#358. Kitchen Table Talk: The Quiet Ambition with Dr. Ryan Tinetti (Book Club Bonus!)

#358. Kitchen Table Talk: The Quiet Ambition with Dr. Ryan Tinetti (Book Club Bonus!)

Expanding on their recent Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club discussion, the Ladies welcome author Ryan Tinetti to the Lounge to unpack themes from his book The Quiet Ambition: Scripture’s Surprising Antidote to Our Restless Lives.   What is “the quiet ambition”?  How and why did Tinetti write an entire book on two overlooked little verses in the New Testament (1 Thess. 4:11–12)? Can the Apostle Paul’s insights, rightly understood, help us thwart the “quiet desperation” endemic to our times and reorient our lives more fully around God’s love for us in Christ Jesus? And what do speeding tickets, hunting seasons, lawn mowing, and baking bread have to do with it all?   The Rev. Dr. Ryan P. Tinetti is assistant professor of practical theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.  He is the author of Preaching by Heart (Cascade Press, 2021) and The Quiet Ambition (Intervarsity Press, 2025). Watch for his article on Scripture memorization (cowritten with his wife, Anne) in the September issue of The Lutheran Witness.  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

#357. Adventures in Lutheranism: Reading the (Whole) Bible

It’s time for another Adventure in Lutheranism — and this time, the Ladies are cutting to the very heart of the Christian’s daily life.   In this episode, Sarah reports on her quest to read the Bible straight through for the first time in her life.  Along the way, she also talks through a range of practical questions she’s had to answer in her first 187 days of consecutive Bible reading, including:  What time of day is best for building a routine around the Word?  Is a one- or two-year Bible reading plan better for beginners?   Is it easier to establish a daily practice using a print, digital, app, or audio edition?   Does journaling make it easier or harder to commit to a daily reading plan?   How can one remain faithful during a busy season of travel and other disruptive commitments?   Throughout, Sarah offers generous encouragement to listeners to start or maintain their own Bible reading plans as she shares the many positive benefits that this spiritually enriching daily discipline has already had in her own life.  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

#356. Book Club Wrap Up: The Quiet Ambition

In this book club recap conversation, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel talk through themes and ideas in Ryan P. Tinetti’s new book The Quiet Ambition: Scripture’s Surprising Antidote to Our Restless Lives.   Where do we see examples of quiet desperation — whether it manifests itself as restlessness or resignation — in our own lives, as well as in our families, churches, and communities? What is “the quiet ambition” Paul speaks of in 1 Thessalonians. What does it look like for Christians to be “quietly ambitious” in the real world? What practical steps can we take to let go of our “blasphemous anxiety” and learn to live quietly in our Savior’s grace?   At the end of the episode, Rachel reveals the Ladies’ Reformation Read for 2026: Martin Luther’s The Smalcald Articles.   Read The Smalcald Articles online for free.  Order a standalone hard copy from CPH.   Check out Robert Kolb’s new book, The Smalcald Articles as Martin Luther's Framework for Witness to Fellow Christians.  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

#355. Bri's Radio Theatre: The Ballad of (Overture) 4-Dash-57

It’s time for the triennial LCMS Synod Convention — held this year in Phoenix, Arizona, from July 18–23 under the theme “Christ Is Risen Indeed.”   Are you curious about what actually happens before and during a Synod Convention? About how an idea becomes an overture? How an overture becomes a resolution? How a resolution is discussed and voted on by the Synod in convention?   If so, take heart. Former co-host and regular guest Bri Gerzevske shares your curiosity, and in this installment of Bri’s Radio Theatre, she explains just how the LCMS convention process works in “The Ballad of Four-Dash-Five-Seven,” a hilarious homage to Schoolhouse Rock’s classic ditty “I’m Just a Bill.”  Bri Gerzevske is a fellow Lutheran lady, an LCMS pastor’s wife, and a certified fundraising executive (CFRE) currently working as Director of Managed Contributor Care with LCMS Mission Advancement. She’s also the Founder and Oddball-in-Chief mastermind behind Oddball Leadership, “a leadership philosophy for those who disrupt the c-suite with belonging, gratitude, curiosity and joy.” Follow her on LinkedIn or check out oddballleadership.com.  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

#354. Kitchen Table Talk: Biblical Masculinity with Rev. Dr. Quintin Cundiff

In this Kitchen Table Talk episode, the Ladies are joined by the Rev. Dr. Quintin Cundiff for a conversation on biblical manhood, “toxic masculinity,” and the ongoing “crisis of masculinity.”    What does Scripture say about what it means to be a man? How does culture agree with or fight against what Scripture says? What specific challenges and crises face men in America today — Lutheran men in particular?  How do these challenges compare with those facing men in the rest of the world? What do men most need in order to thrive as men, and how can Lutheran women contribute to their thriving?    The Rev. Dr. Quintin Cundiff serves as director of church planting for the LCMS Office of National Mission. A former missionary to Riga, Latvia, where he taught at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia’s Luther Academy, he recently authored the article “Male Friendship in the Care of Souls” for SEELSORGER.   Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.