Off The Shelf

 The world tries to tell us we will never be happy unless we accumulate more stuff, that we will never be good enough so why try, and that our success is measured by the size of our bank accounts. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bad guidance it doles out! Following this path leads to a life of misery and frustration. We need to turn away from what the world tells us and lead a life filled with purpose. But how? Kaiser Johnson joins me this week to discuss what he has discovered in his own life and how we can change ours for the better as well. Get a copy of Kasier's latest   How to Be Miserable and Alone: (Or Discover a Life That Truly Matters)  here .  

  This week I am joined by Dan LeRoy, author of the fantastic new book  Liberty’s Lions: The Catholic Revolutionaries Who Established America.  We pull the veil back on time and take a look at the contributions of Catholics during the Revolutionary years. Often suppressed by history due to the general poor perception of Catholics in the colonies, there's a lot to learn here and you'll grow in greater appreciation of their many contributions. Get your copy of  Liberty's Lions   here . 

  This week on Off the Shelf Steve Hemler returns to discuss the third book in his apologetics trilogy,  Catholic Stories of Faith and Hope: How God Brings Good Out of Suffering . If there has ever been a time when we needed to understand this concept those times are now. 

  We live in a pretty messed up world and the only thing that will fix is to refocus on God. But how do we know if we are doing religion right? Father Kirby returns this week to discuss his book  Real Religion: How to Avoid False Faith and Worship God in Spirit and Truth.  Get your copy  here . 

One of the hardest things we can endure is when a loved one leaves the Catholic faith. Our minds are often filled with questions, blame, and doubt in ourselves. Father Jeffrey Kirby has written a wonderful devotional to help bring those loved ones back home.  Way of the Cross for Loved Ones Who Have Left the Faith  is a fantastic way to pray your loved ones back to the Church and....surprise....it's not just for Lent! Get your copy  here .

  It's pretty obvious to most of us that we have gone through twelve months like no other in our lives. Hopefully the end of the tunnel is near! Many of us have struggled emotionally and physically through this pandemic. Many of us have dealt with a large dose of worry. Gary Zimak joins me this week to discuss worry, how we can overcome it, and what good may have come from the pandemic. Get a copy of his latest book  Give Up Worry for Good!: 8 Weeks to Hopeful Living and Lasting Peace  here .

  In April 2019 I had the privilege to connect with Father Ubald Rugirangoga to discuss his recently released book   Forgiveness Makes You Free . It was a wide ranging interview  that covered a lot of ground and really pulled the layers back on how simple forgiveness can be. I shelved that episode for quite some time as the audio wasn't the best. Father's connection was via cellphone and with his accent some of what he said was a bit hard to hear.  Earlier this year on  the evening of January 7,  Father Ubald passed away of complications from Covid-19. On that day we lost a great priest. Many whom I know who had the great blessing of knowing Father and interacting with him lost a dear friend.  I cannot keep this audio shelved any longer. Here is the raw audio for you to hear the words of Father Ubald one more time. May it serve as a testament to the great love Father had for Jesus Christ.