Living the Christian life is not always easy. Almost everyone has faced moments when you wish you weren’t under the constraints placed upon us by being disciples of Jesus. You look around and see how seemingly “easy” people have it who just do whatever they wish without fear of divine consequences. But any thought of abandoning the faith is quickly done away with because you “know too much.” That is, you are deeply convinced that the Catholic faith is true and no amount of rationalizing could coax you into leaving her safe harbor. This deep “knowledge” of the faith, together with the grace of the Holy Spirit, is a tremendous gift for which those of us who have received it should be eternally grateful.

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Our Christian faith can be something we “plug into” once a week for an hour. Perhaps we add a little more than that by praying before meals and offering a glance of the heart toward heaven when we go to bed at night. The truth is, however, we should bring the faith into every area of our lives. It should be inhaled just like each breath we take. On Tuesday, share your take on how you weave your faith in Jesus into every moment of every day of your life. Chris Burgwald will join us to discuss this exciting topic.

A question many people ask themselves is whether or not they would like to have some sort of “notice” that their death was coming soon. In other words, would you rather have a diagnosis that gave you months to live, or would you rather die suddenly? It’s a valid question given some people’s fear of suffering. On the other hand, some people would prefer to have time to prepare for death and offer their sufferings in reparation for their sins and on behalf of others. What’s your take on this? Share it Wednesday!

OK, so parents never stop loving their children or being proud of them. At least, they shouldn’t. But how many moms and dads suffer the heartache of a son or daughter almost ruining their life? It happens all the time. Kids can cause parents a great deal of deep disappointment. It’s as old as the human race. Making bad choices that lead to addiction, incarceration, failed marriages, families disgraced and torn apart. As a parent, you may have spent decades praying for the return of one of your children to sanity and respect. Thankfully, many of our kids have come to their senses and completely turned their lives around. There can be few feelings of relief and gratitude like when this happens. What has been your experience of a son or daughter regaining your respect after a period of wasting their gifts and talents? Share your take Tuesday on this very impactful subject.

Many of us can remember the days of putting a dime in the phone booth in order to be able to call home when we were on the road. What today would seem like such an incredible nuisance was a joyful act on the part of spouses, parents and loved ones in order to stay connected with the ones they love when traveling. Maybe we could call from a hotel room or the front desk. Today, we have the great blessing of cell phones, the Internet, “face time,” Skype and so many other means that make it virtually unthinkable that we wouldn’t be in regular communication with those “back home.” What are your preferred methods of sending your love from long distance? Share your take Monday with Jerry and Debbie.

As Christians, we’re called to love everyone. We know that. But we also know there are those we love deeply, and those we love in a more general sense. Spouses, family members, close friends fall into the former category. Neighbors and co-workers might be a good example of the latter category. Still others we find it difficult to even tolerate, let alone “love.” How do you balance these different forms of respecting and loving all of God’s children? Share your take with Jerry and Debbie on Thursday.

The last few decades have seen an incredible surge in the “victim mentality.” Lawsuits. Hurt feelings. Bullying. Insults. Denying my “rights.” Everyone has an excuse to self-identify as a “victim.” Let’s be honest. There are real victims in every age. People who are truly abused and taken advantage of. But are you a “victim” if another driver cuts you off on the freeway or if you spill your own hot coffee on your lap? Most importantly, what has the victim mentality done to us as humans and especially as Christians? Where does “turn the other cheek” fit in? One of the worst sins a person can commit is self-pity. If we wallow in that we can completely shut ourselves off from the genuine growth that God wants for us. What’s your take on this important subject? Share it Wednesday with Jerry and Debbie (Tuesday’s show will be pre-recorded for Independence Day).

We read in the second chapter of The Letter to the Hebrews:

¹⁴ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.

Notice that we as sinners are subject to lifelong bondage “through fear of death.” Fear takes many forms and sizes in our lives. It’s a part of human nature, even though we are exhorted many times in the Bible to “be not afraid.” One of the worst kinds of fear is that which more or less stops us in our tracks and makes simply living daily life an immense chore. This is often referred to as “paralyzing fear.” Have you experienced it? Does it still assail you? What have you done to manage or overcome it. Your take could change countless lives Monday with Jerry and Debbie.

As Jesus replied to Satan when He was tempted in the desert: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Throughout human history, mankind has pushed the limits of what is possible, never shrinking from the next great immortal challenge. Today, there are activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, running with bulls, swimming with sharks or alligators, even many thrill rides at amusement parks. Are we “testing” God when we do these things? Or are we simply being “human” and seeing how far our natural gifts and abilities will take us? If you had a choice and the opportunity what daredevil thing would you do? Share your take on Wednesday with Jerry and Debbie at 800-585-9396.

As Christians, perhaps especially Catholics, we have a fully developed sense of “redemptive suffering.” In a nutshell, that means that every bit of discomfort and suffering we experience can be handed over to Jesus for Him to do great things with it. No suffering should ever be wasted. But does that mean we have to be happy with our sufferings, to eagerly welcome them, to do nothing to remove them? Fleeing from suffering is a very natural, human reaction. And the Church would be the first to say that we in no way have to think of our pain in a masochistic way, nor that we should do nothing to alleviate it. Do you sometimes have a problem in your conscience if you do seek to get out of suffering at virtually any cost? Does that give you the feeling that you are not doing the right thing and “offering up” your suffering? Let’s drill deeply into this topic on Tuesday.