We moms & dads spend a lot of time driving for pick-ups and drop-offs, not just actually driving but also sitting in the car waiting….and sometimes waiting and waiting.
But it is often relatively short bursts of time, not long drives–just long enough to make it easy to waste the minutes.
I’m even talking about sitting in a Dunkin Donuts drive-through line lately that took so long…
I’m reminded about this because it is a swim meet weekend again (with no spectators allowed) so I will drive, drop off, go somewhere to wait for the pick-me-up call, then drive, wait in the parking lot, then drive. I also have to do the orchestra practice drop and pick up sometime during the weekend–and I’ll have to wait in the car then, too.
(Although I’m the guy who teaches every child to drive, I must admit right now I am actually looking forward to another one with a driver’s license soon…)
I found that the last swim meet weekend was made very valuable to me by listening to the short saint talks in this new online series. In fact, I took NOTES on many of the talks–they were that good.
These are 25 short (about 15 minutes each) and aimed at adults, not the kids.
However, you also get a free downloadable coloring book with discussion questions for the kids–you can do that later after you watch or listen yourself.
I was in the car just now (!) so I recorded this short video summarizing the top reasons I found these so worthwhile.
To summarize why you should purchase these like I did:
- They are short–15 minutes fits my schedule, while longer talks I just often don’t finish.
- Because they are short–-the speakers get quickly to the point. No introductory jokes, no long personal testimonies, just into the saint’s own story and then to practical ways to emulate them, the real ways their examples can help you.
- A very broad range of perspectives–over two dozen saints are covered by as many speakers. This means 4 dozen persons are speaking to you. I learned about saints I didn’t know about and got insights from people I had never heard speak before. You’re sure to find many suggestions which fit into your life, just as I took pages of notes that I can apply to mine–and I have only listened to about half of them so far. In fact, we have found new saints we might want to do Glory Stories about and also may have found new experts who can write the scripts for those stories!
- The price is just over $1 per talk–for lifetime access that I can listen to and/or watch as videos. I listened to some as I drove and some I actually watched sitting in an empty Adoration Chapel during swimming finals last time. And I have also gone back to rewatch and listen–they are that good.
- BONUS: And the coloring download with the discussion questions can help you bring a lot of these saints into your children’s imaginations. You may find a new family friend in Heaven!
But again, these talks are for you adults, not the kids. Speakers include Kimberly Hahn, Steve Ray, Chris Stefanik, Jason Evert, Mark Hart, Ed Sri, Andrew and Sarah Swafford, Matt and Cameron Fradd, Sarah Christmyer, Hector Molina, Sonja Corbitt, many more–truly an all-star gallery of top-notch speakers!–revealing insights about Saints from the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph to Padre Pio to John Paul II to the (canonized) parents of Saint Therese to Gianna Molla speaking about her mother, Saint Gianna Molla!
I was just reminded: You know how things get busy, so please don’t you wait to do this later–click now and they you can listen/watch anytime you want (you get unlimited access)!
For your kids, Glory Stories are still the best thing out there to reclaim their car time for Christ.
In case you might have missed some of our newest releases, below is the list of the saints we currently cover with the lessons your child will learn from the true-life story. (PRAYER NOTE: we have more of these stories in process right now–pray for us!).
NOTE: the links below go to the MP3 downloads but you can also get Glory Stories CDs that you can play in the car and at home (keeping your phone free for calls while the kids can keep listening!). In fact, the entire set of Glory Stories CDs is on sale right now.
- Blessed Imelda Lambertini — teaches about the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist (she’s the Patroness of First Communicants)
- St. Juan Diego — teaches obedience (!) as you hear the actual words of Our Lady to Juan Diego and miracle of her image on the tilma!
- St. Therese of Lisieux — teaches her Little Way to Heaven
- St. Miguel de la Mora of the Knights of Columbus — learn what it means to be a priest through the courageous story of one of the first Knights of Columbus saints
- St. Joseph — the man Jesus chose to be His father on earth
- St. Katharine Drexel — how the richest girl in America became a saint
- St. Teresa of Calcutta — learn the “Gospel on Five Fingers”
- St. Faustina Kowalska — teaches about Divine Mercy through Christ’s own words to Saint Faustina!
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha — learn what the Sacrament of Baptism does to our souls (and the CD includes a bonus track: Clara and Margaret interview the boy who received the miracle which made Kateri a saint!)
- St. Cecilia — the saint of the catacombs teaches about the Communion of Saints
- St. Joan of Arc — with God, all things are possible!
- St. Anthony — you’ll know now why he is the “seeker of the lost” (and the priest who played Saint Anthony anointed our daughter, Lillian, in the hospital after her emergency appendectomy)
- St. Martin de Porres — a life full of humility and miracles no child will ever forget
- St. Clare — includes a special cameo appearance by Saint Francis and our daughter, Clara!
- Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio — every boy (especially every altar boy) needs to learn the story of this 14-year old martyr
- St. Rose of Lima — persistence in prayer from the first saint of the Americas!
- St. Maximilian Kolbe – children learn the meaning of Marian Devotion through his inspiring life
- Pope Saint John Paul II — no better way to reveal the meaning of trust in “Divine Providence” than through this story
- Blessed Miguel Pro — a favorite of our kids because of the joyful, dramtic, and humorous approach to life of this “master of disguises” (plus a bonus track on the CD from Patrick Madrid and a recipe from his mom!)
- The Children of Fatima — the actual words of the saints and Our Blessed Mother and angels to inspire even pre-teens to live to become a saint
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — first native-born American saint lived life as a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend, in each role bringing people (including herself!) into the Catholic Church
- St. Bernadette Soubirous – hear the conversations with Our Blessed Mother and the miraculous story of Lourdes (including the prayer still said in Heaven!)
- St. Peter — learn the unique relationship he had with Our Lord and the founding of the Church
- Blessed Carlo Acutis — he died at 15 in 2006, so everything in his life applies directly to your pre-teens and teens, what he did to go straight to Heaven in the world today!
Find more Catholic children’s picture books and games on our website! And don’t forget to subscribe for more Catholic blogs!
Ken Davison created Glory Stories, which became a weekly radio series heard globally on the Ave Maria Satellite Radio Network and EWTN’s radio network, WEWN. In 2007, he and his wife, Kerri, founded Holy Heroes–and their children stepped in to help shortly thereafter to create the online “Adventures” for Advent, Lent, Spiritual Adoption, and Marian Consecration.