Life Beyond the Chariot | A Faith & Family Series

Is your summer a free for all, super structured or a mixture of both?  How do we balance relaxation and responsibilities? It’s important to have fun and rest while also maintaining a sense of purpose and intentionality during the summer break. In today’s episode, we share ideas for creating a structure for your summer around prayer, play, work, and relationships.    “When we are busy at work, one...

Motherhood can sometimes feel like jumping out of a plane with a bunch of tiny people who don't know how to open their chutes. so you end up deploying everyone’s chutes but yours. Then you hit the ground and just get up and make dinner.   How do we find the balance between dying to self and treating yourself?  Where does “self-care” fit into “self-mortification”?  In this episode, we talk about wa...

Can Moms really pray without ceasing?  In today’s episode,  Jackie Francois Angel joins us to talk about the very real struggle of making prayer part of everything that we do. In the midst of trying to balance it all, God meets us in the messiness of day-to-day life and leads us to grace-filled moments.  Show Notes: Jackie Angel is a wife, mom of 4, and the Pope St. Paul VI Fellow in Marriage and...

When striving to fulfill God’s call in our lives, the most formidable battles we face are often against ourselves: our personal vices & disordered attachments. To follow Christ, we must have the courage to slay our dragons! In today’s episode, we continue our conversation on the Marian Virtues and how two of them can equip us for battle as we encounter challenges in our vocation. Show Notes: “A wo...

Patience and Motherhood… Can we do both well?  How do we show the virtue of patience in a world that promotes instant gratification and on-demand living? In today’s episode, we begin our series on the Marian virtues by reflecting on Mary’s Heroic Patience and what this looks like in family life.  Sometimes our lack of patience reflects our need to be in control.  Practicing this virtue allows us t...

Fr. Justin Braun joins us for a conversation on discipleship, specifically discipleship within family life, and how to live out our baptismal call more intentionally. 

Is it possible for those in family life to imitate the way of life of consecrated religious? Can the monastic way of life translate into our homes? Fr. Bowlin joins us in this episode to discuss the domestic monastery and how we can order our lives towards the sacred and live in right relationship with God and others.

In this episode Mikki is joined by Dr. Luke Arredondo, Director of Faith Formation at the Institute. They discuss an Arredondo family tradition called 'Holy Week of Darkness' - a way to enter more deeply into the experience of Holy Week in order to appreciate the joy of Easter! Click here to join the Holy Week of Darkness Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/13477... ​ Click here to che...

In this conversation with Fr. Bowlin (a priest of the Diocese of Tyler), we discuss devotion to St. Joseph and how he is a model for men as a husband, father, worker, and saint. Fr. Bowlin emphasizes how St. Joseph's example is particularly important for the domestic church especially in light of today's culture. We cover questions about St. Joseph from our audience such as: - Was St. Joseph young...

Lent is upon us (and maybe for some, it came on so fast we had little time to prepare). Before entering more fully into the darkness and desert of Lent, we took some time to reflect on John 17, which is Jesus’ last prayer before He enters into his Passion and death. This prayer of petition for his disciples not only reveals the heart of Jesus but also provides parents with a beautiful framework fo...

Having a healthy prayer life when you are a parent can be challenging. In this episode Fr. Josh Johnson, Vocations Director & Pastor in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, shares practical advice and encouragement for any parent who wants to deepen their prayer life but may not know where to begin. Father Josh reminds us that we are called to embrace where God has us, to rest in God's presence, and to sim...

We sit down with Sr. Josephine Garrett to discuss her vocation story and how to foster vocations in young women. She speaks about her call to Catholicism and the religious life and shares about the beautiful experience of her final vows. She also provides some practical advice on how to guide our daughters in discerning God's will in their lives. For more information on the Sisters of the Holy Fam...

Many of us were happy to say goodbye to the year 2020 and had great hopes that 2021 would be significantly better. But what if it isn't a "happy" New Year? What if 2021 has just as many problems as 2020? In today's episode, we talk about our hopes for this year and how keeping our eyes on Christ with a grateful heart will have the greatest impact. You can find Jen Fulwiler's Word of the Year gener...

In this final segment of the "Abide in Peace" Advent Program for Women, we are joined by Sister Josephine Garrett to discuss parts 2 & 3 of "Searching for and Maintaining Peace" by Father Jacque Philippe. We talk about what it means to give God complete control over our lives, letting go of the fear of trusting God, and what this means for us as women.

In this episode, Mikki and Deanna discuss Part One of the book "Searching for and Maintaining Peace" by Father Jacques Philippe. Being able to receive the peace of Christ requires that we are open to a relationship with him, that we let go of the need for control, and that we are receptive to God acting in our lives.   For access to our Abide in Peace free downloadable PDF workbook and reading gui...

The upcoming Advent season offers us an opportunity to reflect on the peace that can only come from Christ (John 14:27 ​), even in a year that has been as chaotic as 2020! In this episode, Mikki and Deanna discuss the importance of Christ's peace in our daily lives and how Advent is a great season to live this more intentionally. They also share an exciting Advent program for women called "Abide i...

In a world that can often be disordered and far from the heart of Christ, how can one keep his own life ordered and close to Christ? The answer is developing and nurturing a strong interior life. Knowing where to start and how to maintain a healthy interior life can be challenging. During this episode, we sit down to discuss these things with Fr. Justin Braun, chaplain of the St. Philip Institute...

In this extended edition episode, Deacon David Bailey, a seminarian for the Diocese of Tyler, shares his journey to the Catholic faith and how his vocation began as a call to serve. He also shares practical advice for being open to God’s will and how parents can encourage their children to consider the priesthood or religious life. Deacon David's story will inspire and encourage you in your own di...

Deanna Johnston and Mikki Sciba sit down with Kyle Hatfield, the Camp Director at the Pines Catholic Camp. They discuss the importance of taking young people "out of the world and into the kingdom." Camps and retreats provide opportunities for people to unplug from the world and plug in to the divine. The ultimate goal of all this is to form missionary disciples with strong interior lives that ove...

Interior designer Ronna Egan joins us for a discussion about making our homes a space that bring us joy and rest, and how home should also be a place where we can welcome others and practice hospitality. Ronna also offers 8 practical design tips that anyone can do! Did this episode help you redesign a space in your home? Take a before and after picture and send it to us at podcast@stphilipinstitut...

In this episode of Life Beyond the Chariot, Mikki and Deanna sit down with Robin Perry, Principal of St. Gregory's Catholic School, and discuss how Catholic education is not only about forming the intellect, but more importantly about instilling virtue.

Continuing the discussion on family-centered education, Crystal Hoey offers encouragement and practical suggestions for parents who are exploring homeschooling for the first time.

In the newest episode of "Life Beyond the Chariot", Mikki Sciba and Deanna Johnston sit down with Crystal Hoey to discuss the importance of choosing an education model that is "family-centered", whether it is homeschooling, Catholic school, or public school. Crystal offers practical ideas to keep in mind as you choose the best model of education for each child.

What could a priest have to say about NFP? Plenty! In this final segment of our NFP week series, Fr. Justin Braun shares why the Church cares so much about marriage and family life and why NFP is a beneficial resource for couples to use. He answers common questions regarding NFP, responsible parenthood, and offers encouragement to those who may struggle with this particular teaching of the Church....

Deanna Johnston shares her personal experience with Natural Family Planning and how God's plan has been significantly better than what she and her husband originally envisioned. She addresses the question of being an NFP "failure" and how she and her husband have grown in their understanding of being open to life and trusting God.