Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Edwardsville, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 44. Joseph is playing with his brothers. We could interpret his actions as generous or as a trickster. Through it all, the LORD works to unite the family back together. Their time going back and forth to Joseph would have been exhausting. The brothers remembered their past si...

Rev. Lucas Witt, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 43. The Israelites needed to return as the famine continued. The choice to leave was difficult for everyone, especially Jacob, but by the strength of God Almighty, they went. The situation was full of questions, “How will the governor respond to the money in our sacs?” “How will he react...

Rev. Derek Waffel, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Pascagoula, MS joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 42. Two worlds collide again. Joseph was reunited with his brothers and understandably he treats them with contempt. The sin against Joseph was still a dark burden for the whole family, even 20 years later. Everyone was in need of healing that only God could give. This healing needed onl...

Rev. Matt Tooman, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wahpeton, ND joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 41. At the time, God chose dreams to reveal His work for the good of His people. He gave a prophecy for the Egyptian people to care for others and although we are not able to depend on dreams to create a savings plan, we are able to trust in Him and pray for Him to provide for our ne...

Rev. Nick Koschmann, pastor of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Forest Grove, Oregon joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 40. Dreams can be fickle. They can give us a source of hope, but they can lead us away from our ultimate hope in the LORD. As the LORD would have it, the cupbearer and baker ended up in prison with Joseph. Each of them had bizarre dreams that ended up with different outco...

Rev. Nabil Nour, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, South Dakota, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 39. The LORD caused Joseph to be successful. His master’s wife deceived Potiphar and led Joseph to be wrongly accused. We are unaware of why this happened, but we do know that the LORD worked good even when evil was the intention. In our lives we will see and experience sin,...

Rev. Steven Theiss, vacancy pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 38. God chooses people for our salvation that we would not more than likely choose. Judah did follow God’s law which brought a snowball effect of sin and these sins led to the demise of a few of the sons. The issues that arose for the family was less to do with “generational si...

Rev. Joseph Barlau, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Seymour, IN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 37. Joseph has a dream, but it is the first non-theophany dream. The dream did not require an interpretation, according to each dream it was assumed that he would rule over his family one day. Clearly, this would not be received well by his family, which is why the old Adam would quickly...

Rev. Jason Schockman, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc WI joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 36. We put on our Christ goggles as we see the descendants of Esau. Clearly problems arose through the lack of faithfulness to the Lord and His Word. In the Lord’s kindness, He calls His people back to Himself in every generation. Although the Edomites, Esau’s family, were enemies...

Rev. John Lukomski, co-host of “Wrestling with the Basics” joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 35. Is this finally a turning point for Jacob?  We thought it might be when the Lord visited him at Bethel or when reconciled with his brother Esau.  Yet, we see God visiting Jacob and sustained him through repenting over idols.  God kept intervening and once again changed Jacob’s name to Israel. ...

Rev. Keith Weise, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Communities in Sauk Rapids, MN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 34. In horror, we hear of the depth of darkness in our world. Rape, lies, murder, and deceit make this chapter quite possibly the most sinful chapter in the Bible. One sin led to another—to another—to another. We pray that our Gracious God would prevent situations in our worl...

Rev. Doug Griebenaw, Mission Advocate for KFUO Radio, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 33. Jacob approaches Esau with humility and trust that the LORD would provide. We might think that we would need to “pay off” a person due to past discretions. Yet, by God’s grace reconciliation between people has already been paid by the blood of Christ. He worked reconciliation through Jacob and Esau...

Rev. Hans Fiene, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Crestwood, MO joins Rev. Finnern to study Genesis 32. Jacob wanted to calm the storm of past sins through goats, rams, camels, calves, and bulls. We fall into the same temptation that we can give a clear conscience and reconcile with others based on our actions. Even though Jacob had all the best laid out plans, He found himself with Go...

Rev. James Cleland, pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 31. Jacob’s family is a hot mess! Jacob fled from his burdens…again. Laban did his own trickery…again. Laban had gods, the daughters were lying, and Jacob was making deals. The relationships were strained, much like ones in our own lives, and even their covenant with one another was n...

Rev. Joshua Knippa, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Nederland, TX joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 30. Can you imagine a family union with Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah? The more Jacob and others attempted to solve issues on their own, the bigger the issues. In this life there will be issues, which God very clearly tells us in Scripture, but we are never left without wha...

Rev. Christopher Maronde, PhD Candidate at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 29. The Jacob saga continues. God sets the stage for Jacob to continue in His promise to show that He provides for His people. God’s providence does not mean perfect relationships. Laban was as much of a trickster as Jacob as he “snuck” in a wife. Despite the sin i...

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 28. Jacob fled out of fear for Esau. God has a habit of visiting people when they were afraid, thankfully, He still does today. In Jacob’s dream, the Lord connects heaven and earth with His appearance to reaffirm His presence by saying, “I am with you and keep you wherever you go...

Rev. David Boisclair of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Church in Pine Lawn, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 27. God continues to work with his people, even though we are not fully sure why He does what He does. Jacob steals the blessing, which confusingly fulfilled the prophecy from the LORD in Genesis 25, and God was faithful to His promises. The blessing from Isaac is beautifully poeti...

Rev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai V’ Shalom in St. Louis, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 26. Isaac received the promise that his offspring would be as many as the stars of heaven. After receiving this promise, it is clear that Isaac was indeed still sinful. As Isaac was blessed, we are reminded that the LORD blesses us. Isaac’s road was not smooth or sinless and neither...

Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and Martin Luther Grammar School in Sheridan, WY joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study and pray Psalm 14. David pulls out many difficult words as he laments. “There is none who does good, not even one.” We all fall short of the glory of God, corruption is real for each one of us, and our only chance for salvation is God. The LORD assures us that He is...

Rev. Scott Adle, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church & School in Collinsville, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 25. Abraham’s death was the end of an era, but the promise of a son did not end. We see how the LORD provided many sons for Abraham and Sarah, which leads to our Savior, but it did not mean that everything was perfect. The twins in Rebekah’s womb battled from the beginnin...

Rev. Brian Davies, pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 24:42-67. Laban and Bethuel heard the answer of Eliezer’s prayer and their response was “The LORD has spoken.” In faith, they trusted the LORD and Rebekah went to become Isaac’s wife. It is difficult to understand all the emotions when you allow your loved one to leave, but the few...

Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 24:1-41. Abraham asked Eliezer to find a faithful wife for Isaac. By faith, Eliezer went to Mesopotamia and prayed for the LORD to provide a future bride. Crazy enough, God answered with Rebekah. God worked through the process to provide for Abraham’s family, but also provide a Savior f...

Rev. Terry Finnern, pastor of Mt. Calvary & St. Paul Lutheran Churches in Miltona, MN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 23. Abraham lost his bride. He intentionally took a step back to mourn, weep, and grieve his loss. In humility, Abraham needed to request the Hittites for the opportunity to give his wife a proper burial. To lose a loved one forces us to take a few steps back and focus on...

Rev. Dan Eddy, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Beloit, WI joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 22. The LORD provided the promised son, Isaac. Within a short time He tests Abraham’s faith by asking Him to sacrifice this son. We do not fully understand the reason why the LORD tests His people, but it’s clear that He will provide. This story reminds us that the LORD provides a Savior who wa...