Draw Near

Helping each person to draw near to Christ and to one another.

About the show

“Jesus himself drew near.” (Lk 24:15)
God takes the initiative to draw near to us out of a deep and personal love for each one of us. This movement asks each of us for a response. There are so many beautiful ways we can respond to the work of God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. This is a journey we share together, drawing near to Christ as we draw near to one another. This shared journey toward Christ, rooted in the Catholic faith, is the focus of our podcast. Our goal is to be authentic, honest, humble, faithful, loving, passionate, real and vulnerable in each episode. We also like to keep it lighthearted. We are two best friends, sharing life together with our families. We invite you to join us as we Draw Near. Let's grow towards sainthood together!

Hosts: Fred Shellabarger and Kara Kardell
Learn more at: www.drawnear.me

Draw Near on social media

Episodes

  • Jesus, Mary, and the Saints: Ch. 10 - I Believe in Love

    January 25th, 2023  |  23 mins 3 secs
    book study, conference 10, draw near, i believe in love, jesus, mary, saints

    Week 10 discussion on "Jesus, Mary, and the Saints" from the I Believe in Love book study led by Fred Shellabarger and Kara Kardell from the [Draw Near](drawnear.me) podcast!!
    This book is a personal retreat based on the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux written by: Book by Fr Jean C J D'Elbee

  •

    PREVIEW: My Lord & My God Ep 5: Fred's Testimony

    January 24th, 2023  |  4 mins 36 secs
    big news, eucharist, my lord and my god, new show

    We have a new podcast coming out on January 24th, 2023! This weekly, year-long show is called, "My Lord & My God," based on the words of St. Thomas. Our focus in every episode will be helping listeners to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and to better understand this most beautiful and sacred mystery: Christ present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We will explore Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the writings of the saints. We will also hear many powerful testimonies of how lives have been changed through encountering Christ in the Eucharist. What difference should this encounter with Christ make in our lives? How does it shape our relationship with the Lord and with one another? Listen to find out!

    Be sure to subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast platform to catch all the new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this preview of our fifth episode. "How has your encounter with Christ in the Eucharist changed your life? What difference has it made?" We love to ask people these questions and hear their response. While in reality, this profound mystery of encounter with Christ should be more than just one single experience, we still have those moments that seem altogether unique, impactful, life changing. Like the apostle John, we can find that we even remember the time of day (John 1:39). In this episode, Fred shares his "Thomas" moment. That first encounter with Christ in the Eucharist that really led to him proclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" The full episode will post on Tuesday, February 21.

    My Lord & My God website

  •

    PREVIEW: My Lord & My God Ep 4: Kara's Testimony

    January 24th, 2023  |  4 mins 39 secs
    big news, eucharist, my lord and my god, new show

    We have a new podcast coming out on January 24th, 2023! This weekly, year-long show is called, "My Lord & My God," based on the words of St. Thomas. Our focus in every episode will be helping listeners to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and to better understand this most beautiful and sacred mystery: Christ present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We will explore Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the writings of the saints. We will also hear many powerful testimonies of how lives have been changed through encountering Christ in the Eucharist. What difference should this encounter with Christ make in our lives? How does it shape our relationship with the Lord and with one another? Listen to find out!

    Be sure to subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast platform to catch all the new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this preview of our fourth episode. "How has your encounter with Christ in the Eucharist changed your life? What difference has it made?" We love to ask people these questions and hear their response. While in reality, this profound mystery of encounter with Christ should be more than just one single experience, we still have those moments that seem altogether unique, impactful, life changing. Like the apostle John, we can find that we even remember the time of day (John 1:39). In this episode, Kara shares her "Thomas" moment. That first encounter with Christ in the Eucharist that really led to her proclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" The full episode will post on Tuesday, February 14.

    My Lord & My God website

  •

    PREVIEW: My Lord & My God Ep 3: Eucharistic Revival (Pt 2) w/ Tim Glemkowski

    January 24th, 2023  |  3 mins 33 secs
    big news, eucharist, my lord and my god, new show

    We have a new podcast coming out on January 24th, 2023! This weekly, year-long show is called, "My Lord & My God," based on the words of St. Thomas. Our focus in every episode will be helping listeners to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and to better understand this most beautiful and sacred mystery: Christ present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We will explore Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the writings of the saints. We will also hear many powerful testimonies of how lives have been changed through encountering Christ in the Eucharist. What difference should this encounter with Christ make in our lives? How does it shape our relationship with the Lord and with one another? Listen to find out!

    Be sure to subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast platform to catch all the new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this PREVIEW of the second part of our two part discussion with Tim Glemkowski, who is helping to lead the Eucharistic Revival in the United States. What is the Eucharistic Revival? How did it come about? Why is it necessary? What does it have to do with the mission and identity of the Church? And, how can the average lay person help? These are some of the many questions we seek to answer as we sit down to discuss this generational moment and growing national movement. The full episode posts Tuesday, February 7!

    My Lord & My God website

  •

    PREVIEW: My Lord & My God Ep 2: Eucharistic Revival (Pt 1) w/ Tim Glemkowski

    January 24th, 2023  |  2 mins 57 secs
    big news, eucharist, my lord and my god, new show

    We have a new podcast coming out on January 24th, 2023! This weekly, year-long show is called, "My Lord & My God," based on the words of St. Thomas. Our focus in every episode will be helping listeners to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and to better understand this most beautiful and sacred mystery: Christ present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We will explore Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the writings of the saints. We will also hear many powerful testimonies of how lives have been changed through encountering Christ in the Eucharist. What difference should this encounter with Christ make in our lives? How does it shape our relationship with the Lord and with one another? Listen to find out!

    Be sure to subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast platform to catch all the new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this preview of the first part of our two part discussion with Tim Glemkowski, who is helping to lead the Eucharistic Revival in the United States. What is the Eucharistic Revival? How did it come about? Why is it necessary? What does it have to do with the mission and identity of the Church? And, how can the average lay person help? These are some of the many questions we seek to answer as we sit down to discuss this generational moment and growing national movement. The full episode posts Tuesday, January 31!

    My Lord & My God website

  •

    PREVIEW: My Lord and My God Ep 1: Doubting Thomas

    January 24th, 2023  |  7 mins 13 secs
    big news, eucharist, my lord and my god, new show

    We have a new podcast coming out on January 24th, 2023! This weekly, year-long show is called, "My Lord & My God," based on the words of St. Thomas. Our focus in every episode will be helping listeners to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and to better understand this most beautiful and sacred mystery: Christ present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. We will explore Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the writings of the saints. We will also hear many powerful testimonies of how lives have been changed through encountering Christ in the Eucharist. What difference should this encounter with Christ make in our lives? How does it shape our relationship with the Lord and with one another? Listen to find out!

    Be sure to subscribe/follow on your favorite podcast platform to catch all the new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this preview of episode 1 in which we reflect on the inspiration for this show, "Doubting Thomas," and those beautiful words of encounter, "My Lord and My God." This episode will post Tuesday, January 24! Here, we take some time to reflect on the words of St Thomas, "My Lord and My God." He speaks these words after his famous doubt... "Unless I stick my fingers in his wounds I will not believe." Why did Thomas say this? What can we learn from him? How is St Thomas' encounter with the risen Christ similar to what we are invited into every time we attend Mass and receive Communion? These are just some of the topics we will explore in this episode!

    My Lord & My God website

  •

    You talkin' about me?

    January 18th, 2023  |  45 mins 25 secs
    draw near, gossip, guest, love your neighbor, venting

    "Treat me like a human being." These were the words of a friend of ours recounting a difficult situation to us recently. These words have stuck with us since. We - like so many we'd be willing to guess - often speak of the "dignity of the human person," and yet belief in that dignity is not always evident in the experiences of daily life. Christ tells us that the world will know us by our love for one another; that we are to love one another as he has loved us. Yet, we gossip, we slander. We are quick to desire empathy and we want to be given the benefit of the doubt, but we are not always so quick to extend that to others. How can we overcome this? What are the implications of the dignity of each human person, on the way we live our lives as social beings? These are some of the topics we dive into with our good friend, and special guest, Sr Fidelis Marie.

  • NEW PODCAST COMING! My Lord and My God

    January 18th, 2023  |  3 mins 1 sec
    big news, eucharist, my lord and my god, new show

    The hosts of Draw Near, Fred Shellabarger and Kara Kardell, have a new podcast coming out on January 24th. This show is called, "My Lord & My God," based on the words of St. Thomas. It will be centered on the Eucharist... helping people understand this great mystery and come to a deeper encounter with the love of Christ through the Eucharist.
    Be sure to subscribe/follow to catch all the new episodes.

  • Dad Joke Challenge

    January 4th, 2023  |  23 mins 46 secs
    dad jokes

    Enjoy some lighthearted fun and conversation with our good friend, Phillip Grothus! Back by popular demand, in this bonus episode as we begin the new year, Fred and Phillip battle in an exchange of dad jokes to see who can make Kara laugh. Will she crack? Who will be the winner? This is really just pure silly fun and we hope you enjoy it! Happy New Year!

    We will be back with the usual Draw Near discussions in our next episode!

  • The Eucharist: Ch. 9 - I Believe in Love

    December 30th, 2022  |  24 mins 11 secs
    book study, catholic, chapter 9, i believe in love, the eucharist

    Week 9 discussion on "The Eucharist" from the I Believe in Love book study led by Fred Shellabarger and Kara Kardell from the Draw Near podcast!!
    This book is a personal retreat based on the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux written by: Book by Fr Jean C J D'Elbee

  •

    The Cross: Ch. 8 - I Believe in Love

    December 30th, 2022  |  28 mins 25 secs
    book study, catholic, conference 8, draw near, i believe in love, the cross

    Week 8 discussion on "The Cross" from the I Believe in Love book study led by Fred Shellabarger and Kara Kardell from the Draw Near podcast!!
    This book is a personal retreat based on the teachings of St. Therese of Lisieux written by: Book by Fr Jean C J D'Elbee

  •

    The Apostolate: Ch. 7 - I Believe in Love

    December 30th, 2022  |  24 mins 2 secs
    book study, conference 7, i believe in love, the apostolate

    Week 7 discussion on "The Apostolate" from the I Believe in Love book study led by Fred Shellabarger and Kara Kardell from the Draw Near podcast!!