Draw Near

By Fred Shellabarger and Kara KardellReligion & Spirituality Christianity Spirituality

Draw Near episodes

January 06, 2021 Life of Prayer
In a follow-up episode to Prayer: Intimate Friendship with God, we continue the conversation on prayer with friend and speaker Matthew Leonard. No matter where we are in our relationship with God, He is always calling us to grow in the spiritual life... to grow in union with Him. Prayer is how we do that.
Included topics: Attention and focus in prayer, how prayer relates to grace received in the Sacraments, modes of prayer, spiritual maturity, and conformity with Christ.
Prayer: Intimate Friendship with God
Matthew Leonard
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26 min
December 23, 2020Prayer: Intimate Friendship with God
The spiritual IS the practical. Nothing in our spiritual lives (or lives in general) is more integral than a prayer life. This is where we grow in friendship with God! Listen for more on this topic, biblical examples and teachings, and tips to overcoming obstacles in prayer.
Small Group Discussion Questions:
Why is prayer important? What impact, if any, does prayer have on your life?
What devotions, prayers, or times of prayer have had the most influence in your relationship with God?
What are some common obstacles to prayer? How can you overcome these obstacles?
In what ways is God calling you to grow deeper in the life of prayer?
How did Christ draw you closer to him through this episode?
Show Notes:
Come Follow Me
Willingness to Suffer
Why are you Catholic? (testimonies)
Lectio Divina explained (credit to Evangelical Catholic)

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48 min
December 09, 2020 Why are you Catholic?
There are many questions that we often may never intentionally reflect on. In this episode, we ask each other a couple of these questions and share parts of our testimonies. What led Fred to convert to Catholicism? What impacted Kara's faith in a dramatic way?
As promised, here are a few questions to reflect on for your own life after you listen:
Why do you believe in God?
Why are you Catholic?
What difference has your Catholic faith made in your life?
How has your encounter with Christ in the Eucharist changed your life?
Who, in your life, has shown you the love of the Father?
When has your faith been most challenged? How did this impact you?
How have you experienced the grace of God in your life this past week?
When was the first time your were aware of God's presence in your life?

I Thirst Reflection
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39 min
November 25, 2020 Come Follow Me
Jesus’ call to “Come, follow me” was not just for Peter, Andrew, James, and John—it’s for each of us today. In this episode, we explore what it means to drop our nets, let go of what holds us back, and embrace the daily invitation of discipleship. With Scripture, Church teaching, and real-life reflections, we’ll uncover how following Christ transforms ordinary lives into a mission of purpose and renewal.
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39 min
November 18, 2020 Redemptive Suffering
In this short episode, we welcome a friend and well-known Catholic speaker, Matthew Leonard. We had a great conversation with him about love, prayer, the interior life, and suffering. As a follow-up to our "Willingness to Suffer" episode, we wanted to share the audio from the short portion of our discussion regarding suffering. We hope you enjoy!
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10 min
November 11, 2020Willingness to Suffer
Jesus tells us narrow and difficult is the path that leads to life. Does this mean we will naturally experience hardships and suffering?
What is the cause of suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Does God even ASK us to suffering? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Draw Near.
Small Group Discussion Questions:
How have you experienced the grace and presence of God in moments of suffering?
This episode emphasized the redemptive meaning behind suffering referencing how a child is the beauty that comes from the suffering of childbirth. How did God transform your suffering to become redemptive for the sake of your salvation or the salvation of others?
Christ’s sacrificial love for you begs for a response. How do you respond to God’s love through your words, witness, prayer, actions etc.?
How did Christ draw you closer to him through this episode?
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55 min
October 30, 2020 The Invisible World: Spiritual Warfare
The devil and his evil ones tempt us and try to do all they can to draw us away from God... to steal our lives. Listen to find out how to combat spiritual warfare!
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
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26 min
October 26, 2020 The Invisible World: Demons
Continuing the series on the Invisible World, demons are quite real. Evil wants to remain hidden, because it can do so much more damage in the dark. Listen to this episode to bring evil and the attempts to drag you away from God into the light!
(Note: God is all powerful and has dominion over good AND evil. There is no fight. The fight is already won when we run to God.)
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30 min
October 23, 2020 Episode 3: The Invisible World: Angels part 2
Continuing the "Invisible World" series, Fred and Kara provide practical tips to increase devotion to guardian angels and allow them to work more in our lives. The invisible world works in the visible world... in your life!
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31 min
October 20, 2020 The Invisible World: Angels Part 1
90% of God's creation is INVISIBLE! In this "Invisible World" series, Fred and Kara talk about angels and demons. This first episode will answer the questions: What are angels? How do they interact in the visible world? How can we invite them into our lives?
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24 min

About Draw Near

From the publisher's feed

At Draw Near, we explore the beautiful truth that God, out of His deep and personal love for each of us, takes the first step to draw near. But this divine movement calls for a response—a response…