He is a husband, father, pastor, public speaker, and author. And he’s got something to say to today’s generation!

The Christian Faith is not an obligation.

The Christian Church is not a place where you “check the boxes.”

Meet Zach Zehnder, who tells us that following Jesus is an opportunity!

For more about Zach, head over to his website, Red Letter Challenge.

Red Letter Challenge

Books recommended by Zach:

Confessing Jesus’ Mission by Tim Ahlman

The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

Steps by Jon Ortberg

Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

Good to Great by Jim Collins

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From humble beginnings growing up in Texas to being the leader of several churches, a District President and the the President of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - a church body of nearly 2 million people - the Rev. Dr. Jerry Kieschnick inspires us to answer God's call to serve others!

Books recommended by Jerry:

The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

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⁠The St. Mathew YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠

The St. Matthew Podcast Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Click here for more information about St. Matthe⁠w⁠

Life feels heavy at times. Especially in dark times.

Where do you turn when it does? Who do you turn to to get through what you're going through?

Tanner Olson returns to the Reflection Podcast with a new book of poems and essays!

To find out more about Tanner, go to Written to Speak.

To get a copy of Getting Through What You're Going Through, click here.

Here are the previous episodes featuring Tanner.

That's What I Need to Hear with Tanner Olson and Blake Flattley.

Life is Not a Race and You are Not Behind with Tanner Olson.

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The St. Mathew YouTube Channel⁠⁠The St. Matthew Podcast Channel⁠⁠⁠Click here for more information about St. Matthe⁠w⁠

What if I told you that the Christmas story you know—Mary, Joseph, a manger, and a baby—wasn’t a surprise to God… not even close? In fact, He announced it centuries in advance, hiding jaw-dropping clues in plain sight all throughout the Old Testament. Some scholars say there are as many as 300 specific prophecies about the Messiah written hundreds, even thousands of years before Jesus was born.

On this special Christmas episode, author and scholar Chad Bird sits down with Ed Blonski to pull back the curtain on four of the most astonishing prophecies. We’re talking precise details—where He’d be born, how He’d arrive, what His mission would be—that are so accurate they’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

If you’ve ever wondered whether the Christmas story is more than just a sweet tradition… if you want proof that blows the lid off coincidence… you do NOT want to miss this one.Hit play right now and discover why the first Christmas was the most predicted moment in human history.

Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence at ⁠1517.org⁠. He has served as a pastor, professor, and guest lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew. He holds master's degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. He has contributed articles to Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Modern Reformation, The Federalist, Lutheran Forum, and other journals and websites.

Reflection Episodes Featuring Chad Bird

Untamed Prayers Part 1

Untamed Prayers Part 2

Hitchhiking with Prophets

Connection Between Passover and The Lord's Supper

Jesus Died and Rose For You

Podcasts featuring Chad Bird

40 Minutes in the Old Testament

Hidden Streams

Unveiling Mercy

Books by Chad Bird can be found at 1517.org

To connect with St. Matthew Lutheran, click ⁠⁠here⁠⁠:

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Today you'll get a little insight into how a preacher learns how to preach from one of the men responsible for teaching preaching!

He grew up in a church worker family, became a parish pastor himself and then was called to teach homiletics at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

To find out more about Peter Nafzger, click here.

Book recommendation:

The Genius of Luther's Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church by Robert Kolb & Charles P. Arand

Just Words: Understanding the Fullness of the Gospel by J. A. O. Preus

Loving Jesus by Mark Allan Powell

To connect with St. Matthew Lutheran, click ⁠here⁠

Please take a quick second to rate this podcast on your favorite platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening.

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From small town Iowa to the capital of the United States, Mark Shaltanis serves as pastor in one of the most contentious but also exciting places in the world!

He will inspire you to reflect God's light and love in this world!

Book Recommendations

Fearful Breakers by Janice Sebring

The Story of Civilization: The Reformation by Will Durant

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation

The Lutheran Study Bible

The Lutheran Service Book (hymnal)

To connect with St. Matthew Lutheran, click here.

Please take a quick second to rate this podcast on your favorite platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening. Those stars really help others discover us. Next, hit that like button or give us a thumbs-up—it’s a small gesture that makes a big difference. Finally, share this episode! Text it to a friend, post it on social media, or tell someone about it over coffee. You never know who might need to hear this message today.

A public school teacher who ends up serving as a missionary in Europe then comes back to America to lead Deaconess studies in the U.S.

This is the inspiring story of Dr. Jennie Asher, Deaconess and Director of Deaconess Studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

To find out more about the Deaconess Program at Concordia Seminary, click here.

Books recommended by Dr. Asher:

The Lutheran Study Bible

The Lutheran Service Book (hymnal)

Cottage Decorating Books from Amazon

To connect with St. Matthew Lutheran, click here: ⁠

Please take a quick second to rate this podcast on your favorite platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening.

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Sometimes we have a plan for our lives and then God comes along and says, "Have I got something for you!"

That's what happened to Jamie Crustals.

And you are about to hear her story.

Books recommend by Jamie:

Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel

Spark by John J. Ratey MD and Eric Hagerman

The Spark of Learning by Sarah Rose Cavanagh

To connect with St. Matthew Lutheran, click here:

Please take a quick second to rate this podcast on your favorite platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening.

Those stars really help others discover us.

Next, hit that like button or give us a thumbs-up—it’s a small gesture that makes a big difference.

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Text it to a friend, post it on social media, or tell someone about it over coffee. You never know who might need to hear this message today.