“Katie writes as a Lutheran who knows that the Christian life is a matter of being before doing.”

                                                                                                               - John T. Pless

Coming Soon!

Pew Sisters

Real women. Real lives. Real stories of God’s faithfulness. Devotional in both tone and form, Pew Sisters “goes and tells what God has done” in the lives of real women in the church today. From alcoholism to postpartum depression to cancer, twelve different women generously share the story of God’s faithfulness in their own lives for the consolation of their fellow sisters in Christ.

House of Living Stones

Emily Duke is the new choir director at Zion Lutheran Church, and everyone is pleased as punch. Everyone, that is, except Zion’s organist of twenty-five years, Evan. Join Emily, Evan, Pastor Fletcher, and the rest of Zion’s quirky flock as they learn how to live life together in Christ.

Articles

“Why Am I Barren?” in The Lutheran Witness (June/July 2011) [View Article]

“Me and JSB” in Higher Things (Winter 2009) [View article: MeandJSB.pdf]

Blog

HeRemembersTheBarren.com

Katie and four other hosts reflect on the heartache of barrenness, secondary infertility, miscarriages, and adoption difficulties.

Books

           

                                                                         He Remembers the Barren by Katie Schuermann

                                                                                     Collects by Dcs. Melissa A. DeGroot

                                                                                     Forward by John T. Pless

                                                                         Order Here: HeRemembersTheBarren.com

What are people saying?

I don't know Katie but I feel as if she knows me and the thousands of other women whose hearts have been broken by the loss of a dream.  He Remembers the Barren is precisely what every church library needs to have and what every pastor should read if he wants to be able to counsel members who are going through the pain of not being able to conceive or of having repeated miscarriages.

REBECCA MAYES
WIFE AND MOTHER

He Remembers the Barren by Katie Schuermann is a gift. It is a gift for men and women who cry and hope and pray for children. It is a gift for mothers and fathers who don’t know how to care for those who aren’t. Thank you, Katie, for helping me understand what to say and how to pray for those who are barren. Most of all, thank you for pointing always to our Lord, Jesus Christ, who never forgets His own and whose grace is sufficient for us all.

DEACONESS ROSE E. ADLE
LCMS BOARD FOR INTERNATIONAL MISSION

With He Remembers the Barren, Katie Schuermann has penned a significant devotional writing on a sensitive and emotional subject.  What is so beautiful about this book is how she deals with childlessness in a Christ-centered and grace-full way, avoiding apathetic fatalism on the one hand and self-pity on the other.  The hymn selections and prayers that conclude each chapter are pitch perfect.  The chapters are sensitive and compassionate without being emotionally manipulative.  This is a valuable resource for anyone who is having difficulty conceiving or knows someone who is.  As a pastor, I will be sure to have a few copies available to give away.

REV. WILLIAM M. CWIRLA, PASTOR
HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH - HACIENDA HEIGHTS, CA

In He Remembers the Barren, Katie Schuermann tackles the difficult subject of childlessness, a topic upon which society—and even at times, the church—has remained largely silent. Joining the pious ranks of women such as Hannah, who mourned her barrenness before the Lord, Katie answers the complex question, “Is there a place for barren women who still want to use their innate feminine qualities to nurture those around them?” The suffering woman longing to be a mother will be comforted by Christ crucified on every page of this book, and His mercy will move the reader from helplessness to hopefulness. He Remembers the Barren points continually to the cross, providing both a keen insight into an oft unspoken reality for many women within the church as well as sound Scripture to comfort and encourage.

ADRIANE DORR, MANAGING EDITOR
THE LUTHERAN WITNESS

He Remembers the Barren is a unique and greatly needed work. Its uniqueness comes from the perspective of the author. She personally understands barrenness and she personally understands Jesus Christ and His grace as revealed in Holy Scripture.  Katie Schuermann artfully brings these two perspectives together and offers to the church a writing that will touch the hearts of many with needed empathy that only someone who has been there can bring and with needed hope and peace that only Jesus Christ can bring.  This resource will also be a powerful tool in the hands of pastors, helping them understand barrenness and helping them minister to those dealing with it.

JAMES I. LAMB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
LUTHERANS FOR LIFE

In He Remembers the Barren, Katie has shone the light of the Gospel into the confusing and shame-ridden world of infertility, where it is so very desperately needed. She has articulated the perplexing feelings and experiences of so many women that those blessed with healthy fertility rarely comprehend, much less address faithfully and Christologically.  Katie identifies the very painful struggles of barren women and, rather than giving into the temptation to wallow in self-pity, brings the sweet comfort that only Christ and Him crucified can deliver. 

SANDRA OSTAPOWICH

He Remembers the Barren fills a glaring void in pro-life resources by addressing the grief and suffering of those Christian women, and men, who are unable to have children.  Katie has been able to give voice to a deeply personal and taboo subject so that we may all empathize with, and learn from, our sisters in Christ who face this situation.

EDWARD SZETO, SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR, LIFE MINISTRIES
LCMS WORLD RELIEF AND HUMAN CARE

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; Break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!”
 (Isaiah 54:1 and Galatians 4:27)  Prophet and apostle speak words counter-intuitive to our most basic human impulse -- be fruitful and multiply.  How can there be joy in barrenness?  He Remembers the Barren shows us the way.  With moving prose and through people of great pathos, Katie Schuermann takes us on a journey through sorrow and joy, as we mourn with Robin and Katherine and Carol and Gina, and their husbands, barren but not broken, as they come to terms with the loneliness of this barren reality in their lives, Christ going with them all the way.  But Katie’s story of barrenness is also a story of hope.  Real, authentic, and lyrical, He Remembers the Barren speaks to our hearts and gives voice to the yearnings of our souls.  As we journey with Katie and her barren ones, we journey with Christ and in Christ, as she shows us how, through Him, even in barrenness, there can be joy inside our tears.  Like Jerusalem at Isaiah’s time, we come to understand that, in Christ, there is fecundity in barrenness.  Comfort is here for Christ’s broken ones who long to be fulfilled with the gift of children.  Katie delivers at every level, always with Christ, never too much, and with Melissa DeGroot offering prayers along the way. 

ARTHUR A. JUST, JR., PH.D.
CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
PROFESSOR OF EXEGETICAL THEOLOGY AND DIRECTOR OF DEACONESS STUDIES

As a writer as well as a patient who has struggled with secondary infertility, I wore two hats while reading Katie’s book. The writer in me relished the lyrical, honest prose. The patient in me nodded inwardly with each new chapter, “Yes, yes, that is exactly where I’ve been, what I’ve felt.” But beyond the excellent writing and the truth of the infertile experience is a hope that can only spring from Christian faith. Yes, Katie is honest about her experiences with infertility, but even more importantly, she is a voice of faith in a dry desert of despair. Even while Katie wrestled with this painful subject, Christ’s cheering presence shone through. Infertility is a lonely road to travel, but with Katie’s encouraging and hopeful words, sisters in Christ will know the true blessing of fellowship.

JULIE STIEGEMEYER

AUTHOR

He Remembers the Barren distinguishes itself from other books because it reminds the readers that we are God’s children, first and foremost, and that we each have a unique vocation, one that may or may not include motherhood. Through words and emotions, Katie paints clear pictures of the realities of barrenness, the effects on spouses, the loss of childbearing, and the peace that only God can provide. This book is a great comfort to hurting women and those who love them.  

KRISTI LECKBAND
WIFE AND MOTHER

He Remembers the Barren is helpful for not only those who are barren but for those who suffer, period.  The author brings comfort to all of us through the appropriate use of God's Word which is the ultimate healing source, giving the reader peace and urging all of us to continue to learn and grow together in Christ, our Savior.

ADRIENNE RASMUSSEN