental Health Monday."

What's the journey to becoming a deaconess student? Virginia Schweigert, deaconess student beginning in Fall 2024, and her pastor Rev. Warren Woerth, Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Arnold, MO, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about how Virginia learned about the deaconess vocation, why she was interested in pursuing this vocation as a second career, how her previous vocations will serve her in this work, how this journey has influence the congregation at Good Shepherd, and why forming church workers is important to both Pastor Woerth and Good Shepherd. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

Where did the day of Pentecost come from, and how do we observe it today? Rev. Sean Daenzer, LCMS Director of Worship and Chaplain for the LCMS International Center, joins Andy and Pastor Cleland to talk about the history of the day of Pentecost.  We look at the origins in the biblical Feast of Weeks and the Church's observance of Pentecost today. This program originally aired May 20, 2021.

Is it possible to make idols out of good things in life? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 3 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about how we define idols, how we take good gifts and twist them into idols, how we get rid of these idols, and how our ever-present God addresses our loneliness and discouragement. Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing is Professor of Theology & Ministry, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of The Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University St. Paul, and author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah available from Concordia Publishing House. Find all episodes in this series at kfuo.org/tag/overcoming-lifes-sorrows.

How does the host of Sharper Iron connect the radio ministry to his home congregation? Rev. Timothy Appel, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL (KFUO Radio's Church of the Week), and host of Sharper Iron on KFUO Radio, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about what makes Faith Lutheran Church unique, how children and adults are formed in the faith, how the saints at Faith serve each other and the surrounding community, and how hosting Sharper Iron serves not only the wide KFUO audience but also Faith Lutheran Church. Find Faith Lutheran Church at flcgodfrey.org and all episodes of Sharper Iron at kfuo.org/category/sharper-iron.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Why is this important to us as Christians, and how do we understand the national conversation about mental health? Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs — author of Making Christian Counseling More Christ Centered (WestBow Press, 2019), Senior Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, LCMS Pastor, and Licensed Psychologist, joins Andy and Sarah for Mental Health Monday to talk about how many people in the US are affected by health problems or mental disorders, why it's important to talk about Mental Health, how people with Mental Disorders still get treated differently than people with physical illnesses like cancer or heart disease or diabetes, how attitudes about mental health have changed with each generation, and where we see mental health conversations normalized in culture now. Find Dr. Marrs' book at westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/779045-Making-Christian-Counseling-More-Christ-Centered. Hear Mental Health Mondays each Monday at 9am CT! Find all episode with the tag "Mental Health Monday."

What is a Director of Church Ministries (DCM) program, and how are these students prepared to serve the Church? Paige Mielke — sophomore DCM student at Concordia University Wisconsin, and Grace Sugg — senior DCM student going to serve at Ascension Lutheran Church in Montreal, Quebec (Partnering with Mission of Christ Network), join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about the Director of Church Ministries program at Concordia University Wisconsin, why they each chose to pursue church work and the DCM program in particular, how their classes and formation have affirmed their interest in serving the church as a DCM, the classes they've taken to prepare to serve as a DCM, and their plans for the coming year. Learn mor about the Director of Church Ministries program at Concordia University Wisconsin at cuw.edu/academics/programs/director-church-ministries-bachelors/index.html. Learn more about the Set Apart to Serve Initiative at lcms.org/setaparttoserve. Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers. Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations. Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS: 1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers. 2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers. 3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation. To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

What does it take to organize and prepare for a Hymn Festival? Dr. John Behnke — Organist at Trinity Lutheran Church of Southwest Florida, Composer, and Professor Emeritus of Concordia University Wisconsin, and Mark Thoelke — Director of Worship and Music at Zion Lutheran Church Harvester in St. Charles, MO, join Sarah and guest co-host Jordan Harms to talk about Dr. Behnke's journey into serving as a church musician, where his love for music began, how he began to compose music, and where he studied and grew as a musician. Mark Thoelke shares about the history of the hymn festival at Zion and how Dr. Behnke has been a part of the hymn festival at Zion. Learn more about Zion and their events at zionharvester.org/churchevents. Watch the performance of this hymn festival on YouTube at youtu.be/kSeINiHRdvw?si=5_tJGvlmYyA71SLc.

What does Jeremiah teach us about God’s Word? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 2 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about the role of a prophet, what Jeremiah teaches us about God's Word, how Jeremiah interacts with God's Word in unique ways (see: eating a scroll), where Jesus is in the words of Jeremiah, and how Jeremiah uses God's Word. Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing is Professor of Theology & Ministry, Director of the Pre-Seminary Program, and Director of The Center for Biblical Studies at Concordia University St. Paul, and author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah available from Concordia Publishing House. Find all episodes in this series at kfuo.org/tag/overcoming-lifes-sorrows.

What are the latest happenings at The Old Latin School in Wittenberg, Germany? Rev. Dr. Wilhem Weber, Managing Director of the International Lutheran Society of Wittenberg and The Old Latin School in Wittenberg, joins Andy and guest co-host Aubrey Blank (KFUO Radio intern) to talk about the purpose of The Old Latin School, how Ukrainian refugees are being served at the Old Latin School and why this is important to them, how The Old Latin School is meeting the housing needs of refugees moving to Wittenberg, how The Old Latin School partners with other Lutheran organizations, the exciting additions to the library, and how daily prayer and corporate worship are a part of life at the Old Latin School. Learn more, including how to support and visit The Old Latin School, at oldlatinschool.org.