Family Shield

What is grief and why do people grieve differently? How can Christians find ways to share God's love with people who are grieving that know the Lord? How can we offer God's comfort and peace to those who are grieving and do not know Christ? Today my guest is Daniel Verkoyan, a Christian funeral director. Daniel is a husband and father of two daughters and lives in Ontario, Canada. Today we'll talk about ministering to the grieving.

Why are so many young adults leaving the church? How do we learn to open up conversations with those who are unchurched about faith issues? And what should a church for Millennials look like and do? Join us today as I interview Dr Tony Cook, director of the United States Ministries for Lutheran Hour Ministries. We’ll discuss outreach to the next generation.

How can a couple stay connected? How can a couple keep their marriage centered on Christ; and how can a couple receive encouragement during times of joy and times of stress? By staying connected to God's Word. 5-Minute Bible Studies for Couples is for every married couple, especially those whose calendars are overloaded with events and obligations but who are determined to set aside time for nurturing their marriage with God's Word. This Bible study is written by Rev. Randy Hunter who has taught thousands of couples through the WELS Marriage Enrichment Weekend. The Bible study is designed to teach couples how to bring joy to each other and glory to God in their marriages.

Jacob seems to be anything but a model disciple. He's a trickster, liar, and a selfishly ambitious man who fathers children with four women and leads a dysfunctional family life with jealousy and backstabbing. But Jacob is also Israel, the namesake of the Old Testament community of God, chosen and blessed. As such the sinner-saint who limps along with the Lord burdened by weakness and beset by problems, is the mirror image of all of us who follow Jesus. In His life, we see our lives, our struggles, our failures, and most especially, the God who loves us and chooses us as His own. As we explore his bio, from his wrangling in the tomb with Esau, to his death as an old man in Egypt, we’ll learn more about ourselves, and the God who is with us, and for us, in Jesus, the Messiah. My guest today is Chad Bird, author of Limping with God: Jacob & the Old Testament Guide to Messy Discipleship. Chad is a scholar in residence at 1517. Besides being a popular author, he speaks at conferences and congregations, and co-hosts the podcast 40 Minutes in the Old Testament. Chad and his wife Stacie live in Texas, where they’re blessed with 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

Why did Matthew, a college student raised as a Jehovah's Witness leave the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society? How did Matthew's friend, Daniel show love and help him learn more about what Christians believe and teach? And how did Daniel grow in his faith as he became friends with Matthew? I met Rev. Matthew Finn and Daniel Verkoeyen recently when the three of us were guests on a panel discussion for a video that will equip Christians to witness to Jehovah's Witnesses. During today’s program, they’ll share their story.

A number of months ago my wife and I were sharing a meal with some good friends. All three of our families had been members of the same congregation several years before but we’d all moved on to different places. Our kids had grown up; what we’d discovered together was that all of our kids had drifted away from public worship. One could easily say oh they're just young adults adrift for a while. The striking thing for each of us adults, all six of us, what we shared together as older couples now, is that we really struggle with the thought that our grown kids were not in worship. Each of the next generations of our families were away for different reasons. Well moms and dads out there, Grandpa's and Grandma's, and if you had those same feelings, similar worries, you know it's not a good feeling when your loved ones become apathetic towards the Church gathered. In much of my work and I'm sure that of our guest with us today, with our work in the Church over the last years, we've encountered it, sort of a general fear and sentiment among congregational members, that our congregations seem to be dwindling; they're getting smaller and that maybe brings a new kind of fear for us.  But thank goodness our discussion topic today is with the leader in evangelism, in witness, and outreach… this is the Family Shield Ministries radio and podcast program. Welcome, welcome dear friends to another episode and conversation. I'm Pastor Mark Frith, chairman of the Family Shield Ministry board and today's guest host in place of Kay Meyer, guest host for the Family Shield radio and podcast network. Thank you for being a part of the Family Shield family, where we continue to remind you and one another to put the whole armor of God on.  Our special guest today is also the author of a new book titled Meaningful Outreach: an Essential Guide for Churches. He is the Rev. Dr. Mark Wood. He's a native of Illinois, a resident of Arizona, Dr. Wood is a former parish pastor, and a church planter, currently the Director of the Witness and Outreach Ministry for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. He also wears another hat for our church body, as the Director of Revitalization Initiative. Dr. Wood is a family man; he's married to Mary Ellen and celebrates with her the joy of having five children, seven grandchildren, and he just told me, now five great-grandchildren.

What if you could spend this Christmas season delighting in your Savior instead of trying to create a picture perfect holiday? Christmas is all about the birth of Christ yet we often are more focused on finishing our holiday to-do list than celebrating the greatest gift of all. In Unwrapping the Names of Jesus Asheritah Ciuciu invites you to prepare your heart so you can worship Jesus. Each daily devotional will lead you to meditate on a different name of Jesus from God's Word. Some of those names include the Resurrection and the Life, King of Kings, Light of the World, Word of God, the Alpha and the Omega, and the Lamb of God. So come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. My guest today is Asheritah Ciuciu, the author of Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, which is a devotional book, and Unwrapping the Names of Jesus for Kids. We’ll talk about both books today on Family Shield.

We live in an era when children often know more about their electronic devices than their own family history. Parents invest more time in the carpool line than at the dinner table, and marriages teeter on the cliff of neglect. Today's program will offer families creative, life changing solutions to these modern-day dilemmas. Learn how to deposit small pebbles of intentional action into daily life to build a mountain on which your family can stand for generations. My guest today is the author of Reclaiming Home, Krista Gilbert.

Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation for the birth of our Savior. A sure sign that Christmas is coming is when we see Advent calendars in the stores and our homes. If your children and grandchildren are like mine they love to count down the days before Christmas as they attend Advent services, participate in special Christmas traditions, and enjoy special treats. Advent and Christmas can be a stressful time. Does starting the season early with Advent add to that stress? What are some practical ways we can minimize holiday pressure? Today we'll discuss Advent and the Christmas season with Dr. Mary Manz Simon. Mary is an early childhood educator, consultant, and the author of many popular books. She also hosts A Moment for the Family on AM 850 KFUO.

Surviving a crisis is one of the hardest things a family can go through. It is also one of the six traits that research has shown can help build strong, healthy families. Today I've invited Dana Herbst to share what happened to her three-year-old daughter Nikki when she was attacked by a dog. Nikki was rushed to the emergency room by ambulance and later to the hospital. There she had many stitches put into her face and eyelid. A scary time for Dana and her blended family. Dana will share what happened to her youngest child and give us an update about how her daughter is doing today. And she'll share how hundreds of family and friends and even people they didn't know prayed for Nikki, surrounded their family with love and support, and helped them survive this crisis.