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Thy Strong Word Archives - KFUO Radio
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Thy Strong Word — James 1:19–27: Mirror, Mirror
May 6Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260506130422-2026-05-06_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. The man who hears the word but does not do it is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, walks away, and immediately forgets what he looked like. Pure religion before God is this: visit orphans and widows in their affliction and keep yourself unstained from the world. James has no interest in a faith that never reaches your hands. The Rev. Roger Mullet, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Buffalo, WY, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study James 1:19–27. To learn more about Prince of Peace, visit princeofpeacebuffalo.org. Luther called it an “epistle of straw,” but then preached from it for the rest of his life as the Word of God. In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk verse by verse through the Letter of James, written by the brother of our Lord, the leading pastor of the Jerusalem church, and a man who thought Jesus had lost His mind until the resurrection proved otherwise. James writes to scattered Christians who are suffering, squabbling, playing favorites with the rich, and letting their tongues run wild. This series takes James at his word, reading him as a confessor of Christ who stands with Paul and not against him. Faith without works is dead, he tells them, and then he spends the rest of the letter showing them a better way. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. James 1:19-27 Hearing and Doing the Word [19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. [22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. [26] If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. [27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — James 1:9-18: Where Temptation Actually Comes From
May 5Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260505130033-2026-05-05_TSW.mp3Download Audio File James shuts down one of the oldest excuses in the book: “God is testing me.” God cannot be tempted with evil and He tempts no one. Each person is lured and enticed by his own desire, and desire gives birth to sin, and sin brings forth death. Every good gift comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James draws the line between what God sends and what your own heart manufactures. The Rev. Peter Burfeind, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City, MI and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Marshall, MI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study James 1:9-18. To learn more about Our Savior and Agnus Dei Lutheran Churches, visit facebook.com/oursaviorunioncity and agnusdeimarshall.com. Luther called it an “epistle of straw,” but then preached from it for the rest of his life as the Word of God. In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk verse by verse through the Letter of James, written by the brother of our Lord, the leading pastor of the Jerusalem church, and a man who thought Jesus had lost His mind until the resurrection proved otherwise. James writes to scattered Christians who are suffering, squabbling, playing favorites with the rich, and letting their tongues run wild. This series takes James at his word, reading him as a confessor of Christ who stands with Paul and not against him. Faith without works is dead, he tells them, and then he spends the rest of the letter showing them a better way. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. James 1:9-18 [9] Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, [10] and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. [11] For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. [12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. [13] Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. [14] But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. [15] Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. [16] Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. [17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. [18] Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — James 1:1–8: Joy in the Wreckage
May 4Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260504145933-2026-05-04_TSW.mp3Download Audio File James opens with a greeting that sounds like a contradiction: count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds. The testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and steadfastness finishes its work so that you may be complete, lacking in nothing. If you lack wisdom, ask God, who gives generously. But ask in faith, because the doubter is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. The Rev. Aaron Spratt, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Juneau, AK, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study James 1:1–8. To learn more about Faith Lutheran, visit faithlutheranjuneau.org. Luther called it an “epistle of straw,” but then preached from it for the rest of his life as the Word of God. In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk verse by verse through the Letter of James, written by the brother of our Lord, the leading pastor of the Jerusalem church, and a man who thought Jesus had lost His mind until the resurrection proved otherwise. James writes to scattered Christians who are suffering, squabbling, playing favorites with the rich, and letting their tongues run wild. This series takes James at his word, reading him as a confessor of Christ who stands with Paul and not against him. Faith without works is dead, he tells them, and then he spends the rest of the letter showing them a better way. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. James 1:1-8 Greeting [1] James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Testing of Your Faith [2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — NEW STUDY: The Letter of James
May 4Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260505150820-TSWJAMESPROMO_2026.mp3Download Audio File Luther called it an “epistle of straw,” but then preached from it for the rest of his life as the Word of God. In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk verse by verse through the Letter of James, written by the brother of our Lord, the leading pastor of the Jerusalem church, and a man who thought Jesus had lost His mind until the resurrection proved otherwise. James writes to scattered Christians who are suffering, squabbling, playing favorites with the rich, and letting their tongues run wild. This series takes James at his word, reading him as a confessor of Christ who stands with Paul and not against him. Faith without works is dead, he tells them, and then he spends the rest of the letter showing them a better way. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Free-Text First Friday: Sacred Trash: What Ancient Holy Garbage Reveals About God’s People
May 1Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260501140048-2026-05-01_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Think about the trash you took out this week. If someone dug through a year of your discards, what would they learn about you, about your priorities, about your faith? On this special Free-Text First Friday, the Rev. Mark Duerr gives us a brief, but fascinating tour of the ancient world’s favissa pits, the holy trash dumps where sacred objects were ritually buried after use. From the execration tablets of Egypt to the fertility figurines of Canaan, from the recent excavations at Shiloh under Dr. Scott Stripling to the pagan healing votives at the Pool of Bethesda, what these peoples threw away tells us what they worshiped. The Rev. Mark Duerr, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Monroe, MI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to discuss the archeological discoveries at sacred disposal sites. View a video livestream of this episode, including the images discussed, here: youtu.be/rhkFYXTDoWc Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Habakkuk 1–3: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
Apr 30Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260430124419-2026-04-30_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The prophet Habakkuk does what most of us only do in private: he argues with God. Why do the wicked prosper? Why does violence go unchecked? God’s answer is stranger than the question: He’s raising up the Chaldeans, a “nasty” nation hell bent on destruction. The book moves from complaint to cosmic courtroom to a beautiful temple hymn, ending with a confession of faith that holds nothing back. “Though the fig tree should not blossom… yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” The Rev. David Boisclair, senior pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Overland, Missouri, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Habakkuk 1–3. To learn more about Our Redeemer, visit ourredeemerstl.org. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Habakkuk 1-3 1[1] The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. Habakkuk’s Complaint [2] O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? [3] Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. [4] So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. The LORD’s Answer [5] “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. [6] For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. [7] They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. [8] Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. [9] They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. [10] At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. [11] Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!” Habakkuk’s Second Complaint [12] Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. [13] You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? [14] You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. [15] He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. [16] Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. [17] Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? 2[1] I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith [2] And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. [3] For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. [4] “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. [5] “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.” Woe to the Chaldeans [6] Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!” [7] Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. [8] Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. [9] “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! [10] You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. [11] For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond. [12] “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! [13] Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? [14] For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. [15] “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! [16] You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory! [17] The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them. [18] “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! [19] Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behol...
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 12:1–14: Last Call: Remember Your Creator
Apr 29Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260429120946-2026-04-29_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The Preacher closes the book with an elegy for the human body that reads like a poem about a house falling apart. The grinders cease because they are few, the doors on the street are shut, the almond tree blossoms white, and the grasshopper drags himself along. Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken, remember your Creator. Qoheleth’s final verdict holds everything together: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Every deed, every secret thing, will come into judgment. The Rev. Dan Eddy, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Beloit, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 12:1–14. To learn more about Messiah Lutheran, visit mlcbeloit.com. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 Remember Your Creator in Your Youth [1] Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; [2] before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, [3] in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, [4] and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low—[5] they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets—[6] before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, [7] and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. [8] Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. Fear God and Keep His Commandments [9] Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. [10] The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. [11] The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. [12] My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. [13] The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. [14] For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 11:1–10: Cast Your Bread
Apr 28Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260428130807-2026-04-28_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Qoheleth’s shares his God-given wisdom that we cannot control outcomes, predict disaster, or know which of our efforts will bear fruit. He focuses us on generosity and persistence: scatter your resources broadly, work from morning to evening, and stop waiting for perfect conditions that will never come. Enjoy your life, yes, but not as though you are unaccountable. God sees all of it. The days of darkness are coming, and that reality should shape how you spend the days of light. The Rev. Jacob Hercamp, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Noblesville, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 11:1–10. To learn more about Christ Lutheran, visit clc-in.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 11:1-10 Cast Your Bread upon the Waters [1] Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. [2] Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. [3] If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. [4] He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. [5] As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. [6] In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. [7] Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. [8] So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. [9] Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. [10] Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20: Dead Flies in the Ointment: Folly Ruins Everything
Apr 27Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260427131413-2026-04-27_TSW.mp3Download Audio File One dead fly ruins the perfumer’s oil, and a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Qoheleth shifts into proverb mode and catalogs the ways fools wreck what the wise build: the fool walks down the road and everyone can tell, rulers put idiots in high places while the competent sit low, and the fool multiplies words about a future he cannot predict. But the Preacher also warns the wise man: even your private thoughts about the king can travel, because a bird of the air may carry your voice. The Rev. James Stefanic, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Renault, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20. To learn more about Holy Cross in Renault, visit holycrossrenault.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20 [13] I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. [14] There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. [15] But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. [16] But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. [17] The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. [18] Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. 10[1] Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. [2] A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. [3] Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. [4] If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. [5] There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: [6] folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. [7] I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. [8] He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. [9] He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. [10] If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. [11] If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. [12] The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. [13] The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. [14] A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? [15] The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. [16] Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! [17] Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! [18] Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. [19] Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. [20] Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 9:1–12: You’re Dead Men Walking, So Enjoy the Gifts of Life
Apr 24Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260424130923-2026-04-24_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The living know one thing the dead do not: that they will die. Qoheleth delivers this as good news, strange as that sounds, because the living still have time to eat, drink, enjoy their wives, and do their work with energy. The dead know nothing, earn nothing, and are forgotten. But the clock is ticking for everyone, and time and chance ambush the swift, the wise, and the strong without warning. Fish caught in a net, birds caught in a snare: that is how the evil day falls on the sons of men. The Rev. Steven Theiss, serving St. John Lutheran Church (AALC) in Pocahontas, MO, joins guest host Andy Bates to study Ecclesiastes 9:1–12. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 Death Comes to All [1] But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. [2] It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. [3] This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. [4] But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. [5] For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. [6] Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Enjoy Life with the One You Love [7] Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. [8] Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. [9] Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. [10] Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. Wisdom Better Than Folly [11] Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. [12] For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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