The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Just as you can share a cup of coffee, so can you share the gospel with others. This sharing of the gospel is called kerygma. In this episode, Jeff breaks down kerygma so you can discover how simple it can be to share Christ with your family, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and more. 7 Parts/Messages of the Kerygma: 1) God loves you and has plan for your life. – Yes, God the Father loves you and seeks you. And that ache in your heart, that longing, that yearning, and that “never satisfied” quality in your desires all point to God and he has written his name in your heart. He wants to turn you away from a passing and unsatisfying world, towards him.  He wants to save you and prepare you to live with him for all eternity. He wants to fill the God sized hole in your heart and its infinite longing with his infinite Love. (CCC 1). 2) Sin will destroy you. – Nothing is so destructive in your life and this world as sin. It is desire gone wrong, it is rooted in the lie that the creature rather than the Creator can help and save us. Cultivating sin will put you in bondage to desires gone mad that will not ultimately be satisfied. Satan is lying to you and saying that rebellion form the One who made will bring happiness to you. It will not. And you know this already don’t you? Sin and indulgence does not ultimately satisfy. The world cannot satisfy, for it is finite and your desire is infinite. Sin does not ultimately bring happiness, it brings bondage, addiction, dissatisfaction, and ultimately resentment and spiritual death. 3) Christ Jesus died to save you. – Into this mess of our wayward desires and our foolish grasping at worldly trinkets Jesus came. He met the woman at the well (who is us) and told her that every who drinks form this well (the world) will be thirsty again. In other words, the world cannot ultimately satisfy or save us. We must die to this world and rise to God. But our way to God was cut off by sin. Jesus came and reopened the way to the Father by dying to this world, to its lies and false claims. Rising and Ascending he has re-opened the way to the Father, our hearts true desire. Now we can be saved by being led back to the Father by the saving power of Jesus. And dying to this world, we can one day fully be satisfied by God. 4) Repent and believe the Gospel. – To repent means to come to a new mind, to come to understand and accept all that has been stated: that the Lord loves me, is calling me in my desires, and want to save me from the sinful drives that will destroy me. It is time for me to come to believe in this Love God has form me and accept the promise and salvation of his love: Jesus Christ and the saving truth he proclaims. 5) Be Baptized and receive the Holy Spirit. – And thus in Baptism our sins are washed away, we are incorporated into Christ, we become a member of his body. And having done so, the Holy Spirit, the life, love, serenity, joy and wisdom of God comes to dwell in me and begins a work of transforming me, that includes the other Sacraments as well. 6) Abide in Christ and his body the Church. – Grow in this relationship with Jesus and His Father in the Holy Spirit by living in the life of the Church, which is Jesus presence and Body in this world. Abide there, that is go on dwelling there. 7) Go make disciples. – And so the cycle repeats with the newly Evangelized and more deeply rooted Christian calling others.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Jeff Cavins worked with Mother Angelica for years, and he is often asked, “What was Mother Angelica like?” This week, Jeff shares some of his personal encounters with and stories about a nun who revolutionized media evangelization. More Great Resources from Jeff Find free blogs, videos, and resources about Scripture and the Catholic faith at http://biblestudyforcatholics.com/. Learn more about The Great Adventure Bible Timeline and preview any study for free. For an easy way to transform your approach to reading Scripture, check out Jeff’s Bible Timeline Chart. For an illustrated resource introducing God’s love story to children while helping them to understand how the Catholic Church is the body of Christ on Earth try The Great Adventure Storybook. We’d Love to Hear from You Do you have comments or questions for Jeff? Use the comment box below, or email Jeff at thejeffcavinsshow@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Below are eight questions that can act as a guide in making a good New Year's resolution. Ask yourself the following questions: Will this resolution draw me toward Christ or away from Him? Sometimes our goals become self-centered and tend to draw us away from Christ and onto our own agenda. Keep a holy card or crucifix with you when you consider a New Year's resolution. Will this resolution enhance my vocation in life? In other words, will it help me as a parent, spouse, single person, priest, or religious? Starting with your vocation is a great place to determine future action. For example, if you are a father some of your decisions are already made. Becoming a better father is something that you know God wants you to do, even more than fitting into that pair of pants in your closet. Does this resolution have eternal impact on my life and those around me? The decisions that we make today have eternal impact, so it becomes important to budget your time and resources accordingly. Have I prayed about it and asked God to lead me in my decisions? James 4:15 says that our future decisions should keep in mind the phrase, “if it is the Lord's will.” We must always qualify our plans with this phrase as sometimes it may be the will of the Lord for us to accomplish a certain thing, but we may be off when it comes to the timing. Will this resolution take time and resources away from those around me who really depend upon me? We only have so many hours in a day and so many dollars in the bank, so it becomes very important to ask ourselves if the main things in our lives are being taken care of or neglected? If you have a family, it's a good idea to consult your spouse if you are about to allocate funds or time for your special project. Am I prepared to accompany my resolution with prayer and fortitude? The prophet Zechariah once said, “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Simply making the resolution will not bring about the desired results. Rather, fortitude and a constant reliance upon the spirit of God is what brings about the victory in our lives. Ask yourself if you are prepared to soak this change in your life with daily prayer. Am I prepared to sacrifice and offer up that which is uncomfortable in order to attain my resolution? Whether it be in sports or in the spiritual life, becoming good at something does not come without practice and sacrifice. As “location” is the key to real estate, so practice is the key to the virtuous life. Change comes by habitually practicing the good. Does this resolution further your walk with Christ and glorify the Lord or does vanity compel you? It's a wonderful thing to be physically fit, but if being fit is for the purpose of getting noticed, then your heart is in the wrong place. Become fit so that you can be a more effective witness for Christ. Remember all those times you said, "I'm too tired to do (fill in the blank)? Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

During the Christmas season, we pause to think about the impact of one very special life—the life of Jesus—on the life of every single human being throughout history. It might be easy to see Christ's impact on the world, but do we ever pause to reflect on how precious and powerful every single human life is? Do you ever take time to think about how your life has powerfully impacted the world around you in ways you might not even know? Today's episode reflects on how every life carries great meaning in God's greater plan.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

During the Christmas season, we pause to think about the impact of one very special life—the life of Jesus—on the life of every single human being throughout history. It might be easy to see Christ's impact on the world, but do we ever pause to reflect on how precious and powerful every single human life is? Do you ever take time to think about how your life has powerfully impacted the world around you in ways you might not even know? Today's episode reflects on how every life carries great meaning in God's greater plan. Do you have comments or questions for Jeff? Use the comment box below, or email Jeff at thejeffcavinsshow@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

As Catholics, we're used to praying prayers that we find on holy cards. It's a beautiful tradition, but sometimes it can feel like the prayer we are praying is hard to fully make our own. In this episode, Jeff reminds us that we don't have to be saints to write our own carefully crafted prayers—prayers that help us enter more fully into the different seasons of our life. After listening, you might just want to write your own holy card.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Each and every day of the believer’s life should be lived with an understanding that God keeps a calendar. By following his calendar, we won't waste time and energy during the course of our life, because the calendar will keep us focused on God's will rather than our own. This week, Jeff Cavins discusses how the liturgical year helps us anchor our lives in God's life.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Jeff gives ten tips to help you live a spirit of gratitude in every season of your life.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Are you on the spiritual “bunny hill?” Have you practiced your faith enough to be able to handle harder challenges, or are you still operating in the faith of your childhood? In this episode, Jeff encourages you to commit to your faith in a serious way and mature in it every day.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)

Catholics are comfortable reciting prayers out loud, but that's not the only way we're instructed to pray. We're called to speak to God in the most natural way. Wouldn't you like to be able to talk to God out loud just as you would talk to a loved one sitting beside you? In this episode, Jeff Cavins gives you advice to help you start your own conversation with God—out loud.Support The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast)