Deacon Speakin'
164 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 months ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratings10-minute messages of positive and uplifting messages along with some homilies from Deacon Tom Scarlett, a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Desert Dwellers
March 14, 2021 19:49 - 8 minutes - 7.8 MBWilderness is the described as “last wild places on this planet that humans do not control.” I believe it is in our nature to control and to steer our own course, especially throughout life. Do you remember riding your bike downhill as a kid and you started to get a shake in your handle bars that kept getting bigger and bigger and you knew you were heading for a crash? Losing control is scary like that and sometimes worse.
Concrete Foundation
February 28, 2021 20:53 - 6 minutes - 6.27 MBMost times when dealing with concrete, the bubble are helped to the surface by the guy working and smoothing the concrete by shaking and vibrating the project. This causes the trapped bubbles to surface more quickly where they are smoothed again. This is repeated until the bubbles stop and the mix is allowed to dry and harden – smooth as glass.
Walking in the Desert
February 21, 2021 16:00 - 8 minutes - 7.69 MB“Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil; and when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” I love this for lots of reasons but mainly because it sums up Lent rather nicely.
What's Love Got to Do with It?
February 14, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 11 MBLove is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous. It is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
What is Important to You?
February 07, 2021 16:38 - 9 minutes - 9.2 MBThe lesson in priorities is not necessarily deciding what to exclude as much as recognizing that all on the list of things to do is important and figuring out how to fit them all in. Yes, being responsible is a juggling act sometimes and the world asks you to juggle chainsaws now and then, so a little care and effort is required.
Your Anxiety
January 31, 2021 17:48 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBEveryone seems to be anxious. If not about health or family or stress then about school or work or money…or maybe you know someone who is just anxious about everything – and for no real reason? Season 3 Episode 105
Jigsaw Puzzles
January 24, 2021 16:15 - 8 minutes - 7.88 MB”God, where are you going to be working on me today?” But, not just “working on me,” “How will you be working through me, or in me, or with me?” All good prayers to start the day. And, when you start like this, you can’t help but notice the answers that he sends you throughout the day.
In The Bleak Midwinter
January 17, 2021 18:34 - 8 minutes - 8.51 MBIt’s so very hard sometimes to find God in the colorless and the gloomy or in the bleak and wintery. We tend to want to thank God in the sunshine and plead to him in the rain. We dance and we sing in the warm of summer and try our best to survive the winters.
The Whittle Marks
January 10, 2021 18:29 - 9 minutes - 10.6 MBThe whittle marks are the flattened spaces where wood is shaved to make the particular shape and features; the edges that give it a characteristic unique to the style. They are the little imperfections that are left by the craftsman and are not easily replicated by any other method. They are what makes the piece of wood a new and unique creation.
Resolutions 2021
January 03, 2021 18:47 - 7 minutes - 7.48 MBSeason 3 Episode 101 If only we knew what awaits us, we could be so much better prepared and ready, right? Maybe if we knew what to expect, we could avoid some terribly awful mistakes and save ourselves some heartbreak! I’ll pause right here and let you take that in for a second…
The Holy Family
December 27, 2020 16:49 - 7 minutes - 7.16 MBEpisode 100! So where do we take it in 2021? Once a vaccine settles the dust and gives us possibly a life beyond lockdown; what do we do with these opportunities? We have no doubt formed some new habits with our families throughout the year. Do we go back to those pre-Covid habits
A Story of Christmas Cookies - 1980
December 24, 2020 14:04 - 8 minutes - 7.61 MBOne Christmas in 1980 we made homemade cookies to give my Grandma who lived across the pasture from us. None of us could have imagined her reaction when we handed her the box...
A Christmas Carol
December 20, 2020 16:15 - 7 minutes - 6.47 MB“You have never seen the like of me before? Come in and know me better, man!” What great words to hear!
Its a Wonderful Life - Repost 2020
December 17, 2020 13:24 - 7 minutes - 6.72 MBHere's a repost of one of the most downloaded podcasts of 2020. This is from December 01, 2019: “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. And when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
Who Are You?
December 13, 2020 19:00 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MB“Who are you?” Ask yourself that and consider your answer. What are you pointing to when you identify yourself? What opportunity are you taking with the questions posed to you?
Comfort and Joy
December 06, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 12.1 MB“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.” hallow.com/deaconspeakin for the Hallow App!
Being an Advent Calendar
November 29, 2020 22:02 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBWhat’s the deal with Advent anyway? We seem to throw that word around this time every year and it feels kinda special when we talk about it. I mean who doesn’t love a good advent calendar anyway? Seriously, a calendar with little window that have compartments of chocolate inside them? And you do it every day from December first until the 25th! Yeah, Advent, pardon the pun…sounds pretty sweet.
A Brady Bunch Thanksgiving
November 22, 2020 16:57 - 10 minutes - 9.51 MBI think Thanksgiving gets a really short window of opportunity to be recognized since Halloween basically ushers in the holiday season and makes people start looking forward to Christmas. Its like the Jan Brady of holidays.
Being a Good Steward
November 15, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBMany do not realize their talents until much later in life, others at a very young age, and some spend their lives thinking they have none. The truth is that we all have something of talent, and we all have a way to contribute that talent to glorify God. You need only to explore and have an intention to serve.
The World is Bananas
November 08, 2020 22:22 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBWhile we put all our focus and hedge our bets on our new and latest Ceasar…where is God? Did we leave Him waiting in the lurches? Did we even buy Him a ticket to the race or to the game we are watching? We have made comments that we want the best man; the most good and ethical, to win; but, did we bring “good and ethical” with us to the game.
The Changing Seasons
November 02, 2020 00:28 - 10 minutes - 10 MBI encourage you to take your season and look at it in the proper frame. Your winter is someone else’s summer and their winter is likewise your summer. When you view this from this perspective you might realize that God gives gifts of all kinds in very different packages and at very different times.
How Are You Voting?
October 25, 2020 17:27 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBSo, what about the issues? Politicians should be about the issues first shouldn’t they? I mean, these are the things that govern us, that affect our freedoms, and simply provide us our opportunities right? Why would I sacrifice that for a punch in the head when a punch in the gut won’t feel much better?
Whose Woods These Are
October 18, 2020 18:00 - 9 minutes - 10 MBWithout the noise, you cannot help but hear better, you cannot help but listen better…you cannot help but be better.
The Dangers of Doing Nothing
October 11, 2020 20:44 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBEdmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Our calling is to move our feet in the direction of God. That will look differently for all of us.
President Trump and Covid
October 04, 2020 17:19 - 9 minutes - 9.1 MBWhat is the biggest headline to hit this past week? Oh, let’s check – yep, it’s the leader of the free world contracting COVID19. Head’s are exploding around the world with this news. The most powerful and influential man in the world contracts the virus that has all but crippled the planet and caused worry, uncertainty, and fear to most all of us. What will happen to him? What will happen to us? What does the future hold?
Decisions Decisions
September 27, 2020 18:56 - 10 minutes - 9.43 MBIf you are feeling something heavy in your life right now – try your best to put it down. If only for the length of this podcast, lay down the weight and if when we close up for the day and you feel like it is necessary to pick it back up, then do so. But, for now lay down your worries and if you want to leave them here, you certainly can – I’ve got plenty of room.
Those Pesky 2020 Challenges
September 20, 2020 20:36 - 9 minutes - 8.89 MBWe are a cyber-focused society these days and if we are not looking for it on a device of some sort, it is fed to us based on our search choices and browsing patterns. This amplifies the noise and offers you more and more of what the world thinks you want. It is instant, it is immediate, and it is shallow and superficial. What does your search history say about you?
The Minimalist Guide to Storage
September 13, 2020 22:51 - 8 minutes - 7.68 MBTake a second and think about the boxes that you keep where you have placed your anger. Do you have many boxes? Are they categorized and alphabetized? Are they color-coated and sorted? Either way, there is a lot of work and effort in emotional storage, especially the angry and wrathful kind.
The Big Each Other
September 06, 2020 17:55 - 8 minutes - 8.17 MBHow do you treat the folks around you who think differently than you and maybe even disagree with your good ideas and suggestions? Here’s a good one: how do you treat folks on, let’s say FaceBook in this charged and ramping up political climate who post things that do not line up with your foundation? Yikes! Yes, let’s go there.
Riots and Protests
August 29, 2020 22:48 - 8 minutes - 7.55 MBDisagreeing can be a means to growth when performed civilly and respectfully. That is the very root of protest –to engage the other with whom we disagree in an attempt to come to a desirable outcome for all. Sounds easy right? Hardly.
Muckraking and Modern Politics
August 23, 2020 17:28 - 8 minutes - 7.66 MBSeason 2 Episode 80 of The Catholic Deacon Podcast: As much as we like to fashion ourselves an advanced and forward moving population, I challenge you among all our political woes – who is more decent? Who is telling the truth? Who has our best interests in mind?
The New Old Tradition
August 16, 2020 21:20 - 8 minutes - 7.97 MBSeason 2 Episode 79 So, what is it that we can make of traditions anyway? They are abundant in all cultures and we even see them in our own families. Sometimes it is just a way for folks to spend time together but in other ways they define who we are.
Break Shot
August 09, 2020 17:10 - 6 minutes - 6.37 MBSeason 2 Episode 78: The Break Shot Initiate the break shot. The opening move in most pool games where the cue ball is fired into the group sending the balls rolling and bouncing off of each other, ricocheting off the rails, and sometimes disappearing off the table down the pockets and out of play.
Behind the Masks
August 02, 2020 22:39 - 8 minutes - 7.83 MBSeason 2 Episode 77: We find that the people behind the masks are perhaps more profound than the people unmasked, because if you look at it in the right way you will realize that God reveals the most in all of us by showing us the least.
Snowflakes of the World
July 26, 2020 21:23 - 8 minutes - 8.81 MBSeason 2 Episode 76 “There has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
You Ought to Hear This
July 19, 2020 21:03 - 8 minutes - 7.79 MBSeason 2 Episode 75: Jesus is telling us how to survive a wretched world and reach the kingdom of heaven…this applies to everyone…as Jesus says “anyone with ears ought to hear…” Too bad he didn’t say that “everyone with ears will hear.”
When No One Is Watching
July 12, 2020 20:46 - 7 minutes - 6.59 MBSeason 2 Episode 74: “The true measure of a man is how he treats God when no one is watching.”
The Truth About Heroes
July 05, 2020 21:53 - 7 minutes - 7.05 MBSeason 2 Episode 73: We tend to look to others in amazement of the things they can do and their feats of incredibleness – of their bigger than life achievements. It’s only natural, and when you think about it, these hero types are a dime a dozen. Everybody’s got em!
Your Own Cross
June 28, 2020 17:00 - 6 minutes - 6.43 MBSeason 2 Episode 72: There are some big issues out there that folks deal with, and maybe you are dealing with a few yourself? I think it is difficult these days to not to be struggling with something, not to be outfitted with a cross that gets heavier and heavier by the minute – one that weighs more and more by the day – one that drains us of our energy and enthusiasm to be the fullness of that image and likeness of Christ.
The Voice
June 21, 2020 20:24 - 7 minutes - 7.13 MBWhile we are being drawn to God, we must be constantly trying to find the voice He intended for each of us whatever that may be. It may not be a singing voice, or a writing style, or a manner of speaking, but make no mistake – you have a voice that is only yours.
Three Guys I Like the Most
June 07, 2020 21:22 - 7 minutes - 9.89 MBSeason Two Episode 70: We tend to do what we always do and that’s apply what we know on Earth to the things of God. Those things of which do not apply to God – like space and time, and the unknown. God doesn’t fit in our neat little compartments that we want to put everything in!
The New Normal
May 31, 2020 19:59 - 6 minutes - 6 MBDid you ever take road trips as a kid or drive to a destination as a family getaway or vacation? Do you remember when you passed from your hometown and into strange territory? Do you remember seeing sights you’ve never seen before and how excited you may have gotten during the entire trip…watching your world through the windshield; of the things that lay ahead…of all the TBDs?
The New Normal
May 31, 2020 19:59 - 6 minutes - 6 MBDid you ever take road trips as a kid or drive to a destination as a family getaway or vacation? Do you remember when you passed from your hometown and into strange territory? Do you remember seeing sights you’ve never seen before and how excited you may have gotten during the entire trip…watching your world through the windshield; of the things that lay ahead…of all the TBDs?
A Cozy Cocoon
May 24, 2020 19:36 - 7 minutes - 6.95 MBNo matter what stage you are in, eventually we all need go into the cocoon in order to come out and fly around a bit.
Where is God?
May 17, 2020 19:24 - 7 minutes - 6.91 MBOur elderly and our very young are proven to be the most vulnerable in this pandemic while nursing homes, rehab centers, and hospitals are the greatest risks for them. Warming shelters in the colder months and the homeless are also at great risk. Where is God?
Moms - Mine and Yours
May 10, 2020 19:25 - 7 minutes - 7.36 MBWhy wouldn’t we give Mom her own day? When you really think about it, who else in your life has had a greater impact on you than your parents and that lady has impacted your life in a huge way!
Mindless Sheep
May 03, 2020 20:24 - 6 minutes - 6.36 MBSeason 2 Episode 65: Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God…so very valuable, so very much loved by the shepherd, so needed by everyone for sustainment, yet a sweet and pleasing sacrifice. That doesn’t sound mindless to me at all...
Being Magnificent
April 26, 2020 17:18 - 6 minutes - 6.48 MBWhat was your magnificence as a child and what is it now? In these days of quarantine and solitude, there is an opportunity to revisit that child who did not care what others thought of him or her; that child was curious and interested. There is a chance to be curious and interested today.
Time to Battle
April 19, 2020 18:40 - 8 minutes - 7.56 MBOne is not steered off the path to righteousness in an abrupt 90 degree angle, but he is gradually veered in tiny nudges that result in the desired direction. Most times, we are oblivious to the nudges, or if we recognize them we quickly rank them as harmless and not threatening to anything obvious.
Easter - What Happened?
April 12, 2020 17:05 - 10 minutes - 9.84 MBWe will gather and celebrate…virtually. We will stream our worship in safety…we will ache individually...we will pain as a congregation for the comfort of our churches as we ask ourselves – what happened?