Podcast appearances and mentions of marcus grodi

Program #278 EWTN's Marcus Grodi speaks at the 11th Call to Holiness. Also, Fr. Eduard Perone gives the Feast of the Assumption Mass and archives of a Vatican Radio Report. Episode: https://audio.avemariaradio.net/2020/09/moc_20200920.mp3 Podcast: https://avemariaradio.net/program/putting-on-the-mind-of-christ/

Learn the impact Journey Home testimonies have had in people's lives as guest Marcus Grodi explains how the show got started, and why it's still going strong after all these years.

In this week's episode of Catholic ReCon, testimonies from reverts and converts, guest Carlos Zamora ( @c2six ) shares his Catholic upbringing, his struggles as a teenager, his early success as a rapper, two unbelievable turning points, his entry into a Protestant church, then a full return to the Catholic faith. #catholicchurch #protestant #rapper #testimony #catholicmass #catholicism #catholicprayer #catholic #conversion #gangsta #love #JesusChrist #concert C2six is a former gangsta rapper turned Christian rapper. After success as a secular rapper he had a conversion experience in 2007 at an all-ages concert in which he vowed to give up gangsta rap and dedicate his time and talent to God. Initially, he denounced his Catholic upbringing, considering himself to be a non-denominational Protestant Christian. After a 2 year break from music in order to study his Christian faith, he was compelled back to the Catholic Church. The music he was creating was cultured towards Catholicism, but there were not many other Catholics on the Christian rap scene. In a search for other Catholic hip-hop artists, C2six linked up with Nico Santana and S.M1ND in 2010 then John Levi and Val Mural in 2012 forming the group FoundNation. C2six and FoundNation have performed and spoken to young people throughout the United States. Canada and Mexico as well as the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Panama City, Panama. C2six has released multiple albums and two documentaries as a Christian hip-hop artist. He has been featured on EWTN's Journey Home with Marcus Grodi and Life On The Rock; Sirius XM Radio's Jennifer Fulwiler Show and Conversations With Cardinal Dolan; and Shalom World TV's Beats and Jesus My Savior. C2six resides in Fort Worth, Texas. --- If you'd like to share your personal testimony, please fill out the form here: https://bit.ly/3bdE6pr Wherever you are on the journey, God bless you. For more information, visit eddietrask.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eddie-trask/support

Fr. Mitch welcomes old friend, Marcus Grodi. The former host of EWTN's The Journey Home shares new testimonies from converts and re-verts about spiritual renewal, hope and healing.

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley and Kenny Burchard continue their series on what it means to follow Christ and be transformed into his image in the process. In this episode, as they follow the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tested, tried and changed in the process, Matt, Ken and Kenny look at three gifts that God has given his people to help them on their journey. More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Please consider supporting our work! Go to https://www.chnetwork.org/compass and enter promo code OTJ 3141 when you make your donation, and we'll send you a free copy of Marcus Grodi's book, “What Must I Do to be Saved?”

Matt, Ken and Kenny continue their series on what it means to follow Christ and be transformed into his image in the process. In this episode, we follow the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tested and tried and changed in the process. Immediately after Our Lord's baptism, he was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert. It's no coincidence that the Israelites' experience was the same; from their baptism in the Red Sea, the Holy Spirit led them into the desert. What was true for Jesus, and true for the Israelites, is true for us: the path to the Promised Land is a path that leads not around but through the desert. More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Please consider supporting our work! Go to https://www.chnetwork.org/compass and enter promo code OTJ 3141 when you make your donation, and we'll send you a free copy of Marcus Grodi's book, “What Must I Do to be Saved?”

Matt, Ken and Kenny continue their series on what it means to follow Christ and be transformed into his image in the process. In this episode, they continue exploring the practical steps involved in the process of sanctification by looking at what happened to us in our baptisms. How exactly do we begin to break the hold that our unhealthy attachments, addictions and idols have on us so that we might attach ourselves more closely to Christ? And what can we learn about all of these questions from the story of God's deliverance of his people in the Exodus? More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Please consider supporting our work! Go to https://www.chnetwork.org/compass and enter promo code OTJ 3141 when you make your donation, and we'll send you a free copy of Marcus Grodi's book, “What Must I Do to be Saved?”

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series on what it means to follow Christ, and receive His promises as part of the Christian life. In this episode, Matt, Ken and Kenny begin to explore the practical steps involved in the process of sanctification. How exactly do we begin to break the hold that our unhealthy attachments, addictions and idols have on us so that we might attach ourselves more closely to Christ? And what can we learn about all of these questions from the story of God's deliverance of his people in the Exodus? More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Please consider supporting our work! Go to https://www.chnetwork.org/compass  and enter promo code OTJ 3141 when you make your donation, and we'll send you a free copy of Marcus Grodi's book, “What Must I Do to be Saved?”

Matt Swaim, Ken Hensley, and Kenny Burchard continue their series on what it means to follow Christ, and receive His promises as part of the Christian life. Ken unpacks the story of Israel in Exodus as a pattern of sin and restoration that so many of us can relate to: we chase idols and mirages, which can never satisfy, while God wants us to turn to Him instead, to find perfect wholeness and joy. More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/compass (Enter promo code OTJ 3141 to get a free copy of Marcus Grodi's book, "What Must I Do to be Saved?")

From Graham Greene's novel The Power and the Glory, set in Mexico during the Communist persecution of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century, there is a great line from an atheist, who fully embraces his “faith.” It's interesting, in hindsight of my own experience: to not believe in God takes every bit as much faith in the end as does believing in God. However, the outcome of how you see the world is radically different. The character is an angry man who is hunting down the “Whiskey Priest,” a drunk, corrupt, unheroic hero who needs to be snuffed out, because snuffing out the priest will kill off God for good (this is another Herschel Walker Trade, which I'll discuss in future posts). Of course, this “kill ‘em all” approach has been the error of anti-Catholics since Nero first blamed followers of Jesus Christ for the fire in Rome. An unbeliever writhes at the stereotype of the faithful fool. He loathes the idiot who prays and believes in angels and demons. Why? Because he knows better. He knows that religion is all smoke and mirrors. It's all b******t, and he knows it. He knows that sees the wizard behind the curtain. These words could have come from my mouth or mind, even though I wasn't physically hunting priests to kill them:“It infuriated him to think that there were still people in the state who believed in a loving and merciful God. There are mystics who are said to have experienced God directly. He was a mystic, too, and what he had experienced was vacancy – a complete certainty in the existence of a dying, cooling world, of human beings who had evolved from animals for no purpose at all. He knew.” Yes, he knew. I knew. But I know now, too. Don't we all know? That is, after all, the point of the “tree of knowledge” in the garden. When we eat from that tree, we know, and we think we know better than God. We turn away from God. Genesis, what a timeless old thing it is! How on earth did the sacred writer know how to craft it so elusively and accurately throughout all the ages? Oh, right. I forgot: it's because God inspired the sacred author of Genesis (and I'll refer you to Dei Verbum for expansion on that idea, which is a worthy read for Catholics and anti-Catholics alike, and I would recommend followups of Faith and Reason (Fides et Ratio) and The Splendor of Truth (Veritatis Splendor). And if you've gone that far, you might as well read the Prologue and Part One of the Catechism). What the atheist “knows” is not known any more than what the believer “knows,” but assumes a similar kind of faith. In other words, to quote The Big Lebowski, you can say to either one, “That's just, like, your opinion, man.” But of course, one is right and one is wrong, but neither can ever prove it. After adopting the ideas of unbelief for about fifteen years, I realized that I do not have enough faith to be an atheist, particularly after witnessing addiction recovery miracles and seeing, literally, the power of prayer in real people's lives, including my own. The unbeliever's belief requires a kind of assent that is not at all different from the person of faith (and I'll refer you to John Henry Neumann and G.K. Chesterton for expansions on the idea of assent). We are assenting to a faith, like it or not, whichever way we lean, and the reason endless debates rage over the existence of God is because both sides “know” they are right and have ample arguments to defend their view. Yet only one can be right. Only one will be proven correct, and the test date is usually unscheduled, kind of a pop quiz, that happens with the final beat emitted from of our hearts. This makes for a lot of anger between the tribes of believers and unbelievers, because both “know” they are right. However, the unbelievers should never be mocked, because that is their job: to mock us believers. They get to keep that for themselves. They don't have much else to hold onto, so mockery and condescension remains theirs. To be mocked for having faith in God should not bother any person of faith. Seriously, faith is a gift. If you've been to a party where everyone received a gift except for you, the feeling results in sadness or anger, but the wound of being left out leads to envy. Sour grapes, insults on intelligence, accusations of inbreeding, and variations on the phrase “I don't need a crutch” are just some of the results of envy. The error of envy plays out in toddlers and adults in interesting ways. You'll notice that Jesus never exhibits any behaviors related to envy. Believers, as always, should imitate him and pray for strength daily. All adversity should be received as exercises in humility and for every insult for faith we should give thanks to God for the opportunity to be tested and grow in faith.The meaning of life is wrapped up faith in God. It fills the Big Empty. Those without faith cannot grasp this. It's impossible. If I try to explain that I believe in miracles to an atheist, the wall around them is built up so tall that they cannot even hear a word I'm saying. I had the same wall. The atheist will often say, “I just need more evidence,” meaning a sign, like the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, but even if Jesus flew around in the sky in front of them, they would start explaining the physics and asking for a video to review if he was wearing a jetpack. In fact, I had this very conversation about miracles recently with an atheist, and we spoke about the “calming the storm” miracle, and his answer was that science can do that, it can control the weather now. But I have yet to see a meteorologist reach out his hand and stop the wind and waves instantly. I didn't bother to ask, “What about the walking on water?” but surely he would have had a material cause, like a reef beneath Jesus' feet, or a first century paddleboard. My point is that you must take a leap of faith on miracles in order to believe. The alternative is to find material reasons for divine things, or deny the stories altogether. Many modern people have done all the way in trying to solve the problem, denying that Jesus ever existed. The problem with that is, like the ostrich, God still exists even while the head is underground. The walling-in of our wonder is what keeps us from opening up, from filling the God-shaped hole in our hearts. (This is where I start praising Protestants and Evangelicals if any are still here...) Many believers of non-Catholic faith are enriched and filled with the Holy Spirit, and many understand the faith part better than Catholics. I'm talking about Evangelicals and Protestants. (Here is where I even praise “faith alone” a little bit…) The great thing about “faith alone” is that people meet Jesus this way, without having to assent to the whole Catechism of the Catholic Church and go through an RCIA class for six months. Luther lowered the barrier of entry, and Jesus certainly criticized the Pharisees for keeping the kingdom of God from the people. Catholics can trend toward Pharisaism, and this is a well-known charge against the Church. Rules and regulations are needed, and must be adhered to, otherwise the whole thing falls apart. After all, Jesus said he didn't come to throw out the law but to fulfill it, and he also said that we must do more than just pray and say “Lord, Lord!” There are things that must be done. There are works like “Be baptized and believe” and “If you love me, keep my commandments” and “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”While I don't believe that ease of entry into salvation is true with sola fide, that idea certainly gets people through the door. The ball gets rolling very quickly when someone is ready to change. So if someone is drawn to Jesus through a concert-style service or an altar call, there are far worse things I can think of people doing. I just don't think that it's the fullness of the faith. I believe that there is more to it, and that the Tradition that goes back to Peter is the Church, the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church that is guided by the Holy Spirit. The simple invite of “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior?” has always seemed too easy to me, but I have seen it change lives in dramatic and stunning ways when someone takes it to heart, when it is not coerced or faked. I know Evangelicals and Lutherans who are on fire for God, and even though they say “works” are not necessary, these on-fire believers are engaged in mucho works, body and soul, helping people pray and get along in this world. And that is a beautiful thing. But the problem is that it leads to the Pink Cloud too often. What is the pink cloud? Addicts who get sober can experience a Pink Cloud after about thirty days of sobriety, and everything is wonderful. Life is amazing. Love is everywhere. And then the euphoria wears off. Many relapse because this new high of sobriety has dulled. The new feeling of being reborn in sobriety fades as real life plods along with the march of days. Thus are newly sober people warned, “Beware of the Pink Cloud.”In a similar way, the euphoria of an altar call or instant conversion lacks long-term staying power, because it's too easy. Having attended a few services in my life where sinners feel moved to come up to the altar, I watched with skepticism as it felt too dramatic. Perhaps too emotional, as feelings do not always last. This is why watching Marcus Grodi's “Journey Home” conversion stories is so compelling. These are five year or ten year or twenty year conversion stories. There is meat and potatoes in these stories, of life, learning, hard knocks, and revelations. Recently, a celebrity, Shia Leboeuf, did an interview on his conversion and said that “It didn't feel like they were trying to sell me a car.” He nailed it. He nailed the problem of cheap and easy evangelization. It's too glossy, too polished, too impersonal, too much sugar. Let me give some examples of this problem of feeling “sold” instead of assenting to Church teaching through a process of both reason and faith, as Chesterton and St. Augustine did. I can recall several attempts by people to evangelize me to Christianity while I was fallen away that repulsed me and pushed me further away from God than if they had scourged me with a whip. It was the sell. The approach. I think of these often now that I've returned to believe in Jesus, because they make me realize how obnoxious it is to sell religion to someone like it was soap or a gadget. Example #1: I was on a beach during spring break, drinking heavily, just like any good useless college student raised on Nirvana and Sublime, when a few attractive college girls approached. They wanted to hang out, but then within a short time, they asked if I had accepted Jesus as my personal savior. I said, “No,” and returned to the comfort of liquor.Example #2: I had paid $50 to do an “ejector seat” ride where bungee cords shoot you up into the air for three seconds of bliss, and right before we were about to eject, the operator said, “I can only hit this button if you've accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior.” And rather than say, “No, let me off,” I said “Yes,” because I had paid $50 and didn't want to get off the ride. But it irritated me and ruined the experience because at that time I was still happy on the side of the devil. Example #3: I recall retreat groups coming to church as a kid, with super motivated adults and teens who wanted to stir up the spirit in us. But I didn't get it. I also didn't get it when some kids would apparently feel the spirit and start crying and want to give their life to Christ. The retreats just kind of hit me like pie in the face. I just wasn't ready to eat. The thing was, the people were trying hard and probably did convert some people, but I just couldn't buy in. Example #4: I attended an “all-night party” as a kid thinking it would just be bowling and basketball and movies, but then it turned out to be a Christian rock concert and an altar call where the singer needed, “Just ten more of you to come up to the stage and give your lives to Christ.” All the hand-waving and teary eyes didn't phase me, as I eyed the pizza from the open side doors. Example #5: I remember Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on the door and running an elevator pitch at me while I was hungover and watching football. It reminded me of when I had to sell candy bars for the local booster club as a kid, and I hated it then, and I knew the candy bar buyers hated forking over a dollar for sub-par milk chocolate. Likewise, I cringed watching these people try to sell religion to me when I was not yet in the market. I also knew just enough about Jehovah's Witness theology to realize that it would be betraying my reason altogether to engage with them, so I said goodbye. Now, with all that said, I can tell you this: every single one of those people who tried to convert me had a lot better grip on life than I did, since drinking was my escape, my idol. Drinking and goals was the game, I thought, and despite having a decent sense of Biblical stories, I had zero idea why anyone was pushing these old tales my way. All I saw was a bunch of rules. I felt like Cool Hand Luke, when he said, “I ain't heard that much worth listenin' to. There's a lot of guys layin' down a lot of rules and regulations.” I'm pretty sure I actually wanted to be Cool Hand Luke, come to think of it. At the start of this series I talked about selling, because that is what people do with their worldviews. What's so strange about the Catholic Church is that it does not feel like a sale, because much of what they teach runs against our desires and instincts. What an awkward pitch it is. It's almost an anti-sales pitch, which is why we have to wrestle with it for so long. Just as Jesus confounded us and refuted our expectations, so does the Church. But for those of us who end up buying Catholicism, it's eventually purchased because it works. It is proven to work. People arrive at this place because nothing else has worked. Peter famously said to Jesus, “Master, where else will we go?” The Catholic Church is the last stop after all other sources of “truth” have been tried and found untrue. This has been the conclusion of people in every generation for 2,000 years. We may not like the pitch or the demonstration, but the application of it works. It offers sanity in a world of half-truths. It requires elevating faith ever so slightly over reason, but just barely. The beauty of Catholicism is that you get to keep your reason - all of it - and add on the mysteries of faith to it. It enriches reason because it tears down the wall of needing material answers for everything. It throws out religious fundamentalism while keeping the laws of physics, the Commandments, miracles, and the richest trove of literature and stunning architecture the world has ever known. Also, it's not forced upon anyone. It doesn't feel like trickery. How could it? The pitch takes away things that we perceive to be pleasure, so the gloss is off the flyer. The pitch is not easy, not a quick solvent or pill to swallow, but more of a tough love. It's like a stern but loving family that sits you down to say: “This will be difficult, but you can be holy. First, grow up and take responsibility, and second, be humble and return to the faith of a child. Now start praying and serving others.” What bothers me about saying “I accept Jesus as my personal savior” and being done with progressing to salvation is this: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.whydidpetersink.com

Patrick responds to an email asking him which hotels he stayed in that were haunted (so she can stay away from them) Monique - I think Stranger Things is a bad show to watch based upon a priest's advice for me. Greg - I think you made a lot of good points on a discussion you had with Marcus Grodi. Sylvia - When you left the two haunted hotels, did you mention anything to the clerks there? Maricel - My friend is in a struggling marriage. Patrick recommends http://helpourmarriage.org/

Marcus Grodi interviews Larry Chapp about what led him back to the Catholic Church after many years as an Evangelical Protestant.

Marcus Grodi and his guests address the personal obstacles, doctrinal objections, and the irresistible attraction to the Church Jesus founded 2,000 years ago.

Marcus Grodi talks to former Baptist minister Dr. Ian Murphy about his journey to the Catholic Faith.

Join us as Kathryn Lopez from the National Review Institute interviews Marcus Grodi, author of Life from Our Land: https://www.ignatius.com/Life-from-Our-Land-P1484.aspx Voices from every direction beckon us, even push us, toward better and faster technology, with the promise of more wealth, more pleasure, and, consequently, more happiness. But have we become so bewitched by the siren song of material progress that we've lost the ability not just to achieve, but to discern what true happiness is? What criteria do we use to plan for the future, for retirement? At the end of our earthly lives, how will we measure our fruitfulness? In this book Marcus Grodi discusses what he and his family discovered, mostly by surprise, after moving from the city to twenty-five acres of Ohio farmland. This move involved a radical shift in priorities for all of them, but mostly it helped them to discover some critical truths about our relationship to nature and to nature's Creator that apply regardless of where a person lives. He offers wonderful reflections on his going- back-to-the-land experience as a metaphor for drawing closer to God.

Former Anglican priest Fr. James Bradley shares what led him to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Melissa Slagle talks to Marcus Grodi about how studying the question of Christian authority led her from the Baptist Church to the Catholic Church.

Marcus Grodi interviews former Baptist Fr. Andrew Jones about his journey to the Catholic faith and his path to the priesthood.

Marcus Grodi welcomes Craig Alexander, who was raised Methodist, to discuss how his experience in the Marines and the consequences of his own mistakes helped prepare him to embrace the Catholic Faith.

Marcus Grodi welcomes Deacon Lou Aaron to discuss how his battle with alcoholism helped him rediscover his Catholic roots.

Jim Wahlberg joins Marcus Grodi to share how a visit from Mother Teresa to the prison where he was an inmate help start him on the path back to his Catholic faith. 

Former Evangelical youth ministers Doug and Dawn Doughan share what led them to enter the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Marcus Grodi welcomes Joelle Maryn, a Catholic who lost her faith while working in the fashion industry, to share what led her back to the Church.

Christine Flynn, a former agnostic who dabbled in the occult, shares what led her to the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Former Evangelical Protestant seminarian Bo Bonner joins Marcus Grodi to share what led him to become Catholic.

Marcus Grodi welcomes Nikki Kingsley, a former Muslim, to share her journey to the Catholic Church.

Marcus Grodi welcomes Fr. Peter Davids and his wife Judy to share their journey from the Plymouth Brethren through the Episcopal and Vineyard churches before they felt God leading them to the Catholic faith.

Former nondenominational minister Adam Crawford shares how teaching a class on Christian history at his church played a major role in his decision to become Catholic. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Marcus Grodi and Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson look back at the legacy of the late Dr. Thomas Howard, and feature remembrances and clips from Steve Ray, Fr. Sebastian White, O.P., Ken Craycraft and many others as we recall the great gift of Dr. Howard's faith.

Dr. Bill Saunders from the Institute of Human Ecology at Catholic University of America shares how St. Josephine Bakhita helped lead him from Evangelical Protestantism to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Former atheist Jeff Miller, author of the "Curt Jester" blog, shares how beauty, truth, and the prayers of his wife helped lead him to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Marcus Grodi welcomes former nondenominational missionary Dr. MaryJo Burchard to talk about how her lifelong desire to follow Jesus eventually led her to the Catholic Church.

Former Foursquare pastor Kenny Burchard shares how questions about Scripture and authority led him to step down from ministry, and eventually enter the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

James and Kelli Beaumont were serving in Methodist youth ministry, but were shocked when some close friends became Catholic. They share how that friendship played a role in their own Catholic journey. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Dan Teller came from a Jewish family that took their tradition seriously. He talks to Marcus Grodi about how his hunger to know God took him through Zen Buddhism, and eventually to Catholicism through mystics like St. John of the Cross.

Frank Cronin stopped going to Mass as a young man, and embraced atheism. He shares how over time, he came to back to Christianity, and eventually the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Fr. Eric Roush wasn't raised in a churchgoing family, but after the death of his Methodist grandmother, he began to take matters of faith more seriously. He shares with Marcus Grodi his journey to the Catholic Church

Dr. Ryan McDermott, a former Episcopalian, shares how studying medieval literature was part of his journey to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Marcus Grodi talks with Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson, who once served as an Episcopalian Bishop, about what draws Anglicans and Episcopalians to the Catholic Church.

Former atheist and Assemblies of God preacher Marcus Peter of the St. Peter Institute shares his journey back to the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts

Deacon Charlie and Jess Echeverry share their dramatic story of forgiveness and healing through the sacraments after Jess's experience of abortion and abuse. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Former Episcopal priest Jim Anderson shares his path through hippie drug culture to ordained ministry and eventually Catholicism. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Former Baptist Steve Ray returns to the program to discuss the role of the Nicene Creed in his journey to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Former Episcopalian Fr. Bob Rottgers shares how accompanying his wife in her struggle with addiction was part of his path to the Catholic Church and eventually the priesthood. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Dr. Brent Robbins, who was raised Catholic but left the practice of his faith, shares his journey from agnosticism back to the sacraments. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Dr. Kenneth Calvert of Hillsdale College shares how his study of ancient Christianity led him to the Catholic Church. Marcus Grodi hosts.

Dr. Brian McGee, president of Quincy University, shares how his study of faith and reason led him to the Catholic faith. Marcus Grodi hosts.

For last week's special Thanksgiving episode, Marcus Grodi shared a portion of a sermon he gave as part of a Thanksgiving service back when he was a Presbyterian pastor in 1985. That message focused on Philippians 4:4-7, in which St. Paul calls us to present our requests to God with gratitude already in our hearts. Marcus follows up this week by focusing on the verses that immediately follow that passage. In Philippians 4:8-9, St. Paul gives us a template of how to guard our hearts and mind from the world, the flesh and the devil, which bombard us with temptations of every kind. Rather than fall to those temptations, Paul offers us this challenge:   "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. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you."   For more episodes of Deep in Scripture, visit www.deepinscripture.com

In a special Thanksgiving edition of Deep in Scripture, Marcus Grodi shares audio from a sermon he preached on the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 1985, when he was still a Presbyterian pastor in central Ohio. The text for that sermon came from Philippians 4:6, where St. Paul exhorts his readers to "have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." In 1985, as a Presbyterian pastor, Marcus preached on the need to present our prayers with thanksgiving, because we know that God is trustworthy. On this episode, Marcus reflects on that same passage with the benefit of 35 years of hindsight, to share how his understanding of this passage from St. Paul has deepened over time.