Better Preach

Description

I’ve given hundreds of talks to college students and by and large I feel like I know what makes them tick. I’m confident, I’m able to be myself and I have a lot to share with them as so much happened and changed in my life during those years. 

But if you just dial back the clock four years on those audiences - from 18-22 yrs/old to 14-18 years old - it’s a whole different story.  It’s a really difficult challenge - especially week in and week out  - speaking to teenagers.  And I think if you can master sharing the truth of the Gospel and of Catholicism with this age range, you can probably talk to just about anybody!!

Well my guest on the podcast, Pat Millea, is a master of this very thing - he is one of the best communicators I know when it comes to combining winsomeness *and* substance in Catholic talks for teenagers. 

If you want to grow as a Catholic communicator with teens - today’s podcast is made just for you. 

Pat Millea is an experienced leader and minister, having worked in parish youth ministry for 15 years. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Sociology & Theology, and went on to receive his Master of Arts in Theology, also from Notre Dame. For two decades, Pat has encouraged and equipped audiences of all sizes and ages. He has spoken at the National Catholic Youth Conference, Catholic HEART Workcamp, and hundreds of diocesan and parish events, and he has contributed content to ministry organizations through curriculum writing & leadership workshops. Pat and his wife Kenna are parents to seven beautiful children and live in West St Paul, MN. 

Check out the website for the Martin Center for Integration and his podcast “This Whole Life”

Links

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a  link to get you started. 

Description

One of the most repeated phrases we’ve heard on this podcast is “Know Your Audience” and while that admonition is really important to keep in mind, is it possible to not just “Know Your Audience”, but to “Know Every Audience?”

My guest today, Chris Hurtubise, thinks so and I think he might be right!

I won’t give it away, because I want you to check out the episode, but I’ll give you a hint - there’s this acronym that’s been floating around in Catholic circles over the last couple of years - RIM. It stands for Relationship Identity and Mission. Right here is where Chris believes and I do too that we can come to know EVERY audience and what makes them tick.

Chris Hurtubise is the Director of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship for the Diocese of Superior in Northern Wisconsin.

His biggest passions are proclaiming the Gospel into every sphere within the Diocese and casting vision for a mission-driven Church.

A native of Chicago, Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Classics from Hillsdale College and a Master’s Degree in Theology from the University of Dallas. Chris and his wife Stephanie both converted to Catholicism in 2006. They live on a hobby farm with their four children: John Paul, James, Thomas, and Elizabeth.

To learn more about Chris is doing in the Diocese of Superior, check out their website.

Links

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites.

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook

Join Ryan’s email list.

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started.

Description

You know the verses about love in 1 Corinthians Ch. 13?  It’s the reading that you always hear at weddings.  St. Paul starts by saying, “...if I don’t have love I am a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal.”  1 Cor 13:1b

People speaking to Catholic audiences have a similar bar to hit - do we have love in our heart for the people God allows us to speak to?  And if we don't, how can we gain that love for them? 

In my conversation with Julianne Stanz, a world-class Catechist, she shares how to cultivate that love, but also how that love is evidenced in and through ‘encouragement’, which meant to literally ‘give heart’ to another.  This intentionality is so needed in our day. 

Story-teller, encourager and author, Julianne Stanz is the Director of Discipleship and Parish Life for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin and is a consultant to the USCCB Committee on Catechesis and Evangelization. She is the author of the books “Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace” and “Start with Jesus: How everyday disciples will renew the Church” published by Loyola Press.

Check out Julianne’s website right here: www.juliannestanz.com

And here’s an Amazon link to her latest book, “Braving the Thin Places.”  Check it out!

Links

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started. 

Description

When it comes to giving Catholic talks, where does “humor” fit in?  Is it just a matter of telling jokes you found on the internet or do you have to be a naturally funny person to do it right?   Well, it turns out - it’s not about jokes and you don’t have to be a budding stand up comic to make humor work.  

In my incredible conversation with Michael Hoffman, a 30 year + professional speaker, trainer, and leader we jumped right away into this topic - about humor - and it’s necessary role in communication.  But again - don’t just think “jokes”, ask yourself “what can I do to help people more deeply receive the often hard or uncomfortable  truths I want to share?”  Right there is where the secret lies. 

Michael Hoffman has been igniting and equipping business and faith audiences as a professional keynote speaker and trainer for 30 years.  In everything he does he tries to connect his communication skill sets in service, sales and leadership to having the impact of love in a business world that needs it so desperately. 

Check out Michael’s website: www.ignitingperformance.com

Links

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started.

Description

Does the name of Jesus roll easily off your tongue? My guess is - if you are a Christian you might say ‘sure’, but take notice over the next week how many times you say the Name of Jesus. There’s power in that name and I don’t think we use it enough. More often when we might say Jesus, we substitute it w “god” , “faith”, or “Church”.    I bring this up because Beth Davis who I speak with today on the podcast brought up the name of Jesus 35 times. I counted.  I think that’s a record for the podcast.  And I am here for it!  

And the reason it came up so much is because she has a really close relationship with him and wants to lead people to him every single time she presents to Catholic audiences.  

There’s no other goal for her when she speaks and for us too, right? 

That’s the uncomfortable challenge today - are we speaking in such a way that squarely aims at this encounter, that helps facilitate through authenticity, docility, and prayer a deep and powerful connection between the speaker, the audience and the irreplaceable presence of Jesus. 

Beth Davis, a lover of Jesus, a retired youth minister, and the Director of Ministry Advancement for Blessed is She. She is passionate about teaching women how to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus and speaking hope to weary hearts. Her favorite things include being an aunt to her fab five niece and nephews, calling everyone ‘friend,’ and whatever book she’s currently reading.

Check out Blessed is She right here: www.blessedisshe.net

Links

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started. 

Description

If you are a parent and you are trying to raise your kids Catholic you have undoubtedly heard one of them say: “Mass is boring.”  “Church is boring.” “The Catholic stuff is lame.” Have you ever heard that? I’m sure you have! I know I have. 

And a lot of times we blame the kids for this take - like they just need to mature and “see the light”, but is it really all their fault?  Or have we the teachers, preachers, and catechists failed to find creative and engaging ways to share the greatest story ever told?  I think that’s a big part of the equation.  The founder of Young Life, Jim Rayburn, an evangelical Protestant ministry to high school kids is quoted as saying:  "We believe it is sinful to bore kids with the gospel. Christ is the strongest, grandest, most attractive personality to ever grace the earth. But a careless messenger with the wrong method can reduce all this magnificence to the level of boredom …. It is a crime to bore anyone with the gospel."

Those are some powerful words to reflect on and while this particular quote didn’t come up in our conversation, my guest today, Edmund Mitchell is doing everything he can to share the truth of Catholicism with passion, joy, and  creativity.   

Edmund is a graduate of Franciscan University where he studied Theology & Catechetics. He’s the co-founder of Real+True, a project of Our Sunday Visitor, which creates videos, podcasts, and social media to unlock the catechism of the Catholic Church for the world. 

Check out Real+True right here: www.realtrue.org

Here’s the video Edmund referenced on the Resurrection, called: Why Catholics Believe in “life everlasting”

Links:

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s alink to get you started.

Description

How do you approach getting and receiving feedback for the talks you give? Is it something you build into your routine?  Or something you avoid like the plague?  And when you get feedback - do you know what to do with it? In my conversation with Joel Stepanek we jumped deep into this topic and many other topics related to the spiritual life of speakers, what kind of microphone he prefers (oh he’s got some big feelings about that one), and who his biggest influences are as a communicator. 

Joel has been actively involved in ministry for over 15 years. He currently serves as the Vice President of Parish Services for Life Teen International where he guides several teams that support Catholic parishes in creating and sustaining vibrant youth ministries that form Catholic evangelists and disciples.

Joel is a sought after speaker and author of several books, including “Chasing Humility: 8 Ways to Shape a Christian Heart,”  Joel holds a Master of Arts degree in religious education with an emphasis in youth and young adult ministry from Fordham University in New York City and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University-Global. Joel is an avid “Spartan”-racer, marathon runner, enjoys cooking and gardening, and loves spending time with his wife and three children, Elijah Daniel, Sophia Grace, and Micah James.

Check out his website: joelstepanek.com

And please connect with him on Instagram and Twitter 

Links:

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started.

Description

We say thousands of words each day. Many of our words aren’t world changing, they just help make it from morning to night, accomplish our work and family goals, and get us from point A to point B. Most of which we (or anyone else) will ever remember. And that’s probably a good thing.

Speaking to Catholic audiences uses that same format - a string of words put together as strings of sentences - but it’s different. There’s a different intent, a different power, and a different weight.

This was a highlight of my conversation with Kelly Colangelo, on the “privilege of speaking”, the profound trust that another gives when they hand us a microphone. It is something that having done it enough we might start taking for granted. Not Kelly - even after all these years you can hear the great honor it is for her to be entrusted with such a task. It calls me on. I bet it will for you too.

Kelly fell in love with Jesus at age 17 and has dedicated her life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ. She has been involved in ministry for more than a decade spreading the Gospel message at retreats, rallies and conferences. She speaks internationally to people of all ages on a variety of topics and has appeared on EWTN's Life on the Rock, and has been a contributor to Life Teen and Chastity Project blogs.

Kelly currently serves as the Director of Youth and College Ministry at a parish in Northwest Florida. She graduated with honors from Niagara University with her B.A. in psychology, communications & theology and from Syracuse University with her M.S. in counseling. Kelly resides in Tallahassee, Florida.

Here’s a link to Kelly’s website. Please reach out!

Want to check out Kelly’s new book - “Dates with Jesus”? Here’s a link for more information.

Links:

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites.

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook

Join Ryan’s email list.

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started.

Description: 

Is a regular structure and framework for each of your talks, constricting or freeing?  Does it prevent or enable you to speak more confidently and clearly to an audience?  In my conversation with Kris Frank he shares two really helpful ‘structures’ for his talks.  First the structure of three key questions he asks himself as he writing a talk AND another structure he uses as a map in both preparing and delivering his talks.  Rather than being a rigid constraint these simple and repeatable structures provide freedom and clarity. 

Kris serves as Vice President of Vagabond Missions in Steubenville, Ohio, where he lives. Kris has been privileged to travel around the country, sharing the Gospel with teens and young adults at various retreats, camps, and conferences. He also published his first book, Hope Always, in 2020. Kris spends his free time with his wife, Grace, and their five children.

Here’s a link to Kris Frank’s website, where you can pick up his book “Hope Always” http://www.kristopherfrank.com/

And a link to the apostolate he works for: Vagabond Missions

Here’s the link to the talk he referenced in the interview titled: “God is Savior”

And a link to the “Speaking Notes” for this talk, if you’d like to follow along.  Note: For your reference the notes clearly lay out the “Me We God You We” method and structure. 

Links:

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started. 

Description: 

What’s a great way to really improve as a communicator?  Is there a silver bullet?  Is there something I can do today or is this gonna take years?  Well, yes and yes.  

In my conversation with Tim Glemkowski, Executive Director the National Eucharistic Congress, he shares a really simple but powerful answer to this question and many others.  

Previous to his current role with the National Eucharistic Congress, Tim served in the Archbishop’s Office for the Archdiocese of Denver as the Director of Strategy, assisting with initiatives focused on building for a time of apostolic mission. He is the former founder and president of L'Alto Catholic Institute and Revive Parishes. Tim authored Made for Mission: Renewing Your Parish Culture, which was released in Fall 2019 through Our Sunday Visitor. He is an international speaker who has also consulted for many organizations, dioceses, and parishes. His writing has appeared in numerous print and web-based theological and catechetical publications. Tim and his wife, Maggie, live in Lakewood, CO with their three young children. 

A link to his speaking website

A link to the website for the Eucharistic Revival

Here’s a link to Tim’s Talk for Proclaim: “Align Everything in Mission”

Links:

For more information about the Better Preach Podcast visit: www.ryanohara.org/betterpreach

Better Preach is a proud member of Spoke Street, a Catholic Podcast Network that amplifies the voice of the Creator through fostering content that invites. 

Check out Ryan’s FREE course on “sharing your faith as a Catholic.”

Follow Ryan on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook 

Join Ryan’s email list.  

I made this podcast with help from Riverside FM. Want to try it out for your podcast? Here’s a link to get you started.