Sometimes our bad habits can be opportunities to assess, grow, and determine our next steps. When we hold all the important things of our life loosely it is a bit easier to let them go.

I have a few bad habits:

A few months while talking to a good friend, I realized an opportunity might not turn out the way I wanted. She advised me to hold it loosely so that if it happened or not, I was prepared. This is very similar to detachment. Letting the things of this world not be what we hold onto. Rather, have open hands, ready to receive what God gives or able to let go of what God asks us to let go.

I have had some great new opportunities come my way and said yes to them, willing and with great excitement.

But I let go of nothing. And pretty soon, there was a feeling of overload, rather than peace. What did I need to let go?

I will no longer be recording this podcast. For now. Will I ever do a podcast again? Possibly. I have enjoyed it very much. I hope I have helped you in your faith life. The wide-ranging and numerous authors I have interviewed have been a great blessing. But at this time, I am turning my focus elsewhere.

Please do stay in touch with me. The best way is to subscribe to my newsletter. This will include a video series on praying with scripture and in the next few weeks I’m hosting a webinar about the Examen.

You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook. And of course, email me at deanna (at)livenotlukewarm(dot)com

Website link

Thank you for all your support.

Thank you to the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network for hosting me!

God Bless You all and do your best to

The post Hold Things Loosely appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Belinda Terro Mooney is a mom of 7 adults whom she homeschooled, and a spiritual mother to many. As an author, she writes on Catholic topics like the Saints and Reparation, and mental health and addictions topics. She is a coach for Catholic moms, coaches, and therapists. She holds licenses in social work and addictions and is an Adjunct professor of human services. Belinda enjoys speaking as well. As a Secular Carmelite, she is in ongoing formation with the 3 Carmelite Doctors of the Church and has a consistent prayer life. Learn more on her website, https://belindaterromooney.com/.

Pray with Us invites us to connect with 365 saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God — one for each day of the year. Each day’s entry includes a brief biography of the saint and a prayer. This book provides a concise, approachable format for individuals and families to form the habit of daily prayer and to rely more purposefully on the intercession of the saints. (from OSV.com, click on the link to order your own copy!)

It took time, patience, and prayer to make those decisions. She worked with her editor and wanted to include a variety of people from all over the world. She also looked towards telling the stories of our new saints and those will soon be beatified.

In all, there are 365 Saints, one for each day of the year. The book is a great way to introduce yourself and your family to the saints. Each day there is a short bio on the day’s saint and then a short prayer that asks for the saint’s help or intercession on whatever they are known for or the patron saint of.

Belinda sees this book as something that can be used by families for daily prayer, busy moms who want something short but informative to read and pray with, and those interested in learning about saints.  The book is well laid out and draws you in with the clean format. I encourage you to take a look and order it. November is a great time to begin learning about the saints as we celebrate the Feast of All Saints on Nov 1.

Visit my website.

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How are things in your life going? We are well into school year mode around here. And apparently, it is beginning to cool off in some parts of the country. Not where I live. However, I am walking outside rather than on the treadmill at the gym some days. I try to go early when it’s only in the low 80’s. I guess you can say it is cooler than 87° 0r 90 °.

I looked up saints for women who do too much.  Sometimes we do too much because we want to be helpful; other times situations occur that need our time and attention and we wind up with too much to do. I saw a few suggestions here and I think I’ll choose St. Rita as the best option. She had great rials but did not waver from her faith.

I think happiness, or rather, the desire to be happy, is sometimes looked down upon in the spiritual life. We want joy, which is more than happiness. Joy lasts longer than simple happiness.

I’m going to pose a different thought. What if more happiness leads to joy?

A friend of mine suggested this topic. She offers this as things that make her happy: life, sharing faith, Church, ministry, time with family and friends, and nature. She then thought more about the spiritual life and added quiet time to pray, write, be still, and meditate.

I think knowing what makes us happy is a good thing. A quick list of what makes me happy: reading, sewing, walks outside, bike rides, my grandchildren, deep conversations, family.

Joy lasts beyond the event or interaction. Happiness is fleeting. Really? Let me pose this scenario: it’s my birthday and my son brings over my favorite spinach dish with gluten-free toast for brunch. I will eat it and enjoy it, along with the company of family. It brings me both joy and happiness. It tastes amazing, I am with my family and I appreciate the time and effort he took to cook for me. When I look back on the event, I have joy knowing I raised a thoughtful son.

When we repeat interactions that bring us happiness we open ourselves up to joy. It helps us see the world in a better light, focusing on what is true, good and beautiful, it helps us to be grateful.

I bet you can guess this one: make a list of what makes you happy and do a few of them. If you are local, and happiness is a good cup of coffee and conversation, call me. I’m in. I think you will find yourself with a bit more joy in your life.

Let’s talk about having me come to your parish.

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On July 17 to 21, we celebrated the National  Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana. I was able to go with my husband and a friend. It was an amazing time, filled with learning, prayer, music, excellent talks, and seeing friends. We picked a track ahead of time and it was the Ministry track, for those who work in service to the Church in some way or another. Since my husband is a deacon and I am a spiritual director, this seemed like a good fit.

standing outside our hotel, when all of a sudden, the people I know from CatholicMom.com are walking by and Allison Gingras, calls out, “Deanna, is that you?’

All of this was amazing and gave me a renewed sense of mission and purpose.

Each day we went to Mass at Lucas Oil Stadium. Then we went to a specific track for 3 days. John and I went to the Renewal sessions geared toward those in ministry. And those are the takeaways I want to discuss today.

Instead of working in ministry, first pray, fast, and be purified.

God reveals things to us that are delightful and painful.

Work with God, not for him.

Bread that does not rest does not rise and neither can you.

Thanks to all who listen, comment, share it with friends and leave reviews.

If you’d like to have me speak at your parish or group, you can use this link!

The post Rest and Renewal in Ministry, Eucharistic Congress 2024 appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

This prayer is from St. Ignatius of Loyola. It appears in week four of his Spiritual Exercises.  Suscipe means “receive” in Latin.

It helps us surrender all the “shoulds’ in our lives to God. We ask for his grace and strength to live our lives in the way it best serves him.

The Suscipe

An Expanded Version of the Suscipe

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Amy J. Cattapan is a middle-school English teacher and Catholic speaker, retreat leader, and author who has written or contributed to several books, including Sweet Jesus, Is It June Yet?, Chicken Soup for the Soul: From Lemons to Lemonade, and the award-winning novels Angelhood and Seven Riddles to Nowhere. She hosts the podcast Cath-Lit Live!, where she interviews Catholic authors with new releases.

Cattapan has appeared on The Katie McGrady Show on SiriusXM, EWTN’s Bookmark, Catholic Faith Network Live, and the Son Rise Morning Show. Her writing has appeared in Highlights for Children, Hopscotch for Girls, Pockets, and Catechist. She also served as the host for Shalom World TV’s BOOK.ed.

Cattapan earned a bachelor’s degree in English secondary education from Marquette University, a master’s degree in instruction for secondary education language arts from Northeastern Illinois University, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University Chicago. She has spoken at a variety of conferences, including NCEA, NCTE, the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, and the C3 Conference.

Let’s face it, it is easier to be a teacher if you have your saint squad helping you! Amy has gathered and organized 45 saints according to various needs: creativity, patience, building strong relationships, teaching in difficult times and more. Choose the topic that fits your situation and then read about a few saints who overcame difficulties and obstacles.

Published by Ave Maria Press.

Download free prayers for teachers including a Litany of Saints from the book on Amy’s website. 

And do yourself a favor and follow her on Instagram.

Do a bit of research on a saint, choose one thing about them you admire and adopt that quality or virtue.

Please contact me to speak at your parish or group!

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Maria V. Gallagher is an author, advocate, speaker, and life coach. Her latest book is Glorious Encounters with Mary: A Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary. Her other books include Mercy’s Power and Joyful Encounters with Mary. Maria previously worked as an award-winning radio reporter and television news producer. She is a member of the worldwide Cursillo Movement, the mother of one beautiful ballerina, and a mentor to many. Her books are available from Marian Press at Shop Mercy.

Her Website

This week, uncover the “Mary Moments” in your life and write them down!

Contact Deanna here to learn about speaking for your parish or group!

The post Glorious Encounters with Mary; A Guide to Living the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

And this year I’ve set aside July to do some deep work in my soul. I need it. It’s been a tumultuous year and I have a desire to reconnect with God and me!

A few random thoughts about hazard lights and blinkers; “homemade food” in restaurants and some fun or maybe odd things about me.

Find out what is coming in July with some great author interviews. I also review the mysteries of the rosary.

This episode is meant to be fun and lighthearted, like those variety shows we watched when we were kids. Like the Donny and Marie Osmond show! A little bit of this and little bit of that. So listen and enjoy!

Connect with me on Instagram or contract me via email at Deanna (at) livenotlukewarm(dot) com.

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Barb Szyszkiewicz is a wife, mother of three young adults, a music minister at her parish, and a Secular Franciscan. She is the editor at CatholicMom and blogs at FranciscanMom.com. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading. She is the author of The Handy Little Guide to Prayer and The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours published by Our Sunday Visitor.

Allison Gingras is the founder of ReconciledToYou, where she shares the love of Jesus and her Catholic faith with relational stories, laughter, and authentic honesty through everyday, ordinary life occurrences. Allison is a Catholic social media and digital specialist for Family Rosary, Catholic Mom, and the Diocese of Fall River.

This week, choose a new prayer or type of prayer and pray it.

Learn more about prayer when you sign up for my newsletter! 

The post Prayer Time Ideas appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Let nothing disturb you,

— St. Teresa of Avila

Jesus Calms a Storm at Sea, Mark 4:35-41 

How about instead of asking Jesus to calm the storm we ask him to help us rest like he is? That’s my discussion on this episode!

And there are a few random thoughts about weather, moisturizer and my problem reading an eye chart. Enjoy!

Need a speaker? Let’s talk!

The post Calm the Storm or Rest with Jesus ? appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.