Podcasts about lutheran church

This recording is a condensed version of the sermon preached at Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church on May 18, 2025. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube Channel.   John 21:20-25   Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me." 23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?" 24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.   Theme: Comparison Is the Thief of Joy 1. God Gives a Variety of Blessings 2. True Joy Come from Following Christ

Pastor David Smith leads a study on Matthew 6:5-13. Join the pastors and people of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO, for weekly Bible study on Sunday mornings. Learn more about St. Paul's Des Peres at stpaulsdesperes.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org.

2025 May 18th - 9:30am Foundations Sermon - Vicar Eddie by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 18th - 11:00am FUEL Sermon - Pastor Culbertson by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 18th - 9:30am Generations Sermon - Pastor Sam by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 18th - 8:00am Foundations Sermon - Vicar Eddie by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

Who Said That? | May 11,2025 by The Lutheran Church of St. Andrew

This recording is a condensed version of the sermon preached at Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church on May 11, 2025. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube Channel.   Matthew 9:14-17 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?" 15  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Theme: The Old is Incompatible with the New The Old: Work-righteousness of men The New: Salvation through Christ Jesus

Recorded Sunday, May 4, 2025 at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Bangor, Wisconsin. "Like" us on Facebook!!

Recorded Sunday, May 11, 2025 at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Bangor, Wisconsin. "Like" us on Facebook!!

Pastor David Smith leads a study on Matthew 5:38-6:4. Join the pastors and people of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO, for weekly Bible study on Sunday mornings. Learn more about St. Paul's Des Peres at stpaulsdesperes.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org.

A Sermon for the Third Sunday after Easter St. John 16:16-22 by William Klock On Easter morning we heard St. John's account of the empty tomb.  How Mary Magdalene had come running to the house where he and Peter and the others were hiding.  How she sobbed out that someone had taken Jesus' body.  How he and Peter ran to the tomb as dawn was breaking and how they found it empty, with the linen graveclothes lying there neatly.  And we heard John say that “he believed”.  Somehow…inexplicably…Jesus had risen from the dead.  John believed in the resurrection of the dead.  They all did.  It was their hope.  But it wasn't supposed to happen like this.  Maybe it was fear, maybe it was confusion, maybe he just wanted to be more certain, but he didn't say anything.  They went back to the house where the other disciples were.  They went back into hiding.  Doors locked, windows shuttered, no lights, no fire.  When things blew over, they could sneak out of Jerusalem, slink back to Galilee.  Maybe they could go back to their old lives and everyone would forget that they'd been followers of Jesus. But then the next week we read from John's first epistle.  We read those words: Everything that is fathered by God conquers the world.  This is the victory that conquers the world: our faith!  That doesn't sound like the same John afraid to even tell his friends that he believed Jesus had been raised from death.  And last week we read from Peter's first epistle and he exhorted us to bear patiently with suffering.  Peter went from hiding behind locked doors on Easter to boldly preaching the risen Jesus in the temple court just fifty days later.  He would eventually find himself proclaiming that gospel in Rome itself, where he would be martyred for that holy boldness.  What happened? Brothers and Sisters, hope happened.  Jesus, the risen Messiah, appeared to them in that locked room.  They saw him, resurrected and renewed and yet still the same Jesus with the scars of the cross in his hands and feet.  They saw Jesus risen from the dead.  Not a ghost, not a spirt, but Jesus bodily raised.  It wasn't supposed to happen that way.  It was supposed to be everybody all at once, not just one person even if he was the Messiah.  But there he was, proving the old doctrine of the Pharisees and the Prophets and their fathers true—just not the way they expected.  But even that's not so much what motivated them to leave their hiding places and to proclaim the risen Jesus to the world.  It's what Jesus' resurrection meant.  Because Jesus' resurrection was more than just an astounding miracle.  Jesus' resurrection was the proof that God's new world had been born, that new creation had begun, that the promises he made through the prophets and the hopes of God's people were being fulfilled.  Jesus' resurrection meant that the hopes of God's people were finally becoming reality.  Jesus had kindled God's light in the midst of the darkness and they knew the darkness would never overcome it.  But as they worked this out, they also realised that while Jesus had inaugurated this new creation, it would be they—Peter, John, Mary, the others, you and I—who would carry and announce God's new creation to the world.  Again, this hope, made real, made manifest in the resurrection of Jesus, is what sent the disciples out, not just to announce that God had performed a miracle in raising Jesus, but to announce the God's new creation had been born and that Jesus is its king—and if that proclamation cost them everything, even if it got them killed—they knew that God would raise them and that he would vindicate them, just as he had Jesus. Nothing else changed.  They were hiding in that locked and darkened house because—usually—when the authorities crucified a rebel or a revolutionary, they would also round up and crucify his followers.  As it turned out, it doesn't seem that anyone was seriously interested in doing that to Jesus' disciples.  But they didn't know that.  The real danger came when they went out and began proclaiming the good news about Jesus—as they challenged the false gods and the pretend kings of the darkness with the light of the Lord Jesus, as they confronted this fallen world and its systems with God's new creation.  That's when they were mocked, beaten, arrested, and martyred. Think of Paul.  He was one of the one's breathing threats against Jesus' disciples.  He was there looking on while Stephen was stoned, holding coats so people could better throw stones at him.  And then as Paul was on his way to round up Christians to bring them before the Jewish authorities, he was met by the risen Jesus.  And, again, it wasn't just an amazing miracle that inspired Paul to take up his own cross and to follow Jesus—to follow Jesus and to be beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and eventually murdered for the sake of the gospel.  It was hope.  It was what the resurrection of Jesus meant.  Jesus, risen from the dead, was proof of God's faithfulness and proof that his promises of forgiveness and new life and new creation and of humanity and creation set to rights—everything the Jews (and Paul!) had hoped and longed for—it was proof that it was all true and that it was coming true in Jesus.  The light has come into the darkness and the darkness has not and never will overcome it.  It was proof that if we are in Jesus the Messiah, we have a share in God's new creation and that no amount of suffering and not even death can take that away.  People aren't going to risk their lives to report a miracle.  What drove Peter, John, Paul—and all our brothers and sisters since—what drove them to risk everything to proclaim the good news was the knowledge, the assurance, the hope that through that proclamation God's promised new creation would overcome the darkness, the sadness, the tears—that it would make all the sad things of this broken world come untrue—for them and eventually for everyone who believes.  The kingdom would spread and grow until heaven and earth, God and humanity are at one again. All of this is what Jesus is getting at in our Gospel today from John 16.  It's from the middle of the long teaching that Jesus gave to his disciples when they were in the Garden of Gethsemane, after they ate that last Passover meal with Jesus.  Over and over Jesus exhorts them saying things like, Don't let your hearts be troubled…trust God and trust me, too.  And: I chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last…If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you.  If you were from the world, the world would be fond of its own.  But the world hates you because you're not from the world.  No, I chose you out of the world.  And at the beginning of Chapter 16 he says to them: I've said these things to you to stop you from being tripped up.  They will put you out of the synagogues.  In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will suppose that they are in that way offering worship to God…I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them.   I expect the disciples were remembering that part of what Jesus said very well when they were hiding.  “Jesus said they'd come to kill us,” they whispered in the dark.  What they didn't remember—or at least what they didn't understand were the words we read today.  In verse 16 Jesus says: “Not long from now, you won't see me anymore.  Then again, not long after that, you will see me.”   They expected—like pretty much everyone else—that the Messiah would bring some kind of revolt or revolution.  He would overthrow the pagans and take the throne of Israel and, ruling over Israel, he would restore God's people to their rightful place and status in the world.  So it's no wonder that when they heard this, they started murmuring amongst themselves.  John goes on: “What's he talking about?” some of his disciples asked each other.  “What's this business about ‘not long from now, you won't see me, and again not long after that you will see me'?  And what's this about ‘going to the Father'?”   Maybe Jesus was going to finally do what the Messiah was supposed to do.  Maybe he was going to go gather his army and come back to battle the Romans.  John writes: They kept on saying it.  “What is this ‘not long'?”  “What's it all about?”  “We don't know what he means!”  Jesus was doing that thing again where he would say cryptic things or tell a confusing story.  It got their interest and then he could fill them in.  Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, John says. “You're discussing with each other what I meant, aren't you?” he said.  “You want to know what I meant by saying, ‘Not long from now, you won't see me; and then again, not long after that you will see me.'  That's it, isn't it?  Well, I'm going to tell you the solemn truth.”   I can see them all stopping the whispers and leaning forward.  “Yes, Teacher.  Tell us what you mean!”  So Jesus goes on in the silence:  “You will weep and wail, but the world will celebrate.  You will be overcome with sorrow, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”  I can picture the confused looks coming back to their faces.  The Messiah was supposed to make everything all better.  He was supposed to set everything to rights and to wipe away all the tears.  The Messiah was supposed to bring an end to weeping and wailing!  So Jesus gives them an illustration they could understand: “When a woman is giving birth she is in anguish, because her moment has come.  But when the child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world.”  And then he adds in verse 22: In the same way, you have sorrow now.  But I shall see you again, and your hearts will celebrate, and nobody will take your joy from you.”   Even with the childbirth illustration, it was still pretty cryptic.  Even with what follows—which we'll come to in our Gospel for Rogation Sunday in two more weeks—even with that, the disciples really didn't understand—yet.  It was all there in the Prophets and it was all there in the things Jesus had been teaching.  The son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the legal experts.  He must be killed and raised up on the third day,” Jesus had said at one point.  It doesn't get much clearer than that.  And yet the events of that first Good Friday and Easter Day came as a complete surprise to them.  But then when they met the risen Jesus it all started to come back to them and it started to fall into place.  The wheels started turning.  Mental light bulbs started turning on.  The one thing left that they needed was the Holy Spirit—but I don't want to get ahead of the story.  We're still in that fifty days between Easter and Pentecost. And I think those fifty days must have been some of the most exciting days in the history of the world.  The disciples sat with Jesus—risen and glorified, the first bit of God's new creation real and tangible and true right there with them—and he taught them.  He went back over the scriptures—no doubt saying things he'd said a hundred times before—but now, in light of the resurrection, it all started to make sense.  And I can imagine their excitement growing between being there with Jesus in all his resurrected glory and as they connected the scriptural dots and as they saw how the story they had grown up with, the story they lived every year at Passover, the story that defined who they were, the story they knew so, so, so well began to unfold in a new way.  They'd always known it was a great story about the mighty and saving deeds of the Lord, but over those forty days in the presence of Jesus and hearing him teach and explain the story turned into something more glorious than they ever could have imagined.  The God they'd known became so much bigger and more glorious than they ever thought he could be.  And then it was time for Jesus to ascend and he had to tell them, “Wait.”  They were ready and eager and excited to go out into Jerusalem and Judea to start telling everyone the story—the story everyone knew, but now seen in a new and glorious light through the lens of Jesus' resurrection—and about this new hope they knew.  God's new creation had finally come and they'd spent the last forty days living in his presence.  But Jesus said, “Wait.  Your excitement about what God has done is only part of what you need.  Wait.  Just a little bit—ten more days—so I can send God's Spirit.  Couple this good news with the power of the Spirit and not even the gates of hell will stop you!” And, Lord knows, the gates of hell have tried, but the gates of hell had already done their worst at the cross, and Jesus rose victorious.  And that's how and that's why those first disciples took up their crosses and followed Jesus.  Peter was crucified at Rome, Andrew was crucified in Greece, Thomas was speared by soldiers in India, Philip was martyred at Carthage, Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia, Bartholomew in Armenia, James was stoned to death in Jerusalem, Simon was martyred in Persia, and Matthias in Syria.  Only John survived, after being exiled to Patmos.  You see, in the risen Jesus they saw the proof that sin and death have been decisively defeated, that the false gods and kings of the old evil age have been exposed, and most of all they saw that God's promised and long-hoped for new creation has been born.  The resurrection gave them hope and that hope sent them out to proclaim the good news even though it meant following in the suffering of Jesus.  And their stories have been the stories of countless Christians through the ages—of the Christians who died in the Roman persecutions, who died at the hands of the Sassanids, the Goths, the Vikings, the Caliphs, the Turks, the Kahns, the French revolutionaries, the Communists, the Islamists.  It's been the stories of countless missionaries who marched into hostile territory for the sake of the gospel, knowing they very well might die for it, but also knowing that the way of the cross is the path into God's new creation. Brothers and Sisters, too often these days we've lost sight of this.  Maybe it's the prosperity gospel, maybe it's that we haven't known any meaningful persecution for so long, but we Christians in the modern west seem to have forgotten this.  There's no room for suffering and the way of the cross in our theology.  We gloss over what look like “failures” in church history.  I was listening to a sermon this past week.  The preacher was telling the story of a missionary named Peter Milne.  Milne was a Scottish minister and part of a group that called themselves “one-way” missionaries.  When they shipped out to far off lands to proclaim the gospel, they packed their worldly goods in a coffin.  It was symbolic.  They were going out as missionaries with no expectation of ever returning home.  They would die—one way or another—in the land they went to evangelise.  Peter Milne went to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific.  It was a land of head-hunting cannibals.  Milne wasn't the first to go.  Others had gone before and were killed by the natives.  Milne was the first to go and to survive and to have a thriving gospel ministry.  When he died fifty-some years later in 1924, he was buried in his coffin with the epitaph: “When he came, there was no light.  When he left, there was no darkness.”  When he'd arrived there wasn't a single Christian on the island.  When he died, there wasn't a single person who wasn't a Christian. But here's the thing—and the preacher I was listening to completely missed it: Following Jesus means first taking up a cross.  It's not about the glory of “successful” ministry.  It's about dying to self, and living for the hope of God's glory and the spread of his kingdom.  The preacher I listened to said nothing of the others who had gone before Milne to the New Hebrides and been martyred.  They don't fit in with our prosperity and business model theology.  We admire their willingness to give their lives for the sake of the gospel, but they sort of get chalked up as failures.  But to do that is to miss what it means to follow Jesus, to know the pangs of childbirth, but to also experience the joy that makes the pain and the sorrow pale in comparison. As Tertullian said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, but so are all the other good-faith “failures”.  There was a week when we were church-planting in Portland that I found myself all alone.  Veronica's mom was sick and she and Alexandra had travelled up to Kelowna.  The other family that was helping us to get things off the ground had to be away that weekend.  It was just me.  But The Oregonian newspaper had just run a story on us.  I'd had several contacts that week.  The show had to go on.  We were meeting at a Lutheran Church on Sunday evenings, so I asked the pastor there if one of their organists could come and play that evening.  She came and she and I sat there waiting.  And 7pm came and went.  And 7:05, and 7:15 and we knew no one was coming.  I was discouraged and it was obvious.  She and I said Evening Prayer together and then she told me her story.  She and her husband, a pastor, had been Lutheran church planters in Jamaica for almost ten years.  They had a very small group that had asked them to come to help them plant a church and for ten years they tried and nothing ever happened.  When they finally decided to quit there were no more people than when they started.  She said that she and her husband found the whole thing utterly discouraging.  They had made significant sacrifices to be there and nothing had happened.  It was tempting to be angry with God.  They returned home thinking they were failures and wondering why.  They'd been faithful in proclaiming Jesus.  They'd spent hours every week in prayer with that little group of people.  And then several years later they received a letter.  It was from a pastor in Kingston.  Not long after they'd left, he'd arrived to plant a church.  His group moved into the building left behind by the Lutherans and quickly began to grow and thrive.  And he wrote to thank them.  “You soaked this place in prayer and you cast gospel seed all through the neighbourhood,” he wrote.  He didn't know why it never grew for them, but he knew they'd been faithful and he was now reaping a harvest he hadn't planted and he wanted to thank them for their faithfulness.  That elderly Lutheran organist told me that story with tears in her eyes and said, “Be faithful and don't be discouraged.  Whatever happens, if you are faithful, the Lord is at work.  Some of us plant, some of us water, some of us reap, but it's all the Lord's work.”  She reminded me of the hope that lies before me—and that lies before all of us—and that Jesus doesn't just call us to follow him; he first calls us to take up our crosses.  Just it was necessary for Jesus to give his life that he might be raised from death, so must we die to ourselves that we might live.  Brothers and Sisters, fix your eyes on Jesus.  He knew the joy that was set before him and so he endured the cross.  He scorned its shame.  And because of that the Father raised him from the dead and has seated him at his right hand.  His kingdom has been born.  Now the joy of the kingdom, of new creation, of God's life is before us.  May it be the reason that we take up our crosses and follow our Lord. Let's pray: Gracious Father, as we come to your Table this morning, give us a taste of your great kingdom feast; let us see Jesus, risen from the dead; and make us especially aware of your indwelling Spirit that we might be filled with the joy of your salvation and the joy of your new creation.  Strengthen us with joy, so that we will not fear to take up our crosses and follow Jesus.  Amen.

In this episode, Pastor Dan Smail and Vicar Wendy Farone discuss a central doctrine of the Lutheran Church. There are a lot of 'churchy' words in just the episode title! Not to worry, we make it easy to understand! Justification by faith is a divine act by which God declares us righteous or in right relationship by offering us grace. Being in right relationship doesn't mean that we are just 'good people' or that we do 'good things' (and we should do both), but that through grace we are forgiven through our belief in Christ and made righteous! Listen and it will make more sense! 

Sermon for The Fourth Sunday of Easter at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and The Ev. Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, both in The Bronx, New York (John 10:22-30).

2025 May 11th - 11:00am FUEL Sermon - Pastor Culbertson by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 11th - 11:00am Foundations Sermon - Pastor Elliott by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 11th - 8:00am Foundations Sermon - Pastor Culbertson by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 11th - 9:30am Generations Sermon - Pastor Scott by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

Support Our Livestream Ministry—and Empower Our Youth! Each week, our YouTube, Facebook Live and our podcast services are made possible by our amazing youth media team. That's right—they run the cameras, audio, and streaming software—and we're proud to pay them for their work, helping them build life skills while serving the church. Your donation supports: Livestream costs (equipment, internet, tools) Paid media roles for our youth Continued outreach through digital ministry If you've been blessed by our services, consider giving here: https://www.calvaryperham.com/gifts Thank you for helping us serve our community—and raise up the next generation!Facebook: / calvaryperham YouTube: / @calvaryperham Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7hbXujm... Podcast public site https://rss.com/podcasts/april16th2023/ Lakes 99.5 Radio Sundays at Ten Thirty AM https://player.listenlive.co/64121 TUESDAY WORSHIP 9 AM Arvig TV Channel 14 Egiving https://secure.myvanco.com/YMVS/home Website: https://calvaryperham.com/

The construction of the LORD's temple begins 480 years after the exodus from Egypt, marking this as a watershed moment in the LORD's work of saving His people. The grandeur of the temple confesses how valuable the LORD's presence is among His people. Decor in the temple reminiscent of the Garden of Eden shows how the LORD comes to bring His people a new creation. Though such details may seem tiresome to modern readers, all of the text points us forward to the fulfillment in Christ Jesus, in whom the fullness of God dwells among us.  Rev. John Bussman, pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School in Cullman, AL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Kings 6:1-38.  "A Kingdom Divided” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Kings. The division in the kingdom of Israel in this part of history was greater than a matter of north and south. The biggest division was between the people and their God. Yet even as the people rebelled against the LORD as their King, still He remained faithful to call them back to Himself through His prophets, working through history to send the good and gracious King, Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

PrayerLord, help us to understand what is truly good and pleasing to you. Grant us thewisdom to know how to do what is right, share in loving kindness, and walkhumbly with you. Help us reflect your goodness in our thoughts, words, andactions. Give us the strength to overcome any obstacles that stand in the way ofliving a life that honors you. Amen.Support Our Livestream Ministry—and Empower Our Youth!Each week, our YouTube, Facebook Live and our podcast services are made possible by our amazing youth media team. That's right—they run the cameras, audio, and streaming software—and we're proud to pay them for their work, helping them build life skills while serving the church.Your donation supports:Livestream costs (equipment, internet, tools)Paid media roles for our youthContinued outreach through digital ministryIf you've been blessed by our services, consider giving here:https://www.calvaryperham.com/giftsThank you for helping us serve our community—and raise up the next generation!Visit us in Person:Calvary Lutheran Church619 3RD AVE SW PERHAM MN 56573

In this episode, we're talking about one of the most overlooked yet essential tools for church outreach today: search engine optimization (SEO) and making the most of Google. Whether you're a pastor, church administrator, or volunteer managing your church's website, this conversation will equip you with practical strategies to ensure your church is found by the people who are looking for it. Every day, people in your community are searching online for answers—some are seeking a place to worship, others are looking for hope, community, or help. But if your church doesn't show up when they search, you're missing a major opportunity to connect with them. That's where SEO comes in. It's not about gaming the system or marketing gimmicks—it's about being present where people are already looking. We'll walk through what SEO actually is (in plain English), how Google ranks websites, and the top things you can do today to make your church website more visible online. You'll learn about the importance of keywords, how to write content that Google recognizes and people appreciate, and why updating your church's Google Business Profile might be the most important five minutes you spend this week. We'll also touch on how to make your sermons, events, and blog posts easier to find—and how small things like page speed, mobile-friendliness, and simple URLs can make a big difference. Our goal isn't to turn your church into a tech startup—it's to help faithful churches reach real people with the Gospel by stewarding the tools that are already at our fingertips. This episode is packed with tips, examples, and encouragement to take small, consistent steps toward making your church more discoverable. If you've ever wondered why your church isn't appearing in search results, how to bring more people to your site, or what Google actually wants from your content, this episode is for you. The harvest is plentiful—even online—and the tools are in your hands. Let's use them wisely. The Lutheran Church in a Digital Age: SEO, Outreach, and Mission blog post Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Lititz, PA ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Special Guest: Mr. Michael Usner ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

Abram stared upward, into the endless expanse of the night sky. He was still childless and feeling the weight of doubt pressing harder than ever. Had God forgotten him? Had the promise slipped away? And then, in the darkness, the voice returned—not with rebuke, but reassurance: “Fear not, Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Abram believed, and God counted it to him as righteousness.   The Rev. Nate Hill, pastor of St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Genesis 15.  Genesis isn't just the start of the Bible; it's the foundation of everything. Creation, sin, judgment, grace, covenant, and promise all take root in this remarkable book. The stories are ancient, but their truths are eternal. In this new series from Thy Strong Word, Pastor Phil Booe and his guests walk verse by verse through Genesis, exploring how God reveals Himself as Creator, Judge, and Redeemer. From the grandeur of the cosmos to the struggles of ordinary families, Genesis introduces us to a God who speaks, acts, and keeps His promises. So, whether you've read it a hundred times or are just now cracking it open for a serious look, this series will help you see Genesis with fresh eyes—and a deeper faith. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Abram stared upward, into the endless expanse of the night sky. He was still childless and feeling the weight of doubt pressing harder than ever. Had God forgotten him? Had the promise slipped away? And then, in the darkness, the voice returned—not with rebuke, but reassurance: “Fear not, Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Abram believed, and God counted it to him as righteousness.   The Rev. Nate Hill, pastor of St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Genesis 15.  Genesis isn't just the start of the Bible; it's the foundation of everything. Creation, sin, judgment, grace, covenant, and promise all take root in this remarkable book. The stories are ancient, but their truths are eternal. In this new series from Thy Strong Word, Pastor Phil Booe and his guests walk verse by verse through Genesis, exploring how God reveals Himself as Creator, Judge, and Redeemer. From the grandeur of the cosmos to the struggles of ordinary families, Genesis introduces us to a God who speaks, acts, and keeps His promises. So, whether you've read it a hundred times or are just now cracking it open for a serious look, this series will help you see Genesis with fresh eyes—and a deeper faith. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Restoration | May 5, 2025 by The Lutheran Church of St. Andrew

This recording is a condensed version of the sermon preached at Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church on May 4, 2025. You can watch the full recording on our YouTube Channel.   Romans 4:23-5:5 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The "Therefore" of Easter 1. Therefore, We Have Peace with God 2. Therefore, We Glory in Tribulations

Recorded Sunday, April 27, 2025 at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Bangor, Wisconsin. "Like" us on Facebook!!

Pastor Paul Sieveking leads a study on Matthew 5:10-37.   Join the pastors and people of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO, for weekly Bible study on Sunday mornings. Learn more about St. Paul's Des Peres at stpaulsdesperes.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org.

Sermon for The Third Sunday of Easter at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and The Ev. Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, both in The Bronx, New York (John 21:1-19).

2025 May 4th - 11:00am FUEL Sermon - Pastor Scott by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 4th - 9:30am Generations Sermon - Pastor Sam by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 4th - 9:30am Foundations Sermon - Pastor Culbertson by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

2025 May 4th - 8:00am Foundations Sermon - Pastor Scott by St Luke's Lutheran Church & School

Prayer of the DayHoly and righteous God, you are the author of life, and you adopt us to be your children. Fill us with your words of life, that we may live as witnesses to the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.Facebook: / calvaryperham YouTube: / @calvaryperham Podcast on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/7hbXujmmTtLlWAxzIzpUZo?si=55a2f1977c1c4d22Podcast public sitehttps://rss.com/podcasts/april16th2023/Lakes 99.5 Radio Sundays at Ten Thirty AMTUESDAY WORSHIP*9:00AM Arvig TV Channel 14Egiving https://secure.myvanco.com/YMVS/homeWebsite:https://calvaryperham.com/

Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of MassZymes today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com)Get a second opinion on the health of your retirement portfolio today. Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. go to KnowYourRiskRadio.com today.Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddThe Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyTodd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeMichelle Obama Comes Out… // How Can a “Pastor” Defend Saying God is “Queer?” // Is This How Chrstians Save Muslims? Episode Links:Michelle Obama says black women were never given permission to communicate their pain. Michelle Obama stated when she and Barrack were initially running for President that he hated America. The MSM chose to not focus on that and swept it under the rug.Michelle Obama says Trump's deportations “keep her up at night.” Strange—her husband deported 5.3 million. Trump? Just over 100,000. Either she forgot, or she's hoping you did. Selective outrage is a hell of a drug.You're being a role model for dealing with a child that's transgender... That warms my heart, particularly as a black man." That's quite the slip up…Jasmine Crockett on mass deportation: “How would they feel if some other country decided that they were gon' just start throwing people randomly in our country?” Mam, that is exactly what other countries have been doing!Lutheran Church preacher explains that baby Moses' trip in a basket on the Nile river has queer themes and is actually about kinship outside of heteronormative family structures, as well as a metaphor for the turbulence that trans folk experience at the hands of the church.Valentina Gomez says Is  lam is a religion of rape in front of Texas courthouse, Muslim crowd, gets called a dog.Valentina Gomez's remarks about Islam broke viewership records: America is a Christian nation, Islam has no place here.

Adonijah and his supporters quickly realize with terror that Solomon will be king after David. Adonijah pleads for Solomon's mercy and receives it, along with a warning that Adonijah prove himself faithful to the rightful king of Israel. Solomon begins to reign alongside of David before David dies. David instructs Solomon to be faithful to the word of the LORD and to enact true justice in a few open cases from David's reign. When David dies, he goes to sleep in the LORD, and Solomon reigns as king in his place.  Rev. David Appold, pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Paducah, KY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Kings 1:41-2:12.  "A Kingdom Divided” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Kings. The division in the kingdom of Israel in this part of history was greater than a matter of north and south. The biggest division was between the people and their God. Yet even as the people rebelled against the LORD as their King, still He remained faithful to call them back to Himself through His prophets, working through history to send the good and gracious King, Jesus Christ. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

In April of 1975, Communists succeeded in overwhelming their enemies to take over Vietnam. The last major city to fall was Saigon. That event is one of those historic times many remember who lived through it as well as those of us who only experienced it through Television and newspapers. Our guest today, Miki Nguyen, was six and a half years old when he and his family escaped from Saigon on a Chinook Helicopter piloted by his father.   Miki willingly tells us his story and that of his family who all escaped and came to America. Miki tells us of his growing up in a new land and how he eventually was given the opportunity to bring his father's story to life. Miki's dad wanted to write a book about what happened in 1975 as well as describing his life. He passed ten years ago and was unable to publish his book. Last year, Miki found his father's writings and undertook to bring his father's story to life. The book is entitled “The Last Flight Out”.   As Miki tells us the story of his family's flight from Saigon he also provides pictorial representations of what happened. If you watch this episode on YouTube you will get to see those pictures.   Personally, I can relate to Miki's story as in so many ways it parallels my own experiences on September 11, 2001. I hope you like and learn much from this week's episode. Let me know your thoughts please.       About the Guest:   Miki Nguyen is a storyteller dedicated to preserving the legacy of his father, Lieutenant Colonel Ba Van Nguyen, a heroic figure whose daring escape from Saigon during the Fall of Vietnam in 1975 was immortalized in the 2015 Oscar-nominated documentary Last Days in Vietnam. As the son of a South Vietnamese Air Force officer, Miki's life has been shaped by his family's extraordinary journey from the chaos of war to rebuilding their lives in America. Today, he shares stories of courage, sacrifice, and resilience in his late father's memoir "The Last Flight Out" to commemorate 50 years since the Fall of Saigon. Born into a world of upheaval, Miki witnessed firsthand the harrowing final days of the Vietnam War as a child, fleeing Saigon with his family in a dramatic helicopter evacuation to the USS Kirk. His father's bravery under fire and unwavering commitment to saving loved ones left an indelible mark on Miki, inspiring him to compile and share his father's stories decades later. Through The Last Flight Out, Miki bridges the past and present, offering readers an intimate glimpse into the sacrifices of war, the challenges of resettlement, and the quiet strength of his mother, Nho Nguyen, who anchored the family through unimaginable adversity. As a speaker, Miki captivates audiences with a narrative that transcends history, weaving universal themes of resilience, cultural identity, and leadership into his talks. Whether addressing corporate teams, educational institutions, on Podcasts, or cultural organizations, he draws parallels between his family's journey and modern-day challenges, emphasizing the power of hope and community in overcoming obstacles. His presentations, enriched with archival photos and personal anecdotes, resonate deeply with veterans, immigrants, and anyone seeking inspiration to navigate life's uncertainties. Miki is committed to amplifying his father's legacy and honoring the courageous individuals who shaped his family's journey—from Captain Paul Jacobs and the USS Kirk crew, whose heroism ensured their evacuation during Saigon's fall, to the Lutheran church members in Seattle who provided sanctuary and support as they rebuilt their lives in America. Through the memoir, speaking engagements, and other partnerships, Miki invites audiences to reflect on these unsung stories of courage and resilience while embracing a future defined by empathy and unity. Ways to connect Miki:   Email: mdn425@gmail.com / miki@nguyenvanba.com Website: https://nguyenvanba.com/miki/ Instagram: instagram.com/last.flight.out.nvb/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikinguyen44   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:20 Well, hello everyone. Once again. Wherever you happen to be, I am your host, Mike Hingson, and you are listening to Unstoppable Mindset, mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and as we've defined unexpected here on the podcast, it's anything that has to do with anything other than inclusion and diversity. A few weeks ago, I got an email from a friend of mine and someone I work with at yesterday usa.net it's a radio station that plays old radio shows all day, and anyway, Walden Hughes, who we really need to get on this podcast as well. Told me about Miki when, because Miki expressed, or Walden has expressed an interest in having Miki on yesterday USA, and Miki had an interesting story, and has an interesting story to tell, and I thought that it would be fun to bring him on to unstoppable mindset, because his father and family were basically, if you will, as you will hear on the last flight out of Saigon in Vietnam when that war ended in 1975 so that's 50 years ago. Anyway, Miki generously agreed to come on. And so here we are. So Miki, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Really appreciate it and looking forward to having a chance to chat.   Miki Ngyuen ** 02:47 Yeah, thank you, Michael, just really honored and appreciate the opportunity to be on your platform and to share with you in your audience, my father and my family story. The this is a story that has been told around the dinner table for many, many years. And as we are here now in early 2025 this marks, this will mark at the end of April here, coming up the 50 year remembrance, as you noted, the the fall of Saigon and so yeah, again, just really happy to be here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 03:27 let's start as I love to do, and I know it kind of is part of the story, but tell us a little about kind of the early Miki growing up and and things that you might want to talk about from childhood and so on.   Miki Ngyuen ** 03:38 Yeah, I we in at the end of April, 1975 I was six and a half years old, and so, to answer your question, I grew up on a military base, basically my dad towards the end there, Lieutenant Colonel was a pilot for the south of Vietnamese Air Force, and he flew various Chinooks. The the one that we're referencing here is the the Chinook helicopter, CH 47 and so this is young childhood for me, growing up on the barracks, the oldest of three, three kids, brother Mecca and baby sister Mina. And this was a childhood where very curious about things the world around me, on the barracks, there were a lot of heavy artillery. And one story, my mom would sure it's a kid dragging home a box of of ammunition, just to say, you know, Hey, Mom, look what I found laying around. So this was a. In early childhood, growing up during a a war torn country back in those days,   Michael Hingson ** 05:07 yeah, certainly couldn't have been easy to do. So, what schooling did you have while you were still in Vietnam?   Miki Ngyuen ** 05:14 Oh, this is six, six and a half, just kind regarding kindergarten. Yeah, pretty, pretty much. So the Vietnamese that I was able to learn, you know, was just talking with parents, mom and dad, early kindergarten schooling. But otherwise, my Vietnamese now as an adult is not as strong as I would like it to be, but you know the reality of coming to America at six and a half seven. Grew up post war all American high school, so yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 05:53 now were your parents from Vietnam originally? Yes, yes. Okay, so it it had to be tough for you, and it had to really be tough for them, and I'm sure that they were worried about you and your brother and sister a lot and and dealing with all the things that you all had to deal with, that had to really be a challenge. Did they as as you were growing up in America and so on. Did they talk about, or want to talk much about, what your what your life was like, your heritage and so on, from Vietnam?   Miki Ngyuen ** 06:31 No, absolutely. It was my my father, my mom's philosophy, to always continue to keep our culture and our heritage and the things that you know was good about our culture, the Vietnamese culture, and to continue it forward while living, trying to assimilate and live here in in the United States. So growing up, it was straddling of both cultures, both Western and the Vietnamese Eastern culture as well, during our upbringing. And so it continues to be strong today, where for my own kids, you know, we continue to celebrate and our Vietnamese heritage and culture. Although American Vietnamese, I hold a US passport. My blood still runs with a lot of the Vietnamese culture that was raised on. It's   Michael Hingson ** 07:32 an interesting paradox, or paradox is probably the wrong word to use, but you have an interesting dichotomy you have to deal with. You're from Vietnam, you embrace the Vietnamese culture, but you live in America, and unfortunately, in our society today, we have a government that has been pushing so much on anything that isn't really American, isn't really American. And how do you how do you deal with that? What do you think about that, that whole concept, and that, ultimately, there are those who would say, well, you're you're not American because you didn't come from here, and that's a frustrating thing. But I'd be curious to get your thought, well, it's   Miki Ngyuen ** 08:17 to say it's a it's the same conversation as you know, the Ellis Island story, right? The only, the only folks that I would say that can claim that they're here with Native Americans, everybody else migrated either east or west, from Europe or from Asia or from the Middle East or Africa to get here. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 08:36 Yeah, it is. And from, from my thoughts and perspective, it's, it's a joy that you, you have two cultures to be able to celebrate and and work with, which gives you a broader perspective on the world as a whole. I grew up in America. I didn't really do a great job of learning foreign languages, although I took High School German and I learned some Spanish, and I actually took a year of Japanese in college. But still, my whole grounding is is in America, but I do love to go to other countries and see and get to experience other cultures, even though I know I don't live there, but I, and I do come back here, but I, but I think that what you bring is a great perspective for people to understand a whole part of the world that's different than what they're used To, which is a good thing.   Miki Ngyuen ** 09:41 Well, that's why they, they call America the great melting pot, right? We bring, we want to, we want to bring our best. We, you know, there can be conversations around refugees and immigration stories here and there, but. I think for the most part, you know, diverse cultures, different folks coming from other parts of the you know, we contributed to America, whether it be through bringing, you know, food or arts or ideologies, and that's what makes America, you know, strong, is just people bringing their best here. And sure, there's going to be negatives here and there. But you know, if we're come from a place of goodness, a place of positivity and working with each other. I think the spirit of America and the spirit of the great melting pot here can can continue to flourish and be strong from that standpoint. And   Michael Hingson ** 10:52 I and I think it absolutely is exactly what you said. It's the melting pot, it's the spirit, and that's what we need to remember, because that is what has always made this country so great, and will continue to, no matter what some may say. And I'm glad that we we have the the depth of overall culture, which really is made up of so many other cultures. When you got to America, what was it like then going to school here and finishing your growing up period here?   Miki Ngyuen ** 11:30 It was a, I don't want to use the word struggle. My parents struggled more. But for myself coming to the US here it was quickly to assimilate, you know, that's the word that just simply out of survival, simply out of just making friends and keeping the friends that, you know, I had growing up in first grade and second grade and so on. And growing up in the mid 70s here looking different than the rest of the white kids, you know, in elementary school, I got called all sorts of racial names, and so I know on your, you know, with your your message of disability, and   Miki Ngyuen ** 12:25 functioning in, you know, I had my own struggles as well in terms of just being different, you know, then, then the next kid in elementary school. So, but we learned to adapt, we learned to maneuver, and we learned to communicate and develop social skills to blend in, and again, that word assimilate, just to survive. So   Michael Hingson ** 12:51 where did you Where did you all settle once you got to the US? Where did you go to school? Oh,   Miki Ngyuen ** 12:58 so we're located here on the outskirts of Seattle, suburbs of Seattle area, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 13:06 I remember when so many people were coming over and from Vietnam, and they had some refugee encampments for A while. I was contacted by a church group, because at a local area near where I was attending college at the University of California at Irvine, there was such a place, and there was a blind person there, and they wanted to get this person, that was a young man, to meet blind people. So I went out. We even brought him a transistor radio. He didn't speak great English, but we were able to communicate. And that was probably the closest I came to dealing with, in a sense, all the things that all of you dealt with. So I but I do understand we as a collective society, sometimes don't really deal with difference as well as we ought to we we don't recognize that the very fact that we have some things that are difference is what makes us stronger when we embrace the fact that everyone has their own set of gifts and challenge and challenges to deal with, right? Exactly,   Miki Ngyuen ** 14:22 yeah, exactly. The just to provide more context, yeah, the there was a church across the crest, Lutheran Church here in Bellevue, out about 30 minutes from Seattle, that sponsored our family and yeah, that's how that's how we we ended up here in the story of my father and my my family was no the only thing different, because during the. April, end of April timeframe in 1975 the communists finally took over, as many of your audience know, you know, Saigon and the rest of Vietnam, and we had to, we had to get the heck out of there, because if my dad would have gotten captured by the communists, he would have been set in jail for a long time. And so our, our or worse, yes, exactly or worse, our, our family story is no different than anybody else's refugee boat people story coming out of Vietnam. The only difference was what my dad did as a pilot, what he did to to rescue our family and his crew's family and the maneuver that he executed at sea with a large Chinook helicopter, so much that it was was honored 10 years ago to share the same story with in an Oscar nominated film last year in Vietnam, written and produced by Rory Kennedy, and so there are so many, there's so many other Vietnamese refugee stories, but this one was, was our particular family story, and it's the story of my father's bravery, courage, our family's resiliency, among other various leadership kinds of themes. So that's, that's the premise of things.   Michael Hingson ** 16:27 Yeah, I understand. Well, what, what did you say you went to college? Where'd you go   Miki Ngyuen ** 16:35 to? Studied engineering at the University of Washington here in the Seattle area,   Michael Hingson ** 16:42 didn't, didn't try to help the basketball team, huh? Just, just checking, no, it's   16:50 too short for basketball, yeah, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 16:52 Well, you know. And of course, in in the March, April, time frame of every year, we have March Madness, which is really crazy. I was disappointed to see Gonzaga get out of it so quickly. But oh well, of course, most people don't even know where Gonzaga is. I actually had the the lovely opportunity to speak there once, so it was kind of fun. So I've been there so anyway, well, so you went off and studied in engineering, and that's what you did after college.   Miki Ngyuen ** 17:23 No, I after college, I was an engineer for a couple years, and then pivoted over into the marketing side of things and focused in in technology. I mean, from your background, you also, you know, did sales, especially with your story 20 plus years ago, worked in technology sales, and your involvement with a tech company today accessible. So yeah, that's, that's, yeah, that's my. My background is tech marketing,   Michael Hingson ** 17:55 well, and I started out doing tech stuff, helping to work in the development of the original reading machine for the blind that Ray Kurzweil developed, but that ended up going into sales for a variety of reasons. So I appreciate where you're coming from and and feel a lot for the kinds of experiences that you've had. Well, why don't you tell us a little bit about what happened with your father, and the whole, the whole story of the escape, the last flight out, flying out with the Chinook and all that that happened. Oh   Miki Ngyuen ** 18:32 yes, so let's, let's get into let me go ahead and share the some pictures here. And I, as I told you, for you know, pictures worth 1000 words and but I'll narrate it in such a way that all audiences can can get into the the whole story. So this was, this was a moment again. This is a family story that was shared around the dinner table for many, many years post 1975 and I'm sharing the story through the lens of a six and a half year old boy experiencing what I saw and what I what I went through, and the picture that we're showing here on the First slide here is just images of my father, Bob van win, who, in the early, early 60s, got an opportunity after college to test and train to and finally got admitted into the the Air Force. And in the mid 60s, got an opportunity to come to Fort Rucker and study and fly helicopters, and came to America again in 69 to for additional training. And so my father grew up, family, grandmother, education was of utmost important. Importance, as well as family and community. And so towards the towards and the next slide I'm showing here is towards April 29 1975 we see iconic images in time, Life magazine, in the media here in the US, images of the Communists the North tanks rolling into Saigon and overtaking the city. And in the film, the documentary, again last season Vietnam, we see images. We see video clips of folks trying to get into the US Embassy to get access to a helicopter to get out of there, because folks, people that were serving working with American or the American personnel, anybody that was involved in the south fighting against communism would, have, you know, been in jail or put into, you know, a tough situation post war, if they gotten captured. And so we see a mass chaos, mass exodus trying to get out of of the city there. And so it was my my dad's knew that had he stayed and not figured things out, he would have been either killed or put in jail for a long time, and so he, at this point, waited out for orders from his commanding officers and his leadership at all of the top brass took off with their family trying to figure out how to get out themselves. And my dad, with the Chinook, went and picked up our family in at this moment in time of mom, myself, brother and sister, we were at my grandma's house. Uh, we've been there for about a couple weeks to get out of the the military base that we were on, and at Grandma's house. I remember the night before, my dad coming to get us a bombing and machine guns rattling around the neighborhood and around the city there. So it was pretty tense for our family at that time, my dad with the helicopter, Chinook helicopter in I'm sure you and your in the audience, you driving down the road or over, flying over your house, you hear a Chinook. Is very thunderous of and so it's a big equipment, big, big aircraft. And what he did was land at the Chinook in front of my grandma's house play a play field, and blew, you know, a lot of the roofs and commotion, and folks around the neighborhood were just surprised. You know of this helicopter landing in the middle of the middle, middle of sea.   Michael Hingson ** 23:22 Did you know that he was coming? Yes,   Miki Ngyuen ** 23:25 my dad had told my mom the days earlier that I'll be coming to get you. We'll figure this out, because at this moment in time, there's probably no way that we're going to survive the the Communists were coming and get ready. Get, you know, pack the bags, get get things ready and but we didn't know that he would come in in such a way. We figured maybe he would come in a vehicle, the military vehicle, to come in and get us. But he actually came with a with the with the Chinook, and landed right in front of the right in front of the house.   Michael Hingson ** 23:58 How many people was the Chinook hold. Well, at this time, in front   Miki Ngyuen ** 24:02 of my grandson, just our immediate family and but it would hold a lot of folks, a lot of folks. And towards the towards later on, we'll get to that point. But towards it we had like about 1715, 1617, people, crew member, their their girlfriends and family in in the in the helicopter. Yeah, that was what I was wondering,   Michael Hingson ** 24:28 because you said it was big. So I was just trying to get a perspective on what big really meant. And that's why I asked how many people it would hold. Oh,   Miki Ngyuen ** 24:36 yeah, understood, yeah. So the Chinook is probably, it is probably the largest helicopter in the, you know, the fleet of helicopters Arsenal so but he landed hatch opens up on the back, and the Chinook as a is a double, double, uh. Uh, a rotor, double prop helicopter. And family ran to the back of the the helicopter. They closed the hatch up, and my my father, accelerated, you know, the the engines and lifted up and out of, out of the area there. And the thinking was to rendezvous up with a few other of his squadron crew members and to head further south of the hot zone, Saigon, and to load up on the food and ration and gas so that we would continue further south and maybe perhaps lay low, find an island to just figure out what to do next, from that standpoint, and that's that's where We actually did was, along with our family, he had co pilot, and he had his gunner and the mechanic in their, you know, their their family members or girlfriends in the in the Chinook, once we loaded up On, on all of the, the food and everything fuel lifted up and out. And at the same time, he heard my father continued to monitor the the the radio communication. And he heard that there were US Navy, US ships out in the Pacific, now out east in the Pacific. And so he figured, we'll take a risk and head in in that direction, towards the the ocean there, and he didn't know exactly, you know, the exact GPS location, or the exact whereabouts of it, particularly, just headed out there blind and trying to find whatever option he could find. And out in the distant there, he sees a ship. And he goes, Well, this is my first chance. I'm going to go approach it and see if I'm able to land on it or figure out what to do next from there. And so heads in that direction. And we see, he sees a a uh, what we know now today is the frigate, and it wasn't, it was too small. It wasn't big enough to, you know, it wasn't like a an aircraft carrier, where you can actually land on it. And so the the next slide that I'm showing here, basically, as he approaches this, this ship, the crewman below, the US Navy crewman below was waving him like, you know, waving him away. Don't, don't, don't come here. You're simply you're too big. There's no way that you can land on on this ship. And so he kept circling the ship eventually found out the name of the ship was named the USS Kirk, and the captain was Captain Paul Jacobs. And my father continued to circle and figure out some way to, you know, ask for help. And we see in the one of the images here, that on the port side, the left side of the of the Chinook, my my mom holding up eight month old baby onto the the window part to let the crew in below know that, hey, we're not, you know, we're, we're we got kids, we got family on here. We need, we need help. And so eventually, what my dad was able to speak with the captain below, and both the captain and my father were able to coordinate the next step here, and which was to allow my father to hover right next to right behind the ship the stern to allow folks to to exit the helicopter. But prior to that, the slide that I'm showing here shows many other Vietnamese pilots and their families with smaller, smaller helicopters, the Huey helicopters landing, able to land on on the deck. And after they land, they would push the smaller helicopters over to into the ocean. And the continuing to do that as more families came on on, you know, was able to land. Uh, the next slide I'm showing here is the actual Captain Paul Jacobs throughout, throughout this whole narrative, my father is, is, is the person that my father's my hero. But there are other heroes throughout this whole story as well, and one of those I want to acknowledge is Captain Paul Jacobs, where we see in this image here, he was on the deck. He he wasn't in the command tower, directing, telling his, you know, crew, what to do. He was actually on the deck helping with his crew members, pushing and telling folks, as well as himself, jumping in and pushing smaller helicopters over the the side, making room for to clear, clear the the ship's deck. And so he's an outstanding individual, a hero in my book as well. And so once the deck was clear enough so that my dad was able to hover, what he did was basically fly the Chinook horizontal backwards to maintain the same steady high height, as well as a safe distance away from from the USS Kirk. And we found out later on that the this particular ship of frigate was a submarine destroyer. So it had all of the high tech equipment back, sonars, radars, all of the antenna and so it's very my father's had to be very careful in terms of how close he could have gotten, how close he could get to keeping the the distance as well as allowing folks to to jump down. And that's that's what we did. He kept it steady. And he was hovering about 1315, feet above the deck, and tells the co pilot to open up the starboard door and so that we would have access to jump. The picture that I'm showing you here is an illustration by Adam colts showing myself my mom, family members crews jumping from this Chinook down onto many of the crew members below, catching us as we as we exited. We also have an illustration from that I clipped out from the New York Times doing an illustration of my mom dropping a baby sister onto the crew, the crewmen below, and many years later, many years later on, at a reunion with the crew member and the captain of the USS Kirk, one of the men below, Kent Chipman, introduced himself to us as one of the sailors below catching us. It was like you described as, like catching a a basketball coming out of the the helicopter. And so once everybody exited out, he my father told the co pilot to make sure that everybody safely gotten out, make sure that everybody had cleared the the rear of the helicopter, and then he finally told the the co pilot to go ahead and and jump himself now onto the deck. And so I remember, it's the last thing I remember as a six and a half year old boy who was being ushered inside, inside the the ship. They didn't want any kids running around on the deck. Yeah. And the last thing that we see, you know, is seeing my father hovering away from the ship. Now is just him by himself at this point in this large helicopter.   Miki Ngyuen ** 34:04 So it wasn't, it wasn't until, it wasn't until maybe, like half hour later that we we see my father again. But from from, from the point where he had to hover. After everybody jumped off the helicopter. He hovered away from the the ship. And at this point there was, you know, the only option here was to get a remove himself from from the helicopter. He wasn't going to go back to land or go back to the city. His family was on the ship now, and he need to be with his family. And so what he did was take the Chinook about 100 yards away from the ship, and hovered above the water, and at that point, kept the helicopter steady, and while at the same time taking off his.   Miki Ngyuen ** 45:00 Did the heavy lifting 100% they in so many ways, in terms of when we talk about a challenge or an obstacle, they had my mom had to learn a completely new, different language, had to start all over again, not knowing exactly what their future was going to be, but at the same time, you know the freedom, the freedom in America and what America represented was just an opportunity that they knew that even though it was a struggle as a challenge to re readapt, to assimilate, learn a new language, find a new career, it was still a lot better than the other option, yeah. And then to answer your question, as for me, as a six, six and a half year old boy, or six, yeah, seven year old boy, you're right. It was, it was more of an adventure than it was anything in terms of fear, because, again, as I said, my mom and dad took the burden of all of that paved the way for myself, brother and sister, but throughout my life, up to that point, it was just an adventure to jump off from the helicopter was, to me, like jumping, you know, playing around a tree, jumping off a tree. But for my mom, who had to take the courage to drop a baby, her baby from from an airplane, and the fear of change, the anxiety of of in the struggle of war and everything else at a different at a different level that my hat's off to both my parents from that time.   Michael Hingson ** 46:57 I'm sure that, in a sense, while things were happening, your mom didn't analyze it. And think about the time of war, she did what she had to do, and your father did what they had to do. And then after the fact, they obviously thought back about it and and probably had times of going, Wow, what? What did we do? And not in a regretful way, but at the time something is happening, you do what you have to do, and then you think about it later. And I guess for you, when did all of this really become real and a story? Well, not a story worth telling, but when did it really emotionally all sink into you, what really happened? Because that had to happen, obviously, later than that night   Miki Ngyuen ** 47:48 it it became super, super real for me. 2009 window discovered, again from mister Jan Herman, finding my father's story and sharing with us the pictures from the US Navy. Yeah, because, because, up to that point, from 1975 up to 2009 this was a story that I grew up throughout my life and experienced a bit of it jumping, but the the things that my father shared in terms of doing the ditch maneuver and growing up as a boy, listening to him talk with his buddies around the dinner table. Or when they would have reunions, they would my, you know, I would be, you know, seen and not heard, type of a family situation, just, you know, listening into my father's conversation with his his buddies, hearing, hearing about it, and then finally, seeing pictures from the US Navy in 2009 that was when it really, really kicked in. Because as a kid growing up, I would share these stories. Friends would ask me, how'd you come you know, where are you from, and how did you get here? And I would share, you know, how we got to America and escape from escape from Vietnam. But it didn't really hit until 2009 once we actually saw the images that my dad was, he was, he did what he said, and we got pictures to prove it. So, yeah, yeah. And I want to touch upon the thing they mentioned a few minutes ago, in terms of my mom and dad and I know that you're, you're an Eagle Scout. I I never went that far in terms of Scott. I went to second class, so outstanding for you, going all the way as an ego scout. But the one thing that I learned from Scott is that word always be prepared. Always, always be prepared. I teach my kids that as well. And so in terms of my my mom and dad, they you can be prepared, you know, for the worst case scenario. And that's what actually happened in the end. The South Vietnam lost to commun to the communists, and at that. Point, and I'm going to weave in the story that you've shared as well in your on your platform, in terms of that day 911 where you had to, you had to do what you had to do with with your dog and and with everybody else trying to figure out how to get out of that, try to exit that building for safety and things like that. And so it was one of those things where you just had to, you can only prepare so much. And in the moment of crisis, or in that moment of of things crumbling literally around you, whether it be your country or a building crumbling around you, you have to figure out you have to, you know, cleverness, communication, working with others around you, teamwork, all of that had to come into play for survival. And so both, I mean, you know, both of our, my, your story, my my family, my father and my mother's story, myself as just a kid tagging along was, was that trying to figure out some way to exit yourself from a moment of dire, a moment of chaos, and so I can, I can under, I can resonate, I can, I can appreciate that   Michael Hingson ** 51:15 well. And the thing is that the thing you have to mostly prepare for is, is your mind, and prepare is your mind. It's and it's how you prepare to deal with things that may happen you you can't, as I tell people, there's no way to train someone to deal, as such, with a falling building, or, as you say, losing a country, but you can prepare your mind to be able to say, I can do this, and I don't need to allow the fear of what's going on to stop me. I can use that as a powerful tool to help that preparation is the most important thing we can do for anything that happens in our lives, and that's what we really have to focus on. Because I've been asked many times questions like, well, you know, how do you teach your dog how to escape from a tough, falling building or a tall building like you did in the World Trade Center? Yeah, that's not what you that's not what you teach the dog to deal with. You teach the dog to focus. You teach yourself to focus, and you teach both of you where you are, the leader, you teach yourself how to deal with whatever situation comes along and worry only about the things that you have control over, because the rest isn't going to going to help you to worry about because you don't have control over it.   Miki Ngyuen ** 52:48 Right, right, right. Yeah, go ahead. No, I just letting that sink in. I yeah, there's ever a time to be very present, very calm, very cool and collected. Because once, once you start, once you start, you know lack of a better term, freaking out or losing it mentally, things could fall apart even, even worse. And so staying calm under pressure is critical,   Michael Hingson ** 53:21 which doesn't mean that you're not afraid, but you use the fear in a different way than you would if you allowed yourself to, if you will freak out, which is really the whole point. Well, so you you clearly have written this book. Why did you write it? No, I expect to help. What do you expect to help? To get from it   Miki Ngyuen ** 53:42 Sure. I again, I did not write this book. It was my father. Why   Michael Hingson ** 53:46 did you? Why did you decide to bring it forward? Oh,   Miki Ngyuen ** 53:52 number one, to honor, to honor my father's wishes. Number one, it, and number two, along with that, is to pass down to his great grandkids, and you know, their their kids, his story, our family story of how we came to America. This was the for the Vietnamese community. This was our Ellis Island story. And number one, to archive and to honor my my my father. Number two, the third one really is, this is a story that it doesn't matter what background, what obstacle, what struggle you are in. These are stories of courage, compassion, heroism, stories of suspense, love stories that my dad wrote as well. And there's stories of lessons learned about communism, stories of betrayal. And so it's a story that is a. Uh, relatable to all audience types, but outside of that, for myself and my my mom and for my family, this is our family story, and one that my kids, my great grandkids, what how they knew my father in his courage, in his resiliency, in terms of just coming to a new world and having to start over again.   Michael Hingson ** 55:27 What do you want people to take away from the story   Miki Ngyuen ** 55:32 history? Number one, in terms of the history of because there's a you know, if you don't, if you don't learn from history, you're going to make the same sort of mistakes again. And so, from history, what can we learn out of it, the lessons that we can learn out of it, the lessons of just how to overcome obstacles, dealing with, as you said, with fear, courage, lessons around being curious about the things around you, learning Education and as well as the lasting years, just lessons around teamwork and working with others, working with your community. So those are the kinds of things that we want to get across in this book.   Michael Hingson ** 56:36 What kind of lessons do you think your your father's memoir and yours, because you compiled it. What lessons do you think we all should take away from that, that we should use today? What, what should we be learning from this story?   Miki Ngyuen ** 56:56 Uh, lessons in terms of, uh, leadership, lessons in terms of how to handle yourself in crisis situation, lessons around working with others to overcome a particular obstacle or a challenge working, you know, with teammates. Wait may it be in a corporate environment, or maybe in a community or a setting, or many of those themes that in terms of just everyday life lessons and resiliency, yeah, yeah, many of those themes and lessons that I think is told through my father's experience and our family's experience, from that standpoint,   Michael Hingson ** 58:08 a question that comes to mind, really off the wall, is so it's now been 50 years. What is Vietnam like today? Do you know a   Miki Ngyuen ** 58:16 lot better than it was 50 years ago? I I've visited, not only visited, but lived there in 2016 2017 and life today a lot more prosperous than than in years past. And he continues to to be prosperous. And, you know   Michael Hingson ** 58:43 better from that standpoint, is it a communist country? It's still,   Miki Ngyuen ** 58:47 it's still a communist country today, one of the things that I did learn from the book and my dad was sharing is that in this ties in with the the the the Berlin Wall in the unraveling of communism the Soviet government back then, When the leadership in Vietnam saw that they loosened up many of their their their policies around that. So it is still communism today, but prosperous in a lot of ways, economically, and, you know, trading with with other countries. So, yeah, that's, that's, you know, that's how life is today in Vietnam, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 59:49 what final words and suggestions do you want to make? We've been doing this now for almost an hour, and it's, it's been as compelling as I think you thought it would. Be, and I imagined it would be, what kind of final remarks or thoughts do you want to leave for people to think about   Miki Ngyuen ** 1:00:09 that, whatever situation, whatever obstacles that you're going through at this moment, that there's always there's always choices and options, and the the the things that we talked about, you and I, Michael here, is just staying cool, staying level headed, staying calm through through challenges, and looking, you know, looking to work with others, looking for help, searching for help, and where you can help others as well. If it wasn't for Captain Paul Jacobs, compassion and humanity, our family wouldn't be here telling the story. And so these are the things that have helped us and our family in return. Look back over your shoulder to see if somebody else behind you would need help as well and offer that. So that's yeah, that's the some of the things that I want to at least share.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:23 There's there's a lot to be said for paying it forward as well as gratitude, and I think that you've exhibited all of that very well. And Miki, I want to thank you again for being here. This has been absolutely wonderful and enthralling, and I hope that everyone has enjoyed it. And I appreciate you being able to be here and tell the story, because it has to be still a challenge, even 50 years later, because you lived through it, but but you've learned how to live through it. And I think that's the issue. It's like with the World Trade Center, you learn how to deal with with it, and we both have learned to tell our stories, and I think that's so important. So I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening today. This has been wonderful. I hope you agree. Love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at Michael, H, I m, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I b, e.com, and also wherever you're listening or watching, please give us a five star review. We value your reviews very highly, and we we love the good ones. So please give us a five star review, and as Walden did and Miki for you and everyone listening and watching, if you know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on our podcast, and you think anyone else who has a story to tell, love to hear it, love to meet them, love to get them on the podcast. So we really appreciate you reaching out again. You can email me at Michael h i@accessibe.com or go to our podcast web page, which is www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, Michael Hingson is m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, o, n.com/podcast, you can reach us through that page as well. Hope that you'll listen to more episodes and that you'll come back if you're listening to us for the first time, and whatever you do, be well and be grateful for all that we have. That's the way it ought to be, and we can all be unstoppable if we choose to. So again, thank you for being here and Miki, thank you again for being here and being with us. Yeah,   Miki Ngyuen ** 1:03:32 thank you again, Michael, for the opportunity to share the story with you from your audience.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:41 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Dr Adam Koontz talks about training pastors, pastoral shortages, and alternative routes to pastoral training. Check out What God Has Joined Together Visit our website - A Brief History of Power Dr Koontz - Redeemer Lutheran Church Music thanks to Verny

What is a prelude, and why does it happen (or not happen) before a church service? Dr. Mark Bender (retired Minister of Music from St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO), Phillip Magness (Cantor at Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, MO) and Cheryl Magness (Managing Editor of Reporter with LCMS Communications and International Center chapel musician) join Andy and Sarah to talk about what a prelude is and why we have it, how a person in the pew can make good use of the prelude, the thought and preparation that goes into picking and playing the prelude, whether there are times when it is more suitable to not have a prelude, and helpful ways to appreciate this musical offering. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

After a lifetime of serving a higher calling and a lifelong obsession with model railroading, it was time for our next guest to buy a basement with a house on top of it. Robin Montenay spent most of his life with the Lutheran Church and without a permanent site to build a model railroad. What he ended with is a spectacular shelf layout called the “Barchester” that appeared on the cover of the 2024 December issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Without ties to the church Robin has become a free to visit train shows and explore what the hobby has to offer other than through the pages of the most popular magazines. It's a great podcast and one we're sure you'll enjoy.

Pastor Paul Sieveking leads a study on Matthew 5:1-12. Join the pastors and people of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO, for weekly Bible study on Sunday mornings. Learn more about St. Paul's Des Peres at stpaulsdesperes.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org.

The Augsburg Interim was a tumultuous time in the history of the Lutheran Church. With outside pressure and from within to compromise and capitulate, the time was tumultuous but also revelatory and clarifying. In this first episode, Karl Hess begins to take us through how the Lutheran Church in America is experiencing it's own Interim.  ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.