The Role That Changed Everything: Michael Iskander of House of David on Saying Yes to the Lord

What No One Taught You in CCD: Steve Hemler on the Apologetics Gap

Steve Hemler traded a 33-year engineering career—including 13 years living inside a gated oil compound in Saudi Arabia—for full-time Catholic ministry, and the journey shaped everything he now teaches. In this conversation with Kaylee, he unpacks the apologetics gap in how most Catholics were formed, explains the "stages of faith" research behind his work, and shares how his newest book, The Busy Parent's Guide to the Catholic Faith, gives parents the tools they've been missing. What We Talk About: * How Steve went from structural engineering and Saudi Aramco to founding the Catholic Apologetics Institute of North America * The two stages of faith—"searching faith" and "owned faith"—and why passing through the searching stage is the only path to a personal, committed faith * Why Catholic parents feel unprepared to answer their children's big questions, and what The Busy Parent's Guide to the Catholic Faith does about it * Three pieces of scientific evidence for God's existence: the Big Bang, the mathematical laws of nature, and the fine-tuning of the universe * How the questions young Catholics are asking have shifted—and why "spiritual but not religious" is the new frontier apologetics needs to address Chapters: * 00:00: Welcome and Introduction * 01:00: Steve's Engineering Background and Life in Saudi Arabia * 04:33: Teaching CCD in Aramco and the Call to Apologetics * 06:55: Founding CAINA and 600+ Presentations Worldwide * 07:26: How the Books Came About * 10:06: The Busy Parent's Guide: Imprimatur, Endorsements, and Who It's For * 12:11: Searching Faith and Owned Faith—The Stages of Faith * 14:02: The Saint Monica Problem: Preventing Children from Leaving the Church * 15:16: Why Catholic Parents Feel Unprepared to Answer Hard Questions * 17:05: How Faith Questions Have Changed Over the Years * 19:28: Scientific Evidence for God: Big Bang, Laws of Nature, Fine Tuning * 20:12: The Role of Grandparents, Godparents, and Catechists * 22:21: Hope for the Next Generation and Online Evangelization * 24:13: What Brings Steve the Most Joy Resources Mentioned: * The Busy Parent's Guide to the Catholic Faith by Steve Hemler [https://scepterpublishers.org/products/preorder-the-busy-parents-guide-to-the-catholic-faith-short-answers-to-the-big-questions] (Scepter Publishers) * Catholic Apologetics Institute of North America [https://cainaweb.org] * Paloma&Fig [https://palomaandfig.com] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/support] Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/palomaandfig], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/palomaandfig/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/palomaandfig]. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com [https://palomaandfig.com]. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes! [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439498403851978]

The Role That Changed Everything: Michael Iskander of House of David on Saying Yes to the Lord

Michael Iskander plays David in Prime Video's House of David—but his real story begins with a restless search for truth that led him, step by step, to a breakfast with a priest and an answer he couldn't give lightly: yes. Christina is joined by co-host Fr. John R. Johnson, STL to walk through Michael's conversion, his calling to play David, and what his journey reveals about the kind of faith this generation is desperately looking for. Together they take up Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, reflecting on how sacred storytelling, silence, and an unfiltered encounter with the Church can become the answer to a world that's lost its footing. What We Talk About: * How Michael's conversion began with one question—"how does God want me to worship Him?"—and arrived at a breakfast table where a priest asked him: do you want to be Catholic? * Why Michael says the Eucharist isn't just the center of his faith—it's the only thing in the world he'd live the rest of his life for, and what that conviction has to offer every truth-seeker * What it means to approach a calling like David from a place of surrender—giving the gift back to the One who gave it, and why Michael believes the story was never really about David at all * How Fr. Johnson reads Magnifica Humanitas pastorally: why the Church's claim to speak on all things genuinely human isn't overreach—it's the logic of the Incarnation * Why both Michael and Fr. Johnson believe this generation doesn't need to be curated to—what they need is silence, unfiltered truth, and an encounter with something that doesn't move Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction * 03:52: Opening Prayer * 04:46: Michael's Conversion Story * 08:20: God Opens the Door — Playing David * 13:07: Storytelling as Vocation — Purpose Beyond the Role * 18:17: Magnifica Humanitas — The Church Speaks to the Digital Age * 24:49: What Young People Are Searching For * 31:58: What the Church Must Offer * 35:35: Joy, Silence, and Music Resources Mentioned: * House of David — Prime Video [https://www.primevideo.com/detail/House-of-David/0FOT2IDMBS1WKUD3OA2QVHI004] * Magnifica Humanitas — Full Text (Vatican) [https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html] * A Complete Guide to Magnifica Humanitas — Ascension Press [https://ascensionpress.com/blogs/articles/a-complete-guide-to-pope-leo-s-encyclical-magnificent-humanitas] * The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis — Catholic Gifts and Books [https://www.catholicgiftsandbooks.com/shop/p/screwtape-letters-by-cs-lewis] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/support] Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/palomaandfig], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/palomaandfig/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/palomaandfig]. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com [https://palomaandfig.com]. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes! [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439498403851978]

How Fairy Tales Carry What Sermons Can't: E.P. Cowley on Tolkien and Lewis

E.P. Cowley is a retired homeschooling mother and author living in southern British Columbia whose debut novel, Tales from Wakken Wood, published by Ignatius Press, draws on the folklore of the Isle of Man to tell an enchanted story of courage, virtue, and wonder. In this conversation with Kaylee Stoll—part of the Tolkien and Lewis series—E.P. shares how entering the Catholic Church transformed her writing, how Tolkien's vision of sub-creation shaped every scene of the novel, and how wonder at Marian apparitions quietly shaped the book's spiritual heart. What We Talk About: * E.P.'s conversion journey from Protestantism into the Catholic Church and how it unlocked her sacramental imagination * The origin of Tales from Wakken Wood—writing for her children, asking God for help scene by scene, and how the story surprised even its author * Tolkien's influence on the novel, from Lord of the Rings to Smith of Wootton Major and his essay on fairy stories * The unique mythological DNA of Manx folklore from the Isle of Man, and how E.P.'s research shaped the creatures of Wakken Wood * Marian apparitions—Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and others—and how wonder at Our Lady shaped the spiritual atmosphere of the novel Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction and Welcome * 03:34: E.P.'s Yes to the Lord * 06:20: The Making of Tales from Wakken Wood * 09:04: Tolkien, Sub-Creation, and Fantasy * 11:47: Why Modern Readers Still Need Fairy Tales * 16:19: Manx Folklore and the Isle of Man * 18:47: Spiritual Symbolism vs. Allegory * 20:54: Peter, Pixel, and the Power of Children in Story * 24:00: Marian Apparitions and the Heart of the Book * 26:28: Consolation, Wonder, and What Readers Take Away Resources Mentioned: * Tales from Wakken Wood by E.P. Cowley [https://ignatius.com/tales-from-wakken-wood-twawp/] (Ignatius Press) * Tales from Wakken Wood — Review [https://palomaandfig.com/wakkenwood/] * Paloma&Fig [https://palomaandfig.com] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/support] Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/palomaandfig], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/palomaandfig/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/palomaandfig]. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com [https://palomaandfig.com]. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes! [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439498403851978]

What C.S. Lewis Teaches Us About Heaven, Hell, and the Choices We Make Now w/ Andrew Swafford

Andrew Swafford, professor of theology at Benedictine College and author of Next Stop: The Afterlife, joins us to explore how C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce illuminates the reality of heaven, hell, and purgatory and why every ordinary choice we make is quietly shaping our eternal destiny. Andrew also shares the pivotal yes that changed his own life: a football scholarship to Benedictine College, an unexpected encounter with Christ, and the discovery that going all in with Jesus never costs you who you are—it makes you more fully yourself. What We Talk About: * How a football scholarship became the setting for Andrew's conversion and why he says the risk of faith always produces a deeper, truer version of who you already are * What makes The Great Divorce such a powerful entry point into thinking about heaven and hell, including Lewis's insight that heaven is more real than earth, and what that means for how we love and live right now * The unforgettable characters in The Great Divorce—Pam the grieving mother and the man with the lizard—and why even the highest loves in us must be surrendered to God if they are to be transfigured in glory * Why the small, ordinary choices we make at home—in marriage, parenting, and the hidden moments no one sees—are where eternity is truly won or lost, and why repair matters far more than perfection * How to stay rooted in Jesus when the culture feels heavy and overwhelming: think local, pray more than you worry, and keep the Eucharist at the center of your life Chapters: * 00:00: Welcome and Introduction * 02:24: Andrew's Journey to Yes: Football, Conversion, and Going All In * 04:17: Introducing Next Stop: The Afterlife * 06:39: The Great Divorce, Purgatory's Joy, and the Transformation God Desires * 07:22: What Makes The Great Divorce Such a Powerful Entry Point * 09:42: Why C.S. Lewis Chose Story Over Straight Theology * 11:22: Heaven Is More Real Than Earth * 14:43: Recognizing Our Own Attachments: Pam and the Man with the Lizard * 18:38: Small Daily Choices and Eternal Destiny * 21:29: The Gift of Repair in Family Life * 25:01: Heaven, Hell, and the Choices We Make Now * 29:32: Staying Centered on Jesus in a Heavy Culture Resources Mentioned: * Next Stop: The Afterlife by Andrew Swafford [https://www.avemariapress.com/products/next-stop-the-afterlife] * The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis [https://www.christianbook.com/the-great-divorce-c-s-lewis/9780060652951/pd/652950] * The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis [https://www.christianbook.com/the-screwtape-letters-c-s-lewis/9780060652937/pd/52934] * The Swaffords [https://theswaffords.com/] * Paloma&Fig [https://palomaandfig.com] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com/]. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/support] Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/palomaandfig], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/palomaandfig/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/palomaandfig]. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com [https://palomaandfig.com]. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes! [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439498403851978]

The Spiritual Wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien w/ Kaitlyn Facista (Tea with Tolkien)

Kaitlyn Facista is the founder of Tea with Tolkien, an online community celebrating the life, writings, and Catholic faith of J.R.R. Tolkien and the author of Into the Heart of Middle-earth, published by Ave Maria Press. In this episode, she shares her journey from Protestant roots to Catholicism, how Tolkien's fiction was woven into her conversion story, and why the spiritual depth of Middle-earth is anything but accidental. What We Talk About: * How Kaitlyn's winding path through medical school moves, a search for truth, and life in England led her and her husband into the Catholic Church * The discovery that Tolkien's Catholic faith is not allegory but something woven into the very fibers of Middle-earth, and what "applicability" means versus allegory * What characters like Samwise, Aragorn, and the hobbits reveal about humility, discernment, and the power of the small * How Tolkien's villains warn us against isolation while his heroes model fellowship, counsel, and communal discernment * The one spiritual insight Kaitlyn hopes readers carry away from her book: that small, daily choices are how we bring ourselves—and the world—closer to goodness Chapters: * 00:00: Introduction and Guest Background * 02:48: Kaitlyn's Yes—Converting to Catholicism * 07:02: What Drew Her to Tolkien and When the Spiritual Depth Clicked * 09:30: How Tea with Tolkien Began * 14:38: Why Now Was the Right Time to Write Into the Heart of Middle-earth * 16:13: Allegory vs. Applicability: How to Read Tolkien's Faith Without Forcing It * 17:49: The "Ever-Present Person"—Providence Hidden in Plain Sight * 19:57: Samwise Gamgee, True Hero? Loyalty and Holiness * 21:08: Aragorn, Humility, and the Long Road to Kingship * 24:15: Connecting Tolkien's Characters to the Saints * 25:21: Fellowship as a Model for Faith, Family, and Parish Life * 27:02: The One Takeaway from Into the Heart of Middle-earth Resources Mentioned: * Tea with Tolkien [https://www.teawithtolkien.com] * Into the Heart of Middle-earth — Ave Maria Press [https://www.avemariapress.com/products/into-the-heart-of-middle-earth] * Paloma&Fig [https://palomaandfig.com] Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios [https://saintkolbestudios.com] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2457003/support] Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/palomaandfig], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/palomaandfig/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/palomaandfig]. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com [https://palomaandfig.com]. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes! [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439498403851978]