Explore every episode of the podcast What God is Not
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Responding to God's Invitation | 14 Oct 2026 | 00:39:26 | |
This week Mother Natalia takes inspiration from spiritual direction she's given and talks about the importance of silence and looking for God throughout the day. She gives practical examples of incorporating silence into the day, whether it's 5 minutes in the car or while you're working. She talks about looking for God in the things that bring you joy, like hikes, fall leaves, or bonfires. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Barrenness Fulfilled | 07 Oct 2026 | 00:59:24 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about examples of barrenness in scripture and how the Lord fulfilled people's requests. He talks about wanting to get to the cross without suffering, but how it is through the suffering that we grow with Christ. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Friends under the Fig Tree with Fr. Nathanael, OSB | 30 Sep 2026 | 00:53:32 | |
This week we're joined by special guest, Fr. Nathanael. Fr. Nathanael and Mother Natalia share how they received their names, their love of scripture, and then talk briefly about the scripture passage in John where Jesus asks Peter "Do you love me?" Unfortunately Fr. Nathanael's audio and video cut out during this section, so we don't get to hear his thoughts on this passage. But, we've linked to his article in the show notes so you can learn more. References: Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Hold Fast | 23 Sep 2026 | 00:42:16 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about how he thinks about putting together a homily. He uses a recent Sunday Gospel and Epistle to show how he thinks about homilies and how we can link passages to our daily lives. Fr. Michael talks about the importance of reading the readings ahead of Divine Liturgy, especially if you are cantoring them. References: The Hidden Power of Silence in the Mass: A Guide for Encountering Christ in the Liturgy Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Thanksgiving Prayers | 16 Sep 2026 | 00:55:01 | |
This week Fr. Michael walks through the Thanksgiving Prayers the congregation is invited to pray after Divine Liturgy. References: The Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - Responses and Hymns - the prayers start on Page 95 Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Preparing for the Divine Liturgy Part II | 09 Sep 2026 | 00:57:34 | |
This week Fr. Michael picks up where he left off on last week's episode and continues walking through some of the prayers that the congregation are invited to say before Divine Liturgy begins. This week we start on Prayer 3 which begins on Page 9 of the book. References: Preparing for the Diving Liturgy Part I The Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - Responses and Hymns - the prayers start on Page 4. This week we pick up on Page 9 Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Preparing for the Divine Liturgy Part I | 02 Sep 2026 | 00:58:19 | |
This week Fr. Michael walks through some of the prayers that the congregation are invited to say before Divine Liturgy begins. References: The Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - Responses and Hymns - the prayers start on Page 4 Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| The World's Refuse | 26 Aug 2026 | 00:50:04 | |
This week Fr. Michael reflects on a passage from 1 Corinthians. He considers what it means to be scum of the earth, the world's refuse, and to be holy fools. He talks about what it means to be imitators of St. Paul, who in turn is aiming to be an imitator of Christ. References: Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Monastic Heart of Mary | 19 Aug 2026 | 01:02:21 | |
This week Mother Natalia reflects on a talk she recently gave at the Byzantine Young Adult convocation on the monastic heart of Mary. She specifically reflects on how Mary lived out the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She also gives examples of how these counsels can be lived out by priests, monastics, and lay people. References: Orientale Lumen by St. Pope John Paul II Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Ignore Evil | 12 Aug 2026 | 00:40:06 | |
This week Mother Natalia uses a quote from Elder Porphyrios as a jumping off point to talk about relinquishing control that evil has over us and to allow God to work through us. She then talks about recognizing the truth and gently and compassionately proclaiming the truth to others. References: Wounded by Love by Elder Porphyrios Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| We Have Seen the True Light | 05 Aug 2026 | 00:50:29 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about a conversation he had with a pilot about the beauty of nature that is seen as the pilot flies the plane. Fr. Michael then connects the beauty of nature with seeing the True Light that is God. References: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Wounded by Love by Elder Porphyrios Reflection on the We Have Seen the True Light prayer A Simple Byzantine Breviary by Fr. Joel Barstad Rejoice O Virgin Theotokos by Fr. Joel Barstad Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| A Monastic, A Theologian, and Jess with Fr. Chris and Jess | 29 Jul 2026 | 01:01:07 | |
This week we're joined by special guests Jess Allen and Fr. Chris Seith. Jess talks about intentionally practicing liturgical living. She gives examples of what that looks like practically and how it could be different in your family life vs her family life. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| A Confession Practicum | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:52:24 | |
This week Mother Natalia gives some examples of how to go to confession, specifically in the Byzantine tradition. Fr. Michael outlines some practicalities from the priest's point of view and what you will hear the priest say in confession. Mother Natalia gives an example of what it might look like to go to confession when it's the parish confession time and so you don't have tons of time for interaction with the priest. The second example is when you go to confession in the context of spiritual direction, or retreat, or a scheduled confession where the priest has much more time to listen. References: Life Hacks: Going to Confession Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Child-like not Child-ish | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:59:04 | |
This week Fr. Michael takes us through homilies he gave on Matthew 11 while on a recent retreat. He pulls out themes of childlikeness, reflecting on Jesus' teaching of aspects that are good and bad of being a child that we should and should not imitate. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Family, Concert, and Bar Ministry with Adam and Noelle Mering | 08 Jul 2026 | 01:07:28 | |
This week we're joined by special guests, Adam and Noelle Mering. They talk about their work counseling families and doing concert and bar ministries. They talk about how they learned to be intentional in the way they interact with their children as their children are in various points in their life. Adam and Noelle talk about their accidental and now intentional ministry they do at concerts and bars. References: Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology by Noelle Mering Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Discerning Married Priesthood with Nick and Lorena Towle | 01 Jul 2026 | 01:09:56 | |
This week we're joined by special guests Nick and Lorena Towle, parishioners at Fr. Michael's outreach. Nick recently discerned a call to priesthood and they talk about their vocation story leading up to marriage and to priesthood. References: Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Growing in the Daily Grind | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:43:42 | |
This week Mother Natalia shares a story of personal growth and also ways that she can improve. She connects that story to our daily need to persevere in holiness, recognizing that the times during the weeks after Pentecost are when the "real work" is done. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Fire, Water, Work, and Community | 17 Jun 2026 | 01:01:53 | |
This week Fr. Michael reflects on themes found in the scripture passages leading up to Pentecost. He talks about the meaning of fire and water, how they can both be destructive but cleansing. He talks about the need for community and diving in with reckless abandon. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| A Long-Expected Parts Episode with Dr. Gerry Crete | 10 Jun 2026 | 01:07:41 | |
This week we're joined by special guest, Dr. Gerry Crete. Dr. Gerry talks about Parts Work and how we see it played out in Lord of the Rings. He talks about how we see the characters grow and change, and the different parts we see represented in the characters. References: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Convictions from St. James | 03 Jun 2026 | 00:41:56 | |
This week Mother Natalia reflects on scripture readings from the book of James which recently convicted her. She talks about holding her tongue, being slow to anger, and quick to listen. She talks about the beauty of answering a question directly, as opposed to answering something which was not asked in order to make any excuse. She talks about silence and how silence can help us in our lives. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Tabitha Arise! | 27 May 2026 | 00:39:00 | |
This week Fr. Michael reflects on the scripture passage from Acts where Tabitha is raised from the dead. He contrasts that with the healing of Jairus' daughter in the synoptic Gospels. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| The Greatest Intimacy | 20 May 2026 | 00:50:20 | |
This week Fr. Michael reflect on St. Paul's conversion in Acts. He talks about the sacraments documented in this passage, and how the Eucharist leads to community and union. Register here for The Heart of the God-Bearer - Young Adult Catholic Convocation Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Arrow Prayers | 13 May 2026 | 00:41:21 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about Arrow Prayers, short prayers that can be employed throughout the day. He gives examples of ones that have been used by saints in the past and ones that we can employ in the future. He talks about using scripture to help us come up with arrow prayers we can use daily. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Only the Lover Sings with Fr. Chris Seith | 06 May 2026 | 01:05:46 | |
This week we're joined by special guest, Fr. Chris Seith. Fr. Chris shares a quote from Josef Pieper's book, Only the Lover Sings. We talk about love and music, beauty that is discovered in the one we love and in those around us, and how singing points us to love. References: Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper Face to Face: Knowing God beyond Our Shame by Fr. Stephen Freeman Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| A Few Evangelization Stories | 29 Apr 2026 | 01:02:05 | |
This week Fr. Michael shares a few evangelization stories, one that is ostensibly non-successful and one that is ostensibly successful. It's a beautiful witness for those of us who do not necessarily go out of our way to evangelize in this way. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Becoming Me | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:33:40 | |
This week Mother Natalia talks about becoming the person God created her to be, using a quote from a book as a jumping off point. She differentiates between the single parts of us and the holy parts of us, recognizing that we are not our sin. References: Face to Face: Knowing God beyond Our Shame by Fr. Stephen Freeman Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer A Right to be Merry by Mother Mary Francis Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| A Few of My Favorite Things | 15 Apr 2026 | 00:32:45 | |
This week Fr. Michael walks through a few of his favorite things about the Byzantine church. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Penthos and Tears | 08 Apr 2026 | 01:00:54 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about penthos, the deep sorrow for sin, and the tears that can be related to that, using the writings of St. John Climacus as a jumping off point. He talks about sorrow for sins of the world and the different types of tears we can experience. References: Thirty Steps to Heaven by Vassilios Papavassiliou The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy Quote from St. John Climacus "In the domain of creation, as in that of compunction, there is that which moves itself and that which is moved by some other agent. When the soul grows tearful, weeps, and is filled with tenderness, and all this without having striven for it, let us run for the Lord has arrived uninvited and is holding out to us the sponge of loving sorrow, the cool waters of blessed sadness with which to wipe away the record of our sins. Guard these tears like the apple of your eye until they go away, for they have a power greater than anything that comes from our own efforts and our own meditation." Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Life Hacks: Going to Confession | 01 Apr 2026 | 01:04:30 | |
This week Mother Natalia walks through some practical tips on going to confession. She gives examples of sins that could be confessed and talks about nuances that could help the penitent. References: Examinations of Conscience Suggestions from FOCUS Thirty Steps to Heaven by Vassilios Papavassiliou Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| The Deceiver | 25 Mar 2026 | 00:55:27 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about the deception of Adam and Eve by the devil in Genesis 3. He talks about the ways we can be deceived and how sin blinds us to the deception happening. References: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Praying with Parts | 18 Mar 2026 | 00:51:27 | |
This week Mother Natalia shares a recent prayer experience she had while using Parts Work. She talks about her surprise in encountering many parts that were impacted by something going on in her life. She shares her experience talking to them with Jesus, watching Jesus talk to them, and having Jesus watch her talk to them. She talks about the healing she received from this prayer experience. References: Litanies of the Heart by Dr. Gerry Crete Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Learning to Listen | 11 Mar 2026 | 00:57:09 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about learning to listen for God's voice. He talks about how we can start to encounter God in prayer and hearing Him in our daily life. He reflects on how we know what our our friends and those we love need, and how in a similar way, we can know the voice of God. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Meeting God Face to Face with Our Maddie | 04 Mar 2026 | 01:16:18 | |
This week we're joined by special guest, Maddie! Maddie is currently a dokimos at the monastery. Maddie talks about C.S. Lewis' book, Till We Have Faces, and how it was so impactful to her in the her time of discernment. She shares themes of the book and how we can see these in our day to day life. References: Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis Dr. Peter Kreeft's Lecture on Till We Have Faces Part 1 and Part 2 Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| THIS IS SPARTA...no pun intended (or included) | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:59:13 | |
This week Mother Natalia has a few short topics. First she talks about making her smart phone less smart to help her grow in virtue. Then she talks about spiritual motherhood in response to an email from a listener. Finally, she gives a quick overview of a talk she's giving. References: Friendship in the Lord by Fr. Paul Hinnebusch Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| The Flesh and Bones of a Vocation | 18 Feb 2026 | 01:05:00 | |
This week Fr. Michael recounts his recent visit to Thailand. He talks about the people he encountered, especially Fr. Raymond. He shares how Fr. Raymond interacts with his parishioners who span a wide geography. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Critical and Contagious | 11 Feb 2026 | 00:36:20 | |
This week Mother Natalia shows us how criticism is contagious. She gives a few examples in her life and talks about how she's noticed this in herself and others. She talks about how our interactions with people give them a hint of who we are when we aren't with them, and the way we might build them up or tear them down to others. References: Setting the Table by Danny Meyer Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| The Attack on Memory | 04 Feb 2026 | 00:38:18 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about ways the devil may have attacked Adam and Eve's memory, putting shame into memories where there was no shame before. He talks about ways that shame can prevent a full relationship with God. References: Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Moderation Shmoderation | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:57:57 | |
This week Mother Natalia shares a recent conviction she had about being silent during periods of silence. She uses that to give suggestions on what we can do for the Great Fast, moderate things instead of grand gestures. References: Great Lent: Journey to Pascha by Alexander Schmemann Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Resting in Tradition | 21 Jan 2026 | 00:54:13 | |
This week Fr. Michael reflects on tradition vs canon, inspired by his recent Christmas tree decorating. (Yes, this was recorded a few weeks back!) He talks about ways to identify tradition vs canon in our individual life, our family life, and our parish life. He talks about the importance of setting norms, even for adults, but also being able to identify when flexibility is needed. Fr. Michael also talks about setting aside work for the sake of rest. References: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Love, Father and Mother | 14 Jan 2026 | 01:00:18 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about prayer and being sincere in prayer, both directly with God and also when asking the saints for assistance. He also talks about spiritual fatherhood and some of the ways he's experienced some of the "normal" experiences that biological fathers experience. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| "I know..." | 07 Jan 2026 | 00:55:09 | |
This week Mother Natalia reflects on the Visitation, and how Mary may have felt seen by Elizabeth. She talks about the importance of being seen by others and the importance of us seeing each other. Mother Natalia also talks about the healing that comes from being seen by Christ in confession. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Yearning Better | 31 Dec 2025 | 00:56:29 | |
This week we have two mini-topics. First we talk about priestly celibacy and married priesthood, the spousal relationship with the church and the spousal relationship with Christ. Then we make a shift and talk about the cycles within the church, daily reception of the Eucharist, and how some of the norms around daily reception of the Eucharist came to be. References: Behold a Great Light: A Daily Devotional for the Nativity Fast through Theophany by Stephen De Young Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Mighty Man of God | 24 Dec 2025 | 00:51:59 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks about the archangel Gabriel and the meaning of his name. He talks about the manly strength of God and how Gabriel shows us this strength in his actions. Fr. Michael talks about fear of the Lord and how that differs from our fear of people or things that could happen to us. References: Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word by Erasmus Leiva-Merikakis Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Nothing but Banter (Seriously...) | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:50:33 | |
This week we've got a banter only episode. Enjoy! References: Finding God in the World: An Introduction to Josef Pieper's Sacramental Worldview The Good News About Being Human in the Age of AI by Hope Schneir Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Be Attentive | 10 Dec 2025 | 00:52:50 | |
This week Fr. Michael walks through the phrase "Let us be attentive. Peace be to all. Wisdom, be attentive!" that we hear during Divine Liturgy. He talks about the etymology of some of the words, the purpose of the sentences, and how we're called to be especially attentive after hearing those commands from the priest or deacon. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Beautiful Suffering | 03 Dec 2025 | 01:03:42 | |
This week Mother Natalia talks about finding beauty in the midst of suffering. She gives examples of saints lives who were able to find beauty despite their suffering. She also talks about how God draws good out of suffering, despite suffering being an evil. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Lacuna Matata | 26 Nov 2025 | 00:52:07 | |
This week Mother Natalia reflects on her recent retreat in Colorado. She talks about the rest she had during retreat and the moments of rest she has during her busy life. She talks about the importance of purposefully finding rest throughout our day, week, month, and year. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Tethered to our Altars | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:49:13 | |
This week Fr. Michael takes inspiration from a prayer said by the Maronite priests at the end of Divine Liturgy. He talks about how important the altar is to a priest and how the priest is "tethered" to the altar. He then expounds further into sacred spaces that are important to the lay people and monastics, and how each person can be reminded of this before or after leaving that space. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Formation by Osmosis | 12 Nov 2025 | 01:04:58 | |
This week Mother Natalia talks about how we are formed by the community around us. She gives examples of formation within a monastic community, family, and friends. She talks about how our formation can lead us down the wrong paths, but through God's grace how we can turn back to the truth. Follow and Contact Us! | |||
| Is There a Place for a Celibate Byzantine Parish Priest? | 05 Nov 2025 | 01:06:54 | |
This week Fr. Michael talks to Fr. Nathan Symeon and Fr. Joel Barstad about married priests and celibate priests in the Eastern Catholic Churches. They talk about considerations that need to be taken for each option. Follow and Contact Us! | |||