Jake & Brett begin Season 13 with the primary question of “Are you happy?” They discuss where they will be headed in their new season about “the good life.” The guys open up about their personal lives and dive into the matters of the heart on what truly makes them happy and fulfilled. They explain how this season they will be laying out the groundwork for a life worth living. Get ready to explore how we can all live more peaceful, loving and fulfilling lives this season.

Key Points

1. Are you happy?
2. We have to take a step back and get under surface level thoughts to examine what is going on deeper in our hearts
3. What are the things that lead to a good life?
4. “The unexamined life is not worth living” -Socrates
5. We need relationships to help give us perspective on how our lives are going. On our own we can become complacent, too negative or over-confident.
6. How do we find peace?

ReferencesWay of the Heart S12 E7 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

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Jake & Brett tease they’re upcoming season called “The Good Life.” They share how excited they are and Brett calls it their most important series yet! Some great conversations, guests and life lessons are coming to you starting January 11th. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it! 

Connect with Way of the Heart:

Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

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Jake & Brett close out Season 12 with a conversation about Teddy Roosevelt’s "Citizen in a Republic" speech commonly known as the “Man in the Arena” speech. They discuss how to deal with critics(including your internal one), strive for excellence and battle in the arena of sexuality.

Key Points

• Only voices in the arena matter. Don't listen to external critics.
• Sometimes the critic is our internal one.
• In a world of critics, we should be encouraging each other
• Excellence honors God but it cannot take His place
• We should be using our charisms to honor God and build up our family and friends, not for our own personal gain.
• How to battle in the arena of sexuality

Connect with Way of the Heart:

• Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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Have you ever wondered which of your every day thoughts are from God, and which are not? Or have you ever contemplated, “What’s God’s will?” when faced with a decision, big or small? A series of simple principles called the Ignatian Rules of Discernment can bring clarity to these questions and more. They are a 500-year-old playbook to understanding the spiritual movements of our everyday lives and in this bonus guest episode, Jake and Brett unpack the Fourteen Rules of Discernment with the modern master of discernment, Fr. Timothy Gallagher. Fr. Timothy has written countless books on St. Ignatius’s teachings and hosts a podcast to bring these foundational spiritual principles to a modern audience. Though they are simple, they are transformational for growth in the spiritual life.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. Before listening to this episode, had you heard of discernment? What did you think it was?
3. How has your understanding of discernment changed after listening to this episode?

Resources

• The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living, Fr. Timothy Gallagher (book)
• The Discernment of Spirits in Marriage, Fr. Timothy Gallagher (book)
• Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making, Fr. Timothy Gallagher (book)
• The Examen Prayer, Fr. Timothy Gallagher (book)
• Discerning Hearts - The Discernment of Spirits (podcast)
• frtimothygallagher.org (website)

Connect with Way of the Heart:

• Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

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Today, Jake and Brett welcome their last guest of Season 12, Simon Kyne, to the podcast. You may not recognize his name, but Simon is the ‘friend’ mentioned in many stories throughout our episodes. In fact, Way of the Heart would not be here without Simon, since he introduced Jake and Brett years ago. For more than two decades, Simon has walked with Brett and Jake individually as a foxhole friend, at different times feeling called to pray for each of them for one hundred days straight. Simon joins the conversation to tackle the absolute necessity of brotherhood, loneliness and what to do when the longing for close friendship is unfulfilled.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. Who can you ‘lend strength’ to as a brother?
3. Do you believe you are worthy of belonging and deep friendship?

Resources

• The Pope & the CEO, Andrea Widmer (book)

Connect with Way of the Heart:

• Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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In this episode, Jake and Brett sit down with Fr. John Riccardo, a priest from the Archdiocese of Detroit who leads a ministry called Acts 29 which helps ordained and lay leaders in this apostolic age. Fr. Riccardo is passionate about preaching the Gospel, responding to the crisis of fatherhood in the priesthood, and being authentically human. Pull up a chair and get comfortable because Fr. Riccardo is about to share a pulse on the Church like you’ve never heard it.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. How did Fr. Riccardo’s comments about the struggle of priests impact you? 
3. Have you heard the Gospel message shared that way before? What is the response of your heart?

Resources

• Acts XXIX Ministry
• You Were Born for This Podcast
• Episode 133:The Heart of a Shepherd, You Were Born for This Podcast
• Episode 47: Leading and Leadership (Part 2) with Archbishop Sample, Restore the Glory Podcast
• From Christendom to Apostolic Mission (book)

Connect with Way of the Heart:

• Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast
• Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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Employing true critical thinking in our current cultural environment requires no small measure of courage. Our guest today, Fr. Raymond de Souza, is no stranger to making his thoughts known in the public sphere as one of the longest standing columnists for the National Post (among countless other titles and accolades). Father de Souza shares with Jake and Brett his proudest commentaries published by the paper, how his critical thinking was developed at the family dinner table, and the importance of reading books by those you do not agree with. 

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. How would you describe the line between courage and arrogance? How can we be more courageous with voicing our opinions while not becoming arrogant?
3. What do you think of Father de Souza’s encouragement to read more, especially books by those you disagree with?

Resources

• The National Post
• The writings of GK Chesterton
• The writings of GS Lewis, including “The Problem of Pain”
• The Hungry Soul, Leon Kass (book)
• The writings of Peter Kreeft
• Father de Souza’s website: fatherdesouza.com

Connect with Way of the Heart:

Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a Navy SEAL? How do SEALs stay the course under the most brutal circumstances and what can we learn from them as men living in our own arenas? In this episode, Jake and Brett sit down with Sam Blair, a trained and experienced SEAL who shares the importance of being called to your work, how excellence comes down to training, and why knowing your why is the secret to persevering when things get tough.  

Guiding Quote:

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. - Viktor Frankl

Key Points

• Sam’s connection with mutual friends of Jake’s, the Benzinger family
• Sam’s experience of a call to join the Navy SEALS
• The importance of feeling called to your line of work instead of doing it to prove your worth
• Why excellence simply comes down to training
• When things get hard, you have to be confident in your why
• After you complete a phase in training or the spiritual life, you can expect to feel like a beginner again
• Healthy outlets for dealing with adversity
• How knowing your ‘why’ can prevent you from giving in to temptation and distractions
• Stepping into the arena vs being an armchair quarterback

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. When adversity strikes, what are your outlets? Are they healthy or unhealthy?
3. What is your ‘why’ in the arenas of your life?
4. Where do you currently feel like a ‘beginner’ in your work, spiritual life or vocation? Could it be because you have entered into a new phase?

Resources

• Sam’s Interview with Matt Fradd on Pints With Aquinas
• The Frassati Company

Connect with Way of the Heart:

Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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Do you feel disillusioned by the state of the world? Are you feeling lukewarm in your faith? Jake and Brett talk to Peter Herbeck of Renewal Ministries about judgment, the grinding down of truth, redemption and hope. Peter shares pieces of his own story and how he is unafraid of dark places and hard things because of what Christ has done for him.

Peter Herbeck is the Executive Vice President of Renewal Ministries, a leading voice in evangelization and renewal throughout the world.

Guiding Quote:

“I am a sick man and I need help. Please help me.” - Peter’s father

Key Points

• Peter shares about his upbringing and acting out as a young boy
• The transformative, divine intervention that healed his father’s alcoholism
• Peter takes an honest look at some of his areas of weakness
• God’s judgment and mercy, what Peter is seeing in the culture today in a prophetic sense
• What you can do in your own life when you recognize the negative state of the world
• Why it matters that we recognize when we are ‘sick’
• Peter asks, ‘Where is space to grieve?’ in the Church, and the men look at the struggles faced by the Church today
• How can we hope?

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. Do you find yourself in a place of being lukewarm in your faith, or have you in the past? How do you respond to Peter’s exhortation to step into the light?
3. Have you experienced situations where going to dark places actually gave you greater hope in the long run? How did God meet you in those places and draw you back?

Resources

• Renewal Ministries
• Renewal Ministries on YouTube
• Evangelii Gaudium
• Restore the Glory Podcast: Episode 49 with Peter Herbeck

Connect with Way of the Heart:

Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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Jake and Brett share their highs and lows of the summer, and introduce the theme for Season 12: Men in the Arena. Over the next few weeks, we’ll hear from five men who are living ‘in the arena,’ including a Navy SEAL, a priest and columnist for a major publication, a ministry leader, a priest engaged in parish renewal, and a high-level business executive. Jake and Brett explain what made them choose to interview each man, and tease some surprising turns in the conversations. 

Guiding Quote:

“It’s not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Key Points

• Brett shares a summer high: being together face to face for the first time with his men’s group
• Jake’s summer high: his motorcycle trip
• Jake’s low: health issues with a family member and the dynamics that accompany it
• Brett’s low: a heart-level grasping at not wanting the summer to end
• In the midst of many good things/blessings, it’s easy to focus on the one or few things that aren’t going right or that have been ‘missed’
• What it means to ‘be in the arena’ and how it matures us
• The difference between low-level and high-level-risk arenas
• The kind of courage that being in the arena requires
• Redefining failure for life in the arena
• The introduction of five special guests who demonstrate what it means to be a man in the arena

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?
2. What are the arenas I’m in? What are my low, medium and high level arenas?
3. How do I handle failure?
4. What do I do when a brother is in the arena? How do I respond to him?

Resources

• The Men’s Retreat 2022: Man in the Arena

Connect with Way of the Heart:

Facebook: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Instagram: @wayoftheheartpodcast

Website: www.wayoftheheartpodcast.com

Never miss out on an episode by hitting the subscribe button right now! Help other people find the show and grow as holy men by sharing this podcast with them individually or on your social media. Thanks!

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