Fred Shellabarger

There's Something About Mary

December 7th, 2022  |  1 hr 1 min

blessed mother, catholic, catholic teaching, conversion, december 8, encouragement, full of grace, healing, identity, immaculate conception, mary, scripture, trauma

In the deeply personal first half of this episode, Fred and Kara reflect on their relationship with Mary, and how that has changed and grown over the years. Fred shares more of his testimony about converting to Catholicism and the role Mary played in that process. He also reflects on issues such as identity, childhood trauma, mistrust, and difficult family experiences and how these can effect our relationship with God; as well as with Mary. He shares the story of his relationship with Mary, and how she has helped him to find healing. In the second half, we return to Kara's teaching on the Immaculate Conception, which we celebrate on December 8. Kara dives into a scriptural study of key texts that point to Mary’s Immaculate Conception with hopes that each listener would be drawn deeper into the celebration of this Holy Day of Obligation.

BONUS: Hearing God's Voice in the Liturgy

November 26th, 2022  |  30 mins 12 secs

In this BONUS episode of Draw Near, Fred is joined by Catholic convert, speaker, and creator of Lectio the Liturgy, Julie Storr. They talk about being a convert, the purpose and meaning of the Liturgy, hearing God's voice and how we can prepare our hearts and minds more fruitfully for Mass. Finally, we close with Julie's reflection for this first Sunday of Advent.

You Can't Do This by Yourself... (PREVIEW: I Believe in Love Book Study)

November 25th, 2022  |  8 mins 47 secs

book study, confidence, discouragement, draw near, fred and kara, grace, i believe in love, little way, st therese of lisieux, trust

In our walk with the Lord, we can be tempted to take pride in what we see as "our own accomplishments." We may not realize it or admit it, but it is easy to succumb to. We can also give into discouragement when we believe ourselves to not be living up to our own standards (or the standards of others). Our "I Believe in Love" book study launches November 29, 2022 on Suscipe.co. We thought it would be great to offer another preview of some of the discussions! Please enjoy this clip from Chapter 3, where we discuss how St Therese's "Little Way" is a better, and more sure approach to the temptations toward pride on one hand, and discouragement on the other.

What Are We Thankful For?

November 23rd, 2022  |  10 mins 21 secs

draw near, family, fred and kara, friendship, gratitude, thanksgiving

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we have found ourselves reflecting a lot on gratitude and the Lord's faithfulness. It's always good to take some time and reflect on what we have to be thankful for. Because we enjoy sharing our own lives with our listeners, we thought we would discuss those things that we are most thankful for this Thanksgiving. We hope this will be a blessing to you this year. As Scripture and experience both make clear, the word of our testimony is a great way to edify one another and inspire gratitude.

Even during a season of quiet, where at times it seems like the Lord has been asleep in the boat during the storm (more on this in our I Believe in Love book study), we have found ourselves overwhelmed with thankfulness. Listen to hear why!

He Still Has You! (PREVIEW: I Believe in Love Book Study)

November 22nd, 2022  |  6 mins 29 secs

book study, confidence, discouragement, draw near, fred and kara, i believe in love, little way, st therese of lisieux

Does God seem distant, silent or nowhere to be found? Are the storms raging and you feel left out at sea? Our "I Believe in Love" book study launches November 29, 2022 on Suscipe.co. We thought it would be great to offer another preview of some of the discussions! Please enjoy this clip from Chapter 2, where we discuss how, HE STILL HAS YOU! You will not sink!

Why Can't Women Be Priests?

November 21st, 2022  |  53 mins 22 secs

catholic, cremation, godparent, ordination, priests, sexism, weddings, women

In this episode, we are joined by our good friend, Fr Patrick Behm. We ask him a number of questions we have received from listeners. In particular, Fr Behm spends some time carefully walking through the Church's teaching on the priesthood, and why women cannot be ordained. He also makes the case for why Jesus clearly was not, and cannot be, sexist. Additionally we talk being a godparent, cremation and whether or not we can donate our bodies to science. We also spend some time on Heaven, homilies about hell, and the value of our prayers for those who have died. We briefly discuss mental health and suicide. We wrap up with weddings outside of the Church and participation in non-Catholic weddings, online ordination, why the Catholic "Our Father" is in some ways different from the Protestant version, and finally, the hardest parts about being a priest and the greatest joys.

***** TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE *****
If you are struggling with suicidal crisis or emotional distress, free and confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States.
Call: 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit them online at: https://988lifeline.org/

PREVIEW: I Believe in Love Book Study

November 21st, 2022  |  3 mins 26 secs

book study, draw near, fred and kara, i believe in love, little way, st therese of lisieux

Our "I Believe in Love" book study launches November 29, 2022 on Suscipe.co. We thought it would be great to offer a preview of some of the discussions! Please enjoy this clip from Chapter 1.

Want to join the study? You can purchase I Believe in Love here! Sign up to join the book study and/or learn more about us by visiting our home page. Join the Draw Near Community Space on Suscipe.co

Reckless Love?

October 26th, 2022  |  49 mins

draw near, gospel, love, podcast, reckless love, salvation

In this episode, we share some exciting news and rejoice in being back in the studio together for the first time since May! Reflecting on leading a time of music and prayer this past summer, we discuss one of our favorite songs, "Reckless Love" by Cory Asbury. Though not a new song, it is a phrase that has been debated. Is God's love reckless? What does that even mean? Does the phrase "reckless love" of God even mean "reckless" in the usual sense of the word? We would say no, not at all. So what does it mean? Listen as we get a bit more personal and share a bit of our journey with you as we reflect on the words of this song.

Wives and Wine

October 12th, 2022  |  45 mins 39 secs

catholic, draw near podcast, fred and kara, marriage, motherhood, recipes, wives

The ladies had to get their 2 cents in on this family series! If you enjoyed the husband/dad episodes, you'll love this one more. Tune in to hear Kara chat with her good friend (and Fred's wife) Krystal Shellabarger about marriage and motherhood.

Fatherhood: Baptism by Fire (Wives and Whiskey)

September 28th, 2022  |  1 hr 8 mins

being a dad, catholic, dad, family, family life, fatherhood

Kara is back in this episode!!! We are continuing the series on family life, and joined by none other than Kara's husband Beej, as well as our friend Taylor Schroll. In this episode three dads share from their own experience and offer some perspective on the struggles and the joys of being a father. Complete with a few sports analogies, whiskey sipping, and Kara poking fun (in love of course), we hope you enjoy this lighthearted discussion on fatherhood.

Embracing Fatherhood

September 28th, 2022  |  48 mins 2 secs

being a dad, catholic, dad, family, family life, fatherhood, silas, take up your cross

Becoming a father, and the reality of being a father in the day to days of life can be both stressful, terrifying and joyfully rewarding all at once! Phillip Grothus joins us once again for an authentic, reflective, but lighthearted look at being a dad. Sharing both the highs and the lows, Fred and Phillip share from their own experience, how their relationship with Christ and the faith they profess shapes the kind of fathers they strive to be. They also discuss perceptions, experiences, and cultural norms that tend to make being a father a challenge some times and offer some advice on overcoming these obstacles.

PREVIEW: Embracing Fatherhood

September 19th, 2022  |  52 secs

embrace, fatherhood, help, simon, the cross

Here is a short heartfelt preview of what you have to look forward to in our next episode in a series on marriage and family life. We are joined once again by, Phillip Grothus (and others). Topic: Fatherhood. Enjoy!