Podcast
On The Road To Perfection
Hosted by Beth and Kristofer Cowles · ENGLISH
Holy Owned and Operated presents “On The Road To Perfection,” a weekly discussion between Beth and Kristofer Cowles focused on living the Catholic Faith as they take their evening walk.
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Episodes
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Relics – Episode 162
Aug 24, 202300:22:39Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 162: Relics Instigated by a question from our oldest son, we dive into the macabre! Not really, but Kristofer has some issues with the idea of venerating body parts. Fortunately, Beth has the more reasoned approach that the Church has, and Kristofer winds up understanding, but not on-board. Relics are hard to understand, and the venerating of them is not a requirement to be Catholic. It’s a practice that is encouraged if it will help an individual focus on Jesus. The saints are saints in large part because they point us to The Lord, and those relics are meant to help us do the same. We define relics and explain what veneration is in this episode. We discuss our experience with relics, as well as the practices in our own community. which has two at two separate parishes. We share our experiences throughout the years and country when we’ve visited and experienced relics. We discuss the meaning behind “first class” and “second class” relics, and get into the comparison of religious approach to them and the historical approach to physical pieces of historical figures and items from their lives. Relics can be useful, and they can be confusing. What is important is what matters to the individual and how they approach themto aid them in being closer to Jesus Christ. If you are still confused after this, feel free to blame Kristofer! Some items on our site that will help in exploring Relics, or at least get you started: TWMWU:Why Does the Catholic Church Have Saints – Episode 67 TWMWU: What Does Ephphatha Mean? Be Opened! Podcast Episode:Saints – Episode 16 Podcast Episode:Our Saints – Episode 18 Podcast Episode:The Incarnation – Episode 72 Podcast Episode: All Saints Day – Episode 118 Podcast Episode: God’s Beauty – Episode 160 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Relics.
Transcribe →Because I Said So – Episode 161
Aug 17, 202300:24:53Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 161: Because I Said So “Because I said so” is never the answer. We do not typically get into exact parenting practices, but this was an occasion that happened after Mass that Kristofer thought needed addressing. Raised in an environment where asking “Why” was not allowed when parental direction, guidance, or discipline was being meted out, Kristofer and Beth relate a family story that exemplifies this situation and, in the process, discuss how it has been psychologically shown that Dads have a god-like aura to their children until their late teens. We dive into taking our cues from our perfect Dad in heaven. God NEVER says “Because I Said So.” Neither should we. God is the most eligible person to justifiably be able to say, “Because I said so,” and we should have no problem with that. But He loves us and explains His answers to the question, “Why?” As we grow in relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we begin to trust and learn – much as our kids grow in relationship with us – and do not ask Him “why?” so much anymore. But we get there because He has always answered us – if we are listening. Kids learn to trust their god-figure – their Dad – by his explaining, not by his fiat that should not be questioned. Those brief opportunities to explain captures the opportunity to grow closer to a child and to develop the trust that has to exist throughout our lives and relationship with our children. “Because I said so” shuts down that opportunity and creates a wider divide. There is always an answer. If there isn’t, then the command is illegitimate and simply a display of unchecked authority – tyranny at the family level. When there is not an answer, it is an opportunity for the Dad to grow the relationship and create greater trust by admitting there is no answer (beyond, “Because I said so.”) and apologizing. “Because I said so” is the worst of all answers. We only get to the truth by asking questions. This response creates a wall, which only gets higher and thicker, and makes the child less likely to trust, obey, and ask. Some items on our site that will help in exploring Because I Said So, or at least get you started: TWMWU:Jesus Died For Us Podcast Episode:What Are Good Works – Episode 114 Podcast Episode: Raising Kids In These Times – Episode 122 Podcast Episode: Taking Kids to Mass – Age 7 and Above – Episode 128 Podcast Episode: It Works! – Episode 131 Podcast Episode:Are You Saved? – Episode 136 Podcast Episode: Joy In Obedience – Episode 153 Podcast Episode:Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic? – Episode 156 Podcast Episode:Beginning With The End In Mind – Episode 157 Podcast Episode:God’s Beauty – Episode 160 Here is some of our stuff that covers Catholic parenting; and Catholic kids. Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Because I Said So.
Transcribe →God’s Beauty – Episode 160
Aug 10, 202300:25:12Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 160: God’s Beauty As it was last week, the Big Ball of Twine Tour 2023 is the backdrop for this episode. This recent vacation of ours brought us the opportunity to experience God’s Beauty in many forms, and we talk about the profound experience and permanent impression it made upon us. We dig into the incomparable depth of God’s Beauty, juxtaposed against Man’s Beauty; and we start out doing so by taking on Devil’s Tower! Our discussion answers questions you may not know you had, and it starts a lifelong discussion we hope you have with your selves, your loved ones, and your God. We will. God’s beauty is, paradoxically, revealed in the unknown. We wonder how such things as Devil’s Tower are made – because nobody knows and there are no less than four prevailing, accepted theories! – and wind up quoting The Princess Bride to explain it. We discuss the beauty in the America we experienced; the natural beauty and infinite “I can’t do that, but Somebody did!” We marvel at the colors, which, unfortunately, our part of Texas tends to be devoid of. We saw God’s beauty that the Ingall’s family (yes, THAT family) saw that caused them to settle by the shores of Silver Lake. We saw God’s beauty in the massive herds of buffalo that walked within three feet of us; fearless and majestic in their place in the world and the tapestry known as God’s beauty. We experienced God’s beauty throughout our trip, whether it was balls of twine [Darwin, Cawker City, Branson), Devil’s Tower, The Black Hills, the Great Plains, Bison herds, stars, bugs, or blades of grass, or a hundred other things we saw. The attention to detail that God goes to so as to make our lives so rich showed us how God’s beauty is His expression of His love for us – and that love manifested itself in us as a family experiencing Him in a manner that brought our family closer with lifelong memories. The Big Ball of Twine Tour 2023 Itinerary. Some items on our site that will help in exploring God’s Beauty, or at least get you started:   Article: Love for a Princess(Opens in a new browser tab) Page: HOO We Are TWMWU: What Does Ephphatha Mean? Be Opened!(Opens in a new browser tab) Podcast Episode: It Works! – Episode 131(Opens in a new browser tab) Podcast Episode: Spreading The Good News – Episode 135(Opens in a new browser tab) Podcast Episode: Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic? – Episode 156 Podcast Episode: Man’s Beauty – Episode 159(Opens in a new browser tab) Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with God’s Beauty.
Transcribe →Man’s Beauty – Episode 159
Aug 3, 202300:22:39Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 159: Man’s Beauty The Big Ball of Twine Tour 2023 is the context for this episode. This recent vacation of ours brought us the opportunity to experience Man’s Beauty in many forms, and we explore this phenomenon that we experienced intimately. After an unintended humorous opening prayer, and refusing to melt into a puddle of goo in the heat, we discuss, in-depth, Man’s Beauty, and the beauty he makes with what the Creator has given us – our talents and resources. Beauty is one of the three attributes of God. And His beauty is constantly expressed through Man – all of us. We know Beauty when we see it, because our souls intrinsically recognize it. Beauty has a purpose. It pleases us, certainly, and our pleasure is something God wants for us. But its purpose is to reveal God and bring us closer to Him. We experienced Man’s beauty throughout our trip, whether it was balls of twine [Darwin, Cawker City, Branson), shrines (Father Rother, Sr. Wilhelmina), or Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Corn Palace, the Grotto of the Redemption, the Golden Driller, or the World’s Largest Peanut, or a hundred other things we saw. None of these creators knew us, but their works of beauty brought our family closer together and closer to God because of that. It is a natural effect of true beauty – Man’s Beauty expressed by people who were who they were supposed to be and did what they were supposed to do – with one of God’s purposes being for us as a family to experience it and Him in a manner that brought our family closer with lifelong memories. The Big Ball of Twine Tour 2023 Itinerary. Some items on our site that will help in exploring Man’s Beauty, or at least get you started: Article: Love for a Princess Page: Lent Resources Video: Fruits of the Spirit: Introducing the Fruits of the Spirit TWMWU:Third Week of Advent – Rejoice! Podcast Episode:All Souls Day – Episode 119 Podcast Episode: Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic? – Episode 156 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Man’s Beauty.
Transcribe →Ordinary Time Is Not Ordinary – Episode 158
Jul 27, 202300:21:00Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 158: Ordinary Time Is Not Ordinary This week, Beth drops a surprise topic on Kristofer after his opening prayer. Beth says that Ordinary Time is not ordinary, and Kristofer does his best to grasp the mathematical meaning behind the words, thanks to his patito, Kora, educating him a few weeks earlier. With the ice cream van trolling the neighborhood and tempting us at every turn. we discuss how extraordinary this time really is – starting with a parish in Connecticut and the miracles that happen around the world, every single day in thousands of places. This is not ordinary! So, let’s dig in… With planes, cars, and dogs – and even Paul Harvey – in the background, we get into the rest of the Story. During every other season of the year, we celebrate the big things, the big deals, the big feasts. But wait, there’s more during the rest of the year! We are sad to not see the crowds at Sundays of Ordinary Time that we see at Easter and Christmas. But this season gives us every other Sunday, when EACH of them is a “little Easter,” as the Church teaches. The story that we hear at Mass every Sunday is a continuation, the next bit of the story: Life as it was and is as we travel with Jesus. How can being with Jesus be anything but extraordinary? We share practices that our family has on a daily and weekly basis to express, focus, and live out the extraordinary moments that this is: NOT ordinary! Matchbox cars, chicken fingers, Family Game Night, abstaining on Friday, and quoting Fr. Will who quoted C.S. Lewis who quoted Revelation to avoid derailing a train, this episode itself shows that this time of year is truly special! This episode has a great set of practices and practical applications that, as we have practiced them, have been passed on naturally to our children. They know this season is not ordinary in their bones, deciding for themselves when they are not with family how to practice and live their faith and remind themselves that our time is not ordinary, but extraordinary. We hope you can use these ideas to help make this ordinary season extraordinary in your life and family, too! Some items on our site that will help in exploring Ordinary Time is Not Ordinary, or at least get you started: Article: Ordinary Time – Summer 2021 TWMWU: The Second Coming Podcast Episode: Ordinary Time – Episode 46 Podcast Episode: What Is Lent – Episode 81 Podcast Episode: Making Time For Prayer – Episode 146 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Ordinary Time Is Not Ordinary?
Transcribe →Beginning With The End In Mind – Episode 157
Jul 20, 202300:24:24Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 157: Beginning With The End In Mind Kristofer’s sister comes to mind as we begin by talking about pickle juice. Beginning with the end in mind in our conversation is not a discourse on Stephen Covey, though we do give him credit here and intertwined throughout On The Road To Perfection for bringing Kristofer to the Catholic Faith, and it is a conversation that Covey would appreciate. As Beth says, the “end” would be our “telos”, which Kristofer jumps on for the meaning of “perfected.” This is a conversation of “Eschatology,” which is the study of the last things. Are you ready for a conversation about the end goal of what the road to perfection leads us to? Well, here it comes! Our individual call to holiness is not the same as anybody else’s, so when we lose sight of that end goal – taking the eyes off the prize – we start to wander off the path. We miss the mark and make excuses. We lose our way. Beginning with the end in mind helps us avoid losing our way. After a second squirrel moment about manhole covers, and a third about garbage trucks…which really are end times…Beth launches into… Fonts? When we are focused on details we lose sight of the end goal: Bringing ourselves and others to heaven. Kristofer is confused. He’s a Husband, and recognizes his purpose to bring Beth to heaven – but does he have that power? Invoking the last episode, and two episodes before, Kristofer goes for the jugular, sorta. But Beth makes the case – easily – and straightens him out about beginning with the end in mind. Not getting caught up in the minutiae, and working on the bigger picture, Kristofer equates our individual parts to the part of HOO – without undoing every part. Confused? You are not alone, as Kristofer’s silence indicates. And he’s the one who said it! Beth takes the ball and runs with it – straight to the place The LORD has made for her. As Beth says, beginning with the end in mind is always keeping in the forefront the room that Jesus has prepared for us. He is not preparing just the room when we are done here, but He is preparing a place for us by giving us opportunities through this life on Earth; the fact that we exist is an opportunity to become holy. It is the opportunity to ask Him to send the Holy Spirit, and once we know His will, to follow it. When we do not begin the end in mind, it is harder to seek His will: to see how the opportunities that we have with others is preparing us for heaven. Fortunately, beginning with the end in mind is something we can do at any moment! Confession is a good place to start! Kristofer, feeling left out by the theological giant known as Beth, actually invokes Beth’s practice of putting into perspective the stuff that is not vocational. Instead of beginning with the end in mind, should we begin with the next five years in mind, to train us? Kristofer seems to lean that way, pulling out the big guns of Colonel Kevin to prove his point. Is this the hill you want to die on? Do you think long-term? It might be easier to think about making it to the next minute. If we are beginning with the end in mind, making it to the next minute might give us a hint of heaven. Kristofer channels Covey, saying that beginning with the end in mind means acting in a manner so that when you are looking at your own funeral, what will people say about you? The real question is, what will Jesus say about you? Kristofer paraphrases a saint or saints, saying that we must die to Jesus a little bit every day and, with a bit if correction from Beth about dying to self, makes the point that it is about realizing we are a bit closer to that judgement, With a big J! Leaving it with another squirrel moment about fear of The Lord, Beth and Kristofer talk about meeting God at our death. We have to own it. It is worth not just contemplating, but doing something about. That starts with beginning with the end in mind. Some items on our site that will help in exploring Beginning With the End in Mind, or at least get you started: TWMWU: The Second Coming TWMWU: Sin, Repentance, Forgiveness, and Mercy TWMWU: Alpha and Omega TWMWU: A Thousand Generations Podcast Episode: What Is Lent – Episode 81 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Beginning With The End In Mind?
Transcribe →Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic? – Episode 156
Jul 13, 202300:23:12Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 156: Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic? It’s Romper Room time at Holy Owned and Operated! Who do you see? After a list of names and a Laurie Anderson reference, Beth hits Kristofer with a topic out of the blue. Kristofer answers right away, and condemns the rest of us – including him – but of course leaving out Beth. But wait for the end to be sure. We see everybody around us – especially at Mass and other Church functions – as good and better than us. So, it is natural to wonder if we are good enough to be Catholic. After making sure we aren’t having technical difficulties and jump right in: Am I good enough to be Catholic? Kristofer dives deep with a short story about “coming out” as Catholic to a Baptist mentor, and relates a familiar story of Bishop Mike and him having a conversation as he declared his intention to become Catholic. But it is an important message: Welcome to the club! Nobody is perfect, but the Church is. And Kristofer gives an example of being perfect for 14 hours before becoming unworthy of his baptism. Most of us do not have that perspective to know if we are good enough to be Catholic, so Kristofer dives deeper, talking about him not having been to confession that he revealed on a previous episode – a situation that troubled Beth dearly, as it should any spouse. (Kristofer did go, if you listened a few episodes back!) Reconciliation gives us an out, Kristofer explains, and he delivers a great understanding of the difference between a pedestal and a plinth, and a frog and a toad. Then Beth takes over and brings the converstion to a sense of sanity… Beth explains how Jesus says, “I came for the sinners” and not the righteous, talking about how the Pharisees and scribes comlained about him eating with the tax collectors. He told them that the “righteous” had the law and the prophets and that they were good to go if they followed it all, but the sinners did not. Kristofer feels left out at this point, so he casually mentions that the Pharisees and scribes were good enough to be Catholic, and Beth off-handedly replies that he is right. Mark that down! Jesus came to save all of us, and if we think “am I good enough to be Catholic,” then we reject that gift of salvation. And that is not how Jesus wants us to see this gift. Because Jesus thinks – well actually knows! – we are good enough! Or does He…? We cannot save ourselves; we can only cooperate with the salvation that Jesus offers. When we think “Am I good enough to be Catholic?” it is really that we are not sure how to cooperate with that grace. Kristofer quotes St. Augustine’s homily on St. John’s writings (Yep, THAT Kristofer!). After Beth picks herself off the floor, or street as it were, Kristofer recites that the way to being like Jesus is simple, not easy. In the words of St. Augustine “He simply loved. That’s what you do.” They will know we are Christians by our love. Being on the road to perfection is to get better at loving others. If I am on that road, am I good enough to be Catholic? Beth says it is easy to love God (Of course she does!) with a lot of caveats – mainly, “all of the people in the way,” as she throws Kristofer under the bus with you! If we ever feel that we are unworthy of the community and the Sacraments of the Church, we need to get our heads on straight and work on our love. We are constantly being invited to Jesus through that community and the Sacraments and through this journey – on this road to perfection – to be made worthy. By dying on the cross, Jesus has made us worthy. But what is the answer to the question, when everything is so mixed up, including us? Am I good enough to be Catholic? We may be worthy – but am I good enough to be Catholic? The answer may surprise you – so we leave it to you to listen to the end. Pardon the clickbait, so if you want to skip to the answer and bypass all the fun we have getting here, go to 21:44 in the episode. Some items on our site that will help in exploring Levels Of Love, or at least get you started: TWMWU:: God’s Answer is Jesus TWMWU: What Does Ephphatha Mean? Be Opened! Podcast Episode:Being Catholic is Fun – Episode 43 Podcast Episode:It’s All In The Little Things – Episode 69 Podcast Episode:What Are Good Works – Episode 114 Podcast Episode: Giving Back – Episode 127 Podcast Episode:Are You Saved? – Episode 136 Podcast Episode: Why Do We Go On Retreat? – Episode 151 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic?
Transcribe →Is There Cake? Summer Catholicism And Our Third Anniversary – Episode 155
Jul 6, 202300:28:07Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 155: Is There Cake? Summer Catholicism And Our Third Anniversary Summer Catholicism does not make sense. The Church is Universal, and Summer happens every year. Why do we turn into summer Catholics when the kids get out of school? So many seem to take the summer off, as if a change in schedule justifies a change in celebrating days of holy obligation. We discuss this fun topic on a 95-degree day, and it is obvious the heat gets to us. Delirium, goofiness, and straight-up ridonculousness ensue as we unwittingly realize it is our third anniversary for the podcast. We’ve been doing this for three straight years, no interruption! So, enjoy this fun twenty minutes of just craziness while actually giving great suggestions on how to keep our Catholic practices – and Faith! – during the summer while we are still relaxing. And then there’s the cake. During this episode, we encounter Gary and Jose, the sunflowers, talk about spiders, different types of winds, and even a brainstorm for 2 new (?) Catholic web sites! Mass attendance goes down during the summer. Summer Catholicism teaches our children, and ourselves, how inconvenient God and Catholicism is; but it is supposed to be! So we provide resources (along with a little bragging on Andrew!), on how to keep summer Catholicism at bay. Calling out a local Catholic family – in a good way – we show practical approaches to combating summer Catholicism, and we even get in an aside for a former priest of ours and the prayers he needs. If you are listening to this, you either are not a summer Catholic, are interested in not being one, or you are wondering what cake has to do with it all. It’s worth listening to so that you can find out! And we hope that you are saying, “People take a break? That’s not normal.” But just in case, here’s our offering. From suggesting new community opportunities, new Mass opportunities, or new activities and ministries, we have it all. Even a guest appearance from Worf – if you listen closely right around the 22-minute mark. These are all great ideas to stave off summer Catholicism! And eliminating summer Catholicism does not stop with those ideas – there’s more! From retreats and donut shops, picnics and taking Father for a swim, we offer it all! Summer Catholicism does not have to be the new, three-month normal every year. Turn your summer Catholicism into a new normal! Stay old wine! Mass has not changed for two thousand years. Despite summer Catholicism, God is constant, Jesus is always in the Tabernacle. Don’t leave Him hangin’ – Our Father needs your high five! (You’ll have to listen…) RESOURCES: Mass and confession times around the world for the traveling Catholic: MassTimes.org The Church of the Holy Dirt: El Santuario de Chimayo Some items on our site that will help in understanding and exploring Summer Catholicism, or at least get you started: Page:FAR OUT – Faith and Reason Outdoor Unity Tour Article:Ordinary Time – Summer 2021 Podcast Episode:Why Do Catholics Use Latin – Episode 62 Podcast Episode:Anniversary Episode – Episode 51 Podcast Episode:Cultural Catholicism – Episode 139 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Is There Cake – Summer Catholicism And Our Third Anniversary.
Transcribe →Levels Of Love – Episode 154
Jun 29, 202300:25:03Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 154: Levels Of Love Are there levels of love in how we love others? Is how we love God different than how we should love one another? Are caritas, agape, storge, filial, eros different levels? In this episode, we talk about that, and how love is a many splendored thing – but does it have levels, or people who are subject to or should receive more or less love than others? We discuss how our love reflects upon us and our relationship with God, and reveals how much we actually follow the Greatest Commandment. What level of love do we give Jesus, who is my neighbor, and how do we love our enemies? Big questions, and we give our meager answers… Spanning the call to perfection from the Sermon on the Mount to the idea that something is unforgivable (or not), reaching to the Letters of John from the depths of Deuteronomy, we cover a wide swath to come to a reasonable conclusion, all started by a simple comment from Kristofer’s Spiritual Director, Father Albert (He is also the Spiritual Director for Holy Owned and Operated!). We go into the wayback machine and quote Bishop Mike from the San Angelo Diocese when he was a priest nearly three decades ago. Our fallen nature makes love a difficult thing, and we tend to make it more difficulty. Levels of love is one of the ways we do that – saving certain actions for some and denying them for others. Levels of love implies that love is not a verb, which it is. Levels of love implies feelings, which is not the love we are talking about here. Loving someone involves loving God and loving ourselves – and yet none of these are levels of love better or worse than the other. Let us not confuse “types of relationships” and how we approach those relationships with levels of love. Jesus did not love his Apostles (including Judas!) on different levels, though He related to them according to their personality. None of them were less or more than the other in Jesus’ eyes, or heart. We are called to look at ourselves the way God looks at us, and look at others the way God looks at them. If we manage that, we become close to God, and we get a sense of how there truly are not any levels of love but more a word cloud of love. It makes sense, if you listen to it! At Holy Owned and Operated, we cover love a LOT! Here are the 101 (as of this date!) different published items on our site – all free! – in which we discus love and Our Lord’s teaching of it, as well as what you might call “best practices.” Some items on our site that will help in exploring Levels Of Love, or at least get you started: Page: What is Pentecost? Page: Spirit In Life – Exploring the Holy Spirit | A Video Series Video: Fruits of the Spirit: Love Article: What is Love? Article: Love for a Princess Podcast Episode: Love – Episode 30 Podcast Episode: Lust And Love – Episode 133 Podcast Episode: How Do I Love My Enemies – Episode 137 Podcast Episode:What Is Lent – Episode 81 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Levels Of Love.
Transcribe →Joy In Obedience – Episode 153
Jun 22, 202300:24:04Tap to summarizeOn The Road To Perfection Episode 153: Joy In Obedience Joy in obedience? How’s that?! Come again? As Beth explains in the beginning, it makes sense that a virtue begets a fruit of the Spirit. Kristofer picks up the ball and goes big picture, explaining that doing what God says leads to joy. But what about the suffering that comes about when obeying God? Still = supreme joy! From God to the world to the nations to us personally obeying God, we talk about the difference between joy and happiness and where all of this obedience applies. Parents will find this useful to listen to with children of all ages. There is joy in hope. When we hope in The Lord, when we obey Him, The Lord’s joy is in us, as Jesus plainly states. The Lord’s Prayer states, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In heaven, the Will of The Lord is perfected and constant and so there is perfect joy in heaven. As parents we teach our children to obey, and our children learn through obedience that there is joy, peace, and harmony. There is joy in obedience because Mom and Dad are happy, which keeps the children happy, which creates joy around us. Delving into a little bit of parenting skills, Beth describes how to instill that virtue of obedience by catching our children doing something right. he shares how exploring this with children will let them see how there is joy in obedience. Happiness is fleeting. Joy is forever. There is joy in obedience. As Kristofer says, “If we all followed the first commandment, we would not need the other nine!” We continue the discussion about being who we are supposed to be, and how that is obedience that leads to joy, and keeps us from misery, even in the midst of suffering for being who we are supposed to be, because there is joy in being that. And, yes, we cannot finish the episode without a throwback song about joy… Some items on our site that will help in exploring this topic: Video: Fruits of the Spirit: Joy TWMWU:This Great Gift TWMWU:Take Up Our Cross! TWMWU:Prepare The Way Of The Lord Podcast Episode: Joy – Episode 21 Remember: Your suggestions, questions, and ideas for topics are what we need to keep providing great episodes. Email us or use the contact page to let us know what you would like us to talk about, or comment below to let us know if we picked a good topic with Joy In Obedience.  
Transcribe →