In this episode, I continue my conversation with Fr. Will Schmid to hear more about his own journey of discerning the call to the priesthood and the “calls within the call” that have shaped his vocation. We talk about the role of holy friendship and community in discernment, as well as the importance of consistent prayer and creating space to listen to God. Fr. Will also shares practical wisdom for bringing our questions and decisions into the light with trusted people who can help us discern well.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* Fr. Will found himself daydreaming about giving homilies while listening to others’ preaching. Did your daydreams reveal anything about your future calling?

* Another priest told Fr. Will that he’d been praying for him and his vocation even before he was discerning it. Do you know or believe that someone was praying for you and your calling? Are you being called to pray for someone who you believe may have a particular mission?

* As he discerned, Father Will got some clarity – not the assurance that he was definitely called to the priesthood, but that he should certainly enter seminary. Often, we get just enough clarity to take one more step forward. Are you waiting for perfect certainty about the big picture before you take the next small step forward? Why might this be a mistake?

* Mother Teresa had a “call within a call.” Within his call to the priesthood, Fr. Will found that he was approached by police officers to be their chaplain. This allowed him to be present and accompany them during times of great tragedy and suffering. Within your primary vocation, have you discerned that you’re equipped to serve in an every deeper, more specific way?

Resources Mentioned:

* Write These Words

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

In this episode, I sit down with Fr. Will Schmid, the vocations director for the Diocese of Phoenix, to talk about how God discerns us before we ever discern His call. We discuss what Jesus’ calling of the twelve apostles reveals about how intentionally God knows us, sees our potential, and calls us for a specific purpose. Fr. Will also shares how God can bring gifts out of us that we didn’t even know we had and why we don’t need to have everything figured out before we give God our yes.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* There is always deeper meaning even in simple scripture passages. Fr. Will suggests that when Jesus “saw” the disciples in the Gospel (Mark 1: 16-19), there was much more to it than that. What might he have “seen” about them, in them?

* Fr. Will never thought he’d be good at public speaking, seeing himself as a “numbers guy,” but as he said, “God sees not just who we are now. God sees who we can become.” Now he gives powerful homilies every day. What things are you doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What did God know about you that you couldn’t see?

* Does looking back at God’s vision for you allow you to look forward to a future full of more possibilities than you dared to hope for?

Resources Mentioned:

* Write These Words

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

Goals, rules of life, plans -- they are all only meant to serve the big goal: our union with God. That means we need to have a clear sense of freedom to change or stop moving toward them when circumstances change or when we get more clarity. Here are five signs that stopping may be a best yes.

And here's the coaching page I mention: https://www.writethesewords.com/coaching

In this episode, I am joined by Michelle Benzinger, wife, mother of six, and co-host of the Abiding Together Podcast, to talk about discerning in each season of life. We discuss the importance of knowing ourselves, protecting margin, and creating space for prayer, creativity, and family. Michelle also shares how she discerns what to share publicly, how she gracefully says no to good opportunities, and the difference between being anointed for something and being appointed for it in God’s timing.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* Michelle reflects that since she was a child, she saw the world through a “creative gaze”, a magical technicolor lens, not unlike the stories in the books she was devouring. But in an attempt to fit in, she felt like she had to “forget” something of the creative woman she was. Is there any part of you that you jettisoned along the way in an attempt to fit in? Have you been able to reclaim it, and has it been, perhaps, refined as you’ve matured?

* “We all,” pointed out Michelle, “often feel like we’re the exception to the rule.” In other words, that no one else understands. No one else has gone through this. No one knows. She says of the enemy, “if he isolates you then he’s got you.” But telling our stories, sharing–to the degree it is appropriate–is a way of revealing not only something of ourselves but revealing to others that they, in fact, are not alone or hopelessly estranged from the rest of humanity. This is a great gift. Who might benefit from knowing the story of what God has done for you?

* Do you need more margin in your life, or “ponder time” as Michelle calls it? What are we missing out on when we fill our schedules with back-to-back plans and appointments? One of our greatest “yeses” could be a “no” to a crammed calendar.

* Michelle had a beautiful word of encouragement for all those in seasons of waiting, of being anointed for a purpose but still without a divine appointment. She suggests that God may be using this season to enlarge your spirit, that His glory be more fully revealed through you. If we try to force different relationships or collaborations and not wait for the Holy Spirit, we will encounter a lack of “ease” that can indicate we’re trying to force something that is not ready yet. That doesn’t mean there won’t be sacrifice required within a genuine call. But sacrifice and straining are different. How have you experienced that difference?

Resources Mentioned:

* The Abiding Together Podcast

* Be Loved Litany Prayer Cards

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

Here’s why waiting until your motives are perfect might just be what the enemy wants more than anything. The reality is, the purification happens in the process, not in living in paralysis.

We all feel a little pang when we realize that our desires are also mixed up in what we wish were perfectly detached and purified intentions. It's okay, because as St. Paul reminded us in today's reading, we're not to be the judge - even of ourselves. And because this is a long game of sanctification, we'll wait until the end for all things to come to light and God to call it good.

This special bonus episode gives listeners a taste of what I record regularly for paid supporters. Their generosity makes this podcast possible.

I mention our Catholic writers' community in this episode. Find out more about PraiseWriters here.

In this episode, I am joined by Jonathan Strate, President and CEO of Ascension, for a conversation about discerning what the Church needs and how Ascension makes decisions to meet those needs. We explore how prayer and research can work together, the importance of recognizing the unique giftings of others, and their exciting new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* Jonathan Strate describes how Ascension Press offers smaller opportunities to new online evangelists to see if these presenters connect well to their audience. In other words, they place “small bets” before going all-in and investing a lot of time and money. Why is this wise? How can this technique of “risk minimizing” translate to your life? For example, you may be considering launching an apostolate that would dramatically change your life; how could you “try it on” before committing a large amount of resources?

* One of our best yeses–hands down–is a daily, set-apart prayer time. Doesn’t have to be long, doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it should be personal. It should also be anchored somehow to the prayer of the Church. Do you pray with the Liturgy of the Hours? The Daily Readings? Daily Mass? If not, are you open to starting? Do you see the beauty in the way that the entire Catholic Church prays together each day?

* Why do you think there is a resurgence in interest in what is beautiful and true, for example, the sacred art that Claire spoke of or the new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours as Jonathan explained it? How is this a “best yes” for the Church – the embrace of Spirit-led renewal while staying anchored to our sacred past?

* Jonathan said one of his best yeses – really, a series of yeses - is the openness to life that has led to a family of seven children. How can you make a more radical “yes” to the tremendous gift of life–whether taking better care of your own, nurturing others’ inner lives through spiritual motherhood or fatherhood, or advocating for those who cannot defend their own right to life?

Resources Mentioned:

* Ascension’s new Liturgy of the Hours (Second Edition)

* Liturgy of the Hours Assistance Fund

* Meet Ruth Strickland (Video)

* The Perfect Prayer (Video)

* Into the Deep with Dan Burke (Video)

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Carrie Daunt, and we talk about how to faithfully navigate discernment in the midst of everyday responsibilities. Carrie shares how she has learned to balance motherhood and ministry, how God prepared her for ministry through years of hidden life, and how He always supplied her grace once she stepped out in faith.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* After a long season of necessary “nos” to most things outside of her primary vocation as a wife and homeschooling mom, Carrie admits that, “I was so used to saying no that I couldn’t even hear when God was saying yes.” Has anything similar happened to you–you get so used to the status quo that you come close to missing the ‘new thing’ God is doing? (Is 43:19)

* Once she realized that the door was now open for a wider apostolic work, Carrie still wasn’t quite sure how everything on the homefront was going to work out. “God wanted me to jump before he showed me where I was going to land,” she remembers. What is the Lord doing in our hearts when He doesn’t show us the whole plan?

* Especially when traveling with her young children, Carrie relies on a team. Who is in your support system? Do you need to accept more help in your “yes” to God’s call?

Resources Mentioned:

* Undone: Freeing Your Feminine Heart from the Knots of Fear and Shame by Carrie Daunt

* The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Ávila

* JPII Healing Center

* This Present Paradise by Claire Dwyer

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

In this episode, I welcome Carrie Daunt, a presenter for the John Paul II Healing Center, for a conversation about how God desires to meet us in the places of shame that often shape our decisions without us even realizing it. Carrie shares her own journey of healing from the wound of shame and reflects on how encountering God’s love restored her freedom to live confidently as His beloved daughter.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* With a mom who worked as a labor and delivery nurse, and a father who worked in the field of inner healing, Carrie realized that her own calling just seemed to “fit.” Do you see any kind of familial, inter-generational vocation in your family? Can you identify a charism that your family seems to have? This could be a confirmation of the “consistency” test of discernment.

* Carrie said, “Shame is the detour that prevents us from being gift. It’s the thing that keeps us hidden and keeps us afraid to give of ourselves because we don’t feel worthy of giving it.” Does this resonate with you? What does the enemy use to keep you hidden and holding back?

* In sharing what feels shameful, we experience a sort of liberation. Carrie remembers opening up about an area of personal struggle: “Saying the words out loud, acknowledging them, putting them into space…they lost their grip and their hold on me.” Have you experienced release and freedom simply in opening up to a safe person?

Resources Mentioned:

* Undone: Freeing Your Feminine Heart from the Knots of Fear and Shame by Carrie Daunt

* Man Your Post: Learning to Lead Like St. Joseph by Duane and Carrie Daunt

* Born Only Once by Dr. Conrad Baars

* Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

* This Present Paradise by Claire Dwyer

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Joshua Miller, and we talk about what personal vocation looks like in everyday life. Dr. Miller shares stories from his own vocational discernment, the many “yesses” that shaped his path, and the confirmations God provided along the way. Learning to protect our deepest call helps us to discern what truly matters.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* Dr. Miller describes how his family of origin’s commitment to the defense of unborn life helped him to discover his particular passion for each human life as unique and “precious before the Lord.” Do you see any continuation or consistency in your upbringing as it relates to what you know of your personal vocation?

* “God crafts us with a certain kind of hunger for those goods that are ours to seek out,” reflects Dr. Miller. He adds that we are better able to serve those entrusted to us when we find something to do professionally that “taps into that hunger.” Have you been able to find that “something”? Ideally, we can work in a profession that fills us up. Sometimes, we must find it in other parts of our life. Reflect on what fills–and fulfills–you, and how engaging in it, rather than being selfish, may actually help you make a greater gift of yourself?

* We may notice a pattern or rhythm to our best work, as Dr. Miller did when he realized that his drive to understand and process a body of knowledge and then develop teachable content around it was not only personally satisfying but deeply fruitful. He noticed a “pattern of gift.” The challenge then is to guard our time and energy to ensure we say, as he did, “no to other invitations if they take me away from that rhythm.” Look over your calendar. What obligations and invitations tend to take you away from your most fruitful rhythms? Could you say “no” to any of these?

Resources Mentioned:

* Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person by Dr. Joshua Miller and Luke Burgess

* Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone by Name by Russell Shaw and Germain Grisez

* Christifideles Laici (The Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People) by St. John Paul II

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Joshua Miller, the Director of Coaching and Programming for the Office of Personal Vocation at Franciscan University of Steubenville, to explore how we discern our personal vocation. We discuss what it means to discover the unique way God has created and called each of us, why discernment begins in the present moment, and how our deepest joys, gifts, and even wounds, can reveal the path He is inviting us to walk.

Reflection and Discussion Questions:

* Dr. Miller now works with people professionally, listening to their stories and helping them recognize patterns in their narrative that point to a personal vocation. It is possible to trace our vocations back to the beginnings of our lives because God’s unique call to each person by name is, as he says, constant. What “hints” or prophetic moments can you remember about growing up that you can now see pointed to your particular call?

* “In every story of personal fulfillment,” says Dr. Miller, “invariably the person is engaged with other people and things in the world. And invariably, the unique potentialities of those things are also being realized.” That means that when we are operating in our gifts, participating in the work of the Father that we’ve been distinctively designed for and called to, we are also helping other things and people reach their full potential. Reflect back on your personal stories. Can you see how you are not the only one being blessed in these stories? How are you equipped to help other people find fulfillment, or orient the things of the world to God?

* Dr. Miller makes the point that no fulfillment story can totally fulfill us. Why? How can our “moments of authentic fulfilment” in this life indicate what we might look forward to in the next? Do you find that freeing? Does it change your idea of what heaven is like?

Resources Mentioned:

* Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person by Dr. Joshua Miller and Luke Burgess

* The Motivation Code (contributing author: Dr. Joshua Miller)

* The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

We’d love to hear from you!

If this podcast has encouraged you, consider supporting Your Best Yes on Substack to help us continue creating conversations and resources to help others seek God’s will with greater clarity, confidence, and trust.