Author Faith Doerr joins this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast to discuss how we can turn to the Bible to find comfort, rather than modern self-help phrases. She also talks about how she addresses these issues in her new book, God’s Encouraging Word: True Comforts When Worldly Advice Fails, which will release on July 23 and is available for pre-order now.

Show Notes
"Just be positive!" "God only gives you what you can handle." "Others have it harder." People mean well when they say these phrases. They intend to offer comfort and help during difficult times. Yet, ask yourself, do these self-help phrases actually offer comfort to you, or do they make things feel worse?

Author Faith Doerr has heard her fair share of these phrases during struggles in her life. And she knows first-hand how they feel like "nails on a chalkboard" from the receiving end. If these phrases don't offer comfort, then is there something that can? Scripture. God's Word is full of true comfort that can help you in times of trouble and distress. In her new book, Faith takes a look at eight self-help phrases to see how they can actually do the opposite of their intentions, then turns to the Bible to find real words of comfort you can offer to those who need it. Preview her new book by listening to the full episode.

Find Faith’s book on…

cph.org
Amazon

Questions

· Tell our audience a bit about you.

· How did you get started with your blog and Facebook community?

· How have you enjoyed the book writing/publishing process?

·What was it that led to you wanting to write about this topic?

· You mention that you're an avid journaler in the introduction. Can you talk a little about how you got started journaling and what role it plays in your faith life?

·You include journaling prompts throughout your book. Do you have some tips to share for those who haven't been journaling much or at all?

· What is the Doerr household approach to handling confusion?

· If there was one saying you could delete from everyone’s dialogue, what would it be?

· Of all the myths you cover in your book, which one do you think is the most convincing?

· What is your response to hearing someone say “You are stronger than this problem/trial”?

· While addressing myth 7 “Others Have it Worse”, you share some guidance on what makes a person safe or unsafe, helpful or harmful. Would you briefly explain why this is important and recap this guidance for us?

About the Guest
Faith Doerr is married to Preston and is a mama to two children: Lydia and Ezekiel. Faith received her Bachelor of Elementary Education and Lutheran teachers diploma, along with her Master of Education in trauma and resilience from Concordia Nebraska. Currently, she teaches first grade at Concordia Academy in Omaha, Nebraska. Faith writes for her blog Imperfectly Perfect Living and has the Facebook community Healthy Mamas. Here she, with the Holy Spirit working through her, teaches mamas to create a Christ-seeking life and a healthy well-being. Faith has published two mental health journals and speaks at wellness retreats and women's conferences. She is also the co-host of Seasoned Mamas: God's Grace for Every Season of Motherhood Podcast.

In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Elizabeth Pittman is joined by Christa Petzold, author of the new curriculum Journey through Church History. Christa explores why we should study and teach our children church history and how we are a part of God’s family through our baptisms.

Find out more about Christa’s new work at cph.org/churchhistory.

Show Notes

Just as you are joined to Christ in your Baptism, you are joined to a family of believers who have gone before you. In Journey through Church History, Christa Petzold helps us discover men and women from church history who witness to Jesus Christ—martyrs, historians, apologists, theologians, translators, and more. Listen to the full episode as Christa previews the curriculum and shows how we can dig in and uncover our family tree rooted in Christ.

Questions

· Church history seems universal, why does it matter that we have a text that describes the history of the Christian church from a distinctly Lutheran perspective? How does church history look different when it’s written from say a reformed perspective?

· How early is too early to start teaching children about church history?

· Why is it important to start educating children about church history?

· The new Journey through Church History book covers a lot of ground! Can you talk a little bit about some of the historical persons covered? Why were there so few women covered? How did you select the people and topics covered?

· How does studying church history strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of Biblical truths?

· Some might think that this topic is too difficult or “above the heads” of younger children, and yet you included a coloring page in the Leader guide. How do you plan to use this curriculum with a broad range of ages in your homeschool situation? How might that translate for others doing the same?

· Which theological ideas that people fought over in the early centuries of the Church surprised you? I.e. Are we still fighting over some of the same issues as the early church?

About the Guest

Christa Petzold lives with her husband and four children in northern Illinois. She has a MA in Theology from Concordia University Irvine, a BA in Mathematics and Lutheran Secondary Education from Concordia University Wisconsin and is currently pursuing a PhD in History of Exegesis from Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis. She is a coauthor of Male and Female: Embracing Your Role in God’s Design, author of Gathered by Christ: The Overlooked Gift of Church, and author of Journey Through Church History Curriculum. She spends her time homeschooling, teaching theology, writing, and learning as much as she can about church history.

In this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Rev. Dr. David Loy joins as guest to talk about how our vocations flow out of the love God has shown for us in Christ. He also previews the new book from CPH that he acted as general editor for, Faith at Work: Christian Vocation in the Professions.

Find out more about the new book by visiting cph.org.

Show Notes:

Listen to the full episode now as Rev. Dr. David Loy, dean of Christ College at Concordia University Irvine, talks about our called vocations as Christians, professions versus professionals, how Faith at Work can be used by readers from all vocational backgrounds, and more.

Get a copy of Faith at Work on…

cph.org
Amazon

Questions:

• How was the process of editing Faith at Work?
• What makes this book unique from others at CPH?
• Explain the difference between professions and professionals.
• Talk about vocation being the golden thread.
• Speak to the idea in one of the chapters that touches on non-Christians and whether they have vocations.
• The book was set up in two parts, with the first part emphasizing vocation and human flourishing. Why was it important to have it positioned like that?
• Talk about how you see the book being used in a classroom setting.
• What are some other ways that you may see this book being used by readers?

About the Guest:

Rev. Dr. David Loy is the dean of Christ College at Concordia University, Irvine.