Thriving in the Trenches a Catholic Podcast

2nd Installment - If Part 1 left your heart aching, do not wait another minute to continue to listen to the rest of the story. Well, the story as it is up to this point in our lives. Ladies, God is Good; God loves us; God redeems all things and heals all things. Yes, YOU are worthy of God's mercy and love and redemption. And now - I tell you that I am taking an extended holiday break - May you and your loved ones be richly blessed this Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas Season. Thank you for all that you have done in support and for listening to what God has placed on my heart to share with each of you. I pray you have all grown closer to the Lord in even some small way because of this podcast. I have given you my heart in so many ways and on so many occasions and topics. BLESSINGS!!! Mary grew up in a large Catholic family with 6 brothers and a sister and had her own football helmet in the 3rd grade. She always wanted to be a wife and mother, and pictured her children in the perfect Catholic plaid uniform. Upon meeting her husband on her first and only blind date, she was confident she was on her way. But God had a different plan. She gave birth to her son Jonathan in 1989 and her daughter Courtney arrived August 1992. On September 27, 1992, while being baptized, Courtney had the first of many grand-mal seizures. Going from the church to the emergency room, Mary’s world changed forever. There is no such thing as a perfect life. For the next twenty-two years Mary and her family took a spiritual journey that led them to Lourdes, France, numerous hospitals and specialists with their daughter and finally to home-based hospice. Courtney took her last breath this side of heaven on December 27, 2014, the feast of St. John the Beloved, while in her mother’s arms. She is now her parents and big brother's most powerful intercessor. Along the way, Mary and her family came to understand that God does not make mistakes. Every human life, no matter their ability or disability, has value and worth. Courtney’s unique ability to love without ever speaking a word, taught Mary and her family that everyone has a purpose and a mission. Words are not required. They came to accept that Courtney would never be healed on this earth and allowed God’s plan for their family to unfold, trusting in His plan for each of them. In the Fall of 2016 life took an unexpected turn when Mary felt the call to begin a new ministry. She now travels the country speaking to all age groups about God’s Redeeming love, encouraging audiences to embrace the story God is writing with their lives, trusting Him with the outcome, having hope in times of desolation while learning to be brave in the scared and to know that faith is the courage to want what God wants for us, even if we cannot see where the path leads. Her first book “Be Brave in the Scared: How I Learned to Trust God During My Most Difficult Days of My Life”  is available wherever books are sold. Mary is available to speak/emcee for Retreats, Parish Missions, Youth Events, Mega-Conferences and Media Events. You can contact her through her Speakers Page for more information. Mary lives in Northern Virginia with her husband of 31 years and her grown son. She continues to embrace her father’s advice, “Never quit, never give up, never lose your faith. It’s the one reason you walk this earth. For God chose this time and place just for you, so make the most of it.”

This first installment of a downright real conversation between Mary and host, Becky Carter, goes through the gambit of fertility, infertility and voluntary sterility. Both Becky and Mary share very intimate parts of their life stories with you during this very beautiful conversation that leads back to our never-ending hope -- God's redemption -- through sin and also through suffering. Mary grew up in a large Catholic family with 6 brothers and a sister and had her own football helmet in the 3rd grade. She always wanted to be a wife and mother, and pictured her children in the perfect Catholic plaid uniform. Upon meeting her husband on her first and only blind date, she was confident she was on her way. But God had a different plan. She gave birth to her son Jonathan in 1989 and her daughter Courtney arrived August 1992. On September 27, 1992, while being baptized, Courtney had the first of many grand-mal seizures. Going from the church to the emergency room, Mary’s world changed forever. There is no such thing as a perfect life. For the next twenty-two years Mary and her family took a spiritual journey that led them to Lourdes, France, numerous hospitals and specialists with their daughter and finally to home-based hospice. Courtney took her last breath this side of heaven on December 27, 2014, the feast of St. John the Beloved, while in her mother’s arms. She is now her parents and big brother's most powerful intercessor. Along the way, Mary and her family came to understand that God does not make mistakes. Every human life, no matter their ability or disability, has value and worth. Courtney’s unique ability to love without ever speaking a word, taught Mary and her family that everyone has a purpose and a mission. Words are not required. They came to accept that Courtney would never be healed on this earth and allowed God’s plan for their family to unfold, trusting in His plan for each of them. In the Fall of 2016 life took an unexpected turn when Mary felt the call to begin a new ministry. She now travels the country speaking to all age groups about God’s Redeeming love, encouraging audiences to embrace the story God is writing with their lives, trusting Him with the outcome, having hope in times of desolation while learning to be brave in the scared and to know that faith is the courage to want what God wants for us, even if we cannot see where the path leads. Her first book “Be Brave in the Scared: How I Learned to Trust God During My Most Difficult Days of My Life”  is available wherever books are sold. Mary is available to speak/emcee for Retreats, Parish Missions, Youth Events, Mega-Conferences and Media Events. You can contact her through her Speakers Page for more information. Mary lives in Northern Virginia with her husband of 31 years and her grown son. She continues to embrace her father’s advice, “Never quit, never give up, never lose your faith. It’s the one reason you walk this earth. For God chose this time and place just for you, so make the most of it.”

What a fun conversation on love and conversion and Theosis - whatever that word even means? Don't worry, you get all of that and more in this interview with my young, knowledgeable and vibrant guest. Speaker and podcast host of Clumsy Theosis, Richaél Lucero strives to manifest the Lord’s command in Matthew 28:19 to “go and make disciples of all nations.” After returning to the Faith, Richaél Lucero earned a master’s degree in theology and Christian ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville. As the founder of Clumsy Theosis Ministries Richaél's mission is personal transformation of the Faithful through a life of theosis that will transform the world and expand the Kingdom of Heaven. On her podcast, she achieves this by taking 2,000 years of Catholic goodness, drawing from the great minds and spiritual masters, boiling it down to give practical advice to 21st century Christians. Richaél and her husband Gary, are active parishioners of their local Byzantine Rite Catholic Church. She has also enjoyed being a part-time theology instructor at the San Diego Diocesan Institute. Become a part of the movement! clumsytheosis.net Instagram + Twitter + Facebook @clumsytheosis

This is not your typical interview with Carrie Gress about her book The Anti-Mary Exposed. I really tried to take this discussion with Carrie in a different direction than how other interviews go. Carrie allowed me to dig deeper and focus on the spiritual aspect of this movement rather than it being an attack on any one type of person. We reveal the issue and offer the answer, the Blessed Virgin Mother. Also, we are reaching out our hands and hearts to offer healing and encouragement for those who have been hurt by these lies. Carrie Gress has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America. She is the editor at the online women’s magazine Theology of Home. Carrie has written for numerous publications, including Aleteia, Catholic Vote, Catholic World Report, National Review, The Catholic Thing, The Federalist, The National Catholic Register, The Stream, and The Washington Examiner. She is a frequent guest on Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Answers, EWTN Radio, and Relevant Radio, and has appeared on Fox, BBC, CBC, EWTN and Shalom World television. Carrie has lived and worked professionally in Washington, D.C. and Rome, Italy and her work has been translated into nine languages. She is the author of Nudging Conversions (Dynamic Catholic 2015), Ultimate Makeover (Dynamic Catholic, 2016), The Marian Option (TAN Books, 2017), and Marian Consecration for Children (TAN Books, 2018). She co-authored City of Saints; A Pilgrim’s Guide to John Paul II’s Krakow with George Weigel. Her latest book, The Anti-Mary Exposed (TAN Books) was released in March 1, 2019. Her latest book, Theology of Home, was released in Sept. 2019.

Have you ever heard a piece of "wisdom" that has been passed on for generations? For example, "You can do anything you put your mind to" or "Do what makes you happy". While these words can feel encouraging in a moment of stress, they may not be the most sound and virtuous ways to go about discerning life decisions. Laura Hudgens, a writer, junior high teacher, momma, and my friend, sits down with me as we talk through several of these little sayings. As referenced in one of her Grown and Flown articles, these phrases have become ingrained into our culture of encouragement. Of course, I always enjoy my friendly conversations with Laura, this interview is no different. So, I hope you sit back and enjoy - or fold your laundry - or drive to work -- but nonetheless, ENJOY! This one will have you smiling, shaking your head and even singing, Amen! Guest: Laura is a Catholic middle school teacher and a freelance writer. She lives on a buffalo farm in the Arkansas Ozarks where she enjoys cooking and baking, which is also the key to bringing her busy family together. Her work has appeared on The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Grown and Flown, ChurchPOP, and elsewhere. Find out more about Laura here.

Do you ever feel like you are never good enough? You strive and strive. You make the tough choices. You practice virtue but can't find the joy of obedience you have been promised? What have we been missing all along? I have got a podcast for you! Sometimes there are books that just pierce the heart. Sometimes there are authors that instantly connect to readers. For myself, this is the book and this is the author. I could not wait to interview Colleen and dig, all the more, into what it looks like when our needs to be perfect in the eyes of the world and even in our spiritual lives become toxic and downright debilitating. Please do not miss this episode - and share it with a friend. It is time we seek God's version of perfection -- not the world's. Colleen Carroll Campbell is an award-winning author, print and broadcast journalist and former presidential speechwriter. Her books include her critically acclaimed journalistic study, The New Faithful; her spiritual memoir, My Sisters the Saints, which won two national awards and has been published in five languages; and The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s, just released by Simon & Schuster. Colleen has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Christianity Today, America and National Review, and appeared on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, PBS, NPR and EWTN, where she hosted her own television and radio shows for eight years. A former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and editorial writer and op-ed columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Colleen is the recipient of two honorary doctorates and numerous other awards and fellowships. She speaks to audiences across North America and Europe and lives in St. Louis with her husband and their four young children, whom she homeschools. Her website is www.colleen-campbell.com.

We are starting this new season off with the fire of evangelization. Leah is a lover of Jesus and has a gift and a love for sharing the truths of our Catholic faith. With God's grace, that sure is a powerful combination. Leah also shares with us how you can get involved with her Lux U community (which is open for a limited time this month for new registrants). After this episode, you may just feel compelled to go out and share the good news! GUEST – Leah Darrow, a former model and contestant on Cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model, has a driving passion to inspire women to do something beautiful with their lives. She is an international speaker, author of The Other Side of Beauty, host of the Do Something Beautiful podcast, and the founder of LUX University. She is a wife to a US Army Green Beret and mom to four marvelous, crazy little kids, and together they live in St. Louis, Missouri. Follow Leah as she helps readers live truly beautiful lives that ultimately point to God on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I love homeschooling. I have been so thankful for all the years we had together, as a family, in that particular way. We had many successes and also many bumps along the way. It was such a blessing until it wasn't anymore. Our family needed to close up shop and pursue other avenues of education. In this episode, I am NOT preaching school choice -- that choice is a specific privilege for each family. Rather, I do share that what God has shown me, how he has consoled me, and the ways he has helped me grow in faith as I obediently let go of my own ideals and expectations. Please consider financially supporting the podcast Call to Action -  Ask God what expectations you have allowed other people (unknowingly) to put on you and are now painfully holding onto those impossibilities. Scripture -  "When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”     your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many,     your consolations cheer my soul. " -Psalm 94:18-19 Saint Quote -  "Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience." - St. Theresa Calcutta

Download "Why does The Vows Project exist? Because marriage matters. Your marriage matters. The world needs your marriage to thrive, and yet it often feels like the world is stacked against marriage, against lasting fidelity, and against authentic happiness." On this episode, we talk many things marriage during an interview with Cassie Kent and Megan Hjelmstad, two of the founders of The Vows Project. Please consider financially supporting the podcast Guests: Cassie Kent, wife to Mike for 11 years. Living in sunny San Diego, you can find Cassie busy homeschooling their 3 kids while working-at-home. Cassie grew up in a tight-knit Catholic Covenant Community where she credits most of her formation. Through summer camps and retreats she received many opportunities to grow in love with Christ and knowledge of Him.  She was blessed to further her faith formation and education at Franciscan University, where she met her handsome husband. The rest is history! When not wrangling and herding kids, Cassie enjoys organizing, making lists, decorating, lipstick, a perfectly curated cocktail and pretty much any BBC flick she can find! Grateful for all the weird, messy, odd or even predictable things in life that come together to make life beautiful, Cassie finds joy even in her everyday struggles. Megan Hjelmstad is a wife and mom 24/7 and an Army Reservist in her “spare” time. She’s a bibliophile, tea drinker, sleep lover, and avid admirer of Colorado’s great outdoors. She’s a writer and Instagram Manager for Blessed is She, a global Catholic women’s ministry, and you can also find her published in Radiant Magazine and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She occasionally posts on her very neglected blog, www.positivelyimperfect.com, and loves to micro-blog frequently on Instagram at @positively__imperfect about all things faith and real life. Show Notes: The Vows Project Website The Vows Project on Instagram Blessed is She Call to Action -  Pray for your spouse daily Offer up a small sacrifice daily for your spouse Do a small and deliberate act of love for your spouse Scripture -  Prophetic Blessing: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”  -Numbers 6:24-26 Saint Quote -  "Now, we must help each other to get to heaven." - Bl. Karl of Austria

Download A story of many loves, yet only one love that would finally fill this woman's heart after her father's death. When Kellie Sheehan moved across the country to work at the New York City Ballet, she found herself wandering and unknowingly looking for God's love while on the wrong path. This is a love story of a woman, pursued by her Heavenly Father. A Heavenly Mother, a twin sister, and an earthly mother that all persevered in love and prayer - until this prodigal daughter found her way back home. Please consider financially supporting the podcast Guest: Kellie Sheehan is a Catholic convert, single woman and draper at the New York City Ballet. Creating beauty in work and life is her calling. She loves art, history, dance, a good whiskey, and praying the Rosary in Irish. She strives every day to increase her devotion to Mary and to become worthy of the title, daughter of the Most High King. Show Notes: The Faith of Millions Call to Action -  Look for the Lord, every day, in your everyday life. He is there, always waiting for you to come Home. Scripture -  "When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”     your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many,     your consolations cheer my soul. " -Psalm 94:18-19 Saint Quote -  "How sweet is the way of Love! True, one may fall, one may not be always faithful, but Love, knowing how to draw profit from all, very quickly consumes whatsoever may displease Jesus, leaving naught but humble and profound peace in the innermost soul." - St. Therese Lisieux

Download This week I welcome back previous guest, Susan Husband-wife, mom of seven boys, and a woman after God's own heart. Susan's conversation does focus on training up children in virtue, but all that we speak of is applicable to all of us as we struggle on to freedom in Christ through the virtues that God graces us with. Take a listen, share with a friend, and let us persevere as we carry our crosses in life and finish out this Lenten season. Come on Easter! Please consider financially supporting the podcast Guest: Susan Husband is a farm wife and mama to 7 ornery boys. Cold beer, long country runs, and Jesus rescues her from the dirt, testosterone, and laundry that breeds while she sleeps. You can find her blogging at Sole Searching Mama, or you can also get her wit and wisdom on Instagram and Facebook. Show Notes: Podcast Episode 13 with Susan on Modesty Susan's blog post introducing the Modesty episode Susan's virtue series on Instagram Susan's blog post on virtue, There's No Such Thing as a Bad Boy Boy's Town the movie The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur: The Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest Scripture -  "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and live in love, as Christ loved us[a] and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." - Ephesians 5:1-2

God has created in each one of us uniqueness and beauty that reflects his goodness and calling -- our creator's fingerprint on our souls. From a young age, Kessie Thomas was gathering people into communities with the purpose to grow others in faith. Hear how this south Louisiana woman said, "yes", gathered other willing co-founders, and allowed God to grow it all into a women's conference that reached the hearts of 700 women. Please consider financially supporting this podcast Guest: Kessie Thomas was born and raised in Louisiana; A wife to a Cajun Deacon, mother of 7 here on earth ages 18-2 and 2 sweet babies in heaven. She has been a homeschool mom since the beginning but this past year has transitioned into a local classical education at John Paul the Great. She is the Owner of an internet-based business called Simplicities of Life where she creates rosaries, chaplets, and religious jewelry. She recently co-founded and directed the Abide 2019 Catholic Women's Conference. Kessie enjoys bonding with her family with plenty of fun-filled outdoor activities. Equally, she enjoys and needs regular quiet time with our Lord. Kessie has been invited to share her story at multiple gatherings while creating community along the way. Most evenings you can find her on her wine porch sharing a glass with her husband, visiting with her teens and watching the kids play. You can find her at @rosarylady at Instagram, www.simplicitiesoflife.com for her business, and www.cajunpowersauce.com for the deacon's delicious cajun creations. Show Notes: Abide Conference Web-site with videos of conference talks Abiding Together Podcast

Welcome Back! Host, Becky Carter, relaunches the podcast by sharing how God led her back to the microphone and how she plans to continue on with the original mission of encouraging women to serve Christ in their feminine vocation. Check out the new look and the new sound!

Do you wrestle with the hot topic issues in our culture? Do have a hard time wrapping your own mind around them? Are you looking for ways to start having these conversations with your children of any age? If you answered yes to any of those questions, this is an episode we hope you will find very helpful. Leila Miller, our guest, considers this day and time an age of unreason. Far too many issues of the day are looked at and judged using human feelings in the name of mercy. We need to use our reason and most importantly, we need to teach our children to use theirs. The understanding of the objective truths in today’s tough moral issues will keep us rooted in Christ, our Catholic faith, and freed from the yoke of secular slavery.    Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Co-author of Made This Way: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today’s Tough Moral Issues (with Trent Horn), Leila Miller worked in advertising before becoming a wife and stay-at-home mom. From home, she wrote a regular editorial column for The Arizona Republic  before starting her blogs, Little Catholic Bubble and LeilaMiller.net. Leila is active on facebook and has been featured on Catholic television, radio, and in print. Her previous two books, Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak and Raising Chaste Catholic Men, address in simple terms the Church’s timeless teachings on marriage, family, and the moral education of children.  She and her husband Dean have eight children and several grandchildren.   Show Notes: Find more from co-author, Trent Horn Modesty as an Act of Charity, Thriving in the Trenches Podcast   Call to Action –  Let us start educating ourselves and forming our reason so that we will be able to tackle the issues of our current day. Then, we will be to start forming our children (according to their age) so that they might stand firm against the thoughts of the world. Scripture –  “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2 Saint Quote –  “It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.” – St. Pope John Paul ii  

Becoming a parent typically takes one on a bit of a roller coaster ride. This journey of being a parent has many ups and downs and even some sharp turns and stomach losing drops that can really take us off guard. Motherhood has brought innumerable lessons to many of us including a few surprising twists. Raising our children is not just about them growing in faith but also our sanctification. Lindsay Schlegel shares some of the points from her new book that have begun to shape her as a mother and a child of God. The conversation was a very sweet opportunity to encourage all of us in our individual vocations.   Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Our Guest:     Lindsay Schlegel is a daughter of God, wife, mother, author, and editor. She’s worked in basically every aspect of book publishing, from bookselling to marketing and publicity, from agency work to editorial. Since 2011, she’s worked as a freelance editor, and she contributes writing to a number of online sites, including Verily, Catholic Women Run, Natural Womanhood, and CatholicMom.com. She’s the author of the recently released Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God. She lives in New Jersey, in her husband’s childhood home with her husband (obviously!) and their four children–three boys and a girl. Another child awaits them, God willing, in Heaven. You can connect with Lindsay at: On Facebook, you can find me at https://www.facebook.com/LindsaySchlegelAuthor/ Instagram: @lindsayschlegs Twitter: @lindsayschlegel                                                        My website is www.lindsayschlegel.com Show Notes: Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God, by Lindsay Schlegel CatholicMom.com   Call to Action –  Can you reach out to atleast one friend this week who may need an extra dose of encouragement? Receiving a genuine phone call from a friend who just wants to know how you are can be a blessing that we can’t put a price tag on. Let’s reach out to eachother. Scripture –  “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence.” – Sirach 6:14-15 Saint Quote –  ““Holiness is not in the feelings of in imagination, it is reality. One thing that helps me and will help you is this: works of love are works of holiness.” – St. Teresa of Calcutta    

Do you ever wonder why you are so quick to anger? Do you ever stop and listen to what you are telling yourself in the way of self-talk? Colleen Duggan, wife and mother of 6, shares with all of us how she has worked to overcome this notion that she is supposed to be perfect, have a perfect spouse, perfect children, and be in control of everything in her life. Our life journey is our calling to walk out this path of sanctification while realizing that God loves us right where we are and that it is only by his grace and in his timing that we will overcome our sins. Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Thank you to Gina Fensterer of Someday Saints for supporting this episode – Check out on her blog, on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy. “Inspired by our own little space, I started designing cloths and prints for your home. I hope you enjoy them. The Family Litany of Saints is original to my shop, and one of the most popular items you’ll find listed here. Each one is custom-made for your family or loved one, with family name and favorite saints included.”  Gina Our Guest:   Colleen Duggan  is a Catholic writer whose work has appeared in Catholic Digest, Creative Catechist, CatholicMom.com, Aleteia, and Integrated Catholic Life.  She is a catechist, leads Bible Studies, and speaks on Catholicism and Catholic parenting.  Duggan earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and psychology from St. Mary’s College and a master’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame.  She is a contributor to The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion and author of Good Enough Is Good Enough: Confessions Of An Imperfect Mom.     Show Notes: Good Enough Is Good Enough Group Sudy Notes Humanae Vitae – the Papal Encyclical on Sex and Marriage Micromanaging Your Family’s Prayer Life Before Tending to Your Own, by Colleen Duggan at Aleteia Good Enough Mom T-shirt  Call to Action –  Ask the Lord what his expectations of you are and to also show you what false expectations you need to let go of. And, as always, the grace to follow Him. Scripture –  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,[a] 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” – Hebrews 12:1-3 Saint Quote –  “It is a lesson we all need – to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path.” – St. Katharine Drexel

Living the lifestyle of an Atheist for many years on the west coast, then moving to New York and meeting a few joyfully married Catholics, Alana and her husband fell head over heels for the Catholic faith. The Catholic teachings on the human person, specifically, NFP, was a powerful driving force in their conversion. As a donor-conceived child, Alana knows first hand the implications of third-party reproduction. Through this episode, Alana shares more about The Sexual Revolution Movie, the history of the pill, the contribution of the Billings, and her own personal life with Christ.   Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Thank you to Gina Fensterer of Someday Saints for supporting this episode – Check out her blog on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy. “Inspired by our own little space, I started designing cloths and prints for your home. I hope you enjoy them. The Family Litany of Saints is original to my shop, and one of the most popular items you’ll find listed here. Each one is custom-made for your family or loved one, with family name and favorite saints included.”  Gina Our Guest:     Alana Newman is a Catholic convert, mother of 3, songwriter and recording artist and narrator of the new film Sexual Revolution: 50 Years Since Humanae Vitae. She is also an advocate for donor-conceived people and started the online story-collective The Anonymous Us Project. A big advocate for Natural Family Planning, Alana teaches the Billings Ovulation Method in Louisiana. websites: www.sexualrevolutionmovie.com www.anonymousus.org  www.alananewman.com  

We ladies at Thriving in the Trenches love to be able to inspire and encourage others in their Catholic faith. But even as much as we love to encourage others, we always appreciate being encouraged ourselves. The ladies over at the Abiding Together Podcast are a faithful Catholic voice full of encouragement and wisdom for all of us in the trenches. On this week’s episode we get to interview one of the three hosts, Heather Khym. It was such an uplifting conversation hearing the way the Lord has worked in Khym’s life and also through the lives of the other hostesses, Michelle Benzinger and Sr. Miriam James. You will want to make sure you are subscribed to this podcast, ladies. Enjoy the show.   Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Thank you to Gina Fensterer of Someday Saints for supporting this episode – Check out her blog on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy. “Inspired by our own little space, I started designing cloths and prints for your home. I hope you enjoy them. The Family Litany of Saints is original to my shop, and one of the most popular items you’ll find listed here. Each one is custom-made for your family or loved one, with family name and favorite saints included.”  Gina Our Guest:     Heather Khym – Heather has been serving in ministry since 1994 and passionately shares the Gospel through leading worship and speaking. She desires to help create environments for people to encounter God. She has ministered to a variety of audiences throughout North America with the desire for people to personally encounter God. She attended Franciscan University of Steubenville where she studied theology with a concentration in catechetics. In 2005, Heather and her husband, Jake, founded Life Restoration, a ministry which seeks to help people become fully alive and experience freedom and restoration in Jesus. Currently, Heather lives in Abbotsford, BC with her husband Jake and their 3 children Maria, Judah, and Evangeline. facebook | instagram | website   Show Notes: The Abiding Together Podcast Jake and Heather Khym’s Ministry, Life Restoration   Call to Action –  Go follow and subscribe to this great podcast and be filled with the goodness the Lord does through these women!

We have gone through many emotions, likely similar to many of you. In this episode, we just want to connect with you and share with you what has been on our hearts and in our minds during this most horrific time in our Church. This is by far not an exhaustive expression of our feelings, but we wanted to answer those who had reached out to hear from us. Maybe, hopefully, we can also share some words of encouragement during these very difficult times through this episode. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us and on the whole world. **Photo Credentials: Nancy Ewing You may also want to view: A lovely reflection from Elizabeth Foss, titled Now What? Powerful words, Enough Already, by Anthony Esolen at First Things A priest’s response, The Pennsylvania Sex Abuse Scandal, by Fr Mike Schmitz at Ascension Press   24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations[c] but now made manifest to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.” Colossions 1:24-29

Don Johnson, our guest for our 50th episode of the podcast, also coincides with the month of the 50th anniversary of the culture – shocking papal encyclical titled, Humanae Vitae. This Catholic convert, author, and filmaker sees his calling to evangelize as a gift but also admits the struggle to always walk in faith. Don not only shares pieces of his conversion story with us but he also takes us behind the scenes of the film which  further exposes the lies behind the sexual revolution, including the history of the iconic Cosmopolitan empire.   Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Don Johnson is an author, speaker, radio show host, and filmmaker. After spending over 20 years in protestant evangelistic work, including extensive experience as an inner city youth worker and young adult pastor, he entered the Catholic Church in 2015. Don has a B.A. in Theology, Missions and Intercultural Studies from San Jose Christian College, an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and an M.A. in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He has also done graduate work in the evangelism program at Multnomah Seminary and the philosophy of Religion program at Talbot School of Theology. Don is the producer and director of Unprotected and  Convinced and the author of How to Talk to a Skeptic: An Easy to Follow Guide for Natural Conversations and Effective Apologetics. Don’s interests include hosting tours of the Holy Land.  He and his wife have four children and enjoy hiking through National Parks.   Show Notes: To purchase Unprotected, Convinced, or any other of Don’s publications, click here.    

We are continuing our fun summer series with a fellow podcaster, Kristine Franklin of the Hello and Welcome Podcast. We had a most delightful time with this brilliant storyteller who is full of wit, wisdom, and a wealth of knowledge. Kristine is a woman after God’s own heart and she not only shares her journey to Catholicism but also shares about her 20 plus years in Catholic media ministry. You don’t want to miss this episode. #womenencouragingwomen   Please consider financially supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Kristine L. Franklin was raised in a fundamentalist evangelical church where she learned to love Jesus, read the Bible, and share her faith with anyone who would listen.  She graduated from Biola University with a B.A. in Communications, a Minor in Biblical Studies and the deep desire to serve as a foreign missionary.    In 1991 Kristine and her husband Marty and their two children moved to Central America as lay missionaries.  During this time they began to question many of the presuppositions of Protestantism as they saw its problems fully exposed in an international, multi-denominational setting.   After several years of study, prayer and difficult inner struggle, Kristine and Marty knew that to live in obedience to Christ meant being fully united with His Church.  The whole family was received into the Catholic Church in 1995.    Kristine is the award-winning author of a dozen children’s books.  She has written for ENVOY, NEW COVENANT, and OUR SUNDAY VISITOR.  Kristine was the co-host of the popular EWTN series, “Household of Faith,” and “Now That We’re Catholic!” and has been a guest on both “The Journey Home,” and “The Abundant Life” television programs. She is an occasional conference speaker.   Kristine has worked in Catholic Radio and now produces and hosts the podcast Hello and Welcome! She can be reached at helloandwelcomepodcast@gmail.com Website   www.helloandwelcomeshow.com Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/hellowelcomeshow/ Instagram: hellowelcomeshow Twitter name  @hellowelcomerc   Show Notes: Mercy Unwrapped, a Podcast, was recorded in the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. In this series you will hear remarkable stories of ordinary people, touched by the mercy and grace of God. Powerful Radio, a book by Valerie Geller Kristine Franklin’s episode on Journey Home Podcast episode with Timothy O’Malley on Infertility from the Male Perspective

Please consider supporting our Podcast One thing we have come to love to do around here is get to know other women that have a postive online presence and/or are also giving of their time and talents for a Catholic ministry focused on encouraging women. This week we get to do just that with a lighthearted conversation with Noelle Mering. Noelle is a wife and mother, writer, and editor/social media manager for Helena Daily. Noelle shares her journey of faith to this point in her life. We think you will enjoy getting to know the faith-filled and fun woman behind the very popular Met Gala and Sex and City media pieces. One of those articles actually landed her on a Fox News Live radio segment. Listen in to hear the rest of the story.   Our Guest:       Noelle Mering Noelle Mering is the Arts and Culture editor and social media manager for helenadaily.com. She studied philosophy and theatre at Westmont College in California and did graduate work in philosophy at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Noelle and her husband live in Southern California with their six children. You can connect with Noelle on FB, IG, Twitter You can find all of her published work at NoelleMering.com   Show Notes: Since Its Debut 20 Years Ago, ‘Sex And The City’s’ Profoundly Unrealistic View Of The World Has Hurt Women (The Federalist) Takeaway Message from the Met Gala: The Sexual Revolution is Tired (National Catholic Register) Many more articles can be found at NoelleMering.com  

“Humanae Vitae made me embrace the Church again”. These words spoken by our guest, Mallory Smyth of ENDOW, are both gripping and also echo the hearts of many women whose hearts have been touched by the profound words of Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae. Fifty years ago, July 25, The Church and the world received this church document and the words are just as important today: “The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships. The fulfillment of this duty has always posed problems to the conscience of married people, but the recent course of human society and the concomitant changes have provoked new questions. The Church cannot ignore these questions, for they concern matters intimately connected with the life and happiness of human beings.”  These are the treasures of wisdom gifted to us from Jesus through Mother Church. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Mallory Smyth speaks around the country on topics such as catholic worldview, inheritance of faith and the feminine genius. Mallory fell in love with Jesus during her junior year at Louisiana State University and entered into full-time ministry after working one year as an accountant. She served as a FOCUS missionary for five years and is currently the director of program growth for ENDOW, Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women. It is her dream to see Catholics fall deeply in love with the God who loved them first, fully living the joy of the Gospel. Mallory currently lives in Denver with her husband, Jared and their two daughters, Penelope and Eliza.   Show Notes: ENDOWgroups.Org What They Didn’t Teach You in Sex Ed, by Vicki Thorne Humanae Vitae, 50 Years Later: Progress or Regress?, by Janet Smith at Christendom Girl Genius I – Defining Dignity, by Endow Groups Letter to Women, by Pope John Paul ii The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins Call to Action –  Let us not be afraid to unearth the treasures of The Church, especially Humane Vitae. Know more, learn more, and share more with others. Scripture –  18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 Saint Quote –  “Thank you, every woman, for the simple fact of being a woman! Through the insight which is so much a part of your womanhood you enrich the world’s understanding and help to make human relations more honest and authentic.“ – St. John Paul ii

Want to be inspired by the younger generation of Catholics? Would you like to be encouraged in your own journey and how you can connect with other Catholics in your own neck of the woods? This type of evangelization is far beyond what social media platforms can do. Richy Orozco of Catholic Connect has embarked on this remarkable journey of taking online connections and making them happen in real life. His passion to build community within our local communities is a huge task but he is using the uniqueness of his stage of life to build up the kingdom of God. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Richy Orozco is bilingual and in his last semester of college at C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. He’s most likely drinking coffee, hanging out with friends, learning new things about technology, or talking to his priest friends. Throughout his youth he was always involved in youth groups and after finishing high school he realized that there was a lack of resources to connect Catholics to their community. He founded Catholic Connect, a social media apostolate that reaches over five million people per week. His original goal was to help young fallen away Catholics reconnect with their faith although it quickly turned into an apostolate for all, young, old, and reaching people from all over the world. His largest audience are 25-34 year olds and his top countries include USA, Brazil, Indonesia, Phillipines, Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico. For the last two years Richy and his programmers have been working on a social media platform that will help everyday Catholics connect with their community. Connect more with Richy through his social media or emailh him at richyorozco@catholicconnect.co LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richyorozco Twitter: https://twitter.com/richyorozco2013 FB: facebook.com/richy.oro   Show Notes: If you would like to support Catholic Connect, go to YouCaring   Call to Action –  What desire has God planted in your heart to further the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ? Let us connect with one another not only in a social media way but also let us increase our face to face community impacts. Scripture –  “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teachingthem to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28: 19-20  Saint Quote – “Your daily encounter with Christ takes place right where you work, where  your aspirations and your affections are. There we must seek sanctity,  in the midst of the most material things of the earth, serving God and  all humankind.” -St. Josemaría Escrivá

Happy Mother’s Day to all those who have built up and nurtured others as either physical mothers or spiritual mothers. On the heels of our 2 episodes about the occult and New Age, we decided that it was a good idea to go ahead and release this episode a week early. (We may take the whole month of June off, haha :)) We heard from so many of you telling us how those previous episodes had helped you and are now looking for the next step. Of course, as we have said so many times, Confession is your Sacrament of healing. But we also want to talk about a beautiful ministry that is an absolute jewel for us in the trenches of this world. This step is one to be used over and over in our daily lives and also is a valuable tool to use with children and friends. UNBOUND Ministry is an approach to deliverance and healing prayer developed by Neal Lozano. The focus of the UNBOUND model is on an individual as you deeply listen into their story and heart. UNBOUND is a safe, loving, effective prayer model that helps people to respond to the good news of the gospel. UNBOUND applies the truth to our lives by using five basic responses called the Five Keys .The Five Keys are: Repentance and Faith, Forgiveness, Renunciation, Authority, and The Father’s Blessing Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:     Matthew Lozano serves as Director of Leadership Development for Heart of the Father Ministries.  He has twelve years of teaching experience and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Villanova University and a Master’s Degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute.  He and his wife Jennifer have four children and live in the Philadelphia area.  He is the coauthor of the Unbound Ministry Guidebook and Abba’s Heart.   Show Notes: What is Unbound? Unbound the book Call to Action –  Is there an area of your life that is making you feel a little more irritated or angry and reacting in harsher ways than normal? Let us all consider what area or areas in our life that may be bound by the lies of the evil one. Let us all pursue freedom in Christ. Scripture –  “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – John 10:10-11 Saint Quote –  “Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ doesn’t seek the glory of Christ.” – St. John of the Cross

Have you started to feel this strange lack of desire for your faith or not really wanting to pray your rosary? Have you started to actually question and disagree with some of the Church’s teachings? Have you noticed an inability to focus or an irritability while trying to pray or read the Scriptures? We finish the rest of the conversation with Sue Brinkmann where we share and unpack some more of the false notions and downright lies we have been sold about personality tests, enneagrams, witchcraft, and other New Age practices. Referring to St. Teresa of Avila’s writings, Sue shares that even if we are close to a transforming union with the Lord we are still capable of falling. Most importantly we must remember we can be deceived at all times. May you be blessed in this final installment on New Age.  Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, author and journalist, has joined Living His Life Abundantly & Women of Grace as Staff Writer. Susan is a member of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites and comes to us from The Catholic Standard and Times, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where she served for six years as a Correspondent. She has won numerous national awards for her work and has published several books, including two historical fiction novels, a book on Carmelite prayer entitled, “Lord Teach us to Pray” and a book on the fraudulent research of Alfred C. Kinsey entitled, “The Kinsey Corruption,” published by Ascension Press. She has devoted her life and talents to building up the Church and tearing down the culture of death, and is pleased that the Lord has called her to LHLA/Women of Grace to continue this vocation. Susan is single and writes for us from her home in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Look for Sue’s articles on websites www.womenofgrace.com and in future issues of Canticle. You can reach Sue at sbrinkmann@womenofgrace.com.   Show Notes: Pontifical Document, Jesus Christ The Bearer of the Water of Life, A Christian reflection on the “New Age” Sue’s articles at  Women of Grace New Age Blog from Women of Grace The Enneagram, by Sue Brinkmann What’s Missing from the Mindful Catholic? The Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, by Sue Brinkmann We Need to Talk: God Speaks to a Modern Girl, by Sue Brinkmann Catholics and the New Age, Father Mitch Pacwa Yoga: A Cautionary Tale by Jenny Uebbing SoulCore – A great workout that you could try in place of yoga The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett Learn to Discern a Compendium by Sue Brinkkmann   Call to Action – When we start having weird levels of anger, let us be honest with ourselves and ask the Lord what is it that is actually agitating us. If you feel like you may have opened the door to any negative spiritual influences, please find your way to the confessional. Confession is the Sacrament of Healing that can release you from bondage. Come Home.  Scripture –  “3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. ” – 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Saint Quote –  “If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” -St. Mother Teresa  

Yoga, Enneagram, New Age, Mindfulness. Every time these topics came up as one to address, it always came with a huge hesitation. The New Age movement within Christendom is quickly becoming an undeniably divisive and dangerous issue. We knew that if we were to do this well, we needed someone to help us wade through these waters by giving solid statistics and years of experience. Sue Brinkmann was our first choice. Sue reminds us so beautifully that when people get caught up in the New Age or Occult they are typically just searching. As one who used to be entrenched in The New Age practices herself, Sue has become one of the leading researchers for the Catholic Church. Most people who participate in New Age have no substantial knowledge of what it is they are getting into. Our desire in this two-part series is to inform and to encourage our listeners to know how to better choose solely a Christ-centered spirituality. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, author and journalist, has joined Living His Life Abundantly & Women of Grace as Staff Writer. Susan is a member of the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites and comes to us from The Catholic Standard and Times, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where she served for six years as a Correspondent. She has won numerous national awards for her work and has published several books, including two historical fiction novels, a book on Carmelite prayer entitled, “Lord Teach us to Pray” and a book on the fraudulent research of Alfred C. Kinsey entitled, “The Kinsey Corruption,” published by Ascension Press. She has devoted her life and talents to building up the Church and tearing down the culture of death, and is pleased that the Lord has called her to LHLA/Women of Grace to continue this vocation. Susan is single and writes for us from her home in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Look for Sue’s articles on websites www.womenofgrace.com and in future issues of Canticle. You can reach Sue at sbrinkmann@womenofgrace.com.   Show Notes: Pontifical Document, Jesus Christ The Bearer of the Water of Life, A Christian reflection on the “New Age” Sue’s articles at  Women of Grace New Age Blog from Women of Grace What’s Missing from the Mindful Catholic? The Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, by Sue Brinkmann We Need to Talk: God Speaks to a Modern Girl, by Sue Brinkmann Catholics and the New Age, Father Mitch Pacwa Yoga: A Cautionary Tale by Jenny Uebbing SoulCore – A great workout that you could try in place of yoga Call to Action –  Let us all take a moment and ask us what we have made an idol in our lives. Is there something that we have allowed to take the place of Christ in our lives? If so, let us go to the Sacrament of Healing, Reconciliation. We must be open to receive God’s Mercy and Healing and make Jesus Christ the only Lord of our lives. Scripture –  “3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. ” – 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Saint Quote –  “If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” -St. Mother Teresa

We are created for relationships: parents and children, siblings, best friends, spousal relationships, work place friendships, and neighborhood communities. We are fed and encouraged and supported through others. Christians refer to this beauty as the mystical Body of Christ; we are His hands and feet. Have you ever been intentional with another woman in matters of spiritual growth or just day to day life? Has another woman ever poured this life giving energy into you? Megan and Becky have both been blessed by other women in this way and they have tried to gift that to others also. This week we want to encourage all of our listeners to ask God to help you seek out women who can intentionally pour into their lives. Or, ask the Lord if it is your calling to pour into another. Is there a woman in the pew every Sunday morning that continues to move your heart? And by all means ladies, just living a faithful life and keeping our tongues from gossip and slander will go a very long way in building up the women around us.  Evangelization is not only a right but also an obligation. Please consider supporting our Podcast Show Notes: Johnette Benkovic of Women of Grace has plenty of great resources Mary Healy’s book, Healing: Bringing the Gift of God’s Mercy to the World Amy Thomas article about being called and gifted Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell Called and Gifted from the Catherine of Siena Institute The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle Vatican II document “The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church”: it must be preceded by evangelization, faith, and conversion. It can then produce its fruits in the lives of the faithful: new life in the Spirit, involvement in the mission of the Church, and service to her unity.” CCC 1072  “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.” CCC 1131 Call to Action –  Let us focus on hearing from the Lord more and hearing when He has asked us to encourage another. God wants to love on us through other persons. Scripture –  “Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be discredited.” – Titus 2:3-4 Saint Quote –  “It is not enough to love the young, they must know that they are loved” – St. John Bosco

HAPPY EASTER FRIENDS!  “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” -1John 3:1a Listener: “Hi! I just started listening to your podcast and am so excited to listen thru them all! I was wondering if you could have an episode about what it means to be a “daughter of God” or “child of God” and how you know that and recognize that yourself. This topic of defining myself and my value with just being a “child of God” – not my work, my mothering, but just as a child of God – has come up lately for me and I just really don’t know what that means and how to get started with growing in that. I think this would be an awesome topic for your podcast and would be eager to hear your thoughts and guidance on this. Thanks so much!!!!” Our beautiful guest, Megan Hjelmstad, agrees with us and our listener that this understanding of who we are as children of God can be a tough truth to understand. Knowing that Baptism make us God’s children; receiving an unrevokable adoption; this vital point is the foundation. Once we accept this truth, how do we truly live like a daughter of God? This is not about being a perfect child, but about pursuing and being pursued by the love of the Father. May we all be blessed with a more love filled and secure walk with God the Father so that we might go out and preach the Good News to others. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Megan Hjelmstad writes from the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where she’s a wife and mom 24/7 and an Army Reservist in her “spare” time. Megan shares her uncontainable love for faith and the written word as a writer and speaker for Blessed is She, and feels especially called to encourage women in the areas of suffering, fertility issues, self-worth, and discernment. When not writing, Megan is happily indulging her hobbies as a bibliophile, tea drinker, sleep lover, and avid admirer of Colorado’s great outdoors. Aside from Blessed is She, you can find her writing in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Radiant Magazine, or on her personal blog, www.positivelyimperfect.com. Connect more with Megan through her email, megan@positivelyimperfect.com.   Show Notes: Reject the lies and stand on Truth as the Scriptures exhort us in Phillipians 4: 8-9:  “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.” CCC 270 God is the Father Almighty, whose fatherhood and power shed light on one another: God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us (“I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”):109 finally by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” 1Peter 3:21-22 “Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”  -2 Cor 6:17-18   Call to Action –  Open yourself to the love of The Father. Ask Him to show you how to know that Truth even more intimately. Read the Scriptures listed and mentioned during the podcast and really meditate upon them daily, asking God to give you the Graces He has in store for you. Accept your inheritance and then share the Good News with others. Scripture –  “15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” – Romans 8:15-16 Saint Quote –  “The glory of God is man fully alive”- St. Irenaeus    

Thriving in the Trenches Podcast turns ONE!!! Megan and Becky end up spending the time laughing about the past year, the goof ups, the bloopers, and the behind the scenes unexpected fun. Looking back and also looking forward at all the growth and blessings that God has bestowed and will bestow upon us all; we are happy to share this journey with you in the trenches of life. Thank you so much for supporting and encouraging and listening this past year. Let us continue to pilgrimage together by following the cloud by day and fire by night, the Catholic Church. And might we press forward in encouragement for each other as sisters in Christ. #womenencouragingwomen Please consider supporting our Podcast Show Notes: Episode 18 with Dwija Barobia Episode 9 with Helen Alvare Episode 7 with Gloria Purvis Episode 13 with Susan Husband: Modesty as an Act of Charity Episodes 36 and 37 with Christopher West to follow up on Modesty Episode 4 – Friendship and Laughter (Take 2) Episode 11 with Timothy O’Malley Episode 25 with LMFT Candice Ruttner-Duryea Episode 21 with Carrie Gress  Sweet friend, Sonja Corbitt, the Bible Study Evangelista Blessed is She top favorite podcasts    Call to Action –  Celebrate! Invite your friends to join us all in the trenches! Scripture –  “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Saint Quote –  “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.” – St. Patrick  

God loves us with a reckless love and He call us to be holy and to be perfect as the father in heaven is perfect. The commands are repeated in Scripture, old and new.  How do we balance all these Truths? “Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation;[a] the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;” (2 Cor 5: 17-18a). Last week we shared about the Church’s teachings on confession and why this is such a beautiful and joful gift of healing, mercy, joy, and freedom. This week we wanted to be more clear about sin. Who doesn’t like to talk about sin, right? Admitting we have fallen short, though the Scriptures tell us in Romans 3 that ALL have fallen short of the glory of God, is a difficult act of humility. Calling a sin a sin, especially in today’s relativistic culture, is a very important key to growing in holiness and breaking free from the binds of the evil one. Original sin, actual sin, sanctifying grace versus actual grace… what does it all mean? Let’s get started. Please consider supporting our Podcast   Show Notes: Becky referenced much of the No. 2 Baltimore Catechism  This is an excellent resource for teaching your kids and inadvertantly yourself the faith in a more concise way. Reference Catechism is from Lesson 5, Lesson 6, and Lesson 9 Scripture References:  Ephesians 4: 17 and 24-25; Romans 6: 1-6 Heart of the Father – Unbound, A ministry of spiritual deliverance Podcast Episode on Father Wound with John Finch Podcast Episode on Healing the Father Wound with Sonja Corbitt Podcast Episode on self medicating our triggers and Healing the Father Wound with Candice Ruttner-Duryear For Love and Marriage – Lighthouse Catholic Media CD with Johnette Benkovic Cory Asbury, Reckless Love – youTube video from song played in clips during this episode. “This also do we believe, in accordance with the Catholic faith, that after grace received through baptism, all the baptized are able and ought, with the aid and co-operation of Christ, to fulfill all duties needful for salvation, provided they are willing to labor faithfully. But that some men have been predestined to evil by divine power, we not only do not believe, but if there be those who are willing to believe so evil a thing, we say to them with all abhorrence anathema. This also do we profess and believe to our soul’s health, that in every good work, it is not we who begin, and are afterward assisted by Divine mercy, but that God Himself, with no preceding merits on our part, first inspires within us faith and love.” Council of Orange, 531AD Call to Action –  Take everything, even your failures, to the Lord and ask Him to redeem it ALL. Give it all back to Jesus and allow Him to heal you. Scripture –  “22 Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24 Reference Saint Quote –  “Repentance is the returning from the unnatural into the natural state, from the devil to God, through discipline and effort.” – St. John Damascene  

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1Jn 1:9) This week Megan and Becky explore the beauty and necessity of the Sacrament of Healing we call, Confession. With a heavy emphasis on the Catechism, the gals discuss many of the reasons why we need the Sacrament while also sharing personal experiences and reader questions and comments.  Reconciliation seems be one of the most misunderstood and the least sought out Sacrament in the Church. Why? Are we being exhorted to go? Do we understand the great power of absolution and the Mercy and Grace that is poured out on us? Do you want to grow in holiness and reject sin? Then the confessional should be a regular stop in your journey. Please consider supporting our Podcast Show Notes: “According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.”56 Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession.57 Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.58″ CCC 1457  “It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father5 from whom one has strayed by sin. It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner’s personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction. CCC1423  It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a “confession” – acknowledgment and praise – of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man. CCC1424 It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.”6 It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: “Be reconciled to God.”7 He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: “Go; first be reconciled to your brother.”8CCC 1423 and 1424 “Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”54 CCC 1456 When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, “for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.”55 (Council of Trent)  An example of a Daily Examen by Ignatian Spirituality Laudate App for iPhone and Android – this app includes many awesome resources such as daily examen, examination of conscious for confession, an interactive Rosary, Daily Readings, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Roman Missal changes, and the NAB and Douay-Rheims versions of the Bible Purple Leaflet by Catholic Leaflet Missal Company “14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.[c] 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.”   Per the Ignatius Study Bible commentary, This command to confess to one another must be interpreted within the context of the anointing rite, where the elders (i.e. oriests) presumably hear the confession of the sick person before his sins are remitted through the sacrament. Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 51: 3-4,12-13,18-19; Joel 2:12-13; Luke 11:29-32 (Readings referred to during podcast  from Wed 2/21) “And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:1-2 (the paralytic was healed through the faith of his friends who took him to Jesus when he couldn’t take himself. A beautiful act of intercessory prayer) Call to Action –  Let us encourage one another to make regular confession more regular and therefore gird ourselves with the Grace and Mercy of Jesus Christ. Ask God to help us grow in charity through the act of fasting for another in this ministry of healing we are being called to participate. Scripture –  “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”  How could they forgive sins if they were not confessed?  They could not.  This authority comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit which precedes it.” – John 20:21-23 Saint Quote –  St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church, “there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance.”    

This sin of objectification is truly hurting us all, men and women alike. Women have been taught they can use their body to manipulate others and men have been sold the lie that they are just naturally lustful and are hopeless to change. But, the Christ – centered, good news message St. John Paul II delivered during his Wednesday addresses tells us something very different. In Part 2 of our conversation with Christopher West, we go deeper into the meaning of Theology of the Body and how “we must rediscover the lost fullness of our humanity and long to regain it.” (JPII) Part 2 of 2 – Make sure you start with Part 1 (last week) for the beginning of the story. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Christopher West is a proud husband and father of five. His global lecturing, best-selling books and multiple audio and video programs have made him the world’s most recognized teacher of John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” – a bold, biblical vision of love and sexuality that takes us to the “cor” of what it means to be human. As founder and president of The Cor Project, Christopher leads an international outreach devoted to spreading this liberating teaching and empowering others to learn, live, and share it. His work has been featured in The New York Times, on ABC News, Fox News, MSNBC, and countless Catholic and Evangelical media outlets. Beyond his work as a popularizer of the Theology of the Body, Christopher has been teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on the subject since the late 1990s, having served on the faculties of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, and as a visiting professor of the John Paul II Institute in Melbourne, Australia. In 2004, he helped establish the Theology of the Body Institute near Philadelphia, Pa., and serves today as Senior Lecturer of Theology and Christian Anthropology. His weeklong courses there continue to draw students from around the world. Among Christopher’s best-selling books are Theology of the Body for Beginners, Good News About Sex & Marriage, At the Heart of the Gospel, Fill These Hearts and Pope Francis To Go: Bite-Sized Morsels from The Joy of the Gospel. His latest release is a free eBook Theology of the Body at the Movies, which can be downloaded at corproject.com/movies. You can stay in touch with Christopher at corproject.com and by following Christopher West (cwestofficial) on Facebook and Twitter (@cwestTOB) and on his new YouTube Channel: The Cor Project. You can also learn more about becoming a Cor Member and the many exclusive benefits you receive at cormembership.com. Show Notes: The Cry of the Heart Video by Christopher West Registration is open for Christopher’s TOB Pilgrimage to Italy. Click here for details. Make sure you check out Christopher’s new program for Made for More Find all of Christopher’s many books on Amazon.com Love and Responsibility by John Paul ii Beyond the Birds and the Bees by Gregory and Lisa Popcak The Truth and Meaning of Sexuality by the Pontifical Council of the Family Beyond the Talk – Educating Our Children About Sexuality by Christopher West Healing the Reformation’s Wounds with the Theology of the Body by Christopher West Matt Fradd Podcast with Christoper West Episode 56 Thriving in the Trenches Podcast Episode on Modesty with Susan Husband    Call to Action –  Let us rebuke and reject the lie that our bodies are bad. For some this may be very difficult to do but it is only in this light that we can truly give Jesus our heart so that we might be healed. Scripture –  8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5: 8 Quote –  “What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus everything else is secondary. And without the love of Jesus everything is useless.” St. John Paul II “The deepest desire of every human heart is to see another and be seen by that other’s loving look .” – St. Augustine  

So we know that you have likely heard about Theology of the Body through many sources, including us. You are also likely familiar with world renowned speaker, Christopher West. In this episode of our podcast, Christopher really just preaches the Gospel of Grace, Mercy, and Love. The Gospel of God’s love for each and everyone of us. Our goal in this interview was to speak life into the soul of anyone listening and share in the hope that comes from the love of Abba Father. Our world has been fed so many lies about sex, sexuality, beauty, our bodies, our desires, and our sins by many different fundamental religious. We are not called to be white washed tombs nor perfectionist, yet we are called to the way of perfection. We are not created to be a sack of dead bones, but a living soul and body created by love and for love. Part 1 of 2 – Join us next week for the rest of the story. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Christopher West is a proud husband and father of five. His global lecturing, best-selling books and multiple audio and video programs have made him the world’s most recognized teacher of John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” – a bold, biblical vision of love and sexuality that takes us to the “cor” of what it means to be human. As founder and president of The Cor Project, Christopher leads an international outreach devoted to spreading this liberating teaching and empowering others to learn, live, and share it. His work has been featured in The New York Times, on ABC News, Fox News, MSNBC, and countless Catholic and Evangelical media outlets. Beyond his work as a popularizer of the Theology of the Body, Christopher has been teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on the subject since the late 1990s, having served on the faculties of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, and as a visiting professor of the John Paul II Institute in Melbourne, Australia. In 2004, he helped establish the Theology of the Body Institute near Philadelphia, Pa., and serves today as Senior Lecturer of Theology and Christian Anthropology. His weeklong courses there continue to draw students from around the world. Among Christopher’s best-selling books are Theology of the Body for Beginners, Good News About Sex & Marriage, At the Heart of the Gospel, Fill These Hearts and Pope Francis To Go: Bite-Sized Morsels from The Joy of the Gospel. His latest release is a free eBook Theology of the Body at the Movies, which can be downloaded at corproject.com/movies. You can stay in touch with Christopher at corproject.com and by following Christopher West (cwestofficial) on Facebook and Twitter (@cwestTOB) and on his new YouTube Channel: The Cor Project. You can also learn more about becoming a Cor Member and the many exclusive benefits you receive at cormembership.com. Show Notes: The Cry of the Heart Video by Christopher West Registration is open for Christopher’s TOB Pilgrimage to Italy. Click here for details. Make sure you check out Christopher’s new program for Made for More Find all of Christopher’s many books on Amazon.com Love and Responsibility by John Paul ii    Call to Action –  Take the time to get honest with Jesus, let him into all the dark places in your own heart so that He can really shine his light and love and mercy into your deepest hurts. Scripture –  “17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation;[a] the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, God was in Christ reconciling[b] the world to himself,[c] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Cor 5: 17-19 Quote –  “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.” – Pope Francis  

“Think about not just the virtues that you will get for yourselves, but also the graces from fasting that will go into your home and family, your domestic churches. These graces will be there for your spouse and children. We are ultimately that vessel overflowing with God’s Graces and blessings onto others. While we may grow in virtue, our loved ones benefit also.” -Megan Schrieber With Lent fast (get what I did there??) approaching, Becky gives Megan a shot in the arm and a kick in the bottom to up her fasting game. Historical evidence, Scripture, and early church father writings abound in this week’s episode. Lent has traditionally been known as the time when new believers prepared for Baptism. Baptism is the Sacrament in which all sin is washed away. Lent and Easter should be a time for us to renew our baptismal promises and to repent and be cleansed. An excerpt from an article copy-written by Rev. D.E. Hudson, C.S.C. states “Open the life of any saint or servant of God, and all of them, in their manifold variety of person and character and holiness, will be found to practice fasting as one of the principal means of their spiritual progress. Yes, the tradition and the practice endure to this day with the children of the Church, and will endure unto the end of time. But it is still true, nevertheless, that the spirit of penance has so far decreased, that a very large and, we fear, an increasing proportion of the faithful, from one cause or another, or without cause at all, fail to observe the law of fasting.” Please consider supporting our Podcast Show Notes: Article by Mike Aquillina on Fasting  Lent and Easter Wisdom with St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi Catechism of the Catholic Church on fasting and penance The Complete Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung   Call to Action –  Make the effort to get to confession at the beginning of Lent, receive the font of Mercy and Grace. Start opening yourself up to the traditional call of The Church to fast this Lent. (as long as your health situation allows) Ask God to give you the Grace to follow His call on your life. Ask Him to guide you into your own personal conversion. Scripture –  “14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14-15 Saint Quote –  “What is fasting?” But that which is heavenly, both in meaning and substance? Fasting is the nourishment of the soul, and the food of the mind. Fasting is the life of the angels. Fasting is the death of sin, the destruction of guilt, the remedy of salvation, the source of grace, and the foundation of chastity. By this path God is more easily approached.” – St. Ambrose    

Have you ever heard of this term, Lectio Divina, and wondered what in the world it meant? Have you ever thought you’d like to learn how to get into the Scriptures in a deeper way? God speaks to us through the Word of God and we are richly blessed in this country to have the freedom to have Bibles, read Bibles, live out our Catholic Christian faith, and to come together for times to worship and praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a Catholic, we are steeped in the traditions of proper interpretations of God’s Word and we have the Graces of the Church to help us in our journey. With Lent just around the corner, we thought it was the best time to finally get Sarah Christmyer on our podcast to help us learn how to go deeper into relationship with our Father through the written Word. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Sarah Christmyer is a Catholic author, Bible teacher, and speaker with a special love for lectio divina and journaling as ways to draw close to Christ in Scripture. She co-developed with Jeff Cavins The Great Adventure Catholic Bible study program, serving as founding editor. Sarah is the author of two guided prayer journals, Create in me a Clean Heart: Ten Minutes a Day in the Penitential Psalms and Lord, Make Haste to Help Me: Seven Psalms to Pray in Time of Need. She  is author or co-author of a number of Bible studies for Ascension Press and Emmaus Road Publishing. She is a contributing author of Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing Christ’s Passion Through the Eyes of Women, published by Ave Maria Press. Sarah has a Masters degree in Theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, where she is an adjunct faculty member. She is a member of the Board of Malvern Retreat House in Malvern, PA. She blogs at www.ComeIntotheWord.com and for Women in the New Evangelization (WINE). You can find Sarah at: www.ComeIntotheWord.com https://www.facebook.com/comeintotheword/ Instagram: @comeintotheword Twitter: @SChristmyer Show Notes: During Lent, Sarah is hosting a group discussion of the Penitential Psalms on Facebook so people can share their insights with others. Request to join by liking Sarah’s Author Page linked above. Then click on “Groups” in the left-hand menu. Also, you can sign up for her blog at www.comeintotheword.com and you will receive free instructions related to things she is talking about: – Planting the Word in Your Heart (lectio divina steps and personal journaling format) – How to Pray with the Penitential Psalms    Call to Action –  Find the Bible that you will use as your own where you can underline and highlight the Scriptures that God is speaking blessing into your life with. Set up a special place that you can find quiet and commune with God as you meditate with the Penitential Psalms this Lent. If you are on Facebook, sign up for the group so we can all dig in deeper together. Ask the Lord to meet you in His Word daily and to give you the Grace to hear Him. Scripture –  “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” – Hebrews 4:14-16 Saint Quote –  “Great is the profit to be derived from the sacred Scriptures and their assistance is sufficient for every need. Paul was pointing this out when he said, ‘Whatever things have been written have been written for our instruction, upon whom the final age of the world has come, that through the patience and the consolation afforded by the Scriptures we may have hope.’ (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11) The divine words, indeed, are a treasury containing every sort of remedy, so that, whether one needs to put down senseless pride, or to quench the fire of concupiscence or to trample on the love of riches, or to despise pain, or to cultivate cheerfulness and acquire patience – in them one may find in abundance the means to do so.”  (Hom. 37  On John.)” – St. John Chrysostom    

“Compassion does not kill, compassion suffers alongside or along with.” -Trent Horn On this installment of Thriving in the Trenches, we make some fun announcements to go along with a very informative and helpful conversation with Catholic Answers apologist, Trent Horn. Have you ever shied away from trying to defend your pro-life position because you were just not comfortable doing so? As important as this issue is in today’s culture, we have an opportunity to grow in our knowledge and how to use logical questions to simply “put a rock in someone’s shoe” regarding their standpoint on this important moral issue.  Please consider supporting our Podcast This week’s episode is sponsored by Catholic T-Shirt Club, a subscription service in which each month features a different Catholic theme based on Liturgical events or Saint Feasts. Their Exclusive Catholic T-shirts are paired with unique Sacramentals and reflections so you can Evangelize just by wearing and sharing these gifts!Each box is so packed with awesomeness, you can keep some, and share some things with others! Share the Love, Share the Gospel! Shop or Subscribe Here.   Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary use T-shirts

In today’s episode, Megan and Becky continue to have the conversation about what it looks like to encourage one another but also what it actually feels like to be encouraged. They both share with the listeners how the Lord used other women to encourage each of them individually this past week. The power of this message has been well received and many other women are signing on to this movement of #womenencouragingwomen. By nature of the word encouragement, Megan and Becky also wanted to extend this conversation to apply to men. Exploring how we can affirm the men in our lives and start more proactively lift up masculine vocations. Asking the important question of how can we rightly encourage our spouse, sons, brothers, fathers, and even our parish priests. Please consider supporting our Podcast   Show Notes: Blog post by Michele Quigley on how the culture has stopped trusting in God. Dear Adam, Eve is Not an Object – Video done by Petersboat.net: Becky mentioned this in reference to the importance of bonding emotionally with your spouse Call to Action – Ask God for the grace of humility to admire someone else’s beauty and achievement without questioning your own.  Scripture –  “9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we wake or sleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” – 1 Thess 5: 9-11 Saint Quote –  “Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices” – St. Teresa of Avila    

In the Season 3 opener, Megan and Becky share about their Saints of the year and word of the year. They also share how the Lord is prompting them to switch up things and shift the focus of the podcast ever so slightly. Through plenty of laughter and Scripture, we are focusing on glorifying God, #womenencouragingwomen, and keeping in step with the Spirit. Happy New Year!  Please consider supporting our Podcast  Show Notes: Saints name generator by Jennifer Fulwiler  http://saintsnamegenerator.com/ Word of the year generator by Jennifer Fulwiler http://www.wordoftheyear.me/ St. Andrew Kim Taegon  St. Gabriel the Archangel Instagram Post by Rachel Balducci on the Watchers in the Night “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love” Ephesians 3:14-17  Call to Action –  Thank the Lord in all circumstances, for this is the will for your life. Scripture –  “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thess 5:18 Saint Quote –  “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.” – St. Teresa of Calcutta    

“Every virtue, every firm habit to do good is far more powerful than any vice that pulls us away from the true joy of God. Mercy is giving people more love than they deserve which is exactly what God does for us” -Damon Owens Episode 13 – Modesty As an Act of Charity with mom of 7 boys, Susan Husband, definitely stirred up some chatter on facebook when it released back in the Spring. Several comments really struck a chord with us in the way that stirred our hearts to keep the conversation going. There are a lot of women out there who have been hurt by this conversation on modesty and it has been causing women to feel as though they are carrying the entire weight of the issue. Men and women really are both truly wounded with all that goes with this issue. Men are bombarded and women are blamed.We were thrilled to have Damon help us dig into the truths of who we are in God’s family and how we can apply these truths into our everyday choices of not only what we are wearing but mostly how we present ourselves and how we feel about ourselves.  Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Damon Owens, an international speaker and evangelist for over 20 years, is the founder and executive director of joytob. Following four-years as the first executive director of the Theology of the Body Institute in Philadelphia, he served as Chairman of the 2016 International Theology of the Body Congress. In 2002 after 16 years in the technology sector, he sold out of his firm and founded Joy-Filled Marriage New Jersey, and New Jersey Natural Family Planning Association, non-profit organizations dedicated to building a marriage culture through training, seminars, and conferences. Damon and his wife Melanie taught Natural Family Planning (NFP) for 14 years, and served as NFP Coordinators for the Archdiocese of Newark (NJ). A Certified Speaker for the Theology of the Body Institute, National Trainer for Ascension Press, and presenter at the 2015 World Meeting of Families, Damon keeps a full international speaking schedule at conferences, marriage seminars, universities, high schools, seminaries, and parishes on the good news of marriage, sexuality, Theology of the Body, Theology of the Family, adoption, and NFP. Damon currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife Melanie and their eight children. You can also connect with Damon on Facebook and Twitter     Show Notes:  Battle for the Body: Exorcising the Manichaean Demon and Reclaiming the Sacred Theology of our Body Podcast by Christopher West Integrity Restored Data on Porn: 51% of Americans regularly use pornography and over 80% of 15-17 year olds have been exposed to hard core pornography Helen Alvare (from Episode 9)quoted Giusanni about sadness and despair being opposite emotions. Sadness is OK because it is still rooted in hope, despair is not rooted in hope. Communion and Liberation – Luigi Giusanni   SPECIAL MUSIC by Teresa Peterson – pre-order her new Album, Faithful You can see her music video for Faithful here on Youtube    Call to Action –  See the other person’s heart and not their outerwear. Seeing and understanding that mercy is love’s second name. Let us ask the Lord to give us the Grace to see others the way He sees them.  Scripture –  “13 Jesus said to her, “Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” – John 4:13-15 Saint Quote – “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.” – St. John Paul II  

This is the portion of the podcast where we follow up with what YOU, our listeners, have given us to talk about. We are following up on our conversation with Emily Stimpson Chapman from episode 28. We continue to talk about the female body imange and how really all issues must lead us back to the wonderful counselor, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Though some struggle with a negative view of their bodies, others may see how they can manipulate others with their beauty. We talk about how we all just need to focus on how all beauty is of the Lord and is for the Lord and to share the Lord with the very hungry souls world around us.  Happy Thanksgiving from Thriving in the Trenches!! We are so THANKFUL for YOU!! Please consider supporting our Podcast     Show Notes: Episode 25: Candice Duryear speaking of Christ’s wounds Emily’s Journey Home Episode

In-law jokes and in-law bashing seems to be en vogue among the married population. When Megan and Becky were asked to do an interview by best-selling author and speaker, Carrie Gress, about the role of in-laws in our lives, we realized how much this topic is not covered in the media and decided to do an extra podcast on the topic. With the holidays coming and more time with family, the topic seems even more timely. You can read the original article here and then listen to us expound on the interview and share more of our hearts on the topic. Please consider supporting our Podcast ***Disclaimer – there are some family dynamics that do absolutely require safe boundaries and that may include distance and limited time together. We are not professionals and are not addressing these types of situations

Many of us are likely very familiar with this week’s guest, but you may not know all of her story. Emily Stimpson Chapman shares with us how she went from being terrified to eat at all to one who throws the best of parties with the best of  foods and the best of beverages. Emily’s view on the role and nature of woman, whether single or married, is so beautifully woven through the truths our Church teaches. If you have not checked out her new book, The Catholic Table, we suggest you do! So let’s talk about our bodies, food, wine, and hosting the best parties. This is the most delightful conversation with some jaw-dropping truths sprinkled throughout the episode. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   Emily Stimpson Chapman is a freelance Catholic writer based in Pittsburgh, PA, and the creator of The Catholic Table, a blog about food, friendship, and hospitality. Her books include The Catholic Table: Finding Joy Where Food and Faith Meet (Emmaus Road, 2016), These Beautiful Bones: An Everyday Theology of the Body (Emmaus Road, 2013) and The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years (Emmaus Road, 2012), and The American Catholic Almanac: A Daily Reader of Patriots, Saints, Rogues, and Ordinary People Who Changed the United States (Image, 2014). A prolific essayist and journalist, Emily writes regularly on “all things Catholic”—from politics and catechesis to higher education and the media, with a special focus on the Church’s teachings on marriage, sexuality, and femininity. Over the years, her writing has appeared in Our Sunday Visitor, First Things, Touchstone, Franciscan Way, the National Catholic Register, Faith and Family, and elsewhere. It has been honored by both the Catholic Press Association and the Associated Church Press, and was included in Loyola’s Best Catholic Writing series. Emily holds a BA from Miami University of Ohio (Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude), where she studied political science, history, and English literature. She also did graduate work in political science at John Hopkins University and theology at Franciscan University. Before moving to Steubenville, Emily worked in Washington, DC, first as a Legislative Assistant to then Congressman Jim Talent (R-MO), then later at the Heritage Foundation, where she served as Special Assistant to former Attorney General Edwin Meese III.     Show Notes: Theology of the Body by St. John Paul 2 Theology of the Body Institute CorProject with Christopher West Napro Technology – Episode 7 on Freedom with Gloria Purvis   Call to Action –  As women, this week let’s shift the focus to needing to take care of our bodies rather than trying to control them. We can also apply this to any other situation in our life that we re trying to control rather than caring for it and letting God be in control. Scripture –  “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread[c] the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” – John 6:56-58 Saint Quote – “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus.” – St. John Paul II  

“The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ He says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church’…On him He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to feed the sheep; and although He assigns a like power to all the Apostles, yet He founded a single chair, and He established by His own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was; but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the Apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?” —St. Cyprian of Carthage The Unity of the Catholic Church, 1st edition, A.D. 251 Show Notes: Washington Post Article on the Reformation noted in episode. Acts 1:12 – This is where we see that the Apostles were “seats of authority” that had to be and remain filled. Again, seeing how the Holy Spirit led the choosing in the casting of lots. Again, watching Peter stand up as the mouthpiece of all the disciples and apostles. Acts 15 – The first Church council showing evidence for Peter’s papal authority, how the magistereum works, and how Church dogmas and doctrines have been formed through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Without these historical councils, we would not have the Christianwide accepted teaching of the Trinity, the 2 natures of Jesus, and the (much disputed) table of contents of the Bible.

Why is the Catholic Church who She says She is? When Paul wrote to Timothy in Chapter 3 of 1 Timothy, why did he tell him that “the church” was the pillar and foundation of truth and it would tell how one ought to behave in the household of God? Who is this church? Who leads it? Who protects the teachings? How can we trust it? On the 500th anniversary of the protestant revolution, we knew Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers was the man for the job to answer these questions. As Catholic women striving to thrive in our trenches of our feminine vocations, why is submitting to Mother Church, The Catholic Church, a vital piece of our lives? Our Dynamic Deacon does not shy from the Truth nor does he speak without charity. We humbly pray that all will be touched by the beauty and fullness that our Catholic faith offers us. We have a great gift, let us treasure it and share it with all of our seperated brothers and sisters and call for the unity that has been protected and upheld in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Jesus prayed for unity in John 17, let us do the same. Please consider supporting our Podcast   Guest: Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers   Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers – known around the world as the “Dynamic Deacon” – is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Church today. He is a powerful and passionate evangelist and preacher, whose no-nonsense approach to living and proclaiming the Catholic faith is sure to challenge and inspire those who hear him. He travels across the United States and around the world speaking at conferences, workshops, retreats, parish missions, high schools, and young adult events – in short, to everyone who desires to know Jesus intimately and enjoy a deeper personal relationship with Him. His areas of expertise include marriage and family life, discerning the will of God, the sacraments, male spirituality, pro-life issues, evangelization, prayer, and many others. Deacon Harold holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Theological Studies Degree from the University of Dallas. He co-hosts the weekly broadcast, “Living Stones,” every Monday on Mater Dei Radio, and has appeared as a guest on numerous other national and international radio programs, including “Catholic Answers Live” and “Vocation Boom Radio.” In addition, he is the host or co-host of several popular series on EWTN television. Deacon is featured on the award winning Chosen faith formation program by Ascension Press and the author of the best-selling book, Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality published by Ignatius Press, and co-author of the acclaimed new book, Ignite: Read the Bible Like Never Before. Deacon Harold is featured on The Greatest Commandments: A 40-Week Spiritual Journey for Married Couples, a vibrant marriage-enrichment program rooted in biblical values and designed to help husbands and wives know God better, trust Him fully and love Him completely throughout the course of their married lives. Retaining a deep love of Benedictine spirituality which he gained during his time discerning a call to that religious community, Deacon Harold is a Benedictine Oblate of Mt. Angel Abbey. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. As the president and CEO of The Saint Joseph Center, Deacon Harold oversees that nonprofit organization’s endeavors, which include hosting an international institute for Catholic male spirituality, coordinating dynamic speaking tours and life-changing retreats, and developing products and services that support family life. Most importantly, he is married to his lovely wife, Colleen, and they have four beautiful children. They live in Portland, Oregon, where Deacon Harold is assigned to Immaculate Heart Catholic Church. View Deacon Harold’s Curriculum Vitae Show Notes: Find all of Deacon Harold’s contact information and available books and speaker engagement information at DeaconHarold.com Full pdf of Amoris Laetitia Lumen Gentium Humanae Vitae Living Stones podcast series “The Joy of Love” which goes through Amoris Laetitia hosted by Deacon Harold and Ken Hallenius Behold the Man – Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers The Mass in Sacred Scripture – Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers The Pope who tried to re translate the Bible – Pope Sixtus Pope Fiction by Patirck Madrid Call to Action: On Tuesday, October 31, let us gather in the adoration chapels around the country and world to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament as Jesus prayed in John 17, “that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Let us continue to pray for the healing of the Body of Christ and unity amongst all believers so that the world might know God. Scripture:  “14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love”. –Ephesians 4:14-16 Saint Quote: “There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church – which is, of course, quite a different thing.”  (Excerpt taken from a talk by Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Radio Replies – click here to read it’s entirety)  

This is our final episode of peeling back the onion of the father wound. If you’ve listened to the previous episodes, a father wound can really relate to any wound from many different types of trauma. Since this is the Lead the Conversation piece of our podcast series, this is where we address questions and comments from our treasured listeners. And because neither Megan nor Becky are licensed professionals, they decided to bring in a little bit of back-up. Well, alot of back-up. Candice Ruttner-Duryea is a licensed marriage and family therapist/psychologist specializing in trauma care. She has done an amazing job partnering with Sonja Corbitt and walking through the science behind what Sonja shares in her Healing the Father Wound series. From denial to playing the victim, we get down to the nitty gritty this week with Candice. Please make sure you watch the youTube videos in the show notes along with catching Sonja’s series on the father wound. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Candice Ruttner-Duryea is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Candice offers therapy for individuals, couples and families at her private practice in San Diego, California. With over 15 years of experience as a marriage and family therapist and as a graduate of Loma Linda University specializing in Eating Disorders, PTSD, Trauma, and Children, she is currently serving as private practitioner working with a broad spectrum of clients. Candice offers a highly personalized approach tailored to each client based on their needs. She provides the support and practical feedback needed to help clients effectively address personal challenges. Candice offers a wide range of emotional and behavioral therapy services that span from depression and grief counseling, parenting support, couples counseling, and more. She is dedicated to help each client attain the personal growth they are striving for and will work diligently until that is accomplished. Candice is married and has 3 beautiful children. Show Notes: Candice shares in a short you-Tube video some science about Healing the Father Wound and why self medicating will never do the trick. Candice’s next YouTube video is about Attachment Trauma vs Single Incident Trauma. Peace of Soul by Fulton Sheen Episode 23 , Father Effect with John Finch Episode 24, Healing the Father Wound with Sonja Corbitt Bible Study Evangelista’s Series on Healing the Father Wound

Last week we introduced you all to the topic of what is called a father wound.  John Finch talked about this father effect and shared how his absent father caused a wound that led to very unhealthy coping mechanisms. This week, we are so thankful to have Sonja Corbitt with us to start the journey of healing the father wound. Sonja is currently running a radio series (also available via podcast) about healing the father wound. Ladies, this part of the conversation is what will help us to move forward but first, we have to go backward. Please remember that this pain is meant to heal, so do not lose hope friends. There is hope in the One and the Only, Jesus Christ. There is no redemption without the cross.  There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Rest in Christ and His love for you through this process. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Sonja erupted on the scene with her explosive book, Unleashed, where she shared how the Holy Spirit is freeing her from her patterns of toxic relationships, self-medicating habits, awful circumstances, and overwhelming desires. Now she’s showing up everywhere. Her 13-episode Unleashed TV series, perfect for study groups, aired weekly on CatholicTV, Focus TV, and Christian Associates TV. Soon after, her radio show Bible Study Evangelista launched on Real Life Radio, Breadbox Media, and St. Gabriel Radio. Sonja continues to offer brief, topical Bible study series. You can catch the show every week by subscribing below to the Monday morning email, or listen via podcast on iTunes, TuneIn, GooglePlay, Podbean, or Stitcher. Look for her new release, Fearless, A Catholic Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare; and Ignite, Read the Bible Like Never Before with Deacon Harold Burke Sivers summer of 2017. Sonja writes regularly for Jeff Cavins’ The Great Adventure Bible Study Blog and in Magnificat magazine, and speaks around the world. If you’d like to be part of The Evangelista Evolution, subscribe below. You’ll automatically get every episode of her newest Bible study series for free on Monday morning of each week – or on a monthly, or semi-annual basis as you choose – and no . Reviews and endorsements on Sonja are here. Or, to contact Sonja or book her for your next great event, kindly email: hello @ biblestudyevangelista.com.   Show Notes: Sonja’s podcast episodes including the Healing the Father Wound series LOVE the Word Episodes The Collected Works of John of the Cross Call to Action: This week, focus on taking the time to sit with The Word, the Lord Jesus the Word Incarnate. Learn to LOVE the Word by practicing Lisening, Observing, Verbalizing, and Entrusting Jesus through the Scriptures. Scripture: “Be angry, but sin not;     commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.  Offer right sacrifices,     and put your trust in the Lord.” -Psalm 4:4-5 Saint Quote: “Nothing great is ever achieved without much endurance” – St. Catherine of Siena

As seen on EWTN, John Finch has launched into a ministry of bringing to light The Father Effect. The father wound is no small topic and we here in the trenches feel like it is such an important one.  This interview with John Finch is very powerful and we hope it reaches out to all who need to hear it, men and women. Many people are wounded and hurting dearly but not really sure what is at the root of that pain. We are all wounded on some level because of some one and there is only One that can provide complete healing, Jesus Christ. We are God’s children and He sent the Word Incarnate to bring about our healing and as He has promised over and over in Scripture that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:   John Finch,  grew up the youngest of 3 boys in a suburb of Dallas where he lost his father to suicide at age 11. As a young man, John did anything he could to avoid confronting the wounds he suffered as a result of being fatherless. His craving for affirmation from a father who was not there to provide it, led him to seek that affirmation from the world in many unhealthy ways. In an attempt to find value as a man, he created a false persona that left him completely unfulfilled. His life was based on the pursuit of money in order to prove his success and he became a social alcoholic as he strived to be the life of every party and gain the attention of those around him. It was only when John realized and dealt with the unresolved issues of his father wound that he was able to become truly fulfilled. On April 20th, 2009, he finally came face to face with the issues that drove him to seek approval from a father who was not there to give it to him. By forgiving his father and recognizing what it truly means to be a man by God’s standard, he became a new man, husband and father. John seeks to break down the barriers that prevent men and women from addressing deep rooted anger and hurt from the wounds they have suffered in this life by candidly and openly sharing his story, his failings, and his path to a new way of life. John’s mission is to educate, encourage and equip men to become the fathers they were created to be, and to help men walk in daily awareness of their significant and lifelong influence as fathers. Through The Father Effect Movie, John shares stories and messages that will move viewers to a new awareness about the everlasting impact of fathers and the importance of forgiveness and openness in the relationships of this world. John has been married for 23 years. has three daughters and lives in Denton, Texas. He is the founder of The Perfect Father Ministries Inc, a 501(c) non-profit and EncouragingDads.com, a community of people from all of the world who share short stories to encourage dads. John’s new book, The Father Effect, Based on the feature film of the same name, THE FATHER EFFECT is a must-read for the millions of men and women who have lost their fathers through divorce, death, or disinterest. John Finch always struggled after his father committed suicide when he was eleven, but it wasn’t until he was raising his own three daughters that he truly understood their futures relied on his coming to terms with his difficult past. To move forward, he needed to forgive both his father for choosing to leave, and himself for not being the best father he could be. This journey led to THE FATHER EFFECT, a book containing practical help for anyone, man or woman, with a deep father wound from losing a dad through divorce, death, or disinterest. Through positive lessons on forgiveness and approachable advice on how to change your legacy as a parent, partner, and person, THE FATHER EFFECT is the ultimate healing tool for anyone who has suffered the absence of a dad.     john@thefathereffect.com www.TheFatherEffect.com EncouragingDads.com The Father Effect YouTube Channel The Father Effect GodTube Channel Facebook – The Father Effect Movie Twitter – @johnpfinch https://youtu.be/_iZnFPXVJ60   Show Notes: John’s new book – The Father Effect Healing the Masculine Soul by Gordon Dalbey Father’s online community EncouragingDads.com Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin 1690  Inside EWTN article on The Father Effect EWTN Episode of Take 2 with Jerry and Debbie Interview with John Finch   Call to Action –  How can we support our husbands and other men in our lives in their roles as a father and also in their role as a son. First, go watch the YouTube video of the short film.  Affirm our spouses, sons, or any other man in our life suffering through a father wound.  Also for those not married or women who feel they are wounded, go watch the film and ask the Lord to reveal to them any father wound that they may be carrying themselves. We do this so that God may start a mighty work of healing and restoration in our lives. Scripture –   “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” 6 Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?” – Hebrews 13: 5-6 Saint Quote – “Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.” –Archbishop Fulton Sheen  

We sure have been mulling over this word, meekness.  Have you?  For the most part, that virtue has been a bit of a challenge for us women to fully and freely accept and practice. On Episode 22 Megan and Becky recap some of the high points and some of the listener comments from our interview with Dr. Carrie Gress.  We hope you join us as we pull out and work though some of these topics like meekness and sweetness and more.      Show Notes: If There is an AntiChrist what about an Antimary? “What, then, would an antimary movement look like, exactly? Well, these women would not value children. They would be bawdy, vulgar, and angry. They would rage against the idea of anything resembling humble obedience or self-sacrifice for others. They would be petulant, shallow, catty, and overly sensuous. They would also be self-absorbed, manipulative, gossipy, anxious, and ambitious. In short, it would be everything that Mary is not.” –Carrie Gress “The devil knows that all these marks of the antimary – rage, indignation, vulgarity, and pride – short circuit women’s greatest gifts: wisdom, prudence, patience, unflappable peace, intuition, and the capacity for a deep relationship with God. Instead he promises power, fame, fortune, respect, and sterile fleeting pleasures. And like Eve, women of the antimarian movement are still falling for his lies.” –Carrie Gress

Living in this post Christian culture, many have offered options for us to live out the Gospel and to fight this civilization of decay. This week’s guest, Dr. Carrie Gress, offers us an option with plenty of historical success. The Marian Option is rooted in the tradition of going to Our Blessed Mother who has fought and won plenty of wars in the past and brought about massive conversion through her intercession. We know we can’t all head to the hills and ignore what is going on in the world, but we can choose to live out our dynamic feminine gifts focusing on this virtue of meekness. We are not talking about becoming a doormat as the culture wrongfully imposes on this Christian idea of meekness – meekness is certainly not weakness. We hope you are encouraged and exhorted to go to Mary to see how she is asking you to become more like her son, Jesus. Please consider supporting our Podcast   Our Guest: Carrie Gress has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America and is a faculty member at Pontifex University. Dr. Gress is a regular blogger at The National Catholic Register and has written for Aleteia, Catholic Vote, Catholic World Report, The Federalist, and The Stream, She is a frequent guest on Ave Maria Radio, EWTN Radio, and Relevant Radio, and has appeared on BBC, CBC, and EWTN television. Dr. Gress has lived and worked professionally in Washington, D.C. and Rome, Italy and her work has been translated into seven languages. She is the author of Nudging Conversions: A Practical Guide to Bringing Those You Love Back to the Church, Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhoodand co-author with George Weigel of City of Saints; A Pilgrim’s Guide to John Paul II’s Krakow. Her latest book, The Marian Option: God’s Solution to a Civilization in Crisis, was released May, 2017. A homeschooling mother of four, Dr. Gress and her family live in Virginia. You can find links to Carrie’s articles, books, and speaker information at CarrieGress.com Show Notes: Carrie’s Amazon Author page where you can purchase any of her books. Warriors and Worriers and the Battle of the Sexes by Joyce Benenson National Catholic Register – Carrie Gress Anti-Mary blog post by Carrie National Geographic May 2015 – How the Virgin Mary Became the Most Powerful Woman in the World St. Francis de Sales – Geneva, Switzerland Call to Action –  Let us all seek to readjust our mindset around this word meek.  Let’s think on the description of this virtue of womanhood with the words benevolent, kind, humble, and unassuming. And as St. Francis de Sales encourages us, let us start with those who are our closest comapanions.  Scripture –  “He leads the humble in what is right,     and teaches the humble his way.” – Psalm 25:9 Saint Quote – “Let us strive to be kind, meek, and humble with everyone, but especially so with those whom God destined to be our companions. Let us not be one of those who are angels in public and devils at home” – St. Francis de Sales  

In the last episode of our summer series, we had the most delightful conversation with writer, blogger, and foodie, Katie Curtis.  We definitely talk about more than food, but Katie shares with us how food has become a source of memories. Both from her childhood and also as a way to make memories with her own family, food is at the root of these memories.  Living in a liturgical paradigm also helps us eat with the seasons in a way that connects us to God’s beautiful and plentiful bounty.  Katie shares how God used times of isolation to grow her in her love of others, whether family or neighbors, and use food and fellowship to build friendships and family relationships.  So, pull out your old cookbooks, find a family favorite recipe, put on some good music, pour a glass of wine, invite your friends or neighbors, and eat and laugh and commune together.  Break bread together friends, delight in God’s gift of food and relationships. Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest: Katie Curtis started blogging when she was completely capsized by motherhood. Katie dropped out of a PhD program in Philosophy, had a traveling husband, and 3 kids in 3 years. Her heart felt like it had grown 1,000 times bigger, and the growing pains hurt. But cooking for her people always made everything better. Katie started really cooking when she was 30 – as in read all the cookbooks cover to cover and started to know the exact week when fiddlehead ferns or peaches are in season – but she blames most of her love of food on her childhood. Our guest grew up in a big Irish Catholic family where her mom made Asparagus with Hollandaise, German potato salad with bacon and vinegar, stuffed pork tenderloin and carrots with butter and parsley, and homemade banana creme cake. Sometimes all in the same meal. Katie’s mom and inspiration studied in France and those studies influenced her love of good food which she passed down to her family. This is when Katie started to see that food is memories. “The family table nourished and shaped me, and I hope to do the same for my family.” “I hope to help other families find easy ways to make memories too.” –Katie Curtis You can find the author’s work at Coastal Home Magazine and NH Magazine. She also writes a lot here. And you must take the time to delight yourself in Katie’s first novel just released earlier this summer.  The storyline and characters in Wideness of the Sea will captivate your heart and imagination. When Katie is not cooking dinner, she is editing her first memoir, to be published in in the near future, incubating twins due in October, or chauffeuring her 4 other kids around. She also likes to daydream about living in France with her crew and having all the laundry done for longer then 30 seconds. You can follow Katie on Facebook , Instagram and stay updated on all the good food and family life at her blog The Humble Onion.   Show Notes: How to Cook a Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher My Life in France   by Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme Blogger and Author – David Lebovitz Blogger and Author – Ruth Reichl