The Ladies are celebrating our nation's birthday on July 4 by revisiting a favorite episode from 2022 all about hymns for the nation. Hymns for the Nation, or Patriotic Songs? Or both? As Americans are celebrating Independence Day, Lutherans once again consider the worth of hymns and songs that focus on God’s gift of land and government. Within the context of our Two Realms (or Two Kingdoms) theology, Sarah considers the hymns found in the “Nation and National Songs” section of the Lutheran Serv...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 3 min
[Enter Sarah]: “All right! Here we go! Time to record our 300th episode. Open up the studio. Turn on the mics... Wait a sec. Where’s Rachel? For that matter, where’s Erin? Where are my fellow Lutheran Ladies? My sisters in Christ? Something is definitely fishy here.” What happens when Erin and Rachel are late to a podcast recording session and Katharine Von Bora shows up instead — in her very own, state-of-the-art herring barrel time machine? It’s a Story Time adventure for the ages as the Luthe...
Jun 27, 2025•32 min
The word “heretic” gets bandied about online so much these days that it has become almost meaningless, but it remains an important theological concept with serious implications for the life of the church. In this unexpectedly sobering Trivia Challenge, Rachel quizzes Erin and Sarah on the meanings and history of major heresies in the church, from Gnosticism to modernism and beyond. What even is “heresy,” anyway? Where is heresy mentioned in the Bible? How were the ecumenical creeds specifically ...
Jun 20, 2025•53 min
The sun is out, boats are on the water, fish are jumping, and the beach is calling. It’s the perfect time to revisit one of the Bible’s most memorable water-based narratives: the story of Jonah. Welcoming former co-host Bri Gerzevske back once again for another hilarious installment of Bri’s Radio Theatre, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel are jumping feet-first with her into the briny deep. How will Captain Trish handle the runaway prophet on board her ship? What will the Ninevites do when they hear Jona...
Jun 13, 2025•28 min
A blessed Pentecost to all! To mark the feasts of Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, Sarah’s digging into a dozen hymns associated with these holy days in a brand-new Hymn Sing episode. Hymns featured include fan favorites “Holy, Holy, Holy” (LSB 507), “Holy Spirit, Light Divine” (LSB 496), and “Glory Be to God the Father” (LSB 506), together with lesser-known classics like “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest” (LSB 498/499), “O Day Full of Grace” (LSB 503), and “Come Down, O Love Divine” (LSB 501). Get ...
Jun 06, 2025•50 min
As the weather warms up and the sun grows brighter and hotter, Rachel’s taking the opportunity to ask a big question that turns out to be just a little more controversial than one might expect: Should I line dry my clothes? Beginning with a quick survey of the history of laundry drying techniques and traditions, Rachel then looks how and why American housewives made the transition from “drying greens” and clotheslines to gas or electric tumble dryers — and how the “right-to-dry" movement in the ...
May 30, 2025•53 min
In honor of the Feast of the Ascension, the Ladies are once again welcoming listener submissions for a Write This challenge — this time based around the Venerable Bede’s eighth-century lyric “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing.” Featuring 25 original hymn verses— covering Easter, the Ascension, the Sacraments, and more — from 15 creative contributors, this episode will inspire and deepen devotion as Christians everywhere prepare to celebrate one of the church's most ancient holy days. For a good chuckl...
May 23, 2025•34 min
What have you always wanted to know about LCMS International Missions (but were maybe afraid to ask)? In this second International Missions 101 conversation, Erin draws on insights from her day job as Director of Short-term Mission for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to answer common questions about how the LCMS equips and sends missionaries and engages in missions throughout the world. How does the LCMS do missions? What is the central focus and goal of all mission activities? How do we deci...
May 16, 2025•41 min
Do infants have saving faith? Can they be counted as full members of the Body of Christ? These are some of the thorniest questions Christian parents and grandparents face, especially since they tend to arise at some of life's most painful moments: after miscarriage, in cases of extreme disability, or when a child has tragically died before Baptism. In this Kitchen Table Talk conversation, Chaplain Sean Daenzer returns to the Lounge to offer theological hope and comfort for those agonizing over t...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 24 min
“Hello, judges, my name is Rachel Bomberger, and I’ll be your next podcast speaker today. My timer is set for 0:00, counting. If all my judges are ready ...? Great. Then let’s begin ...” In this Adventures in Lutheranism (Homeschool Edition) episode, Rachel introduces Sarah and Erin to the world of competitive speech and debate and shares the story of her own family’s ongoing involvement with the NCFCA Christian Speech and Debate. Beginning with an overview of the various speech and debate event...
May 02, 2025•58 min
Birgitte Katerine Boye (1742–1824) was a prolific and accomplished Lutheran poet, hymnwriter, and playwright in her native Denmark. In this episode — part Story Time, part Hymn Sing, part ode to Scandinavian Lutheranism — Sarah shares her story with a world that has largely forgotten her. In and around rabbit trails on Mahler’s Second Symphony, single-stanza festival hymns, and the wonderfully named Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, Sarah examines the life and hymnody of this extraordinary Lutheran ...
Apr 25, 2025•36 min
We revisit a special devotional episode from Good Friday 2024 as we meditate on Christ’s death for our sins. As an aid to Good Friday meditation and devotion, the Ladies welcome listener contributions in a “Write This:” creative challenge, this time inviting their fellow Lutheran ladies to compose additional stanzas to the beloved Passion hymn “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.” Beginning with a brief account of how the hymn came to be and its connection to the Lutheran worship tradition, Sarah, Erin,...
Apr 18, 2025•39 min
In this book club recap conversation, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel talk through one of the most talked-about nonfiction books of the year: Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. How have our collective relationships with screen-based technologies and social media evolved since the early 2000s? What effects has this shift had on young people? How are Christian perspectives on both screen use and adolescence distinct from t...
Apr 11, 2025•55 min
It’s a party within a party (within a party?) as the Lutheran Ladies welcome special guest Tori Egger during Sharathon 2025 to talk about hospitality, sharing Christ’s love — and how to host one epic Easter Feast. Tori Egger is a fellow Lutheran lady and mother of six. She frequently welcomes guests into her home on the campus of Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, where her husband (the Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger) serves as seminary president. “Bringing people into your home —” she says, “opening your ...
Apr 04, 2025•48 min
This year (as eggs are currently selling for $4.95 a dozen on average), the pressure’s on to sustain beloved family traditions while also ensuring that none of those precious Easter eggs go to waste. This sounds like a challenge for the Lutheran Ladies ... In their latest Iron Ladle Challenge, Erin, Sarah, and Rachel are cooking with eggs — both raw and hard-boiled. Rachel offers a fresh take on the classic seven-layer salad with her nine-(or-ten?-)layer Cobb salad; Sarah whips up a Paleo-friend...
Mar 28, 2025•45 min
The Ladies welcome “leading lady” Eden Keefe to the Lounge, as they continue to celebrate and learn from Lutheran women in notable positions of influence in the church and around the world. Eden Keefe serves as president of Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML). Previously, she was mission editor for Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly and vice-president of Gospel Outreach for LWML. Learn more about LWML at their website, or register here for this summer’s LWML Convention in Omaha, Nebraska. Connect with the ...
Mar 21, 2025•52 min
It’s a savory smorgasbord of circular fun as the Lutheran Ladies convene the Party Planning Committee to celebrate Pi(e) Day in style. Is March 14 actually a liturgical holiday? No. Do we at the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge just love pie (and also irrational, transcendental numbers)? You betcha. Sarah gets the party started in dramatic fashion with a Big Question: What kind of oven is the best kind for baking? Electric? Gas? Convection? Gas convection? She has some thoughts — and so do lots of ladies...
Mar 14, 2025•55 min
In this episode, Erin’s launching an exciting NEW series of episodes entitled “International Mission 101.” Beginning with the startling revelation that she is not, in fact, a full-time professional podcast host but rather a 25-year veteran of the LCMS Office of International Mission, Erin here shares her own mission origin story. How did an unemployed physical therapist end up first as a missionary to Japan and then as a director of short-term missions at the LCMS? (You’ll just have to hear the ...
Mar 07, 2025•48 min
Put your thinking caps on, ladies! It’s time for another round of Rachel’s Trivia Challenge! This time, Rachel’s spotlighting "Great Moments in the History of Lutherans in America.” Beginning with the age of exploration and going through the Colonial Era up to the formation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in 1847, she's quizzing Erin and Sarah on some of the lesser-known and more unexpected chapters in American Lutheran history. Which explorer brought a Lutheran chaplain along on his quest...
Feb 28, 2025•48 min
Class is back in session, ladies! Once again, Sarah’s sharing study notes from her graduate courses at Concordia University Irvine’s Townsend Institute for Counseling and Leadership. In this episode on focus and productivity, drawn largely from Michael Hyatt’s Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less, she covers how to: STOP. This is where we Formulate, Evaluate, and Rejuvenate. CUT. This is where we Eliminate, Automate, and Delegate. ACT. This is where we Consoli...
Feb 21, 2025•41 min
The Rev. Dr. Scott Stiegemeyer is associate professor of theology and bioethics at Concordia University Irvine; previously, he served as parish pastor of congregations near Pittsburgh, Pa., and Chicago, Ill. In this Kitchen Table Talk conversation, Dr. Stiegemeyer answers pressing questions on AI (artificial intelligence) from an ethical and theological perspective. How does God’s Word inform our perspective on artificial intelligence? How does AI require us to think deeply about what it truly m...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 8 min
"Personal foul: lack of exciting Super Bowl snacks, on the party host. Fifteen-yard penalty. Repeat snack production." Don’t want this party foul scenario to happen to you? Sarah, Erin, and Rachel are on your team, and they’ve got your back! In this week’s Iron Ladle Challenge, they’re offering a range of fun and tasty snacks that go way beyond pizza rolls and potato chips. From Rachel’s keto-friendly shrimp salad and no-rice sushi to Sarah’s Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers to Erin’s savory “Cheese...
Feb 07, 2025•43 min
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 f...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 4 min
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),...
Jan 24, 2025•52 min
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...
Jan 17, 2025•19 min
“ 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...
Jan 10, 2025•17 min
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 t...
Jan 03, 2025•1 hr 21 min
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 r...
Dec 27, 2024•49 min
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 ...
Dec 20, 2024•44 min
“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...
Dec 13, 2024•54 min
