Great Questions, Great Conversations

Episode 40 covered the ins and outs of what Followership is and in this week's episode we will take a look at how it can be applied. Our guest is Prof. Don Kudek of Wisconsin Lutheran College who has spent a large part of his career studying the role of followers and the importance and benefit of training people to be better followers. As we'll see, a better follower requires leade

Millions of dollars are spent every year in our country to developing develop better leaders. And yet, even if you are a leader, you spend much of your time following. In some estimates, 80% of the successful outcome is dependent on the work of the followers. So the question becomes, what is being done to develop better followers? Especially when many people in organizations aren't

Our guest on the podcast is Pastor Joel Gaertner, the Director for Special Ministries of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). The reality is that ALL of us have special needs, but many of us tend to wear them more on the inside than the outside. How can Christians and Churches be a more welcoming place for with special needs, especially those who have to navigate the ch

Reflections on Memorial Day and Ending WellMemorial Day is thought of many different ways. A national holiday. The start of summer vacation. Family gatherings and cookouts. A day that honors those in the armed forces (That's actually Veterans Day in November). And then there is the actual intention - honoring those who have given their lives in military service to this country.On t

Our Guest this week is Jim Buske of Lighthouse Youth Ministry and he relayed a story he asked a man in the predominantly African American Garden Homes neighborhood of Milwaukee about the challenges the city and the neighborhood faces. His friends answer was informative, not just for minority communities, but speaks to an increasingly important need for all people groups.The respons

Voting is a significant topic in American culture, especially in an election year. But what does the "right to vote" really mean? While it seems straightforward, the reality of that vote changes in different contexts and today we want to talk about what voting is and means in the church specifically. The podcast today gives important context to the why of voting and how voices with

Have you ever wondered if God seems to care more about how we behave than who we are? It's honestly not fair of us to see the God of the Bible, the God of the cross and empty tomb this way, but in our world we tend to feel the constant judgements all around us. Whether it's at work, at home, in relationships, at church... we have opinions of others and we feel the opinions others h

Why Lutherans Use Creeds in ChurchCreeds are a statement of belief that help Christians express the basic truths that they believe, as both an individual or as a corporate church. Perhaps you already know this, but there is not a uniform agreement in the larger Christian church about the importance of validity of the Creeds. So why, in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, do o

Understanding Jesus Descent into HellThe Apostles Creed is a simple summary of the Biblical, Christian faith through the use of several statements that have rich theological depth to them. The second article, (or second paragraph of the creed) has to do with Jesus, who he is, what happened to him and what he does. As part of this creed, there is a line that says "He descended into

Three Thoughts on what God Has Already Given YouIn a sermon from a few weeks earlier, Pastor Pete shared an illustration that involved $80 as he helped the congregation wrestle with our guild driven anxiety that fuels the "TRY HARDER" voice we all wrestle with from time to time. With the illustration comes a great conversation on what it means to have access to all the blessings of