Draw Near

Guided Meditation: God Saw That It Was Good

December 17th, 2025  |  17 mins 37 secs

catholic prayer, christian meditation, contemplative prayer, created with purpose, draw near podcast, encountering god, god’s love, guided meditation, guided prayer, identity in christ, inner healing, personal prayer, prayer reflections, resting in god, seeing yourself through god’s eyes, self-awareness, spiritual formation, surrender, surrender journal, visualization prayer

In this guided Christian visualization meditation, Kara leads you into prayer to help you see yourself through God’s eyes: intentionally formed, fully known, and deeply loved. Rooted in Draw Near’s Surrender Journal, this reflection invites you to receive all that God has created in you—your gifts, personality, and even the parts you struggle to understand—with truth, purpose, and love.

If Jesus Is Lord, Life Looks Different

December 3rd, 2025  |  36 mins 43 secs

catholic life, christian living, conversion, discernment, discipleship, draw near podcast, gospel reflection, grace, holy spirit, obedience, prayer, scripture, spiritual growth

In a gentle (yet challenging) episode on Luke 6:46, Fred and Kara explore Jesus's words to his followers: "Why do you call me Lord Lord and do not do what I tell you?" This episode takes an honest look at what it means to actually live Jesus words from Scripture and his personal promptings to each of our hearts. We explore the freedom and difficulties in the promptings of the Spirit, real obedience even when teachings are hard, and how to discern the deeper “yes” God is inviting you into.

The Hemorrhaging Woman: Desperate for Healing

October 22nd, 2025  |  26 mins 6 secs

catholic spirituality, desperation, draw near podcast, encounter with christ, faith, gospel reflection, healing, hemorrhaging woman, jesus, lectio divina, mark 5, reflection, scripture study, shame, spiritual healing, suffering and hope

A Lectio Divina reflection on the hemorrhaging woman in Mark 5. In this Catholic podcast episode of Draw Near, we reflect on her desperate faith, twelve years of suffering, and the moment Jesus stops everything to heal her and call her out of shame.

Surrender: Trusting God in the Waiting

October 8th, 2025  |  46 mins 8 secs

draw near podcast, faith, fred and kara, god’s timing, hope, meditations, prayer, surrender, trust, waiting

What does it mean to truly surrender to God? In this episode of Draw Near, we explore how surrender isn’t giving up. It’s stepping out in faith like Peter on the water and trusting God’s slow, faithful work of grace. So, how can we actually begin to surrender?

Finding God in the Least Likely Movies

October 1st, 2025  |  1 hr 14 mins

catholic, catholic podcast, christian entertainment, christian podcast, draw near, draw near podcast, fred and krystal, movies, pop culture, spirituality, tv shows

Join us for a lighthearted conversation on discovering Christian themes in the most unexpected movies and shows. From wizards to zombies to fantasy adventures, we’ll show you how faith can shine through the movies we love in this Draw Near podcast episode.

Life's Interruptions or Divine Invitations?

July 2nd, 2025  |  18 mins 2 secs

christian spirituality, discipleship, draw near podcast, everyday holiness, living the gospel, scripture reflection, short episode

What if the interruptions in your day aren’t distractions… but invitations?
When Jesus was interrupted, he didn’t push people away—he welcomed them. In this short podcast episode of Draw Near, Kara reflects on how embracing life’s interruptions can lead us to unexpected grace. What if the distractions are actually divine invitations?

Advent Reflection: Already and Not Yet

December 18th, 2024  |  38 mins 2 secs

advent, christmas, draw near podcast, lectio divina, scripture

Jesus is coming... AGAIN!
Advent is a time of Preparation! In this Lectio Divina Reflection Fred and Kara talk about preparing for the coming of Jesus! He was born of a virgin in a manger and so has ALREADY come. BUT also... not YET, because Jesus will come again. Are we preparing ourselves for Jesus to return? What if Jesus returned tomorrow? Are you ready?

Love Builds the Church: a Lectio of 1 Cor 13

December 20th, 2023  |  34 mins 33 secs

draw near podcast, lectio divina, love, scripture

LOVE is the root of renewal of heart, renewal in the Church, and renewal in the world. "Love" builds the Church. This is a topic Fred and Kara have wanted to take up for a LONG time on the Draw Near podcast. We share personal reflections or this passage and how God has been moving in our hearts and lives recently.

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.

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.