Posts tagged Catholic podcast
Love in Action with Caroline Graham

After raising four boys, Caroline Graham’s husband shared that he felt called to adopt a daughter.

Soon thereafter, Caroline received a call from a dear friend about a toddler girl needing a home.

Caroline figured that she and her husband knew how to love children and said “yes.”

Caroline realized that the call to love her precious daughter would demand more of her than she ever could have imagined. Loving her daughter would require her entire self and more—it would require daily and full dependency on Christ.

Caroline’s daughter suffers from Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).

Hear Caroline share about how she has learned that while we come to the end of our own ability to love, God’s love is endless. Be inspired by how Caroline has opened herself to the supernatural love of God to care for her daughter and family—just as she is called.

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Holy Balm on My Injured Heart with Jennifer Calabretta

Jennifer Calabretta’s childhood and early marriage were perfect in so many ways. But Jennifer never could have imagined what was to come.

Jennifer lost her second baby weeks after delivery to a rare muscle disorder. Doctors told her this would never happen again.

However, during one of Jennifer’s subsequent pregnancies, she learned that her daughter wouldn’t survive the very same disease.

Jennifer carried her baby throughout the remaining months of her pregnancy—and she and her husband were blessed with ten minutes with their daughter.

Jennifer experienced God deep within her throughout it all. God’s love was like holy balm to her injured heart.

In this vulnerable and joy-filled podcast, learn that God’s grace is sufficient. You will be blessed with God’s holy balm of the heart, too!

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Living According to God's Will with Ester Munt-Brooks

Have you ever been blessed with a sense of peace that “was not of this world?”

This is what Ester Munt-Brooks experienced while in a Croatian hospital just miles from Bosnia. It was a Sunday, there was no doctor to be found and no one in Ester's family spoke the local language.

Yet Ester had a very sick child in need of emergency surgery.

In this moment of maternal desperation, hear how Ester accepted God's will with love.

Ester will never forget the following week with her family, as they divided their time between the hospital in Croatia and our Blessed Mother in Medjugorje.

Listen to this podcast and learn how to live according to God’s will. 

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Extraordinary Hope with Sue Simms

Sue Simms got down on her knees and prayed in her hospital room. She awaited the test results revealing if her second daughter would have the same fatal birth defect she lost her first daughter to.

Sue told God that she trusted His plan and would follow—she just asked to know if her baby would live or die. 

As soon as Sue stood from her time of prayer, the doctor returned to tell Sue that her baby girl was healthy and would go home with Sue and her husband.

Many years later, this baby would become a mama and experience the same heart-wrenching loss with her first baby as Sue did. 

Grace-filled lessons abound in this story that captures the power of surrender, the gift of steadfast faith and the blessings of holy motherhood.

Listen and be filled with the extraordinary hope that only God can provide!

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Love is Everything with Immaculée Ilibagiza

Immaculée Ilibagiza followed her father’s instructions and ran to her neighbor’s house to hide at the start of the Rwandan genocide. She spent the next three months huddled in a tiny bathroom with seven other women, while extremist members of another tribe tried to find and kill them. 

It was in this bathroom that Immaculée gave her heart to God and began to pray in a way she never had before—as she recited the words of the Rosary, peace veiled and healed her from the anger and fear that otherwise consumed her.  

When Immaculée finally left the bathroom at the end of the genocide, she learned that her parents, grandparents, siblings, 950 schoolmates and so many more had been murdered.

While Immaculée cried out for her loved ones, she sensed God holding her tight and telling her that her journey on Earth was not over. While her family was in heaven, she still had a mission.

Since that moment thirty years ago, Immaculée continues to wake up every day and ask the same question that echoed in her heart so long ago: How much can you love with what God has given you?

In this Easter podcast, learn that love is everything.

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Saying "Yes" to God's Plan with Brenda Hauk of BrightStone

"You know who's going to have to do this."

The words Brenda Hauk's husband spoke penetrated her heart--she knew she was called by God to something so much bigger than herself.

Even though Brenda was frightened, she said "yes" to a plan that was clearly not her own.

Brenda started BrightStone, a comprehensive work, social support, and residential community for adults with special needs, expanding their potential and helping them develop mentally, physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Let Brenda's "yes" and the tremendous blessing that has come from it inspire your own fiat in this Advent podcast.

Learn more at brightstone.org.

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The Heart of Mary with Kim Derrick

“This is a story God wrote.”

God planted a seed in Kim's young heart to accompany and care for the sick and dying as an adult. 

Kim was raised in a family in which the members surrounded one another in all the joys and sorrows of life, including death. She didn't realize until adulthood that this was not every person's experience.

As a hospice nurse it broke Kim's heart that there were so many people poor and dying who had nowhere to go.

With the help of Saint Edward Church in Nashville, TN and others who shared in her desire to help the poor and dying, Kim created "The Heart of Mary House" to love God's children during their final days as Our Blessed Mother would want.

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A Beautiful Offering with Holly Moore

Holly was raised in a wonderful Catholic family. Her chastity was of prime importance to her.

When Holly went away to college and attended Mass, she noticed there weren’t many college students there. Holly fell away from the Sacraments. 

Holly learned “when we fall away from the Sacraments we stop receiving the graces that help us make good choices.”

Holly met a guy she thought she could fix. He was handsome, charming…all the things. 

Just a few months into their relationship Holly was pregnant. Soon thereafter she became a single mom.

In addition to carrying her precious son, Holly was carrying unforgiveness in her heart. Hear Holly’s story of God’s forgiveness and redemption—she describes it as “beauty from ashes.”

Holly says, “We can still make a beautiful offering from the mess, we just have to be open to it."

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A Fresh Cup of Hope with Rainer Lowman of Hearts Together Nashville

Rainer Lowman and her husband Mitch put their hearts on the line for God--they adopted three children with special medical needs from China.

Each time Rainer and Mitch sat down to discern their adoptions they would ask themselves how God had equipped them to potentially help a child and what their lives would look like if they said “yes.” 

Rainer talks about the call to adoption and the beauty of the "yes." Rainer has had to turn to and depend on God in ways she never could have imagined—she says there is no where she would rather be than in full surrender and total need of Jesus.

Rainer reminds us that God always offers us, "a fresh cup of hope."

Rainer founded “Hearts Together Nashville,” a ministry for foster and adoptive moms to gather monthly to share, support and provide resources. You can reach out to Rainer to learn more at rlowman1100@yahoo.com.

 

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I'm A Miracle with Dorris Walker-Taylor of Thistle Farms

Dorris Walker-Taylor is a survivor of sexual exploitation and addiction, as well as a graduate and now employee of the program that helped save her, Thistle Farms. Dorris landed at Thistle Farms after twenty-six years of addiction. She attributes the women at Thistle Farms for loving her back to life. 

Dorris grew up with her parents in a lovely neighborhood where everyone knew each other. When she was twelve her world shattered—a troubled family member severely injured her mother and killed her father. 

Dorris tried to numb her feelings through marijuana. Once marijuana didn’t have the same effect, she started using cocaine. Dorris was addicted to cocaine, lived on the streets of Nashville and was in and out of jail by the time she was an adult. 

Dorris talks of her mom’s home as a praying home. When Dorris returned home at her mother's request to sing in a choir reunion. Dorris obliged and sang, "You're Looking at a Miracle" by Lemmie Battles.

Dorris  had no idea that her mother's prayers, coupled with this request for her to sing, would change her life just as the song said: miraculously. 

The tagline of Thistle Farms is “Love Heals” and they believe love is the most powerful force for change in the world. Thistle Farms was founded in 1997 by Becca Stevens and helps rescue women from human trafficking, sexual exploitation, addiction and abuse. 

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Confident Expectation: Put All Your Trust in God with Michelle McCallum of A Common Life

"Have confident expectation of God."

When Michelle McCallum's mom spoke these words many years ago, Michelle had no idea they would hold such profound meaning for her when two of her own children were diagnosed with chronic illness (both with rare liver diseases and one with Crohn's Disease).

In this Easter podcast, Michelle talks about her choice to trust God--Michelle recognizes she has very little control over her life or the lives of her children and surrenders everything to Him.

Michelle shares how having a heart of gratitude, being real about both the difficulty and blessings of her everyday life and trusting God's abiding presence helps her to live in the peace and joy only God can give.

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A Passion Sewn in My Heart with Jennifer Orton of Our Next

Jennifer Orton of Our Next first heard the voice of the Holy Spirit when she stepped on foreign soil in Kisumu, Kenya and discovered a mission for her life.

In this Easter podcast, Jennifer shares how she was drawn to Africa to do mission work with orphaned and impoverished children after experiencing a miscarriage--she returned from Kisumu, Kenya with a passion for Christ that was sewn in her heart during her time in "the bush."

Jennifer not only took on a leadership role doing mission work, but also discovered spiritual motherhood—she and her husband, Chris have spiritually adopted and provided for their son Regan who resides with his grandmother in Africa.

Jennifer is the President of Our Next Ministry. Our Next provides education for 450 primary and 150 secondary students, as well as employment for 50 staff members. Jennifer knows that education provides hope and future for the children she so dearly loves. 

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Loving Others Where They Are with Fr. Jon Meyer, Chaplain

In this Advent podcast, Fr. Jon Meyer and Lindy Wynne explore how to meet and love others where they are.

Fr. Jon and Lindy talk about self-awareness of one's own internal experience, as well as personal intimacy with God. Loving and meeting others where they are begins with us allowing God to love and meet us where we are first. 

Fr. Jon and Lindy also delve into the intricacies of loving others, especially when it's difficult.

Listeners are reminded that every Christmas is a new Christmas to love--Christ invites us to experience God's love reborn in our hearts time and time again. 

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A Thanksgiving Wish with Lindy's Daughter's

Lindy's daughters join her to wish you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving!

The Mamas in Spirit Advent Series begins on November 25th. Open your heart to God in a way you never have before!

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Losing My Baby Girl with Elizabeth Abaray

Elizabeth Abaray shares the story of losing her beloved baby girl, Delia Grace, and the unfathomable sorrow of losing a child. She talks about how when we allow God to change us through our suffering, we become more of who God created us to be.

Elizabeth explores the importance of walking with one another and using our pain for the greater glory of God.

Elizabeth has written a children’s book "Hugs for You, Kisses for You." It is a resource for children ages seven and under to support them during times of loss and to help them to know that nothing--not even death--can separate us from those we love.

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A Little Bit of Hope with Michelle Huntley, LMFT

The deepest desire of Michelle Huntley’s heart was to get married and have children. Yet for many years this dream was not realized and Michelle struggled.

Michelle describes how not finding the right man to marry touched on a childhood wound of feeling unworthy and unloveable. Michelle felt drawn to be silent, pray and trust the Lord in her pain. Hear about Michelle’s journey and how God healed this wound with His love.

Michelle is now preparing for the Sacrament of marriage. Please pray for Michelle and her fiancee!

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Tethered by God's Love

Sarah Hart is a singer, songwriter, speaker, storyteller and producer who talks about how we are tethered by God’s love. This tethering is a gift from God and is experienced in our relationships through love, emotion, care and concern.

Sarah shares how she is always tethered to her daughters, even after they grew into adulthood. Sarah trusts God is with them and recognizes her love for them is most important.

Sarah talks about being stretched as she learned to accept she doesn’t have control over her adult children's decisions. This has taught Sarah how it is healthy for adult children to make mistakes and return to the Lord.

Sarah sings for listeners in this beautiful podcast.

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Weight, Shame and Grace with Jennie Guinn of Catholic Moms in the Middle

Jennie Guinn, Life Coach at Catholic Moms in the Middle, shares her struggle with shame and unworthiness. For many years these feelings were deeply tied into her battle to lose weight.

Jennie realized her weight loss was a spiritual matter that couldn't be fixed with things of the world alone. Jennie began to lose weight as she spent more time in solitude with the Lord and was honest about what was unfolding in her heart. Jennie found an eating program that works great for her and is now close to her weight loss goal.

Jennie discoverd the most significant part of her weight loss journey was “losing the weight of the lies she had been telling herself.”

Jennie's time of solitude and weight loss has been part of what she calls a “Season of Grace." Jennie has created an acronym for the world "Grace" that reflects her personal journey with God:

  • God’s Mercy

  • Rest

  • Awareness

  • Connection

  • Epiphany

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Mental Illness and Alcoholism with Erica Campbell of Be a Heart

Erica Campbell shares her struggle with mental illness and alcoholism.

Erica started drinking in college to cope with her feelings of depression and anxiety and "get out of herself." Alcohol felt like medicine.

Erica learned drinking did not solve her depression or anxiety, but increased it.

Erica attended Reconciliation one morning and it changed her life. The priest became her spiritual director and has had a profound impact on Erica's life.

Erica began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and is now nine years sober. She created her own company Be A Heart, which produces goods for a modern Christian lifestyle - ranging from planners and home goods to toys and textiles.

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My Baby Needed a Kidney Transplant with Angie Mayer

Angie Mayer’s baby’s kidneys weren’t working and the hospital staff told Angie and her husband there was nothing more they could do to help him. Hear of baby Jake’s miraculous survival and the plight his parents have been through to save their precious son.

Angie, Darrin and Jake’s journey has been a pilgrimage of love. Jake is now twelve years old and has had two kidney transplants, as well as multiple additional medical interventions to improve his health and save his life.

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