Take 2 with Jerry & Debbie

There is nothing like experiencing something in life for the very first time.  First Holy Communion, driving a car, going off to college, getting married, having your first child.  These events in life are filled with joy, excitement and a sense of awe for what life and our faith has to offer.  We are also presented with activities and encounters on a daily basis that we enter into routinely.  So many of us go on auto pilot because we know what to expect from these day-to-day events.  The challenge is how to keep routine things from becoming mundane.  We should be mindful of the present moment and embrace all our experiences as if they were brand new to us.  This includes spending time with family and friends, attending Mass, praying the rosary.  Call in to Friday’s Take 2 with Jerry and Debbie and share how you have kept things anew in your life.  Remember, what you share can impact another soul in a profound way.  1-800-585-9396.

The secular marketplace tells us that we need to “keep up with the Joneses.” Is it all that important? Do you feel that you need to upgrade when something new comes out in order to get your work done or keep up with life? Or, how do you resist the temptation to spend thousands on a regular basis in order to do this? Perhaps you are among the many who believe that “planned obsolescence” is the name of the game, and that technology manufacturers intentionally build their items to run out of life after a certain period of time. Share your take on this on Thursday’s show.

It seems God knows exactly the time and place when just the right things line up and you are present for a conversation that dramatically changes your life forever.  Maybe it was a chance encounter that led to this life-changing conversation.  Or maybe it was a friend that finally had the courage to approach you out of love and concern.  Or maybe it was just a casual group conversation that impacted you in a deep and profound way. We never know when an encounter with another person is going to reveal things about us or our lives that can have a profound impact. Share your take with Jerry and Debbie on Wednesday.

It has been often said, that if you have just one friend then you are truly blessed.  This idea of a “circle of trust” is an interesting concept.  It was first made popular by Robert De Niro in the movie, Meet the Parents.  This is a coveted group to be a part of.  To have someone’s trust is quite an honor and privilege.  To have a sense of loyalty in a friendship is admirable.  Share with us your thoughts about trusted friends.  What qualities are important to you for your circle of trust.  Should we even hold people to such high standards in friendships or are we setting ourselves up for disappointment.  Share your “take” on this by calling 1-800-585-9396.

Being attached to material things or even activities can leave us bound, unable to soar in our spiritual life.  Detachment gives us the space to grow in faith, to become spiritually mature.  When we purge the lesser things of life to make room for the magnificent gifts of God, we experience a freedom that is beyond words.  Yet, the art of detachment can be hard to master.  This world and the things of it are very alluring. Our own pride and sinfulness can be a stumbling block when it comes to detaching.  We must make a conscious effort to remove the things that are holding us back from God.  So what is keeping you from soaring?  That is what we will be discussing together on Monday’s Take 2 with Jerry and Debbie.  If you want to be on the show, just call us at 1-800-585-9396.

Jerry is traveling on Friday, so Debbie will be taking your calls for the monthly Unscripted show.  Debbie will be joined by a hometown guest and catechetical leader in the Diocese of Phoenix, Tom Perna.  Unscripted is your chance to revisit past shows, suggest future topics, or just talk about whatever is on your mind and heart.  This open forum moves rather quickly so if you want to be on the show, call in early at 1-800-585-9396.

Almost everyone uses social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and countless other platforms. The ways in which people use those media are as varied as the people who use them. We post all kinds of things. But do we sometimes say things that are on our minds and hearts in ways that make it difficult for readers to get the true meaning of what we’re saying? Cryptic messages? Veiled criticism of others? Political or social statements that aren’t easy to decipher? What has been your experience of interacting with your family, friends and colleagues on social media? Do you find that you sometimes have to read between the lines to get the deeper messages that people are posting? Share your take on this topic with Jerry and Debbie on Thursday’s show.

Jerry is on location in New Orleans at this year’s gathering of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors. He’s here with a couple hundred vocation directors from across the United States and around the world, along with numerous other priests, religious and laypeople dedicated to the cause of promoting priestly vocations. He’ll be joined on Wednesday by Rose Sullivan, Executive Director of the NCDVD, as well as a couple of young vocation directors. You’re invited to call and share what you’re doing to help bring about an increase in vocations in your part of the world. Here is Jerry with Grant Aasen, a seminarian at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, before Mass on Tuesday. Grant recently decided to forego his final year of eligibility as the punter on Georgia Tech’s football team to become a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

St Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless oh Lord, until they rest in You.” Such a true statement, yet many of us seem to want to fill this void in our hearts by seeking out human love at all costs.  Our need for love is incredibly strong and it is even heightened if, as children, there was a lack of love exhibited.  Co-dependent relationships on the surface appear to fill this strong desire for love and affection.  However, these kinds of relationships tend to lead to destructive patterns and negative outcomes for one or both parties concerned. There is a call to be dependent on one another not just for our temporal needs but for eternal goals.  Our dependency on each other should be healthy and ultimately help us into heaven, as in the case of marriage.  Let’s talk about all forms of dependency with co-dependency being the first we tackle. Share your take on this by calling, 1-800-585-9396.

We have heard it said that women can and should have it all.  The spectacular house, the incredible husband, the bright children and the successful career.  Women are masters at multi-tasking so having it all seems like a realistic goal, but is it?  Maybe you have the career and the husband but adding the kids seems overwhelming.  Maybe you think you have it all, but your spiritual life along with volunteering is basically nonexistent.  Or maybe you became clever in your approach and utilized a team around you to pick up the slack in daily life.  Let’s talk about this notion of attaining it all and see if it really is beneficial to women or not.  Jerry is traveling on Monday so please don’t leave me alone with this topic.  Call in to 1-800-585-9396 and let’s discuss because others are listening and learning.