Draw Near

Beyond "I’m Praying for You": Being There for Others

July 10th, 2025  |  9 mins 55 secs

discipleship, empathy, healing, love, prayer, presence, support

Prayer is essential—but sometimes, it’s not the only thing someone needs. In some seasons, words can fall short if they aren’t paired with presence and love. This episode invites you to reflect on how we can truly support one another—not only by praying for someone, but by walking with them.

Drawing from Scripture, the wisdom of the saints, and real-life experience, we explore the power of showing up, listening well, and offering small acts of mercy. Let’s become the kind of people who pray deeply—and live that prayer out with compassion.

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.

Being the Right Kind of Ass: A Reflection on Num 22

October 17th, 2023  |  28 mins 59 secs

balaam's donkey, hearing god's voice, love, reflection, relationships

In this at times humorous, but always heartfelt (and honest) reflection, Fred brings our "Hearing God's Voice" series to a close by sharing some insights from the story of Balaam and his talking... @$$... er... eh... donkey. What can we learn about the Christian life, hearing the Lord's voice and the importance of relationships? Listen to find out!

One Hour with Our Son

February 1st, 2023  |  52 mins 42 secs

catholic marriage, faith, guest, hope, infant loss, love, miscarriage, suffering, testimony

*** Trigger Warning: Infant Loss and Miscarriage ***

In this episode we are joined by our friends Danny and Ashley Swalve as we discuss their journey of coming to a deeper faith in Christ and how that has shaped their marriage and helped them to find great hope even through otherwise overwhelmingly difficult circumstances. At the heart of their testimony is their story of surrender and trust in God's will for their lives; a desire to be used by Him to help bring healing to others who have faced similar challenges.

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.

Come, Holy Spirit

February 2nd, 2022  |  52 mins 26 secs

charismatic, charisms, gifts, holy spirit, love

Who is the Holy Spirit? Why is a relationship with Him so important? In Scripture, Christ promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, the love of God poured out into our hearts (Rom 5:5). How can we learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? How can we experience his promptings in our daily lives? What does this have to do with the love of God? And how has God gifted you in the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth? We will discuss all these things in this episode!