"The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness." - Pope Benedict XVI You don't have to look around long to see that the world needs Catholics that are willing to boldly live their faith. Unfortunately, many of us can often find ourselves retreating back into the comfort and safety of those like us. While there is nothing wrong with surrounding ourselves with like minded people, we must never close the door to those in need or become uninviting to the unchurched. Jesus never said you are not welcome in my group or at my table and neither should we. Listen in this week as John and Victor discuss the importance of fighting the urge to retreat back into the comfort and safety of the initiated while challenging us to become the missionary disciples we are called to be. It's time to get uncomfortable.   In this episode John and Victor discuss: - The need to return to the mentality of a missionary church -  Fighting the urge to close ourselves off in small groups that aren't welcoming to those in need.  - Running towards the unchurched instead of away from them. - Loving people the way Jesus did

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about" We all have had confrontations with strangers, co-workers, and even family and friends that haven't always gone the way we would like. Oftentimes, these interactions can leave us upset and we can move quickly to anger, premature judgments, and resentment towards the other person. As Christians, we are called to be better than that. We are called to love others, to forgive, and to turn the other cheek. While these are not easy things to do in a moment of confrontation, they are the very things that allow us to live out the Gospel in our lives. We just never know the wounds and the battles people are facing at any given time. Listen in this week as John and Victor discuss ways to meet confrontation head on with the love, mercy, and forgiveness Christ commands us to. In this episode John and Victor discuss: -Their personal experiences with out of the blue confrontation and what they learned from it -That we have a choice in how we react to others -Going to scripture to see how Jesus tells us to handle confrontation -What to do when you are blindsided by someone

Join us for a special episode this week as John welcomes his friend Hani for an interview about living as a Christian in the Holy Land. Experiencing the kindness of a pilgrim as a young child, he now devotes his life to leading pilgrims to encounter the person of Jesus Christ and the land in which he lived and ministered. With a passion for connecting the New and Old Testaments, Hani invites us into life in the Holy Land and the gift of leading others to the Lord.

All is gift! Join John and Victor this week as they discuss the power of receiving everything-trials and sufferings included- as a gift from the Lord. As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The Lord desires to use every moment of our lives to draw us back into union with Him. Nothing is wasted! May this year be an opportunity of greater trust, surrender, and freedom in Christ for each of us. In this episode we discuss: -Living joyfully in all things -Receiving every trial and suffering as a way to draw closer to the Lord -The greatest opportunity in life is learning how to love

Happy New Year! At least that's what we all want it to be. Many of us, though, fail in our resolutions and quit before we even get started. Ever wonder why? We listen to the wrong voice, that's why. The one that shows up to convict you of your mistakes and throws your past failures in your face. That voice is the voice of the Evil One. So how do we move past it and start moving forward? By "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead." ( Phil 3:13) Listen in this week as John and Victor turn to St. Paul, St Augustine, and Our Lord Jesus Christ for their advice on how to live in the present and look forward to the new year with hope. In this episode, John and Victor discuss: - Spiritual Warfare - Listening to the right voice - What St. Paul, St Augustine, and Jesus have to say about the New Year - 4 steps to take to win the battle and move forward with courage in your resolutions Become a Monthly Partner in the Pew www.donorbox.org/pew START A MEN'S GROUP IN YOUR PARISH! www.justaguyinthepew.com DOWNLOADS Get a copy of my new eBook, “12 Ways Guys Can Get Closer to Jesus”! JUSTAGUYINTHEPEW.COM/EBOOK JOIN US ON A PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY! rb.gy/ue800

See what love (1 John 3:1) "The one who holds the world in being was lying in a manger...The heavens cannot contain him, but a woman carried him in her bosom...May he make us into children of God, since for our sake he was willing to be made a child of man" (St. Augustine). This is our God. This is the God who reveals His power through humility, love, and mercy. Join John and Victor as they share the hope and freedom Jesus' birth brings into our lives. "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are" (1 John 3:1). In this week's episode: -Jesus brings freedom into our lives -We have a Savior, and you are worth saving -The desire of God for you

Remembrance is at the heart of the Christian life. When we forget who we are and Whose we are, we often fail to see the great gift of our lives and the abundant blessings we have received. Join John and Victor as they challenge us to focus not simply on the material gifts of Christmas, but on The Gift of Christ and his saving power in our lives. Found in this episode: -the necessity and simplicity of gratitude -the joy of giving -Allowing our hearts to be needy and poor before the Lord www.donorbox.org/pew START A MEN'S GROUP IN YOUR PARISH! www.justaguyinthepew.com DOWNLOADS Get a copy of my new eBook, “12 Ways Guys Can Get Closer to Jesus”! JUSTAGUYINTHEPEW.COM/EBOOK JOIN US IN ITALY! rb.gy/ue800

The great mystery of Christmas is commemorating the historical event of the birth of the Messiah and simultaneously the preparation of the second coming of Christ. As St. John Paul II said, "Our whole life should be an 'advent', in vigilant expectation of Christ's final coming." Preparation and expectation. How we live our everyday lives matters. Join John and Victor as they address the temptation to get caught up in the busyness of Christmas and reject the gift of the Advent season. In this episode, John and Victor discuss: -Advent as a time of training for the rest of our lives - How conforming our will to the Lord's can be a source of joy - 5 ways to enter into Advent DONATE: www.donorbox.org/pw START A MEN'S GROUP IN YOUR PARISH! www.justaguyinthepew.com DOWNLOADS Get a copy of my new eBook, “12 Ways Guys Can Get Closer to Jesus”! JUSTAGUYINTHEPEW.COM/EBOOK JOIN US ON A PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY! rb.gy/ue800

Where are your eyes? In the midst of the storms of life, we are often focused on the winds, the waves, and the darkness, tempted to cling to someone or something other than the Lord. Join John and his dear friend, Fr. Malachy, CFR, as they follow the example of St. Francis in focusing not on the confusion and disunity of the world, but on Jesus alone. Because Francis allowed himself to be changed by Jesus, he changed the world around him. Will we, too, allow our hearts to be the place where the rebuilding of the Church begins? Found in this episode: -Where am I looking in the storms of life: Jesus or the darkness? -Conforming our hearts to Christ alone -What am I clinging to other than Jesus? -Recognizing that Christ is with us now and always GIVING TUESDAY https://memphis.igivecatholic.org/organizations/pew-ministries DONATE: www.donorbox.org/pw START A MEN'S GROUP IN YOUR PARISH! www.justaguyinthepew.com DOWNLOADS Get a copy of my new eBook, “12 Ways Guys Can Get Closer to Jesus”! JUSTAGUYINTHEPEW.COM/EBOOK JOIN US ON A PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY! rb.gy/ue800

In this special episode, John welcomes back to the pew his close friend Fr. Malachy Joseph Napier, CFR. In recent weeks, both Fr Malachy and John have struggled with the same issue: believing that they have to do it all themselves. Listen in this week to hear how on two separate journeys, both men were brought back to the truth of who God is and what he wants for us. God delights in us and desires for us to slow down, rest in Him, and to remember that we don't have to have it all figured out. So get off of that spinning merry go round and take time to play with the Father. In this episode John and Fr. Malachy discuss: - Shrugging of the lies of the world and the unnecessary pressures we place on ourselves - The Father's delight in us - How the Father's love helps us to love those around us - The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: www.Franciscanfriars.com BECOME A PARTNER IN THE PEW www.donorbox.org/pew START A MEN'S GROUP IN YOUR PARISH! www.justaguyinthepew.com DOWNLOADS Get a copy of my new eBook, “12 Ways Guys Can Get Closer to Jesus”! JUSTAGUYINTHEPEW.COM/EBOOK JOIN US ON A PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY! rb.gy/ue800