Helping each listener to draw near to Christ, his infinite love, and to one another.

“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!

Listen below to the most RECENT EPISODE:

Our Father Fred Shellabarger Our Father Fred Shellabarger

Our Father Part 6: Lead Us Not Into Temptation and Deliver Us From Evil

Concluding our series on the Our Father, we look at the last two petitions in this prayer. Every human person faces trials and temptations. Scripture refers to a battle between flesh and spirit. What does this mean? What does this petition have to do with it? What value is there in temptation? What does these two petitions teach us about the battle between good and evil. In this episode we will answer all of these questions!

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Our Father Fred Shellabarger Our Father Fred Shellabarger

Our Father Part 5: Forgive Us Our Trespasses

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." This petition in the Our Father offers us both a challenge and an invitation. Each time we pray this, we acknowledge that we are forgiven and so we too must extend forgiveness. But how do we live this? In this episode Fred reflects on this petition and offers some advice from his own experience of finding forgiveness.

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Our Father Fred Shellabarger Our Father Fred Shellabarger

Our Father Part 4: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

This petition of the Our Father carries with it great meaning and depth. On one hand it is pointing toward the practical daily needs we all have and our dependence upon God. On the other hand, we also see great spiritual truths that should shape our relationship with God and with one another, as well as our role in helping to provide for the needs of others. What are these truths? What are we praying in this petition? What difference does it make? In this episode we will find out!

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Our Father Fred Shellabarger Our Father Fred Shellabarger

Our Father Part 3: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

Continuing to dive deep into the Our Father, in this episode Fred takes a look at the petitions, "Thy Kingdom Come" and "Thy Will Be Done." How can the Our Father help us to direct our hearts toward him and better understand his will? How should these two sentences shape our daily lives, our relationships, and the way we approach the world in which we live? Find out on this episode!

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Our Father, Part 2, Name Draw Near Our Father, Part 2, Name Draw Near

Our Father Part 2: Hallowed be Thy Name

To both grow in the life of prayer, and pray more fruitfully, it is important that we take the time to reflect on what we are praying, and what those words mean. This helps our prayers to be offered to God with greater devotion and fervency. That said, in this episode we continue our discussion on the Our Father. This week we will look at the line, “Hallowed be thy name.”

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Full of Grace

December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Listen to this Draw Near podcast shorty to learn more about this feast. Mary was set apart for all of time! Scripture shows this. She was preserved from sin from the moment of her creation. Listen to Kara teach through a short Scriptural study on Mary and the dogma of her Immaculate Conception.

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