In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Christina Hergenrader joins as guest to talk about her newest Bible Study, Everlasting: Peaks, Valleys, and Grace in the Psalms.

Get a copy of the book at cph.org/everlasting.

Show Notes

Anxious. Worthy. Ashamed. Nostalgic. Lonely. Secure. This is just a handful of emotions we observe in the Psalms—and in our day-to-day lives, too. In her newest women’s Bible study, beloved author Christina Hergenrader guides readers through 25 psalms, digging into their genres, perplex emotions, glimpses of Jesus, and more.

During the episode, Christina discusses what led her to explore emotions and the Psalms, what it’s like sharing personal stories in the book, why Christians struggle to believe that our emotions matter to God, how she envisions readers will use Everlasting, and more.

Questions

• What led you to explore emotions and the psalms in Everlasting?
• You talk about reading the psalms with new eyes at this stage of life. What shifted for you?
• How did your experience with the Executive Coaching Program at the Townsend Institute influence your approach to this study?
• You share personal stories throughout Everlasting. Is it hard for you to be vulnerable when sharing these?
• What do the Psalms teach us about the relationship between faith and emotional honesty?
• How would you encourage someone who is afraid to be emotionally vulnerable with God?
• Was there a particular psalm that surprised you as you studied it?
• Why do you think that many Christians struggle to believe that our emotions matter to God?
• Talk about the Psalms of lament and exhaustion.
• If someone is feeling disconnected from their faith, what would you say to them?
• Why are Messianic Psalms important?
• What is the danger of leaving nostalgia unchecked?
• Why was it important for you to encourage readers to write their own psalms? How do you suggest they approach this?
• How do you envision readers using Everlasting?

About the Guest
Christina Hergenrader is busy doing what she loves. As a wife, mother, Christian teacher, and writer, she finds that life continues to keep her on her toes. After growing up in Galveston Island, Texas, Christina moved to Nebraska and attended Concordia University Nebraska, where she pursued her passion: education. With a teaching degree in hand, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her husband, Mike, to start her first job. At the end of the year, Christina was named “Teacher of the Year” by Houston’s Lutheran School Association. She also received the “Young Alumnus of the Year” award from her alma mater, Concordia-Seward. Later, Christina earned a master’s degree in Creative Writing. She also began writing and sharing devotions with her classes. Encouraged by their feedback, Christina submitted a manuscript to Concordia Publishing House. Since then, she has written several books, Bible studies and articles that have been published by CPH. When she’s not writing, Christina loves spending time with her husband and four children, teaching, speaking to women’s groups, traveling, photography, and spending time in prayer.

In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Elizabeth Pittman is joined by Rev. Dr R. Lee Hagan, author of Faithful, Hopeful, and Bold: Encouragement for the Church. During the episode, Hagan reminds listeners that wherever God’s Word is proclaimed, there is hope for His people.

Get Hagan’s new book at cph.org/hagan.

Show Notes

Our world is constantly shifting, changing, and moving away from Christianity. This post-Christian culture feels bleak and full of hopelessness for the next generation and the future of our congregations. Yet, the current generations are not the first to have faced this struggle.

In his new book, Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan brings readers 12 different stories and reflections that address the hopelessness and struggle in today’s churches. The book is perfect for church leaders to find spiritual encouragement and strengthen the faith in their own congregations. Hagan discusses the ins and outs of writing the book with host Elizabeth Pittman, as well as how church leaders should respond to the despair felt for the future of the church, how leadership is centered in discipleship, what it means to be bold as a church leader today, and more.

Questions

• What inspired you to write Faithful, Hopeful, and Bold? Why is it important for us today?
• The book opens by acknowledging the despair many Christians feel about the future of the church. What do you think are the root causes of that despair, and how should church leaders respond?
• In the reflection “Small Church, Big Savior,” you highlight the strength that comes from Christ to even the smallest congregations. What encouragement would you give to pastors or leaders of small churches?
• You mention that even in the closing of congregations, God’s Word has not failed. Can you share a story or moment that illustrates that truth?
• In “Living as Exiles,” you compare our current culture to the exile experience in Scripture. How can congregations faithfully live as exiles without retreating or becoming combative?
• You write that “leaders are followers first.” In a culture obsessed with leadership, how can the church cultivate a different vision of leadership grounded in discipleship?
• What does it mean to be “bold” as a church leader today—and how does boldness differ from brashness or arrogance?
• You discuss grief over the past in “For Such a Time as This.” How can churches move from nostalgia to opportunity without losing their history or identity?
• How do you define success in ministry today, especially when metrics like attendance or offerings may be declining?
• You describe hope as a “gift of God” and “antidote to despair.” What practices can help church leaders personally stay rooted in that hope?
• Your final chapter is titled Quo Vademus? or “Where do we go from here?” If a church leader finishes your book and asks that very question—what’s one step you hope they take next?
• How do you envision this book being used in congregational settings or among pastors?
• What’s your prayer for the Church today as we seek to be faithful, hopeful, and bold in Christ?

About the Guest
Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan serves as president of the Missouri District-LCMS and as chairman of the LCMS Council of Presidents. He is a 1992 graduate of Concordia College (now University), Seward, Nebraska. He graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis with a Master of Divinity in 1996 and Doctor of Ministry in 2011.

Dr. Robert Kolb joins The Concordia Publishing House Podcast to talk about the second edition of The Christian Faith, A Lutheran Exposition. Dr. Kolb, along with his coauthor Ted Hopkins, use the history of the church and its creeds and confessions as a guide to share new perspectives on the presentation of Christian doctrine for current day.

Get the book on cph.org now.

Show Notes

For Martin Luther, pure doctrine was not just the content of Scripture but also that content conveyed faithfully into the lives of those who hear God’s Word.

In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Dr. Robert Kolb joins host Elizabeth Pittman to talk about the second edition of The Christian Faith, A Lutheran Exposition. He discusses his personal faith journey and ministry, why doctrinal theology is necessary, how Law and Gospel are central to Lutheranism, cultural and theological challenges facing Christians today, and more.

Questions

• Could you tell us about your faith journey? How did you come to enter the ministry?
• What is your reaction to the election of Robert Francis Prevost as Pope?
• What was the motivation for revising The Christian Faith after three decades, and what new challenges in the church or society prompted this second edition?
• You begin the book with the resurrection of Jesus. Why is the empty tomb the starting point for Christian theology?
• Why is doctrinal theology necessary in every generation?
• Why is it significant that this is a Lutheran exposition of the Christian faith, and not just a general Christian theology textbook?
• You highlight the importance of distinguishing Law and Gospel. Why is this so central to Lutheran theology—and how can readers learn to do it well?
• How does theology “listen” both to God and to the neighbor, and what’s the danger if we ignore either one?
• You note that “Christendom” is over. How does that change the task of theology and the way the Gospel is shared?
• What are some of the specific cultural or theological challenges facing Christians today that this new edition addresses?
• You write “The sanctified life is often called a life of new obedience.” What does a life of new obedience look like?
• In an age of increasing biblical illiteracy, how can theology still function as proclamation rather than just academic reflection?
• What do you say to someone who thinks doctrine divides more than it unites?

About the Guest

Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb received M. Div. and S.T.M. degrees from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and a Ph.D. in history at the University of Wisconsin. He served as the director of the Center for Reformation Research from 1973-1977 and as a professor at Concordia College in Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1977-1993, then the acting president from 1989-1990. Kolb was then the director of the Institute for Mission Studies and professor of systematic theology at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis from 1993-2006. He continues to teach classes at the seminary following his retirement.