Real Life, Living Faith (Default)

Lord’s Prayer Part 1

Everything Jesus taught about prayer in the Gospels... in 10 minutes...
Question and Answer: What is the correct posture for prayer?

153.Leviticus. Oh Wait...One More Thing!

As we wrap up our discussion on Leviticus we give you some of our take aways and focus on the point of it all... Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless you as you walk with us as we give you one more thing.
#Leviticus

War on Christmas

Pastor Harley and Pastor Ruddat welcome Pastor Enderle back to talk about the War on Your Christmas. Books we mentioned: A link for the book Unoffendable https://www.amazon.com/Unoffendable-Brant-Hansen-audiobook/dp/B013VFBYQ4/ref=sr11?crid=2MHQT6GTU6KFN&keywords=unoffendable&qid=1640024443&s=audible&sprefix=Unoff%2Caudible%2C106&sr=1-1 A Link for the Book UnChristian https://www.amazon.com/unChristian-David-Kinnaman-audiobook/dp/B001PU0V1M/ref=sr11?crid=1KP60VJ90ZHC8&keywords=unchristian&qid=1640024383&sprefix=unchristian%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1 Podcast we mentioned: "Let Sears Prepare Them for Christmas?" https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-xebir-122c06c
This podcast is also featured on https://www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast/ (https://www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast/) "Raised with Jesus" is a daily WELS podcast where the life of Jesus meets yours. Special Guest: James Enderle.

Does church membership still matter? Part 2

Pastor Enderle and Pastor Ruddat attended the same summer quarter course (in fall) from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on discipleship. A book from Thom Rainer posits that one way to address the church membership losses that christian churches are experiencing is to revisit what does it mean to be a church member, so we review the book from a Lutheran perspective.
Pastor Will Harley also joined us this week, and helped keep the conversation moving. Passages read from the Evangelical Heritage Version.
CHAPTER FOUR – I WILL PRAY FOR MY CHURCH LEADERS Ephesians 6:18-19
CHAPTER FIVE – I WILL LEAD MY FAMILY TO BE HEALTHY CHURCH MEMBERS Matthew 5:43-48 Deuteronomy 4:1-10
Resources we mentioned:
WELS FAMILY DEVOTIONS (https://wels.net/serving-you/devotions/family-devotions/) "WELS family devotions" are devotions delivered to your email that has age appropriate discussion questions for the family. Also on an audio format.
Lutheran (not WELS) resources:
Family Style Theology, a podcast by a mom for moms and their kids. (https://www.1517.org/podcasts/family-style-theology)
Hidden Streams, is a devotion and study of the Psalms. (https://www.1517.org/podcasts/hidden-streams)
CHAPTER SIX – I WILL TREASURE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT Ephesians 2:8-10 T
his podcast is also featured on https://www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast/ (https://www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast/) "Raised with Jesus" is a daily WELS podcast where the life of Jesus meets yours. Special Guest: James Enderle.

Does church membership still matter? Part 1

Pastor Enderle and Pastor Ruddat attended the same summer quarter course (in fall) from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on discipleship. A book from Thom Rainer posits that one way to address the church membership losses that christian churches are experiencing is to revisit what does it mean to be a church member, so we review the book from a Lutheran perspective.
Passages read from the Evangelical Heritage Version.
CHAPTER ONE – I WILL BE A FUNCTIONING CHURCH MEMBER 1 Corinthians 12-13
CHAPTER TWO – I WILL BE A UNIFYING CHURCH MEMBER Colossians 3:12-17
Pastor Ruddat's podcast referenced is found here: https://castingnetspod.podbean.com/e/episode-142-fishing-solo-three-things-you-may-not-know-about-discipleship/
CHAPTER THREE – I WILL NOT LET MY CHURCH BE ABOUT MY PREFERENCES AND DESIRES Philippians 2:1-16
This podcast is also featured on https://www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast/ (https://www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast/) "Raised with Jesus" is a daily WELS podcast where the life of Jesus meets yours. Equipment provided by: "Moving to a Ten" podcast www.movingtoaten.com Special Guest: James Enderle.

Fishing Solo: History of Thanksgiving with Lessons for Today

What lessons can we learn from how God's people gave thanks throughout history?
History that is covered in this podcast:
The First Thanksgiving Cain & Abel (Genesis 4:2-5a)
Thanksgiving after the Flood Noah & His Family (Genesis 8:15-22 & 9:12-15)
Thanksgiving at the Harvest Ruth & Boaz (Ruth 2:2-9)
Thanksgiving in the Gospels Jesus & the Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
Thanksgiving in the Epistles Paul & Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
The first civil Thanksgiving Proclamation Governor William Bradford (1623)
Thanksgiving is Nationally and Annually Celebrated Abraham Lincoln (October 3, 1863)
All readings from the Evangelical Heritage Version.
Music by the Martin Luther College Choir

Fishing Solo: Three Things You May Not Know about Discipleship

Pastor Dave Ruddat fishes solo talking about three Things you may not have known about discipleship:
1. Discipleship has always been around but may not have always been utilized.
2. Discipleship has always been a stuggle to carry out in the organized church.
3. God's Word stands ready to disciple us and the next generation.
Our podcast on 5 reasons why your pastor should engage in professional growth is found here: (https://castingnets.fireside.fm/119)

Jesus In the Old Testament, Guess Where?

We talk today about seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. Often many Christians forget that the Scriptures that Jesus, the disciples, and Paul used were the Old Testament and Jesus is there. Let's not read Jesus into them, but let us learn to read Jesus out of the Old Testament.

Trigger Warning - Abortion - the Gift of Life Not the Right to Life

Links to look at from the show. The Conversation (We do not agree with these statments) https://theconversation.com/as-texas-ban-on-abortion-goes-into-effect-a-religion-scholar-explains-that-pre-modern-christian-attitudes-on-marriage-and-reproductive-rights-were-quite-different-167170 https://theconversation.com/when-does-life-begin-theres-more-than-one-religious-view-167241 https://theconversation.com/with-abortion-heading-back-to-the-supreme-court-is-it-time-to-retire-the-my-body-my-choice-slogan-163770 Vocation by Michael Berg https://www.amazon.com/Vocation-Setting-Flourishing-Michael-Berg-ebook/dp/B08KGQJMLY/ref=sr13?crid=25VOJ4WGWV1V4&dchild=1&keywords=vocation+michael+berg&qid=1634307718&sprefix=vocation+Micha%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-3 Pro Every Life https://timeofgracestore.org/product/220/pro-every-life

2 Timothy 4

Itching ears, a head clear of illusions, fighting loneliness, and Pastor Harley's love of the smell of leather... all topics Pastor Will Harley and Pastor Dave Ruddat talk about, all in the big finish to our pastoral epistles. What combats itching ears, loneliness, and being in the same room as someone who obsesses over the smell of leather? Christ for us!

2 Timothy 3

Pastor Will Harley and Pastor Dave Ruddat stare with Paul into a world that is burning, but come away with the same conclusion, continue in the Word of God. Pastor Ruddat guesses Pastor Harley's favorite verse in this chapter, but is he right?

2 Timothy 2

When Pastor Ruddat thinks of Timothy, often times he thinks of the young man that Paul mentored. 2 Timothy reminds us that Timothy is a seminary professor, one with responsibility yet one needing encouragement to be strong. In the midst of Paul's encouragement to Timothy to be strong, we find encouragement for ourselves to be strong, for the encouragement we need is Christ for us.

2 Timothy 1

Pastor Will Harley and Pastor Dave Ruddat introduce 2 Timothy, Paul's Last Will and Testament, and go over the chapter section by section. At the end of the episode, we talk about what we would want on our epitaphs

Titus 3

Join Pastor Harley and Pastor Ruddat finish off the book of Titus, with a great discussion on the truths in Titus chapter 3, truths we don't want to be true sometimes. Join us as we explore situations when we don't want God's truth to be true. Listen to the great thing God has done even when we would rather listen to our "but's."

Titus 2

Doctrine, not a stuffy word just for seminaries or classrooms, but a concept that shapes how we live our lives, just as it shaped how elders, widows, and slaves lived their lives in ancient Crete.

Titus the Troubleshooter

Titus was asked to do much in his ministry. Join Pastor Dave and Will as they begin their walk through Paul's letter to Titus and how he was a troubleshooter in ministry.

1 Timothy 6

Join Dave and Will as we talk about slavery, books, use of language and money all in the final thoughts of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 5

Dave and Will talk about Paul's instructions to Timothy concerning widows. We explore what the widows did and how they served the church and the family. While the ministry of widows in 1 Timothy 5 would not make a snazzy Marvel action movie (like "Black Widow"), Will and Dave explore how the widow ministry in Ephesus worked and what it could look like today. Join us as we talk about 1 Timothy 5.

1 Timothy 4

Pastor Dave and Will talk about the great certainty we have in the sound teaching of God's Word, but the demons have some ideas as to what teachings we should focus on. That are those doctrines of demons, and how do they lead us away from Christ?

1 Timothy 3

Men and women in society

We expound on the conversation of Men and Woman and their callings as we practice this great gift in society. For further information on this discussion the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod has put out a statement about the Callings of Men and Women that can be found on their website. You can also turn to the devotions on the Women's Ministry page at https://wels.net/dev-women/uc20210729/

Rural Ministry

Dave and Will talk about the gift of ministry in a rural church setting. Sometimes we forget that ministry is not just about the numbers of people but the message and growth of the God's word among them as Christ is shared.

Catechism: Form in Search of Function

Another episode on Lutheran Catechesis, this time an interview with a man passionate for teaching the truths of God's Word and passionate against the "graduation mentality" that our current customs perpetuate. Listen to how he addressed it in the parish ministry, and his insights now that he is pastoring teens at a area Lutheran High School. Pastor Krahn has served in a larger congregation in the past and now serves teens at Manitowoc Lutheran High School as campus pastor and head of its theology department.
The WLS essay file can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/formsearchfunction
Special Guest: Rik Krahn.

1 Timothy 2

Is Pastor Harley magnanimous? Pastor Ruddat thinks so. They banter about the nature of complements before a deep discussion on prayer and the roles of men and women.
Pastor Ruddat's sermon on prayer that he referenced is found here (https://shirleygreenleaf.com/episode-52-the-unthinkable-reason-why-god-blesses-america/):
For more podcasts on roles of men and women, go here. (https://castingnets.fireside.fm/tags/roles%20of%20men%20and%20women)

Digitized Church Part II

We welcome Jonathan Ruddat, a website designer, used book store entrepreneur, and a part-time employee of 922 church as their online integrator. Listen as we continue the discussion about the digitalized church, especially the nitty gritty, such as.
* Explain the people that make online church work.
* What types of posts have they done during the week? Which ones gets the most trackable online activity?
* Greatest challenge in setting up a digital church
* Greatest challenge in maintaining a digitalized church
* Is digitized church just a fad that will go away now that in-person worship has resumed?
www.Canva.com is the online graphics platform that was mentioned.. Special Guest: Jon Ruddat.

1 Timothy 1

The Apostle Paul takes time to encourage the next generation of Pastors in letters we have called the Pastorial Epistles. Pastor Dave and Pastor Will take some time to begin their conversations on these letters. Join them as we begin our study on the 1 Timothy.

Catechism Strikes Back

We welcome Brandon Steenbock from St. Mark in Green Bay to talk about their efforts to move from long practiced confirmation instruction culminating in Confirmation Day to a life long catechesis. We wrestle with the parent and pastoral involvement in the teaching or catechesis of God's Word. Special Guest: Brandon Steenback.

Digitized Church Part I

We welcome Jonathan Ruddat, a website designer, used book store entrepreneur, and a part-time employee of 922 church as their online integrator. Listen to the discussion as we talk about:
* What is church?
* What makes a digitized church different than a church that streams content online (such as sermons, Bible class, podcast)?
* How does a digitized church not fall into the trap of just providing content for people to consume?
* With a digitized church providing daily material, are we creating a false sense of piety?
* Why have a private facebook group for your digitized church?
* How much of the physical church is incorportated into a digitized church?
* What about communion in the digitized church?
Part II will focus on the nitty gritty of what makes a digital church work Special Guest: Jon Ruddat.

Father’s Day Special

Pastor Will Harley and Pastor Dave Ruddat share their dad stories while reflecting on what it means to be a Christian dad. God has provided good dads and bad dads for us to look at in the pages of Scripture, and Pastor Harley and Pastor Ruddat go over some of our favorite good dads and bad dads:
Isaac (Genesis 25)
Jethro (Exodus 2:17-21; 3; 18: 5-27
Eli (1 Samuel 2; 1 Samuel 4)
Saul (1 Samuel 11)
David (2 Samuel 13)
Joseph (Matthew 2, Luke 2)
The LORD (Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15)

Professional Growth

Professional growth for pastors is not just the waist line we get from potluck dinners. Listen today to the five reasons pastors need the grow professionally.

Philippians 4

We rejoice in the love of our Lord as he strengthens us to live as his children. Join us as we finish the book of Philippians.

Commencement Speeches

Dave and Will take a look at a couple commencement speeches. We discuss what makes a commencement speech good and eventually we talk about what really makes them worth while.

Confirmation Memories

Discover the human side of teaching confirmation. We are not teaching robots, but we are teaching human beings. Confirmation kids struggle, have their own personalities, and need Jesus. Share with two pastors as they recount their memories of teaching confirmation. Learn that teaching confirmation can have an impact on children's lives and on ours.
Also, to listen to Space Unicorns, click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17o1OlroNSE) You'll never be the same...

Philippians 3

We talk today about the great benefit we have with others who work in the ministry with us. We also talk about how blessed we are to have the great gifts of Christ and his forgiveness.

Historical Confirmation

Have you ever wondered why we do confirmation the way we do? What's with all the ceremony? What is the laying on of hands all about? Where did it all come from? We look into all of these while discussing flowers, shifting practices, oh and Jesus.

Philippians 2

We talk today about the harmony we have together because of Jesus. He is true Lord and true man for us. Near the end of the podcast we loose connection with the internet; so we will have to catchup on the end of show next week.

Mother’s Day Special

It is Mother's Day weekend and if we don't talk about mothers we would be doing a disservice. Join us as we talk about the some Biblical examples of mothers. May God bless us as we learn from their examples.

Catechetical Church

We start a three week study on the practices surrounding the Catechism and confirmation. Today we ask the question of whether or not the Church has lost its Catechical focus. Join the conversation and the debate.
Show Notes:
Richard Hollerman's blog: https://truediscipleship.com/why-i-left-the-lutheran-church/

Philippians 1

It seems odd to say that a person could be joyful in the midst of suffering. It would be if you were responsible for creating and sustaining the joy in you. But we have Christ. He is the reason for our Joy in the midsts of all points of life. Join us as we start talking about Philippians.

Let Me Influence You

Social Media has brought into our lives social influencers who can reach a great many people. But there is a dark side to influencers that even Pastor Ruddat and Pastor Harley are not immune to. Today we explore the role of influencers in our lives and the world around us. Who should we look to for influence?

Daniel 11:36-12:13

Don and Will talk about the end of Daniel. We discuss the AntiChrist, the End Times, and the Joy of Eternal life.

Lutheran Preaching

Words matter and God's word changes the world just as it did in the beginning. Discover how Lutheran Preaching is unique and essential for today's church and today's world.

The Week that Changed the World

We don't want to ruin the ending, but the best kept secret is....Christ is Risen! What led to that glorious truth? How does it impact you?

Daniel 10-11:35

Don and Will begin their talk on the last vision of Daniel. As we race to the end of the book we take a moment to see the stark reality of living in a life filled with sinful people. We see the battle wages behind the scenes between good and evil. We see God's plan to send his Son to safe play out evermore before our eyes.

You’re Cancelled

Dave and Will talk today about being cancelled. With cancel culture dominating our news, the question needs to be asked, "Is cancel culture a good thing?" We look at some history of cancel culture, mix in a lot of our take on the issue, and wrestle with the standards God gives in Scripture. But the conversation isn't over until we see Christ and his forigiveness for all. Forgiveness is the only "cancel culture" that changes culture!

Is There Ever A Time We Are Not?

Dave and Will talk about vocation and how our callings in life are a part of who we are. Most importantly, being a Christian influences all our callings in life. For further commentary on the "Social Dilemma" check out 5tothrive.net (https://www.5tothrive.net/podcast/2020/11)

Daniel 9

Don and Will continue to discuss the book Daniel. We really talk about prayer and the beautiful prayer of Daniel. We also talk about how God answers prayer with the prophecy of seventy sevens.

Daniel 7 and 8

We enter into the discussion of visions. Join Don and Will as we discuss the first chapters of visions in Daniel.

Church is Done. Now What?

Worship in church is done. What are the church people to do? Dave and Will talk about Good Works and how they look in the life of a Christian after they leave church for the week. What good are good works and from where do they come? Join us to find out on this our 100th episode.

Daniel 6

Don and Will talk about Daniel 6. We look at what it looks like to live our Christian faith and the consequences we may have to face when we do. Listen in and the join the conversation.
The Book reference was "Jesus + Nothing = Everything"