
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


This week I'm using an overgrown area of my yard as a metaphor for when faith and ministry life need tending, pruning, and uprooting. I pray it's a blessing for you.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. Song: Garden, by Matt Maher
2. Song: You Have Me, by Gungor
3. Song: The Earth is Yours, by Gungor
4. Song: Only Good Will Grow, by Matt Maher
5. Song: Grow as we Go, by Ben Platt and Sara Bariellas
6. Video: Unshakable Moxie ep. 2 - Uncovering Resilient Faith with Lina AbuJamra, M.D.
Happy Easter! This week we're using the metaphor of our life as a house, and where faith fits into that house will inform how we live out our Easter lives.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1.
Today I'm offering an older episode from April of 2022, number 70. I pray it's a blessing to you, happy Easter!
__________________________________
What if the Resurrection did not happen? How would that change our thoughts and the way we live, culture, or the world? Let's use this as a frame for gratitude for the gifts that Easter does bring us.
f you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. Easter Sunday Musings, from author Diana Butler Bass
2. Kids' video: An Easter Carol (VeggieTales)
3. "Hope's Song", from An Easter Carol
4. Song: Ubi Caritas, by Durufle, performed by Kings College Choir
5. Song: Hallelujah Is Our Song, by Sarah Hart
6. Song: Christ is Risen, by Matt Maher
7. Journal Prompts:
What do I believe about the death and resurrection of Jesus? How has that belief changed over time?
How do those events change how I live today, or how the history of the world has progressed over time?
8. Take a Walk: notice the blooming flowers in the ground and on trees, take pictures, examine them. How is Creation speaking to you about how God works?
9. Children's Book: The Three Trees, by Angela Elwell Hunt
10. The Resurrection of Jesus, by the Bible Project
I'm taking five takeaways from the story of Lazarus into my experience of Holy Week, and I hope you'll take them along with you, too.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. Video: Palm Sunday Mass 2024 at St. Cecilia Boston - a great foundation for your Holy Week
2. Video: The first half of the Gospel of John including the story of Lazarus, from The Bible Project
3. Video: The second half of the Gospel of John, from The Bible Project
4. Lyric Video: You Came - Lazarus, from Amanda Cook
5. Song: Rise Up, from CAIN
This week we're considering the spiritual practice of awe, and how moments of awe can point us to what is good, true and beautiful, to the very nature of God.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. The "rainbow" IG reel I talked about in today's episode
2. Video: Frozen on Broadway Elsa quick-change complilation
3. Song: Spring, from The Four Seasons, Vivaldi (Beethoven's Wig edition)
4. Butter: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (salted)
5. Documentary trailer: American Symphony
6. Song: Beethoven's 5th symphony, 2nd movement (you'll find the rainbow in the last two minutes)
7. Book: New Seeds of Contemplation, by Thomas Merton
Correction: The Merton quote I read should say, "and the bass and trout hiding in the deep pools of the river are canonized by their beauty" I mistakenly said, 'the water'. Thanks for your understanding.
This week we explore the many wonderful things can happen when we're wrong. I hope this episode is a blessing to you!
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. Video: Oprah Winfrey speaks about the impact of her friend Maya Angelou's words, "When you know better, you do better."
2. Instagram follow: Psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy, at Good Inside
3. Podcast: Dr. Becky Kennedy on We Can Do Hard Things, on the science of return and repair in relationships
4. Video: Introduction to the Japanese art of Kintsugi, from CBS Sunday morning
5. Song: Anthem, by Leonard Cohen
6. Song: You're Only Human, by Billy Joel
This week we're considering Jesus' take on 'appropriate clothing' at mass while I tell the story of my unfortunate engagement on an Instagram post. I hope this episode blesses (and relieves) you!
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. Raised Catholic ep. 148: The Gospel vs. Clericalism and Outside the Cup Catholicism (transcript with link to episode)
2. Article: Pope Francis reminds us - again - to reject clericalism, from Daniel P. Horan for National Catholic Reporter
3. Scripture: Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
4. Lyric video: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, by Lauren Daigle
This week we're exploring the miraculous gift and conduit of music, and the ways in which God moves through music to reach and help his people.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources to help you dig into this week's topic on your own:
1. Raised Catholic Recommends music playlist on Spotify - faith music from lots of genres/moods
2. Green Noise playlist on Spotify
3. Song: Front Porch, by Vontmer - check out all of his music, lots in that green frequency range, but this one is magic for little ones.
4. Video clip - JAWS - With and Without Music featuring Richard Dreyfuss and John Williams
5. Song: Pitter Patter Goes the Rain, by Christy Nockels. I've taught this song hundreds of times and never had a teacher or parent NOT say that there is magic in this song. Nockels herself says that she recorded a track of herself reading scripture or encouraging words in each of the songs on this album that you can't audibly hear but you can feel. Listen for yourself.
6. Journal question: when has music elicited a response in me that I did not expect? What kind of music was it? Where was I? How do I explain that reaction?
7. A primer on green, white, brown, and pink music/sound from Soundly
8. A few examples of music that unexpectedly ministered to me:
Simple Gifts from Appalachian Spring, Aaron Copland, John Williams, Boston Pops Orchestra
Beethoven's 5th Symphony, Second Movement, Andante (When I first heard this, I thought it sounded like what we'll hear in Heaven. I still do.)
Rainbow, by Kacey Musgraves
Four, by Sleeping At Last (lots of 'hidden tracks' in his music as well - hear him tell the story of this one in this podcast episode - how it was made)
This week I'll bring you an episode from way back in 2021 that I hope will help us to frame our Lent in a positive and hopeful way.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode. Today we're looking at Lenten disciplines with an eye toward the growth of what we want to see in the end - in ourselves, our families, our church, community, country and world. And we're giving ourselves space for light and hope in this liturgical season which literally means 'springtime'.
Here are some resources I hope will make your Lent more encouraging and fruitful:
1. Helpful, grounded (and often funny!) daily Lenten video reflections from author Kate Bowler - you can also find them on Kate's Instagram
2. Be Kind - a helpful Lenten practice video from Fr. James Martin
3. Best Lent Ever - daily videos from Dynamic Catholic
4. Song: Better Days by Ant Clemons, Justin Timberlake and Kirk Franklin
5. Song: Someday Soon, by Wilder Woods
6. Song: O My Soul, by Audrey Assad
7. Podcast: Abiding Together
8. Lenten Practice: Watch this tulip video, then: buy flowers for yourself (yes, for you!), put them in your kitchen, and let them be your teacher: spring is on the way, friend!
9: Instagram Account: Follow my friend The Bluebird of Happiness on Instagram for more hope and light in your feed!
10. My current favorite cover of Here Comes the Sun - search for more, they will make your heart happy!
11. Lenten Practice: Conversations with God journal, start a new page and at the top write one or more of the following prompts, then just write until your hand is sore or you feel the loving voice of God creeping in and making Himself known to you:
What habits or practices do I have today that are not serving me? How can I let them go?
What do I want my life (or my family or community) to look and feel like on Easter weekend? How can I move in that direction now?
How can I serve other people using my unique gifts? What would be a good first step today?
Today we explore a small sampling of the miracles I experienced on February 5, 2024. I hope this episode helps all of us to seek and find the miraculous in our everyday.
If you'd like to connect with me, find me on Instagram, at my website, or on Substack. If you'd like to help support this podcast financially, there's a way to do just that on my page at buymeacoffee.com! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow.
Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode.
Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:
1. Today, notice the parts of your life that maybe did not seem like miracles at first, but which actually are. Contemplate the fruit and vegetables you eat and how they grew and made their way to you. Contemplate the people whose paths cross yours. Contemplate your miraculous body and all that it does for you. Treat today as an adventure and notice all you can. Breathe and take it all in, and give thanks to God today.
2. Song: Everyday Miracles, by Sara Groves
From the publisher's feed