Let the Bird Fly!

In this Wingin' It session, the ninth part of our series on the Divine Service, Mike and Wade discuss the Offering and the Prayer of the Church. Mike suggests that it may not be the most exciting episode in this series, but if you've been enjoying the series, we think you'll still find it enjoyable all the same. And if you are enjoying it, make sure to share it with friends and family! And as a reminder, this is the ninth part in the series promised by Mike on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed our previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode - "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. - “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 02:21 - Scripture Narrative (1 Timothy 3:1-7) * 15:33 - Free-for-All (Best decade for a Sport) 29:44 - Main Topic (The Season of Lent) On episode FORTY-EIGHT of Let the Bird Fly! all four of the guys are back in the studio and joined by Professor Earle Treptow from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI. Rev. Treptow was gracious enough to join us to talk about being a district president (or Bishop, depending on the nomenclature of your church body). Before joining the seminary faculty, Rev. Treptow served as the president of the Nebraska District of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Before getting to the main topic, however, Wade walks us through what Paul has to say in 1 Timothy 3 about being an overseer in the church and the guys discuss the best decades for some of their favorite sports (or sporting events, I suppose, if you’re willing to allow Peter his first choice...which Ben is not). But as always seems to eventually happen, they finally make it to the main topic, where Prof. Treptow provides some wonderful insight into a role in the church that might often go overlooked. We are extremely grateful to Prof. Treptow for joining us on this episode. We hope to coax him back in the future to discuss some of the areas he teaches at the seminary. And as always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening!   Attributions for Music and Images used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an

In this Wingin' It session, the eighth part of our series on the Divine Service, Mike is joined in the studio by Pastor Greg Lyon to discuss the three ecumenical creeds and their role in the Divine Service. We are thankful to Pastor Lyons for joining us on this Wingin' It episodette. We look forward to having him on again! And as a reminder, this is the eighth part in the series promised by Mike on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed our previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode - "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. - “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 02:29 - Free-for-All (Rev. Billy Graham) 21:05 - Main Topic (The Book of Judges) On episode FORTY-SEVEN of Let the Bird Fly! Wade and Mike are joined by Dr. Mark Braun, who kindly agreed to join us again since our previously recorded episode for this week didn't work out. The guys ask Dr. Braun to talk about the book of Judges, a book he knows well, having written over 1,000 pages about it for an upcoming commentary. Listen in as we talk Judges--not the Supreme Court kind, but people like Samson, Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah. For the free-for-all, Mike, Mark, and Wade talk about the life and work of Billy Graham, who fell asleep in Jesus the morning we recorded. A couple of books mentioned in the episode: America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation by Grant Wacker Judges/Ruth - People's Bible Commentary by John Lawrenz And as always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music and Images used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License. Image: "Jephthah's Sacrifice" - Maciejowski Bible (France, ca. 1250)  is in the public domain.

In this Wingin' It session, the seventh part of our series on the Divine Service, Mike and Wade discuss the Hymn of the Day and the Sermon. These two parts fall right at the middle of the service and are central to the Divine Service within most Lutheran churches. Wade and Mike also mention the previous session when they were joined by Dr. Kristi Meyer, who recently published Understanding Lutheran Worship. If you haven't listened to that Wingin' It yet, you can find it right here. And as a reminder, this is the seventh part in the series promised by Mike on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed our previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode - "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. - “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 01:44 - Scripture Narrative (Mark 9:2-8) * 15:27 - Free-for-All (Winter Olympics) 31:02 - Main Topic (The Season of Lent) On episode FORTY-SIX of Let the Bird Fly! Wade, Mike, and Peter sit down to discuss the season of Lent. Mike kicks off the episode by saying “Farewell to Alleluia” and Wade walks us through Mark’s account of the Transfiguration, before we all share our insightful thoughts on the Winter Olympics. Eventually we find our way to the main topic, where we discuss some of what makes the season of Lent stand out to each of us. A couple of books that are mentioned in the episode are Catherine Pickstock’s After Writing: On the Liturgical Consummation of Philosophy and Oliver Burkeman’s The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. You may need to listen to the episode to see how they relate to our topic (the discussion meandered a bit, as is our want), but trust us, they do. And as always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music and Images used in this Episode: “Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

This Wingin' It session is the sixth part of our series on the Divine Service. Mike and Wade are joined in the studio this time by Dr. Kristi Meyer to discuss the Lectionary. You may remember Dr. Meyer from our episode on math (which was also the episode in which Nick may have jeopardized his future). If you're wondering what a cryptographer has to say offer on the Divine Service, you may be surprised to hear that Dr. Meyer has published on the topic in her recently published booklet Understanding Lutheran Worship. We are thrilled that Dr. Meyer was able and willing to join us. Before discussing the Lectionary, however, Mike provides a quick overview of the Salutation and Prayer of the Day. If you're enjoying this series, we'd be thrilled if you'd share them with friends and family. As a reminder, this is the sixth part of the series that Mike promised on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed the previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode - "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. - “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 03:13 - Scripture Narrative (1 John 4:7-12) * 12:05 - Free-for-All (Terms and Phrases That Drive You Crazy) 24:41 - Main Topic (The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis) On episode FORTY-FIVE of Let the Bird Fly! the guys (sans Ben) get together to discuss C.S. Lewis’ book The Four Loves. Wade uses this book in at least one of his classes and Mike has started to use it as well, so they thought it might be an easy episode. Despite their lazy approach to the podcast, we think the conversation proves to be interesting (probably because they let Peter on to talk as well). Of course if you’re looking for really interesting conversation on C.S. Lewis, you should make sure to check out the episode that the guys over at the The Thinking Fellows podcast recently put out. (They have some great C.S. Lewis links up on the show notes for that episode as well, so make sure to check those out while you're there.) Before getting to The Four Loves, Wade discusses 1 John 4:7-12 between trying to knock Oliva’s book out of her hands and they all discuss terms and phrases that drive them crazy. (CliffsNotes version: Mike really...um...doesn’t have much to say, Wade is fascinated by existential postmodern thought, Oliva is like….um...not real sure, and Peter doesn’t have much to say, per se.) Eventually they do what they promise, though, and get to C.S. Lewis’ wonderful work The Four Loves. If you don’t have a copy, you can easily find a used copy, or there’s a PDF available here. And as always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music and Images used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.

This Wingin' It session is the fifth part of our series on the Divine Service. Mike and Wade get together once again to discuss the Gloria. After all of the "beginnings" it seems like the Divine Service might finally be moving forward now! And where do we go, but right to Christmas (Gloria in excelsis Deo). But it's not all Christmas; in fact, Mike somehow finds a way to even talk Lincoln! If you're enjoying this series, we'd be thrilled if you'd share them with friends and family. As a reminder, this is the fifth part of the series that Mike promised on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed the previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode - "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. - “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 11:16 - Scripture Narrative (Romans 6) * 13:24 - Free-for-All (Wrap-up of the NFL Season) 28:13 - Main Topic (Simul iustus et peccator) On episode FORTY-FOUR of Let the Bird Fly! the guys are all back together for the first time in a while and they take the opportunity to discuss a topic that they’ve talked about talking about for quite some time; namely, “the simul” (or simul iustus et peccator). The simul refers to the paradoxical situation in which Christians find themselves as simultaneously lost to sin (peccator) and fully redeemed by the work of Christ (iustus). In English this is often translated as: “at the same time sinner and saint.” This episode serves as a something of a second pass at the Law & Gospel episode that the guys did a number of episodes back. (If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, we’d definitely recommend doing so.) Peter was kind enough to invite the guys and their families over to Mike’s house to record this episode (after a nice meal, of course), so a number of the Let the Bird Fly! children join the guys for the introduction. Wade, forgetting to prepare a Scripture Narrative for this episode, simply reads a portion of Romans 6, with almost no commentary whatsoever before they guys wrap up their thoughts on the NFL season in the Free-for-All. When they do make it to the main topic, though, the guys find that they have quite a bit to say (alright, they knew that going in, but seriously, this is a long one...we hope you can make it through). The conversation (aided by a few beverages) is free-wheeling, but we hope you find it interesting and thought-provoking. If you are able to make it through and have any thoughts or questions, be sure to share with us on Facebook or via email. And, if you'd like to watch the chapel devotions given by Wade and Mike, which are referenced in the episode, you can find Wade's here, and you can see Mike in his finest vestments (along with his much ballyhooed hand-gestures) right here. And as always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode:

In this Wingin' It session, the fourth part of our series on the Divine Service, Wade and Mike discuss the Introit and the Kyrie. Despite the build up of the cage match over the Kyrie, Wade pretty much concedes that Mike is right (which probably surprises no one but Wade). These Wingin' It sessions on the Divine Service have been going a bit longer than normal, but we hope our listeners have been enjoying them. As a reminder, this is the fourth part of the series that Mike promised on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed the previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode - “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. - “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 04:35 - Free-for-All (Historical Blind-spots) 15:14 - Main Topic (The Book of Deuteronomy) On episode FORTY-THREE of Let the Bird Fly! the guys welcome Dr. Mark Braun back for his fourth episode with us. (If you’ve missed the previous three, you should rectify that now. You can do so by downloading Episode 5, Episode 14, and Episode 29.) Dr. Braun has been on to talk about the inter-testamental period, the split between the Missouri and Wisconsin synods, and his paper on Black Geneva Piety; but this time he is here to talk about everyone’s favorite book of the Bible--Deuteronomy. He is joined by Pastor Ben Zak, who happened to be on campus and so got to join in on the fun, too. He serves at St. John Lutheran on 68th and Forest Home in Milwaukee. On the way to the main topic, Mark, Ben, Mike and Wade talk historical blind spots--what historical or fields do they personally wish they knew more about and what would the church or society be served by learning more about, too. The main topic, as advertised, delves into the last book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy, and Mark's crisis of faith which led him to study it. From there the conversation expands to Moses, the Torah, the challenges and perspectives of old age, in connection with Deuteronomy telling us about the aging prophet, and taking off from there. (In one very elucidating moment Wade clarifies that he is NOT saying "that we should all approve of bad stuff and that we should do bad stuff," so make sure to keep that in mind.) And since we know that you’ll be itching to get your hands on Dr. Braun’s book on Deuteronomy, we’re going to give you the chance to win one of TWO copies in our latest BOOK GIVEAWAY. Just follow the link to our BOOK GIVEAWAY PAGE for directions on registering, and don’t forget to share it with your friends and family on social media. * Books referenced in the episode Books by Rev. Dr. Mark Braun: * Deuteronomy Time between the Two Testaments Other books that were mentioned Exploring Exodus: The Origins of Biblical Israel by Nahum Sarna The ...

In this Wingin' It episodette, the third part of our series on the Divine Service, Wade and Mike discuss the corporate (or public) Confession & Absolution of the historic liturgy. This is the third part of the series that Mike promised on Episode 33, which will cover various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed the previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.

* 00:00 - Introduction * 03:23 - Free-for-All (Favorite Places Seen Traveling in America) 18:10 - Main Topic (In Vino Vocation) On episode FORTY-TWO of Let the Bird Fly! the guys welcome the Rigge family to discuss what it’s like to open and run a winery in Minnesota. Laura and John Rigge are joined by two of their daughters, as they tell us their story of founding Grandview Valley Winery in Belview, Minnesota. John and Laura know how to treat podcast hosts, as they brought along a tasty bottle of their very own Old Red & White wine to share. As good as the wine is (and it truly is), we think you’ll enjoy their stories just a much as you’ll enjoy their wine. Their passion for their work and for each other is evident throughout the conversation, and we are extremely grateful to them for sharing it with us. Wade was so grateful, in fact, that he made the Rigge’s the first-ever recipients of the Things Wade Likes: Let the Bird Fly! Award, which was fittingly accompanied by a Martin Luther bobblehead. If you find yourself near Belview, Minnesota, do yourself the favor of visiting the Rigge family at Grandview Valley Winery. And even if you’re not in Minnesota, you can keep up with what they’re up to and with the winery on their Facebook Page and on the Twitter Machine. As always, if you are enjoying the show, please subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. And, of course, share us with a friend or two! If you’d like to contact us we can be reached at podcast@LetTheBirdFly.com, or visit our website at www.LetTheBirdFly.com. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Horses to Water” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena “Gib laut” by Dirk Becker is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License. “Whistling Down the Road” by Silent Partner

This Wingin' It episodette is the second part of our series on the Divine Service (or worship). In this episodette Wade and Mike discuss the Invocation of the historic liturgy. This is the second part of the series Mike promised on Episode 33 on various parts of the Western Rite. If you missed the previous episodettes on the Divine Service, you can catch up right here. And if you haven't listened to our full episode on worship, you can find that right here. Thanks for listening! Attributions for Music Used in this Episode: “The Last One” by Jahzzar is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. “Not Drunk” by The Joy Drops is licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License.