Off The Shelf: Recent Episodes
pete.socks@breadboxmedia.com
Pete Socks is a converted Catholic still learning the faith after 21 years. He continues to learn the riches of our Faith through books. The passion to read has led to his ministry as a book reviewer for leading Catholic publishers. You can find his reviews and author interviews at The Catholic Book Blogger on the Patheos Catholic portal (www.catholicbookblogger.com).
This week on Off the Shelf I welcomed Jessica Thornton, Content Manager for Catholic Ventures and their great new resource the Lion & Lamb Book Club. We dive into what the book club offers, the age groups it's aimed at, and how Jessica goes about finding quality books to include in each monthly box. You can find out more here: https://catholic.store/
This week on Off the Shelf we welcome back Adam Blai. Adam is a lay expert on the topic of exorcisms and has first hand experience in multiple cases. He recently wrote a fascinating book about a number of the cases he has been a part of called The Exorcism Files: True Stories of Demonic Possession. Grab your copy here.
After a summer hiatus I am back! This week my guest is none other than Raymond Arroyo. We talk about his newest book for young readers and families,The Wise Men Who Found Christmas. This fantastic and gorgeous book sheds new light on the AUTHENTIC story of the three wise men. Be sure to tune in and then grab your copy here.
This week on Off the Shelf we are taking a look at a hidden devotion that is essential for our times. With elitists pushing aNew World Order devotion to the Holy Face is much needed and the perfect weapon to combat their agenda. Grab your copy of The Secret of the Holy Face: The Devotion Destined to Save Societyhere.
This week on Off the Shelf, Gary Zimak returns to discuss the root cause of worry......fear. Grab Gary's latest Let Go of Your Fear: Choosing to Trust Jesus in Life's Stormy Timeshere.
This week of Off the Shelf Father Jeffrey Kirby joins us to discuss some of the hot button issues of our day. If you have any interest in how to wade through life in our divided culture then you'll want to listen in on the conversation. Get your copy of Sanctify Them in Truth: How the Church's Social Doctrine Addresses the Issues of Our Timehere.
This week on Off the Shelf we are traveling back in time to the early days of the Church. Join Catholic apologist and fellow convert Rod Bennett and I as we discuss the importance of the twelve apostles. Grab your copy of his book These Twelve: The Gospel Through the Apostles’ Eyes HERE.
Some of us think books make the world turn round. And in actuality they do. Reading can open entire new worlds, experiences, and opportunities to broaden our skills. Join me this week as I discuss book clubs with Marcie Stokman and how they can change your life. Get your copy of Marcie's book The Well-Read Mom. Read More. Read Well here.
The woke media doesn't want you to know about this book but I do. Join John Grabowski and I as we unravel the truth about gender identity and how the schools, society, and mass media are dangerously misleading our youth. Be sure 'to grab a copy of his book Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference here.
Understanding Scripture can be a challenge but it doesn't have to be. All we have to do is take a look at how the Early Church read the Bible and we can learn a LOT! Join Mike Aquilina and I as we discuss his latest book How the Fathers Read the Bible: Scripture, Liturgy, and the Early Church.
This week we take a look at the role of women in society and even more so in the family. We know society tells women what is best for them but what is reality? Leila Marie Lawler joins me to discuss her impressive 3 volume set The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life. Get your copy here.
Suffering....it's something nearly all of us have faced at some point in our earthly journeys. bWhether that suffering comes from natural disasters or more physical suffering has many have dealt with during this pandemic. Father Jeffrey Kirby joins me this week to discuss suffering and how we can overcome it and move past it. Check out Father's great new book Manual for Suffering here.
If you're fed up with effeminate males and society's attempt to diminish the role of males in general then this episode is for you! Kennedy Hall joins me this week to discuss how men can reclaim their role in today's world by breaking the shackles that bind us. Check out Kennedy's book Terror of Demons: Reclaiming Traditional Catholic Masculinity here.
This week Joe Heschmeyer joins me to discuss one of my favorite topics, the early church. Listen in as we peel back the layers of time and take a look at the significance of what the Early Church had to say about the faith. Grab a copy of Joe's book The Early Church was the Cathiolic Church here.
Oftentimes we look at the saints and think, 'I could never be like them...I'm simply not that good'. I know I do, and if you admit it, you do too. However, that line of thought is so far from the truth. Meg Hunter-Kilmer joins me this week to discuss extraordinarily ordinary saints and how their struggles can help us deal with our own. Get her book Pray for Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on Their Way to Holinesshere.
Ever wonder what's up with Vatican II? Don't worry you are not alone However, what you may have been told is a gross misinterpretation of the beauty and truth of the Council. Father Blake Britton joins me this week to share some insight on what Vatican II was meant to be and how it was in a sense hijacked. Get your copy of Father Blake's book Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church here.
This week on Off the Shelf we're tackling the hot button topic of our day, the pandemic, and how to handle it. Join Dr. Stella Immanuel and I as we discuss our path forward and the backlash she endured for speaking the truth. Learn more in her book Let America Live here.
Has the Catholic Faith changed? Has the Church changed her teachings? These are two questions you may be tasked with from non-Catholics challenging your faith. The answer is a resounding NO. Dr. Christopher Malloy joins me this week to take a look at the new modernism that plagues our age. We'll discuss a few of the heresies he covers in his latest book False Mercy: Recent Heresies Distorting Catholic Truth. The resounding message....don't lose hope! Get your copy here.
Have you ever gotten into one of those conversations discussing the faith with a non-Catholic and felt beaten down with a relentless onslaught of Scripture quotes? Has this left you disheartened and afraid to share the joy of your Catholic Faith? John Martignoni has the book for you! Join John and I this week as we discuss a number of topics on the faith and how to approach sharing them with non-Catholics. Grab your copy of Blue Collar Apologetics: How to Explain and Defend Catholic Teaching Using Common Sense, Simple Logic, and the Biblehere.
As we head into Advent we will soon see the signs of the current war on Christmas raising it's ugly head once again. What can we do? Raymond Arroyo joins me this week to give some helpful advice. We also take a look at his book for the young and the young at heart, The Spider Who Saved Christmas. Get your copy here.
We live in an age where one's opinion and fantasies are readily accepted as truth. This is leading to an evident decline in culture. This week Gary Michuta joins me to discuss five "revolts" through history and seven "battlegrounds" they were fought on. Bottom line - as bad as things might look now the key is...we WIN! Get your copy of Gary's latest Revolt Against Reality: Fighting the Foes of Sanity and Truth- from the Serpent to the State here.
You think we have it bad ....you ain't seen nothing yet! This week on Off the Shelf we take a look at times in Church history where the Church faced seemingly insurmountable odds and came out stronger than imagined. Steve Weidenkopf joins me to discuss his book Light From Darkness:Nine Times the Catholic Church Was in Turmoil and Came Out Stronger Than Before. What you quickly learn is that there is always hope. Grab your copy here.
This week I'm joined by my good friend Mike Aquilina to talk about...friendship. Mike has an excellent book out that addresses our twenty-first century crisis of lack of friendship with the third-century example of the Church Fathers. Listen in as we discuss his latest Friendship and the Fathers: How the Early Church Evangelized.Grab your copy at CatholicBooksDirect.com here.
This week I am joined by fellow podcaster Terry Modica. She has a fantastic new 5-part study guide on the Church Document Ecclesia de Eucharistia (The Church of the Eucharist).The book, My Soul Shall be Healed,is great for group or individual study and leads readers into a deeper love and understanding of the Eucharist. Get your copy here.
After a brief hiatus for high school tennis I am back! This week Adam Blai joins me again this time to discuss The World of Marian Apparitions: Mary's Appearances and Messages from Fatima to Todayby Polish author Wincenty Laszewski. Adam and I take a look at the importance of some of the nearly 500 apparitions included in this gorgeous hardcover volume. We discuss how to discern apparitions and how to follow them in a positive manner. Get your copy here.
This week on Off the Shelf we hear a fantastic story from an ordinary guy just like you and me. David Wooton's chance encounter with a homeless man led him on an unexpected journey in faith. It's a story you won't want to miss. You can find David's book Meeting Homeless Jesus: A Journey From Believing to Knowinghere.
This week on Off the Shelf Rhonda Gruenewald returns and we discuss her apostolate Vocation Ministry. We particularly focus on how to nurture vocations in youth through the education system. Check out her new book The Harvest: A Guide to Vocation Ministry in Educationhere.
August 6th we observed the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Dominic so it seemed appropriate to have as my guest this week Fr. Jacob Bertrand Janczy. We discuss the life of Saint Dominic and how he can serve as an example for us during these challenging times. Check out Fr. Jacob's book Saint Dominic's Way of Life: A Path to Knowing and Loving Godhere.
This week on Off the Shelf we're talking about the liturgical year. Kendra Tierney is back to discuss her follow up to The Catholic All Year Compendium. This time around she has compiled an AWESOME resource for prayer that includes monthly prayer suggestions including simple prayers, novenas, litanies, and everything in between. This will quickly become your go to prayer companion. Find out how Kendra has integrated prayer into her own family life and how you can too! Grab your copy of The Catholic All Year Prayer Companion: The Liturgical Year in Practice here.
This week on Off the Shelf Christine Wohar, founder of FrassatiUSA, shares some insight with us on her favorite soon to be saint (hopefully) Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Join us as we discuss why this virtuous man who died way too young at 24 is a stellar example of how we should live. Check out Christine's new book Finding Frassati and Following His Path to Holiness here.
This week on Off the Shelf we peel back the layers of wokeness. Our country and our world are in serious trouble. The woke ideology has placed God on the backburner, ignited rage among individuals, and coerced people to blindly follow the crowd. Noelle Mering joins me this week to break down how wokeness has latched onto society and what we need to do to fix it. Check Noelle's latest book Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideologyhere.
This week on Off the Shelf we take a unique look into the very real world of the demonic. My guest Father Stephen Rosetti is quite familiar with this subject as he himself is an exorcist. Join us as we discuss his book Diary of an American Exorcist: Demons, Possession, and the modern-day Battle Against Evil. get your copy here.
This week on Off the Shelf Father Sebastain Walshe joins me to discuss the rising issue of young adults leaving the Catholic faith. Listen in as we cover some of the reasons why this is happening and what parents can do to bring their kids back. Hint...don't smother them to start! Check out Father's book Always a Catholic - How to Keep Your Kids in the Faith for Life- and Bring Them Back If They Have Strayedhere.
Just in time for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Father Thomas Dailey joins me to discuss this great feast. Learn about the history of the Sacred Heart and why it's such an important devotion. We also cover his fantastic book Behold This Heart. In all my years as a book reviewer his book is the BEST resource on the Sacred Heart. Get your copy here.
This week on Off the Shelf it's all about miracles. God still speaks to us today through miracles we just need to be careful we do obsess over them before they are proven legitimate. Adam Blai returns to discuss the various forms miracles present themselves in and how we should carefully discern their authenticity. Get Adams' latest book The Catholic Guide to Miracles: Separating the Authentic from the Counterfeithere.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith. Through the centuries many have written of its importance and now a fantastic new book has come out that compiles 365 of them. Mystery of the Altar: Daily Meditations on the Eucharistis a must for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the Eucharist. Join Kenneth Howell and I as we discuss why the Eucharist should be the central focus point of our faith. Get your copy here.
We are full swing into the year of Saint Joseph as declared by Pope Francis. This week I welcome Father Boniface Hicks to discuss his fantastic new book on Saint Joseph, Through the Heart of Saint Joseph. We take a look at various aspects of Saint Joseph and how we can apply them to our lives. Get your copy here.
Many people seem to have a personal notion of who they THINK Jesus is but it's not exactly what history and scripture says Jesus was. Cy Kellett has an amazing new book that tackles this issue called A Teacher of Strange Things- Who Jesus Was, What He Taught, and Why People Still Follow Him.Join us this week as we discuss the real Jesus and where society has steered wrong in their interpretation of Him.