Forte Catholic Podcast: Making Catholicism Fun Again

In the first segment, I finish a three part series over the last three episodes on Jesus appearing to His disciples after the Resurrection. This week's passage speaks of Jesus and Peter on the beach. In the second segment, I welcome highly anticipated guest, Anthony D'Ambrosio. He is the co-founder of Catholic Creatives and speaks about the importance of art and collaboration in the Church today. We also talk about the new film coming from the Catholic Creatives community on the beatitudes called "8beats." In the final segment, we introduce a new idea called "Unpublished Worship Songs." These are songs that Taylor has written about strange and obscure passages from the Bible that have never, EVER been put into song. This is a segment you absolutely don't want to miss. You will find yourself laughing and never being bored listening to the Scriptures in Mass again!

Sooo much to get to on this week's show! We kick off the night with some crazy stories from twitter, including my boss going viral last weekend and the update to 280 characters and how people are going crazy. We also continue our topic of Jesus visiting his disciples after the Resurrection with the "Doubting Thomas" story. In the second segment, I am joined by Matt Martinusen, producer of "The Ultimate Catholic Comic Book." I have read the whole thing and absolutely love it! I had a blast talking to Matt about how the project came to be, dealing with risk, and using new mediums to share the faith. To finish off the show, we do a "Forte Five" countdown on the five weirdest things people do or say in prayer. And then I share about a 2.5 hour conversation I had with a high school student on retreat this weekend and how Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader played a big role in that conversation.

A few months ago, I got a lot of questions and topic ideas from you, the listeners. A few of them, I am definitely not smart enough to answer...so I brought in help :) In the second segment, I am joined by my friend Adrian Charles who is studying Theology in Rome! He gives us an introduction into the topics of Natural Law and Logic. In the third segment, Texas A&M Philosophy student and Ablaze Missionary Becka Landry rejoins the show to talk about Metaphysics(a class I didn't understand and barely passed.) Also on this episode, we talk about a police officer friend of mine who listens to the show on patrol and discuss some Forte Catholic history trivia. Thanks for listening!

In the first segment, we play the "Old Testament or Scary Movie" game as we prepare for Halloween. In segment two, we welcome Catholic author Daniel Mattson to talk about his book "Why I Don't Call Myself Gay" and his journey through same sex attraction and faith. In the final segment, we return to the topic of the Old Testament and share some crazy stories from it that prove it's not "an old boring book" and that it truly has a purpose for us still today.

This episode, I talk about the birth of my 3rd child Felicity this past week and share another thing I've learned about my relationship with God from being a Father. In the second segment, I speak with two-time world surfing champion, Bear Woznick. Bear is a hardcore Catholic who is using his platform to call men to a higher standard of faith and excellence. We talk about his TV Show "Long Ride Home" and his new online community for Catholic men called "Bear's Man Cave." In the final segment, I speak with the president of Ignatius Press, Mark Brumley, about the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation this month. Ignatius Press is highlighting a book by Hilarie Belloc entitled "Characters of the Reformation" that goes into detail about some of the key players in the world of religion and politics at the time. I find the whole time period fascinating and enjoyed the interview. I hope you do as well. As always, please subscribe and rate the podcast on the platform you are listening on. It will really hel

We kicked off this week's show with a "Mass Text" segment where we looked at the Gospel for this coming Sunday. It is one of Jesus' lesser known parables and one of Taylor's favorites. In the second segment, we were joined by Dr. Alex Gotay as he discusses his upcoming documentary "Encultured" about the impact and influence of hip-hop on culture and how it can be used in ministry. In the final segment, I introduce missionary AJ Barrows and he shares about a social experiment he has been using in youth ministry to break down barriers and stigmas. It is quite intriguing so check it out. Please like/rate/share the show on your favorite podcasting platform. Your 60 seconds of time will help the show's publicity tremendously. Thank you!

Huge show to celebrate the show's 1 year anniversary of going live on the air! First, we were joined by the fellas from the Catholic Man Show to settle who is manlier between them by pitting them against each other in a game of "Who Said It: Adele or King David?" Then we announce some BIG news together about the future of the show. In the second segment, I am joined by one of the best Catholic speakers alive, Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers. Tune in to hear how the Scriptures have made a huge difference in his life and how he wants to help the Scriptures come to life for you with his new book "Ignite: Read the Bible Like Never Before." In the final segment, we reminisce on our favorite moments in the show's first year. With stories from guest producers Kyle and Mckenzie, listeners on social media, and a special surprise guest, we recap the year's greatest moments. THANK YOU to all of you who have listened over the past year. This has truly been a dream come true and I am excited for what is coming in year two!

A celebration on the 50th episode of the show! Taylor starts the evening off by sharing the stories of his recent trip to Iowa to speak and lead worship in the Diocese of Sioux City. The new #MakeCatholicismFunAgain hats are also debuted on the air! Get yours now at ForteCatholic.com/store/hat. In the second segment, renowned evangelist and author Justin Fatica of Hard As Nails Ministry joins the show to talk about his new message and book "You're Amazing." He explores the message of hope in Jesus Christ and how it is changing lives across the nation. In the final segment, Taylor shares the story of the first time he ever went to confession. (Spoiler Alert: It was a doozy)

In this episode, I talk about my recent trip to Oklahoma City and the memorial of the OKC bombing. It was truly harrowing and stirred up a lot of anger within me that I struggled with. Was I righteously angry like Jesus in the temple or was hatred and human anger taking over? These are the things I was wrestling with in my time at the memorial and I share these experiences in the first segment of the show. In the second segment, I am joined by Professor Edward Feser to talk about the death penalty. The bomber in the OKC attack received the death penalty so it was interesting that this conversation lined up with my experiences this week. Edward recently co-authored a book called "By man shall his blood be shed: a Catholic defense of the death penalty," in which he sets out to explain the Church's teaching on the subject. In the final segment, I talk about times that anger has played a huge role in my life and the only thing that has helped and continues to help me improve and grow in virtue.

In this week's episode, we remember the events of 9/11 and talk about how to respond to fear. I also interview two wonderful people, Gina Bauer and Tom Craughwell! I speak to Gina about ministry, finding balance between work and home life and more. Tom and I talk about his new book "101 places to pray before you die" and share quite a few laughs!

Last week, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, we talked about big time suffering and how faith can help us in those situations. This week, we are talking about small sufferings, otherwise known as first world problems. I talk about silly things like losing my iPhone charger to not as silly things like my transmission going out in my car. I share how what we talked about last week helped me react better to these little sufferings than I would have before. In the second segment, I get to talk with the two ladies who host the dating podcast "Fishers of Men." Find me a better name for a podcast online. I dare you! We talk about modern day dating and what women want in a man. In the final segment, I share my experience of terrible music at Church this past weekend and what that has to do with the Body of Christ.

Such a pleasure to be invited back on to the Jennifer Fulwiler Show on Sirius XM 129 The Catholic Channel(thecatholicchannel.org). This time, we recapped the hilarious story about how I got on her show in the first place. We also talk about my work as a missionary with Ablaze, the power of music, and Jen calls me a "brilliant theologian" which makes everyone bellow a good hearty laugh. We also discuss what true joy is and the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

This episode aired just days after Hurricane Harvey devastated the coastline of Texas. Our prayers are with our friends, family and neighbors who have been affected by this tragedy. In the first segment, we talk about the aftermath of the hurricane: the stories of people hurting, the community rising together to help and try to make some kind of sense out of this tragedy and what can help us get through it. We look at two stories from Scripture that share about suffering to guide our conversation. In the second segment, I am joined by author Eric Sammons about his new book "The Profession." It is a work of fiction that tells the story of an American Catholic in 2049 living in a Muslim run country. We talk about the power of telling stories to spark ideas, conversation and conversion. In the final segment, we talk about the power of stories to lift us up, inspire us, help us relax and take us to new worlds. In the wake of the hurricane, I was reminded of the impact that good story telling can have to relax and

In the first segment of this week's show, we talk about the solar eclipse that came and went the day before. I asked listeners on social media to make connections between the eclipse and faith and we started off the show with a "Forte Five" countdown segment of the five best submissions. In segment two, I was privileged to interview author Fr. Terry Ehrman on his book "Man of God: Lessons To Young Men About Life, Sex, Friendship, Vocation, and Loving With The Heart of Christ" published by Catholic Answers. We discussed how his vocation came about and the importance of spiritual direction. For those who may have never heard of spiritual direction or have but have questions about it, this is the podcast for you. In the final segment, Taylor reinstates producer Jake's talking privileges as he is interview on his final segment with the show before leaving for college. We discuss the path God has led him on, play corny songs in Jake's honor and laugh....a lot.

In today's first segment, I explain some crazy things that happened right before the show and share some of the key points from a cool devotional I just finished on the Youversion Bible App. In the second segment, I interview Toni Hendricks about the RCIA. This is the process of becoming Catholic so whether you are a Catholic and want to learn more about this treasure of the Church and how you can help or if you aren't Catholic and have questions about the faith and want to know more about the Church, this is the interview for you. In the final segment, I am joined by Christopher Dowling to talk about the Young Adult Listening Session he and I both attended with both of Austin's Bishops. This was a tremendous opportunity the Bishops held to know how to best serve the young Church.

What an episode! In the first segment, I share from my heart some really powerful things that God has done for me in the past couple of weeks. After a long period of spiritual dryness, I have had some huge prayers answered! In the second and third segment, I interview Carlos Zamora; a man with an incredible story of conversion from gangster to passionate Catholic hip-hop artist and speaker. We talk about his life pre-conversion, how God changed his life in a huge way and what has happened since. This is one of the most powerful conversion stories I have ever heard. He uses his passion for hip-hop and the Church to build the Kingdom of God. I pray that as you listen, his story and music will inspire you to take the next step in growing closer to Christ. If you like the show, please subscribe and rate the show in iTunes as it helps tremendously to help the show reach more people. Thank you!

My good ol' pal and youth ministry buddy Joe Mastrangelo drove up from Houston to join me for this whole episode. We chatted about his ministry, how his parish is doing something very different in order to evangelize their young people and what we can learn from thinking outside the box in the Church. We also were pitted in a vicious youth minister vs. youth minister trivia game with a perfect balance of questions about Catholicism and Pop Culture in the second segment. In the final segment, I asked Joe what he is passionate about and he answered coffee, so that's what we talked about. He compares coffee to evangelization about how a familial and home-y atmosphere can do a lot for a Church community.

We had a Forte Catholic record 9 people in studio for the recording of this episode! Last month, Ablaze Ministries took Junior High students to camp. Here, I interview 3 campers, two of their parents and a high school counselor on the impact camp and youth ministry have had on their lives from each of their unique perspectives. I also pit the youth vs. the parents in an epic trivia game called "Taylor Swift or Lamentations"(DownloadYouthMinistry.com) where I read a line and they have to guess who said it. Hilarity ensued. If you are in ministry, love youth ministry, have kids or have fond memories of your time as a young person in the Church, you will enjoy this episode. As always, please subscribe to the show and rate in on iTunes. Thanks!

In this week's show, I continue answering listener submitted questions. This week, I tackle two questions about leading young people to Christ, especially when they don't seem to enjoy church. I also want to equip parents with the tools they need to speak with their children about faith. For more, visit beyondthepew.org. In the second segment, Trent Horn returns to the show to talk about his new book "Why We're Catholic." This book is flying off the shelves due to its non-confrontational style to urge people to grow in their faith instead of trying to win them over simply through argument. In the final segment, we play a rapid fire question and answer game with those in studio. This is to help get across the point that building trust and getting to know who people are is the necessary first step in evangelization.

What an unbelievable opportunity I had to be a guest on the Jennifer Fulwiler show on Sirius XM's The Catholic Channel! (TheCatholicChannel.org) I had so much fun on the air with Jen! I wrote her a song about her show, we talk about how the only reason I got on the show is because of the combination of twitter and wine, and then discuss topics like worship, youth ministry and complacency. I had so much fun and I look forward to being back on her show on September 1st at 1:20pm Central!