Nick De La Torre was raised in a Catholic family, but through his teenage years into young adulthood, he wandered through something of a spiritual desert, sampling Protestant and Unitarian congregations along the way.

He shares how his interest in music and talent for it shaped his sense of himself during that time, and how meeting his future wife gave him a new perspective on faith and his identity in God.

Nick talks to JonMarc Grodi about some of the ways his experience of marriage, fatherhood, and working in Catholic evangelization have formed him in his relationship with the Lord since returning to the Catholic Faith.

Learn about Nick's work: https://www.awakencatholic.org

More of Nick's story: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/nick-de-la-torre-former-unitarian-catholic-revert/

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There were many aspects of Rakhi McCormick's upbringing as a Hindu that uniquely prepared her to be open to the ideas she would encounter in Christianity, from the value of feasting and fasting, to the idea of the Communion of Saints.

Rakhi shares how her encounters with Christians throughout her life helped prepare her for a Eucharistic encounter with Jesus, and how she leans on the friendship of the saints today as she seeks to grow in her relationship with God.

More of Rakhi's story: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/rakhi-mccormick-former-hindu/

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JonMarc Grodi talks to former Methodist pastor Keith Nester about how his relationship with Christ has continued to grow since entering the Catholic Church.

They discuss many topics, from the process that led Keith to become Catholic, to the prayers and devotions that Keith has come to love since entering the Church.

Keith talks specifically about how receiving Jesus in the Eucharist has transformed his Christian life, and what he has learned about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus through the sacraments that He established.

More of Keith's work: https://www.youtube.com/c/KeithNester

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Kerstin Pakka thought that by getting an abortion, she had committed a sin that God couldn't forgive.

She shares how she was able to bring all of her experiences -- including the ones she was most ashamed of -- to the healing mercy of Jesus, and how she is able now to use her experience of abortion to help others like herself who are seeking love and mercy.

Find out more about Kerstin's work: https://www.hopeafterabortion.com

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Evangelical Christians often talk about the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus. But is that something that Catholics can experience as well?

JonMarc Grodi is joined by former Lutheran pastor Billy Kangas to talk about Billy's journey to the Catholic Faith, and how entering the Church was just the beginning of a much larger story.

Billy shares how his desire to grow deeper in his relationship with Christ led him to the doorstep of the Catholic Church, and shares some of the spiritual riches he's discovered since becoming Catholic that have helped him to grow stronger as a Christian.

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How can praying the words of the Psalms help deepen our relationship with God?

JonMarc Grodi is joined by Mike Aquilina, author of "Praying the Psalms with the Early Christians," to discuss the breadth of human experience expressed in the Psalter, and why these ancient prayers were so valued by the first Christians and remain an integral part of the Church's prayer life today.

More from Mike Aquilina: https://www.fathersofthechurch.com

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What did the personal prayer lives of the earliest Christians look like?

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When we pray, what are we seeking? In some cases, it's clear, such as when we're bringing a specific petition or request to God. But in giving Him praise, or engaging in meditation or contemplative prayer, what are we hoping that does to our relationship with the Lord? What is our motivation?

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Beginning the day in prayer is one of the most important ways to incorporate a concrete spiritual discipline into one's life; but it can also be among the most difficult!

JonMarc Grodi talks to CHNetwork colleague Matt Swaim about how the concept of the "Heroic Minute," as well as the spirituality behind the Morning Offering, have helped him to give over the first moment of every day to prayer, and how that practice has developed for him over his nearly two decades in morning radio.