Abiding Together

In this week's episode, we welcome Sarah Kroger, a GMA Dove Award®-nominated artist, songwriter, and worship leader to the podcast to speak into the beauty of worship. Sarah shares her story of becoming a worship leader, how she creates music based on the joys and sorrows from her personal life, and her passion for collaborating with others and the Holy Spirit. We also chat about spiritual dryness, cultivating peace and persisting in faith while in seasons of darkness, and the fruit that comes about from suffering. Check out Sarah's new album, A New Reality, here!

Heather's One Thing - Pinwheel recipe and the upcoming Restore the Glory Podcast series on our four identities

Sister Miriam's One Thing - CORDA (especially the Valor and Grace candle)

Michelle's One Thing - The book Aslan's Breath: Seeing the Holy Spirit in Narnia by Matthew Dickerson and her priest friends and the gift of their fatherhood

Sarah's One Thing - The book The Night is Normal by Dr. Alicia Britt Chole and Sourdough bread!

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Check out Sarah's website and Listen to her new album, A New Reality, on Spotify

Journal Questions:

• What parts of my life or my faith scare me? How can I find God in those scary parts?
• When have I experienced a dying of my childhood faith? When have I experienced a resurrection of that death?
• Whose suffering has borne fruit in my life?
• How can I submit my will to God to more closely work in partnership with Him?

Discussion Questions:

• How has your practice of faith evolved throughout different seasons?
• How are you using your gifts to glorify God? How are you withholding my gifts?
• How can you invite the Holy Spirit into your own gifts and projects?
• What's your next right step in following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

Quote to Ponder:

"I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies. I raise a hallelujah, louder than my unbelief. I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody." (Raise A Hallelujah by Jonathan and Melissa Helser)

Scripture for Lectio:

"But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)

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In this week's episode, we welcome Brya Hanan, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to share how we can learn to engage as an adult with the young parts of ourselves. Brya shares her story, the trauma she experienced as a child, and how it affected not only her self-perception but also how she related to others. She reflects on her healing journey and shares practical ways you can begin your healing journey. We also chat about how our unmet needs as a child can affect us as adults, how to have compassion for ourselves in our brokenness, and why healing ourselves allows us to love those around us much more fully.

Heather's One Thing - Her parents

Sister Miriam's One Thing - Lentil Curry and Naan Bread

Michelle's One Thing - Her husband, Chris, and his loving support

Brya's One Thing - Barre Classes!

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Buy Brya's book here
• Check out Brya's website and Instagram
• Restore the Glory Podcast Episode 99: Parts Work with Brya Hanan

Journal Questions:

• Where do I sense deep divides within myself?
• How do I care for others as a way of avoiding care for myself?
• What would it look like for me to befriend my inner child?
• What are my defense mechanisms?
• Is it time to seek out therapy?

Discussion Questions:

• What "templates" of wounds and experiences do you find yourself living through?
• In your healing journey, when have you experienced things getting worse before they got better? What made the change for the better?
• What does your inner child need to hear today?
• When do you feel dysregulated?
• When do you feel well-regulated?

Quotes to Ponder:

"Remember, you are held safe. You are loved. You are protected. You are in communion with God and with those whom God has sent you. What is of God will last. It belongs to the eternal life. Choose it, and it will be yours." (Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love)

"The history of every human being passes through the threshold of a woman's motherhood." (Saint Pope JPII)

Scripture for Lectio:

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' " But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you.Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5: 24- 34)

Sponsor - Holy Confident Birth:

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In this week's episode, we welcome Dr. Mary Healy, author, and professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, to talk about living life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Healy shares how her life was radically transformed through an encounter with the Holy Spirit and reflects on the beauty of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in her life. We also chat practically about how to live life day by day in the power of the Holy Spirit, how to learn to hear and respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and how we can prepare our hearts for Pentecost.

Heather's One Thing - Wild Goose Series on the Holy Spirit

Heather's Other One Thing - Peter and Debbie Herbeck (check out Renewal Ministries and Be Love Revolution)

Sister Miriam's One Thing - Springtime!

Michelle's One Thing - Camp Chosatonga (for boys) and Camp Kahdalia (for girls) and Mission on the Mountain

Dr. Mary Healy's One Thing - Blessed Elena Guerra

Journal Questions:

• When did the love of God first become real to me?
• Have you ever experienced "white knuckle" Christianity?
• How can I live my life in the power of the Holy Spirit?
• What areas of my life are hardest to surrender to the Holy Spirit?
• Where in my life have I rationed the Holy Spirit? Where am I blocking the Holy Spirit?

Discussion Questions:

• When do you feel like your failures are too much for God?
• What has your experience been with the Holy Spirit?
• Who in your life is filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit?
• What sacrifices have I had to make to surrender more fully to God?

Quote to Ponder:

"I would sacrifice myself a thousand times if I had the lives . . . I will go and I will do as the Holy Spirit inspires me" (Catherine of Sienna)

Scripture for Lectio:

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." (Acts 2:1-4)

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In this week's episode, we continue our conversation about leading with our God-given authority, particularly in our spiritual or biological motherhood. We talk about how God has blessed us with the Sacraments, Scripture, and prayer to fight spiritual battles. We reflect on the importance of rooting our identity in Christ, how Our Lady modeled feminine leadership, and practical ways to do spiritual warfare. We also discuss generational bondage, repairing trust, and the power of an apology given and received.

Heather's One Thing - Her Battle Cry playlist and her friendship with Michelle and Sister Miriam and the way they have helped her through dark seasons in life

Sister Miriam's One Thing - Having Heather visit and The Litany of the Waiting Woman

Michelle's One Thing - Bee Still a Catholic Jewelry Company

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Priscilla Shirer's talk on the Armor of God and the schemes of the devil
• Sr. Miriam and Fr. John Burn's talks on forgiveness (Healing Through Forgiveness and Seeking Healing Through Forgiveness)
• Sr. Miriam's Forgiveness Meditation
• Renouncing Lies and Announcing Truth – 7 Deadly Wounds
• Scripture Verses on Identity

Journal Questions:

• What areas does the enemy often attack me in this area? What are my frequent sins?
• What are the deeper longs behind my frequent sins?
• Am I tempted to under-spiritualize or over-spiritualize the sufferings, temptations, and attacks in my life?
• When did I last go to confession? When am I planning to go next?
• What battles have I inherited from my family? How can I take responsibility for those battles?

Discussion Questions:

• How can you apply the invitation to worship rather than worry in your current season?
• What are the prayers and tools God has given you out of love to help you on this journey?
• Who has been entrusted to you? How can you pray for them and do battle?
• Where in my life can I invite Christ's Precious Blood into my life and family?
• What are some of Jesus' promises in response to the attacks you face?

Quote to Ponder:

"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Scripture for Lectio:

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them" (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Sponsor - Leanne Bowen:

Today's sponsor is Leanne Bowen Fine Art. Leanne is a Catholic Artist and a stay at home mom. She has released a beautiful collection of candles, prints, and gifts just in time for Mother's Day, Confirmations and all the upcoming Sacraments! She has an incredible Holy Spirit candle and a baptism candle that smells just like Chrism. These are beautiful gifts intentionally curated for those receiving their Sacraments. Her most popular print, Sacrifice of Love, depicts a married couple embracing the cross on their wedding day. It is bound to be the most intentional gift your friends or family will receive for their wedding.

Leanne also just released a batch of bronze Prayer Card Holders that are absolutely stunning. They come in a three pack of each of the Hearts of the Holy Family. They are sturdy and beautiful- the perfect weight to hold small prints. She is offering 15% off site wide to all our listeners with the code ABIDE15 at www.LeanneBowen.com.

In this week's episode, we reflect on leading with our God-given authority rather than worldly influence. We discuss the importance of remembering our identity in Christ and how true authority is a display of intimacy that has been rooted in a real tangible love. We share the ways we may have been wounded by authority figures in our past, why these wounds can distort our perception of authority, and how to heal from these wounds so that we can lead others into the light of Christ.

Heather's One Thing - Chicken Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup) from My Kitchen Little

Sister Miriam's On Thing - The book Litanies of the Heart by Dr Gerry Crete

Michelle's One Thing - Beatify: Lullabies with the Saints (an album of Catholic lullabies) from Beatify with Josh Blakesley and Kelly Lombardi

Other Resources Mentioned:

The Restore the Glory Podcast series on Parts Work (Parts Work (Part 1) w/ Gerry Crete; Parts Work (Part 2) w/ Brya Hanan; Parts Work (Part 3) w/ Bishop Andrew Miller)

Journal Questions:

• How have I abdicated my God-given authority?
• When do I perceive surrender to be a form of defeat?
• How has authority been misused in my life?
• How is God inviting me to stay with Him in faithfulness and obedience?
• Where do I need to be both honoring and honest?

Discussion Questions:

• How often do you think God is holding out on you?
• How do I lose sight of God-given authority by seeking out worldly influence?
• What accountability do I need to choose surrendered, God-given authority over worldly influence?
• When have you felt safe under God's authority?
• How do you need to grow and mature to better lead and serve others?

Quote to Ponder:

"The fourth commandment opens the second table of the Decalogue. It shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority." (CCC 2197)

Scripture for Lectio:

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Sponsor - WalletWin:

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In this week's episode, we reflect on the themes of resurrection, grief, and hope in Pope Francis' Easter Vigil homily. We chat about the sadness of unfulfilled dreams and the tender places in our hearts where we are afraid to hope and want to stay in the tomb. We also talk about the anxieties and worries that can come with trying to figure things out on our own and the importance of surrendering our plans to God. Just like Christ, we are called to walk through the sufferings of this life with Him into the Resurrection.

Heather's One Thing - Her Easter playlist

Heather's Other One Thing - The book Becoming Wife: Saying Yes to More than the Dress by Rachel Bulman (or on Amazon here)

Sister Miriam's On Thing - The book Beloved Daughter by Carrie Daunt

Michelle's One Thing - The book Befriending Your Inner Child: A Catholic Approach to Healing and Wholeness by Brya Hanan (or on Amazon here)

Other Resources Mentioned:

The Restore the Glory Podcast series on Parts Work (Parts Work (Part 1) w/ Gerry Crete; Parts Work (Part 2) w/ Brya Hanan; Parts Work (Part 3) w/ Bishop Andrew Miller)

Journal Questions:

• What hopes have been dashed by the sorrowful mysteries of my life?
• Where are the places that I am afraid to hope?
• Do I believe my dreams are doomed to fail?
• What anxieties in my heart are preventing me from hoping?

Discussion Questions:

• How are you still living in winter during the spring of Easter?
• Do you know how to practice Resurrection?
• In what ways do you believe your dreams rely on you for their fulfillment?
• How do you intellectualize or explain away your dreams?

Quote to Ponder:

"Yet the same women who bore this darkness in their hearts tell us something quite extraordinary. When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. This is the Pasch of Christ, the revelation of God's power: the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible, who rolled away the stone forever. Even now, he opens our hearts, so that hope may be born ever anew. We too, then, should "look up" to him." (Pope Francis, Easter Vigil Homily)

Scripture for Lectio:

"When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back." (Mark 16:4)

Sponsor - Farm of the Child:

Farm of the Child is a Catholic children's home, school and clinic in Trujillo, Honduras where children receive healing care from a team of Honduran staff, Franciscan sisters, and international missionaries. Each year, the Farm of the Child attracts dedicated missionaries who make a 2 year commitment of service. Missionaries come from all different walks of life in order to serve in a variety of functions such as teaching, nursing, project management and community outreach. After spending 6 weeks in Antigua, Guatemala learning Spanish, missionaries travel to the children's home where they live together and are guided by the four pillars of community, spirituality, simplicity and service. Short term immersion trips, remote and summer service opportunities are also available.

If you think you might be called to serve in the capacity of an international missionary, email [email protected]. Want to learn more about how to get involved in the mission in the US? Check out farmofthechild.org and sign up for our monthly newsletter here: https://www.farmofthechild.org/contact-us

In this week's episode, we conclude our Lenten study on the book "A Time of Renewal" and discuss the theme of "focus". We chat about our natural temptation to focus on our woundedness, why we should take action and invite Jesus into these places, and how our wounds can be transformed into signs of the resurrection power of Christ. We also talk about the crosses we bear and the importance of recognizing the little resurrections in our life. Friends, thank you for journeying with us this Lenten season. We look forward to seeing you again after Easter!

Heather's One Thing - Our team behind the scenes: Kate, Camille, and Kristina! We are so grateful for you

Sister Miriam's On Thing - Springtime!

Michelle's One Thing - These Easter themed charcuterie boards! Option 1 Here. Option 2 Here.

Announcement(s):

We will be taking a two week break for Easter beginning on 4/1/24! Season 14 will continue on 4/15/24!

Journal Questions:

• What was hard for me?
• What were the graces and mercies I experienced?
• How have I grown?
• How can I make this week holy?
• What wounds do I bring to Jesus? What wounds do I simply "stare at"?

Discussion Questions:

• Where in your life are you seeking glory?
• Do I live like the Resurrection is a reality?
• When do you lose hope?
• Does the story you tell yourself about God align with God's story (the Paschal Mystery)?
• What are the places of my heart that I don't believe the narrative (of the Paschal Mystery)?

Quotes to Ponder:

"How are wounds made glorious? By our deciding what we will do with them. Our Jesus turned his wounds into beauty, and there is not one of us who would say, "Oh, this should not be in eternity." Our poor hearts thrill to the verity that he is always showing his wounds to the Father on our behalf. They are transformed now in glory. Likewise, there is a transformation that we too can make of our own little everyday wounds which sometimes seem so deep and so big and so insufferable to us. How do we transform them into glory? By looking at Jesus, by remembering his suffering which was turned into glory." (Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 207)

Scripture for Lectio:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24)

Sponsor - Pearl and Thistle:

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In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book "A Time of Renewal" and focus on how life is a continual process of refinement and how true learning comes through the healing found in suffering and communion. We also talk about the feelings of shame that accompany situations where we fall short, the importance of recognizing our limitations in humility, and how God desires to redeem our deepest wounds to help us grow in communion and love.

Heather's One Thing - Sarah Kroger's new song No Filter

Sister Miriam's On Thing - Heather Khym's Lenten Playlist (AGAIN!!)

Michelle's One Thing - Floret Flowers

Announcement:

We will be taking a two week break for Easter beginning on 4/1/24. Season 14 will continue on 4/15/24!

Journal Questions:

• What learning curves in my life do I react to with shame or fear?
• Where in my life do I feel like I need to figure it out?
• What are my most frequent complaints? How do they wound the Heart of Christ?
• How can I honor the Lord this upcoming Holy Week?

Discussion Questions:

• What lessons are you learning this Lent?
• What blocks and walls do you experience when learning new lessons?
• How is the Lord inviting you to put in effort in learning the lessons of this season?
• How can you show loving and attentive devotion to the Lord in your daily life?

Quote to Ponder:

"Let us think for a few minutes about the process of learning. All real learning requires a great effort….One could perhaps define the greatest scholars as those who have put forth the most effort with the equipment that God gave them. There is always some form of suffering in all learning because there must be patience, and patience is suffering. There is always humility in learning. It is the great scholars who realize how little they know…"

(Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 175)

Scripture for Lectio:

"He said to his apostles, "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."" (John 16:12)

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In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book "A Time of Renewal" and focus on the theme of "filling up the sufferings of Christ". We reflect on the connection between repentance and love, recognizing how they complement each other, and the beauty of repentance as an intimate act of drawing nearer to God. We share our own struggles during this Lenten season, how others have helped keep us accountable, and the importance of helping others grow in holiness. Lastly, we chat about the significance of renouncing falsehoods about ourselves and embracing the truth about our identity that can only be found in God.

Heather's One Thing -The song Jesus is My Healer by Gateway Worship

Sister Miriam's On Thing - Andrew Laubacher and his organization called Humanality

Michelle's One Thing - Fr. Mark Mary CFR new book The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God

Journal Questions:

• Where is the ease of the Lord in my life?
• How can I turn back to the Lord in moments of hardship this Lent?
• In the people I struggle with most, how do I encounter the image of God in them?
• In my own self-righteousness, from whom do I withhold the kingdom of God?

Discussion Questions:

• Do you perceive repentance as an opportunity for intimacy or a response to punishment?
• How can you more urgently respond to God's invitation of love?
• What accountability can you incorporate to be steadfast to your Lenten promises?
• How can you invite a culture of redemption into your life?

Quote to Ponder:

"Our joy must be in him, where alone things have permanent depth and even eternality. The more earnestly we live our Lent, the more will we be finding our joy in Jesus." (Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 148)

Scripture for Lectio:

"He delivered us from the dominion of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son." (Colossians 1:13)

Sponsor - Mary's Meals:

Mary's Meals sets up community-run school feeding projects in some of the world's poorest communities, where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. The idea is a simple one that works. Mary's Meals provides one daily meal in a place of learning to attract chronically poor children into the classroom, where they receive an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty.

Bringing hope to hungry children around the world, their mission is to enable people to offer their money, goods, skills, time, or prayer, and through this involvement, provide the most effective help to those suffering the effects of extreme poverty in the world's poorest Communities.

Today, Mary's Meals is providing more than 2.4 million children with a daily school meal across five continents. But the need is great! The appalling reality is that there are still 73 million children living in extreme poverty in need of school feeding. Please help to reach the next hungry child waiting for Mary's Meals.

To get involved or learn more visit marysmeals.ca in Canada or marysmealsusa.org in the USA.

In this week's episode, we continue our Lenten study on the book "A Time of Renewal" and focus on the theme of the right kind of zeal. We chat about how we may be feeling tired and tempted to relax our Lenten penances and discuss the importance of taking time to reflect on why we felt called to take on a specific sacrifice and then recommitting ourselves with zeal to carry it out. We also talk about the joys of living in covenant with the Lord, the heartache we should experience when our hearts wander, and the beauty of giving ourselves totally to Him out of love.

Heather's One Thing - Happy 80th birthday to her dad!

Heather's Other One Thing - Episode 5 of Fr. Dave's series called: My father's Father. Watch on Wildgoose TV here or Faith and Reason here.

Sister Miriam's On Thing - Heather Khym's Lenten Playlist

Michelle's One Thing - The song Closing Distance by Seven Hills Worship (acoustic version here)

Journal Questions:

• What do you need to fill your tank for the long spiritual roadtrip of Lent?
• What spiritual rest stops do I need to take to continue to go the distance with the Lord?
• How am I letting my emotions drive the bus?
• Do I treat my covenant with the Lord with the same respect as I show the covenants of marriage or religious life?

Discussion Questions:

• How do you need the Lord to love you this week?
• Have you been feeling empty, angsty, or frustrated this Lent? How is the Lord inviting you into deeper freedom through this experience?
• How can you suffer and fast with more joy?

Quotes to Ponder:

"The ancient name for Lent is "the season of the battle", agonia, which was the Greek word for the final testing of the athlete or the warrior, and has become the term for the Agony in the Garden." (Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. A Time of Renewal. Kindle Edition. Page 143)

Scripture for Lectio:

"His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me." (John 2:17)

Sponsor - JPII Healing Center:

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Additionally, the numerous books and resources offered in our online store offer you insight and accompaniment on your path to healing. There you will find several familiar authors including Dr. Bob Schuchts and Abiding Together's very own Sr. Miriam.