Burden and Blessing Podcast
Episodes
Friday Feb 16, 2018
Review - Hymn 151 - Christ, the Life of All the Living
Friday Feb 16, 2018
Friday Feb 16, 2018
In today's podcast, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Rob Sauers review the Lenten hymn, "Christ, the Life of All the Living." This is one of the more familiar of the Lenten hymns, and it appears in hymnals across denominations. This hymn really focuses not only on what Christ did through His life and death but what that means for us. As we study through the seven stanzas that make up this hymn, we will focus on what Christ suffered and what benefits we receive as a result. We pray that this review will help to prepare your hearts and minds for another Lenten journey.
Friday Jan 19, 2018
Review: Patterns of Evidence
Friday Jan 19, 2018
Friday Jan 19, 2018
Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Neal Radichel give a summary and review of the documentary "Patterns of Evidence: Exodus" in our podcast today. This video is available for purchase or on Netflix and covers the investigation of a man into the history of the Children of Israel in Egypt and their Exodus to the Land of Canaan. They will discuss some of the important archeological discoveries that verify the historical accuracy of the Biblical account of the Israelites in Egypt and their conquest of Canaan. They will also look into some of the reasons why this information is not better known today. In addition, this is not the typical documentery. Filled with pictures, animation and computer aided reinactments, along with interviews with real people this is sure to keep you interested. If you are interested in the history of the Old Testament and how archeology verifies the Bible, you won't want to miss this documentary.
Friday Dec 22, 2017
Review - Hymn #95 - Savior of the Nations, Come
Friday Dec 22, 2017
Friday Dec 22, 2017
On today's podcast, Pastors Rob Sauers and Nathanael Mayhew take us through a study of the Advent/Christmas hymn "Savior of the Nations, Come." This is one of the oldest hymns in the hymnal, written in the fourth century by St. Ambrose. As we review this hymn, we will look at how this hymn is firmly based on the teachings of God's Word in its brief description of the entire earthly ministry of our Savior. We will see how this hymn beautifully points to the person and work of Jesus for us, and we will see the benefits of continuing to sing this ancient hymn still today.
Friday Dec 15, 2017
Review: To Live is Christ and Beside Quiet Waters
Friday Dec 15, 2017
Friday Dec 15, 2017
This week, Pastor Nathanael Mayhew offers a review of two devotion books which you may want to consider as we prepare to enter a new year. Both come with high recommendations for family or individual devotions. The first is "To Live is Christ" by Bo Giertz. This is published by Concordia Publishing House. Bishop Giertz was a pastor in the Lutheran Church is Sweeden in the 20th century and brings a very down to earth but eye opening style to the devotions and prayers included in this book. His devotion book follows the church year not the calendar year, so save this one for next year! The second is "Beside Quiet Waters" by Richard Lauersdorf, and is published by Northwestern Publishing House. This devotion book follows the calendar year and has a brief Bible passage, followed by a devotion and finally a short prayer. Pastor Lauersdorf usally begins with an illustration which develops the main point of the Bible passage and applies it to our daily lives. Very well written and insightful as well. Both devotion books would be an excellent choice for you or those on your Christmas lists, and either can be purchased through the CLC bookhouse. May the LORD bless your study and hearing of His Word!
Friday Sep 29, 2017
Review - "The Great Divorce" by C. S. Lewis
Friday Sep 29, 2017
Friday Sep 29, 2017
In our review this week, Pastor Mark Tiefel takes us through the "The Great Divorce" by C. S. Lewis. At first glance, you might think this book has something to do with the ending of marriage, but by divorce, Lewis is describing the great divergence that exists between heaven and hell. In the book, Lewis pictures a number of people from hell who are permitted to take a bus trip into heaven and interact with the people living there. Lewis is not suggesting that such a trip between hell and heaven is actually possible, but he uses allegory to contrast the differences between the people in heaven and hell. As with anything written by C. S. Lewis, the reader will want to watch out for an emphasis on the human will and decision theology, but the book does a nice job of giving insight into the human nature. We hope you benefit from this review!
Thursday Sep 07, 2017
Review - "I'm Not Real" by Ty Benbow
Thursday Sep 07, 2017
Thursday Sep 07, 2017
In our review this week, Pastor Mark Tiefel takes a look at the book "I'm Not Real" by Ty Benbow. Benbow wrote this book while serving as Student's Pastor at Central Community Church in Wichita, KS. He currently serves in the Christian Ministry Department at Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida where he teaches a course on Understanding the Old Testament and Life of Christ. This book is a work of fiction that deals with the issue of abortion by following the lives of three individuals who have been affected by this issue. We pray that this review will be helpful to those who have read or are interested in reading this book.
Friday Aug 18, 2017
Review - Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide by Nikolaus Selnecker
Friday Aug 18, 2017
Friday Aug 18, 2017
In our review segment this week, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Rob Sauers dig into the hymn "Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide" by Nikolaus Selnecker. This hymn is found in the Law and Gospel section of the Lutheran Hymnal, but could very well have been placed in the Reformation section. Selnecker (1530-1592) was a second-generation Lutheran who studied at Wittenberg and helped to write and promote the Formula of Concord. He was also very musically inclined writing over 150 hymns, four of which are found in the Lutheran Hymnal. There is a strong emphasis throughout the hymn on the Word of God. Selnecker emphasizes the importance of keeping pure the Means of Grace, trusting in Jesus to uphold the Church through His Word, and understanding that Word is the ultimate source of truth. He emphasizes the importance of clinging to that Word in the face of the very real danger of false teaching and trusting in the Lord to give us the strength to stand for His Word. May God bless our study!
Friday Jul 28, 2017
Review - "Risky Gospel" by Owen Strachan
Friday Jul 28, 2017
Friday Jul 28, 2017
In our review this week, Pastor Mark Tiefel discusses the book Risky Gospel. The book was written in 2013 by Owen Strachan who serves as Assistant Professor of Christian Theology and Church History at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. The basic theme of the book centers around the truth that Christians are called to be bold in the name of Christ even if that boldness leads to suffering. Pastor Tiefel will take us through a brief overview of the content and give us his overall impressions of the book.
Thursday Jul 06, 2017
Review - "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" by Danny Gokey
Thursday Jul 06, 2017
Thursday Jul 06, 2017
In this music review episode Pastors Neal Radichel and Mark Tiefel discuss and review "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" by Danny Gokey. They will be using their ABC's: Is it Appropriate? Is it Biblical? and Is it Christian or Christ-Centered? The song was written by Bernie Herms, Randy Phillips, and Matthew West and originally recorded by Contemporary Christian-Worship trio, Phillips, Craig and Dean in 2012. It was later recorded by Gokey for his second album Hope in Front of Me (2014). Gokey's rendition hit Christian radio on January 8, 2016, and quickly rose to #2 on the Billboard Christian Song Chart. Listen to the song and their evaluation and learn how to apply the ABC's to music you listen to as well.
Friday Jun 16, 2017
Review - Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Friday Jun 16, 2017
Friday Jun 16, 2017
As we enter the season of Trinity, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Rob Sauers review the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S.Lewis. They will discuss Lewis' life and journey from Atheism to Christianity and the radio shows he did which became the book under discussion. Lewis discusses the problems of many of the religions of the world in dealing with the the problem of evil, and who Jesus is. He discusses the person of Jesus as true God, the Christian life, and the Trinity. While there are many excellent observations in the book, Lewis also falls short and even into error in many areas. He does not get into justification by Grace, or even the work of Christ as our Savior. He also confuses Law and Gospel and falls into Arminianism in connection with our sanctification. We pray that this review will be helpful to those who have read or interested in reading Lewis' book.