Choppin’ Wood Podcast

Holy Monday: Love That Pours Itself Out

Holy Monday: Love That Pours Itself Out 🌿✨
After the palms and hosannas of Palm Sunday, Holy Monday leads us somewhere quieter — but no less intense. In today’s reflection, we step into Bethany, where Mary pours out perfume worth nearly a year’s wages on Jesus in an act of extravagant love, and into the Temple, where Jesus overturns the tables and clears away what does not belong.
One scene smells like fragrance. The other sounds like wood hitting the floor. 🌿🪵But both reveal the same thing: real love does not stay measured, guarded, or transactional. Real love pours itself out, and real love lets itself be purified.
In this Holy Monday episode of From Hosanna to Alleluia, we reflect on what it means to offer Jesus something beautiful without counting the cost — and what it means to let Him overturn whatever has crowded the place in us where deeper worship was meant to be. 💛
If Palm Sunday was the parade, Holy Monday is the heart check.
In this episode:
✨ Mary’s extravagant love in Bethany✨ Judas and the mindset that calls devotion “waste”✨ Jesus cleansing the Temple✨ Why love and purification belong together✨ The invitation to let Jesus clear space in our hearts this Holy Week
Opening Scripture:
“She has done a beautiful thing to me.” — Mark 14:6 📖
A question to carry into prayer:
What am I pouring out for Jesus — and what am I still refusing to let Him overturn? 🤍
Part of the From Hosanna to Alleluia Holy Week series from Choppin’ Wood.Walk Holy Week with me, one day at a time. ✝️
Connect with Choppin’ Wood:
Instagram: @choppinwoodpodFacebook: Choppin’ Wood PodcastEmail: choppinwoodpod@gmail.com

Palm Sunday: Hosanna In The Whiplash

Palm Sunday: Hosanna in the Whiplash 🌿
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” — Mark 11:9
Palm Sunday is beautiful, loud, joyful, and a little bit heartbreaking. 🌿✨
In this Holy Week reflection, Kristen opens the series From Hosanna to Alleluia by sitting with the strange holiness of Palm Sunday — a day filled with praise even as the shadow of the Cross begins to fall. This episode reflects on what it means to welcome Jesus sincerely, even when we do not yet understand where following Him will lead.
Because that is the ache of Palm Sunday, isn’t it? The joy is real. The praise is real. But the road is about to turn.
If you have ever said yes to God with your whole heart and then found yourself surprised by the cost of that yes, this reflection is for you. Palm Sunday reminds us that love can be wholehearted and still unfinished, sincere and still growing. Holy Week takes our hosannas and deepens them. It teaches us to follow Jesus not only in the radiant moments, but also on the hard road. ✝️
In this episode, we reflect on discipleship, surrender, and the kind of faith that keeps walking when the parade is over and the Cross draws near.
In this episode:
🌿 Why Palm Sunday feels so deeply human🌿 The place where joy and sorrow meet in the Christian life🌿 What happens when our yes to God starts costing more than we expected🌿 How Holy Week stretches shallow enthusiasm into deeper discipleship🌿 Why Jesus is Lord not only of the triumphant moments, but of the hard road too
Scripture for this episode:
📖 Mark 11:9“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Prayer from this episode:
🙏 Jesus, my King, I praise You for coming to meet us in humility and love. When I want the joy without the cost, the victory without the surrender, slow me down and teach me Your way. Receive my hosanna, even when my heart is still learning what it means, and give me the grace to stay with You through the whole week. Let my love grow deeper, steadier, and more faithful as I walk with You toward the Cross.Amen.
Your Turn to Chop:
🪓 Where in your life are you tempted to love Jesus in the beautiful moments, but hesitate when the road becomes costly?
🪓 What would it look like to stay close to Him this week — not rushing past the hard parts, but walking with Him all the way through?
Mentioned in this episode:
This episode is part of the Choppin’ Wood Holy Week series:From Hosanna to Alleluia — daily reflections from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. 🌿✨
Connect with Choppin’ Wood:
📸 Instagram: @choppinwoodpod📘 Facebook: Choppin’ Wood Podcast📧 Email: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com
Until next time, keep choppin’ wood. 🪓

The Tired Catholic's Toolbox: Staying Connected

🧰 Episode 13 Show Notes
The Tired Catholic’s Toolbox (Part 1: Staying Connected)
Have you ever felt like you don’t have enough energy to “properly” practice your faith?
Like there’s a right way to do this, and somehow you’re missing it?
This episode was inspired by a listener who asked that exact question—and the more I sat with it, the more I realized this isn’t something we can rush through.
Because this isn’t just about prayer routines.
This is about how we actually live our faith in the middle of ordinary, busy, exhausting life.
And at the center of all of it is something simple we can lose sight of when we’re tired and trying to do things well:
You’re not trying to master a system.You’re learning how to love a person.
In this first part of a new series, we’re starting at the beginning—the spiritual equivalent of walking into the gym for the first time.
No overload. No unrealistic expectations. Just a steady way to stay connected to God right where you are.
⸻
🧰 In This Episode    •    Why the desire to “do it right” is actually a sign of grace    •    The difference between the Church’s baseline (the precepts) and a growing relationship with God    •    Why trying to do everything at once usually leads to burnout    •    How to approach your spiritual life like strength training    •    What to focus on when you feel spiritually tired or stretched thin
⸻
🔧 Your First Tools
1. The Morning OfferingStart your day by giving it to God before anything else takes over.
Traditional version:
“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this dayfor all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,in reparation for my sins,for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.”
Simple version:
“Lord, everything today is Yours.”
⸻
2. The Surrender PrayerA small but powerful way to return to trust throughout the day:
“Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything.”
⸻
3. Redirect Your Inner DialogueYou’re already thinking all day long—start bringing God into those thoughts.
Talk to:    •    Jesus    •    The Blessed Mother    •    Your guardian angel    •    A saint who understands your situation
It doesn’t have to sound formal. It just has to be real.
⸻
☕ Practical Tip
If you want to build a habit, attach it to something you’re already doing.
Morning coffee works really well 😉    •    Put a prayer on your coffee mug    •    Stick it on your bathroom mirror    •    Keep it somewhere you’ll actually see it
⸻
🪵 Your Turn to Chop
This week, keep it simple:    •    Start your day with a Morning Offering    •    Begin redirecting your inner conversations toward God
That’s it.
Start doing the reps. Build the habit. Get your footing.
⸻
🔜 Coming Next
Next episode: Standing at the Cross (Holy Week special)
Then we’ll come back and continue building the toolbox… and start adding a little more weight to the bar.
⸻
💛 Let’s Stay Connected
I love hearing from you guys—your questions are literally shaping this podcast.
If something in this episode resonated with you, or you have a topic you want to hear about, reach out:
📲 Instagram: @choppinwoodpod📘 Facebook: Choppin’ Wood Podcast📧 Email: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com
And if this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend, leave a review, and make sure you’re following along so you don’t miss what’s next.
⸻
✨ Come for the chaos. Stay for the sanctification.
🪓 Until next time… keep choppin’ wood.
Links to Catholic shop I mentioned in today's podcast:
Little Rose Shop: https://thelittleroseshop.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorRZXzK5dPPfxD4i1nIyU86PVsHwzuhV220Ukp3xUViZMilCJz3
Just Love Prints: https://justloveprints.com/

Saint Spotlight: St Joseph -- The Strong, Silent Type

🌿 Saint Spotlight: St. Joseph — The Strong, Silent Type
We don’t have a single recorded word from St. Joseph in Scripture.
Not one.
And yet he stands as one of the most powerful men in salvation history.
In this Saint Spotlight, Kristen reflects on the quiet strength of Saint Joseph (chatgpt://generic-entity?number=0) — the foster father of Jesus, protector of the Holy Family, and patron of fathers, workers, and the universal Church.
For many of us, Joseph can feel like the saint in the background.No speeches. No dramatic miracles recorded in Scripture. Just a man standing quietly in the nativity scene.
But when life brings real responsibilities — protecting a family, making hard decisions, carrying financial burdens, guarding what is sacred — Joseph suddenly feels incredibly relevant.
In this short reflection, Kristen shares:
🔹 Why she once thought St. Joseph was a little… boring🔹 The surprisingly powerful experience that first led her to ask his intercession🔹 Why Joseph became the saint she now trusts the most in seasons of family discernment, financial stress, and marriage🔹 What his quiet obedience in Scripture teaches us about strength that doesn’t need applause
Joseph doesn’t preach about obedience.He simply wakes up… and moves when God speaks.
And maybe that kind of quiet faithfulness is exactly what many of us are being asked to live today.
⸻
📖 Mentioned in this episode
• Saint Joseph (chatgpt://generic-entity?number=1) — Patron of fathers, workers, families, and the universal Church 🛠️• Teresa of Ávila (chatgpt://generic-entity?number=2) — “I do not remember ever having asked anything of St. Joseph which he has failed to grant.”• Gospel of Matthew (chapters 1–2)
⸻
🌱 Reflection Questions
• Where might God be asking me to move in quiet obedience?• Am I waiting for recognition or clarity before acting?• What would it look like to trust that hidden faithfulness is enough?
⸻
🙏 Prayer
St. Joseph, strong and steady father,guardian of our homes and protector of what is holy,pray for us.
Teach us how to listen when God speaks.Teach us how to act with courage and humility.Teach us to live faithfully in the ordinary.
Amen.

The Comparison Trap: Why Her Sanctity Doesn't Threaten Yours

✨Episode 12
The Comparison Trap: Why Her Sainthood Doesn’t Threaten Yours
Have you ever scrolled through social media and suddenly felt… behind? 📱
Behind in motherhood.Behind in prayer.Behind in discipline.Behind in holiness.
In this episode, we dive deep into why comparison is more than insecurity — it’s a misunderstanding of the Mystical Body. ✨
St. Paul reminds us that God arranged the Body “as He chose” (1 Corinthians 12:18). Your placement in your family, your vocation, your temperament, even your limitations, are not random. They are intentional. 🕊️
We talk about:
• Why comparison is the thief of joy — and clarity• How social media collapses distance and fuels rivalry• The theological truth that grace is not scarce• What it means that your grace has been measured “according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (CCC 2004) 📘• Why another woman’s holiness strengthens yours instead of threatening it• How to stay faithful to your actual assignment
Her sainthood does not compete with yours. It contributes to the Body you belong to. 🤍
And your sainthood?It is not decorative. It is necessary. 🔥
⸻
📖 Scripture Referenced
1 Corinthians 12:18–19Galatians 6:4–5
⸻
📘 Catechism Referenced
CCC 2004 — Grace is given “according to the measure of Christ’s gift” and ordered toward the good of others.
⸻
🌹 Saint Quote
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”— St. Catherine of Siena
⸻
🔥 Your Turn to Chop
Where in your life are you quietly questioning God’s placement of you — and what would change if you believed He arranged your life exactly as He chose?
⸻
If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend and leave a review. ⭐ It helps this message reach more women who are trying to live faithfully in the middle of ordinary life.
📍 Connect with me:Instagram: @choppinwoodpodFacebook: Choppin’ Wood PodcastEmail: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com
And don’t forget — a Saint Spotlight mini episode on St. Joseph is dropping this week for his feast day. 🌿 Stay tuned.
Until next time — keep choppin’ wood. 🪵✨

Hope and Anchor

🌾 Episode 11: Hope & Anchor
Mid-Lent and the Virtue of Hope
It’s week three of Lent.
The ashes have smudged off. The emotional momentum has cooled. The same weaknesses are still there. The sink is still full. Sanctity still feels… unfinished.
In this episode, we go deeper than “just try harder.” We talk about the theological virtue of Hope — not optimism, not personality, not productivity — but the infused gift that anchors our unfinished present to God’s promised future.
Discouragement isn’t just a mood. It’s a temptation against hope. It whispers that nothing is changing, that grace isn’t working, that growth has stalled.
But Scripture says otherwise.
“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” (Philippians 1:6)
Mid-Lent is where the anchor gets tested. In this episode, we explore:
⚓ What hope actually is (Catechism + Aquinas in an apron)⚓ The difference between holy conviction and discouragement⚓ Why Nazareth proves God works slowly⚓ How discouragement distorts hope into despair or presumption⚓ Why fidelity matters more than intensity
Hope does not remove the storm. It keeps you from drifting in it.
The storm does not decide your future.God’s promise does.
Stay anchored.
⸻
✝️ Scripture Mentioned
📖 Philippians 1:6📖 Hebrews 6:19📖 Romans 5:5📖 Galatians 6:9📖 2 Corinthians 4:16–17
⸻
📚 Catechism References
📌 CCC 1817 — The theological virtue of hope📌 CCC 1820 — Hope rooted in Christ’s promises📌 CCC 2090 — Our need to hope for the capacity to love
⸻
🌾 Your Turn to Chop
Take a few quiet minutes this week and sit with these questions:
💭 Where does discouragement tend to show up in my unfinished places — in my home, my Lent, my temperament?
💭 Do I lean toward despair (“I’ll never change”) or presumption (“I should already be different”) when growth feels slow?
💭 What would it look like to anchor this specific struggle to God’s promise instead of my perceived progress?
💭 Where might God be working slowly and organically in my life right now?
Hope is not loud.It is steady.It is chosen.
⸻
🕯 Mid-Lent Prayer
Lord,anchor my unfinished presentto Your promised future.
When discouragement whispers,remind me that You finish what You begin.
Teach me fidelity when intensity fades.Keep me steady.Keep me anchored.
Amen.
⸻
📬 Let’s Stay Connected
I genuinely love hearing how these conversations land in your real, ordinary lives. If this episode steadied something in you, I’d love to hear from you.
📧 Email: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com📸 Instagram: @choppinwoodpod📘 Facebook: Choppin’ Wood Podcast
You can also leave a review wherever you listen — it helps more women find this space of ordinary holiness.
Until next time…
🌾 Keep choppin’ wood.

Not Further. Formed. Shortening The Distance Between Failure And Repentance

✨Show Notes episode 10
 
Not Further. Formed.
Shortening the Distance Between Failure and Repentance
 
This episode was originally supposed to be light. A coffee-themed reflection on finding grace in the morning chaos.
 
But ten episodes in — and ten years into following Jesus — the question beneath the chaos felt deeper:
 
Why are mornings still hard?
 
Why does my nervous system still react before my sanctity catches up?
 
And what if I’ve been measuring spiritual growth by the wrong standard entirely?
 
In this episode, we talk about:
•Why sanctity isn’t the disappearance of struggle
•The illusion of control that shows up at 6:43 a.m.
•“Offer it up” as surrender — not spiritual Advil
•Stewardship without sovereignty
•What stained glass really represents
•And the difference between being further… and being formed
 
Holiness may not look like emotional mastery before coffee.
 
It might look like how quickly you turn back.
 
⸻
 
Your Turn to Chop 🪵
 
Take this week to gently examine what your mornings — or your most reactive moments — are revealing.
 
Not to shame yourself.
But to notice formation happening in real time.
 
Here are a few questions to sit with:
1.When I react quickly or sharply, what love underneath it is being exposed? Order? Competence? Control? Peace?
2.How long does it usually take me to return after I realize I’ve lost my footing?
3.Do I secretly believe that spiritual growth should eliminate struggle altogether?
4.Where might God be inviting me to surrender control rather than tighten my grip?
5.What would change if I measured growth not by how calm I am — but by how willing I am to repent and repair?
6.Do I relate to God primarily as someone trying to improve… or as a daughter who already belongs?
7.Where in my life right now does it feel like I’m being “cut into shape” rather than admired for shining?
 
Let this be a week of shortening the distance.
 
⸻
 
Scripture to Pray With
 
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master.’”
— Matthew 25:21
 
It doesn’t say flawless.
It says faithful.
 
⸻
 
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who lives in the same morning chaos. Leave a review. Follow the show. Let’s keep building something steady and honest here.
 
And until next time…
 
Keep choppin’ wood.

Saints, Schedules, and Sanctity: When God Meets Your Google Calendar

✨EPISODE 9
Saints, Schedules, and Sanctity: When Holiness Meets Google Calendar
“Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you.All things are passing; God never changes.”— St. Teresa of Ávila
What does your calendar quietly reveal about what you love most?
In this episode of Choppin’ Wood, we’re talking about busyness — not as a time management problem, but as a spiritual one. We explore how packed schedules, productivity culture, and the pressure to “do it all” can slowly shape our hearts, often without us realizing it.
This isn’t about guilt. It’s about honesty.It’s about priorities.And it’s about learning how holiness actually takes root in ordinary, overfull lives.
Kristen reflects on how our calendars can become unintentional altars — places where worth, control, and identity quietly take center stage — and what it looks like to invite God back into the way we order our time.
Whether you’re a parent juggling activities, someone stretched thin by work and obligations, or just tired of feeling like your spiritual life gets whatever scraps are left, this episode is an invitation to pause, notice, and gently reorder.
In this episode, we talk about:    •    Why busyness often feels virtuous — and why it isn’t the same as holiness    •    How productivity can quietly turn into an identity instead of a tool    •    The difference between being overwhelmed and being unwilling    •    Why God interrupts our plans — and how grace often shows up there    •    What it means to “pencil in the sacred” instead of squeezing God in later    •    How the saints lived full lives without losing interior freedom    •    Why conversion of heart often shows up first in the calendar
This episode isn’t asking you to do more.It’s asking you to notice who your time belongs to.
⸻
🪵 Your Turn to Chop — Reflection
Sit with this question this week:
If someone studied your calendar for the next month, what would they conclude is most important to you?
Not what you say is most important.Not what you hope is most important.What your actual time reveals.
If this topic stirred something deeper, you’ll find seven additional reflection questions below to help you prayerfully examine how your time, priorities, and spiritual life intersect.
⸻
Reflection Questions (Go Deeper)    •    What’s currently taking up the most space on my calendar — and why?    •    When was the last time I allowed God to interrupt my plans? What happened?    •    Is Sunday truly protected as Sabbath in our home, or does it feel like any other day?    •    What consistently gets rescheduled when life gets busy — prayer, rest, Mass, confession?    •    What am I protecting fiercely with my time? What am I treating as optional?    •    Where might God be inviting a small but concrete reordering?    •    If I chose one sacred anchor for the week (Mass, confession, daily prayer, family Rosary), what would it be?
⸻
If this episode resonated with you, consider sharing it with someone who might need permission to slow down — or leaving a quick review to help Choppin’ Wood reach more listeners.
Thanks for spending your time here.Holiness isn’t about doing more — it’s about being available.
Until next time, keep choppin’ wood. 🪵🔥

Ashes and Authenticity

🕯 Mini Episode 2
Ashes and Authenticity: A Holy Mess Called Lent
“God does not require great deeds, but only heartfelt desire.”— St. John Vianney
Lent begins today — and if you’re already tired, overwhelmed, or feeling behind before it’s even started, this mini episode is for you.
In this Ash Wednesday reflection, Kristen gently reframes Lent as an invitation to honesty rather than performance. This episode is a reminder that God isn’t grading your penances, your prayer plan, or the neatness of the ashes on your forehead. He’s looking at your heart.
Through reflections on Jesus in the desert, the meaning of the ashes we receive today, and the quiet pressure many of us feel to “do Lent right,” this episode offers permission to begin again — imperfectly, realistically, and with trust.
This isn’t a call to try harder.It’s an invitation to show up honestly.
⸻
🪵 In this mini episode, we talk about:    •    Why Lent isn’t a spiritual competition    •    Letting go of performative holiness    •    What the ashes really signify    •    Why God meets us in weakness, not perfection    •    Starting Lent without a perfect plan — and why that’s okay
⸻
🌿 Key takeaway:
Lent isn’t about being impressive.It’s about being honest.
⸻
🙏 Closing Prayer:
Lord, I offer You my ashes — the tired places, the failures, the restarts.Burn away what doesn’t belong to You.Breathe new life into what does.And when Easter comes, let my heart rise with You — honest, humbled, and whole.Amen.
⸻
🪓 Your Turn to Chop:
As you move through today, sit with this one question:
Where am I being invited to show up honestly this Lent instead of impressively?
Let that be enough.
If you’d like to go deeper, you’ll find more reflection questions below.
⸻
💭 Reflection Questions:    •    What expectations do I usually place on myself during Lent? How could I simplify them this year?    •    Where is God inviting me to be more authentic — not impressive, just honest?    •    What’s one small, realistic way I can make space for Him this Lent?
⸻
🎧 Up next:Join me on Monday for the full episode, Saints, Schedules, and Sanctity, where we’ll talk about what it looks like to invite God into your Google Calendar — and into the real pace of your life.
Until then —keep choppin’ wood. 🪵

Pray Dirty

🔥 Episode 8
Pray Dirty: Finding God in the Messy, Mumbled, and Half-Finished Prayers
What if prayer doesn’t need to be polished to be powerful?
As Lent begins, it’s easy to feel pressure to perform spiritually — to craft the perfect prayer routine, wake up earlier, pray longer, and finally “get it right.” But what if prayer was never meant to be a checklist or a performance?
In this episode of Choppin’ Wood, Kristen invites you to rethink prayer — not as something you perfect, but as a relationship you practice. From whispered “help me, Jesus” prayers to distracted moments offered honestly to God, this conversation explores what it means to pray dirty — bringing God exactly what you have, not what you wish you had.
Through Scripture, the wisdom of the saints, and stories from everyday life, this episode offers permission to stop editing yourself before God and start showing up honestly — especially in seasons of exhaustion, distraction, or dryness.
Because holiness isn’t about perfection.
It’s about presence.
⸻
🪵 In this episode, we talk about:    •    Why Lent can quietly turn prayer into performance    •    The myth of “pretty prayer” and why it keeps us stuck    •    Prayer as relationship, not a spiritual checklist    •    Arrow prayers (a.k.a. ejaculatory prayers — yes, we address it 😄)    •    Romans 8:26 and what it means to pray in weakness    •    Why God is already present in your chaos    •    The difference between intensity and consistency in prayer    •    What actually counts as prayer in daily life    •    Why dryness doesn’t mean God is distant    •    How honest prayer creates intimacy
⸻
🌿 Scripture referenced:    •    Romans 8:26 — “The Spirit helps us in our weakness…”
⸻
🌿 Saint wisdom:    •    St. Thérèse of Lisieux — falling asleep in prayer    •    St. Monica — years of tearful prayer    •    St. Teresa of Ávila — honest, unfiltered conversation with God    •    Dom John Chapman, OSB — “Pray as you can, not as you can’t.”
⸻
🪓 Your Turn to Chop (Listener Reflection):
Where in your life are you waiting for the “perfect moment” to pray?
Is it when things are quieter?When you feel more peaceful?When you feel worthy enough?
Sit with that this week.
Because maybe the invitation isn’t to pray pretty.Maybe it’s to pray dirty.
(More reflection questions are included in the show notes.)
⸻
🙏 Closing Prayer:
Jesus,Here we are — not polished, not perfect, just present.Take our distracted prayers, our tired prayers, and our half-finished prayers.Teach us to show up honestly and to begin again.Amen.
⸻
🎧 A note from Kristen:
Thank you for listening. Truly.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need permission to show up honestly in prayer. And if you haven’t yet, leaving a quick review helps this little wood-chopping podcast reach more hearts.
Later this week, I’ll be releasing a short Ash Wednesday mini episode — because if we’re entering Lent, we’re going to do it honestly.
Until next time —pray dirty, pray distracted, pray unfinished…and keep choppin’ wood. 🪵🔥