Hope is in high demand right now. 

 Want to grow in your understanding of the virtue of hope? Want to hold on to hope more fully?  

Let's talk about what hope is, what it's not, what are its opposing vices, and how to grow in hope today!  

*One correction: "I believe, Lord help my unbelief" is from the story of the man whose son was freed from an evil spirit, not from the story of doubting Thomas.  

Learn More:  

This is NOT your pinterest-perfect Fall episode.

We need to stop romanticizing seasons. Fall is not what we see in the L.L. Bean catalogue. All too often this season is more about shorter days, kids returning to school, the ground being wetter more often, etc.

But there are some realistic and family friendly activities we CAN do to help us lift our spirits and engage fully in this season.

Let's talk about those real-life fall family activities today!

Learn More:

We need to tell you about our must-see, favorite Catholic movies of all-time (including plenty of old-school B&W options because that's how we roll). 

It can be tough to find wholesome, faith-filled movies that are actually enjoyable and high quality. 

If you haven't seen these movies, plan a movie night soon!  And leave a comment on social media to give us you favorite Catholic movie suggestions. 

Here's the link to the Vatican List of movies we mentioned: 

Learn More:

Today on Home But Not Alone we’re going to help you improve communication in your life. 

Words are powerful. 

And some words and phrases have become so common that we don’t even understand their destructive power. Today we’re going to share a few words and phrases that we all need to stop saying, and a few you can add.

Learn More:  

Today on Home But Not Alone, we’re going to find a bright light in the darkness. 

Sometimes it seems like things are more challenging now than ever, especially when it comes to raising children. The world seems more hostile to our faith and family every day. But we believe that there is a great deal of hope to be found. So today we’re going to put a smile on our faces and find a great deal of hope as we discuss some benefits of raising children in our modern day.  

Sponsor:  

Our sponsor today is Sophia Institute Press. 

They sent us these amazing Saint a Day coloring books.  Check it out here!  

Learn More:  

Today we're going to play a game!

Tim has 15 quotes that sound inspirational or important. He's going to read the quotes and Sara has to guess: was the quote said by a Saint? or by a Superhero?

Play along with us! Can you beat Sara's score?

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Amy Brooks of Prayer Wine Chocolate. 

Amy sent us her amazing new prayer journal for Catholic Boys. A journal? For boys? I didn't think that would fly, either, but let me tell YOU, Amy knows how to write a book that will get boys interested, and thinking, and reflecting, and involved.

When the Be Yourself journal for Catholic Boys came in the mail, my 9 year old son flipped through and was SO excited to dive in and get started. This journal is perfect for your teens and pre-teens.

Learn More:

One of the biggest guilt-inducing topics of our time is how much screen time we give our children.

In this episode, Tim and Sara explore the questions of whether our kids are getting too much screen time, and how to prayerfully and prudently discern screen time use in your family.

Here's a link to the research Tim cited from the Lancet Medical Journal: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(19)30062-8/fulltext

Here's a link to the NY Times article about the possible benefits of screen time: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/magazine/screen-time-kids-teens.html

Learn More:

Today, we have some (more!) reading recommendations for you! Click the affiliate links to buy.

We have some reading recommendations coming your way today! Here are affiliate links if you want to pick up any of our suggestions.

The Catechism:

The Bible:

Catholic DIctionaries:

Other Reading:

Learn More:

Today on Home But Not Alone, we’re going to give you a behind the scenes look at Catholic ministry work.

We want to talk about the Whys and Hows of Catholic ministry, some of the struggles, and why you shouldn’t idolize Catholic celebrities (probably the most important takeaway of this show). We hope this helps give you a little bit of an inside look at the real life stuff that happens behind the public face of ministry work!

We talk about how Home But Not Alone came to be, the dangers of Catholic celebrity culture, and the importance of having a strong spiritual life and putting your vocation before your ministry work.

This episode is just a fun (and funny!) chat about the work we do here on our podcast, and on our personal ministries - as well as an invitation for you to pray for us as we work to bring the truth of the Catholic Faith to the world.

Learn More: