Making Mercy Possible
Pr. Katie teaches us in one of her favorite scriptures how Jesus shows us how to follow the rules of God but in doing so still show each other mercy.
Jul 11, 2025•33 min•Season 3Ep. 115
Faith First
Dig into God’s word with informal conversation around the scripture and ways to apply the message to our lives. We’ll pray for you, chat about what’s brewing around our church, First Lutheran in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and take your questions about faith and life. Join us as we put our Faith First.
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Episodes
Passing of the Peace
Pr. Craig & Pr. Katie talk about Christ's mission to send people into our lives to reach us with God's peace and our call to reach out in peace to others. Join us as we give thanks to those who taught us and loved us in the faith and honor them by paying it forward to others this 4th of July.
Jul 02, 2025•31 min•Season 3Ep. 114
Freedom From Roundabouts
Do you ever feel stuck in your faith? Pr. Katie teaches us how to get out of going in circles like driving endlessly in a roundabout if we just listen to God, yield to others, and follow the exit Jesus creates us for us. Once we've been set free...now what? Pr. Craig ponders how and where God might be leading us next.
Jun 26, 2025•31 min•Season 3Ep. 113
Discovering What Unites Us
Pr. Katie & Pr. Craig talk about the unifying powers of the Christian Church from the book of Galatians the uniting power of Baptism as we've done a lot of them lately! And Bob Koenig gives an update on the schedule and budget of our ongoing renovations.
Jun 19, 2025•34 min•Season 3Ep. 112
Penn State Fumble
Pr. Craig teaches the Penn State football team how our losses shape our victory which is ultimately what Christ does by using the "loss" of the defeat on the cross to shape the victory of the empty tomb and new life.
Jun 14, 2025•29 min•Season 3Ep. 111
Is Kindness a Foreign Tongue Today?
Pr. Katie and Pr. Craig muse if kindness is a foreign tongue today and if so, how might it be our call to "speak in tongues" to the world around us spreading Christ's love and light.
Jun 06, 2025•29 min•Season 3Ep. 110
Discovering Unity
Pr. Craig & Pr. Katie chat about practical steps we can take to follow Jesus' advice to build unity in order to inspire others while Dir. of Support Services Bob Koenig gives us an update on our construction now underway to renovate our building from bottom to top.
May 30, 2025•39 min•Season 3Ep. 109
Remembering God's Peace
This Memorial Day weekend Pr. Katie asks us to think about those who served and sacrificed for our peaceful freedom but also to remember that our true peace that surpasses all understanding comes from above.
May 22, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 108
Thank You Deb Hansen
Spiritual Director Deborah Hansen shares the wisdom she's learned over a lifetime of listening to God and others as she prepares to say good-bye to First Lutheran while Pr. Katie breaks down the theology of what happens when people part, especially our graduates and their families.
May 16, 2025•50 min•Season 3Ep. 107
Teaching Creativity
FLC Member and first year teacher Kirsten Hermstad chats with Pr. Craig about creation, life, death, and the advancements coming in teaching science to the next generation.
May 10, 2025•42 min•Season 3Ep. 106
Reclaiming Peter
Jesus reclaims Peter back into the fold by forgiving him the exact number of times Peter betrayed Jesus. Pr. Steve says this is a good example of how our stumbles along the way can have the biggest impact in our journey how God ultimately shapes our good news we share with others.
May 02, 2025•30 min•Season 3Ep. 105
And Now the GOOD News
After Jesus' resurrection Thomas gives the strongest profession of faith in the entire Bible. So why do we stick him with the nickname "Doubting Thomas?" Pr. Craig tells Pr. Steve our entire experience in life depends how we spin it as we begin a new worship series with the focus "And Now the Good News."
Apr 25, 2025•33 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Nevertheless...
As bad as things seem to be getting in our world, nevertheless the resurrection at Easter is about to change everything. Pr. Steve, Pr. Katie, and Pr. Craig ponder the mysteries of God at work in our world this Holy Week.
Apr 17, 2025•38 min•Season 2Ep. 103
Passionate God
Pr. Steve describes step-by-step the passionate depths that God in Christ is willing to go for each of us over the next week starting on Palm Sunday while Pr. Craig looks into what other churches are doing to allow you to leave the phone on the hook and just simply send a text into the church.
Apr 11, 2025•33 min•Season 2Ep. 102
Expensive Love
Pr. Craig is floored how a contestant on the TV show Survivor is willing to risk a million dollars for a personal relationship. Perhaps just as wild as Mary dumping a year's salary worth of perfume on Jesus' feet to show her love for him. Discover what situation you feel it's ok to extravagantly spend money on someone in this week's Faith First podcast.
Apr 04, 2025•32 min•Season 101Ep. 2
100!
In the 100th episode of the Faith First podcast we talk with special guest Bishop Amy Current about the future of the church and Pr. Steve and Pr. Craig take you inside the numbers and count down your Top 10 favorite episodes so far.
Mar 27, 2025•50 min•Season 2Ep. 100
Impatient Agriculture
How long do you let something good that is seemingly no good? Pr. Craig & Pr. Steve ponder what Jesus was trying to tell us about NOT cutting down a lifeless tree and how we might learn about God's grace for us and our call to have mercy on others.
Mar 20, 2025•35 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Updating Schools & Waiting on God
Cedar Rapids Superintendent Dr. Tawana Grover chats with Pr. Craig about possibly renovating McKinley Middle School while Pr. Steve proposes a new way for us to wait for God to fulfill God's promises.
Mar 14, 2025•40 min
Lord's Supper Carving
Do you know who studied with artist Grant Wood? FLC Members Tom Olmstead and Susan Padget's grandfather, that's who! Find out his connection to our church and learn how Jesus is able to avoid temptation as we begin to Hunger for God.
Mar 07, 2025•35 min•Ep. 97
Do Unto Others
Nancy Scheumann talks about her call to bring light into the darkness to families dealing with child abuse while Pr. Steve wrestles with more challenging words from Jesus to us to "Do unto others as you would have them do to you."
Feb 21, 2025•33 min
Winning the Game of Life
Henry & Ellen Mueller share some exciting news they believe will help our church grow young while Pr. Craig lets you in on his his secret to how he always wins The Game of Life and how that might run opposite to how Jesus warns us to live in the scripture know as the Beatitudes.
Feb 13, 2025•37 min
Including the Unwanted
FLC Member Marcia Ziemer shares how God is calling her at her job at TransAmerica while Jesus reaches beyond the chosen peoples' borders and Pr. Craig desperately seeks a sermon to call his own.
Jan 30, 2025•32 min
Learning the Language of English & Faith
FLC Member Kristin Wolfe shares her story how she sees God moving in her life as a school teacher, Mom, and person of faith while Pr. Steve talks about proclaiming Christ to people in our midst.
Jan 23, 2025•34 min
Stoking the Fire of Faith
Fireplace Installer Jason Shire shares the ways God has called him and continues to work through him as a dad, a business owner, and a person of faith while Pr. Katie shares the faith in the everyday of a house blessing and a wedding party as we continue to study what it means to follow Jesus everywhere.
Jan 17, 2025•33 min
Sharing News & Comfort
Pr. Craig opens up about his struggles to see God's purpose for his life as a news reporter as we all ponder where God may be guiding us professionally. Plus Daniel Luepke stops by with an update on his pastor training and a listener shares an inspirational Christmas story.
Jan 10, 2025•38 min
“Follow Jesus Everywhere”
Did God call you to do your current job? Pr. Craig ponders the question with special guest Dr. Craig Nessan as Pr. Steve introduces us to our new worship series “Follow Jesus Everywhere.”
Jan 03, 2025•33 min
It's Christmas!
Pr. Steve shares deeper insights into his Christmas Eve message while FLC Member Stephanie Phelps tells us what's it's like to play elf to 150 kids in need.
Dec 25, 2024•34 min
Speaking Truth Into Being
Pr. Craig teaches us about how John the Baptist's parents spoke truth into his life at a young age and how that might have given him courage to pave the way for Christ while FLC Member Doug Pauls describes the method to his madness of creating 1,500 Jesse Tree blocks.
Dec 19, 2024•33 min
A Boy Who Brings Hope
Pr. Katie ponders God's choosing of David, a young boy who shepherds sheep, to rise to greatness.. He falters but God still uses the imperfect person to guide God's people, eventually giving us the line that produces Christ, the savior of the world.
Dec 13, 2024•32 min
Coat Them with Kindness
We examine what Joseph and the Colorful Coat can teach us in an era of football brawls, family division, and political retribution.
Dec 05, 2024•31 min
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