Off The Shelf

Father William Burton has written an approachable book on Scripture Study entitled Abba Isn’t Daddy and Other Biblical Surprises: What Catholics Really Need to Know about Scripture Study.  Join us as we look at some misconceptions and hidden treasures withun Scripture that you many not have known about. As Father Burton states, “Studying the Bible is itself a fun and entertaining endeavor.”  

There are about a million stumbling blocks that society throws in front of young men today. These include confusion as to what a man's role is and the proper behavior for men today. Let's get intentional with how we prepare young men today. Ray Haywood has written Tools to the Ready the Journey: A Father's Guide to a Faith-Filled Family. Listen on as Ray and I discuss how to tackle this troublesome trend in society today.

Struggling with regret? Are you caught in it's clutches and thinking of yourself as a failure? Throw those regrets aside and reclaim them for good.....and God. Sister Kathryn J. Hermes joins me to discuss the freedom God offers each one of us through prayer, meditation and reflection as outlined in her book Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life's Disappointments.

Tired of living the rat race and not making enough time for prayer? Think squeezing time into your busy schedule for just 15 minutes of quiet time is impossible? Well Deacon Greg Kandra and I are here to tell it ain't so! Listen in as we talk about how to incorporate prayer into our busy lives as we discuss his book The Busy Person's Guide to Prayer.

Don't know much about the Cristero War? There's a book for that! Join Msgr. James T. Murphy and I as we discuss his book Saints and Sinners in the Cristero War: Stories of Martyrdom from Mexico. This is a fascinating book that brings to the fore front this internal struggle in Mexico that up to only recently has been for the most part little-known. Join us and learn about some of the figures that were part of this modern persecution of the Church in Mexico. 

Mark McCann returns this week to discuss the second book of his four book series To the Ends of the Earth. On Episode 115 we talked about Character, this time around we are discussing Action. When it comes to action most guys want to be known for jumping in to help, to save, to win! Being a Catholic man of action means so much more. Listen in as Mark and I discuss how we can draw our strength from the Sacraments so that we can be active followers of Christ who set out to evangelize the world.  This week's title To the Ends of the Earth: Action can be found here. https://amzn.to/2YkD29i

Another conversion story coming at you this week. Listen in as Mark McNeil and I discuss his journey to the Catholic faith after spending years in the Oneness Pentecostal movement. Mark grew up Baptist, became deeply involved in Oneness Pentecostalism as a young man, and then the Holy Spirit got involved. With an inquisitive mind and deep study, Mark found himself joining the Catholic Church. We follow his journey and discuss his book All in the Name: How the Bible Led Me to Faith in the Trinity and the Catholic Church.

Like most converts Dawn Eden Goldstein's journey to the Catholic faith is an interesting one. On this week's episode Dawn shares the long and winding road she traveled from Judaism to rock n' roll journalist and one that eventually led her to the doorstep of the Catholic Church.  Hers is a fascinating story of trauma, healing, and faith that you won't want to miss. 

Catholic social teaching confuse you? Not certain what it is or what the Church really teaches on the subject? Public debate often circles around such hot-button topics as immigration, abortion, health care, racism, religious freedom and capital punishment. It's helpful to allow the Church to guide us on these matters. Father Kevin McKenna joins me this week to help cut through the confusion and discuss his book A Concise Guide to Catholic Social Teaching: Third Edition.

This week on Off the Shelf Gary Jansen returns to discuss a recently released book from Image Books that is likely familiar to many of us. Your Life is Worth Living: 50 Lessons to Deepen Your Faith by Fulton Sheen has been brought back to print by Image and as Gary tells us it's one he knew he had to bring back. Listen in as we explore some of the timeless wisdom Bishop Sheen has for all of us.