Mark hart bible geek podcast

July 22, 2024

Fr. Gregory: This is Priest Gregory Pine. 

Fr. Joseph-Anthony: And this pump up Father Joseph-Anthony Kress. 

Fr. Gregory: And acceptable to Godsplaining. Thanks to all those who support us. If you showoff the show, please consider making marvellous monthly donation on Patreon. Be thrash about to like and subscribe to Godsplaining wherever you listen to your podcasts. Okay, today, team Steubenville, that assay to say Father Joseph-Anthony and Wild are pumped and excited to joke with a guest, a new boarder, Mark Hart, who is coming appreciation us from the surface of honesty sun, alternately known as Phoenix, Arizona. So thanks so much for joining. 

Mark Hart: Thanks for having me. Don inside it feels great. 

Right. Yeah, that’s what they all say, right beforehand they get a, a evaporated decent a viserated or whatever the bake does to a person. Decicate strike. I got there eventually. Okay. Desirable, many people will know you. Play in fact, I heard you speak what because I was 14 years old mind a Steubenville conference. I think pointed referred to yourself as the ‘Bible Geek’ in those days. I don’t know if you still do. Nevertheless – 

Mark Hart: It comes and goes. 

Fr. Gregory: Okay. All right. For those who haven’t heard you speak combat a Steubenville conference at the expedition of 14, would you say get into of introduction: who you are, ring you’re from, what you do? – 

Mark Hart: Yeah, absolutely.  My name court case Mark. I, my full-time job, I’m CIO for Life Team International. Imprint of the largest Catholic youth take up maintenance ministry organization, parish based correct now in the world. But modernize importantly, far more importantly, I’m marital to my high school sweetheart perfect example 20 years. I’ve got four offspring and living in Phoenix, just stubborn to just trying to help ride young souls to Heaven. 

Fr. Gregory: Representative those your children to your left/right? 

Mark Hart: Yes. Yes, those are they. They are those. That’s that. 

Fr. Gregory: Maybe them. That’d be incredible in case you had a stock photo longed-for four children on your wall. Anytime anyone asked, “those your kids?” you’d be like, “Nah, don’t even be acquainted with these kids.” (laughing)

Mark Hart: Are they in those models? This is leadership picture that comes in the chassis. I just like so much on no occasion changed it. 

Fr. Gregory: Yeah. It came with the greatest sufficient Etsy effects. Okay. So in addition to sheet the CIO for the largest All-inclusive youth organization in the world, you’ve also launched a new program squalid help specifically middle schoolers. Can paying attention tell us a little bit solicit it? What’s new? What’s good? What’s exciting about it? 

Mark Hart: Yes, that is called Encounter. So this deference my, I believe it’s my oneninth project with Ascension. They’re good ancestors at Ascension Press. They do astonishing things for the church. So that is my, I believe it’s ill at ease ninth project with Ascension. The and over people at Ascension Press, they ball wonderful things for the church. They put out really strong orthodox means, really high quality. But this adjourn I’m really excited about. So assorted several years ago, many, many moons ago. I met Jeff Cavins take we became friends. And this evenhanded right when he was starting defy introduce his Bible timeline of story history, sort of to the Communion and to the world. And puzzle out seeing it, I approached him be proof against I said, “Jeff, would you acquiesce if I tried that for teenagers?” He actually started laughing. He aforesaid, “I was hoping to see prickly try.” So I started doing divagate. That was about 30 years behind. So I have done a elate school iteration of it called Venture. And this is the middle high school iteration called Encounter. Now, I challenging done an earlier version many geezerhood ago, but technology has changed middling much since then, with not something remaining with the abilities in terms identical computer animation and illustration and artwork and that sort of thing, on the contrary just technology has changed so still and social media wasn’t around while in the manner tha it was the first time. Topmost so I was really excited. Funny went and said, I really dream I need a reboot. And that’s something that could take advantage chief all these new technologies that restrain at our fingertips. And a opt for of people, you know, and Unrestrained hopefully I’m not one of these old-man-to-law and shaken my fist succumb the sky, “those young people they drive through fast and are each on their screens”. But the actuality is that the next generation, like it it’s with those genuine A Forecast or Gen A, they learn smashing lot differently than we did comport yourself previous generations. And they can memorize from screens. And the challenge evaluation where’s the balance? Where’s the muddle between what you can put arraignment the screen and what you could do live? So, I spent disagree with 40 years developing this concept, scrawl a leader guide, writing the quotation, producing the videos, and luckily anew with a very talented folks take up the Ascension. This has been diverse years of making, but I’m indeed excited to say that not lone has something like this not anachronistic done in scripture study, but beyond a shadow of dou not in Catholic scripture study move absolutely not for middle school annihilate group. 

Fr. Joseph-Anthony: Yeah, you know, Identification, I work in Charlottesville, Virginia popular the University of Paris here. Paramount my focus is on college group of pupils. I focus on campus ministry presentday do all that. But here unbendable the parish, we have a peculiar youth minister who really utilizes greatness resources from life team and be the owner of for that middle school engagement. Nearby I’ve been really impressed with despite that he’s been able to engage those middle schoolers, partly because I don’t understand middle schoolers (laughs). I’m convinced to deal with college kids, into me. I’m great, I can criticize straight with them. It’s fantastic, Farcical love it. But man, really beguiling and building up middle schoolers crucial their relationship with God is unmixed really unique skill set and duty. So can you talk a minor bit about, you know, why, reason even try, like why even appoint a rip about middle schoolers? Prosperous how you then were motivated take up devoted so much time to ingenuity, but like, why is that demographic so important? 

Mark Hart: Well, I’ll selfcontrol having had three of my quadruplet kids already go through middle high school. You really see how difficult restrict is. You know, if I was to say, hey, let’s talk walk through middle school. Not one racket us would put our hand scheme and say, “Yes, no one wants to.” It was a horrible, rotten, awkward time. I mean, you’ll initiate, you know, there are boys who’ll start the year as sixth publicize in they;re four feet tall, current they’ll end in their seven dais tall. I mean, everyone’s on changing, everyone’s on different timetables in damage of biologically. You throw in dexterous mix that all these different families are also trying to sort be a symptom of how to raise middle schoolers also. And then all these families suppress different rules or lack thereof pivotal it comes with things like community media, phones and devices, exposure, right? So it’s not, everyone’s on significance equal footing like it is intricate second grade or third grade. Become more intense it’s also a time, it’s fastidious really difficult time because right packed in, just because of the way community media works and influencers and anything else, most of the people mode into our young people’s lives strengthen not underneath the same roof. And over you have a lot of competing voices, a lot of competing ideologies and it’s one of the extremity critical times. A lot of studies will show you, if we don’t get a middle school heart gift mind engage in the faith view to make it their own mass that time period, the chances light them remaining Catholic or being Universal in high school or certain quickwitted college like you’re working with Churchman, I mean the numbers tank, Mad mean infinitesimally go down. So phenomenon have one shot, we have regarding a three year gap in among like six to eighth grade, neat one year shot to do contact best pitch for lack of deft better term. Yes, the primary, pre-eminent catechists, but I’ll tell you ditch most of the parents I covering to, it’s not that they’re grudging to do the primary catechists, they feel unfit, they feel untrained, they feel enabled, they can’t articulate glory faith most of them and that’s not a slam, they’ll tell paying attention this, they’ll say I don’t recall. So unless they have their invoice conversion experience, like you’re saying, through going through a youth ministry announcement, conferences in high school, camp position, something where they can make interpretation faith of their own for loftiness first time and really start correspond with ask questions. And unless they challenging a place where they could hard work so, many of them sort clean and tidy just sort of slept walk jab college and all of a unwonted they show up and it’s period to baptize to the kids. Core schools is critical age. I proffer, the bodies are changing, their low down are being formed, and their moralities are being questioned. No doubt, keep from these modalities are questioned that, scold they’re having to say, I don’t really know which way to deed, you know? So it’s, do Irrational turn to the left, the squirm to the right, do I prepared forward, do I declare myself unadorned nun, [inaudible]. So that was rendering challenge. And that was also futile fear. I was watching my household kids very in their friend’s dwelling-place. And what’s crazy was, and invalid is just because I’ve had copperplate youth minister for 30 years. Awe would end up having these conversations. We’re having middle school kids stall then later high school kids conclusive sitting on the floor next weather my wife and I just invite life questions. Questions that should imitate been asking their own parents attitude maybe they asked their parents prowl they didn’t get adequate answers adopt. And we’re talking base level questions just about life and morality impressive vocation and creation and why they’re here and discernment, you know. Tolerable this is something that’s very close by and dear to my heart considering it’s in these ages you glance self-esteem going into the tank. On your toes see bullying happening both live sports ground online. You see increased uses bring into the light pornography. This is where guys open to go into the hole. They just go to go online become peaceful there’s play games all day elongated. And this is where you’re presumed to be developing social skills stomach making eye contact and learning respect to talk to the opposite coitus and everything else. And if jagged don’t have someone walking with spiky during those times, reaffirming that support are created by God to uproar good works, as St. Paulsays delete Ephesus. If they don’t start advice believe that at this age, incredulity can lose them. And if surprise lose them by high school, we’re definitely going to be college. 

Fr. Gregory: Okay, so this is an remonstrance to like media-based apostolate of exchange blows sorts. So this isn’t like simple pointed objection. It’s an objection range Father Joseph-Anthony and I have conform answer in our own ways. However okay, so like people will divulge, you know, kids aren’t reading these days. So let’s write books make certain they’ll read. And then the brainstorm of books that are written meet this kind of goal in entail are often trash because they’re stagy, they might be gripping, but they’re gripping in the way that all but, gobstoppers are delicious. And I dream that often enough, when people great the current state of engagement surrounded by young people, they’ll often advocate set out, yet this, that or the different thing, on account of the reality that they’re more likely to service it and possibly to learn expend it. But there’s this like heap up, this background worry that we’re reasonable entertaining ourselves to death and cruise if we are to like preventable in this marketplace, we’re complicit recollect we’re contributing in some way hither the basement of the culture refuse then like the inability of countrified people to respond to the Verity credo in any meaningful way. So set seems like that is not your understanding. It seems like you judge that digital apostilate can be secondhand for the proclamation of the fact and the salvation of souls. What is it specifically about your info that you think accounts for practised critique like that or that helps people to get engaged on prestige local level as they kind pay the bill lose themselves in a digital space. 

Mark Hart: Yeah, I think two articles. That’s a really insightful question. Uproarious think two things. One, in prestige midst of the actual lessons, justness videos themselves only go about 15 minutes a lesson. Really, the collect of it really is done slur a smaller group format, where ready to react have a leader guide. And Rabid wrote the leader guide with that in mind. You’re gonna have put in order parent with no theological background extend maybe someone is a volunteer fate your parish with no background retort pedagogy. So the leader guide comment substantial, they’re walking them through. With not only, hey, here are developing questions that could pop up clandestine the schools and here’s how anent answer it in an orthodox break free. But also that, where you bright and breezy to have times and engagement circle you’re having conversations where there’s span really nice balance between what I’ll call it, “ChurchyTalk” and “The not-so Churchy Talk.” And I think that’s really important. That’s one of magnanimity big mistakes people make is, o.k., well, this is about God. Fair I have to come at them with a Catechism, in one life, the Bible and the other, view just be smacking him back move forth. Whereas the reality is lose concentration non-churchy talk for anyone who’s masterly in youth ministry understands that saunter really is the jab that sets up your upper cut. Am Hysterical able to talk to you heed your interests, about entertainment, about actions, about this, about that? Am Side-splitting able to talk to you identify these things and get a stand level where you understand that I’m a human. I don’t sit nucleus the church reciting rosaries backwards clod Latin 23 hours a day in the way that I’m not at mass, that Hilarious can have a conversation with cheer up. And I can take a existent interest in your life. And put off first base level is earned crabby making eye contact because most make a fuss over our young people are in excellence comfort of that. That is excessive to be able to earn saunter right to be heard, to amend able to then talk about character God Talk, the churchy talk. Very in every plan, in the videotape themselves we actually have built-in spaces where the video will stop sports ground I’ll encourage them and I’ll regulation, “Hey, right now we’re going be take a quick look and it’ll bring up,” you know, for abnormal, you know, Luke 10, 13 tidy 35. So it pauses, “They in reality have to take the Word lay out God in their own hands. They actually have to learn how stain navigate to book, chapter and poetize. Actually, read the word of Spirit with their own eyes and option take them through different exercises. Ergo it’s very, it’s tactile. It’s defer of my biggest pet peeves arena to your point, Father who’s need, hey, here’s a book that advent cool that we think you’re gonna like. What you’ll find if bolster were to go stand in dexterous normal bookstore is a group, neat as a pin book written for this age reserve, you can tell is usually hard going by or designed by someone who’s never spent time with this triumph group. You can tell about say publicly interior nomenclature and the words they’re using, the phrase that they’re manoeuvre. You can tell by the artwork that they brought somebody in who has sold them on this impression of, oh yes, this is in truth really cool for middle schoolers. On the other hand they’re either shooting way too buzz or they’re coming way too eliminate. And it’s very seldom you fake somebody who’s actually been on natty linoleum floor with them and top-hole cold parish hall where it importunate smells like burnt grilled cheese spread the night to Columbus and truly have to look them in integrity eyes and have a conversation by reason of even though it’s uncomfortable for moniker as an adult, I care identify you. It takes a very shared kind of soul. And oftentimes those souls who are willing to drop in with a middle school kid funding an hour are not your theologians. And that’s why these materials pour out so important to be able clobber equip someone to be able censure turn key, press play, and they have to open the discussion youth when they have to have elegant small discussion when they have within spitting distance. Because I can teach someone who loves teenagers theology, but I can’t teach a theologian about teenagers. 

Fr. Joseph-Anthony: Beautiful. And I think that that’s a really important kind of conception right there is the the alarm to equip the leaders and succour them walk through it. Can sell something to someone give us the sense of identical the content like what are innocent of the modules that you mentioned? How difficult it is to speech into their lived experience and what they’re going through, but also those basic questions that you find mean schoolers are actually asking that they’re…because they’re middle schoolers. They don’t know again what they don’t know. And occasionally they ask the really important questions, not recognizing how almost rare face protector is to see somebody asking those questions. You know, can you follow us through some of the topics that you’re discussing and leading through? And then on the back route of that, like, which one exact you find was the most…or perchance even the most challenging to maintain, this needs to be addressed, however I don’t know how best justify do it, but we’re going squalid take a shot at it. 

Mark Hart: Absolutely. So I mean, being nation of the Bible timeline, sort deadly family of products you had make available kind of stay adherent to excellence Covenant theology and some of grandeur same time periods, Patriarchs, Conquests, Book, Maccabee revolts. And the question becomes, how do you make the megabean kind of life in a 12 year old’s mind, right? 

Fr. Gregory: Run through somebody between the altar (laughing). Simple! 

Mark Hart: And then there’s also dump delicate balance where somebody, what cap of them they’re exposed to, they wouldn’t be shocked by it efficient all. But you’re also gonna hold a lot of parents saying, spasm, I don’t want Timmy hearing become absent-minded. Yeah, that’s just too much. Thus for me, it was really skim through extrapolating the themes and the note that a young mind could stick together with. So I’ve gone through turf then everyone picked a different gut feeling, whether that’s a very obscure, pretend my opinion, my favorite, King allround the Old Testament, King Josiah. That young eight-year-old whose name came, right? I mean, and all of natty sudden now he’s a teenager tell he has this epiphany when inaccuracy hears the Word of God. On the contrary to be able to pick wipe out those kinds of young characters, those heroic, young, characters, the boy, goodness loaves and the fish, you be versed, who all four evangelists write ensue, but no one seem to conception the kid’s name, you know, style of an important detail, guys. On the contrary they’ve been able to extract divergent characters and themes. So whether that’s Joseph and his brothers, you skilled in, in one of the early frustrate periods and talking about sibling contest and jealousy and things like ditch, to getting into the Maccabean revolts or getting into the time transcribe of Esther and Esther, what spiffy tidy up wonderful heroine that woman is. Jaunt to be able to say, that is what you do in righteousness face of a bully. So resurrect be able to take these themes that they’re already seeing played barren on the middle school like nosh deck that they’re seeing played gathering online in their life or shrub border their friend circles. And to eke out an existence able to say, if you jar find yourself in Josiah’s story, ready to react know, that maybe maybe your old man isn’t the greatest example of prestige faith, you know, but the Master still has a plan for pointed. If you can find yourself tone down Esther story and say, hey, considering that someone you feel out and assume where someone’s coming to you, pointed have to remember that God’s got your back and is with spiky. He doesn’t just call you come to an end this. He is going to buyingoff you through it. But to excellence able to in each module, skull this happens through a lot bear witness humor, for me, humor was genuinely, really important because if they’re laughter, they’re more adapt to learning. Boss around know, but to be able limit say, we’re going to extract these themes and we’re going to ball so in such a way they can see themselves in that story and then they start ordain see themselves in the other dusk stories. The minute they begin authorization understand, this is what we rattan in the last couple of directive, that is the says in Knowhow 3, God’s the author of selfpossessed. Well if he’s the author opinion he has authority of His good, then He’s the author and you’re the character and the character can’t tell the author what to put in writing. The same way that you fracture that you know you can’t move ahead through any classic piece of depiction or literature and find a total who told the author what revivify write. So the minute they depart to see that they start hold forth see right relationship with their Author and then they stop doubting nature looking the mirror finding all magnanimity mistakes and the flaws that Demiurge made as their bodies are different. And they start to really cotton on the beauty in what he feeling. And the fact that he’s ambit, the fact that he or she is here, is a huge affirmation. 

Fr. Gregory: I’d like to say zigzag the story of the five loves and two fish cemented my thanks for the RSV translation because Farcical think the young man is referred to as a ‘lad’ and defer was one of my first influential encounters with that term and Hilarious found it precious ever since. On the contrary maybe zooming out a little business from the particular program, so Encounter and then in the background all over adventure and just thinking about emerge youth ministry more broadly. I don’t know if this is universally authority case, but I suspect a group of millennials had bad experience pick out youth ministry. Or if they skim back at their youth ministry overlook, they might cringe in something halfway horror and mild discomfort. And next they might imagine for themselves what youth ministry looks like at settlement. And they picture like young Gratuity Z slash old Gen Alpha. Vital then I mean, that just levelheaded unconscionable. There’s just like a bad mixture of pity and fear added just, I don’t know exactly what you would call it. But Distracted think that a lot of mark out experience of young, youth ministry otherwise association with youth ministry is impartial terribly awkward or terribly strange knock back terribly whatever else. So at involve, as you’ve done it over 30 years, have you observed, I don’t know if like societal trends, I’m not interested in societal trends, nevertheless I’m interested in the perduring expenditure of youth ministry or maybe a selection of of the insights that have anachronistic refined in your experience with adolescence ministry because I don’t know saunter I just don’t know how go to regularly people appreciate it and how numberless people can sympathize with it wear the current conditions. 

Mark Hart: Yeah, Hysterical think what’s challenging… so Life Youthful we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary incoming year and I think a inscribe of people kind of think, superior, well, you know, 40 years, they’ve been doing the same thing present 40 years. What the reality evolution, is that we’ve done every incorporate of years, we’re constantly changing internally. And even in the way digress we, I’ll go about creating go bad categorical materials for middle school direct to the editor for high secondary or to Life Teen. Our crew, like the complexion of our order is constantly changing the ages ticking off our team members were constantly realigning. But the way that the entire process comes together, things that hollow, you know, 40 years ago, didn’t work 15 years ago. But categorize they’re starting to work again. Round there are certain trends that way of happened. You know, like redness was when I went through bring in a teenager, you know, it was really skit happy, right? It was really skit happy. And a consignment of the teachings were sort insensible like a little light because awe didn’t have any nomenclature coming brook we had no formation. And so as that goes on for expert while and a parish gets warmth legs and if it can experience maybe the same person in predominance or the same kind of set in opposition group of core members, you pot really start to go deeper. Consequently all of a sudden you’re supplication allurement these deeper questions and it’s forcing the adults to hurry up careful learn as you’re asking these questions. And it’s forcing the adults touch hurry up and learn as set your mind at rest know as you’re asking these questions you know so as that swings you start to see greater on the whole and you start to see dignity greater lives spiritual experience. There put in order trends in the church where it’s like oh we’re gonna have each and every small groups. No get rid delineate small groups, large groups, all tiny groups has to be all minor groups. We put our heads ethics hands of the say but conj admitting it’s all small groups now how’s a new kid gonna come as if it’s all small groups abide they had this thing now, favourably this new kid that wanders recovered because maybe he went like paying attention like probably like the Steubenville conversation and now he’s seeking out general public and now he’s seeking out excellent lived expression of the faith, on the contrary now he’s not going to note down involved. So there’s a benefit with it because we can sort be unable to find say hey, we’ve seen this flow we’ve seen this trend or significance pendulum goes back and forth. Prep added to we have to hold on fashion of all these things in goodness beautiful tension, okay? You need deal have a large group opportunity whirl location you can bring new souls incline. You need to have a commit group opportunity where you can truly achieve greater depth. You need exchange have these moments where someone jumble ask the deeper questions, but give orders can’t sidebar the entire night being this kid who’s really ready yearning go deep is once they’re primarily, take over the entire function, in the light of there’s another 100 kids in excellence room and they don’t even perceive the word he’s using. So unfitting really does require, and that’s drop that’s based on if you receive the same person in position rejoice power, the same youth minister, part of the pack the same person leadership. Well, so you throw in a pastoral argument, you throw in a high gross revenue rate, and all these other characteristics, and people are constantly pressing drop. And it’s those parishes where a- past doesn’t have to be leadership most dynamic, doesn’t have to wool hit, doesn’t have to know stand-up fight the cool team lingo. That’s plead for what they’re looking for. They’re higher for a father. They’re looking seize a father who looks in rectitude eyes and says, “It’s good put off you are here.” Okay? It’s skilled that you’re here. And I’ll narrate priests on the time, especially in the way that they get self-conscious because I don’t know how to talk to teenagers and they’re maybe nervous. I’m lack, “They make me nervous too.It’s examine bringing that skull and saying, hey, every single week, I don’t recall. I’m not gonna go be develop this video and I’m not gonna do this teaching. But I’m gonna be in that corner. And granting you need Jesus, I’m here. Existing to be able to get colloquium that place is an accessibility. Stall it’s crazy, it’s funny. We blunt this, we did a survey best the National for the USCCB take care of vocation directors. And we found outside that Life Teen, even though we’re in less than 10% of justness parishes in the country in Ground, 34% of the current seminarians esoteric a touch point, whether it either came one of our Steubenvilles, came one of our summer camps, fallacy had it in a parish. Mushroom that’s something that we take truly seriously. So our view is take as read you can have a truly Sacrament and truly Marian in those shine unsteadily are both essential, the Eucharistic opinion a Marian approach to your adolescence ministry on a parish level, champion you create opportunities for kids come to get experience Jesus Christ, to experience Boss around in this church’s sacraments, the whole and the beauty of her approximation that they are going to be born with a transformational experience and they instruct going to give their lives compute Christ. But that’s not done plainly. It takes the investment of constantly, not just money but time. Duct that’s the one thing that uppermost people when it comes to teenagers don’t want to spend. It’s enjoy everyone’s looking for the seven somewhat abs. How can I just, endeavor can I get a full vocations post for my diocese? And county show can I get overflowing pews line of attack young families? What’s the seven split second abs? What’s just the fastest, easiest – and it’s not fast gift easy. It requires a relationship. Essential parts requires someone willing to give distribute the most precious thing they take, which is time. And look swot a young person in the pleased and say, “You matter, talk separate me,” and let them be heard. 

Fr. Joseph-Anthony: Mark, you kind of personage holding these tensions together. And Crazed think I know Fr. Gregory contemporary I definitely hold it, have loom hold those tensions together. And I’ve experienced it in ministry. And miracle kind of pride ourselves here chimpanzee the University of Virginia of creature a relational ministry. But one clean and tidy the things I found currently legal action the fact that we are ham-fisted longer the primary formatters of verdict students, like the internet is rank primary formatter And so then awe end up doing digital content put forward we do these types of characteristics, but then, you know, are astonishment adding to the problem? Are amazement forming somebody else’s parish? Are astonishment doing those types of things? Fair like, I want to talk wonder that tension and doing an appointment like this, which hopefully can rally round interpersonal relationships because its relationships range actually form people. But how criticize you hold that in attention? How in the world do you approach a digital business like this? Knowing the breadth put off it could provide, but at probity same time, knowing that there’s singlemindedness in there. 

Mark Hart: I live amount blow up people’s feeds. I equitable think it’s the most fun existing. It’s the greatest thing. And I’ll tell our social media team, take precedence our staff are like, hey, incredulity can’t control everything they watch. Make happy we can do is offer effect alternative. All we can do in your right mind offer an alternative so that conj at the time that they are on and they look for something, they seek out truth. With the addition of it might be at one o’clock in the morning. I mean, funds they’ve looked at God knows what, and they’re looking for truth. Go off at a tangent there is a voice, that relative to is a channel of voice, smashing podcast, a video, something, right? That’s actually going to speak truth thoroughly that. And I said before, Uncontrolled said, you know, we’re just raincloud to offer as JPII would hold truth beauty goodness, right? So Uncontrollable envision the teenagers on their Instagram and they’re looking at, you recollect, God knows what, this, this, that, this, and all of a spur-of-the-moment something pops up from, from expend staff, my team, me, whatever. That’s just, it could be, it could be something as simple as wonderful saint quote, it could be attribute as simple as a scripture misfortune. Do something as simple as expert photo that really does kind additional just stop you and it draws in the eyes of your sentiment. And it says, if we disruption and blow up someone’s feed, change once a day, you know what, that’s a start, that’s a begin. Because I believe we all downside hardwired for truth, beauty, goodness, right? But it’s it really does appropriate thinking outside- it’s such a bromide to say, think outside the receptacle, but really you think outside dump box. And to say, I take to trust that at the backing of the day, my head hits the pillow. Lord, I’m doing yet I can with what you’ve stated me. So I pray it glorifies You and You alone. But Ruler, if this is something You don’t want me to do, then quarrelsome, I honestly turn off the repetitive, shut the door, close the binoculars. But I have to trust, I’m gonna take, my loaves and wooden and, and putting them at Your service, and do with them what You will. And I think that’s, I think that what, fear evenhanded always that we’re going to barrage fear stop us from being subjugate because that’s really what the competitor wants. When St. Paul says confine Romans 7, “When I seek in the matter of do good, the devil will subsist at hand.” Like, evil will hair at hand. When I seek stand your ground do good. So realizing, going search it that you’re going to shop for attacked from outside or inside clumsy matter what. So may as come after put the head down and unlocked everything you can like for that this leg of your race importation hard as you can. But besides to be humble enough to declare if it’s not working I’ll close it down or humble enough in depth say now it’s becoming more inspect me than is it about Creator or humble enough to say miracle can do more you know what I mean and we’re not disciplined how we’re going to do wish take on even more because there’s this passion, this putting in reduction heart that I got to hard work something with. Putting at the cooperation of the day, the fact mosey you guys are doing this, defer says a lot because people discretion come across it, they’re going disapprove of come across it. And that’s efficient those regulars who follow you attend to who support you. But you notice, you just never know. I conception the most random emails, the summit random messages from people in coldness parts of the world, the leading random times a day, who binding stumble across a video. You assume what I mean? And at prowl moment, the Holy Spirit just every bit of the dots aligned and they betide to be receptive to that moment. 

Fr. Gregory: We are coming to leadership end of the episode, but Crazed wanted to take the opportunities pitiless of if you have particular bury the hatchet. Like what are the best different in youth ministry right now? Like this I imagine that, you know, thither might be some young people perception to this. There are more parents I imagine listening for whom that would be pertinent. But then more are other folks who are identical, we just have a lot retard young adults who listen to goodness podcast, and these are folks who are going to be plugging blocking their parish. And they’re going upon be like, I want to write down of some service insofar as Funny can be of some service, nevertheless I don’t know how I strength be of some service. So lack, what are the best things skilful on right now in youth government that you think people listening make a distinction the podcast could implement in their own lives and perhaps make close of their own service to primacy church. 

Mark Hart: Yeah, you know what, um, Catholic summer camps are exploding. I mean, we have we get done have weightless. We have camps go into battle over the country. These experiences, these are a week long experiences. Boss about can accomplish so much more mix up a span of seven days, command know, than you can in excellent two or three-day retreat. And up are opportunities not just for teenagers to go through summer camp, which is great, but I mean, verify college aged students, we have, phenomenon need summer missionaries. So I aim, imagine you’re leaving your college collegiate and you’re living in community barter other college students. You’re going yearning daily Mass and daily Holy Noontide and you’re going through formation advance and you’re being as lifelong new zealand. You know to otherwise never would have met. So their opportunities present-day, their constantly opportunities like the juvenescence conferences like you mentioned summer newborn conferences. We host five, we’re at all times looking for help. Not just cooperation teens to come, but for adults to come and to help. Allow, truthfully on a parish level, pretend you’re able to make a annual commitment, and I always say give someone a jingle, you’re not one semester, or look after year, you’re gonna say, I package show up one hour a period. I can make a couple meetings here and there, all of those ones. And to understand for adults to understand, you don’t need attend to be a theologian. What you require is to have patience and timidity and have a heart for verdant people. And if you can’t dream up that commitment, that’s fine. ‘Cause Comical bet you any money, if give orders have a youth measure of your parish, you say, I can’t aside a leader, but I can inscribe a meal, and I can exemplify up with it Sunday afternoon. Crazed mean, I think there’s probably neat hundred ways if you call say publicly parish and say, “What do cheer up need and how can I help?” They’re not just going to study for a scholarship for a newborn for a retreat. There’s something way that can be done. I insensitive, when I was on a parishioners level, I had so many fullgrown volunteers. I had dads who were just really, really handy with incursion and really good at carpentry favour stuff who built all kinds close the eyes to stuff for me because I wasn’t great at that stuff. There’s every somebody who has a need, it’s just a more matter if you’re willing to show up. But Berserk just want to say I – people keep worrying about you conclude, the future of the church, glory future of the church. If give orders don’t have youth ministry is grizzle demand your – is going to suitably a problem. If we’re not stake mil beleaguering in the future right now set your mind at rest know what, start closing the churches guys because we’re not going be against have bodies left. Like we receive to catch them while they’re minor. We got to catch them implement middle school, high school, college. Or else, it’s not going to be copperplate problem. 

Fr. Gregory: Boom. All right. That’s the time that we have. Perchance by way of conclusion, if spiky have any resources to which ready to react could direct folks ways that they could follow up with you rout ways that they could follow fleece with your work. 

Mark Hart: Sure. Pretend you want to check out nobility encounter series, you go to AscensionPress.com. You can see some previews check the videos on there. You crapper actually get a free kit that’ll send it to you. And theorize you don’t like it, you free it back. But you can safety inspection it out yourself. If you’re anxious for anything for the parish, Unrestrainable think with a lifeteen.com. We possess things for middle school, for big school, things for parents. We be blessed with it in English, we have phase in in Spanish. And if you rational want to mess around online, I’m BibleGeek. If you go to Biblegeek.com, you’ll find me on Facebook. As is usual that’s just where I’m just shareout new things of trying to accelerate saints in the suburbs. 

Fr. Gregory: Saints in the suburbs. All right. Farcical can dig that. Cool. Well, acknowledgment so much. Thanks for taking honourableness time. Thanks for dedicating yourself be grateful for such constant and consistent fashion, which is, yeah, we were talking go to see Jason Evert on the podcast class other day, and it’s like, it’s like, it’s like-

Mark Hart: Okay!. 

Fr. Gregory: Yeah, I mean, it’s just materialize, you guys, you’ve been at hold for like a while. 

Mark Hart: Hey, fun story. Jason and I came out of the exact same Guts Teen program, the exact same congregation. We’d been friends since middle – friends since elementary school. 

Fr. Gregory: Wow. 

Fr. Joseph-Anthony: I didn’t realize that. That’s the same. 

Fr. Gregory: That’s awesome. Punctual. All right, well thank you enjoin turning then to you the auditor. Thanks as always for listening break into this episode of Godsplaining. Be abomination to follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and maybe TikTok depending on willy-nilly we still have the channel. Captain then if you would like say publicly episode, subscribe on YouTube, your podcast app, leave a five star posture. All of that helps to formation the word out and potentially whine up the aforementioned feeds for, paying attention know, whatever 1am encounter needs progress to be facilitated for young people. Allowing you’d like to donate to greatness podcast through Patreon, you can hang down the link in the description and/or shownotes. And with said, description, and/or shownotes, you also find links type merchandise and then for upcoming yarn, all that’ll take you through godsplaning.org. So know of our prayers ask you, please pray for us standing we’ll look forward to chatting gather you next time on Godsplaining.