Friends For Life — LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries

Join Tiffany and guest Rev. Dr. Matthew Durance as they discuss the rich theology of life within the Divine Service and how our Lutheran liturgy is overflowing with what is needful for forgiveness, life, and salvation.   Bio: Rev. Dr. Matthew Durance currently serves as Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School in Harbor Beach, MI. Learn about LCMS Life Ministry at lcms.org/life, and email us at f...

Pastor Tyler Arnold joins Steph to talk about the vital role that visitation plays in the life of the Christian community. Author of the recent release Pastoral Visitation: For the Care of Souls (available from Lexham Press), Pastor Arnold makes a compelling case for church members to pay visit to one another and for pastors to visit their people – to be with one another as the fellowship of belie...

Pastor Caleb Weight joins Steph to bring comfort, hope, and honesty to the conversation of miscarriage and mourning from a father’s perspective. In this episode, he shares his own story of loss and his ongoing journey with both faith and grief. Bio: Rev. Caleb Weight serves as Associate Pastor at Peace in Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, Minnesota, where he is the steward of God’s gifts and s...

We talk about all sorts of life issues on Friends for Life. In this episode, we use this time to talk about taking these issues to our Lord in prayer. Prayer is a gift that we have been given as people united to Christ. Special guest Renee Gibbs joins the show to talk about the where, when, and how of praying for life issues as part of a Christian’s daily practice of prayer. Click here to download...

Pastor Andrew Jones, author of Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible, joins Steph to talk about Epiphany – the season in the church year that asks and answers the most important question of all time. With co-mingling themes of light and life, Epiphany takes church-going Christians on a journey to discover how the Light of the World and The Way, The Truth, and The Life – Jesus – shines...

Concordia University Chicago student Nicole Chappell joins Tiffany and Steph to talk about the endless opportunities for college students to get involved with pro-life work both on and off campus. Find a Recognized Service Organization at lcms.org/rso, and learn about Y4Life at y4life.org. Bio: Nicole Chappell is a senior in the deaconess program at Concordia University Chicago, completing her int...

What does Christ’s Incarnation mean for us? How does Jesus Christ in human flesh hollow our own human flesh? How does a pre-born Christ in Mary’s womb change the way Christians are to view all unborn lives in their mother’s wombs? Join Steph and guest Rev. Sean Daenzer as they dive deep into the theology of the incarnation and what this means for Christians and life issues. Bio: The Rev. Sean Daen...

Recent statistics show that more than half of the U.S. population is concentrated in 52 of the largest metropolitan areas. Statistics also lean toward some of the largest cities being the least pro-life communities in the nation. So why are places that are bursting with so much human life less likely to be pro-life? Why are families moving out of urban areas in droves and flocking to communities t...

Sister duo Rebekah and Rosie, co-authors of Ladylike, join Steph to talk about the vocation of wife. This episode includes the good (the blessings that flow from living biblically as a wife), the bad (how sin affects the relationship of husband and wife), and everything in between (like the importance of forgiveness... and how to get along with your in-laws). Learn what it’s like to be a lady, liv...

In this episode, guest Dr. Kim Marxhausen talks about the special kinds of burden and stress that caregiving places on the caregiver and how the Church is best poised to meet the physical and spiritual needs of caretakers. With a special focus on caregiving for one’s spouse, Dr. Marxhausen discusses the shifting of roles, the emotional toll, and the physical exhaustion of it all, but also points o...

What does it mean to be a “theologian of the cross?” Martin Luther gave the Church this language to rightly confess the paradox of Christ’s revelation of Himself in suffering. As part of a lengthy disputation, he wrote that “we apprehend the things of God not in glory, but in the suffering and death of Jesus.” So what does this mean? How does this affect the way Lutherans approach life issues? And...

Seminary professor Dr. Joel Biermann provides a field guide for navigating culture, society, and politics as a Christian. Beginning with Luther’s theology of the Two Realms, Dr. Biermann discusses how Christians are called to simultaneously live, function, and serve neighbor as members of the Church and as civilians in the world. While Christians may be tempted to despair as they witness the world...

Join Steph and Tiffany, along with father-daughter duo, Pastor Kevin Loughran and Penny Loughran, as they talk about what it means for the church to care for all people, regardless of their range of abilities. Penny was born 10 weeks premature and suffered a brain bleed in early infancy, which led to the development of cerebral palsy. In this episode, she candidly shares about her life, what bring...

Dr. Deb Grime, an OB/GYN, joins Steph to talk about childbirth, baptism, and the theological connections between the two. How does such a physical experience like childbirth resemble the spiritual realities of holy baptism? Dr. Grime reflects on Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 and her decades’ long experience with delivering babies in this special episode. Bio: Dr. Deb Grime was born...

It’s easy to think of life issues just in terms of our local, national level...but what about across our home’s borders - on an international level? Are life issues the same from country to country? Or do different countries have a greater or lesser concern for various “life issues?” To remind of us a need for a life ministry that expands across nations’ borders is special guest Jamielynn Tinkey F...

Join us for a special crossover episode with Friends for Life and End Goals! Steph is joined by End Goals’ hosts, Rev. Mark Kiessling & DCE Julianna Shults to talk about the importance of intergenerational relationships, particularly with older generations honoring and serving the younger generation. How do we care for the pre-teens, teens, and young adults in our church? Get answers and practical...

Welcome to our first ever episode TAKEOVER! Steph hands the host mic off to her husband Pastor Kirk Neugebauer, who is joined by Pastor Jeff Hemmer, author of Man Up!: The Quest for Masculinity. This is the male counterpart to our earlier episode on female friendship (see episode 23). Learn about the importance and the gift of guys having guy friends, and even how wives or other sisters in Christ...

Cheryl Magness joins Steph and Tiffany to talk about her decade’s long journey of serving as primary caregiver for her aging mother. Listener - whether you’re in a season of caretaking for elderly parents, or whether that seems too far down the road, we want to encourage you to take a listen. Cheryl has written extensively on this topic and brings much wisdom to the conversation of vocation, the p...

The Church and Christian families are called to care for children of all ages – including those in the womb and outside of the womb. Join Steph and guests, Pastor Hans and Katie Fiene, as they talk about loving children through foster care and what that has looked like for their family throughout the years. They’ll talk about the challenges and joys of their journey with the foster care system, as...

In this installment of our ongoing segment, The Floor is Yours, Steph hands over the floor to Rev. Dr. John Pless, as he discusses how Luther’s Small Catechism provides a helpful framework for Christian thought and action in regards to life issues. Download A Small Catechism on Human Life at lcmslife.org/resource/a-small-catechism-on-human-life. Find other resources and books from this author at c...

What does it mean to be part of a bigger story? What does it feel like to have someone listen to you as you work through your own story? Join Steph and guest Darcy Paape, executive director of the Women’s Leadership Institute, as they unpack what it means to have a Christian mentor, and how a Christian mentoring relationship is reflective of Christ’s call to discipleship.   Find Darcy’s book at cp...

How is our Lord present, even in suffering? Is His grace sufficient, even when pain occurs every day, year after year, for decades? Dear sister in Christ, Lena Scamman, joins Steph to answer these questions through the telling of her story of a life marked by the pain of endometriosis. Bio: Lena is from Greenwich, Connecticut where her husband pastors a dual parish - First Lutheran Church and St P...

If you’re baptized, if you have baptism sponsors, if you are a sponsor, then this episode is FOR YOU! Ever wonder what the difference is between a godparent and a baptism sponsor? Have you grown up confused by the role of baptism sponsors? Are you considering who to choose as a sponsor for your own children? What is the role of a sponsor and what does it mean to agree to that responsibility? All o...

Deaconess Pamela Boehle-Silva joins host Steph Neugebauer to share about mercy and love for an aging parent, as we follow the story of her mother’s health decline due to dementia. Pamela also offers a very raw and honest look at grief – from the perspective of grieving over a loved one while they are yet alive, and also from the perspective of experiencing grief after the death of a loved one. Pam...

In this episode, Steph sits down with her friends in real life, Sam and Olivia Pitsch. Sam and Olivia have been blessed with three children, their eldest two being twins. Following the twin boys’ diagnosis of autism, Sam and Olivia have drawn strength from their church community and wisdom from the Scriptures to love and parent their children well. Listen to their story, even as it is still unfold...