Family Shield

Hi, I'm Judy Redlich of Encounter, a ministry of Bott Radio network. Have you ever had a relative or a friend that was a Jehovah Witness and they felt trapped? Or you didn't know how to share the gospel with them? Today my guest is Kay Meyer the founder and president of Family Shield Ministries. the ministry began in  St Louis, Missouri, and its grown throughout the years. I'm excited for you to meet my friend, Kay, and learn about all the great things that God has through this ministry. Learn more at www.familyshieldministries.com. By the way, the Lord could help you too, if you're struggling with a challenge in today's world.

Saint Paul writes a letter to the Romans recorded as the book of Romans in the Bible, Chapter 1, that at long last he desires to come and visit with the Christians in Rome and he writes, “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you. That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.” Well not only does God call people by the gospel and enlighten them with gifts, sanctifies or sets them apart as a very special ambassador in this world, but He also gathers Christians together in His church to be His church. Being the church together for one another is important for building one another up, but who builds up our pastors? Who cares for those who serve the congregation professionally? How do pastors, teachers, deaconesses, youth workers, church musicians stay healthy and not burn out? These questions are some of the questions that we want to consider today as we talk about the well-being of pastors and church workers. Hi, this is Mark Frith, Chairman of the Family Shield Ministries board, and today’s guest host of the Family Shield radio and podcast. Thank you for being a part of the Family Shield family. You are a blessing to us. Our guest for today’s program is the Rev. Dr. Darrell Zimmerman. For the last several years, he has served as the Executive Director of Grace Place Wellness Ministries, whose mission has been to nurture vitality and joy in the ministry, by inspiring and equipping church workers to lead healthy lives.

Join us today on Family Shield as I visit with Vicar Chris Hill. His teenage mother became pregnant with him. She could have released him for adoption but instead, because she already loved him even in the womb, she raised him to know and love Jesus. His mother continued to live out her faith and attended church with her parents. She didn't marry his father when she became pregnant. But his father stayed involved in his son's life. Six years later Chris's mom and dad got married - praise the Lord! Today Chris is married and a student at Concordia Seminary in St Louis Missouri studying to become a pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He is currently serving as a vicar at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois. Today we’ll learn more about his story and his plans for the future.

How do we build a loving, blended family? Bringing two families into one is challenging and rewarding. What are some of the joys of having a blended family? What challenges do blended families face? According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, it can take up to two years for blended families to adjust to changes. But parents who are proactive in addressing potential problems can make the adjustment smoother. Join us today as I interview Dana Herbst. She is the mother and step-mother to five children that are still in the home. She’ll share how she has loved, encouraged, spent time with the children and helped them bond as a loving family unit. We’ll talk about building a loving, blended family.

God’s Word says, “Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” Christmas is a time to worship the babe in the manger, and spend time with family and friends. What traditions do you and your family cherish? What are some joys and challenges of family traditions? Today is the Family Shield Christmas special. My guest is Reverend Stephen Bongard, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood, Missouri. We’ll visit with him today about his family, their Christmas traditions, and talk about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What is loneliness, and how does it relate to isolation? What causes loneliness? What changes can we make in our lives to help recover from it? How can we help support those who are lonely or isolated? When do we need to seek counseling, and why can we find comfort knowing the Lord walks with us through each and every trial? His word comforts us. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Join us today as I interview Jeannine Liebmann. She is a counselor and consultant for H&H Health Associates in St Louis.

Most Christians know they should share their faith with those who do not yet know Jesus. But learning how to witness effectively can be challenging after all, we are broken, sinful people just like the people we strive to witness to. How can we recognize the lost people the Lord puts in our life? Why is prayer so important? And how do we know if someone we are witnessing to needs to hear the law or the gospel? When do we share the law. and when do we share the gospel? My guest today is Reverend Dr. Mark Wood. He serves in the LCMS office of National Mission as the Director of the Witness and Outreach Ministry. He's also the author of Connected to Christ: Witnessing in Everyday Life.

Who is the third person of the Trinity and what does the Holy Spirit do? God's Word tells us that when we have faith in Jesus we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and he comforts us in our trials. The Holy Spirit has all the attributes of a person--He speaks, forgives, comforts, intercedes, councils, and brings us faith. He also teaches us all things. Through him Christ Jesus gives spiritual gifts to believers. What a joy and comfort to know that the Holy Spirit lives in us. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? Paul tells us that when we are too weak or depressed to pray the Holy Spirit intercedes for us to the Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit helps us witness for Christ. He gives us the words we need. He helps us glorify the Son of God and He fills us with his Word so we can speak boldly of Christ. So why do we need to learn about the Holy Spirit? Family Shield Ministries is in the process of expanding its mentoring missionary services. Through our mentoring process with those who do not know Christ, we utilize our Bible studies and podcasts as we equip people for Christ. We have many Bible studies and podcasts, like Learning About God and His Word. It's All About Jesus, but we realized we did not have a podcast that teaches about the Holy Spirit. So today we want to talk about the third person of the Trinity. My guest is Chad Bird. He's a Scholar in Residence at 1517 and has served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. He holds master's degrees from Concordia Seminary and Hebrew Union College and has authored numerous books. Chad and his wife Stacy live in the Texas hill country.

Reading the Old Testament can seem like exploring an old, mysterious mansion, packed with all sorts of strange rooms. The creation room vast and sublime, the exodus room with hardhearted pharoahs and dried up seas. The war room, with bloody swords and crumbling walls. The tabernacle room, with smoking altars and dark inner sanctums. What does this odd and ancient world have to do with us, who are modern followers of Jesus? As it turns out, everything! Every chapter in the Old Testament, in a variety of ways, tells the story that culminates in Jesus our Savior. What Christians today call the Old Testament is what Jesus and the earliest Believers called the Scriptures. This was their Bible. From its pages they taught about the Messiah--His divine nature, His priestly work, and his ministry of salvation. My guest today is Chad Bird. We’ll discuss his book, The Christ Key: Unlocking the Centrality of Christ in the Old Testament. Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence at 1517. He served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. He holds Master's Degrees from Concordia Seminary and Hebrew Union College. Chad has authored numerous books and speaks at conferences and congregations. Chad and his wife Stacy live in the Texas Hill Country.

Whether you’ve prayed the Lord's Prayer 1000 times, or you’re not quite familiar with every word, Our Way Home invites you on an incredible, vivid journey through the Lord's Prayer where you can discover the power, the beauty, and the depth of the world's most famous prayer. Dr. Daniel Paavola surrounds each petition of the Lord's Prayer with captivating imagery and storytelling that will animate your praying, making it a prayer you will live out every day, in every situation, and in every circumstance. You will come to the door of your Father's house and knock with confidence because you have the words to say; our Father. Daniel Paavola is a professor and pastor with the gifts of storytelling, motorcycle riding, and Model T restoring. He is a professor of theology at Concordia University in Wisconsin and he's the author of Our Way Home: A Journey Through the Lord's Prayer.