This podcast episode is the finale of a 5-part series of conversations with the author of the book, “The Heart of a Disciple,” Bob McCarty, and ministry leaders Lisa Martinez and Tammi McCarthy.

• If you missed the introduction to this series in Episode 1, "Pilgrims Traveling Together," we encourage you to go back and listen here.
• Episode 2 is here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/does-my-path-have-heart/
• Episode 3 is here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/living-the-jesus-dream/
• Ep 4 is here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/healing-wholeness-faithfulness/
• This episode, 5, is here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/journey-not-destination/

Chapter 12: Hearts on Fire 

Key points:

• We are surrounded by “saints” - though most have not been canonized!
• Saints are witnesses to living with heartsight.
• The communion of saints binds us to all those past and present who live with steadfastness and faithfulness.

Key questions:

• Saints seem to be holy persons from the past. How would we recognize a “saint” today?
• How can the “communion of saints” strengthen our spiritual journey?
• How can we make the “communion of saints” more tangible and real today?

Chapter 13: Following Your Heart

Key points:

• Recalibration is actively choosing a preferred, grace-filled future.
• Recalibration is a Holy Saturday experience.
• Change and transition can be scary and seem overwhelming.

Key questions:

• How have you experienced recalibration?
• What prevents people from choosing different paths, occupations, relationships, or even locales?
• How is recalibration an experience of “Holy Saturday?”

Chapter 14: A Liminal Heart

Key points:

• The Church is facing a liminal time, crossing a threshold into unknown realities.
• We have competing ecclesiologies: bunker mentality versus field hospital.
• Having a personal “kingdom litany” helps us navigate the uncertainty.

Key questions:

• Describe the competing ecclesiologies in practical terms.
• Say more about the Church as “volcano” and why that is a hopeful image.
• How does a “kingdom litany” provide perspective in turbulent times?

Chapter 15: My Heart

Key points:

• The journey itself, rather than the destination, has meaning, value, and purpose.
• Touchstones provide a compass on our spiritual journey.
• Each person and/or family should identify their guideposts for their journey.

Key questions:

• Describe your touchstones … what provides you direction as you navigate the complexity of Church, life, and spiritual journey?
• How did you develop your pilgrim guideposts? Was this a gradual process or a more intentional decision?
• How has your “inspirational Church” fostered your personal spirituality and discipleship?

Episode 5 Journal Question:

How have I experienced recalibration through this journey?

To order The Heart of a Disciple book, visit Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/5678-8/the-heart-of-a-disciple.aspx

To order The Heart of a Disciple journal, visit the Little With Great Love online shop: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/product/heart-of-a-disciple-notebook/

Learn more about The Heart of a Disciple podcast: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/the-heart-of-a-disciple-podcast/

This podcast is sponsored by: 

The Mark D. Pacione Foundation: https://pacionefoundation.com/ 

And Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Default.aspx

Special thanks to:

Tammi McCarthy, podcast co-host, Founder of Whispers of Love & Faith. founding member of Little With Great Love, Catholic speaker. Read more about Tammi here.

• Website: https://whispersofloveandfaith.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whispersofloveandfaith
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whispersofloveandfaith

Joe Coleman, podcast sound technician:

• Website: https://colemancreates.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecolemanfreelance

This podcast episode is 4th in a 5-part series of conversations with the author of the book, “The Heart of a Disciple,” Bob McCarty, and ministry leaders Lisa Martinez and Tammi McCarthy.

If you missed the introduction to this series in Episode 1, "Pilgrims Traveling Together," we encourage you to go back and listen here.

Episode 2 is here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/does-my-path-have-heart/

This episode, 3, can be found here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/living-the-jesus-dream/

Ep 4 The Heart of a Disciple podcast key points on book chapters 8-11:

Chapter 8: A Healing Heart

Key points:

• Woundedness is part of the human condition.
• Disarming our hearts is key to living an authentic life.
• Jesus offers holistic healing, a wholeness that includes every dimension of the human person.

Key questions:

• How do we arm our hearts – and how do we disarm?
• What role does pain play in our journey?
• How can we understand suffering?

Chapter 9: Sharing your Heart

Key points:

• Discipleship is all about planting seeds.
• Soil conditions vary and that impacts how we sow.
• We need to consider the seeds that have been planted in us – and what seeds we are planting.

Key questions:

• Share examples of seeds that you try to plant.
• How do soil conditions impact our planting?
• How are we the various types of soil?

Chapter 10: A Steadfast Heart

Key points:

• Steadfastness includes both dying and healing.
• Waiting is an act of faith and hope.
• Institutions are fallible and will disappoint.

Key questions:

• Dying and healing are powerful images. How can we incorporate them into our spiritual journey?
• How can a person maintain faithfulness when the failings of the Church as institution seem so blatant?
• What role does hope play in our attempt to have a steadfast heart?

Chapter 11: Holy Hearts

Key points:

• Poetic stillness and prophetic action are intertwined in discipleship.
• Poets measure time differently – Kairos, rather than chronos.
• Prophets become the voice for those with no voice.

Key questions:

• What does it mean when you write that poets live in kairos time?
• What does it mean to be a prophet today? It seems prophets are people from the past. How can “normal people” be prophets?
• Why is it important to balance these two dimensions of discipleship? And how can we develop that healthy balance?

Episode 4 Journal Questions:

How have I experienced recalibration through this journey?

To order The Heart of a Disciple book, visit Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/5678-8/the-heart-of-a-disciple.aspx

To order The Heart of a Disciple journal, visit the Little With Great Love online shop: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/product/heart-of-a-disciple-notebook/

Learn more about The Heart of a Disciple podcast: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/the-heart-of-a-disciple-podcast/

This podcast is sponsored by: 

The Mark D. Pacione Foundation: https://pacionefoundation.com/ 

And Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Default.aspx

Special thanks to:

Tammi McCarthy, podcast co-host, Founder of Whispers of Love & Faith. founding member of Little With Great Love, Catholic speaker. Read more about Tammi here.

• Website: https://whispersofloveandfaith.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whispersofloveandfaith
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whispersofloveandfaith

Joe Coleman, podcast sound technician:

• Website: https://colemancreates.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecolemanfreelance

This podcast episode is the midpoint of a 5-part series of conversations with the author of the book, “The Heart of a Disciple,” Bob McCarty, and ministry leaders Lisa Martinez and Tammi McCarthy.

If you missed the introduction to this series in Episode 1, "Pilgrims Traveling Together," we encourage you to go back and listen here.

Episode 2 is here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/does-my-path-have-heart/

This episode, 3, can be found here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/living-the-jesus-dream/

Ep 3 The Heart of a Disciple podcast key points on book chapters 5-7:

Chapter 5: The Dream of the Heart

Key points:

• We are immersed in competing dreams: the societal dream and the Jesus dream.
• The tension between the scarcity mentality and the abundance mentality
• Underlying perspective: competition or compassion?

Key questions:

• Can you more fully describe these competing dreams?
• How does Jesus’ proclamation of the “Kingdom of God” relate to us now in our daily lives?
• Can you break open the concepts of scarcity mentality and abundance mentality and how they affect the way we live?

Chapter 6: A Catholic Heart

Key points:

• Catholicism is a “both/and” religion.
• Our sacramental symbols and rituals serve as guideposts on our spiritual journey.
• The Paschal Mystery is central to a Catholic understanding of the spiritual journey.

Key questions:

• What does it mean to understand Catholicism as a “both/and” religion?
• Can you break open a Catholic understanding of the Paschal Mystery?
• What sacramental rituals, symbols, or signs have been important for you?

Chapter 7: A Heart for Ministry

Key points:

• Maintaining faithfulness is always a challenge.
• Hope is anchored in both anger and courage.
• Connecting with companions on the journey provides support during difficult times.

Key questions:

• What does the chapter subheading, “Hope has two lovely daughters: anger and courage,” mean?
• Is it Ok to take a break from Church? To pull away? To have serious questions? Isn’t that a sign of losing one’s faith?
• How can we maintain faithfulness? What might strengthen us in difficult times and situations?

Episode 3 Journal Questions:

How does Jesus’ proclamation of the “Kingdom of God” relate to me in my daily life?

To order The Heart of a Disciple book, visit Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/5678-8/the-heart-of-a-disciple.aspx

To order The Heart of a Disciple journal, visit the Little With Great Love online shop: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/product/heart-of-a-disciple-notebook/

Learn more about The Heart of a Disciple podcast: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/the-heart-of-a-disciple-podcast/

This podcast is sponsored by: 

The Mark D. Pacione Foundation: https://pacionefoundation.com/ 

And Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Default.aspx

Special thanks to:

Tammi McCarthy, podcast co-host, Founder of Whispers of Love & Faith. founding member of Little With Great Love, Catholic speaker. Read more about Tammi here.

• Website: https://whispersofloveandfaith.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whispersofloveandfaith
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whispersofloveandfaith

Joe Coleman, podcast sound technician:

• Website: https://colemancreates.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecolemanfreelance

Ep 2 The Heart of a Disciple podcast key points on book chapters 1-4:

Chapter 1: A Disciple’s Heart

Key points:

• I believe there is a deep hunger for the holy, for mystery and transcendence, for God. Hollywood knows what Churches have sometimes missed!
• Baptism is the basis for membership and ministry, the start of the spiritual journey.
• The spiritual journey is challenging, can be frustrating – that’s why the communal dimension – the faith community is so important.
• Belayers, being ‘on belay’, 

Key questions:

• Why did you use ‘heart’ as the primary image?
• What do you mean, experience rich but language poor?
• How is the spiritual journey like rock climbing?
• Who are your belayers?

Chapter 2: A Path with Heart

Key points:

• Tourist versus pilgrim … trip versus journey (pilgrimage)
• I believe there is a deep hunger for the holy, for mystery and transcendence, for God. Hollywood knows what Churches have sometimes missed!
• The spiritual journey is challenging, can be frustrating – that’s why the communal dimension – the faith community is so important.

Key questions:

• What’s the difference between tourist and pilgrim?
• Why are companions on the journey so important??
• What’s the compass? What provides direction?
• Who are your companions on the journey?

Chapter 3: A Heart for Ministry

Key points:

• Heartsight is a way of ‘seeing.’
• It’s easy and tempting to get ‘stuck’ on the journey.
• The power of memory – remembering is a grace.
• Remembering is one way to get back on the journey if we feel lost.

Key questions:

• What is the role of ‘remembering’ in our spiritual journey?
• Tell us about caving! How is that an image for the spiritual journey?
• How can we avoid getting ‘stuck’ on our journey?
• How do we develop or cultivate ‘heartsight?’

Chapter 4: A Transcendent Heart

Key points:

• Two basic spiritual ‘skills’: to stop and to see.
• Catholic sacramental theology: the world is shot through with the transcendent for those with eyes to see. Everything mediates the transcendent.
• Even the woundedness of life mediates the Transcendent.

Key questions:

• Can you share a practical example of “seeing” in everyday life?
• What does it mean to cultivate “stopping and seeing” as spiritual practices?
• Why is it so hard to really “see”?

Episode 2 Journal Questions:

Who are the belayers in my life?

Who do I belay?

To order The Heart of a Disciple book, visit Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/5678-8/the-heart-of-a-disciple.aspx

To order The Heart of a Disciple journal, visit the Little With Great Love online shop: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/product/heart-of-a-disciple-notebook/

Learn more about The Heart of a Disciple podcast: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/the-heart-of-a-disciple-podcast/

This podcast is sponsored by: 

The Mark D. Pacione Foundation: https://pacionefoundation.com/ 

And Paulist Press: https://www.paulistpress.com/Default.aspx

Special thanks to:

Tammi McCarthy, podcast co-host, Founder of Whispers of Love & Faith. founding member of Little With Great Love, Catholic speaker. Read more about Tammi here.

• Website: https://whispersofloveandfaith.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whispersofloveandfaith
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whispersofloveandfaith

Joe Coleman, podcast sound technician:

• Website: https://colemancreates.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecolemanfreelance

Lisa Martinez, Founder of Little With Great Love, podcaster, writer, speaker, artist. Read more about Lisa here.

Tammi McCarthy, Little With Great Love founding member and speaker. Read more about Tammi here.

• Founder of Whispers of Love & Faith
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whispersofloveandfaith
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whispersofloveandfaith

Bob McCarty, author of The Heart of a Disciple. 

Bob is a pastoral ministry consultant and trainer and has been in professional ministry since 1973, serving in national, diocesan, parish, school, and community programs. He offers workshops and training programs in ministry skills and issues internationally. Bob is also the chair of the Board of Directors for Saint Mary’s Press.

His other books include Thriving in Youth Ministry and The Vision of Catholic Youth Ministry: Fundamentals, Theory and Practice through Saint Mary’s Press, Be A Champion for Youth: Standing With, By and For Young People, co-authored with his wife, Maggie, and his newest book, Raising Happy, Healthy and Holy Teenagers: A Primer for Parents through NFCYM.

Bob is a volunteer in his parish youth ministry and catechetical program at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fulton, MD. Bob has a BS in Sociology/Theology from St. Joseph’s University, an MA in Religious Education from LaSalle University and a D.Min. from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana. Bob is adjunct faculty at St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, the University of Dallas, and at the Catholic University of America. His hobbies include rock climbing, cycling, and grandparenting!

To connect with Bob, reach him here.

Introduction to The Heart of a Disciple key points:

• Writing and speaking about spirituality/mystery/God is very arrogant and humbling. God is bigger than any words that we use.
• What our hope is for us on this journey.
• We are experience rich and language poor.
• Landscape is changing and challenging: nones, dones, never affiliated, free-range Catholics.

Episode 1 Journal Question: What do you hope to get out of this journey?

To order The Heart of a Disciple book, visit Paulist Press here.

To order The Heart of a Disciple journal, visit the Little With Great Love online shop here.

Learn more about The Heart of a Disciple podcast here. 

This podcast is sponsored by: The Mark D. Pacione Foundation and Paulist Press.

Special thanks to sound technician Joe Coleman:

• https://colemancreates.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecolemanfreelance