Christ In All Things

Glenn Robert Leidel is a retired deputy fire chief. That alone tells you a lot about his understanding of life as a call to service, an understanding that is rooted in his Christian faith. Those around St. Paul’s presently may know Glenn primarily as the guy who helps get things done with church properties, but he is also a son, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a musician, a churchman. This is...

“Worship Whatnot 4: Why Do We Sing in Church? ” is the fourth episode in our Worship Whatnot series. How we answer this question has a deep impact on the music selected for public worship, especially in the Divine Service. Our guest is St. Paul’s Director of Parish Music, Allison Mackie. Her perspective on singing together in the Divine Service is wonderful in the true sense of the word. We sing t...

Nathan Meador says that we have “contact holiness” in Christ. What???? To find out that means come hear his Reformation Tap Society talk, “Where Worlds Intersect: Why the Body of Jesus Changes Everything,” on Sunday, December 18, 2022 at Brewfinity in Oconomwoc, Wisconsin. Social time begins at 5pm. The talk begins at 5:30pm. First time guests receive a beverage on us. Brewfinity is located at N58...

Bill Voss is one of the very few living World War II veterans, and there are a lot of interviews with WWII veterans about the war. Those are important conversations, but perhaps even more important is what these folks built when they came home: in the family, in the church, and in the community. Part 2 of our interview explores Bill’s life after the war. It is an ordinary conversation about God at...

For the second-half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century people, thousands of people walked by William Henry Frederick “Bill” Voss on the street, worked next to him at the Carnation factory, or sat next to him in church… and likely had little or no idea of the extraordinary story that God was unfolding. Bill was born on June 24, 1922. His father died when he was a fourth grad...

In June 2021, still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lutheran school teacher and wrestling coach, Michael Stollenwerk went in for what was expected to be—all things considered—a minor brain surgery. Things went well at first. And then they didn’t go well… And then Jenny Stollenwerk had a front row seat to a miracle. Our interview with Michael and Jenny was recorded live at St. Paul’s 2022 Bi...

This is Part 2 of our interview with a living legend, Gary Flanagan. We take a deeper dive into the youth group activities, Christian education, and other St. Paul’s legends who formed him. And then the conversation swings to the quiet but important ways in which Gary has been led to serve. In all this we see Christ at work in the lives of many, many people. It is an inspiration for our life toget...

Gary Flanagan is a fixture at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. A legend. But he’s not the flamboyant, extroverted type. He works with his hands, mostly behind the scenes, faithfully and quietly serving his family, neighbors, and church. In Part 1 of our interview we talk a lot about the faithful and independent parents who formed him… and some very other important people in the...

One month after his father’s death, Rev. Jason Schockman’s grief is different than it was earlier… and complicated. Grieving with hope is confidence in Christ in all things, but in this world we also wrestle with our own sinful flesh. The Christian will simultaneously love God’s Word and need it… and within moments recoil at expressions of sympathy. Whether you’ve experienced grief or not, this co...

This is Part 2 of our interview with Adriana Lubner, a Lutheran Kindergarten teacher who loves to learn and to serve. Though in her mid-20s, she has served on a number of mission trips, and has a delightful stubborn streak that has made her an excellent runner and a passionate witness of the good new of forgiveness and life in Jesus Christ. Recorded 30 August, A.D. 2022

Adriana Lubner teaches Kindergarten (5K) at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She also is the middle school youth director, and coaches cross-country and track. She is a recent graduate of Concordia University—Wisconsin, was homeschooled as a youth, and has had an amazing family and people who helped form her as a human being. She started teaching Sunday School to her neighbors...

“Worship Whatnot 3: The Service of The Sacrament” is the third episode of a three-part series on worship. There are two great “foundation stones” of Christian worship: Word and Sacrament. This episode is about The Lord’s Supper; in particular, about the ceremony around and about this Sacrament. The Lord’s Supper is exceedingly important on many levels. If you’re not familiar with Christian teachin...

Grieving with hope is confidence in Christ in all things. Because it is confidence in Christ, it weeps at death because it knows what death really is, and because it is confidence in Christ it abounds in thanksgiving for what is truly good and true and beautiful. Grieving with hope is deeply, deeply personal… and familial. Part 2 of our interview with Jason Schockman, just two days after his fathe...

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope,” the LORD says through St. Paul. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14, ESV) To listen to this conversation with Jason Schockman, recorded just t...

Jason Schockman is a Lutheran pastor. Mark Tredray is a Lutheran school teacher. Their friendship goes back well before those vocations were given… but once they were given the friendship became all the more poignant and important, for—while they are still just Christian men—they are also Christian men whose vocations come with particular challenges. Part 2 of our conversation deepens the conversa...

Jason Schockman and Mark Tredray have a special friendship that dates back to 1997. It’s a friendship rooted in Christ and deepened through shared experience. We at St. Paul’s want to encourage people to have Christian friendships, to be open to meeting fellow Christians, and making the commitment to love, service, and companionship that true friendship is. Enjoy Part 1 of this conversation betwee...

Colin Murdy was simply being generous, as his parents taught him to be, but by placing a stunning leather journal in another’s hand he opened a window of discovery. It turned out to be an important act of Christian service. In this bonus episode of Christ In All Things we interview Colin, the founder and CEO of the Murdy Creative Company. Our interview begins with a very personal “thank you,” and...

“Worship Whatnot 2: The Service of The Word” is the second of a three-part series on worship. It concerns the first of two great foundation stones of the Church’s worship. The Service of The Word is a marvelous symphony of receiving and giving, of hearing and responding to the Word of Christ that sets us free from sin and death. If what you know is more of a fast-food type of religion, “Worship Wh...

This is Part 2 of our delightful interview with Roxie Gerlach. We talk about her family’s life in Christ. We learn a lot about aging gracefully from Roxie’s reflection upon her parents, Andy and Louise Stenson.

Roxie Gerlach is a legend at St. Paul’s. She taught Kindergarten for 40 years. Her love for Christ, her goofy wit, her tenderness and faithfulness and persistence in teaching little children is remarkable. She also comes from remarkable people. When we interviewed her on 17 May 2022 Roxie’s blessed mother, Louise Stensen, had recently been called to the Church Triumphant. A lot of this interview i...

As a follow-up to Episode 3, “Visiting St. Paul’s,” with “Worship Whatnot 1: The Preparation,” we begin a three-part series on “why we do what we do” in worship. “The Preparation” is about how and why the Lutheran worship service (Divine Service) begins the way it does. Everyone can learn from this series, but these are geared toward visitors who come with either no significant church background o...

This is part 2 of our interview with Jill George, the 2021-2022 South Wisconsin District (LCMS) “Principal of the Year.” She’s an outstanding educator and administrator. She is a great woman of faith who keeps “Christ in all things,” but learning that and living that has not been a linear process for Jill. In Part 2 of our interview we get a deeper understanding of the trials and difficulties by w...

Jill George is the 2021-2022 South Wisconsin District (LCMS) “Principal of the Year.” She’s an outstanding educator and administrator. She is a great woman of faith who keeps “Christ in all things,” but learning that and living that has not been a linear process for Jill. In Part 1 of our interview we get to know Jill and begin to see the unique ways by which Christ formed her.

Planning to visit St. Paul’s? This episode will help you know what to expect and understand what you’ll see. We approach this from our location in downtown Oconomowoc (Oh-CAHN-o-mo-wok), Wisconsin. You’ll discover that the architecture and artwork at St. Paul’s both reflect and teach what we believe about Christ.

In Part 2 of our bonus episode of Christ In All Things we continue the interview with some of the Youth Group at St. Paul’s. We’re talking about names and nicknames. We talked about the significance of how we reflect the meaning and importance names have in relationships with one another and with God in Christ, and we talk about keeping Christ In All Things in college.