Raised Catholic

This week finishes up a series which explores the rebuilding of faith practices following or during a season of deconstruction. I hope the resources below will help you enter into this topic well.

f you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

1. Article: Why did Jesus Teach in Parables, by Got Questions

2. Walk it Out: Raised Catholic podcast episode 8 + transcript

This week continues a series which explores the rebuilding of faith practices following or during a season of deconstruction. I hope the resources below will give you a good foundation to enter into this topic well.

f you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

1. As promised, some trusted public voices for me in my deconstruction/reconstruction process:

Fr. Richard Rohr

Rachel Held Evans

Sarah Bessey 

Kate Bowler

Kate Boyd

Barbara Brown Taylor

Alissa Molina and From Here Media

Suzanne Eller

Emily P. Freeman

Gathering Places

Church of the 21st Century at Boston College

Where Peter Is

Smart Catholics

St. Cecilia Boston is a trusted spiritual home for me and this week's homily by Fr. Ron Coyne gives a good frame on how to grow in faith with continued study and discernment. (Also, stick around for the amazing communion meditation song that starts around the one hour mark.) 

Recorded rosaries with Fr. Frank McFarland at Boston Catholic Television

This week starts a series which explores the rebuilding of faith practices following or during a season of deconstruction. I hope the resources below will give you a good foundation to enter into this topic well.

f you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

1. Evolving Faith: community, conference and podcast

2. Instagram follow: Kate Boyd, author and Bible teacher

3. Memoir: Searching For Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church, by Rachel Held Evans

4. Deconstructing Catholic - episode 22 of Raised Catholic

5. Book: Faith After Doubt, by Brian MacLaren

6. Community and resources: Compassionate Christianity

7. Song: Be Thou My Vision, by Audrey Assad

8. Song: Common Ground, by Matt Maher featuring Dee Wilson

9. Album: Common Ground, by Matt Maher - I could not conceive of a better reconstruction soundtrack. It's inspiring and raises my heart and eyes up. Thankful.

10. IG post - the poem I wrote the day of the Notre Dame fire

This week, we'll glean some wisdom from our summer of contemplation. As I share some of the fruit of my summer and the future of the Raised Catholic podcast, I pray that you've had a fruitful summer and a variety of experiences that will help in further contemplation of God who loves you just as you are.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Quote from author Barbara Brown Taylor:

"There is a sense in which if I will trust that what comes to me is for me (now that’s the hugest faith statement I can make to you), if I will trust that what comes to me in my life is for me and not against me… what I find is that it breaks my idols, that it breaks my isolation, that it challenges my sense of independence, it does all kinds of things for me that I would not willingly do, that are for me, that are for my health.”

Contemplative Summer comes to a close this week with an episode on contemplating in church. As you choose a holy space in which contemplate this week, I pray that you will have a fruitful encounter with God who is crazy about you.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:

1. Article: Heavenly Illumination: The Science and Magic of Stained Glass, from The Guardian

2. Article: Rose Windows of Notre Dame

3. History of Stations of the Cross, from Catholic Straight Answers

4. Journal prompts (while sitting in a church):

God, where are you directing my gaze in this church? What does this element have to say to me today?

What is my history within this space and in other churches? Can I gather in the goodness and light memories but also the pain? How does my history here impact how I see God and my life of faith in this moment?

God, I am here. What would you say to me today?

5. Song: In This Place, Trevor Thomson, Victoria Thomson

As we explore a variety of methods of contemplative prayer this summer, week eight is all about art. As you choose a piece of art to contemplate this week, I pray that you will have a fruitful encounter with God who is crazy about you.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:

1. Documentary Series: Abstract: The Art of Design, on the role art plays in our everyday lives

2. Article: Top 10 Oldest Pieces of Art Every Discovered, by Ancient History Lists

3. Instagram Account: visual prayers by artist Scott Erickson

4. Wikipedia submission on The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, by John Singer Sargent

5. Find a transcript of this week's episode along with photos of the art I described on my blog, My Little Epiphanies

As we explore a variety of methods of contemplative prayer this summer, week seven is all about the body. As you choose a system or movement of the body to contemplate this week, I pray that you will have a fruitful encounter with God who is crazy about you.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:

1. Article: What Does it Mean to Crucify the Flesh, by gotquestions.org

2. Book: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel A. van der Kolk

3. Article: Body and Spirit As One, by Fr. Richard Rohr for Center for Action and Contemplation

4. Cover: I Hope You Dance, by Chris Stapleton

5. Video: 7 Minute Body Scan from The Mindful Christian

Romans 12:3-8

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

As we explore a variety of methods of contemplative prayer this summer, week six is all about tactile prayer. As you choose way to move with God in contemplation, I pray that you will have a fruitful encounter with God who is crazy about you.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:

1. Tactile prayer basics, from building faith: a ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary

2. Recorded rosaries with Fr. Frank McFarland from Boston Catholic Television

3. Song: If I Had a Hammer, by Sam Cooke

4. Song: On My Way, by Louis Armstrong

As we explore a variety of methods of contemplative prayer this summer, week five is all about centering prayer. As you choose a sacred word or phrase and sit with God in contemplation, I pray that you will have a fruitful encounter with God who is crazy about you.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:

1. Centering prayer basics from Contemplative Outreach

2. Breath Prayer ideas from Soul Shepherding

3. Lyric video: Abide with Me, by Audrey Assad

As we explore a variety of methods of contemplative prayer this summer, week four is all about contemplating scripture. As you choose a passage of scripture to contemplate as you draw near to God this week, I pray that you will have a fruitful encounter with God who is crazy about you.

If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram or on my blog.  If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's now a way to do just that, and thank you - visit me on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks as always for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow!

Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:

1. The Undragoning of Eustace, by Jennifer Neyhart

2. Lectio Divina: A Beginner's Guide, by Busted Halo

3. App: Laudate, an easy way to find the readings of the day (or a quick search will do the trick as well)

4. Book: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis (I highly recommend all of the Narnia series for reading by all ages - a beautiful parable of how God operates in our lives.)