EquipCast

Encouragement and inspiration for sharing your catholic faith

About the show

Sharing your Catholic faith with family and friends can sometimes feel daunting. Where do I start? How do I make an impact? Welcome to EquipCast, a weekly podcast from the Archdiocese of Omaha. We want to support your faith journey and equip you with the tools to express your faith authentically in your everyday life.

Each week, we’ll discuss practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world. Each episode is filled with encouragement and inspiration so you can make an impact and make disciples in your own faith community. For more information and to stay connected with us, head to equip.archomaha.org/podcast/.

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Episodes and Blog Entries

  • Episode 131: How to Build the Spiritual Habits of Consistancy and Honesty in Prayer

    Episode  |  November 14th, 2023  |  50 mins 16 secs
    authentic prayer experiences, catholic, catholic ministry, consistent prayer, daily prayer routine, disciples, healing through prayer, honest conversations with god, jim beckman insights, ministry, ministry leaders, ministry leadership challenges, modern culture and prayer, prayer transformation, spiritual growth

    Ever wondered why prayer sometimes feels like you are talking to yourself? Do you ever look around at other leaders in your parish, thinking they've got it all figured out in the prayer department while you're struggling to keep up? Or maybe you just crave a deeper connection with God. Today’s guest, Jim Beckman, breaks open the art of prayer. According to Jim, prayer is meant to be a real heart-to-heart with God, an open and honest exchange. As he puts it, “You can't deceive Him. You can't trick Him. You can't hide anything from Him. So why not just give up on that right away and just be who you are.”

  • Episode 130: Broadcasting Your Belief: How Lane Grindle Brings Faith into His Profession

    Episode  |  November 7th, 2023  |  52 mins 29 secs
    balancing faith and work, catholic, christian perspective on career, daily prayer, faith and career, faith and sports industry, faith in sports broadcasting, faith integration, family and sports broadcasting, holy decisions in everyday life, inspirational faith stories, lane grindle, lane grindle interview, lane grindle podcast interview., lane grindle's wisdom, marriage and faith, milwaukee brewers announcer, professional life and faith, spiritual growth, spiritual journey, weekly confession

    How much does faith play a role in your professional life? Do you ever feel like you separate your “Christian self” from your “work self”? The endeavor to unite our relationship with Jesus with all aspects of life is an ongoing, imperfect, but vital journey to go on. Today, I had an incredibly insightful conversation with Lane Grindle, the play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers, who shared his approach to balancing his career in sports broadcasting with his faith and family life. Lane underscores the importance of daily prayer, weekly confession, and faith-related conversations with his spouse as essential practices. He openly acknowledges his imperfections and emphasizes the significance of making a consistent effort to nurture his faith over time.

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    Coach's Corner 8: Expand Your Influence - How to Lead When You’re NOT the Boss

    Episode  |  October 31st, 2023  |  9 mins 15 secs
    art of leadership, complementing leader strengths and weaknesses, effective leadership in non-leadership roles, expanding influence, influence and impact, leadership development, leadership in different contexts, leadership skills, leadership without authority, leading when not the boss, making a positive impact, navigating leadership challenges., patience and persistence in leadership, personal growth and leadership, podcast on leadership, practical leadership strategies, respecting authority figures, teamwork and collaboration, thought-provoking leadership, working harmoniously with leaders

    Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your passion and vision are extremely compelling, but you're not the one calling the shots? Sometimes, our leaders might not tick all the boxes when it comes to vision, delegation, or communication, and it can be downright frustrating. But, effective leadership isn't just about titles. No matter where you stand in the hierarchy, you have the power to make a significant impact. Learn how to navigate the delicate balance of influence, patience, and persistence in order to make a difference.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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."

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.”

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    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.

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    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.

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    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!”