Despite the title, this episode (and part two that will follow next time) really is a LIGHTHEARTED discussion on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. This episode takes a different direction than listeners may expect. Reflecting on the Four Last Things and our own eventual death lead us to a greater intimacy with Christ, and it could do the same in your life!

We recently heard a question about us. Someone asked another friend, "why do THEY have a podcast?" Instead of assuming their intentions behind the question, we prayed with the question. "Why?" In this episode we share why 2 nobodies, sinners, introverts, friends... felt led to begin a podcast. We also share what the future of Draw Near holds.

Yay of nay on Father Stu? With a recent Catholic movie hitting theaters, we thought we would throw our voices in the mix on whether it is worth watching.

In this episode, we spend some time reflecting on the past few weeks and what the Lord has been speaking to our hearts and doing in our lives as we have moved through the end of Lent and into Holy Week. We also discuss karate… What? Yes… karate! In a binge-able series we’ve both watched, we share some Gospel messages found and how it points us to dive deeper into Holy Week. What is that series?—listen to find out. Finally, Kara ends the episode with a prayerful meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries as we prepare for Good Friday and await the Resurrection with hope.

We often need help in making decisions for ourselves in the light of faith and going deeper in our spiritual lives; in hearing the voice of the Lord and being accountable for what is or is not happening in prayer. So, who needs a spiritual director? When do we need one most? What can we do if we do not have one?

Pope Benedict XVI said, “The world promises you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Yet Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that we can expect tribulation and suffering in this world if we seek to follow Him. How are they both right? Listen to find out!

In this episode we invite some of our friends to share their own thoughts and experiences of drawing near to the Lord during Lent. No one is good at Lent. Lent is often a challenge because it requires letting go of things that hinder us in following the Lord. It requires taking up the cross and denying ourselves for something much greater and more beautiful: a deeper encounter with the love and person of Jesus Christ.

The Church teaches that parents are the primary evangelists and teachers of their children and goes so far as to refer to the family in the home as “the domestic church.” But what does this mean? Practically, how do we live this out? In this episode we share some experiences from our own families on how we share the love of Christ in our homes and how we strive to be witnesses and hand on the faith.

Has the Holy Spirit become the “forgotten God”? The Holy Spirit IS LOVE HIMSELF, and that love dwells within each of us. To be truly charismatic is to be Catholic! The Holy Spirit is so fully present in each of us and we should strive to build a relationship with the Spirit. Listen to this episode to dive into the Holy Spirit as LOVE and the charismatic gifts that he gives us in order to love!

Please enjoy this bonus content, our cover of Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). Our arrangement is a bit different as we have added in all of the original verses of Amazing Grace.

We LOVE recording and playing music. Please enjoy this cover of "No Longer Slaves" by Bethel Music that Fred and Kara recorded.

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.

In this shorty, Kara gives an in-depth teaching on the Catholic Church and the Papacy (Popes). Why does the Church have a Pope? Where is the idea of a Pope in the Bible?

We speak with guest, Catholic speaker, author, and podcaster, Sonja Corbitt! This episode unpacks some content in her book, "Just Rest." God's ways are ALWAYS desert ways. He shows us this throughout the Scriptures, specifically through the Exodus.

God wants to bring us to the promised land! But before the promised land comes the desert. There are lessons to be learned and "dew" to be given within the desert. Listen to this episode to hear this in depth discussion of "Just Rest" and some profound experiences of Fred and Kara in reading this book.

With guest-Sister Fidelis Marie, we talk about living holiness in our every day lives. It's easy to get bogged down discerning the future options, vocations, or the many choices placed in front of us. Sister Fidelis gives wonderful, spiritually balanced, guidance on discerning where God calls us.

In this episode, we again take up the theme of “life lessons” from the Saints. We share our encounters with St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” and share some deeply personal experiences of how her words, and no doubt her intercession, helped us draw near to the Lord during very difficult times. We consider St. Therese a very dear friend and we hope that this episode will help you to also discover just how relatable she is; and how her “Little Way” can help you also find joy and fulfillment even in the smallest and seemingly insignificant moments.

Thoughts of our own failures and shortcomings, whether real or only perceived, can often surround us like a heavy storm. BUT even if he is asleep in the boat, he is always present in moments of failure… ready to calm the storm! And the best part is, he wants to use our shortcomings to bring about something beautiful!

In this Shorty, Fred shows us how to not only pray with Scripture, but also how to pray with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is itself filled with Scripture. This book, a summation of the Catholic faith, is not merely a reference book. The Church teaches Truth, and we are invited to not simply learn this truth, but pray with it! Fred presents a method for praying the Catechism, and reflects on the profound truth and beauty that is revealed in the process.

Scripture is the Living Word of God. It is there, in Scripture, that we encounter Christ. It is through study and prayer of the Word that we walk with God and speak with Him.

This "shorty" (what we decided to call short/bonus episodes) teaches on Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.

What is the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament? How does Luke's Gospel present Mary as the New Ark? What does this have to do with the Assumption? Find out in this shorty!