Speak The Unspoken Glass Canvas

In this episode, we sit down with our friend Monsignor Shea from University of Mary. We talk about stepping into an apostolic age, the age of Fatherhood, warnings of longing for utopia, and what the saints of our age will look like.


We recorded this episode in the Spoke Street Booth at SEEK 2023.


Important Things
11:04 - We’ve come out of Christendom and into aposotlic mode but it is now about bringing back to the Church to which they feel like they have tasted and not liked.
13:36 - We’re stepping into the age of God as Father, where many people are in need of healing as sons and daughters.
14:56 - Attachement theory is about relationship which ultimatly impacts our relationship with God. The ultimate design of our hearts is to firmly attach to God as Father.
18:06 - The Church often operates in an orphan spirit that has left us hopeless about culture and the life of the Church. But we need to shift away from being fascinated by utopias or believing that resilience or pain squanders our hope.
25:45 - In every age, the Church comes against culture but there are always saints who rise up among it.
32:30 - The accuser reeks havoc on society with three main lies: the lie of shame, the lie of presumption, and the lie of self reliance. Shame says, you are not enough. Presumption says, what you do today doesn’t matter. And self reliance says, you are all alone.
39:20 - It’s anti-Christian to be nostalgic for “better days”. We are made for a purpose right now, in this time in history.


Lists & Resources
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: https://www.amazon.ca/Christendom-Apostolic-Mission-Pastoral-Strategies-ebook/dp/B08B4SM488
Prime Matters:
https://primematters.com/
Spoke Street: https://spokestreet.com/
SEEK: https://seek.focus.org/


Shownotes
In this episode, we sit down with our friend Monsignor Shea from University of Mary. We talk about stepping into an apostolic age, the age of Fatherhood, warnings of longing for utopia, and what the saints of our age will look like.


We recorded this episode in the Spoke Street Booth at SEEK 2023.


Quotes
12:17 - “What’s different about the age in which we find ourselves in now is it’s not just about converting pagans; it’s about bringing back people who have believed they heard the gospel and convincing them that they should see it again for the first time, and that’s a very different task” - Monsignor


“The ultimate design of our hearts is to firmly attach to God as Father.” - Jason Jensen


“In every age this happens and in every age how does God answer? He raises up saints to be his warriors to fight for him within the church. And then the church builds up the immunity for the good of the Church and the good of the culture.” - Monsignor Shea


“The saints canonized in the next 50 years, are the ones who got infected by the disease of the culture and then they allowed Christ to transform them personally, and it’s the collective doing of saints becoming saints that are those antibodies.” - Jason


“The accuser reeks havoc on the hearts of men and women with these questions of shame, presumption, and self relance. And the answer to that is of course to reject them. And say no, I am enough and God has given me everything I need to fulfill my purpose in this life, what He has placed me here to do… He hasn’t given my mission to anyone else.” - Monsignor Shea


“The dark times are when Christians are really meant to shine. Christiantiy is a religion for a broken world.” - Monsignor Shea

In this episode, Jason and JM sit down to talk about how God has worked in Glass Canvas to bring us to this moment now where the team has shifted from being an agency to a product-based company. They talk about how God has clearly spoken and taught our team over the years and what to expect in season two of Speak the Unspoken Podcast.


Previous Glass Canvas Quarterly Statements:



Open the floodgates and wait for my hand - 10/19
Cultivate gardens - 6/19
Be at peace - 3/ 19
Called and anointed - 1/19


There is an entire community of ministries, individuals, families, and communities that made this journey possible that were not mentioned in this podcast. It would be a long list to name every one of them, but we do want to note that God was instrumental in bringing so many people into our lives to support us. Thank you to all.


Here are a few of the partnerships we mention in the episode:



OSV Challenge: https://www.osvchallenge.com/
Notre Dame Idea Center: https://ideacenter.nd.edu/


*Quotes: *
“The theme throughout all of [this] is what ended up becoming our brand promise, is to unlock ministry potential. If we think about what’s been going in the last eighteen months, that’s something we wanted to stay true to.” - Jason


“There was a disconnect between a really great tool for the business world and tools built within faith-based contexts that we’re built as great at the outside.” - Jason


“We didn’t set out to be where we are today. But God had this thread that we couldn’t even see but it just kept naturally progressing to the point where we are.” - JM


“I grew up a missionary kid, I’ve been a part of different things, but still, every quarterly I get excited for the fact that it’s still such an obvious way of seeing God work through multiple people and having that affirmation of what He is saying.” - JM

How do we start mapping our ministry model against the technological and cultural changes that are impacting our world? Do we need a new ministry model in today’s world and if so, what does that mean?


In our first episode, we’re talking about technology, ministry, and what it means to pursue Christ in today’s world so that we can be faithful to what we’re being called to in our day. We discuss what it means to relate to the Church and how we can meet people where they’re at right now.


Joining us is Michael Gormley of Catching Foxes Podcast.


The Important Things

(1:00) We are moving into a new ministry model that is not actually anything new but returning to an old way of ministry.
(3:30) The Church was a mustard seed in the early Church. It broke the cultural norms of Rome and disrupted things. And then for 1000 years, you could not live in Europe without being integrated with the liturgy. Everything was moulded by the Gospel. In today’s world, we’re becoming the mustard seed again.
(8:00) Littleness is the way of the Kingdom and spiritual growth.
(10:00) Parish structure was meant to orientate our faith life to the world based on geographical location—small groups in community. People used to consist of a life that was no more than 5 miles from where they lived. We can have deep relationships now outside of our geographical circles. But we aren’t orienting our ministry model around that reality enough.
(13:24) We have to map ministry around the world that is, not the world that was.
(1745) Pope Francis said we need to evangelize the technology continent. The truth of that is that people are gathering online. It is where the discussion of the day is happening and we need to meet people there
(18:40) It’s also how we frame evangelization like belong, believe, behave. The Church has to be family for people. It’s a philosophy to return to.
(29:00) We’ve jumped forward into the future and now the world is going to expect it. Our default is now Zoom calls and online, etc. It is the new normal.
(38:00) People need experiences. We don’t need programs, we need journeys where through the fullness of myself, experience God.
(44:45) Faith is going to start spreading in homes and small groups and it’s going to be impossible to slow down or put out.


Lists & Resources

In the last year, we’ve lost 20% of those affiliated to the Church - https://www.barna.com/research/changing-state-of-the-church/
Prophecy in Daniel - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2%3A34-35&version=NRSVCE
Parishes shaped by location - https://www.britannica.com/topic/parish-religion
White horse on the side of a hill in Britain- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/3000-year-old-uffington-horse-looms-over-english-countryside-180963968/


Pope Benedict said, “we need to evangelize the tech continent.” - https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20100124_44th-world-communications-day.html
Apple stores the most money per square footage than anywhere else. Make more money on iphone sales than microsoft in a year.


Apple head of retail wanted the the stores to become the new town square. This was a huge flop (this was not the information I found… https://www.indigo9digital.com/blog/the-secret-to-apple-stores-success)
Pope Francis said we need to develop an ecology of the heart, mind, and hands - https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2020/september/documents/papa-francesco_20200912_comunita-laudatosi.html
Parasynthetic system and sympathetic system - https://www.diffen.com/difference/Parasympathetic_nervous_system_vs_Sympathetic_nervous_system#:~:text=The%20parasympathetic%20nervous%20system%20(PNS,%22fight%20or%20flight%22%20response.
iPhones are becoming an extension of our being - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/19/iphone-apple-privacy-smartphones-extension-of-ourselves
Pope Francis letter - office of Cateche

How we understand our own story impacts how we journey with others in their story. So what small and big story are we living out? Join us as we talk with Heather Khym from Abiding Together Podcast and Life Restoration about the power of understanding our own story, living in freedom, and the tension of living in truth in our world. We talk about the importance as ministry leaders, to lead with belonging first, story first, and felt needs first.


*The Important Things: *



(4:30) We are called to a full life but most of us end up living in a kind of mediocrity because the ways we want to live are upended by reactions within our heart, walls we put up. We need to grow in self awareness of ourselves and our bigger story.
(6:30) Self understanding is one of the most powerful things we can do in our growth in our relationship with God. Coming to an awareness of this with the goal of deep union with Jesus.
(11:00) We need the right interpretation of our story or we hardwire the wrong narrative and lose freedom. We have to cling to God’s narrative—love Himself.
(18: 27) In ministry, we get invited into other people's stories. It's sacred ground. And we get to invite Jesus into redeem. This is the adventure of the Christian life.
(21:00) Jesus, scripture, community and prayer is an anchor we can use to live our stories well and be in relationship with Jesus.
(22:15) We can get caught up in the day to day when we’re in ministry. We have to fight to think about the story people are experiencing at the moment.
(23:00) We are not meant to be alone and there are three key ways we can be in communion: We need peers to share with so they can come alongside us. We need someone ahead of us like a spiritual director or mentor to teach us things. And we need to bring each other into communion with Jesus
(31: 15)Confidence in our big story is a game changer in ministry. When we experience redemption, we don’t get scared of entering others.
(33:30) Our emotions can lead the narrative when truth needs to lead the narrative. This is how we can anchor ourselves in how to approach society and approach culture.
(43: 50) Most people have so many felt needs that we have to start there in order to reach them. We don’t stay there but we have to start there.
(44:30) Jesus was the master of meeting felt needs. Meeting people in their experience and pain. He sees people in their hurt, not the crowds all around Him. It’s less about the right theological system and more about people encountering love. Then the theology will make sense and we can understand the weight and importance of it. And historically, when the people of God meet the needs of the people in history, that’s when the Gospel moves.
(48:30) We have to start with felt needs so people experience belong, believe, and then behave. When we focus on those things first, it can radically change the ministry landscape.


List & Resources
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
“Emotions make excellent servants, but tyrannical masters.” - John Seymour
Abiding Together Podcast - https://www.abidingtogetherpodcast.com/
Life Restoration - https://www.liferestoration.ca/


SHOW NOTES
In this episode, we discuss navigating our own stories and how that empowers us to minister well to others through our own freedom and deeper empathy.



Understanding our own story and healing from that helps us step in and walk alongside others in their story
Being grounded in truth and then surrounded by scripture, community, and prayer is how we live out our story well.
True interpretation of our story leads to freedom
We have to begin with felt needs, creating belonging, and stories in order to help people understand the depth of their faith.


QUOTES
“Self understanding is one of the most powerful things we can do in our growth of our relationship with God.” - Jason


“We are called to a full li

Knowing who we are as sons and daughters is the starting point to evangelization. In this podcast, Jason sits down with Pete Burak from Intentional Disciples to talk about identity, authenticity, and reaching millennials who are leaving the Church. We talk about the importance of community in understanding our identity and the power of the gospel to shift the genre of our own narrative.


*The Important Things: *



5:20 - We’re dramatically declining as a Church when it comes to Millenials and Gen Z. Only 10-15% of self-identified Millennial Catholics are going to Mass every week
12:50 - The starting point of changing this culture starts with us, knowing Jesus, and living out the life of a disciple authentically. Our culture has an incredible radar for this and if our lives and hearts don’t reflect authentic faith and walk in Christ, we will not only be ignored but categorized as hypocritical.
17:00 - Knowing our identity is critical to evangelization. One of the great lies of the age is that we get to curate it for ourselves.
19:00 - In scripture, when Adam and Even take what was meant to be a gift, everything falls apart. When we receive our identity, everything flows in the right order. When we don’t, we grasp for our identity and it can all fall apart.
20:35 - Out of relationships, we understand what it means to be loved by Christ and who we are in Him.
23:18 - When there is a lack of authenticity, people don’t believe this message. They see a disconnect between our lives and what we’re saying.
24:15 - In culture, there used to be Christian dots in people’s hearts and ministry was the mode in which we connected them. But that’s not true anymore. We’re not creating those dots anymore. People define their own meaning, gender, truth, etc. and it’s leaving us miserable.
26:00 - When we lose ourselves, we find it. Submitting your will to the will of the Father in an act of faith and when we live this out, we treat each other better. It’s a more just, righteous, and loving society. But when everyone is defining their own meaning, it conflicts with society’s message that everyone is included. The different worldviews shut others down.
28:39 - Tribalism rises up where we seek out people who are safe and run from those who are unsafe. But having a tribe or a community actually helps us understand who we are in Christ’s image more fully. We need other people to reflect the heart of God to us.
35:16 - Jesus was incarnated and came at a particular time, place, people, and way of life in order to accomplish the mission God had put before Him. We have to think about that for us. Who are we called to incarnate with? This is necessary to discern evangelization. Evangelization is not something that we go out there to do but live right where we are. We have to have open eyes to see where He’s moving so that we have genuine interaction and bear witness to our lives, that we’re living through Jesus.
41:00 - Who are the people who like to be around you already? Start to manifest and incarnate Jesus in those relationships and see what the Holy Spirit has to do. Another key part is spirit-filled leadership.
42:50 - We have to be building the Kingdom in the first place, in our home. If we can’t do it there, how can we do it anywhere else? Working harder is not what God calls us into, it’s more about trusting HIm more.
55:15 - It’s not about finding a solution that scales but living by principles of evangelization.
58:30 - Programs are not the silver bullet to solving ministry problems. Our focus should be the individual and using programs and events to serve those people’s needs. We can have vision for the 99 but we can never lose sight of the one.
1:04:18 - The modern mind is attracted to the narrative. We have to start telling stories and helping people shift the narrative of their life through the story of the gospel.


List & Resources
Research shows that children frame their identity through w

Gordy DeMarais, founder and President of Saint Paul’s Outreach in Minnesota joined us to talk about community, belonging, and the fundamental question that society is asking itself right now. We cover our role in the New Evangelization and the criticalness of discipleship, evangelism, and community in today’s society.


*The Important Things: *


2:37 - As the Church, we have the duty of scrutinizing the times of the signs so she might effectively proclaim and live the gospel in the circumstances that we find ourselves in. There are things that remain like the revelation of God, human questions and need, but then there are things that we need to discern with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
6:12 - The church has identified the New Evangelization and part of that is seeing the new mission field: our backyard. The solution to our times is not a book or program. It’s about creating a place of belonging.
9:15 - We are moving from a guilt culture to a shame culture. People no longer feel guilty for sin so when they do sin, it actually creates a pain associated with their identity rather than their behaviour.
12:35 - The fundamental question people are asking is: Who am I? This question comes when we don’t know God and in turn, we’re left with this fundamental radicalism and selfishness of seeking our own happiness, purpose, and identity.
21:00 - This question isn’t being answered because how we form community has changed. The Church hasn’t needed to respond to people’s need for belonging in the past because it was built into family and culture. That’s not the case anymore.
24:45 - People are trying to find some place to belong which means one of the powerful evangelistic doorways that is emerging is the witness and experience of Christian community.
28:13 - Definition of way of life in Christian context: General principle of orienting our day around slowing down in order to catch up with God and have Jesus at the center. Finding a rhythm with God.
32:30 - What defines this kind of community is the encounter with Jesus and commitment to one another. This becomes a foundation of learning to love.
49:20 - It comes down to embracing the truth of who God is and His love for me.
57:30 - If people are unsure of where to start with seeking community, it begins with radical honesty with God. From there, it’s about finding people, meeting in small groups, finding mentors, being in regular prayer, etc.


List & Resources

From Christendom to Apostolic Mission - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53637909-from-christendom-to-apostolic-mission
SPO - https://www.spo.org/
Anxiety and loneliness up in our culture - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alarming-covid-19-study-shows-80-of-respondents-report-significant-symptoms-of-depression#Study-findings
Called to Christian Joy and Maturity: Forming Missionary Disciples by Gordy DeMarais - https://www.amazon.ca/Called-Christian-Joy-Maturity-Missionary/dp/1593253877


SHOW NOTES

In this episode we talk about the New Evangelization and the question society is asking themselves: Who am I? We talk about how a relationship with God and one another helps us understand this question and then become a primary agent of evangelization in today’s world.
The Church hasn’t needed to form people in belonging before because culture and family did that for them. The Church now has to fill this role.
We need to create intentional communities defined by encounter and commitment.


QUOTES
“One of the powerful evangelistic doorways that is emerging is the witness and experience of Christian community. The new way of life. People actually living together in Christ characterized by a certain kind of joy. A certain kind of respect for one another. That’s what people are looking for.” - Gordy DeMarais


“With the New Evangelization, the Church has recognized in part that there’s a new mission field. And that new mission field is our backyard.” - Gordy DeMarais