Freely Given

During this special Christmas episode, Gretchen and Katie talk about making preparations, handling Christmas stress, the joy of anticipation, and most importantly, celebrating the God who keeps his promises.   The article: Dawning of a New Light Support 1517

We are excited to have one of Gretchen's pastors, Rev. Dale Hexum, on this episode to talk more about sermons. We ask him about the preaching philosophy he works within, and what to look for in a sermon. We discuss the differences between online church, and sitting under the preaching of your specific pastor. Of course, we bring up law and gospel, and why they have a place in his sermons, as well...

We kept Rev. Tim Koch on for one more episode, as we expand the conversation from "what makes a sermon" from last week, to some of the struggles with both pastors and parishioners. What makes a church feel like "home" and what happens when a pastor you love takes a call someplace else? What happens when you move away, and have to find a new church, and struggle with finding a church as good as you...

In a world where sermons can be downloaded from any church at the touch of a button, it's easy to follow "celebrity pastors" pastors who are outside your denomination, pastors who don't even know you. There are books and journals dedicated to theories of what makes a good sermon. What makes a sermon difference than a "Ted Talk" or motivational speaker?  Katie and Gretchen decided to interview 2 di...

As we are continuing our "verses taken out of context" episodes, we are honored to have Rev. Bob Hiller, author of "Christ in the Straw" to help us understand James 2:26.  This was a fun conversation, full of laughter, and giving a "rat's patoot" about our neighbor. Is faith without works dead? Who are our works for? If this passage has ever haunted you, or if you've struggled to reconcile the wor...

We are discussing "I can do all things through Christ" in context of the rest of the passage, and then we discuss the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac (rather... not sacrificing him) and whether or not Christians are called to sacrifice. Is that what this passage is talking about?  Both these passages talk about faith, the purpose of faith, the testing of faith, and most importantly, the object...

Gretchen and Katie start to tackle out of context verses. These verses are commonly quoted, whether they are from signs, devotionals, motivational talks, or conversation, but without the context that makes sense of them. This episode includes Psalm 46:10 (Be still and know that I am God) as well as Revelation 3:16 (So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my m...

There has been a lot of calls to fear lately in our world. As alarming things happen in every news cycle, and fear feels like the responsible thing to do, Katie and Gretchen talk about how the opposite of fear isn't apathy, it's hope.  They talk about how the world often uses fear as a common motivator, and yet fear can often cause us to freeze, or feel overwhelmed by a problem that is too big for...

Gretchen and Katie have been on the road, in the midst of harvest, and have collected the best highlights of the recent 1517 conference in Las Vegas. In this episode, they talk about the conference on assurance that they recently attended, and what impacted them the most. Highlights from speakers like Steve Paulson, Chad Bird, Flame, Michael Berg, and Scott Keith, as well as music that just sinks...

In a culture that talks about making everything bigger, better, stronger, and more streamlined, it's easy for the church to get sucked into that discussion. As we think about that discussion, we wanted to give a down home look at what is the purpose or function of the church? In our quest for growth, it's essential that we don't lose sight of our purpose. Is church for believers or unbelievers? Is...

We had 2 different listeners ask us: what does mortification of sin, also known as mortification of the flesh look like? In this episode, we talk about where this term came from, and what it means. More importantly, we talk about the difference between mortification of sin, and self-discipline, as they belong in 2 different theological categories. One is part of our justification/sanctification, a...

It's easy to look at our faith through an emotional lens. Are you on an emotional high, or an emotional low? Are you on a mountaintop, or are things silent in the valley? What happens to your faith when you aren't "feeling it."  Gretchen and Katie talk a little bit about the new and fresh love someone feels about their spouse, compared to the depth one sees in the low parts, when you realize they...

In this episode Gretchen and Katie get to as Kelsi Klembara about the practical implications of giving assurance. To put it another way, what is the fruit of giving assurance?  Part of the beauty of pointing people to the sufficiency of Christ in this way is the lack of manipulation. It offers freedom to the listener. They also talk about the particulars of assurance. It's not for the general or v...

In this episode, we interview one of our favorite people: Kelsi Klembara, editor of the 1517 website. Kelsi has done a lot of research on the topic of assurance of our salvation from both a theological and historical point of view, and we had some questions for her. This fascinating conversation talks about our resistance to giving or receiving assurance, and how we often assume that crisis of ass...

We finish up our conversation with Heidi Goehmann on the relationship between mental health and theology. Our discussion touches upon shame, where it comes from, and how we deal with it. She also brings up how our attachment issues can have an effect on our hermeneutics (how we study the Bible) as we can unconsciously be reading into passages through the lens of our attachments or lack thereof. Yo...

It has been 1 year since Katie and Gretchen started the Freely Given podcast. They take some time to reflect on the year. They back up and talk about how they met, their friendship and how it grew, their favorite episodes, and some of the feedback they've had. Lots of the feedback they've had has to do with theology and its impact on personal relationships, so they talk about that a bit, and of co...

We are thrilled to have Heidi Goehmann, author, deaconess, and mental health provider talk about the intersection of theology and mental health. We have a great conversation about how we view our mental health, "modern gnostics," understanding the practical side of theology, and how theological words can sometimes have baggage. Support 1517 here!  

In this episode we talk about who does what in repentance. It can be easy to put ourselves in the driver's seat of someone else's repentance. But every time we do that, we don't produce repentance, we produce manipulation. So how do we get people to repent, or at least change their behavior? In this episode Gretchen and Katie talk about how sin is a stress on relationships, and in our effort to re...

What is repentance, and how do we get it, or do it? In this episode, Gretchen and Katie talk about some common questions about repentance. How do you know if someone has repented enough? How do you know if you have repented enough? Where do we get repentance? What it comes down to is: what comes first, repentance or grace? They talk about how this doctrine deeply impacts how we evangelize and inte...

Christian community is often described as the activity and programs going on at the church. Many people will join a church for the sake of having a tight knit community. But what does Christian community mean? Katie and Gretchen discuss the book "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, about the what it means to be a Christian community. What does it mean to be a group of diverse individuals who co...

As they end their conversation on baptism, Gretchen and Katie talk about how it connects with assurance. They talk about fears people have in emphasizing the assurance we have in Christ.  Can you emphasize grace too much? Is the chance of being legalistic a necessary evil of holiness? How does assurance change us, free us, and how does that change how we live? They talk about Jesus' story of the 2...

Continuing on our baptism discussion, and the power of God's Word, through physical means, Katie and Gretchen walk through their catechisms and think about the common struggles with the doctrine of baptism. They discuss the consistent theme of washing throughout the Old and New Testament, and the beautiful picture of grace given to the helpless that is seen at every baptism. Support 1517

In this episode, Gretchen and Katie tackle a question from a listener about baptism. What do we believe? What does it mean? What does it do? So, they each brought out their catechisms, and are going to walk through some basic points. In this episode, they talk about their personal history with baptism, (and maybe even wrestling with it?) They also compare and contrast their denominations editions...

In this episode, Katie and Gretchen attempt to define 2 separate terms: Christian freedom and American freedom. While the term "freedom" is often used interchangeably between the 2 kingdoms, they have different roles. There are many similarities and even trying to define religious freedom and Christian freedom is often difficult as many people use the terms interchangeably.  The main question that...

It's Gretchen's turn to talk about books that have been influential on her life. This puts Gretchen and Katie on a couple of tangents about reading outside of your denominational tradition, and interacting with ideas that you disagree with in order to shape and develop your thinking. This episode also reveals Katie's role in Gretchen's life to prevent her writing from getting "too Ann Voskamp-y."...