Recently, Christianity Today released a podcast called “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” that chronicles the events of megachurch in Seattle, WA. That podcast is a 12-part series that gets into the weeds of how Mars Hill rose to prominence built around the personality of a fiery pastor and how things fell apart rather …

Continue reading "088 – Austin Ashcraft on Mars Hill, Celebrity, and Spiritual Abuse"

Scott Weeman joins me on the show to talk about Catholic in Recovery, a ministry he started to help addicts recover in a Catholic environment. Scott openly shares about his addiction and recovery journey and how both AA and a vibrant young adult ministry at his parish were key instruments on his road to sobriety. …

Continue reading "087 – Scott Weeman on Catholic in Recovery"

Have you ever wondered why people react differently to the same thing? Why is it that some folks are quick to get angry about the slightest thing, but others are more patient? Why does your wife prefer to stay home when all you want to do is be around people? Maybe it’s because we all …

Continue reading "086 – Art Bennett on the Temperament that God Gave You"

Well, we talk about vocations and discernment often in this show and today I want to take a systemic approach to the questions and ask what parishes and schools can do better to increase awareness about vocations. And since it is national vocations week, I thought it’d be a great time to share this discussion.  …

Continue reading "085 – Rhonda Gruenewald on increasing vocations in the Church"

I’ve covered discernment many times in previous episodes on what to look for and best practices when making decisions. But today, I’ve taken a spotlight to errors I continuously hear from young adults about making decisions. Joining me on the show again is Dr. Tom Neal, expert on the spiritual life and discernment, to banter …

Continue reading "084 – Dr. Tom Neal on How to Not Discern"

Joining me on the show today is Samantha Povlock, founder of the website FemCatholic to discuss how their content meets the needs and questions of Catholic women. She shares why she started the website and the excitement from being one of the winners of the OSV Challenge. We also talk about broader issues including the …

Continue reading "083 – Samantha Povlock on FemCatholic and the dignity of women"

Why should Catholics care about the teachings of Margaret Sanger? (After all, she is the foundress of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading provider of abortion and hormonal contraception.) Because understanding her life and thoughts provides insight into the current debates over women’s rights.  Joining me on the show today is Sarah Denny, who is writing …

Continue reading "082 – Margaret Sanger, John Paul II, Sex, and Human Freedom with Sarah Denny"

In today’s episode I welcome one of my closest friends, Dr. Carlos Gomez, a psychologist in Miami, Florida. Join us as we discuss what the psychological research has to say about happiness. SPOILER: it doesn’t come from success, how much money you have, or how many trips you take to Disney World. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmariosacasa/ Instagram: …

Continue reading "081 – Dr. Carlos Gomez on What Makes Us Happy?"

This is it, the conclusion of Hope Leads the Way lecture series. This talk is called the Power of Hope. It builds on the first two talks and like the end of a good trilogy brings the whole thing together. We share some of the reasons why we worry, how to approach fear and anxiety …

Continue reading "080 – Hope Leads the Way, Lecture 3 of 3: The Power of Hope"

Here we go, Part 2 of 3 of Hope Leads the Way! In the first presentation we focused on the psychology of hope and today we are taking the next step on our journey and examine hope as a theological virtue. What does it mean to think of hope an acquired habit? Or a firm …

Continue reading "079 – Hope Leads the Way, Lecture 2 of 3: Hope as a Theological Virtue"