The January 2018 issue of The Lutheran Witness, published for laypeople by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is dedicated to the theme of "Digital Technology and the Church". If you don't read The Lutheran Witness, you should. It is theologically orthodox, written for laypeople, and has interesting content on the Lutheran faith, our synod, and contemporary issues. You can order it at: https://www.lcms.org/news/publications/lutheran-witness or Email lwsubscriptions@cph.org or call 1.800.325.3040 to speak with a customer service representative, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. It is also available in Braille, large print, or cassette tape free of charge.
Articles in the January 2018 issue include: "From Chat Room to Church", with suggestions how churches can use new technology for outreach; "The Digital Revolution", which reviews the last two decades of the Internet and its present state; "Lost in Oz", for those who are confused by new technology; "Loving your (Internet) Neighbor", about good behavior online; and "Podcasting: The Next Frontier?", about podcasts, online audio, and their possible use by congregations.
When I received the call to serve Grace congregation in March of 2017, one of the first things I did, besides praying for wisdom, was to check out your web-site. Web-sites are quick and easy ways for people to find out key information about a congregation, and ours does that well. If you haven't seen it recently, go to: www.gracelutheransanmateo.org
I was pleased to see that our congregation offers podcasts of the lessons and sermons in our worship services. To check out those podcasts, go here: http://www.gracelutheransanmateo.org/church/sermons.html. If you see our elder Marty Udisches, thank him for the work he does every week on those podcasts. If you see our member Donald Schaefer, thank him for the work he does every week to record the entire worship service and burn audio CDs, which are available for borrowing in our church library.
Media techonology is only as good as the content you put into it. That is why the January 2018 issue of The Lutheran Witness also recommends podcasts from around the country whose producers and hosts have the same theology and outlook that we have. On page 20, the issue recommends: 1) the ever-popular "Issues, etc.", with host Pastor Todd Wilken, at: www.issuesetc.org; 2) "The Thinking Fellows", with three professors from Concordia-Irvine-California, at www.thinkingfellows.com; 3) "Table Talk Radio", with hosts Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller and Pastor Evan Geoglein, at www.tabletalkradio.org; 4) "As Lutheran As It Gets", with hosts Pastor Donovan Riley and Pastor Christopher Gillespie at https://media.higherthings.org/podcasts/as-lutheran-as-it-gets; 5) "Cross Defense", with host Pastor Jonathan Fisk, at https://kfuo.org/category/cross-defense; and 6) "Thy Strong Word", a chapter-by-chapter Bible Study with host Pastor William Weedon, at https://kfuo.org/category/thy-strong-word. Anything at KFUO Radio, which has "tons" of podcasts, should be fine theologically, so point your browser to https://kufo.org and browse away!
Ever since my family and I moved to Saint Louis in 2002, I have had the opportunity to speak on various programs offered by KFUO, including "Issues, etc.". If you want to listen to some of my "stuff" on "Issues, etc.", go to their old archives at: http://issuesetcarchive.org, for programs from June 2008 to the present. For KFUO, go to https://kfuo.org, then click on the left side of the menu under "Archive", and chose either "Current Programs" or "Retired Programs". For any of these podcast archives, you will need to enter my name under the "Search" function to find programs where I was a guest. You can also search for your favorite living Lutheran professor or pastor, and might be surprised to find he has been on podcast radio too!
Enjoy your use of the Internet, and be asfe out there!
Yours in Christ,
