Loading The EquipCast
The EquipCast

214: Hearing God’s Voice | How to Move from One-Sided Prayer to Intimacy with Jonna Schuster

The EquipCast

Imagine a standing coffee date with a friend who talks at you the entire time, looks at their watch, and then says, “Gotta go! This was great!” You’d walk away feeling pretty unsatisfied. The level of intimacy we can reach is limited when conversation remains one-sided. But, too often, we treat our prayer lives the exact same way. We focus on how well we said our prayers instead of stopping to listen to what God wants to say back. This week, Jonna Schuster, author of Hearing God's Voice, joins me to talk about listening prayer. We dive into its theological foundations, the four primary "languages" God uses to communicate, and how learning to hear His voice shifts our daily mission from a heavy burden into a rest-filled collaboration. Episode Timeline: * [00:00] – Introduction * [01:21] – Jonna's origin story * [08:34] – What inspired Hearing God's Voice * [14:00] – The scriptural foundation for listening prayer * [18:00] – The 4 languages of God: seeing, hearing, feeling, and thinking * [24:41] – Receiving God in the mode of the receiver * [27:58] – Physical vs. emotional feelings in prayer * [35:01] – Asking God for practical solutions and wisdom * [39:33] – Overcoming the biggest obstacles to hearing God * [46:56] – How listening prayer complements Catholic devotions * [50:50] – Moving from performance anxiety to rest and intimacy * [53:02] – What church renewal looks like when prayer becomes the norm * [59:01] – Where to begin and how to find Jonna's work Resources Mentioned * CatholicRevivalMinistries.com * Hearing God's Voice ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: * Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. * Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. * Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

Categories
Religion & Spirituality • Christianity
Education
Society & Culture • Relationships

About Podcast

The EquipCast is your weekly playbook for practical evangelization and parish ministry tools. Hosted by Jim Jansen and powered by Everyday Evangelization, this show is built for diocesan directors, parish leaders, and everyday Catholics who are ready to stop the programmatic noise, break through the grind, and build a clear path to discipleship that actually changes lives. We’ve been talking about the New Evangelization for forty years, yet church renewal often feels like an endless cycle of empty activity while generations continue to lose their faith. If you are tired of managing decline and spinning your wheels in the messy middle of ministry, you don’t have to carry the weight alone. Every week, we break the default of "doing more" to deliver honest conversations and real stories from people who are finally seeing their faith communities thrive. Hit subscribe, head over to EverydayEvangelization.org to grab your free tools, and discover how to leave your ministry better than you found it.