Growing up means trying to figure out who you are, where you belong, and who God created you to become.
“Becoming Me” is a song inspired by my book 40 Days to Discover God’s Plan, written especially for young people navigating the pressures of growing up, fitting in, and discovering their purpose.
You are more than your likes.
You are more than your mistakes. God is still writing your story. ❤️
🎵 Becoming Me
Inspired by 40 Days to Discover God’s Plan Deacon Pat Kearns | The Catholic Journey
Why do some people seem genuinely joyful—even when life is difficult—while so many of us feel tired, worried, or discouraged?
In this episode of When Faith Meets Real Life, we explore the difference between happiness and true Christian joy—and whether joy can actually be a choice.
Maybe joy isn't found by waiting for life to get better. Maybe it begins by noticing God in the life we're already living.
Pray. Be grateful. Forgive. Serve. Trust. Choose joy. ❤️
🎙️ The Catholic Journey with Deacon Pat Kearns Just 7 minutes a day can change your life.
You brought them to Mass, watched them receive First Communion, and tried to give them a foundation of faith.
And then one day...
they walked away.
For many Catholic parents, few things hurt more. And with that hurt often comes a painful question:
“Where did I go wrong?”
In this episode of When Faith Meets Real Life, we talk about what to do when someone you love—especially your own son or daughter—no longer believes or no longer practices the faith.
The answer isn't to argue them back into the Church.
Love them. Listen to them. Keep the relationship strong. Live your faith authentically. And pray more than you preach.
Your child may know exactly what you believe. What they may need most now is to know that your love for them hasn't changed.
And remember St. Monica. She couldn't see what God was doing in Augustine's life during all those years of waiting and praying. She only knew that she loved her son and refused to give up hope.
So if you're praying for a child who has walked away:
Keep praying.
Keep loving.
Keep the door open.
And keep trusting God.
You know where your child is today.
God knows where they will be tomorrow.
Their story isn't finished. ❤️
🎙️ The Catholic Journey with Deacon Pat Kearns When Faith Meets Real Life — When Your Children Walk Away from the Faith
Before we ever saw your face, we loved you. Before we held your tiny hands, we prayed for you. Before we heard your first cry, you had already changed our lives.
“Loved Before We Met You” is a song inspired by my book Pregnant… Now What? and by the sacred journey of becoming a mother and father—the excitement, the fears, the first heartbeat, the tiny kicks, the whispered prayers, and finally that unforgettable moment when a child is placed into your arms.
Pregnancy reminds us that parenthood begins long before birth. With every prayer and every sacrifice, a mother and father are already learning to love a child they haven't yet met.
And then comes that moment... The first cry. Suddenly the waiting is over, and the little one you've dreamed about, prayed for, and loved for months is finally here.
This song carries one simple message to every child: You were known. You were wanted. You were prayed for. And you were loved—before we ever met you.
🎵 Loved Before We Met You
Inspired by Pregnant… Now What? Deacon Pat Kearns | The Catholic Journey
"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." — Jeremiah 1:5
When we first say “I do,” we really have no idea what those two little words will eventually ask of us.
We don't know the joys that are coming, the struggles we'll face, the changes we'll go through, or the moments when loving one another will require something deeper than a feeling.
Over the years, I've come to believe that a strong marriage isn't built on choosing someone once.
It's choosing them again.
When life is wonderful—I choose you.
When life gets difficult—I choose you.
When we've laughed until we cried—I choose you.
When we've hurt each other and need forgiveness—I choose you.
When we're young and dreaming about the future—and when we're older, looking back at everything we've been through—
I choose you again.
This song was inspired by my book 40 Days to Deeper Love and by the beautiful truth that marriage is a covenant lived one ordinary day at a time. Love becomes thousands of little decisions to stay, forgive, listen, pray, sacrifice, and keep reaching for each other's hand.
And through it all, we're not traveling alone. Christ has been with us on the journey, giving us grace when our own strength wasn't enough.
So this song is especially personal to me.
Liz, knowing everything I know now, after everything life has brought us, I'd still take your hand. I'd still say “I do.”
I'd still choose you today. ❤️
🎵 I Choose You Again
Inspired by 40 Days to Deeper Love Deacon Pat Kearns | The Catholic Journey
There was probably a time when you looked at your spouse and couldn't imagine life without them.
Then life happened.
Work. Children. Bills. Stress. Health problems. Disappointments. Unresolved hurts.
Sometimes there isn't one big event that damages a marriage. Sometimes two people simply wake up one day and realize that although they're still living under the same roof, they've somehow grown miles apart.
In Episode 7 of When Faith Meets Real Life, we talk about what happens when marriage gets hard.
Marriage isn't simply saying “I do” once at the altar. Sometimes it's looking at the same person years later—after you've both changed, struggled, failed, forgiven, and grown—and saying:
“I still do.”
This episode isn't about pretending every marriage can be fixed with a date night or a few nice words. It's about beginning again with something small:
One honest conversation.
One apology.
One act of kindness.
One prayer.
One decision to reach across the distance.
Maybe God isn't finished with your story yet.
Sometimes the most beautiful marriages aren't the ones that never struggled.
They're the ones that kept choosing love through the struggle. ❤️
🎙️ The Catholic Journey with Deacon Pat Kearns When Faith Meets Real Life — Episode 7 When Your Marriage Is Struggling
Just 7 minutes a day can change your life.
➡️ Next Episode: When Your Children Walk Away from the Faith
“Tom and Betty” is a song inspired by the story of my parents, Thomas Walter Kearns and Elizabeth “Betty” Clare Kearns, and by the memories my five brothers and I shared in our book Kearns Boys – Life Stories by Six Brothers.
We dedicated that book to two wonderfully imperfect people who continue to hold an extraordinary place of love, respect, and gratitude in our hearts.
Dad worked hard as a teacher and gave everything he could to his family. Mom poured herself into caring for her husband, her six boys, and seemingly every kid who walked through our door. We may not have had a lot materially, but looking back, we realize how incredibly rich we really were.
They married young and stayed together for life. Through every challenge, Dad's love for Mom never seemed to waver, and Mom's devotion to him remained long after he was gone.
And perhaps their greatest legacy is this:
Six sons who still love one another. Six men who still value faith and family. Six lives forever shaped by the example of their Mom and Dad. They weren't perfect. But they loved us. They loved each other. And they showed us what family means.
🎵 Tom and Betty A Love That Lives On Inspired by Kearns Boys – Life Stories by Six Brothers Six boys. One amazing Mom and Dad. A lifetime of love. Miss you, Mom and Dad. ❤️
