Hey, everybody. Welcome to you were born for this podcast with Father John Ricardo. That's me. I'm Father John. I'm the executive director at Acts 29.

We talk about anything and everything having to do with transformation in the church. As always, I'm here with my partner on mission. Mary Guilfoyle. Mary, how are you?

I'm doing great Father John and you.

I'm doing excellent.

Thank you.

We talk often about our work being practical but not prescriptive.

And I think what we're going to try and talk about today is going to be just that, please God,

maybe especially for those who find themselves, whether it's in marriage and family life

or in parish life or in school life or diocese in life, it's something of an impasse.

Like we just don't know what to do, right?

So what's our topic?

So our topic is restoring the initiative to God.

All right.

Well, let's do that first and pray and ask him to bless us, shall we?

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Father, we do turn to you because you are the source of everything that we have.

You are our father, who is good beyond all measure,

and who ought to love for us have given us your son

so that we might no longer be bound

and held captive by the power of sin and death and hell.

Lord, your desire for us is that we would hear your voice,

and we would hear the voice of your son, the good shepherd,

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