The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

How does a family make the transition to Seminary? Ross and Jenni George, a new seminary family at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, join Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about Ross's first career and how he made the decision to pursue pastoral ministry, how the Divine Service and community at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston helped to shape him, the conversations through the discernment process, how his previous experience has prepared him for Seminary, and their move across the country to Fort Wayne from Texas.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's life like serving as missionaries in Puerto Rico? The Rev. Adam and Christine Lehman, serving the Lord in Puerto Rico, join Andy to talk about their path to serving as missionaries, how they serve in Puerto Rico and who they serve alongside, how their previous experience prepared them to serve in this new mission field, and what they are looking forward to in the next year. Read the Lehmans' story and how to support their work at lcms.org/lehman.

What is shalom and where is it for followers of Jesus? Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing, author of Overcoming Life’s Sorrows: Learning from Jeremiah, joins Andy and Sarah for Part 6 of our series on Overcoming Life's Sorrows to talk about what shalom is, where we see the word "shalom" in Scripture, what we seek instead of shalom, and where followers of Jesus find shalom.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.

Summer is a popular time for weddings, and 1 Peter 3:1–7 has much to say about Holy Matrimony. Although marriage was created in Paradise and remains a good gift of God, the first couple’s sin caused it to become a “marred blessing” (LW 1:71) with various difficulties placed upon them and their descendants: enmity with Satan, pain in childbearing, conflict between man and wife, difficulty providing for daily needs, and death (Genesis 3:15–19). For this reason, the New Testament not only proclaims the Offspring of the woman who would defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15) but also addresses how Christians are to live together in the community of Holy Matrimony.Rev. Carl Roth, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the “Searching Scripture” feature in the June/July 2024 issue of the Lutheran Witness titled "The Community of Marriage" on 1 Peter 3:1–7. This year, "Searching Scripture" is themed "Elect Exiles" and will walk through the First Epistle of St. Peter. Follow along every month and search Scripture with us!Find online exclusives of the Lutheran Witness at witness.lcms.org and subscribe to the Lutheran Witness at cph.org/witness.1 Peter 3:1–7Wives and Husbands3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you[a] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.Read full chapterFootnotes1 Peter 3:7 Some manuscripts since you are joint heirsEnglish Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. esv.org

What does it mean to shadow a missionary in a foreign country? Tabitha Dubke — Shadow a Missionary Participant, Mindy Thews — LCMS Lutheran Education Coordinator in Taiwan, and Ariana Gomez — LCMS Missionary Recruitment Manager, join Andy to talk about what sparked Tabitha's interest in shadowing a missionary, how she saw Mindy and other missionaries at work, what it means to Mindy to have others interested in missionary work, and what Shadow a Missionary opportunities are available in the future. Find opportunities to serve at servenow.lcms.org/opp/shadow-a-missionary. Learn more about the program on a previous Coffee Hour episode kfuo.org/2023/01/13/coffee-hour-011323-shadow-a-missionary-program-opportunities, and learn more about Mindy and how to support her work at lcms.org/thews.

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.