We're shooting to be better people. We're shooting to like get, maybe get rid of some vices.

We're shooting to be stronger, to be better, to be holier. But is that the actual goal of the spiritual life? Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascentra Presents. And I've always liked the Ovan. Like, back in the early 2000s, he was on a couple reality shows, maybe one reality show, multiple seasons. But I remember just like seeing this guy, he was younger back then.

Everyone's younger back then. But he recently was talking

about his prayer life. Someone had called in and said, hey, Theo, I have this question.

Hey, Theo. Long time listener, first time caller. And they kind of bear their soul about like this cycle

of falling back into sin and then retreating and being alone, but then going back to caller. And they kind of bear their soul about this cycle of falling back into sin and then

retreating and being alone, but then going back to sin and all these things.

And Theo Vaughan had this incredible reflection on his own life, his own heart.

Thanks so much for the call.

I don't think you said your name at the beginning, but thank you.

For me, I would ask God to help me. And I'd be like, I would pray. His prayer was, okay, God, here's this broken thing. Here's this thing in my life I don't want. Again, that's the vice we have. That's the thing in us that's just like, man, if I could just get over this, okay? If I could just get past this thing, then I'd be free. Like, then I'd be at peace. Then I'd be holy. Then I'd be perfect. And the way he talked about his prayer was just so accurate. This is how all of our prayers have to be. He said, I'm coming before God and saying, God, please, take this thing from me. Like, I don't want to go back to this, but he said, but the next level of prayer was,

and then I would add to my prayer, I would say, and even, God, even as I pray to you right now,

there's a part of me that knows I'm probably lying to you.

There's a part of me that knows I'm going to do that behavior again.

So can you come into that part of me and help me there? Help me in the part of me

that knows as I pray that I am, that I'm lying. And he went on to this reflection of I think

it was the man of the pool, Bethesda, where Jesus asks him, do you want to be healed?

And Theo Vaughan has this reflection on, you might think it's a dumb question, but it's not a dumb question.

Because why? Because if you're healed, then you have to live a new life. If you're healed, you have to live a new story.

And as Theo was reflecting on this, he kept going back to this place of saying, I think I want a new story. And as Theo was reflecting on this, he kept going back to this place of saying, I think I want a

new story.

I think I want a new story.

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