Let the Bird Fly!

In this Bird's Eye View episode, we bring you the first of a three-part series from a talk that Wade gave at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mukwonago, WI. Wade was asked to talk on Luther and the reformation, and he did so following the rough outline suggested by Martin Brecht's three-volume series on Luther. This first part of his talk covers Luther's early years, up to the early part of the Reformation. This is roughly the time the Brecht covers in his first volume: Martin Luther - His Road to Reformation 1483-1521. Wade is grateful to St. John's for having him come and speak, and we are grateful to them for allowing Wade to record it so that we could share it with our listeners. Stay tuned for the next two installments of this series. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, as well as subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. Thanks for listening!  

* 00:00 - Introduction * 03:07 - Scripture Narrative (Revelation 7) * 06:29 - Free-for-All (Favorite Things about Teaching) 14:09 - Main Topic (Mike and Wade Talk "Worship") On episode THIRTY-THREE of Let the Bird Fly! Mike and Wade fly duo to talk about “Worship” or “Divine Service” or Gottesdienst or whatever you might call it. The guys hope that this episode will serve as a bit of a primer for a series of Wingin’ It episodettes that Mike plans to spearhead on the Western Rite. Before getting the main topic, however, Wade tipped his Bible over and opened it backwards to discuss a selection from Revelation 7. Mike and Wade also take a few minutes to discuss their favorite things about teaching at the college, as well as their favorite courses this semester. In a moment of astonishment, Wade also learns that Mike has baptized babies, and finds the practice laudatory (Wade then apologizes to his previous congregation). Wade also admits that he sounds more than a bit like Peter Brady from this episode, but he assures us that he is not going back through puberty (we all just hope he’s finally growing up). They can’t go quite as long in this episode as their used to, however, because Mike has to run to class (evidently something they really do expect him to do at the college). We hope you enjoy the episode! If you have any specific questions or topics that you’d like to hear Mike talk about, feel free to email him at Mike@LetTheBirdFly.com. 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

In this Wingin' It, Wade discovers that Mike has carelessly left two of his three daughters unattended in his office (which just so happens to be next-door to Wade's office). Not one to pass on opportunities to make Mike question every decision he has made since accepting the position at the college, Wade mics them up and holds a little impromptu interview. We hope you enjoy this light-hearted Wingin' It, and that you take it as a cautionary tale about leaving your children unattended when Wade's in the vicinity.  If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. 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 * 03:05 - Scripture Narrative (Romans 1:16-17) * 08:48 - Free-for-All (Favorite Book as a Kid) 21:21 - Main Topic (A Reformation Postlude) On episode THIRTY-TWO of Let the Bird Fly! Mike and Peter welcome back Wade, who you may know from his previous role on the splendid podcast Let the Bird Fly! In a surprising move, Wade discusses Paul’s epistle to the Romans in the Scripture Narrative (demonstrating that he does know of books other than the Gospel according to St. Mark). In the Free-for-All Peter decides to strike out with another pretentious comment, that clearly was a bridge too far for Wade and Mike. They mercilessly attack him, until he’s left trying to convince them that the Mr. Men/Little Miss books were not actually part of a British literature phase he went through in grade school. As they typically do, however, the guys find their way to the main topic, which they call A Reformation Postlude. In this 500th anniversary of Lutheran Reformation (typically marked as beginning on October 31, 1517), they guys decide to discuss the ways in which the Reformation of the Church still plays out today. Far from simply a(n) historical fact, they suggest that the Church is constantly working through the questions of the Reformation, both corporately and as individual Christians maturing in their faith (and even trying to share the faith with their children). We hope you enjoy the discussion. If it sparks any thoughts, questions, comments, outrage, please let us know (well, maybe you can keep the last one to yourself). We love hearing from you! 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-...

In this Bird's Eye View episode, we finish up our three-part series from the Nain Lectures entitled "A Reformation in Freedom and Purpose." These three episodes come from a talk given by Wade and Mike at Nain Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Allis, WI. In the first episode of the series Wade discussed Christian freedom, in the second episode Mike discusses Christian purpose, and in this episode we have the Question & Answers session they held after their talks. Thanks to all who joined Wade and Mike for their talks; and we hope that those who couldn't make it have enjoyed these Bird's Eye View episodes. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, as well as subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. Thanks for listening!  

* 00:00 - Introduction * 02:56 - Scripture Narrative (Mark 10:13-16) * 07:04 - Free-for-All (Trick-or-Treating Best and Worst) 25:51 - Main Topic (Grace in the Classroom) On episode THIRTY-ONE of Let the Bird Fly! Mike and Peter stage a coup, ousting Wade, and installing themselves as permanent dictators of the podcast. Actually, Wade was just out-of-town, so for the first time you’ll get to listen to a Wadeless episode of Let the Bird Fly! (enjoy!). In Wade’s absence, Mike takes the reigns as we discuss Grace in the Classroom. We welcome Mike’s wonderful wife, Amanda Berg, to assist in this discussion. In fact, this topic sprang up from a conversation that she started with Mike about some of the challenges (and necessity) of applying grace and not just law in the classroom setting. Amanda has been a teacher for over 15 years, standing in front of every grade from preschool through twelfth grade. Her focus has been early childhood education and she’s served in both urban and rural settings, which provides her with a unique perspective. Moreover, she’s been able to put up with Mike for a long time and doesn’t even complain about it too much (talk about a saint!). We’re grateful to Amanda for coming on the podcast to give us her unique perspective and for putting up with Mike for all these years. If you haven’t done so yet, make sure to head over to our BOOK GIVEAWAY page to sign up for your chance to win a copy of Wade’s newest book  A Path Strewn With Sinners. And make sure to share the podcast and the giveaway with your friends and family! 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.

In this Bird's Eye View episode, we give you the second part of a three-part series. These come from a talk given by Wade and Mike at Nain Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Allis, WI. In this episode you'll hear Mike talking about Christian vocation (it almost seems like Mike enjoys talking about vocation or something). If you'd like to see a copy of Mike's handout, you can find a PDF copy of it here. The lectures were entitled "A Reformation in Freedom and Purpose," and this would be the "purpose" portion (in case you're keeping track at home). If you'd like to hear Wade's talk on Christian freedom, you can do so here. Also, stayed tuned for the third part in this series, which is the Q&A session that Wade and Mike held after their talks. We hope you enjoy this Bird's Eye View. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, as well as subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. Thanks for listening!  

This is our second Bird's Eye View episode, but it happens to be Wade talking on the same topic: Christian Freedom. Don't worry it's not all repeat material (you'd be shocked to see how long Wade can talk on almost any topic, and Christian Freedom isn't just any topic to Wade). This time Wade was speaking at Nain Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Allis, WI. This lecture was the first of two in a series entitled "A Reformation in Freedom and Purpose" that was presented on October 14th, 2017. And if you're wondering about the second lecture, stayed tuned, because it was given by our very own Rev. Dr. Mike Berg, so we'll have that for you as well. In fact, this is the first of three Bird's Eye View episodes from that evening, as we will also be sharing the Q&A session that Wade and Mike did after their talks. We hope you enjoy this Bird's Eye View. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, as well as subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. Thanks for listening!  

* 00:00 - Introduction * 04:09 - Scripture Narrative (Mark 16:9-20) * 13:35 - Free-for-All (Class every student should take) 29:29 - Main Topic (A Path Strewn with Sinners)  On episode THIRTY of Let the Bird Fly! the guys abandon Peter, so he is forced to find something to talk about. He manages to dredge up some guy who recently wrote a book entitled A Path Strewn with Sinners: A Devotional Study of Mark’s Gospel & His Race to the Cross. You may have heard of the author, as it turns out he is also the host of a podcast (that happens to be extremely popular with your demographic) called Let the Bird Fly!; his name is Rev. Dr. Wade Johnston. (Peter knows this schtick is getting old...sorry, he can’t help himself.) In this episode Peter takes the reigns again to talk to Wade about his latest book. Before letting Wade talk, though, Peter demonstrates a level of humility that Wade can only dream about by taking the Scripture Narrative and discussing the Gospel according to St. Mark (even though he knows full well, there’s a much more compelling Gospel account out there). In the Free-for-All Peter and Wade play king-of-the-world (or at least king-of-the-classroom) and discuss what classes they would require for every high school student and what class for every college student, if they were given such power. But eventually Peter allows Wade to talk about his book; and who knows you might even find it interesting. As the subtitle suggests, A Path Strewn with Sinners is a devotional text, which is accessible for the layperson and structured in such a way that makes it a great fit for personal or family devotions, as well as corporate devotions. Since we’re quite sure we’ve hit our target audience with you, we’re giving away TWO copies of the book (maybe we’ll even try to get the haughty author to sign them for you...we’ll see, he’s pretty full of himself); just head over to our BOOK GIVEAWAY page for all the details. And make sure to share the podcast and the giveaway with your friends and family! 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

Wade was invited to present for the True North campus ministry group at the University of Minnesota early in October, and he managed to record it (all by himself even!). His presentation deals with Christian freedom as a central theme and essential teaching of the Lutheran Reformation and the Christian life, unpacked from a variety of angles. We are sharing this talk with you as part of our new "series" we're calling Bird's Eye View, which we hope is a way to share talks that Wade or Mike (or one of the other guys, but probably mostly Wade and Mike, because who wants to listen to Peter or Ben talk) give throughout the year. Much like our Wingin' It series, these will tend to be less "produced" than our normal episodes (especially since these won't be recorded in a "studio"), but we hope that some of our listeners will find some of these talks interesting. Let us know what you think. For this Bird's Eye View we offer our sincere thanks to Pastor Dan Lindner and the students of the True North group for the invite. Wade has enjoyed being able to join them a few times now and it's a great group. We hope you enjoy this Bird's Eye View. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, as well as subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. Thanks for listening!

* 00:00 - Introduction * 02:12 - Scripture Narrative (Acts 2:42) * 06:14 - Free-for-All (2018 World Cup Preview….sort of) 17:12 - Main Topic (Black Geneva Piety)  On episode TWENTY-NINE of Let the Bird Fly! the guys welcome back Rev. Dr. Mark Braun. If you’re a regular listener to the show, you will remember Dr. Braun from Episodes 5 and 14, where he discussed The Time Between the Testaments and his book The Tale of Two Synods, respectively. (If you haven’t listened to those episodes yet, what are you waiting for?) This time around Dr. Braun joins the guys to discuss his paper The Black Geneva Piety of the Wisconsin Synod (if you'd like to read the essay, we are grateful to The Lutheran Historical Conference for allowing us to post it on our site, you can find it here). Before getting to a discussion of the question of the “proper” attire for the pastor on Sunday morning, Dr. Braun and the guys take a trip through American Lutheranism in the 20th century. The alphabet soup of American Lutheranism can be a bit dizzying, but for those who enjoy inside baseball talk about Lutheran organizations it’s a bit like catnip. We even manage to spend some time on Seminex! (Wade couldn’t find the exact video he mentioned in the episode, but he did find this newsreel footage from Seminex. And there’s more out there if you’re interested.) But even if you find your head spinning at the beginning of the discussion, we think you’ll find it well worth the effort as we get to discussing recent history of the black Geneva gown, the alb, the surplus, and so much more in American Lutheranism. 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 Ele...

In this Wingin' It, Wade reviews a new book by Mark Mattes, Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty: A Reappraisal. The book is noteworthy for a number of reasons. It comes about as close as a book can come in our day to a fresh take on an aspect of Luther's theology, it captures Luther's delight in beauty in a world given back to us, especially the beauty in God's mercy upon sinners, and spans areas from philosophy to preaching to music and visuals. Listen in and consider Mattes' new book as a candidate for your bookshelf. We hope you enjoy this Wingin' It. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. 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 * 02:57 - Scripture Narrative (Matthew 24:4-14) * 08:12 - Main Topic (Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?) On episode TWENTY-EIGHT of Let the Bird Fly! the guys welcome the ever-patient Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard. If you’re a regular listener, you may recall that on Episode 26 we tried to discuss Dr. Richard’s book with him on that episode, but technology would not cooperate. We are extremely grateful for pastor Richard’s patience and understanding; and we’re thrilled that we were finally able to get him on the show. We think you’ll be pretty happy about it too! Wade starts us off on this episode discussing Matthew 24:4-14, before getting to the main topic. You may notice that we skip the free-for-all in this one, but we think you’ll appreciate that extra time we spend discussing Dr. Richard’s recently published book Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? Twelve False Christs. In his book, Dr. Richard walks through twelve different false Christs that different people have presented to him throughout his ministry. As Dr. Richard says, each of these could be seen as a type of idol, that seeks to displace the real Jesus. The book is written for a lay audience and is very conducive to a study group setting. Through his narratives and explanations, Dr. Richard provides the reader with an honest account of these various errors, while the same time offering a thoroughly pastoral approach to confronting these false christs. If you are diggin’ this show, we’re confident you’re going to like this book. In fact, we’re so confident that we want to give away a free copy to one lucky listener! It’s been a while since we did a book giveaway, and this book is too good to pass up the opportunity. For all the information go to our BOOK GIVEAWAY PAGE and register to win. Even if you’re sure that you’ll win the book, order a copy to share with a friend (or your pastor). Dr. Richard has also provided a number of resources to go with the book, so order a copy and check out these great resources. Here are the relevant links: Order a copy of the book (and download a free chapter right away) Learn more about the book Check out the free online course designed for the book Download the “CHEAT-SHEET” chart (this is the one that the guys reference in the episode) And if you’d like more information on Dr. Richard, you can find out about him, his church, and what’s he’s up to, follow these links: His personal site The site for the congregation he’s currently serving worldvieweverlasting.com Thanks again to Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard for taking the time to talk with us about his new book. We enjoyed reading the book and were thrilled to get the chance to talk with him about it. And finally,

In this Wingin' It episodette Wade and Ziggy (aka Isaiah) discuss sports, community, and how the two often go hand-in-hand. In what is a bit of a follow-up on our Episode 26: So, Where Are You From?, Wade and Ziggy discuss how our favorite sports teams often impact how and what we see as our "community." Wade mentions Simon Critchley's Working Class Ballet video and Russel Brand's podcast Under the Skin, Episode 16 where he talks with Simon Critchley. We hope you enjoy this Wingin' It. If you're digging the podcast, we'd be thrilled if you'd share it with your friends, subscribe, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn Radio. 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.  

North America has recently suffered a host of tragedies, both natural disasters and criminal atrocities. Such times lead people to ask where God is, or if God exists, or what we should learn about God from such events. In this Wingin' It session Mike and Wade discuss tragedy, suffering, God hidden and God revealed. They give a pastoral take on how to engage with people impacted by tragedy and misfortune and where people should look, and be pointed, in the dark hours of life. 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.