A once-famous Saturday Night Live skit featured a character named “Stuart Smalley,” who was known for saying, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” It was part of the character’s “Daily Affirmations,” a method of overcoming self-doubts and feelings of unworthiness. On Monday, Jerry and Debbie want to talk with you about these thoughts and emotions. So many people feel like they can’t measure up to expectations, whether those expectations are from God, their family or themselves. What’s your take on this? Join us and call in at Noon ET.

Adults need 6-8 hours of sleep at night. A lot of us have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, etc. We worry about the troubles of the next day. We worry about what happened the previous day. Why are we not able to surrender at night and trust God to handle everything? Do you experience sleep deprivation? Or are you able to fall asleep “before your head hits the pillow?” This touches on so many areas of our faith lives – trust, dependence on God, keeping our “temples” healthy, etc. Call with your take on Friday’s show at Noon ET!

Today, Jerry and Debbie will be joined by Jimmy Akin, senior apologist at Catholic Answers. Together, they’ll discuss and take your calls about various conspiracy theories that have been tossed around throughout history. UFO’s, aliens, JFK – it’s a very long list. And this has a lot of connections to our faith lives, perhaps the primary one being we should not allow ourselves to be so caught up in sensationalistic things that we lose sight of what IS real and true, namely God and building our relationship with him.

Intimacy has sometimes been referred to as “Into me you see.” This is one way of looking at true intimacy. Physical contact does not amount to intimacy in and of itself. Spiritual intimacy must be the foundation of interpersonal relationships. Seeing into the soul of another person. If our understanding of intimacy does not go beyond the physical, the surface, then is it authentic intimacy? Debbie is back with Jerry on the show on Wednesday. Be sure you tune in and share your take on this important topic at Noon ET.

Debbie is traveling today, so Jerry will be joined by Adam Blai, who serves as a religious demonologist in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. What that means is that Adam is a “peritus,” or “expert” in spiritual realities and spiritual warfare. Unfortunately, it’s all around us, as the battle between good and evil rages on nonstop. It’s not something we have to be fearful of. But it most certainly is something we need to have knowledge of, and know how to avoid by staying in a state of grace. One thing Jerry and Adam will discuss is the growing phenomenon known as “after school satan clubs,” a clear counter to after school bible studies and prayer groups. Kids who get involved in satan clubs have no idea what they’re opening themselves up to later in life. Do not miss this episode of the show. Call with your questions and takes at Noon ET on EWTN Radio.

And be sure to arm yourself for the inevitable battle with great resources by Adam Blai from the EWTN Religious Catalogue. Visit http://www.ewtnrc.com or call 800-854-6316. Ask for the 13-part audio set as item number 3833C or the 13-part video set as item number 3833D.

You were just given notice that you have 30 minutes to gather your belongings and exit your home.  30 minutes is not a lot of time to load up the car with an entire lifetime of possessions.  So what would you do?  Would you just focus on making sure your loved ones and pets were safely evacuated?  Would you try to remove the important documents in your home?  Do you even know where you would begin?  Maybe you already have an evacuation plan set up in case of an emergency.  Share with us on how you might react in this type of situation.  Call in toll-free to 1-800-585-9396.

It is always great to have positive role models.  Individuals we look up to, admire and even want to emulate.  The saints are wonderful examples of role models we should all hold in high esteem.  There are also exemplary individuals living today that we may think highly of for various reasons.  We invite you to call in to Take 2 with Jerry and Debbie and share who it is you admire and more importantly the reasons why.  Call in to 1-800-585-9396.

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Everyone has a different view of money. How do you save? What do you spend money on? How and where do you invest? How much is enough? How much is too much? Do you worry about not having enough to pay your bills? Have you experienced disagreements with your spouse over money issues? Share your take with Jerry and Debbie and the world on Thursday. As always, you could be a huge help to others who are listening. 

The pre-Christian world was dominated by a belief in astrology, to the point where many people thought the stars were gods, or were at least manipulated by deities. Throughout time, this unhealthy idolatry has continued, and has been practiced by many Christians, even though Scripture and the Church forcefully forbid any form of “divination.” One of the most popular means people have used to turn to the stars for guidance in life is the zodiac. Some people build their entire lives around the meaning of their “sign.” And many are up in arms since NASA tinkered with the calendar, thus causing a lot of people to now fall under a different “sign.” What does this all mean? Does it highlight the fact that it’s all superstitious nonsense? Join Jerry and Debbie on Wednesday for a frank discussion of the zodiac, astrology and many other new age practices. They’ll be joined by Sharon Lee Giganti, who was once immersed in the new age movement, but has returned to embrace the Church’s teaching on such things. You can get a head start on the show by visiting Sharon Lee’s website here.

Vatican document on new age practices – www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PCCPCIDA.HTM

EWTN article on yoga – http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/yoga.htm

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Did you know that jealousy/envy is one of the seven deadly sins?  The Tenth Commandment instructs us not to fall prey to envy.  Yet by our fallen nature, it is easy to slip into feelings of jealousy.  Whether at work, school or even in our own homes, envious desires can manifest quite frequently and sometimes without conscious thought.  Due to our own insecurities, jealous reactions may surface and become dangerous to our spiritual growth.  Let’s talk about it on Take 2 with Jerry and Debbie.  Call in at 1-800-585-9396.

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