This Strange Land

Being Prophets in Modern Day Babylon with Brotherhood of Hope

Summary
In this episode of This Strange Land, we sit down with members of the Brotherhood of Hope to explore how we can live faithfully in today’s postmodern, often pagan, culture. We talk about the core beliefs of the Brotherhood, the deep hunger people have to be seen, to know their identity, hear truth, and be in authentic community.We also dive into the prophetic role of the Church today—what it means to speak truth in love, the risks involved, and hear stories from the Brotherhood’s experience on college campuses.From conversations about sin to living in the Spirit and expecting God to speak, this is a rich and stirring look at what it means to follow Christ with courage and hope in this strange land.
Timestamps
0:00 - Introducing Brotherhood of Hope01:52 - BoH core beliefs 03:33 - The pagan culture we find ourselves in08:27 - Postmodern vs. modernism 12:46 - What are people actually looking for?17:00 - The actual value of community21:40 - Shame, guilt, and identity25:07 - How to approach a conversation about sin31:12 - The prophetic gift of BoH50:00 - Reacting to the Second Vatican Council56:00 - What does risk have to do with being a prophet?1:11:45 - How can we start living this?1:25:13 - How to remain living in the Spirit1:29:26 - Expecting God to speak
Noteworthy Quotes
“We’re no longer in Jerusalem. We’re in Babylon. We’re a Christian people no longer living in Christendom – we’re living in a foreign land.” – Brother Clinton
Mentioned
Brotherhood of Hope – https://brotherhoodofhope.org/lifeDallas Willard – https://www.amazon.ca/Hearing-God-Dallas-Willard/dp/0830835695Eric Chow – https://weareproclaim.com/
Stay connected
Thank you for listening to this episode with the Brotherhood of Hope. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
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Learn more about Glass Canvas ➡︎ https://glasscanvas.io

Is Catholic Mass a Means of Evangelization? With Father Elsbett

In this episode of This Strange Land, Father Elsbett from Vienna shares insights on rebuilding ministry, making Mass meaningful, and evangelizing in today’s culture. He discusses relational evangelization, reaching young people, and shifting worldviews, offering wisdom on leading with vision and adapting to a changing spiritual landscape.
TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Introducing Father Elsbett1:35 – The first steps to seeing fruit in a diocese10:15 – If the ministry in Vienna burnt down, how would Fr. rebuild?17:52 – Father’s unique ministry 29:00 – Should Mass be a sensational and emotional experience? 33:30 – What does Mass in Father’s community look like? 40:44 – Pushback to Father’s methods 45:10 – New ideas for bringing the Gospel to the new culture 48:34 – Relationship as the first point in evangelization 53:20 – The best methods for reaching young people 58:24 – Is Mass a means for evangelization? 1:07:00 – How does worldview shifting occur? 1:11:00 – Why communicating your vision to your people matters 1:14:00 – The missional nature of giving 1:17:00 – The evangelistic opportunity of Ash Wednesday 1:20:00 – Old school atheism isn’t in anymore 1:25:00 – Encouragement from Father Elsbett
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES"There’s never a hopeless situation for a Christian." – Father Elsbett"God is so great that even out of great evil, He can bring about great good. That doesn’t make evil good, it just makes God great." – Father Elsbett
MENTIONED Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication by Andy StanleyPreaching on Purpose: A Divine Renovation Handbook for Communicating the Gospel Today by Divine RenovationThe Alpha CourseStart with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon SinekRebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter by Michael White and Tom Corcoran
STAY CONNECTEDThank you for listening to this episode with Father Elsbett. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
CONNECT WITH US https://www.instagram.com/thisstrangeland/
WHO WE ARE ➡︎ https://www.glasscanvas.io/

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Renewal with Pete Burak

In this episode, Jason Jensen sits down with Pete Burak to discuss what true fruitfulness looks like, the role of the Holy Spirit in transformation, and how charisms shape the Church. They also explore the balance between strategic planning and spiritual surrender, the importance of mythic narrative, and the urgent need for strong spiritual leadership today.
Guest Bio
Pete Burak is the director of id, the young adult outreach of Renewal Ministries. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and has a Master’s Degree in Theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Pete is a frequent speaker on discipleship, evangelization, and young adult topics, and he is the co-director of Pine Hills Boys Camp. Pete and his wife, Cait, have four children.
Timestamps
0:00 – Introducing Pete Burak2:04 – What does fruitfulness look like?10:09 – What is the Charismatic Movement?17:01 – Is transformation without the Holy Spirit possible?26:20 – Charisms in the Church38:33 – How to receive gifts from the Lord & live out what we’re called to do45:10 – How an organization can be strategic while being led by the Spirit55:50 – The need for an understanding of Mythic Narrative & a divorce from world ideas1:03:00 – The problem with centering ourselves on our feelings1:08:45 - People want truth in a loving way1:25 - Being attuned to the Spirit in our accompaniment1:30 - The biggest gap in the Church right now is spiritual leadership1:40 - An encouragement to church leaders 
Noteworthy Quotes
“What could be more dangerous than ignoring part of the Trinity? . . . To minimize or ignore the Spirit is to ignore God.” – Pete Burak“Feelings make wonderful servants but terrible masters.” - Viktor Frankel “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” Romans 8:14
Mentioned
Clothed with Power from On High: A Short Catechesis on Charisms in the Life and Mission of the Church by Scott McKayCharismatic – It’s the baptism of the Spirit and living by the Spirit. Sometimes there is a more outward expression of those gifts. But it’s a leading of the promptings of the Spirit. Mythic Narrative – “A return to biblical worldview and the deepest reality that is.”
Stay Connected
Thank you for listening to this episode with Pete Burak. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
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Learn more about Glass Canvas ➡︎ https://glasscanvas.io

A Movement for Parish Transformation with Eric Chow

In this episode, Jason Jensen and Eric Chow sit down to discuss the Proclaim Movement in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, the missionary potential of Catholic parishes, and principles for powerful transformation. Together they break down Proclaim’s Parish Transformation Framework, and share what they’ve seen bears fruit in the local church.
Guest Bio
Eric Chow currently serves as Director for Proclaim and Associate Director for Ministries and Outreach at the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He has been in mission and leadership for almost 20 years. As a lay missionary, involvement in his local parish, school, and mens ministry, Eric finds life in roles of leadership, strategy, and mentorship. He loves working through others, seeing them succeed, and mentoring/coaching people in their gifts and talents. Eric loves being a husband to Vanessa, and father to Eva, Isabel, Sophie, Samuel, and Francis. You can usually find Eric climbing a mountain, fishing, or roasting coffee.
Learn more about the Proclaim movement ➡︎ https://weareproclaim.com/
Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction to Eric15:30 - What inspired the Proclaim movement?16:30 - What did the pandemic change about evangelization?24:00 - The most important skill a missionary disciple needs to have28:40 - The call of every disciple32:40 - The Parish Transformation Framework43:50 - What Proclaim is not50:50 - What program is best for parish renewal?56:00 - How do the other activities of the parish fit in the framework?1:01:55 - What about the liturgy?1:06:42 - Things are not as rigid as we think they are1:09:03 - When things need to change1:10:30 - Why aren’t healing & way of life included in the Framework?1:19:30 - The consequences of separating holiness & mission1:22:42 - The need to be laser focused
Breaking down the Parish Transformation Framework1:23:18 - Prayer & Discernment1:40:57 - Mission & Values1:52:45 - Leadership & Operations1:58:21 - Spiritual Gifts Discernment2:15:32 - Accompaniment2:27:53 - Evangelize Your Community & Evangelize Beyond
Noteworthy Quotes
“I dream of a 'missionary option', that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.” - Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (27)
“The Church exists, and we as part of the Church – our deepest identity – is to evangelize.” - Eric Chow
“Parishes need to know what they’re about.” - Eric Chow
“Holiness & mission are two sides of the same coin.” - Pope Benedict XVI
“Meaningful formation and a way of life should always lead to mission & self-gift.” - Eric Chow
Stay Connected
Thank you for listening to this episode with Eric Chow. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
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Learn more about Tilma ➡︎ https://tilmaplatform.com/
Who we are ➡︎ https://www.glasscanvas.io/

Pastoring the Future of the Church with Father Elsbett

Jason talks with Father George Elsbett, LC, a priest of the John Paul 2 Center in Vienna who has spent years facilitating a growing, thriving little community of faith that is capturing the minds of young people. In a space where people are leaving the Catholic Church, Father George is leading the way in captivating hearts and bringing them into the love of God. He shares about his openness to reevaluating everything and how his journey with God has led him to unimaginable fruit for the Kingdom.
SHOWNOTES
In this episode you’ll hear about how Father George re-imagined what evangelization can be like in present-day Vienna, and the principles we can all learn from it in an apostolic age. Here are some key moments.
Times have changed and our methods of bringing the Gospel need to as well 
3:40 - Although Europe is filled with beautiful churches and masses, the reality reveals that 94% of Catholics no longer practice their faith.8:00 - Unpacking the history and the reality of the Church across Europe. In North America we often romanticize the beauty of churches and cultural heritage of Catholicism, that it’s going to get the faith back.13:20 - We are no longer the Church of the People. People used to come to Church but we don’t live in a Christendom world anymore. The challenge is pastors aren’t necessarily trained for a reality where it’s not the culture that everyone is coming to Church. 
God’s movement in the life of Father George
18:26 - Father George shares about his vagabond childhood with his atheist mother and father who was fleeing the police. He shares the beautiful way his mother and in turn him, encountered Jesus in a way that changed their lives forever.27:09 - Father George begins to share about the experiences that started to happen that led to building his thriving little quasi-parish community in Vienna to reach young, unchruched people. He shares about the several unsuccessful starts and how that helped lead him towards growth, including being open to reevaluating everything and looking for where there is fruit for the Kingdom.
There is beauty in coming to the end of yourself
30:00 - Father George talks about the moment where he was about to throw in the towel because nothing was working. He talks about his first step being a commitment to prayer.32:01 - Father George summaries his 3 year journey of learning, reorientating, and creating a vision. He looked around and asked, where are people producing fruit? And how can I look outside the box? He looked everywhere for resources from Protestant churches to Anglican to Catholic: Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, Tim Keller, Life Church Podcast, Saddleback, Rick Warren, Holy Trinity Brompton, Rebuilt, Amazing Parish, Divine Renovation, Sherry Weddell, etc. 
The principles behind what happened in Vienna
41:00 - Jason giving a summary of what we can learn from this pocket of revival: an act of courage to acknowledge what we’re doing is not bearing the fruit we want to see, creating space for innovation, reordering our efforts, and letting go of frameworks.43:30 - Talks about the crumbling structure and the urgency of needing to adjust to a parish model that reflects the needs and faith of the world today. He talks about the death of Christendom, facing reality, and being open to innovation.50:00 - Father emphasizes that these decisions must come out of prayer and discernment. He references an idea from Rick Warren that encourages people to look for the “waves” God is already making and hop onto those, instead of trying to make something happen ourselves.56:48 -  We have visions and put in methodologies but for some reason, the methodologies become the vision. What does it look like to apply what’s working in one context into your own? What is it like to bring your own vision? A summary of prayer, courage, and trying something new.59:20 - Father talks about the main principles such as belonging before behavior, unity in tension, and… what young people are looking for in today’s world, and how they made decisions that they have to make impact.1:08 - He covers the leadership principles they live by and the principles that have been guiding them. He gives examples of when they decided to lean into a program and when they saw things dwindling and need to pivot - when things had run its course in its context.
 
KEY PRINCIPLES FROM FR. ELSBETT
Start with prayer & discernment
Look for what God is already doing
Look outside the box
Belong, believe, behave
Unity in tension
 
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“We have a vision and put in methodologies but for some reason, the methodologies become the vision.”
“Discernment is much more important to churches than it has been in the past.”
“Before you even get to the kerygma… you have to show someone you love them.”
“What would it mean today to have a Catholic revival inside this culture?”
“We say we want to fish, but we don’t like their smell. How they talk, dress, etc. we have to learn to love the fish.”
“It’s not about programs, it's about the people. You have to figure out how to move people. To just have stand off activities not - that’s not helpful.”
 
STAY CONNECTED
Thank you for listening to this episode with Father Elsbett. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
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Learn more about Tilma ➡︎ https://tilmaplatform.com/
 

How We Love the Individual in Today’s Culture with Pete White (PART 2)

In this second part of a conversation with Pete White, you’ll be invited into an enchanted view of the world and to ponder what might happen if you open yourself to Love. We discuss the transformative power of submitting to God’s love, how it moves us outward to love others, and why AI will always lack.
GUEST BIOPeter G. White is the founder of Vocatio Consulting, an organization that seeks to bring ‘life to life’ by aiding individuals and groups in the discovery and employment of their vocation, or ‘life-calling’. Pete’s chief interest in whichever context he finds himself, is to collaborate along these lines by helping people to ‘become themselves’ by learning to inhabit their vocation as a living craft. Pete is a grateful husband and is a father to three wonderful children with his wife, Kandy. Pete’s hope is to help see the character of Christ realized in the places that are most precious to us all, whether spousal, familial, social, educational or societal. He lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where he has operated a private psychotherapeutic practice for 17-years under the banner of Vocatio. He offers courses to executive groups and consulting services to organizations who require content expertise in the territories of psychology and/or Christian spiritual formation. Pete deeply loves the Church and is a grateful guide and accompanier to parishioners and Christian leaders across a number of associated domains.Pete regards himself as an apprentice of Jesus Christ. You can receive updates on future developments from Pete at petergwhite.com.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 How can the Church heal the disease in the culture?10:35 What about humanity has changed in the last decade?15:23 What love does to us25:00 The highest measure of integration in a person is love31:35 The gift of grace & the story of Joe38:45 Adopting an enchanted view & submitting to love42:10 Why AI will never satisfy47:09 Is AI evil?50:18 How the internet & modernity mimics Christianity52:09 Final words of encouragement to discover your own calling
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES“When you do what Love invites, there’s no greater source of genius.” - Pete White“There’s never been a human being in the history of the universe that wasn’t benefited by being heard.” - Pete White
STAY CONNECTEDThank you for listening to this episode with Pete White. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
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Learn more about Tilma ➡︎ https://tilmaplatform.com/

The Cultural Wave that Shifted us Inward with Pete White

In this first part of a conversation with Pete White, you’ll hear about the fractured understanding of the self in modern society, delving into the separation of virtue and knowledge in education and its far-reaching consequences. We discuss Freud’s tripartite theory, its inversion of our true identity and how the psychological industry suffers without a coherent worldview. Through it all, we reflect on Christ’s deepest desire to see us become our true selves so that we can bless the world.
GUEST BIOPeter G. White is the founder of Vocatio Consulting, an organization that seeks to bring ‘life to life’ by aiding individuals and groups in the discovery and employment of their vocation, or ‘life-calling’. Pete’s chief interest in whichever context he finds himself, is to collaborate along these lines by helping people to ‘become themselves’ by learning to inhabit their vocation as a living craft. Pete is a grateful husband and is a father to three wonderful children with his wife, Kandy. Pete’s hope is to help see the character of Christ realized in the places that are most precious to us all, whether spousal, familial, social, educational or societal. He lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where he has operated a private psychotherapeutic practice for 17-years under the banner of Vocatio. He offers courses to executive groups and consulting services to organizations who require content expertise in the territories of psychology and/or Christian spiritual formation. Pete deeply loves the Church and is a grateful guide and accompanier to parishioners and Christian leaders across a number of associated domains.Pete regards himself as an apprentice of Jesus Christ. You can receive updates on future developments from Pete at petergwhite.com.DEFINITIONSEmpiricism - the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience.Unmoored - insecure, confused, or lacking contact with reality.Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.
TIMESTAMPS00:00 The lay of the land07:54 What is the self?15:55 The consequence of separating virtue from education23:15 The shift of formation in universities27:45 When moral education becomes extracurricular30:02 Where Freud lacks33:19 The self becomes God in our culture today36:00 God hates manipulation39:00 The problems in the field of psychology41:03 The need for worldview43:20 The falsehood of being an expert in your own experience47:05 Vocation, personality, and character52:19 The central interest of Christ
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES“People are worth so much more than that. They are owed our honest engagement with them. But we have a culture that is built on dishonest engagement.” - Pete White
STAY CONNECTEDThank you for listening to this episode with Pete White. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.
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Learn more about Tilma ➡︎ https://tilmaplatform.com/

The Religion of the Day with Monsignor Shea

In this episode of This Strange Land, Monsignor Shea explores the concept of the "Religion of the Day," its empty promises, and how the enemy’s tactics lure us into a new, deceptive faith. Through engaging storytelling, he emphasizes the power of the Christian narrative, urging listeners to rediscover the kerygma, and recognize how Jesus and His love alone makes the world make sense.
 
Our Guest: Monsignor James P. Shea was inaugurated in 2009 as the sixth president of the University of Mary. Msgr. Shea grew up on a dairy farm near Hazelton, North Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree and a licentiate in philosophy as a Basselin Fellow in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, later studying theology at the Gregorian and Lateran universities in Rome. Upon completion of his seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Msgr. Shea was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Bismarck in 2002. Bio retrieved from The National Eucharistic Congress.
Resources for you:
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age by the University of St. Mary 
The Religion of the Day by the University of St. Mary 
Mentioned by Monsignor Shea:
Land of my Sojourn – Rich Mullens
Listen on YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
No Hard Feelings - The Avett Brothers
Listen on YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
Christian Mythic Narrative
Listen on Prime Matters
The Rescue Project by Acts XXIX
Learn more
The Bible in a Year
Listen on Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
The Rule of St. Benedict
Order on Amazon
Stay connected
Thank you for listening to this episode with Monsignor Shea. If you’d like to journey deeper into the topics we discussed today, we’ve included links to the University of Mary’s books which we highly recommend, as well as other resources mentioned in the podcast. 
If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes. 
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Noteworthy quotes
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in this strange land?” – Psalms 137:4
“The dogma is the drama.” - Dorothy Sayer
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” -  Blaise Pascal
“Run while you have the light of life, lest the darkness of death overtake you.” - St. Benedict