Get a FREE Download of One Of My Most Popular Talks!

by Greg Willits

My brand new book, “The New Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid” ships by the end of May.

To further inspire you to take an active role in the New Evangelization, if you pre-order the book between now and Friday, May 3, 2013, I’ll send you an exclusive code to download my talk, “Be a Man of the New Evangelization” absolutely free.

Though delivered to a men’s group, this talk sets the ground work for anyone who’s ever wanted to do more for the Catholic Church.

Here’s what to do:

Pre-order my book from Amazon, Catholic Company, Aquinas and More, or wherever you like to buy books
Forward a copy of your receipt to me at greg [at] rosaryarmy [dot] com
Wait for me to send you your secret download code (I have to do this manually so give me a day or two, please)
Download the MP3 and enjoy!

Additionally, if between April 30 and May 3 I’ll send you an extra download code for every copy of either “The New Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid” or “The Catholics Next Door: Adventures in Imperfect Living” that you purchase!

Again, this deal ends on May 3 so make sure to pre-order now!

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Instant Download: Being a Man of the New Evangelization

by Greg Willits

“In today’s turbulent times when Christians and in particular Catholic Christians are under attack from all sides, Greg’s compelling talk will embolden you to learn, love and live your faith so you can share the truth with a world that desperately needs to hear it.”
-Scott Gordon, Chairman, Bravehearts Catholic Men’s Ministry

Does the term “New Evangelization” confuse you?
Are you often afraid when attempting to share your faith?
Do you want to be more effective in knowing and living out your Catholic beliefs?

In this one-hour talk I’ll walk you through the steps of what it takes to be a man of the New Evangelization.

Delivered before a live audience, for less than $10 I’ll provide concrete steps to:

Confront Fear Head On When Sharing Your Faith
Give You Three Keys to Success in the New Evangelization
Address Potential Pitfalls of the New Evangelization and How to Overcome Them
Help You to Imagine Making a Difference in the World Starting Today!

Here’s what other audience members had to say about this talk:
“I’ve been listening to Greg’s Podcasts since at least 2006, but while planning a recent event for our Bravehearts Men’s Ministry, I felt like men needed to hear his story of how he has lived and shared his Catholic faith. Greg’s talk on the New Evangelization to the men took place on the feast of the Immaculate Conception and was truly guided by the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother. I can’t say enough about how he was able to encourage us to know, live and share our faith while inspiring us with the ways he has let God lead him.”
-Andy Gardner, Vice-Chairman, Bravehearts Catholic Men’s Ministry

My 15 year old son Daniel and I attended Greg’s talk. Daniel says, “I enjoyed Greg’s talk, mostly because the material was so relevant, and at times humorous. The best part was the comparison of business projects and the spiritual life: in business, you can’t do it all, but in the spiritual life, you have to do it all.” I was also impressed with Greg’s talk particularly the emphasis on knowing, living and sharing our faith.” – Dave Orth, Clarkson, MI

Though delivered to a men’s group, this knowledge is absolutely imperative for every Christian (man, woman, or child) who wants to grow closer to Jesus Christ and to serve Him in their lives.

Download your copy (delivered via automatic MP3 download) right now!

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New Superman: Man of Steel Trailer

by Greg Willits

Warner Brothers has posted the new Man of Steel trailer and my initial response to my wife was, “I liked it because it left me wanting more, but I hated it because it didn’t show enough.”

But upon subsequent viewings (I won’t tell you how many times I’ve already watched it), I was able to grab some pretty awesome screen shots that make me even more excited for this new take on Superman (which releases June 14, 2013).

The trailer is below, but here are some scenes to look out for:

This is the ultimate money shot, in my opinion. General Zod flying up the side of a building while Superman is shooting downward, the two about to slam into each other in a Kryptonian brawl the likes of which film has never seen.

We’ve seen multiple incarnations of Jor-el and Lara sending their son to Earth upon the pending destruction of Krypton, but I’m hoping Russell Crowe can turn this into something different, going to extreme lengths to protect his child and generating the emotional resonance this scene truly deserves.

This shot has me super curious (pun intended). Is this how Zod comes to earth? Is Brainiac somehow involved in the storyline? Rumors abound about an earth invasion (which makes me concerned it will look too much like the end scenes of Marvel’s The Avengers movie), but I love the fact a ship is showing up at the Kent farm.

Son of Jor-El, kneel before Zod! ‘Nuff said.

He’s playing Dr. Emil Hamilton, but he’ll always be Toby from The West Wing to me.

The trailer:

What was the money shot for you? Excited or worried about this film? I’ve never been a Zack Snyder fan, but I’m very hopeful for Man of Steel

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How to Subscribe to a Podcast

by Greg Willits

Despite having become such a prominent form of media first becoming mainstream in 2004/2005, listening to podcasts still confuses many people who are used to just turning on a radio and passively listening to whatever is being broadcast.

Having recently moved from hosting a daily talk show on satellite radio and back to the world of podcasting, many of our radio listeners have been left feeling unnecessarily frustrated at their confusion as to how to even start listening to a show.

To alleviate this, I put together this short video to demystify the experience. I sincerely hope this helps. If there are other similar questions you may have about new media (from subscribing to a blog, creating a website, etc.), let me know and maybe I can be of assistance, even if it’s just in making videos similar to this.

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Interview: Talking New Media on the Gist

by Greg Willits

It was a huge honor to recently be interviewed on The Gist, talking about two of my favorite subjects: New Media and New Evangelization.

Kudos to the folks at CatholicTV, as well as the hosts, Danielle Bean, Rachel Balducci, and Carolee McGrath for the fantastic work they do.

My segment starts at the 9:17 mark.

Also, speaking of CatholicTV, if you haven’t yet seen Mass Confusion, the Gabriel and Telly-Award winning sitcom pilot I created, co-wrote, and co-starred in for CatholicTV, you can still view it online at MassConfusionSitcom.com.

If you like what you hear, I’d love the opportunity to speak to your organization or group about either of these topics, as well as help your organization to be more effective in using New Media.

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How We Landed a Sponsor for Our Podcast

by Greg Willits

Since 2008 my wife, Jennifer, and I have hosted a 3-hour-a-day talk show on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel called The Catholics Next Door. Prior to that, for several years we hosted the award-winning Rosary Army Catholic Podcast, which was the first husband/wife Catholic podcast.

Both shows were a tremendous joy for us and I believe with every ounce of my being that I’m a better person today than before I started those endeavors.

But because of family obligations and her inability to continue hosting the show in the afternoon (right when the kids got home from school), last July Jennifer had to step down from the show to step back up to being a full-time mom, and for the past three months I hosted the show solo. We knew when we made that decision that there was a good chance that in the long run, our show would no longer air on SiriusXM, and understandably so. They have a channel to run, and though the show was still great (if I say so myself), it just wasn’t the same without Jennifer.

Last Friday (October 19, 2012), we hosted our last broadcast of The Catholics Next Door on The Catholic Channel, and it was obviously a bittersweet experience. But we knew that because so many people had benefitted from the ministry of The Catholics Next Door, that we needed to find a way to expand it new and exciting directions that weren’t always possible with radio. It had to continue.

We actually knew for almost an entire month that our show was going off the air, and in that time we did a lot of praying, crying, laughing, hoping, and discerning. Part of that discernment process lead to the decision to focus my creativity, passion, skills, and experience towards producing more great audio and video content, while also helping others to be more productive and effective in their organizations and endeavors, both in faith-based initiatives, as well as more business and IT related companies.

In the midst of that, I got a little bold. I told Jennifer that if we were going to relaunch The Catholics Next Door as a podcast, that we’d need to have a sponsor for the show from the very first episode. If I was going to try to support the family as a freelance contractor, I couldn’t give up a day each week to do a show that would make it impossible for me to do work to support the family.

In fact, I didn’t just tell Jennifer, I told God, “Lord, if you want us to do this, You’ve got to bring us a sponsor and You’ve got to do it right away!”

Then I threw in a few caveats, just for good measure.

I can’t lie. Just can’t do it. If we’re going to have a sponsor, it has to be one I believe in. It has to be one doing some level of good. And it has to be one who gets what my wife and I try to accomplish in all of our various media endeavors. What we do in video and audio is unique and different and we wanted a sponsor who “gets” that.

We knew our last radio broadcast was quickly approaching, and people would be asking us to start a podcast, or if we’d be moving the program to another network. We needed an answer before our final show.

I said a prayer, wrote down some details, sent off a couple emails, and within 24 hours, we had our first sponsor for the first 12 shows: eCatholic – Catholic Websites Made Easy.

Given the geeky nature of so much of what we do, combined with our love for new media and new evangelization, God brought us a perfect first sponsor.

And while that in itself is great, what’s even better is how excited our sponsor is to be a part of a brand new, relaunched The Catholics Next Door.

Even though the first new show doesn’t launch until October 29th, our sponsor has already created a fantastic deal for our audience and friends.

But it doesn’t end there. I just found out that not only are they sponsoring our new show (click here to subscribe for free via iTunes), but they’re running a contest this week for you to win a free copy of our book, The Catholics Next Door: Adventures in Imperfect Living!

Click here for more information on how you can win!

We’re so excited for the relaunch next week. Our plan is for the new show to be a combination of the best of our old podcast, with the best of our radio show, all mashed up into something unique and awesome.

Oh, and if your company or organization would like to be a sponsor, drop me a line. I’d be happy to discuss the possibility.

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A Dose of Reality

by Greg Willits

The National Catholic Register just posted a kind review of the book my wife and I wrote, “The Catholics Next Door: Adventures in Imperfect Living” (Servant 2012).

Go check it out here.

Reviewer Nick Manetto called it “A Catholic-Style Dose of Reality,” which is a pretty accurate summation not only of the book, but how we should handle all of our transactions and interactions with others.

When we produced the Rosary Army Catholic Podcast (the archive of which is still popular on iTunes), so many listeners branded it the world’s first Catholic reality show that we actually appropriated that tagline into the opening credits of some of our later shows.

In a gluttonous world that can’t get enough of reality shows, the idea of being real has become abhorrent to some. Some people see reality — or just being transparent, open, and honest — as a sign of weakness waiting to be exploited. And many have tried to exploit desire to be open and honest for their own gain.

I look at it this way. Living my life honestly, by often (but not always) throwing all my cards on the table for all to see, not only allows me to live my life in an upfront and responsible way, but it also more easily draws out the negative personalities of those who wish to exploit that honesty, as well as the positive personalities of others who have similar mindsets and goals in life.

And for me, that’s a quick way of knowing who the people are in my life that I want to work with, and to have a clear knowledge of the people I want to avoid.

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Does Your Organization Need a Social Network?

by Greg Willits

Despite having a Twitter account since 2007, I once gave it up for well over a year.

I used it frequently, but it began to feel like an exercise in narcissism, with each tweet doing nothing but placing a huge magnifying glass on my life for the world to see in 140 characters or less.

“At the store buying coffee. Again.”

“Sitting on the back patio drinking coffee. Again.”

After getting fed up with myself, I dropped out from Twitter and soon found myself talking about myself on Facebook and elsewhere.

What brought me back to Twitter was the realization that talking about myself did nothing for anyone, but responding to others did a tremendous amount for others. It wasn’t that my comments were so incredibly witty and thought-provoking that I was changing lives, but that by simply acknowledging and responding to the queries and observations of others, Twitter (and by default other social networks) were no longer one-sided conversations, but opportunities to develop relationships, and not just grow lists of followers.

In an organization, the same rules apply. If all you do is talk about your company or what you’re doing or what your needs are, you’re having a one-sided conversation that is anything but social, and the opposite of networking.

Networking implies a two-way street. You may have the greatest service or product in the world, but if you’re not offering value within a genuine relationship, if you’re not willing to use the network to find out what someone else actually needs or can offer, as well, then your social network will be nothing more than a one-way mirror.

So when you’re asking if your company needs to jump in and start using Google+, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever comes next, think about your involvement like you would a new next door neighbor. Are you willing to build a relationship with your connections, or are you just interested in seeing what you can get out of someone else?

If it’s only the latter, don’t expect others to be very interested in what you’re doing online.

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