Kris McGregor Archives

IP#117 Fr. Scott Hurd – Forgiveness on Inside the Pages

“Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach” is exceptional! Fr. Scott Hurd has penned the book that should be in every Catholic home. To forgive, without exception, is the hallmark of the Christian life and one of the hardest things to do. Every single chapter in “Forgivness” is a gem. Whether it’s is the challenge of “not becoming a doormat”, dealing with our anger over hurts, or reconciling the fact that life isn’t necessarily fair, Fr. Hurd offers timely wisdom from the heart of the Church to the experiences of everyday life in order for us to follow the way of Jesus Christ…and to forgive. I love this book!

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“All of us know that there is more to forgiveness than simply saying “I’m sorry.” In the section entitled, “Hallmarks of Forgiveness,” Father Hurd deftly outlines seven such marks of forgiveness that reflect the teaching and example of Our Lord. In Jesus, we learn how to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Forgiveness is a decision, a process, and a gift.

“Equally challenging today is the question of how to forgive. In Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach we find an entire section on this topic. With priestly wisdom, Father Hurd examines a wide variety of experiences of forgiveness and reconciliation. With examples from Scripture, Church tradition, literature, and his own ministry, he offers a useful ten-step process to aid people ready to make the decision to forgive.”
–Cardinal Donald Wuerl, from the Introduction

You can find “Forgiveness” here

Visit Pauline.org for more information

IP#115 Uta Larkey – Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust on Inside the Pages

“Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust: A Jewish Family’s Untold Story” is an eloquent telling of a family scattered over three continents by Nazi persecution. A heroic effort is undertaken by the authors, Rebecca Boehling and Uta Larkey on behalf the children of the generation subjected to the trauma presented in the book, to piece together the collective memory left by the Kaufmann-Steinberg family. Intriguing, as well as disturbing, this is a book that will stay with you for a long time. I came away from the read reminded once again never to take even the most ordinary moments in life for granted.

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You can find the book here

IP#113 Kate Wicker – Weightless on Inside the Pages

Kate Wicker is OUTSTANDING and her book “Weightless: Making Peace with Your Body” does so much more than it’s title offers…it reminds us how our faith can help us bring peace into our hearts!!!! I love it! The blessing of our femininity, a joy in the gift of the daughter of God we have been created to be, the peace that comes with a prayerful relationship with the Father…these are just some of the fruits that come from Kate Wicker’s work in “Weightless”. More than “self-help”, it’s really about letting the saints help, letting your faith help… ultimately, letting God help. Insights, quotes, guidance, reflections, this book is perfect for individual or group study …check it out!

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What a fun and encouraging interview…it was one of those I just didn’t want to end. Take time to listen, then get a copy of the book for yourself and pass other copies to the women in your life.

There’s a wave of body dissatisfaction sweeping across society. While bookstore shelves are well-stocked with tomes on how to overcome body image problems, very few take a faith-based, much less Catholic, approach to self-healing. Weightless: Making Peace With Your Body speaks not only to those who may have faced an eating disorder, but also to anyone who wants to live an abundant life, unencumbered by our culture’s obsession with thinness, physical beauty, youth, or food.

Be sure to visit Kate’s website at katewicker.com

Get a copy of the book here (and get a copy for a friend…they’ll thank you for it!)

IP#112 Melanie Pritchard – The Day I Died on Inside the Pages

What a remarkable witness…Melanie Pritchard! “The Day I Died: Finding Hope in Suffering” is the story of a young mother’s incredible sudden death during childbirth and her miraculous recovery. I remember the days during which the events chronicled took place. Mark Hart had made known to us the harrowing situation Melanie and her child were suffering. Bruce and I, our radio listeners, and people around the globe (thanks to the internet) joined in a communion of prayer and the results were indeed awe-inspiring. What a joy to talk with Melanie almost a year later, and what a delight to be able to share with all of you this blessed book.

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Be sure to visit Melanie’s blog at http://www.melaniepritchard.org/

You can also find Melanie’s book here

IP#111 – Anthony Esolen – 10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child on Inside the Pages

No one writes quite like Anthony Esolen. He never, ever, fails to provoke thought and reflection; he verifies what we know in our hearts to be true…we just didn’t know how to express it. In “10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child” he holds a magnifying glass up to our hearts and minds and says to us all “Do really you see what we are doing?” Anthony points how we are extinguishing the minds (and souls) of our children in ten easy steps.

Play dates, soccer practice, day care, political correctness, drudgery without facts, television, video games, constant supervision, endless distractions: these and other insidious trends in child rearing and education are now the hallmarks of childhood. As author Anthony Esolen demonstrates in this elegantly written, often wickedly funny book, almost everything we are doing to children now constricts their imaginations, usually to serve the ulterior motives of the constrictors.

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child confronts contemporary trends in parenting and schooling by reclaiming lost traditions. This practical, insightful book is essential reading for any parent who cares about the paltry thing that childhood has become, and who wants to give a child something beyond the dull drone of today’s culture.

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Learn more about this book here

IP#110 Thomas Craughwell – Saints Preserved on Inside the Pages

What is a relic? What are the categories? Why is this an important part of our rich Catholic tradition? But more than the clinic response to these questions, Thomas Craughwell once again points us to the power of grace found in the lives of the saints whose relics we venerate. I love his Tom’s work and talking with him about these extraordinary aspects of our tradition.

“Long before there were cameras and videos to record for posterity, relics had become the visible reminder of great, heroic and holy lives—remembrances of heroes of the faith. Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics gives an account of the lives of those heroes and provides renewed inspiration for Christians everywhere who face many of the challenges that were a part of the lives of the saints.” —Cardinal Donald Wuerl, co-author of The Mass and author of The Catholic Way

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Find out more about the book here

IP#109 Fr. Robert Barron – Catholicism on Inside the Pages

Fr. Robert Barron’s “Catholicism: a journey to the heart of the faith” is wonderful. A beautiful exploration of the Roman Catholic faith and it’s gift to the world and to culture.

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From randomhouse.com

What is the Catholicism? A 2,000 living tradition? A worldview? A way of life? A relationship? A mystery? In Catholicism Father Robert Barron examines all these questions and more, seeking to capture the body, heart and mind of the Catholic faith.
Starting from the essential foundation of Jesus Christ’s incarnation, life, and teaching, Father Barron moves through the defining elements of Catholicism – from sacraments, worship, and prayer, to Mary, the Apostles, and Saints, to grace, salvation, heaven, and hell – using his distinct and dynamic grasp of art, literature, architecture, personal stories, Scripture, theology, philosophy, and history to present the Church to the world.
Paired with his documentary film series of the same title, Catholicism is an intimate journey, capturing “The Catholic Thing” in all its depth and beauty. Eclectic, unique, and inspiring, Father Barron brings the faith to life for a new generation, in a style that is both faithful to timeless truths, while simultaneously speaking in the language of contemporary life.

Find out more about the book Fr. Barron’s website : wordonfire.org

IP#108 T. M. Doran – Toward the Gleam on Inside the Pages

“Toward the Gleam” is a fantastic novel written by T. M. (Tom) Doran! I love the adventure, but also the philosophical discussions which take place in the context of the story.

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Just don’t take my word for it, here is what our friend Joseph Pearce had to say:

“The works of Tolkien and Lewis continue to inspire new generations of writers, most of whom are not worthy to bask in the reflected glory of their mentors. T. M. Doran is a noble and notable exception. Towards the Gleam rises above the level of parody or pastiche to reach the heights that few writers have achieved. Although it basks in the reflected glory of The Lord of the Rings and conveys inklings of That Hideous Strength, it does not merely reflect the light that Tolkien and Lewis have shone; it refracts it in exciting new directions, toward the gleam of the glorious light that is the source of all great literature.”

For more information on “Toward the Gleam” go to ignatius.com

IP#107 John Mueller – Redeeming Economics on Inside the Pages

“Redeeming Economics: Rediscovering the Missing Element”, boy do we need this now! John Mueller, of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, does an extraordinary job of pointing out what we are missing in all the discussions about economics…the fundamental productive unit – the family. He helps us to leap forward by looking backwards, by looking at the error in Adam Smith’s theory which has had no way to account for a fundamental aspect of human experience: the social relationships that define us, the loves (and hates) that motivate and distinguish us as persons.

In trying to reduce human behavior to mere exchanges, modern economists have lost sight of how these essential motivations are expressed: as gifts (or their opposite, crimes). Mueller makes economics whole again, masterfully reapplying economic thought as articulated by Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas.

Contrarian and compelling, Redeeming Economics covers everything from unemployment, to inflation, to the economics of parenthood, to the greatest geopolitical challenge facing the United States, to flaws in the mega-bestseller Freakonomics, to the author’s illuminating exchange with the controversial philosopher Peter Singer.

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Learn more about the book here

IP#106 Lorene Hanley Duquin – Recovering Faith on Inside the Pages

“Recovering Faith: Stories of Catholics Who Came Home” contains the stories of 17 Catholics who returned to the practice of their faith. Lorene Hanely Duquin gathers stories that demonstrate how, eventhough our lives take many twists and turns, God is always reaching out to the heart and waiting to bring peace and healing.

You ll be encouraged by the way Christ touched each of them to bring them home. The compelling stories include:

—Martin Sheen, actor
—Dean Koontz, best-selling novelist
—Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
—Dr. Francis Beckwith, Former President of the Evangelical Theology Society
—Barbara Curtis, Author
—Leah Darrow, America s Next Top Model Finalist
—Janet Morana, Director of Priests for Life
—Teresa Tomeo, Catholic Radio Personality

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Check out the book here