The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge from KFUO Radio

Travelling back in time to a simpler, happier, less 2020-ish point in history, Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel revisit their 2019 “poetry slam” holiday special, as each (re)shares an original Christmas poem. From a Dr. Seuss-themed power ballad to a nativity “limerichard,” from a rhapsodic ode to Christmas hymns to a Hamilton-inspired angelic rap verse, these homespun poems will have you snapping the...

In this “Erin’s Recipe Card” episode, the Lutheran Ladies take part in their first-ever Iron Ladle Challenge, as they each present a festive seasonal recipe showcasing an assigned ingredient — in this case: cranberries. Which recipe will be your favorite? Will you favor Erin’s super simple sugared cranberry hors d’oeuvres? Rachel’s cranberry kale salad? Sarah’s cranberry thumbprint cookies? Bri’s...

Advent hymns have taken on new resonance in 2020, as Christians pray “Come, Lord Jesus!” with ever more eagerness and urgency. In this “Hymn Sing with Sarah” episode, Sarah leads Erin, Bri, and Rachel in a discussion of Advent hymns, old and new. Drawing from the results of a Facebook group poll, the ladies identify which Advent hymns are most beloved and talk more generally about what makes an Ad...

Last Christmas, in her “How to Lutheran” episode “The Lutheran Ladies’ Guide to Chrismons™,” Bri introduced Sarah, Erin and Rachel to the past and present of the handcrafted gold and white ornaments that adorn so many church Christmas trees to this day. In this follow-up conversation, Bri looks forward to the future of these “fancy Jesus ornaments,” proposing five new Christological symbols that s...

In this episode, Rachel leads Sarah, Erin, and Bri in a recap discussion of the Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club Anniversary Read selection, I Don’t Want to Have the Prayer: A Messy Pastor’s Kid Does Her Memory Work. The show opens with a special guest appearance by author Karen Kuhlmann Averitt, who answers reader questions about the book submitted via Facebook, then continues with a conversation cover...

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Lutheran Ladies are taking on that flakiest and most finicky of festive desserts: pie. In this special #PieFest installment of Erin’s Recipe Card, the Lutheran Ladies each try their hand at one or more different kinds of pie, from sweet to savory, lattice top to open-faced tart, all-butter to crumb. Pies featured include apple cranberry, Japanese sweet potato, ch...

Rachel quizzes Sarah, Erin, and Bri on “All things All Saints’”—from the mundane to the miraculous—in this slightly belated edition of “Rachel’s Trivia Challenge.” Beginning and ending with a Lutheran view of saints and a discussion of how the “holy ones” among us—living and dead—can best be honored, the Ladies take time to traverse two millennia of saints’ lives, drawing inspiration and sometimes...

In this week’s episode (recorded days before Election Day 2020), Bri asks a timely and relevant “Big Question”: How do I survive election season as a Lutheran woman? In the honest and open conversation that follows, Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel cover a range of topics and ideas at the intersection of Lutheran faith and politics: voting out of love for our neighbors, trusting “not in princes,” and...

Anna of Denmark (1532–1585) was a Danish princess from the House of Oldenburg who became Electress of Saxony through her marriage to Augustus of Saxony in 1548. As one of the most influential women in post-Reformation Europe, she played a vital role in preserving and promoting Orthodox Lutheranism in the years following Martin Luther’s death in 1546. In this “Story Time with Sarah” episode, the Lu...

In her latest “One-Question Interview,” Erin welcomes missionary nurse and health educator Steph Schulte to the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge for a frank and honest conversation about reproductive health issues facing women both in West Africa and the United States. “You are loved. God sees you. God knows who you are,” Schulte tells Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel, echoing the Gospel message she shares wit...

It’s October — almost Reformation Day — and that means Luther hymns! In this Hymn Sing celebration of Martin Luther the hymnist, Sarah leads Erin, Bri and Rachel in a wide-ranging discussion of Luther’s hymn text, hymn tunes, and liturgies. Learn about the long list of hymns Luther wrote or translated (some of which may surprise you), how he incorporated hymnody into the Divine Service, and which...

For nearly a century, beginning at the height of the Great Depression, Lutheran women have been collecting spare change in cardboard “mite boxes” to fund mission projects at home and abroad. These simple, unassuming collection boxes have helped bring in more than $100 million in mission offerings since 1942. In this episode, inspired by the October 4, 2020, celebration of LWML (Lutheran Women in M...

Whether you’re squeezing in one last late-season barbecue, enjoying a traditional Oktoberfest celebration, or preparing for a Reformation festival, Erin’s latest Recipe Card episode — celebrating the humble potato salad — is a must-listen culinary conversation. Sampling both German and American potato salad recipes, the Ladies explore the history, nutrition, and geography of the perennially popula...

Are you a Lutheran lady author looking to share your work with your sisters in Christ? Submit your book to the Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club for our Anniversary Read! In celebration of our first anniversary, we’ll be choosing our next book from among titles submitted by members of the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook group. If you’d like to see your book included on our list of possibilities, here’s...

In this episode, Rachel leads Sarah, Erin, and Bri — together with special guest Kaye Wolff — in a recap discussion of the latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club selection: Rosa Young’s autobiography Light in the Dark Belt. What were Dr. Rosa J. Young and her Jim Crow South world really like? How did she understand the connection between education, faith formation, and church planting? What has happene...

In this special one-year anniversary omnibus episode, the Lutheran Ladies want to know: if you could put one small item in a shoebox that exemplifies the character and lived experience of Lutheran women, what would it be? Tossing the metaphorical shoebox around their virtual studio, Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel each answer the question in turn, selecting and riffing on a simple, mundane object tha...

Many (if not most) American Lutherans have heard the name of C. F. W. Walther, the iconic and indefatigable founder of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. But how much (if anything) do we know about his wife, Emilie? Christina Emilie Buenger Walther was an intrepid immigrant, a loving wife and mother, and a faithful “Lutheran lady” from her birth in 1811 to her death in 1887 at the age of 73. She...

The Lutheran Ladies kick off a month-long anniversary celebration in style with a laughter-filled year-in-review edition of Rachel’s Trivia Challenge, recalling the hymns, stories, guests, recipes and conversations that have made the first year of the podcast so special. Do you remember everything Sarah, Erin, Bri and Rachel have covered The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge in the past year? More important...

What does it mean to be the “perfect” seminary wife? This is “Bri’s Big Question” for back-to-school season, and the answer, it turns out, is, well … complicated, at best. Being married to a pastor or seminary student (or any church worker or church work student, for that matter) can be as fraught with anxiety and expectation as it is filled with blessings. It’s a way of life that at various times...

In this “How to Lutheran” episode, Bri offers a heartfelt tribute to that acme of Lutheran artistic expression: the felt Confirmation banner. Tracing the history of felt making back to its earliest roots in ancient Mesopotamia and touching on the long legacy of faithful women creating liturgical fiber arts as an act of devotion and encouragement, the Ladies also reflect on their own Confirmation m...

What do the Lutheran Ladies talk about when they think no one’s listening? Sometimes Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge recording sessions flow smoothly and without interruptions. Sometimes they don’t—and when that happens, super-producer Sarah has a little cutting to do. In this Lounge short, the ladies gather up a few loose scraps from the cutting room floor and offer them as a full-length stand-alone outt...

In her latest “Hymn Sing” episode, resident #hymnnerd Sarah treats Erin, Bri, and Rachel to the history and personalities behind several favorite evening-time hymns and lullabies, focusing especially on listener favorites “Abide with Me,” “Now the Light Has Gone Away,” and “Now Rest beneath Night’s Shadow.” Did you know that Henry Francis Lyte wrote “Abide with Me” as a kind of self-obituary? Or t...

In this Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge short, the Ladies discuss their options and announce the next book club read: Rosa Young’s Light in the Dark Belt. Learn more about All the Pretty Things at amazon.com or Light in the Dark Belt at cph.org, listen to Sarah’s Story Time episode on the life of Rosa Young at kfuo.org/lutheranladieslounge, or to check out LCMS Black Ministry’s recommended reading list an...

In this episode, Rachel leads Sarah, Erin, and Bri in a recap discussion of the latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club selection: Edie Wadsworth’s memoir All the Pretty Things. What makes poverty such a complex and thorny problem? What is the essence of Christian hospitality (and how does it tie into evangelism)? How does experiencing church for the first time (or for the first time … again) help us ap...

In her latest “One-Question Interview,” Erin and the Ladies welcome Deaconess Tiffany Manor to the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge for an engaging, wide-ranging conversation about life, vocation, community, advocacy, and the church. “Be present,” the newly installed LCMS Director of Life Ministry tells listeners who want to make a difference for life. “Be curious. And listen.” LCMS Life Ministry supports...