Description

We love to overcomplicate things.  Let me restate that.  I love to over complicate things.  More of a really good thing - like preaching the Gospel - has to be better right?!? Not always.    In my conversation today with Pete Burds he shares how his approach to giving Catholic talks has shifted and developed over the years. And what he chooses to prioritize in a 30 min talk might surprise you.  It did me.  And I’m the better for it!  And ironically, my first title for this podcast was super complicated - my longest one ever.  And then I thought, I’m doing it again, so I actually put Pete’s advice into practice.  You’re welcome! 

Ever since encountering Jesus Christ through a high school youth ministry program, Pete Burds has used his five loaves and two fish for the sake of building the kingdom. Through storytelling, leading retreats, and years of experience in youth and young adult ministry, he has proclaimed the freedom found in Jesus Christ to thousands. Pete currently serves as the Vice President of Mission for NET Ministries. He and his family live in St. Paul, MN.

Connect with Pete at NET Ministries website - netusa.org

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

Every talk that I give, I want to make sure that there are three things that are really easy for the audience. I want to make sure that the talk is easy to follow. Easy to remember and thus easy to apply. And while there are a number of factors that go into this, and this podcast is dedicated to the many and varied ways to do all three of these things, there's no magic bullet.  And while there's no magic bullet, I'm convinced that I found, and I'm love to hear your experience too, like a super sneaky back way to help get closer to all three of these things, to make a talk easier to follow, easier to remember,  and easier to apply. And that super sneaky back way is a well crafted handout that accompanies the talks that I give.

Okay, so as I’ve been doing lately I put together a “Handout” for this episode, but today is a special day, because i’ve created it not as a finished product/ overview of the Episode, but just like a Handout I’d make for a talk, ample white space, 2 pages, fill-in-the-blanks and all.  

So, if you want to see an example of what I talk about in this episode and follow along, filling in the blanks, as you go, check the show notes - you can download it there!

Download PDF Handout of Episode 61: Why You Should Use a Handout for Your Next Talk

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

I can’t tell you how many things I’ve learned how to do by watching video tutorials on YouTube, just for this podcast alone..but it doesn’t stop there - plumbing, drywall, auto repair - you name it!   YouTube is incredible because any one of these  ‘how to’ videos combine all three styles of learning.  You can see and hear and learn exactly the steps you need to take to find a broken piece of glass that might be causing your dishwasher to not drain all the way..  And one of my favorite models of how to deliver great Catholic talks comes from a video library too!  YDisciple.  And in my fascinating conversation with their National Director, Annie Grandell, we dig into a wide range of topics and then land on what I’d call the seven marks of a great Catholic talk. 

After serving with NET Ministries and graduating from the University of St Thomas with a degree in Catholic Studies, Annie Grandell served as a Parish Youth Minister, for over a decade, for a cluster of 3 parishes in the greater Twin Cities metro area.   With a heart for reaching souls with the gospel and teaching the truth of the Catholic faith, she continues to serve the Church as the Director of Y Disciple, a national Catholic leader in training adults to lead small groups of young people that make disciples. 

+ Here’s the link to YDisciple where Annie serves as Director.

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

I want to give you simple and practical tips to ensure, every time you speak to Catholic audiences, that you absolutely have something to say; something worth listening to and acting on. In this episode I will share four things that need to be true of the words you use when you speak about the Catholic faith.

Download PDF Overview of Episode 59: How to Have Something to Say

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

God’s Approval, Human Applause, Abundant Affirmation.  I’d be lying if I said these three things DIDN’T factor in deeply to my motivation and experience as a Catholic Speaker over the years.   You want to do an excellent job, that brings God honor, meets the expectations of your boss or whoever has hired you, and you want it to be received well by everybody listening.  

But is that approval, applause, affirmation, solid ground to stand as the motivation and criteria for succuss for people called to preach and teach the Gospel?  

No, it’s not.   

And today in my conversation with Brad Pierron we go right at this question.  And his view and perspective on it was as well articulated as I’ve ever come across. His outlook on this will comfort *and* convict! So look out my friends, we’ve got a hot one today!

Brad Pierron is the Missionary Program Director at Damascus in Centerburg, OH, where he has served since its inception seven year ago. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration through Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to his service with Damascus, Brad serves as a co-host for Beyond Damascus – a national Catholic radio show and podcast, and he speaks to thousands every year. 

As a missionary formator, he is passionate about bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to life in the Church today, and as a product of Southern Ohio, his ideal day would include a sporting event, a truck bed, and a large glass of sweet tea. He and his lovely wife, Nina, were married in August of 2020, are expecting their first child in January, and currently reside in Lewis Center, OH.

Here’s the link to Damascus where Brad serves, leads, and teaches.

Here’s a link to the Beyond Damascus Podcast 

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

“Always be ready to give a reason for your hope.” 1 Peter 3:15.   If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone remind me of this passage, I’d be well really rich, but if I had to pay back every dollar for every time someone explained to me an ‘easy way to always be ready’, well I’d still be rich. :) 

This is one of those verses that Catholic speakers, priests, Catechists like to throw around WITHOUT also equipping us to make it a reality in our lives.  

Well today is that day, my friends!  I want to give you a simple, memorable way to share with others the reason for the hope you have in Christ.  Certainly there are theological and catechetical reasons for that hope, right?, but that often opens things up for debate or disagreement. Which is fine and there’s a time and a place for that  But one thing no one can debate, assuming you are being honest, is the simple story of God’s work in your life boiled down into ONE SENTENCE.  

That’s the goal and in this episode I want to propose an exercise that will help you and others develop ONE-SENTENCE TESTIMONIES. 

Download PDF Overview of Episode 57: How and Why to Write a One-Sentence Testimony

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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 we aren’t teaching and preaching the gospel to change lives then what in the world are we doing? Right? But heres the thing, no one would  likely suggest any other goal, but at the same time, also not know how to teach and preach in such a way that actually leads to life change.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy, and just saying that’s what you are doing doesn’t make it so, 

In my conversation today with Michael Gormley, aka Gomer, we set our sights on this very thing - how do we actually teach and preach so as to help people, who want to, change their lives.  This conversation was a blast and as we get rolling we jump into the nitty gritty of exactly how this happens. 

Also, a big shout of thanks to Gomer and Ascension who generously offered to also release this interview on one of his podcasts, Every Knee Shall Bow.  It’ll be a bonus episode in that feed this week. Super cool!  I’m so grateful.  

And to that end if you aren’t listening to Every Knee Shall Bow, what are you doing?  For a long time now I think that show has been the pre-eminent place in the podcasting space to discuss everything related to evangelization and catechesis in the Church.  Check it out if you aren’t already following!

Michael Gormley has been leading evangelization and ministry efforts for the past 17 years, both as a full-time parish staff member and as a speaker and consultant for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic campus ministries. He has his Undergraduate Degrees in both Philosophy and Theology, and a Masters in Theology and Christian Ministry, from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He currently serves as the Mission Evangelist for Paradisus Dei, a ministry dedicated to helping men, couples, and families discover the superabundance of God. Michael is also the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, the co-host to two successful Catholic podcasts: Catching Foxes and Every Knee Shall Bow. He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon, and they have 4 amazing children and get about 3 hours of sleep a night, which is alright by him.

Here’s a link to Gomer’s Website, Lay Evangelist:

And to his two podcasts:  “Every Knee Shall Bow” and “Catching Foxes”

And to his Soundcloud account where he keeps all of his talks.  Check it out!

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

I love checklists and systems; doing it once, writing it down and then putting the plan on repeat. Why keep reinventing the wheel? When the routine needs tweaking, make the edit, update it, and put it back on repeat.

This is especially true for me “Day of” for the talks that I give. I have routines and checklists I follow BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a talk. Again, this is just my routine. What I hope is that it inspires you to make your own! What do you need “Day of”, at the venue and so on, as a speaker, to be most effective? Be intentional. Decide. The consistency and the extra brain space will pay off!

I’m joined again today by the best occasional co-host I know, Connor Flanagan as we run through the BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER routine for every talk I give.  Hope it blesses you and inspires you to nail down Your Routine!

And if you want to follow along as you listen or review afterwards there’s a PDF download linked in the Show Notes that summarizes what we talked about.  Check it out!

Link to “Presentation Timer” in iOS App Store

Download PDF Overview of Episode 55: My “Day of” Routine for a Talk

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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

Giving a great Catholic talk is hard to do. It takes a lot of practice, grace, life experience, confidence, and knowledge to pull it off.  Now try ratcheting up the degree of difficulty a few notches by also addressing difficult and thorny topics, especially hot-button issues today around sexuality, gender, and marriage.    This is a tall task for anyone.  But every once in a while you hear someone speak on difficult topics and they make it look effortless, almost easy, while also packing a punch.  How do they do it?  My guest today, Sarah Swafford is one such speaker.  With deep conviction, boundless energy, and a love for the people she is speaking to, Sarah is the perfect guest to help us learn how to give talks on the most difficult of topics. 

Sarah Swafford is the founder of Emotional Virtue Ministries. She speaks internationally on a variety of topics including faith, relationships, and interior confidence. Engaging audiences of all ages, Sarah shares her message at school assemblies, retreats, rallies, parishes, and conferences around the world including FOCUS and Steubenville Conferences in the United States and Canada.

Sarah is a well-known author on dating and relationships and is cohost of an EWTN series on the same topic. She is also a contributor to Chosen, Ascension’s Confirmation program, and a co-presenter in What We Believe: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith, together with her husband, Dr. Andrew Swafford, and Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio. Dr. Andrew and Sarah Swafford recently wrote Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships.

Sarah resides in Atchison, Kansas with her wonderful husband and their children: Thomas, Fulton, Cate, Kolbe, John Paul, and Avila Faustina.

Check out Sarah’s Website

Here is a link to Sarah’s talk at SEEK 2023

And the link to buy Sarah’s new book: Gift and Grit

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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’ve been listening to the Better Preach Podcast, even for just a few episodes, you know that one of my favorite questions to ask is: What is your process for preparing a talk? This one question, actually, is what drove me to start the podcast and to keep going.  I thought - I’d love to know what different speakers do, behind the scenes, to bring great talks to life.  

So, I thought, I’d love to share my process too - again with the help of my favorite trusty occasional co-host, Connor Flanagan.  In this episode we do a deep dive into “my six steps for writing a talk.”

Download PDF Overview of Episode 53: My Six Steps for Writing a Talk

Take a peek at Sample Handwritten Notes from iPad and/or a sample of an Outline or Handout - Dating, It’s Complicated_OL

Links

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

Better Preach Podcast is now on YouTube. Here’s a link to the channel.

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 the Better Preach 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.