Rosary Army Catholic Podcast

Greg and Jennifer Willits

(Formerly Adventures in Imperfect Living) - From Rosary Army to The Catholics Next Door to Adventures in Imperfect Living, Rosary Army co-founders Greg and Jennifer Willits have been pioneers in Catholic podcasts since 2005. Funny, inspiring, and thought-provoking, they share their efforts to deepen their Catholic faith, raise a family, and live out Rosary Army's motto to Make Them. Pray Them. Give Them Away.

  1. Sep 7

    Why Six Moms Gathered to Pray the Rosary

    Jennifer invited Catholic mothers to our house to pray the Rosary for their teenagers, while Greg considers how God uses supposed failures, long-built skills (once thought trivial), and unexpected opportunities to do more for the Kingdom. --- After seeing Catholic mothers (including herself) often struggling with how to raise holy teenagers in a Godless culture, Jennifer took a risk and invited local Catholic moms into our home to pray the Rosary. At the first gathering, six women arrived.  It was small, but it was awesome, and it offered a glimpse of how even the tiniest local Rosary groups could grow. For the gathering, Greg was motivated to finish his long-in-development Rosary meditation booklet, which brings together all 20 mysteries, Scripture, and St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's meditations.  Years of seemingly unrelated work may have prepared him for all of this. Plus, a listener's question about ministry and fiction widens the discussion into how God uses our gifts, redirects old dreams (and sometimes failures), and opens the right doors at the right time. Free From Rosary Army: Free All-Twine-Knotted Rosaries School of Mary Audio Rosary Podcast Video Version of this Episode Subscribe to the Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts Greg's Latest Book (God Doesn't Hate Me After All – Discovering Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom): Download Free Sample Chapters Buy on Amazon Buy on Audible Buy from Sophia Institute Press More From Rosary Army and Greg & Jennifer Willits: Rosary Army Mobile App Greg's serialized novel Contact & Speaking Engagements Timestamps 00:00 Jennifer starts a Rosary group for mothers of teens 05:00 Building the 20-Mystery Rosary booklet 09:24 Learning to pray all 20 mysteries 12:10 Could local Rosary groups spread? 16:38 A listener's question about calling and creativity 19:43 Co-creating with God through art 22:33 Greg's struggle with writing and rejection 26:00 When to persevere—and when to walk away 31:43 Praying all 20 mysteries through School of Mary 34:23 A prayer for surrendering worry

  2. Aug 20

    Is Your To-Do List Getting in God's Way?

    Greg and Jennifer question crowded schedules, endless to-do lists, and whether planning less can leave more room to recognize and follow God's will. ___ Greg and Jennifer have spent years trying to simplify their lives, yet slowing down can still feel like failure. A passage from Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks gets them talking about the pressure to stay productive, keep up with everyone else, and fill every open hour. Greg explains why he now limits his daily list instead of chasing the next task. Jennifer talks about the good that can come from an empty schedule or even a feeling of emptiness. That space may be necessary if they want to hear what God is actually asking of them. One teacher's yearly gift of handmade rosaries has already reached hundreds of children and could keep changing families for years. Free From Rosary Army: Free All-Twine-Knotted Rosaries School of Mary Audio Rosary Podcast Video Version of this Episode Subscribe to the Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts Greg's Latest Book (God Doesn't Hate Me After All – Discovering Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom): Download Free Sample Chapters Buy on Amazon Buy on Audible Buy from Sophia Institute Press More From Rosary Army and Greg & Jennifer Willits: Rosary Army Mobile App Greg's serialized novel Contact & Speaking Engagements Timestamps  00:00 Handmade rosaries for third graders 02:25 The unseen ripple effects of a rosary 05:25 Remembering what the year has produced 06:09 Commonplace books and Four Thousand Weeks 15:42 The fourth quarter of the year—and life 18:13 A ripple list instead of a bucket list 19:26 Why simple living can feel like failure 23:03 Surrendering each day to God 28:01 Planning less to follow God's will 29:25 The good of an empty schedule

    Is Your To-Do List Getting in God's Way?
  3. Aug 6

    It's So Easy to Be Ready to Die

    After musician Glen Hansard's sudden death and Greg's recent talk about God's love, we tackle the sobering question of being ready for eternity. ___ Just a few days after giving a talk in Texas about God's love and mercy, one of Greg's favorite musicians suddenly died in a tragic motorcycle accident.  As a result, we find ourselves grieving someone we never personally met. Glen Hansard's death raises a larger question: why do people so quickly assume someone is in heaven instead of praying for the dead? We also talk about Catholics who intentionally withheld sins in confession because of shame and explain that preparing to die can be as simple as making a full confession, receiving God's mercy, and staying close to the sacraments. And ultimately, we come to the realization that Rosary Army's work is meant to help people die well. Free From Rosary Army: Free All-Twine-Knotted Rosaries School of Mary Audio Rosary Podcast Video Version of this Episode Subscribe to the Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts Greg's Latest Book (God Doesn't Hate Me After All – Discovering Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom): Download Free Sample Chapters Buy on Amazon Buy on Audible Buy from Sophia Institute Press More From Rosary Army and Greg & Jennifer Willits: Rosary Army Mobile App Greg's serialized novel Contact & Speaking Engagements Timestamps 00:00 San Antonio and the fear of confession 01:29 The sudden death of Glen Hansard 04:17 Why Catholics pray for the dead 06:18 "Die before you die" 08:51 It is simple to be ready to die 11:20 Rosary Army helps people die well 13:26 Making a full confession 19:14 Purgatory and the state of the soul 23:03 A raindrop in the fire of God's mercy 29:03 Daily examen and funeral wishes

    It's So Easy to Be Ready to Die
  4. Jul 23

    Jennifer's Hare-Raising Adventure

    Jennifer spent the morning helping two friends process rabbits for food and came home with new respect for homesteading, shared work, and what God provides. ___ Jennifer spent the morning helping two Catholic friends process rabbits for food. She wanted to know whether she could handle the work after years of watching survival shows from the couch. Greg has loved rabbits since childhood and has never wanted to eat one.  That may now change.  Or it may not. They talk plainly about dispatching, cleaning, butchering, and preparing the rabbits, along with the work behind the homesteading life and God's plan for feeding us. Jennifer also found something she did not expect: three Catholic women working with their hands while talking about their children, the Rosary, and local community. She came home grateful for the food, the friendship, and the people willing to do this work. Free From Rosary Army: Free All-Twine-Knotted Rosaries School of Mary Audio Rosary Podcast Video Version of this Episode Subscribe to the Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts Greg's Latest Book (God Doesn't Hate Me After All – Discovering Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom): Download Free Sample Chapters Buy on Amazon Buy on Audible Buy from Sophia Institute Press More From Rosary Army and Greg & Jennifer Willits: Rosary Army Mobile App Greg's serialized novel Contact & Speaking Engagements Timestamps   00:00 Why this episode is different 00:58 Three Rosaries on the drive 02:28 Catholic homesteading and its hidden work 05:12 Jennifer agrees to help harvest rabbits 07:02 Could she actually do it? 11:24 Greg's lifelong love of rabbits 14:27 The work begins 19:27 Friendship and faith during physical work 22:22 The side of livestock people do not post 28:13 What is ahead for Rosary Army

    Jennifer's Hare-Raising Adventure
  5. Jul 9

    RA #963: Stacks of Books Everywhere

    We share the books we're currently reading, from Dungeon Crawler Carl and Dog Stars to Rosary Meditations from Ven. Mary Agreda and St. Thérèse. ___ Greg has always loved books, while Jennifer came to reading later, once trying to make herself literary with Voltaire and Macbeth before pretty much reading only Anne Rice and John Grisham. They talk about high school books, why old titles follow us into adulthood, and how reading changes over a lifetime. Greg shares his current mix of serious, spiritual, and simple reading, including Oliver Burkeman, Arthur C. Brooks, Dungeon Crawler Carl, I Believe in Love, and more. Jennifer talks about going deeper into mental prayer with the rosary, using meditations from The Mystical City of God, and why Christy has become her slow nighttime read. Books Mentioned: Macbeth — William Shakespeare Interview with the Vampire — Anne Rice Swiss Family Robinson — Johann David Wyss Walden — Henry David Thoreau The Glass Menagerie — Tennessee Williams The Scarlet Letter — Nathaniel Hawthorne The Red Badge of Courage — Stephen Crane A Tale of Two Cities — Charles Dickens Romeo and Juliet — William Shakespeare Hamlet — William Shakespeare Flowers for Algernon — Daniel Keyes Alas, Babylon — Pat Frank Frankenstein — Mary Shelley The Dog Stars — Peter Heller Dungeon Crawler Carl — Matt Dinniman Get Fuzzy — Darby Conley Pearls Before Swine — Stephan Pastis Calvin and Hobbes — Bill Watterson 4000 Weeks — Oliver Burkeman Meditations for Mortals — Oliver Burkeman The Antidote — Oliver Burkeman From Strength to Strength — Arthur C. Brooks The Mystical City of God — Venerable Mary of Ágreda The Holy Rosary with Meditations through the Visions of Venerable Mary of Ágreda — Fr. Mark Higgins True Devotion to Mary — St. Louis de Montfort The Love of Eternal Wisdom — St. Louis de Montfort The Imitation of Christ — Thomas à Kempis Letter to the Friends of the Cross — St. Louis de Montfort Confessions — St. Augustine Genesis — traditionally attributed to Moses I Believe in Love — Fr. Jean C. J. d'Elbée Story of a Soul — St. Thérèse of Lisieux Christy — Catherine Marshall Free From Rosary Army: Free All-Twine-Knotted Rosaries School of Mary Audio Rosary Podcast Video Version of this Episode Subscribe to the Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts Greg's Latest Book (God Doesn't Hate Me After All – Discovering Louis de Montfort's Love of Eternal Wisdom): Download Free Sample Chapters Buy on Amazon Buy on Audible Buy from Sophia Institute Press More From Rosary Army and Greg & Jennifer Willits: Rosary Army Mobile App Greg's serialized novel Contact & Speaking Engagements Timestamps 00:00 Jennifer's late start with books 03:13 What Greg and Jennifer are reading now 04:06 Giving yourself permission not to finish books 05:34 High school books that follow you around 08:32 Why books keep calling us back 10:02 Greg's "serious, spiritual, and simple" reading 17:20 Jennifer's rosary meditation project 23:17 Greg's pocket Catholic readers 26:33 I Believe in Love and St. Thérèse 28:43 Jennifer's nighttime read, Christy

    RA #963: Stacks of Books Everywhere
4.8
out of 5
437 Ratings

About

(Formerly Adventures in Imperfect Living) - From Rosary Army to The Catholics Next Door to Adventures in Imperfect Living, Rosary Army co-founders Greg and Jennifer Willits have been pioneers in Catholic podcasts since 2005. Funny, inspiring, and thought-provoking, they share their efforts to deepen their Catholic faith, raise a family, and live out Rosary Army's motto to Make Them. Pray Them. Give Them Away.

More From Greg and Jennifer Willits