Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Praying with your spouse leads to greater unity, that is communion, which is what Jesus calls us to, with each and him.

This week I encourage you to pray with your spouse or a close friend in one of the ways suggested!

The post 4 ways to pray with your spouse appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Talking with Barbara Lee reminded me why Ignatian Spirituality is so important. It is relatable, easy to approach and helpful as you go through life, no matter what age or stage you are in.

Answering God’s Call: A Scripture Based Journey for Older Adults by Barbara Lee, published by Loyola PRess is for all of us who want to pray with scripture and have had life experiences that have pushed us out in=to the deep. Maybe we’ve wondered where God is in the difficulties, trials and changes of life? Wonder no more, pick up this book that contains the scripture passages to read and ponder, prayer starters and a reflection. It is truly an all-in-one book in that whatever you’ll need for your prayer time is right there.

The post Answering God’s Call appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

“Grace is not a strange, magic substance which is subtly filtered into our souls to act as a kind of spiritual penicillin. Grace is unity, oneness within ourselves, oneness with God.” Thomas Merton

There are different types of grace, for different purposes; but all come from God and are gifts given to us to help us in our life. Our focus this week is on actual grace, the help we need right now so whatever difficulty or struggle is taken care of with God’s help. Grace is what makes the impossible, possible.

We cannot store up actual grace; we receive what we need when we need it. Like the manna in the desert, we are given what we need and trust God will provide.

For more information about grace, check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1996-2005.

This week, when you are faced with a challenge you don’t know how you will face, pray for grace. Allow God to act in and through you with his gift of grace.

The post Ask for the grace appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Melanie is an author of three great books, Sisterhood of Saints; Radical Saints and Menopause Moments. Our interview focused mainly on Menopause Moments, published by Twenty-Third Publications.  She also writes for Living Faith, Catholic Update and Viva Mercy.

Aging and change are a part of life. Menopause is inevitable and yet often ignored. Instead of fighting it, look at it as a time of spiritual growth as we do other life challenges.

The journal is a tool to look at the changes in our bodies and offer them up in prayer and reflection. As I said in the episode, I laughed many times while reading the reflection Melanie wrote.

39 reflections, scripture verses, and prayer prompts with room to write a few lines of your own. There is also a suggested action to take for the topic covered. All of this is on 2 facing pages!

Find out more about all of Melanie’s work on her website, Rejoice! Be Glad!

Follow her on Instagram 

When you are struggling, remember that God is with you, as it says in Exodus 3:12, “I will be with you.”

The post Meet Melanie Rigney, Author appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Let’s be honest, there are so many devotionals that it can be hard to choose.

What makes this new devotional, Called by Name from Women in the New Evangelization edited by Kelly M. Wahlquist, Allison Gingras and Alyssa Bormes different? First, there are new voices; second, the daily devotions are brief yet powerful; third, it suggests do-able ways to take what you have reflected on and bring it to the world.

Each daily page, yes, one page for each day, includes a scripture verse or two, a 300-word reflection, a prayer and a response. You are invited to journal on your scripture with the companion journal which guides you through Lectio Divina, a timeless way to engage with scripture. The journal is not dated, so if you miss a day or two months, it’s okay, you won’t have empty pages staring at you between the times you journal.

The Called by Name bundle includes the book of 366 daily devotionals, a journal, journal stickers, prayer bookmark, and a Called by Name sticker at Women in the New Evangelization.

Allison has a great love of scripture, journaling and books! You can follow her on her website,  Reconciled to You, where you’ll find out all about the wonderful work she is doing.

Her challenge is this, spend 5 minutes a day journaling after reading scripture. You may find it a big help in your spiritual life.

The post A New Women’s Devotional, Called by Name appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Ignatius was born in Spain in 1491 and at 16 began serving at court and enjoying the good life of romance, fine clothes and gambling. He joined the army and in a battle in 1521 was struck by a cannonball to the knee and the trajectory of his life changed.

This year is the 500th anniversary of that event and of Ignatius’ conversion to be of and in the world to a man who wanted to serve God alone.

During his recovery, he read the lives of saints and The Life of Christ. He realized he could live for the world or live for God. He chose God.

For me, the Spiritual Exercises were a turning point in my spiritual journey. They have helped me detach and learn to focus on what is important, turning away from the things that take my focus off God.

Read the quote from St. Igantius and think about how you are doing in praising, reverencing and serving God.

For a list of books on the Spiritual Exercises, click here.

The post The Spiritual Exercises appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Karina Fabian loves to write speculative fiction, fantasy, science fiction and horror stories. She reminds us that God gave us our imagination, it is a sacred gift for us to use to create something wonderful. Do you expect to see nuns in space? Or a gumshoe dragon named Vern?

While dating her husband, both in the military, they traded puns on their dates. And then stories followed. So Karina wrote, starting in 1993 and then getting more serious about it in 1997. How serious, well she has over 20 novels and is a part of numerous anthologies.

Karina has written journals so you can try your hand at writing. Her website, FabianSpace, has all of her books, published by Laser Cow Press. There is also a blog page with chapters of her latest work. Take a look, she has an amazing imagination and style!

Read a book that is outside your typical style or genre. Read something just for the fun of it!

The post Fun Summer Fiction Reads with Karina Fabian appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

Is it God or us? God does not need our worship. We need to worship him. It makes us more inclined to give him honor and reverence and awe. It reminds us to love God above all other people and things.

We are meant to worship the creator, not the created. Romans 1:28 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

We are meant to come and worship God filled with the SPirit and honestly, not trying to hide anything from him. John 4:4 says, “God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”

Ask yourself the question, how am I going or entering into worship? If there have blocks or things you are trying to keep hidden, ask God to remove them so you can be free in your worship of him.

The post Essential Worship Questions appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

It is always a pleasure to talk to people I have gotten to know from their writing and social media. I’ve read Erin’s blog and known her work for some time. I was excited to learn about her new book, All Things New: Breaking the Cycle & Raising a Joyful Family published by Our Sunday Visitor.

Through the framework of the Greatest Commandments and the Beatitudes, Erin tells us how we can have a joyful life, even when our own childhood was less than ideal. She draws on her own and other people’s experiences to show how it’s possible.

Erin wants readers to know that they have the freedom to choose a different path and that it’s possible to break the cycle of abuse and dysfunction.

If you don’t have TikTok, follow her on Instagram for sure!

The post All Things New: Breaking the Cycle & Raising a Joyful Family appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.

People often wonder, when terrible things happen, how those involved recover. How do they find their way back to wholeness? This book, Finding Sanctuary, How the Wild Work of Peace Restored the Heart of a Sandy Hook Mother by Jennifer Hubbard, published by Ave Maria Press, is the story of just that, wholeness after a tragedy.

I cannot synthesize my conversation with Jenny into a few points. I can tell you that speaking with her reinforced what I took away from in reading her book. She is quick to point out that her tragedies and trials are not greater than anyone else’s.

There is no one way to grieve. Trust in God, he knows what we need in the process of grieving and will provide. Jenny reminds us that there is beauty and growth in our trials and to be true and real with God. Don’t hide from him.

We didn’t have a challenge specifically, but Jenny talked about praying for eyes to see and ears to hear. I think that is good prayer for this week!

The post Finding Sanctuary, How the Wild Work of Peace Restored the Heart of a Sandy Hook Mother appeared first on Ultimate Christian Podcast Radio Network.