Just A Guy In The Pew Podcast

This week we finish the three-part series on discipleship with the third step: Follow. Repenting and believing are both important, but if you don’t finish by following Christ’s will for your life, you’re not going to be a real disciple. In this episode, you’ll learn: - How to turn your belief into actually following Jesus Christ. - How to ask, submit and respond to God’s will. - How to do God’s wi...

Last week we discussed how to really repent, and how to start the process of changing our lives for God. This week, we discuss what it means to turn that repentance into belief in Jesus Christ. In this episode, you’ll learn: - About the second step in becoming a disciple, Belief. - How to make REAL changes in your life after you repent. - How to believe what the Lord has taught us, and the effect...

Sometimes it can be easy to say we want to change our lives, but actually moving forward and living for God can feel impossible. I want to talk about how we actually become a disciple for Jesus, and how it’s not as complicated as we think. In this episode, you’ll learn:  - The 3 steps to becoming a disciple.  - How to move from regret to repentance.  - How to allow the Lord to really change our li...

In this episode, I’m excited to have Bart Schuchts from Church on Fire and the John Paul II Healing Center. He’s got a powerful story that I think will strike a chord with many of you about being relentlessly pursued by the Father's love even through hard times and sin. You’ll learn: - What caused Bart to turn away from a potential NFL career! - Bart’s struggles of growing up without a father. - H...

Have you ever been tempted to sin and gave in by convincing yourself that there’d be no consequences? Sin always has consequences. In this episode, Victor and I will show you how to say “no” to temptation and save yourself from a ton of heartache (and hell). You’ll learn:  - The most powerful weapons to fight temptation.  - The difference between temptation and sin.  - What the story of Esau and J...

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? If so, you’re on the right track. But are your resolutions all about you, or are they about glorifying God? In this episode, Victor and I talk about telling the difference between glorifying God and glorifying ourselves. You’ll learn:  - The difference between ambition and excellence.  - How to direct all of your actions to the glory of God.  - What Scriptu...

Can you really have too much of a good thing? In this episode Deacon Jeff Drzycimski and I talk about temperance and the immense benefits that come from practicing this virtue. You’ll learn:  - What temperance is, and what it’s not.  - How we use pleasure to fill voids in our hearts.  - The different ways intemperance can creep into our lives.  - The one solution to intemperance. UPCOMING RETREAT!...

2022 is right around the corner. What are you willing to do to become a better man and Catholic this new year? In this episode Victor and I look to Mary as an example of how we can grow closer to God by giving Him our full “yes.” You’ll learn: - How to recognize if your “yes” to God is genuine or mere lip service. - Tips for following God’s will even when the going gets tough. - The danger of thin...

On today’s podcast, I talk with my good friend Matt Fradd from “Pints With Aquinas.” Matt knows the struggles guys go through to become the men they’re called to be, and he’s gone through many of these struggles himself. In this episode we talk about: - The steps to take to overcome a pornography addiction. - The danger of trying too hard to keep up with the Catholic Joneses. - How to embrace the...

Today Victor and I are talking about the process of waiting from a Christian perspective. Throughout the Bible, waiting has been a central theme. What is all this waiting about? While we often see waiting as something annoying, we should be seeing it as an opportunity to better prepare ourselves for what we ultimately anticipate: the Second Coming of Christ. In this episode we learn that:  - Waiti...

Today we’re talking about Advent and what it means for contemporary Catholics. Yes, Advent is the season we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas. But the truth is that we should welcome Christ into our hearts each day of the year and be ready for His glorious second coming. In this episode we discover that:  - It’s difficult to avoid the commercial aspects of Christmas.  - Our...

Today I’m talking to Keith Nester, a former Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism after a decade-long exploration of faith. The approachable founder of Down to Earth Ministries and the “Catholic Feedback” podcast delves into faith and culture and shares insights he has gained as a pastor, youth minister, and convert. On this podcast we learn that:  - Individual conversion stories differ w...

On today’s podcast we’re talking about the process (or steps) we can take to get back to God. Each week, men ask if there’s a formula they can follow to live an authentic Christian life. Luckily, the path to salvation isn’t complex, even though it can bring discomfort. In this episode, we discover that: - You don’t have to be perfect to be saved by Jesus. - It’s important to realize that you can’t...

Today Victor and I are talking about how easy it is to focus on what we don’t have instead of the many blessings bestowed on us by God. We think, “If I had ___, then I’d be happy.” This can lead us to addictions to fill the void. Instead, we should be thankful for everything in our lives. In this episode, we’ll learn that:  - If we focus on what we think is missing from our lives, we can turn to a...

Today we’re talking about how challenging it can be to live in faith. Jesus asks us to put Him first in our lives, above everything else. We worry about what this means for our families and careers and what comforts we’ll give up in the process. In this podcast, we learn that:  - It’s important to be in constant conversation with God, from morning prayers to evening thanks.  - Catholics have many...

Today, we’re going to hear Victor Adams’ story; it’s about a boy who grows up thinking he needs to be what others expect of him and a young man who realizes that living a life of integrity means accepting God’s plan instead. In this episode we’ll learn that: - We are sometimes so afraid that we’ll disappoint other people, we don’t allow ourselves to see God’s plan for us. - Taking up the cross and...

Today, Deacon Jeff joins me as co-host, and together we’re talking about taking the first steps in restoring our relationship with God. When we get ourselves into a bind, we sometimes fall into a kind of opportunity paralysis. Truthfully, there’s a fool-proof process we should take when we need to return to the Father and ask for His help. In this episode, we’ll learn that: - Humility is the first...

Today we’re talking about that aching feeling that nothing’s ever enough — not the house, the car or the career. These moments arise when we expect the wrong things to bring us joy. In his book “Remade for Happiness,” Bishop Fulton Sheen explains that external gifts such as wealth or fame bring temporary pleasure, but eternal happiness can only be found by building a close relationship with God. I...

Today I’m talking to Marcel LeJeune, author of “The Contagious Catholic” and founder of Catholic Missionary Disciples. A popular guest on Catholic media, Marcel is renowned for his message of radical change and the call for person-to-person evangelization. He has a Christ-based strategy, modeled on love, commitment, and vulnerability, for inviting your friends, family, and neighbors to share in et...

Today we’re talking about the virtue of perseverance. Our Christian walk requires more than a mountaintop moment of accepting Christ and then moving on. We’ve got to pick up the Cross and carry it daily, no matter what hardships or disappointments we face. In this podcast, we discuss: - Those who persevere in faith will be blessed with God’s grace. - Keeping marriages and families together isn’t a...

On today’s podcast, my co-host Victor and I delve into last Sunday’s Gospel reading, in which Jesus’ apostles fight over which of them is the greatest. We examine the surprising way in which Jesus flips the idea of greatness on its head. We’ll learn:  - Why desiring greatness is not a bad thing in itself.  - How this desire becomes sinful.  - The suffering that results from this sin.  - An essenti...

Today we’re talking about the importance of building a foundation for life-based on belief in Jesus Christ. People who structure their lives on superficial values often see their world come crashing down, like houses built on sand. Jesus asks us to dig deep each day to discover the scriptures, love our neighbors, and live the truth. In this podcast, we learn that: - Practicing humility is a good h...

How do you discern God’s voice in your heart? How do you recognize the voice of evil seeking to lead you astray? Thankfully, Fr. Timothy Gallagher is here to help us tell the difference. We’ll examine St. Ignatius’ 14 rules of discernment and how they can transform our spiritual lives. In this podcast we’ll learn: - Who St. Ignatius was. - How to recognize the voice of God. - What St. Ignatius mea...

Today we’re talking about one of the seven deadly sins: vanity. We all want to maintain a healthy, well-kempt appearance, but sometimes vanity crosses the line. When we obsess over imperfections such as hair loss, crooked teeth, or 10 extra pounds, we place too much attention on the superficial and not enough attention on what’s substantial: our relationship with God. In this podcast, we learn tha...

We’re talking about why we should learn to forgive. Forgiving others is one of the more difficult virtues Jesus asks us to practice. Forgiveness does not mean that we overlook a person’s lies or bad behavior. Rather, we let go of the hurt to live a peaceful, joy-filled life. Holding on to past wounds makes us bitter and gives others power over our lives. As St. Augustine famously said, “Resentment...