Draw Near

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.

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

BONUS: The Christmas Story

December 13th, 2022  |  5 mins 42 secs

christmas story, draw near, fred and kara, gospel, jesus, nativity, scripture

Following up on the surprising popularity of our reading of "Yes, Virginia There is A Santa Claus" last year, we decided to share some more Christmas stories this holiday season. We both will be inviting listeners into our homes and into our families as we celebrate this year by sharing some of our favorite Christmas stories. We invite you (and your family) to enjoy... in the words of Linus from the Peanuts, what Christmas is all about. This is a purely "sit back and relax," "story time" sort of "shorty" episode. We hope this reading will be a blessing to you this Christmas season. Thank you for listening and allowing us to be a part of your lives this year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

BONUS: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

December 13th, 2022  |  3 mins 56 secs

christmas, draw near, fred and kara, reading, story, twas the night before christmas

Following up on the surprising popularity of our reading of "Yes, Virginia There is A Santa Claus" last year, we decided to share some more Christmas stories this holiday season. We both will be inviting listeners into our homes and into our families as we celebrate this year by sharing some of our favorite Christmas stories. We invite you (and your family) to enjoy this timeless story that Fred reads to his children every year! This is a purely "sit back and relax," "story time" sort of "shorty" episode. We hope this reading will be a blessing to you this Christmas season. Thank you for listening and allowing us to be a part of your lives this year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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!

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.

Saying Goodbye

August 30th, 2022  |  12 mins 30 secs

draw near, encouragement, future, goodbye, love, plans

Exciting news! Major life changes! And the future of Draw Near. All these are discussed in this episode. We also take a few moments to consider the problems with the way we typically say goodbye and the need to encourage one another. Why should we express gratitude and not take for granted that those closest to us know how much we love and care for them.