Called and Caffeinated

“I am going to praise the Lord because of who he is and what he has promised. And when I do it repeatedly, it brings life into me and changes my heart.” Ladies, if you struggle to believe that you have what it takes, if you are jealous of other women, if you’re angry with God because your life isn’t working out the way you wanted, if you struggle to trust God, if you feel caught between following...

"If God alone isn't enough, then nothing will be ever." I don't know about you, but my 20's were HARD- and a lot of that was because of conflicting advice. I was told you don't need to take responsibility or start a family until you're 30. Others said focus on your career. I got FOMO watching my friends in their early 20's who were already married with kids and thought, "what's wrong with me? Have...

“For many years I was scared to share my talents. And it led me to a life of correctness that was not Catholic…the greatest saints were not afraid to live outside of the bubble!” Fr. Leo is as spicy as the jalapenos he cooks with, and he is serving up lots of sass and loving reality checks in this episode. One of the things I so admire about Fr. Leo, who break dances and karate chops FIVE boards i...

“I spend serious time in silent prayer every day and then I live my life. And I trust that either God is going to form my heart to desire what he desires, or he’s going to step in and stop me before I do something stupid, or he’s going to fix it afterward.” The self-proclaimed “hobo for Christ” is here and she’s BRILLIANT and hilarious. Because of living out of her car for the last seven years, re...

 “I have (teenage) girls who are former gang members but who are down for some karaoke and ice cream- and they want to do it, because they’ve never had that before.”  Imagine you have been systematically abused and neglected at home, and the court system says you cannot go home. Instead, you have to live in an unfamiliar environment with strangers. Oh, and you’re also fifteen, with a teenagers’ li...

“If our whole will is to do God’s will, then God’s will is our will. God is not here to crush my will; he’s here to vivify it. Sin shrinks it, and sin dulls it. Sin makes our souls a very dull gray, but sanctity gives it a vibrancy and color.” I have one job. That's not true right? As a mom I have MANY MANY jobs. Everyone I know is busy as heck. The questions are overwhelming: Where do I work? Who...

“It gives God glory to answer our prayers. So he set all this up for a purpose.” What if you could make every decision not just well, but PERFECTLY? Well folks, it’s actually been done and cracking open scripture tells us how to do it. The Blessed Mother discerned perfectly, and when we delve into scripture with Joshua Mazrin you will love his insight on how to pray and hear God’s voice like the B...

“It’s that balance of trying to put things down and simplify and silence the world so that I can pay attention to these beautiful people in front of me.” “Live every day as if it’s your last.” We’ve all heard this platitude, and it probably sounds stale. But what if you literally died and then got to come back? Discerning your choices now would probably be a lot simpler in light of your death. Wha...

“It’s a mix of being authentic but also sharing Jesus. If I were just trying to be what people want me to be on the internet I’d lose it! I’m never going to stop being myself.” Social media is a brand new, evolving frontier in our world. I have real-life friendships that started on social media. I love using it to network and gain ideas and stay connected with family. However, we all know that dar...

“In the end, it all comes down to one question: How well did I love in God’s name? And that’s where surrender comes in: in those little, teeny tiny, quiet yeses.” Life is unpredictable and we often don’t choose the crosses that we carry. Sometimes the things we so desperately want to be fixed, aren’t. Surrender is the most important part of discernment, but how do we surrender when we are scared o...

Show Notes “When little things are hard, it’s not just about this moment. This is my training to be able to do a big thing later.”  Do you feel like you’re sliding through your days without enough intentionality? Do the little moments of frustration make you lose your peace and feel crazy? If you’re a parent, do you feel like your parenting style is best described as: “kind of a mess”? *raises han...

Show Notes “I was like, ‘God, I don’t want to be a priest,’ but I knew to do good discernment I had to be open to everything. I had to be open to being a priest; I had to be open to being married; I had to be open to whatever God wants for me.” Every good Catholic boy hears from his parish priest and the Church ladies, “I think God is calling you to a priest.” Run away! Run away! Resist! There are...

Show Notes “He said: ‘I came so that you can have life to the full.’ He didn’t say: ‘I came so you can be stressed to the max, or I came so that you can be stretched totally thin.’” How is a married couple called to be the person of Jesus in the world? If you’re single, do you worry that the sacrifices that come with marriage will be too hard? If you’re married, do you ever feel like you have to g...

“I would rather not get married than marry into a bad, compromising situation just for the sake of being married because I guarantee it would be more miserable. And that’s so hard to see when you’re single!” Do you find yourself wondering, “Is this a deal-breaker in our relationship?” Do you fear that, if you break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you’ll never find anyone else? Have the rose-...

“Jesus was a deacon, and also a consecrated single person! Most people don’t think about that- talk about imitation of Christ!” *dies laughing* Discovering you’re not called to a vocation you're attached to can feel like God is breaking up with you. Deacon Gerard Anthony knows- he thought he was called to marriage, then religious life, then priesthood… until he realized his calling was none of tho...

“Right now God is writing a masterpiece and the story is yours. The question is: will we trust him? Will we allow him to work in us?” Do you wish you could live free of pornography, body image anxiety, or thinking of yourself as “bad?” Do you struggle to let go of habitual sins and wish you could just stop wanting the things that take you away from God? Steve Pokorny, speaker and author of Redeeme...

“I was Catholic on Sunday, in my terms. I would ask God for things that I wanted, not what he wanted.” Money can be a painful topic. Student debt, inheriting our family of origin’s wounds surrounding finances, and expectations vs. reality can leave us hurting and grasping for control. Stacie and John Martinez were making a good income working in the fashion industry in NYC. They had everything the...

This episode is sponsored by Serving the Aged Lovingly Today (SALT) Mission Program with the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. Check them out here and consider spending a week in loving service this summer! “Do you want God’s answer more, or do you want God’s love? If you seek God’s love more than God’s answer, you will find them both.” How do you know when he or she is “the one?” How do...

This episode is sponsored by the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm's mission program called Serving the Aged Lovingly Today (SALT). www.carmelitesisters.com/SALT-program It's also sponsored by the Carmelite Monastery of Baltimore: https://www.baltimorecarmel.org/ “(Religious life) was the last thing I would have thought I would have been drawn to. I had all these plans. And God had other p...

This episode is sponsored by the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm's mission program, Serving the Aged Lovingly Today (SALT). Look them up here and consider giving a week in loving service! Show Notes Have you ever felt like your career or life choices just aren’t enough? Has following your dreams disappointed you? Are you worried your control freak or perfectionist personality will hold y...

  “God is the ultimate creator and we should be like him in our creativity. Look at the gifts you have. Produce the best you can for Jesus.” If you’re a Catholic creative who suffers from creative block or the soul-crushing belief that “it’s all been done before,” this episode is for you.  How do we discern our creative call, create free from self-doubt, AND use it to help redeem our culture? Firs...

“This is not a sin or something wrong with me; this is my call.” Why do Catholics have a tendency to judge each others’ family size? What does the Church say (and not say) about the “right” number of children for a Catholic family? Does being “open to life” mean that married couples should always try to conceive a child? What about emotional well-being: is that a good enough reason to delay a preg...

“The call of God will never lead you where his grace cannot keep you.” I’ve heard a looooot of objections from young people about why they can’t possibly be called to religious life. “I couldn’t pray all day.” “I couldn’t give up my family.” “I wouldn’t be suited to taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.” “I wouldn’t be able to do the things I love as a nun.” Even: “Nuns are cranky and un...

When I was discerning my vocation, I remember getting frustrated when I would hear about all this pie in the sky philosophy without getting any answers about how to actually know God’s will and make a decision. I wish I had heard Paul Krenzelok speak then. Enter today’s episode, the perfect marriage of philosophy and practicality! No matter what decision you’re discerning or what stage you’re at,...

I remember being so frustrated by the question “What’s THE right choice?” when I was discerning. It’s so easy to think that somewhere there’s an answer sheet that God will show me eventually if I try hard enough. Now I know that that’s looking at discernment entirely the wrong way. I am so excited to share this episode filled with truth bombs with you! I spent 40 straight minutes nodding at everyt...