IP#489 Gary Michuta – The Gospel Truth on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts podcast

Gary Michuta on  “The Gospel Truth: How We Can Know What Christ Taught”

Join Kris McGregor as she discusses the book “The Gospel Truth: How We Can Know What Christ Taught” with Gary Michuta.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“Hundreds of books have been written to vindicate the Gospels by noting that they were written closer to the events they record than any other ancient history. But how do we know that they accurately recorded what Jesus said and did? How do we know they didn’t fabricate their contents? That Jesus really did work the miracles reported in the Gospels? Most important of all, how do we know what is the authentic interpretation of his words and deeds?

Christian apologists have largely neglected to answer these significant questions because they have focused instead on vindicating the Gospels apart from the community that wrote them.

The Gospel Truth fills in this gap by demonstrating that a concerted and sophisticated effort was made to ensure that what Jesus taught and did was accurately retained, recorded, verified, and passed on to future believers. It also shows how we can know whether our copies of Scripture reflect the original, whether the books in our Bible really belong there, and ways to know how to correctly understand them.”


About the Author: Gary Michuta is the author of Revolt against Reality: Fighting the Enemies of Sanity and Truth from the Serpent to the State, Hostile Witnesses: How the Enemies of the Church Prove Christianity, The Case for the Deuterocanon: Arguments and Evidence, Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger, and several other apologetic works. Gary is an instructor of apologetics for Home School Connections and is the host of “Hands On Apologetics” on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

IP#488 Anthony DeStefano – 30 Days to Your New Life on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts podcast


Anthony DeStefano on  “30 Days to Your New Life: A Guide to Transforming Yourself from Head to Soul”

Join Kris McGregor as she discusses the book “30 Days to Your New Life: A Guide to Transforming Yourself from Head to Soul” with Anthony DeStefano.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“Happiness. Everyone wants it, but not everyone has it–or knows how to get it. According to a recent Harris poll, only 1 in 3 Americans describes himself as happy. Researchers have dubbed this the “most stressed” of all generations, despite its economic prosperity and technological advances. Anthony DeStefano, bestselling author of A Travel Guide to Heaven and Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To, addresses this problem head-on in his freshly rewritten book, 30 Days to Your New Life, by striving to bring the joy of Heaven down to Earth right now.

Many self-help books explore the subject of happiness, but one important ingredient always seems to be missing: God. In this no-nonsense, refreshingly direct book, DeStefano bridges the gap between personal development programs and Christian/Catholic spirituality. The result is a wake-up call to readers; an outcome-based motivational guide to living life to its fullest–and holiest. DeStefano’s practical, pull-no-punches, approach to popular theology has been described as “Tony Robbins meets Thomas Aquinas.”

With candor and simplicity, DeStefano presents an easy-to-follow framework for attaining lifelong peace and fulfillment, as well as (more importantly) eternal happiness in Heaven. The path proposed by DeStefano encourages consistent, purposeful and prayerful action on the part of the reader, and offers genuine hope to everyone, from ambivalent agnostics to engaged evangelicals to the most fervent of Catholics.

This is a book about getting results, about breaking out of self-delusion and taking small, practical steps to transform your life from head to soul. The author believes that as more and more people today struggle with depression and loneliness, self-help programs need to be less about “self-help” and more about “God’s help.” God, after all, is the Author of life. He knows what will make us happy–and what won’t.

DeStefano utilizes the best personal development tools available, but balances and corrects them with Bible-based, faith-filled, time-tested, sacramental, Catholic principles. No matter how terrible your circumstances may be or how many times you’ve failed to achieve your goals in the past, this book will work for you.”


About the Author: Anthony DeStefano is the bestselling author of over twenty-five Christian books for adults and children. His books have been published in eighteen different countries and twelve different languages and have been endorsed by The National Day of Prayer committee as well as many prominent religious leaders and mainstream celebrities. He has appeared on the 700 Club, Fox and Friends, CNN, Huckabee, and hundreds of other national and local media shows. He has also been the host of two television series on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), as well as a frequent guest on that network. A Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Anthony is an avid pilot and lives in New Jersey with his wife, Jordan.

IP#487 Stephen J. Binz – Saint Junipero Serra’s Camino on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts podcast


Stephen J. Binz on  “Saint Junipero Serra’s Camino: A Pilgrimage Guide to the California Missions”

Join Kris McGregor as she discusses the book “Saint Junipero Serra’s Camino” with Stephen J. Binz.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“Travel Saint Junipero Serra’s Camino to the twenty-one California missions, stretching from San Diego to Sonoma, north of San Francisco Bay. This work presents the life and work of Saint Junipero Serra, and it challenges pilgrims to continue, in their own way, the forward journey that he began in the 1700s. This carefully researched narrative explores both the historical roots and the spiritual heritage of the missions and their inhabitants, creating an unforgettable and indispensable pilgrimage guide for those who want to experience the missions in person–or in an armchair at home. Each of the missions is a unique jewel and a spiritual oasis. Some are found wedged into cities; others are surrounded by mountains and valleys. They range from simple to ornate. The grounds are filled with bells, statues, fountains, and gardens, all symbols of life and feasts of color. Old Spanish mission art can be found next to Indian wall paintings. Symbols of piety from two centuries form a wonderful holy mix. Enhances with the author’s own photography, prayer experiences, and practical travel information for every missions station, this guidebook is a must-have for any pilgrim exploring America’s own pilgrim way, the Camino of St. Junipero Serra.”


About the Author: Stephen J. Binz is a biblical scholar and an award-winning author of over sixty books. His writing focuses on biblical commentary, biblical theology, and Christian spirituality. As founder and author of Threshold Bible Study, he has written and published thirty studies for personal and group Bible study. His books are published by Ave Maria Press, Franciscan Media, Twenty-Third Publications, Liturgical Press, The Word Among Us, OSV Publications, Brazos Press/Baker Publications, Little Rock Scripture Study, Loyola Press, and Marian Press. Since 2008, his books have earned nine awards from the “Excellence in Publishing Awards” of the Association of Catholic Publishers and five book awards from the Catholic Press Association.

IP#486 Paul Senz – Church Councils on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts podcast

Paul Senz on  “Church Councils: 100 Questions and Answers”

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“From the days of the apostles, the Church’s pastors and teachers have met, when necessary, to defend and explain the Catholic faith. From the “Council of Jerusalem” in the Acts of the Apostles, through the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, Trent, and Vatican II, these meetings of the world’s bishops are some of the most important events in the life of the Church and the most profound expressions of the Church’s teaching authority.

More than a history of the twenty-one ecumenical councils, this question-and-answer book provides a practical and theological explanation of them. It provides the historical context that led to each council, the reasons it was convened, the major events that happened during the council, and the impact of its teachings, then and now.

While surveying some of the most important issues and controversies in the history of the Church, the author also explains and defends the teaching authority of the bishops as successors to the apostles, particularly when teaching together as a single, united body, in union with the pope.”


About the Author: Paul Senz earned a master of arts in pastoral ministry from the University of Portland. His writing has appeared in many publications including Catholic World Report, National Catholic Register, Adoremus, Our Sunday Visitor, and Catholic Answers. He is the author of Fatima: 100 Questions and Answers about the Marian Apparitions.

IP#485 Dawn Marie Beutner- The Leaven of the Saints on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor podcast

Dawn Marie Beutner on  “The Leaven of the Saints: Bringing Christ into a Fallen World

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened. —Matthew 13:33

How can we be part of the kingdom of heaven here and now and spread it to others, like leaven causing a lump of dough to rise and expand?

Just look at the lives of the saints. Over the past two millennia, the Church has recognized thousands of men and women who have loved and imitated Christ so wholeheartedly that they transformed the world around them—as they were transformed themselves.

The saints have come from every background, people, and era. They have been rich and poor, healthy and sick, single and married, members of the clergy and of the laity. The Leaven of the Saints groups them according to the kind of Christian witness they have given the world—as martyrs, Fathers and Doctors of the Church, priests and religious, popes and bishops, national heroes, founders of religious orders, married persons, and more.

The vastness of this work reveals an important truth: that each saint is a unique individual with a unique mission to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ and to make him better known and loved in the world.”


About the Author: Dawn Marie Beutner entered the Catholic Church as a young adult and worked as an engineer before becoming a technical writer. She lives with her husband and two children in northern Virginia, where she leads various parish groups that promote life issues, serve the needy, and learn about the Bible and the Catholic faith.

Fr. James Kubicki S.J. – A Heart on Fire on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

By far, this book is the BEST on the subject of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that I have seen in a very long time.  So very practical and deep in its spiritual appreciation of this beautifully essential devotion for our lives, Fr. James Kubicki helps all to rediscover the devotion to the Sacred Heart.   He presents the history of this timely devotion, with help of the apostles, Church Fathers, the Saints, and contemporary Catholics,  in an engaging and easily digestible way.  And the prayers…the incredibly deep and radiant prayers…Fr. Kubicki breaks them open a new for us all to appreciate, encouraging us not to “say the prayers”, but to “pray the prayers”.  Wonderful, simply wonderful!  I cannot recommend this work more highly.  Pick up more than one copy and become a missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by passing copies on to others

You can find the book here

“At first communion, I was taught to say first thing every morning, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!’ Reading Father Kubicki’s splendid book has only made that prayer all the more sincere and meaningful.” —Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York

Jesus - Devotional Prayers dedicated to Our Lord text and Mp3 audio downloads 7“A fresh and attractive reconsideration of this centuries-old devotion in the Catholic Church. Blessed Basile Moreau (1873), the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, who entrusted his priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wrote: ‘The primary purpose of the devotion to the Sacred Heart is to return love for love.’ Fr. Kubicki develops this theme in a way that speaks well to today’s generation of believers.” —Rev. Peter D. Rocca, C.S.C., Rector, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame

“I invite everyone to renew his devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ in the month of June, making use of the traditional prayer of the offering of the day and keeping in mind the intentions that I have proposed to the whole Church.” —Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, June 1, 2008

IP#484 Fr. Aaron Wessman – The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World, Part 2 on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor podcast

Part 2 of our conversation with Fr. Aaron Wessman on  “The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World

In The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World, Fr. Aaron Wessman shines a light on the increasingly polarized times we live in, from vitriolic rhetoric on social media to deep division within families, friends, workplaces, and parish communities. This is a powerful call for us to put aside our anger and that which fuels it, and to follow God’s call to bring Christ’s light to our fractured world.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“Christians and other people of good will are longing for a response that can lead the way out of the divisiveness and vitriol of our times. I wrote this book to provide some assistance to readers to discern a way out of the toxicity in which we live, and to stimulate courage and hope, so that all people can see the age in which we live more clearly and respond with the grace necessary to follow more fully the call God has spoken—a missionary call to deepen Christ’s incarnational movement in our world.”
-Fr. Robert Aaron Wessman


About the Author: Fr. Robert Aaron Wessman, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, is the 1 st -Vice- President (Vicar General) and Director of Formation for the Glenmary Home Missioners. He has a PhD from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) in Systematic Theology (2019). He serves as an at-large board member for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men Religious (CMSM) and is a guest lecturer at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. The religious order he belongs to, Glenmary, is a missionary society of apostolic life of the Catholic Church that conducts mission in rural, poor, and non-Catholic areas of the United States, primarily in the southeast and Appalachia. Visit glenmary.org for more information.

IP#483 Fr. Aaron Wessman – The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World, Part 1 on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor podcast

Part 1 of our conversation with Fr. Aaron Wessman on  “The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World

In The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World, Fr. Aaron Wessman shines a light on the increasingly polarized times we live in, from vitriolic rhetoric on social media to deep division within families, friends, workplaces, and parish communities. This is a powerful call for us to put aside our anger and that which fuels it, and to follow God’s call to bring Christ’s light to our fractured world.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“Christians and other people of good will are longing for a response that can lead the way out of the divisiveness and vitriol of our times. I wrote this book to provide some assistance to readers to discern a way out of the toxicity in which we live, and to stimulate courage and hope, so that all people can see the age in which we live more clearly and respond with the grace necessary to follow more fully the call God has spoken—a missionary call to deepen Christ’s incarnational movement in our world.”
-Fr. Robert Aaron Wessman


About the Author: Fr. Robert Aaron Wessman, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, is the 1 st -Vice- President (Vicar General) and Director of Formation for the Glenmary Home Missioners. He has a PhD from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) in Systematic Theology (2019). He serves as an at-large board member for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men Religious (CMSM) and is a guest lecturer at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. The religious order he belongs to, Glenmary, is a missionary society of apostolic life of the Catholic Church that conducts mission in rural, poor, and non-Catholic areas of the United States, primarily in the southeast and Appalachia. Visit glenmary.org for more information.

IP#353 Sally Read – Annunciation on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor Podcast


It was truly a delight to once again to talk with Sally Read!  This time we discuss her beautiful new book  “Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World”.

You can find the book here

From the book description:

Sensing the precarious nature of faith in an overwhelmingly secular world, Read, through meditation and anecdote, began writing down the compelling reasons for holding onto both God and Church. Taking the Annunciation as her template (that most fundamental yes to God), she explores common experiences of the spiritual life: His presence and invitation (And he came to her); the fears we have to let go of (Do not be afraid); the realization of our identity in God (Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord) and what our vocation might be (Let it be to me according to your word); and when God feels very distant from us (And the angel departed from her).

Drawing on Scripture, lives of the saints, and the lives of people she has known personally and professionally as a nurse, Read shows how God is with us always―through suffering, spiritual dryness and depression, as well as in joyful and mystical ways. This book was inspired by a mother’s loving response to a daughter―but what has resulted is something that will speak to any believer engaged in the bliss and bewilderment of a relationship with God.

Check out our previous conversation:  IP#309 Sally Read – Night’s Bright Darkness on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

IP#323 John Galten – The Spiritual Direction of St. Claude De La Colombiere on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

What a joy to discuss the 2nd edition of “The Spiritual Direction of St. Claude de la Colombiere” with John Galten, who wrote the forward to the book.  Filled with an abundance of wisdom this little work is a must for those seeking solid spiritual guidance.  In this podcast, we discuss the great legacy of St. Claude as well as the historical and spiritual richness of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  John is a delight to talk with him, his joy for Christ and deep respect for St. Claude is utterly engaging.

To obtain a copy of the book visit here

This book contains a great treasure of spiritual insight and guidance for the soul who is seeking God. –Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., Author, Inside the Bible

Saint Claude has been one of my most important spiritual guides for a half century. This little jewel is a must for those who seek God’s will and mercy expressed in the most authentic devotion to Christ. –Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., Author, Arise from Darkness