Breadbox Media

In an engaging and timely interview I spend time this week with Father Thomas Berg author of Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics. As we all come to grips with the crisis unfolding in the Church today I encourage everyone to listen to this episode as we discuss a path forward. 

 

Conversion and reversion stories are fascinating to listen to and watch develop. Hering what people have stumbled upon that has brought back to the faith can be very fortifying in our own faith journeys. Kendra Von Esh, author of Am I Catholic?, walked away from a very successful life in the corporate world to give her all to Christ and His church. On this episode Kendra speaks about where she has been, how she realized she needed something more, and where her life and ministry goes from here.

 

Have you ever felt stuck on your faith? You seem to go through the motions but find Mass "boring" or that you simply don't get anything out of it? Don't worry you are not alone. We all encounter these dark nights of the soul. Teresa Tomeo has and she tackles the topic in her latest book Beyond Sunday: Becoming a 24/7 Catholic. Listen in as Teresa gives us some helpful tips on how to become an engaged Catholic not just on Sunday.....but everyday!

 

How can business and faith intertwine in a society  that seems more focused om getting ahead then leaving  a legacy of true meaning? John Abatte joins us this week to discuss just that. Learn how he built his own business while maintaining integrity and cultivating a deep Catholic faith. Business and faith can co-exist if we focus on what truly matters. 

This week we wrap up our onsite interviews from the Catholic marketing Network Tradeshow in Lancaster, PA with authors Virginia Lieto, Kimberly Cook, Maureen Cummings, Tony Agnesi, and Virginia Pillars.

Every person has a purpose in life. Sometimes they get confused as to what that may be or mired down in what the secular tells them it SHOULD be. Join Josh Miller and I as we discuss how can help people found their God given talents, particularly youth today. Our future is the next generation and it is our profound duty to cultivate. Learn how on this week's episode. 

Most people will say either they have a strong faith life or the have a strong fitness regimen, few say they have both. In his book Grit & Glory, Kaiser Johnson shows readers how to have BOTH. To assume we can separate the soul from the body and view them as two independent entities is a falsehood. Listen in as Kaiser and I discuss how both body and soul are intimately intertwined and how you can become more disciplined in virtue, prayer, and fitness.

On this episode of Off the Shelf Paul George and I dig into what is true happiness. In our consumeristic society many people seek happiness through material goods but come up empty every time. As Paul says in his book Rethink Happiness: Dare to Embrace God and Experience True Joy, “I spent the first twenty years of my life seeking things that didn’t satisfy me – things that were counterfeit.” Listen in and learn how to fill that God shaped hole we all have. 

 

There's a crisis in youth ministry today and it not something that has happened overnight. It has been a slow creep over the last couple years. Everett Fritz joins me this week for a discussion on what we can do to right the ship when it comes to engaging youth and young adults in the faith. Listen in as we chat about what is is that teens need and Everett's two-fold solution to the problem with retaining youth that we have in the Church today.

Matt Nelson tackles the topic of spiritual indifference in his latest book Just Whatever: How to Help the Spiritually Indifferent Find Beliefs that Really Matter. Matt went through a stage of indifferent-ism himself in college and gives us some insight on the dilemma in this episode of Off the Shelf. Join us as Matt and I discuss the Why's and What's of the indifferentism running rampant today.

This week Joseph Pearce returns as a guest on Off the Shelf. We discuss why the beloved Narnia series by C.S. Lewis is a worthy read for adults as well as children. This episode serves as a Narnia primer of sorts as Joseph and I discuss each book in the seven book series.. Learn the Christian theology in the pages of Narnia which Joseph Pearce covers in his book Further Up and Further In: Understanding Narnia.

This week on Off The Shelf Trent Horn returns to talk about his latest book What the Saints Never Said: Pious Misquotes and the Subtle Heresies They Teach You. Think Saint Francis actually said "Preach the gospel always; if necessary, use words"? That never happened. Or how about Mother Teresa saying " The fruit of abortion is nuclear."? That one lacks credibility as well. Join Trent and I as we tackle these and many quotes and determine whether they are valid, misattributed or outright fakes. 

This week Scott Hahn shares insight into two of his recent books. The Fourth Cup" Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross takes a look the often obscure and unknown rituals of the Passover and how the Last Supper foreshadowed the passion of Jesus Christ. Scott also weaves in how research into this affected his journey to the Catholic faith.

 

In The First Society: The Sacrament of Matrimony and the Restoration of the Social Order Scott explores how the sacrament of marriage can rescue our culture that has gone astray. Join us as we cover both of these books, Scott's conversion and how life as a grandparent has affected his worldview.

One of the greatest mysteries in Church history was where exactly was the final resting place of Saint Peter? Tradition had always told the Early Christians that Peter was buried on Vatican Hill under what is now known as St. Peter's. John O'Neill is my gust this week and he uncovers the details of the quest to find the final resting place of Peter's bones. It involves a Pope, a Texas oilman, and the quest of a lifetime. Join John O'Neill and I as we discuss his book The Fisherman's Tomb:

The True Story of the Vatican's Secret Search.

This week we have  a recap of the recent Rebuilt 2018 Conference held at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. In segment one I had a chance to interview Rebuilt co-author and Church of Nativity pastor, Father Michael White on site about the days events. Co-author Tom Corcoran and I chatted recently to round out this episode on the mission of Rebuilt, how parishes can take advantage of the lessons learned by Church of Nativity and their book Rebuilding Your Message:

Practical Tools to Strengthen Your Preaching and Teaching.

The well-known author Dr. Peter Kreeft joins me on Off the Shelf. We take a look at his book Forty Reasons I am Catholic. Dr. Kreeft tells us  why If you leave the Church, you are making a mistake. His reasons for staying include the power of the real presence, the hierarchy of the Church, and the ability to have his sins forgiven. Dr. Kreeft also believes that the Church has the ability to save us from our worst enemy...ourselves! It's possible we may even talk about the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox.....you don't want to miss it!

On this episode Brad Hahn returns discuss Solidarity HealthShare’s ethical and morally acceptable alternative to traditional healthcare. We talk about what healthshare plans are, how they work and what exactly they provide. Brad provides us with an update since the last episode on Solidarity and shares some success stories of how people have saved serious substantial healthcare costs through the programs Solidarity Healthshare provides. Listen to this episode of Off the Shelf and see how Solidarity HealthShare just might benefit you. Learn more by visiting SolidarityHealthshare.org.