Freely Given

We are taking a quick interlude to talk about the theological themes within the show "The Good Place." This is something that Gretchen and Katie chat about often, and decided to actually record one of these conversations. This is a comedy show about the after-life, and in that, they are grappling with the problem of sin, and how to deal with it with both justice and mercy.  The characters in the s...

We are excited to have Natasha Kennedy, illustrator for to a children's book on the Apostle's Creed, talking about communicating through illustrated theology. She is working through illustrating the whole catechism. She has a book on the creed, one on the Lord's Prayer, and has done 2 other books on Christmas and Easter. She is currently working on the artwork for the 10 commandments book. We have...

In this fun episode, we talk about ways we celebrate Advent as a family. We go over Jesse Tree crafts, various advent devotionals. Then we talk about whether or not you should teach your child about Santa, and our mutual hatred of Elf on the Shelf. We talk about the overkill of moralism that is often taught during the Christmas season, and keeping our eyes set on remembering what is important. We...

We are recording in front of an audience at Tuscarora Inn and Retreat center. As we continue on the 2nd article of the Apostle's Creed, we talk about how Jesus was from eternity--from before in incarnation. Jesus is referred to as our brother, and we ponder the mystery of that, and evidence supporting that claim. We talk about the human emotions of Jesus, and what it means for us that Jesus has th...

The conversation of the 2nd article of the Apostle's Creed continues. In this episode, we discuss the virgin birth, debate over positions on the perpetual virginity of Mary, the suffering of Christ, the devil prowling around like a roaring lion, and the ultimate breaking of evil. Also, you may find out what Katie thinks is "bull-hunky." The discussion goes to the mystery of our redemption, and try...

In a world where we are expected to create our own truth, finding a firm, steady place to examine truth can be a relief from the decision fatigue. With each year, Luther's Small Catechism has meant more and more to both Gretchen and Katie, so we are going through the section of the Apostle's Creed, to show the depth of truth that continues to be a comfort. We are working through the section of the...

Gretchen and Katie debrief from their trip to San Diego, and look ahead to what's going on this next year.  They finally move onto the 2nd Article of the Apostle's Creed, that discusses the 2nd person of the Trinity. This is the longest article of the creed, so they discuss why that is, and what kinds of things are included in this article. Here We Still Stand Regional Event in Arkansas (Galatians...

Our producer, Caleb Keith, introduces this podcast to the audience at the pre-conference at the Here We Still Stand Conference in San Diego. This wonderful audience then watched Katie and Gretchen attempt to have a recorded conversation with people staring at us. This conversation is about theological drifts, and how the Apostle's Creed is a stablizing tool as we go through "detangling" of our fai...

Who is God? We are continuing through the 1st article of the Apostle's Creed. We discuss what it means that God created us, and sustains us. What does it mean to create? What does it mean to provide? How does this impact our faith, and our growth? We tackle these questions through the catechism, and how we've grown into these questions over the years. Donate to 1517 Subscribe to the podcast free h...

We interview our friend, Lore Ferguson Wilbert, to discuss her new book "Curious Faith." In this books she examines questions that God asks people in the Bible, questions people ask God in the Bible, and questions we wish someone would ask us. Living in the tension of mystery in faith, we have a discussion on the freedom God gives us to ask him questions, as well as understanding how God uses ques...

Perms, and catechism. No, Gretchen and Katie are not going through middle school again, they are walking through the Apostle's Creed in Luther's Small Catechism. They talk about returning to school, kids growing up, aging, getting perms, midlife crisis', assessing your life, and then the creed--and how the creed is a steady truth that means more and more to them each year. With catechisms in hand...

In this episode we continue our talk with author and therapist, Heidi Goehmann , about facing our emotions. In her book "Emotions and the Gospel" there is a section about forgotten emotions, or emotions that humans experience.  We talk about the compassion of God toward us, and Jesus' own experience of emotions as shown in Scripture. **We recorded this episode before the Here We Still Stand Confer...

What if you could have a conversation with someone who was theologically sound, a great communicator, and an experienced licensed therapist to talk about the emotions we struggle with, and what to do with them?  We were fortunate enough to get back on Heidi Goehmann to talk about her new book: " Emotions and the Gospel ." She gives a ton of gospel for our emotions, and help us to see where there i...

When it comes to the theology of the body, it's interesting to consider the fight against aging. There is a fine line between maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and pushing against natural aging. We talk about the role of discipleship and vocation in the various stages of age, and the need for all ages within the church. Support the work of 1517

We are discussing the fruit of the Spirit with our friend, Jessica Thompson, from the prespective of how this list describes how God loves us. Jessica tells us how her devotional on this book came about, with such tenderness. She talks about how God used this book to minister to her, showing her the depth of the goodness of God that was for her in some of the worst of times. There were a few small...

For our 101st episode, we are answering more listener questions, since we received so many. We answer a few smaller questions in the beginning and end of this episode, and then spend the bulk of time answering a very thoughtful question about fostering church unity when living in a politically diverse landscape. 40 Minutes in the Old Testament episode referenced History of Christianity in America...

We are celebrating our 100th episode by answering listener questions that were sent in. What are our favorite episodes? What have we learned? We end up chatting about deconstruction and doubts again, as well as feedback we got from listeners. We have a lot of fun and laughs in this episode, as we celebrate what we have witnessed these last 2 years. Books referenced: Limping with God by Chad Bird A...

We join Rev. Bob Hiller for a discussion on praying the "right way," as well as what happens when we pray for other people.  Prayer is a place where we get to come before God, and bring him our problems, our hurts, our sin--even sin we struggle with, and the Spirit interprets and perfects our prayers.  We can bring our anger to God, our praise, our laments, and our questions.  The Gift of Prayer b...

We invited back our friend, Pastor Bob Hiller, to talk to us about how to pray. Bob is also a co-host and the Lutheran perspective on the "White Horse Inn" podcast. He recently published a booklet " The Gift of Prayer " on what it looks like to pray in light of the gospel. This conversation is great for those who struggle to pray perfectly, or wonder how to make their prayers effective. Join us th...

We continue our discussion of the book "Everything Sad is Untrue" which then morphs into a discussion of communicating theological truths either through writing, art, or music. As we discuss the book, we look from a child's perspective the question, "what is belief?" It would be tempting to paint it in a perfect light, but what honestly happens when you come to faith in Christ? How does our Christ...

Gretchen and Katie talk about one of their summer book reads that made a huge impact on them. It's a secular published, young adult book, about a 12 year old refugee boy from Iran. Told in the style of 1,001 Arabian Nights, it weaves together myths from his Persian culture, family legends of his great-great-grandparents, his own memories from Iran, living in a refugee camp in Italy, with his curre...

In this episode with Mike Cosper, we talk about grace and virtue. How do we "pursue virtue" and not let go of grace? We discuss the difference between self introspection by checking our own fruit, and confessing our sins. When we understand it's the grace that pushes forward any love toward the neighbors in our life, it changes the paradigm. We talk about the theology of the cross, the hiddenness...

In this episode, we have Mike Cosper on from "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" and journalist for Christianity Today. We wanted to talk specifically on how law and gospel distinctions have an impact on the culture of a church, in regard to how we treat each other, and how we perceive our pastors. If we hold to the doctrine that we are "simultaneously saints and sinners" it should be assumed that si...

What does it mean to be steadfast? How does vocation relate to location? In this episode, Gretchen and Katie discuss the theology of place, as it relates to the ongoing conversation of patience and hope. What does it mean to stay, and stay in freedom without compulsion? When is it time to cut ties in a situation and leave? Using farming as an example, they talk about the influence of nostalgia on...

We have special guest Sarah Crowder to talk with us about interacting with the teens in our lives--whether our own, in our churches, or neighborhoods--in a way that helps them understand the gospel. Sarah teaches theology classes to high school freshman at a Lutheran high school in Las Vegas, many of whom are unchurched. She talks about building relationships through transparency, and not presenti...