EquipCast

Episode 129: Free to Be Generous: Catholic Money Management

Episode | October 24th, 2023 | 55 mins 35 secs

catholic financial education, catholic financial management, catholic perspective on money, debt reduction strategies, faith and financial freedom, faith-based financial decisions, financial success stories., generosity and giving, managing money with faith, personal finance advice

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough to give? Maybe there's debt to tackle, too many bills this month, or just not much left in the budget. But we know the Lord wants us to be generous! So, how can you increase your charitable giving when it seems there's nothing to spare? I had the pleasure of talking with Jonathan and Amanda Teixeira, financial experts who provide education and guidance on managing money from a Catholic perspective. When you manage money through a Catholic lens, it means considering a broader range of values, from ethical investments to personal vocation, allowing you to make better financial choices while deepening your faith. Explore with me today the role of generosity in experiencing financial freedom and joy.

Episode 128: Lampstand Initiative: Illuminating Faith Through Prayer and Community with Fr. Pat McLaughlin

Episode | October 17th, 2023 | 56 mins 53 secs

catholic faith, christian faith, community of prayer, deepen your faith, evangelization, explore prayer, faith journey, lampstand initiative, listen to god, prayer life, relationship with god, sharing faith, spiritual growth, spirituality, transformative prayer

Have you ever had a moment that deeply touched your soul, making you feel connected to God and changing your life? We often think of monumental conversion moments, but what if I told you that such transformative encounters could be a part of your daily life—through prayer? Prayer is more than just speaking to God; it's about creating a sacred space for genuine conversation. It's about building a relationship with Jesus, allowing Him to speak to us, fostering spiritual growth, and helping us understand ourselves and God's will. Beyond that, prayer lets us receive grace and feel God's immense love. And here's the beautiful part: these encounters aren't just for us; they're meant to be shared, strengthening our faith and enriching our communities. Today, I sit down with Fr. Pat McLaughlin for a conversation about the Lampstand Initiative. It's a program designed to transform our prayer lives, bringing us closer to Jesus. But it doesn't stop there. The Lampstand Initiative empowers us to not only deepen our own prayer lives but also to teach others, creating a ripple effect of prayer and evangelization in our communities.

Episode 127: Uncover Your Charisms Through Spiritual Openness with Sherry Weddell

Episode | October 10th, 2023 | 59 mins 26 secs

called and gifted inventory, catholic faith, charisms, christian community, christian discipleship, christian spirituality, discernment, evangelization, faith journey, faithful living, parish community, personal growth, religious transformation, sherry weddell, spiritual gifts

Ever felt the exhilaration of God's presence when using your unique spiritual gifts? Can you imagine what it would be like to discover and unleash your charisms for the benefit of your community? It's a journey of openness, spiritual growth, and the grace of God propelling us forward. Join me in an inspiring episode featuring Sherry Weddell, co-founder of the Catherine of Sienna Institute. She sheds light on charisms, reminding us that these divine gifts are meant to be shared, illuminating the lives of others with God's love and mercy. “These are ways that you and I have been empowered by God to be an instrument of His love and His beauty and His mercy and His healing and His provision for other people."

Episode 126: Small Groups, Big Impact: Cultivating Close-Knit Faith Communities in Your Parish

Episode | October 3rd, 2023 | 50 mins 31 secs

catholic church, christian spirituality, creighton university, encouraging spiritual growth, engaging faith dialogue, faith-based podcasts, faithful living, fostering faith connections, gospel reflection, intentional faith conversation, leading faith groups, live lent together, parish community, small faith communities, spiritual growth

Have you ever felt alone even when you are in a crowd of people? Do you desire to be known and seen by a community that shares your values? Our parish communities, which should be the place where we find belonging, are often too large to provide the experience of close-knit spiritual family. But, it’s not impossible! Come with me as I explore how forming small groups can be a life-giving experience, fostering deeper connections and intentional faith conversations. Drawing inspiration from stories of people living in Congo and experiences right here in our communities, we uncover the incredible impact of sharing struggles, reading scriptures together, and growing in faith collectively.

Coach's Corner 7: Discover the Power of “Less is More” for a Fulfilling Faith Journey

Episode | September 26th, 2023 | 8 mins 19 secs

busyness, catholic, create stronger connections, faith, less is more, overwhelming life, simplicity, spiritual growth

In this fast-paced world, who doesn’t feel overwhelmed by busyness? There’s nothing quite so American as the stress we put on (and really, the stress caused by) doing more and thinking bigger. That’s why, today, I want to talk about a transformative insight that I just came up with: Less is More! All joking aside, this is an aphorism that has been thrown around for almost a century now, and yet, it seems that simplifying our lives is easier said than done. So, let’s delve into the beauty of simplicity and how it can enhance all areas of your life. By focusing on what truly matters, we can experience deeper connections with our loved ones, a clearer path to spiritual growth in our parishes, and a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Episode 125: Match Your Gifts to Your Mission: How Charisms Have the Power to Change Everything!

Episode | September 19th, 2023 | 42 mins 19 secs

charisms, equip for mission, gifts, intentional disciple, it's not work

How life-giving is the volunteer work that you do for your parish? Is it draining or invigorating? Hopefully, some of you responded, “Invigorating!” But if you find yourself drained by the work of being missional, you are not alone. So many of us say yes to the work because it is good, or necessary, or because “Father asked me to”. Rarely are we asked to first discern our charisms and then to volunteer in a mission field that matches our gifts. And so, I invited Mandy Busch and Amanda Pfeifer to talk about how they are helping parishioners find fulfillment in their mission. They focus first on helping parishioners to understand their God given gifts (charisms) and to notice where the Lord’s gifts are bearing fruit. In their own words: “This is an essential item you need in your toolbox as an intentional disciple. Knowing what your charisms are and the ways in which the Lord moves in you to do his work, changes everything. Because when it’s his work, it’s not work.”

Episode 124: How to Lead Using Your Personal Gifting & The Power of Hospitality with Fr. Simon Lobo

Episode | September 12th, 2023 | 1 hr 25 secs

leadership, leading with my strengths, learning to lead, not a stereotypical leader, personal gifting

The call to evangelize has been consistent and increasingly urgent from our Church leaders for the past fifty plus years. When you hear that call, have you ever felt like you aren’t enough? Like you don’t have the appropriate strengths or the right leadership qualities to offer? Well, you’re not alone. Fr. Mallon, author of Catholic pop-culture phenomenon Divine Renovation, was the pastor at St. Benedict Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He turned the parish around and created a truly missional community. His strengths were clear and his leadership was bold. So today, I talk to…his successor. Fr. Simon Lobo became pastor of St. Benedict Parish, and it was immediately clear that his gifts and his weaknesses were very different. Tune in to hear how he succeeded without the stereotypical leadership strengths.

Episode 123: How to Teach Your Kids to Pray

Episode | September 5th, 2023 | 44 mins 44 secs

discipling children, model prayer, personal relationship with jesus, prayer, praying as a family, teach children to pray

Raise your hand if you feel confident that you can help your children develop a personal relationship with Jesus. If I could see you all, I bet there would not be many hands in the air. We know how to teach rote prayers, but helping our children truly connect with Jesus feels a tad outside of a parent’s control. The reality is that the Lord gives us everything that we need to model a real and personal relationship with Jesus. Today’s guest, Becky Deaver, teaches us from her experience as a wife and mother of eight.

Coach's Corner 6: How the Mass and the Eucharist Can Help You Evangelize

Episode | August 29th, 2023 | 9 mins 23 secs

eucharist, eucharistic community, evangelism, evangelization, jesus, mission, missional, source and summit

Why is sharing the source and summit of our faith rarely the first step to take when evangelizing? I want others to know and love Jesus. I know and love Jesus in the Eucharist, so why shouldn’t I jump straight to inviting non-believers to mass or adoration? While the Eucharist isn’t our opening act, we should by no means forget it entirely. The Eucharist is our headliner! On today’s Coach’s Corner, I make the case that the Eucharist is in fact missional. It is missional because it is the source of our life, because we are sent on mission from Eucharistic communities, and because the mass itself commissions us to, “Go out and proclaim the gospel with your lives!”

Episode 122: Why Small Groups for Men are so Powerful in the Catholic Church

Episode | August 22nd, 2023 | 44 mins 11 secs

accompaniment, bible study, catholic, catholic men's group, evangelize men, ministry for men, sharing faith, small groups

We are all called to evangelize, but have you ever felt limited, feeling like you don’t have much to give? Perhaps you only have 1-2 free hours a week. Or you are only around “hard cases”, people who seem unlikely to want to talk about faith. Perhaps, you feel like your only sphere of influence is your own parish. But those people don’t need evangelizing…do they? This week, I talk to Greg Doring, a personal friend who used small groups as a tool to reach other men. In this episode, we’ll discuss how to evangelize wherever the Lord plants you and how miraculous things can happen even when you only have a few hours to give.

Episode 121: Where You Can Find Hope & Joy in Pastoral Planning

Episode | May 23rd, 2023 | 41 mins 27 secs

catholic pastor, disciples, family of parishes, hope, hope for the catholic church, journey of faith, making disciples, pastoral planning

July 1st is just around the corner, and with that comes a new experience of parish life for every person in the Archdiocese of Omaha. Many of us will experience a reduction in mass times at our parishes, new uses for our parish structures, and interruptions to the routines that many of us hold precious. This disruption can be difficult to process, so today, we welcome Fr. James Keiter, a pastor who has shepherded his people through these changes already. Fr. Keiter shares his experience of how, again and again, the Lord has provided everything he and his parishioners need to manage their new reality, despite the upheaval. He also provides some surprising advice on how to rediscover the joy of being Catholic while continuing to grow the Church. If you’ve been feeling uncertain about the changes in your parish, this episode is here to offer you a bit of reassurance in the Lord.

Episode 120: How (and Why) to Evangelize Friends and Family Who Have Fallen Away

Episode | May 9th, 2023 | 46 mins 19 secs

adult evangelization, catholic christian outreach, cco, evangelizing family, faith conversations, fallen away catholics, invitation

All of us have someone in our lives who has left the faith: a friend, sibling, son, daughter, or grandchild. If you are like me, this person (or let’s be honest, people) weighs heavy on your heart. So how do we evangelize adults like this? Today’s guest, Andre Regnier, gives insights from his years of experience as a missionary with Catholic Christian Outreach, Canada’s version of FOCUS. In particular, he says you should never underestimate the importance of a clear and simple invitation to follow Jesus.

Episode Archive