A Word from Our Outpost, with Joseph and Crystal Gruber

A podcast for Catholic disciples who are wrestling to be missionary-minded in their normal, everyday lives. Joseph and Crystal were Catholic missionaries for over a decade with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, serving at MIT, UW Madison, Carnegie Mellon University, Western Washington University, and then at a parish in Jackson, Michigan. They're now the co-founders of Our Outpost Marriage Ministry, Inc., a marriage ministry seeking to awaken authentic Catholic culture through holy matrimony, equipping Catholic men and women through formation and accompaniment. Check out their work at https://ouroutpost.org/ This podcast serves as a place for sharing the transformational ideas, books, scripture passages, and people that we've seen impacting our apostolate for the better, in the hopes of serving other Catholic missionary disciples.

Made for Truth and Beauty and Goodness and Being // Episode 255

Most of us, when we think of the natural law, we're not thinking of how we're made to participate in transcendental realities...and yet, that's exactly what the natural law is about! Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

11-05
19:16

Life on Mission with Leanne Bowen // Episode 254

Delighted to interview Catholic artist and former FOCUS missionary, Leanne Bowen!Check out her work at leannebowen.com! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

10-29
01:18:41

Maybe People Just Don't Know That We're Called to Be Saints... // Episode 253

Maybe just maybe, a lot of the Christian life makes more sense if we know that we're called to be saints...and if we know what saints are, too.  As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

10-22
14:52

Pray, Pay, and Obey // Episode 252

Maybe you've heard the line before: Pray, pay, and obey. Maybe the person saying it actually meant: Sit down and shut up. But what if it meant exactly what it said? What if those were three excellent admonitions for our life as Catholic Christians?Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

10-15
23:38

Hatefulness and Phobias // Episode 251

The proliferation of 'hate-speech' and the slinging of phobic-motivations seems to just continue to rise, and I think there are interesting reasons for that.Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

10-08
23:53

Some Reasons for Suffering // Episode 250

Joseph Ratzinger, in a 2000 instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote on some of the reasons we suffer. Joseph goes over them, and adds a couple for good measure!https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20001123_istruzione_en.htmlAs noted in the episode, knowing that there are reasons for suffering may not lessen the suffering, but it may help with understanding the meaning of the suffering.Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

10-01
22:50

Meaning and Purpose // Episode 249

If we don't know the difference between meaning and purpose, we're liable to follow the world down a weird rabbit-hole of endless purposes with no meaning to ground them.Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

09-24
17:05

Organize Your Life, Become Like God? // Episode 248

What if we took divinization seriously? What if our work, our thoughts, our feelings, were all meant to be divinized through and through? Andy Hickman, of Hēl, believes exactly that. Check out his electrifying essay here!Check out opportunities to sample some of the work of hēl during the week of September 29th, 2025, here:https://hel.co/workshops/hel-week-experience-organization/ And check out the upcoming workshop series that Joseph will be hosting for Catholic husbands here! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

09-17
29:41

Focus on the 2050s, not the 1950s // Episode 247

A lot of people still talk about wanting things to be like the 1950s. Biggest problem with that? The 1950s not only weren't perfect, they were the set-up for the 1960s and everything that followed.So why not focus on the 2050s, and doing what we can to build something great on whatever is good right now? As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

09-10
17:39

Building a Tower // Episode 246

Through a bit of serendipity, Joseph recorded an episode about this coming Sunday's gospel, without realizing it until afterward!The reading can be found here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090725.cfmCatholic husbands, check out a five-part series designed for you! https://youroutpost.stellarwebsystems.com/join?euuid=a0e6e22a-7d33-11f0-b441-16ffeab70ea9 As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

09-03
16:11

Studying Scripture and Wrestling with God and Man // Episode 245

There's a very cliched understanding of wanting to study the Bible the way that Jacob wrestled with God...which I wrestle with a little bit in this episode... As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

08-27
19:13

Basic Human Formation for the Apostolate // Episode 244

Apostolicam Actuositatem says we ought to have a certain human and well-rounded formation before being trained for the apostolate...and yet so often spiritual, intellectual, and practical formation for the apostolate is offered to people with no regard to their human formation.Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

08-20
18:00

Life on Mission with Benjamin Stenlund // Episode 243

I interview Benjamin Stenlund, former FOCUS missionary, current husband/father/craftsman, both about his time as a full-time missionary and what he's been up to since! Find his work at https://www.benjaminstenlund.com/ As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

08-13
58:18

Playfulness in the Christian Life // Episode 242

One of the coolest lines from Proverbs describes what Wisdom has been doing from the beginning: "[T]hen I was beside him, like a master worker, and I was daily his delight, playing before him always, playing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race" (Proverbs 8:30-31). Wisdom's playfulness and delight model for us a holy call to play in this world, even amongst its seriousness.Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

08-06
23:07

Marriage on Mission with Mike and Alicia Hernon // Episode 241

Wherein Joseph and Crystal host Mike and Alicia Hernon from the Messy Family Project. As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

07-30
47:44

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free // Episode 240

Saint Paul's letter to the Galatians is a wild ride, and in between discussions about circumcision, kosher laws, and St. Peter making a fool of himself, is a section on what it is to be free. Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

07-23
24:45

Dating Like a Catholic // Episode 239

This is a talk we gave at Wright State University in Dayton in the spring of 2024-- it's a brief overview of some basic principles for Catholic singles on how to date like a Catholic. For those who miss Crystal on the podcast, this is a delightful taste of the back-and-forth that is our life!If you go back to the mid-60s of our podcast, you'll find an 8-part series that'll go more in-depth on the topic.We'll be delivering a three-part series on relationship formation in August at St. Thomas in Ann Arbor-- if you're Catholic and single/dating and able to make it, check it out! https://sta2.org/church/news/relationship-formation-for-catholics/And if you want even more on the topic, we occasionally offer 1-day, 3-day, or 3-month formation opportunities for Catholic singles, especially in the southern-Michigan and other areas within easy travel! Send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.org if you're interested in such opportunities! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

07-16
56:49

Invitations and Holy Detachment // Episode 238

There's an epidemic of loneliness out there, a crisis of friendlessness, a dearth of relationships...and there doesn't have to be. The solution to so many problems begins with making an invitation, and letting people make a free response to it. That requires both the invitation, and a holy detachment from the result.Listen in to find out more! As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

07-09
27:19

Life on Mission with Sam Mazzarelli // Episode 237

Sam Mazzarelli gave fifteen years as a Catholic missionary with FOCUS-- hear how one invitation changed everything for him, how money and success aren't everything, and what makes for incredible and lasting friendships. He now works for SENT Ventures as the Chief Community Success Officer: https://www.sentventures.com/ We recommend checking them out and coming to the upcoming summit!Not going to lie, Joseph was tearing up a little at one point in the interview, and when Joseph told Crystal the story, she started tearing up too.   As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

07-02
52:35

Life on Mission with Mallory Smyth // Episode 236

Mallory Smyth, author of Rekindled, joins us again for a dive into her story and lessons learned while on mission! You can find Mallory's work here: her podcast, "The Gospel &": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gospel-with-mallory-smyth/id1800051958her substack: https://malloryasmyth.substack.comher instagram handle is: @malloryasmyth people can email her at: mallorybueche@gmail.com As always, support our work by going here!catch our other podcast, Love Your Marriage, by clicking here: https://ouroutpost.org/podcasts/see what we have upcoming in terms of events here: https://ouroutpost.org/events/send us an email at hello@ouroutpost.organd please rate, review, and share!If you're a Catholic husband, feel free to sign up for some time to chat with Joseph! https://bookme.name/ouroutpost/45-minutes-with-joseph

06-25
53:39

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