Readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Wisdom 11:22-12:2; Luke 19:1-10
Listeners today get my best Shrek impression (which, frankly, isn't that great) - but it invites us deeper into Scripture using a wonderful story of a short man looking to see Jesus.  If we find ourselves within these readings, then we, too, have to ask - what boundaries keep me from seeing Jesus?  And what am I willing to do to get around them?  Special thanks to Bridget Zenk for composing and playing our intake and outtake theme.  Have a comment, critique or a challenge?  Send it to [email protected]

Readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18;  Luke 18:9-14
Thankfully, God loves us all equally.  But God seems to have a unique love for the poor, the orphan, the widow.  I can't pretend to fully understand what that is about, but it seems to come from a place of genuine need.  The destitute have no need for pretensions or to put on airs.  Their cry seems to come from an understanding of what they lack and what they need.  It's real and it's honest.  The same, unfortunately, can not always be said about those with means.  Jesus's parable today reminds us of that.
Have a question, comment or a challenge?  Throw it my way at [email protected] thanks to Bridget Zenk for her original score and performance of the intro and outtake music!

Readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Ex 17:8-13; Luke 18:1-8
Jesus speaks to us about the topic of prayer once again using a parable, but this one can be a bit muddy.  Combining the first reading with the Gospel, are we to understand using prayer to mow down our enemies?  Do we have to cajole God to get what we want?  Prayer can be a mystery.  This week, we attempt to peel back a few layers using critical and adult eyesight.Special thanks to Bridget Zenk for her original score and performance of our intro and outtake music.  Questions?  Comments?  Challenge?  You can reach me at [email protected].  Thanks for listening!

Readings for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 2 Kings 5:14-17; Luke 17:11-19
Today we break open a story you know inside and out - but it's about so much more than mere gratitude.  It invites us to know ourselves and to trust those needs to a God that  knows our deepest needs even more than we do, to move forward in trust that the unseen can happen and to know that our salvation lies in realizing that all is gift.  Ten lepers from 2000 years ago get to teach us all that.Have questions, critiques, comments or a weekly challenge for me?  You can email me at [email protected] thanks to Bridget Zenk for composing and playing her original music in this podcast.  

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4;  Luke 17:5-10
When Jesus called Peter out of the boat, everything in Peter's understanding of the world around him told him that this was foolish.  No human can walk on water. But what Peter chose was to believe in the vision of the One who called him out.  And so he took a step.  That's not the Gospel we hear today, but it points in the same direction.  Faith is more than a bunch of head knowledge.  It's trusting in something we have not seen, but living in a way that invites it into reality.
For those interested in the challenge mentioned within the pod, my email is [email protected].  Feel free to lay down the gauntlet.  Let's have some fun with this.
Special thanks to Bridget Zenk for her original score and performance with the music at the beginning and end of this podcast.  

The readings for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Amos 6:1a, 4-7;  Luke 16:19-31
Unlike last week's readings, this one is not hard to interpret.  In fact, it hits us right between the eyes.  Don't listen to these readings or this podcast unless you are ready to be trapped in the truth.  Both Amos and Jesus reach across the centuries to speak to us here, today.  Give us eyes to see, Lord. 
Should you wish to enter into the challenge I put forth in the podcast, you can reach me at [email protected]  What challenge you ask?  Guess you'll have to listen to find out
Original score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

The Readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Amos 8:4-7; Luke 16:1-13
Last weekend, we heard Jesus give us three parables that were fairly straight forward and easy to understand pointing us toward who God is and how God views the lost.  This weekend, Jesus gives us another parable that is much harder to wrap our minds around, but it points toward the same place.  And so to help us grasp the depth of its meaning, we look to no other place than the sage wisdom of CW McCall and that ageless tune, Convoy.
Original Score written and produced by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 15, verses 1-32
I read the long version of the Gospel for this weekend's 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  You may hear the short version at Mass, but it's too good to pass up.  Today Jesus, in the form of story telling, reminds us who God is, how God is, and who we are and the value we carry.  All of us.  No exceptions.  It's too good to miss.
Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 14, verses 25-33
Just one reading today, but one is enough to challenge us on many fronts.  Jesus confronts the throngs following Him and draws a line in the sand and asks us which side do we wish to be upon?  We're either all in or we're not.  God can work with either side but it's those in the middle that are pretending something that God can't work with.  It's a decision we have to make every day.  And nothing - not even blood ties or commitments can get in the way of that decision.  
Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Luke 14:1, 7-14
There is a clear thread through our readings today that speaks about humility.  And since that connection is so obvious, we explore what humility is and what it is not in this episode.  But there is a parable at the end where Jesus invites us to ask, who is around our table?  And why is that important both to them and to us?
Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk