Kara Kardell

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

I Never Thought I'd Be a Yelling Mom

November 9th, 2022  |  45 mins 38 secs

catholic, draw near podcast, faith at home, fred and kara, guilt, healing, marriage, miscarriage, motherhood, noelle garcia, wives

"They never told you in marriage preparation that some days, you won't like each other very much." Continuing our series on marriage and family life, Kara is joined by speaker, musician, podcaster, wife and mom, Noelle Garcia! Sharing from the heart and the "realness" of daily life as Catholic wives and moms, Kara and Noelle discuss the hardest and the greatest things about marriage and motherhood. What advice is there for those who struggle with mom guilt (or guilt in general)? How do you handle different parenting styles and different approaches to home life between spouses? What are the biggest challenges and joys of motherhood and how do we approach these and maintain joy? All of these questions are answered in this episode!

Trigger Warning: Noelle also shares her testimony of faith in the midst of the grief of a miscarriage.

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.

St Luke's Take on The Our Father (and Kara's)

September 28th, 2022  |  19 mins 4 secs

Kara is back in this episode!!! With a reflection on the Our Father as it appears in the Gospel of Luke.

Our Father: Part 1

June 8th, 2022  |  14 mins 35 secs

our father, part 1, shorty

Many know this prayer and say it often. But what does it mean? What is happening in this prayer? What is Jesus teaching us in and through this prayer? In this first part of a series on the "Our Father" Fred begins to unpack, line by line, the profound meaning of this "most perfect prayer;" the Gospel in the form of prayer. How can a better understanding of the Our Father help you as you seek to draw near to the Lord? Join Fred in this series to find out!

Be a Saint or go to Hell (Pt 1)

May 25th, 2022  |  43 mins 11 secs

4 last things, death, eternal life, heaven, hell, judgement

Despite the title, this episode (and part two that will follow next time) really is a LIGHTHEARTED discussion on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.
Drawing on our desire to become saints (strive to be a saint and to hell with everything else), as well as our desire to help others become saints, this episode takes a different direction than listeners may expect. Reflecting on the Four Last Things and our own eventual death lead us to a greater intimacy with Christ, and it could do the same in your life!

Why do THEY have a podcast?

May 11th, 2022  |  44 mins 22 secs

We recently heard a question about us. Someone asked another friend, "why do THEY have a podcast?" Instead of assuming their intentions behind the question, we prayed with the question. "Why?" In this episode we share why 2 nobodies, sinners, introverts, friends... felt led to begin a podcast. What are we trying to accomplish? What is the future of Draw Near? We also wanted to welcome our hundreds of new listeners, share more of our lives with everyone and answer a couple of common questions we hear.

Fr. Stu: A Story of Mercy

April 27th, 2022  |  40 mins 17 secs

catholic, father stu, movie, podcast, review

Yay of nay on Father Stu? With a recent Catholic movie hitting theaters, we thought we would throw our voices in the mix on whether it is worth watching.