Three Dogs North

In this episode, the dogs lament the upcoming recording hiatus (0:25). Rob brings up Forest Gump, the best movie of all time, as an example of childhood innocence (2:24) and they all discuss a child's unique ability to respond to reality (5:24). Mike gives a throwback to his time with braces (14:50), they all agree that the pod is a sign-post to Heaven (quite possibly the only one that exists on the internet) (27:20), and Connor closes out with a story about being held (37:45). https://youtu.be/ZyMOQTo6_cE Quotes: “Hot yoga is very difficult and I am becoming extremely limber.” (Mike, 1:42) “Forest Gump is absolutely lovable and very attractive because he is both unveiled and good.” (Mike, 18:39) “I think that’s part of why it’s so hard to be unveiled, because if I unveil myself then I actually have to confront what’s going on in my heart and if that’s not healed and made whole then there is a lot of stuff that will come out.” (Mike, 19:50) “There is something about the simplicity of a c

In this episode, the dogs discuss the vocation of the priesthood. Rob recognizes a new freedom in staying home on Friday nights (6:22), which Connor describes as a "unity of life" (8:30). Mike admits his own struggle with FOMO (17:40) and Connor offers some encouragement with an image that came to him on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (20:14). Rob reflects on Screwtape Letters (30:38) and Mike proposes that, generally, the question "what if" is not from God (32:10). Connor concludes with a recent experience unifying the Bridegroom to His bride. (34:15). https://youtu.be/sW3ghX3wH5k Quotes: “Just because you live a different life, which does exclude you from certain things, that doesn’t mean you’re alone.” (Mike, 11:50) "The most important things in your life are seen only by God.” (Connor, 13:15) “I’m thankful that God has made me love being a priest and not fear that I’m missing something; I am missing something, but it’s a blessing to do so.”  (Connor, 17:18) "Fear of the future is a lac

In this episode, the dogs talk about submitting to God's grace as opposed to getting bogged down in the impossibility of a task (7:00), especially in light of Mike's new responsibility ministering to 50,000 people on post (0:40). Mike shares his perspective from the altar at Mass and it's significance for the rest of his life (17:20). Rob expresses his gratitude for friends he's visited over the summer (19:42) and Connor brings up the upcoming Michelle Duppong documentary (24:30). Quotes: “The only reason God gives us something to do is to draw us close to Him and share his joy.” (Connor, 3:07)  “The impossibility of the task frees you from the lie that comes along with the task... You have to give it away and parent the way the Lord is asking you to parent.” (Mike, 7:20- 8:20) “Parishioners are not blood sucking insects.” (Connor, 9:58) “If I’m serving the record, the list of things I’ve done for God rather than God, then I’m only thinking about myself rather than being responsive to reality.

In this episode, the dogs share their favorite SNL skits (2:58). Rob gives an update on his new push for authentic Christian community on campus (9:30) and Connor echoes the importance of letting go of outcomes (12:10). Mike shares what it's like living a priestly life in moments of solitude (16:28) as well as some recent insights from spiritual direction (20:10). Rob applies his new philosophy to an upcoming family beach trip (22:13) and his delight at a recent Cardinal's game (33:33). Mike closes out the episode affirming God's grace and the worthwhile challenge to receive everything as a gift (34:48). Quotes: “There’s an aspect of simplicity and trying to do things very well (in living a Christian life). So my life feels less divided.” (Rob, 9:45) “Me going down to visit you in November and giving a talk, regardless of whether it makes a million converts or all it is, is two dudes hanging out, it seems to be an invitation from God. It’s a good. It’s focusing on the relationship as the end and t

In this episode, the dogs talk about Mike's first few weeks settling into base (2:10) and the sacred moments he's experienced so far (6:45). Connor returns to the topic of Christian living (10:22) and shares his own need for community in the midst of hardship (10:50). They close-out the episode discussing Lean Cuisines (17:25), outdoor meal smells (18:35), and how to impress your friends with grill lines (19:20). Quotes: “You just have to be there with people. It seems like the Lord has set up a bunch of moments and if you just show up and you follow Him, He’s gonna make stuff happen. I just simply show up and hang out with soldiers and next thing I know we're having great, real deal conversations.” (Mike, 6:03) "A lot of those priestly moments, where you’re working with people on existential and spiritual margins and trying to navigate that terrain, to be able to walk with them and guide them in those rare, sacred moments. They pop up all the time... I think that’s where they live. (Mike, 6:45) “

In this episode, the dogs talk about Tom Cruise (1:00), fighter jets (1:05), and why we need a Maverick (11:10). Mike hones in on the need for stability (16:50) from Peterson's Five Factor Model of Personality and Connor (24:53) and Rob (31:00) give their own examples of maintaining structure as a gift for others. Quotes: “Conservatism starts from a sentiment that all mature people can readily share: the sentiment that good things are easily destroyed, but not easily created.” (Roger Scruton, 13:15) “There was a stability and order present in my family, which allowed me as a kid to have the freedom to play in this creative way.” (Mike, 16:50) “Kids cannot learn, they cannot grow, they cannot mature unless they know they are safe.” (Connor summarizing Fr. William Wasson, 20:18) “As I've grown up, I've become even more cognizant of my responsibility to build structure in which other people can play.” (Connor, 24:53) ”As a priest, you have to be part of the edifice. You have to quit only playi

In this episode, the dogs discuss what it means to live an authentic Christian life. Rob shares a recent decision to develop deeper relationships on campus (4:22), Connor suggests a charism to describe the inherent tension within the diocesan priesthood (6:25), and Mike brings the conversation back to the marvelous exchange at the heart of the universe (21:05). Quotes: “I’ve felt a pull to strive for a Christian life, which tangibly looks like sharing more meals and doing smaller things that actually produce real friendships.” (Rob, 4:12) “The charism of the diocesan priesthood is being a man at prayer who is in the world.” (Connor, 6:20) “We’re saved in community.” (Mike, 13:50) “Desiring to share life, because life is a blessing.” (Rob, 15:35) “Faith: the place where you are most firmly grounded.” (Mike on Ratzinger, 24:15) “I don’t have to make meaning, I just have to continue to stand with God and the proper meaning will unfold.” (Mike, 25:30) Media Mentions: Rocky (1976)Joseph

In this episode, the dogs talk about the nickname origins of the 504th Infantry Regiment (3:22), spiritual lessons in TMNT (7:00), preparing for spiritual combat (10:10), and God's fidelity (14:15). Quotes: “The pathologizing of evil is so tempting because you can always make an excuse for people when they do bad, but there are forces in the world that simply do evil for evil’s sake and therefore at some point you will simply need to fight it.” (Connor, 11:10) “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart.” (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 11:50) "The Lord allows clarity to come in over time, consistency, and fidelity.” (Mike, 14:11) "You don’t have to figure it out, God will reveal it in His own time.” (Mike, 17:41) “That’s where the battles lines are: do you want to be free? Because Jesus wants you to be free. The important thing to Him is not that you get the right answer, but that you

In this episode, the dogs talk about Connor's participation in the National Eucharistic Revival (1:15), Rob shares a recent decision to change his approach to campus ministry (14:04), and Mike closes with a Tolkien inspired discussion on living in freedom (20:50). Quotes: “The way the Eucharistic faith will be revitalized is not through us being really smart or eloquent, but by putting our own oxygen masks on first: praying Holy Hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to the celebration of the Mass, Eucharistic reverence, and care of the poor.” (Connor, 9:55) "Humility is freedom.” (Connor, 12:58) “We committed to two things for next year: We’re going to live the sabbath in a biblical way and everything that we do has to be done with excellence, that’s it.” (Rob, 15:55) “I don’t want to have attachments to my own agendas, but actually discover things as I go, which means I need to have the freedom to follow where life unfolds.” (Mike, 20:57) "Whose voice is that, because it’s not

In this episode, the dogs talk about Tyson's tigers (5:56), YouTube vortexes (11:30), and God's promise of freedom (14:24). Rob shares insights from an old journal he started as a FOCUS missionary (17:19) and Mike speaks about the peace that comes from resting in Christ (33:35). Quotes: “So, philosophically you went from anything for freedom to just certain things for freedom.” (Connor chiding Rob, 9:20) "There is a longing in my heart for total freedom; to do God’s will; to be in communion with Him all the time.” (Connor, 10:29) “Lord, I need you so bad to call me out of slavery into freedom, constantly, but I believe that you will do it.” (Connor, 12:10) “The formula of love: you have to move from self-awareness, into self-possession, which then leads to self-gift.” (Mike, 15:10) “The Lord promises to set us free from slavery into life.” (Mike, 16:39) “There has been a slow, steady, gentle, coaxing to freedom.” (Rob, 20:52) “You can't promise me another second of life, but you try t

If you haven’t yet, listen to S11 E34 Loggerheads (Part 1) In this episode, the dogs pick up where they left off last time (0:25). Mike clarifies when he thinks control is appropriate in a leadership position (2:50) and Rob proposes that control, when it’s properly used, can be a training in the virtues (12:53). Rob shares an “anointed moment”, which was ultimately born out of being fully prepared (15:25). Connor makes a distinction between controlling others and self-control (17:35) and Mike admits that his parents' use of control ultimately helped him choose the “good” (20:30). Rob closes out the episode with a question: “How do you foster freedom?” (36:00). Quotes: “Leaders do have to control their people, but it’s not a manipulation of free will because those people have freely consented to being commanded by someone else.” (Mike, 3:50) “When I walk outside, I’m taking your heart with me because we’ve built this relationship together.” (Connor on ideal relationships between parents and childre

In this episode, the dogs discuss the relationship between authority and control (3:30). Rob brings up the scrutiny readings from The Gospel of John (3:51). Connor takes a hard line against any positive connotations surrounding control (6:10), but Rob and Mike are less convinced (11:30). They end in disagreement (29:20). To be continued.... Quotes: “When you don’t have authority you need to control people.” (Connor, 6:46) “In Heaven you get all the joy, but no control.” (Connor, 7:40) "So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me." And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11: 41- 43) “God never controls. His love is always serene. It is always chaste. It is always non-possessive, even though we might want it to be.” (Connor, 14:32) “You can’t love without freedom.” (Connor, 14

In this episode, the dogs share stories about their respective trips to the Holy Land (6:10) and the freedom of traveling without a phone (3:40). They compare their experiences with Turkish coffee (6:30), travel laundry hacks (14:00), and the breathtaking views in Galilee (15:25). Quotes:  “The flip phone is a tool I use, whereas the smartphone had a grip on me.” (Connor, 5:00) "Anything for freedom." (from Anne Marie Brummer, 5:47) “That’s where we became friends with Jesus.” (Mike, 15:45) “Friendship with Jesus, that’s it.” (from Rob’s book club, 23:28) "But what, in conclusion, of Joy? For that, after all, is what the story has mainly been about. To tell you the truth, the subject has lost nearly all interest for me since I became a Christian.... It was valuable only as a pointer to something other and outer." (C.S. Lewis, 24:17)  “Part of what makes this place transfigured is not just what happened 2,000 years ago, but right now He is still here.” (Connor, 26:15) Media Mentions:

In this episode, the dogs talk in-person at Rob's house in Maryville, IL (1:50). They share highlights from the 2022 Three North Hangout which include, but are not limited to: a steak dinner (2:35), the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis (2:10), the Gateway to the West (10:40), a concelebrated funeral Mass (15:51), and Connor's inaugural viewing of Babette's Feast (2:38). Mike and Connor gush over Rob's hospitality (23:00) and they all discuss the importance of hierarchies (25:45) and order (36:40). Quotes: “Things are always greater than we can initially perceive.” (Mike, 12:35) "Oh, how you will enchant the angels!" (from Babette's Feast, 14:55) “In the end, what’s most essential about this guy is that he is a soul loved by Christ. That he believes in Him. That he will go with Him when he gets called.” (Connor, 17:50) "If sins are like garbage, then the priest is like God’s garbage-man." (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 27:00)  “All is grace. Everything is possible. Reality is actually more wonderful than

In this episode, the dogs talk about various devotions and the grounding force of prayer. Connor shares how grateful he is for the cast (4:00). Mike asks Connor about his morning offering (7:51) and shares how his own offering has changed over time (12:00). Bob talks about his lack of devotions growing up (21:22) and his reassurance in the Precepts of the Church (23:12). Mike speaks to the auxiliary nature of habitual prayer and its transforming power in his life (31:25). Quotes: "The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man." (G.K. Chesterton, 1:00) “There are a lot of grounding fruits to devotions.” (Bob, 15:10) "Catholicism is a way of life." (Cardinal Francis George, 15:35) “Our bodies, our minds, our hearts, they’re in time. Even though we are capable of apprehending the eternal, our bodies still need to sleep every day.” (Connor, 16:10) “With the liturgy of the hours, I have to be attentive to pray not just with my mouth and my mind, but with my heart. Through the h

In this episode, the dogs talk about Mike's recent attendance at a Jordan B. Peterson lecture (1:50), Exodus (2:40), and the dangers of ideology (3:15). Connor speaks about political extremism in The Cypresses Believe in God (17:09) and how difficult it can be to approach reality (22:00). Mike brings the conversation back to Egypt and his own human inclination toward slavery (30:49). Quotes: "Leaving Egypt is no easy process." (Mike quoting Connor, 14:50) “Prejudice is really just a shortcut for engaging with life.” (Connor, 22:01) "There is something more to the human person than can be scientifically explained.” (Mike, 27:12) "The Mass is patterned off the movement from darkness into life, from slavery into freedom, from outside the world into the heavenly Jerusalem through Jesus.” (Mike, 30:00) Media Mentions: ExodusJordan B. Peterson's Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life (Rule 6: Abandon Ideology)Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules for Life"Maureen stop looking in the door"John Cleese vs.

In this episode, the dogs talk about the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and its similarities to previous conflicts (00:45). Rob poses the question: "Do ideas shape history or do people shape history?" (08:15). They all discuss the glory of the saints (20:26), the need for true friendship (25:00), and the communion that is available to us at all times (26:30). Quotes: “In the fight for holiness, how I respond to this person’s email, that’s the battle that will make me a saint or not.” (Rob, 14:30) “Instead of hating the people you think are war-makers, hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. (Thomas Merton, 18:10) “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) “The escape from history and its determinisms is not by standing outside of it but by willingingly entering into it with Christ” (Connor, 18:40) “Somehow through this suffering and this death we are being

In this episode, the dogs talk about Mike’s new assignment with the 82nd Airborne Division (4:00) and the fulfillment of a decade-long call to be an Army chaplain (10:20). Mike (20:30) and Rob (23:54) lament the loss of their own hair. Connor offers a prediction for the future of the cast (29:50) and they all find a way to offend conductors and balding men alike (25:19). “You can’t save these people, but that’s not your job. Your job is to do what Jesus is asking and know that He is going to be faithful.”Fr. Michael Metz Quotes: “Over the years I've grown in deep confidence in Jesus’ fidelity to people.” (Mike, 11:42)“You can’t save these people, but that’s not your job. Your job is to do what Jesus is asking and know that He is going to be faithful.” (Mike, 12:21)“You’re going to where the edge is, to the people that are on it and giving them the Sacraments. You have to be responsive to reality, as it is.” (Connor, 13:47)“The point of us being on the internet is to gather a coterie of humans that in

In this episode, the dogs talk about Connor's new "dumb" phone (0:55) and his experience living without an iPhone for the past ten days (4:30). Rob poses the question: "How many good friends are you capable of having?" (24:30) and the dogs give their own definition of true friendship (29:00). Quotes: “The iPhone isolates me and it makes me live my life and perceive the world through the prism of artificial reality.” (Connor, 5:04)“(A friend is) someone with whom you have no qualms about sharing the entire contents of your heart.” (Connor quoting St. Aelred of Rievaulx, 25:25)“I have a more general definition of friendship: someone who, if I was in a pickle, I could call and count on them.” (Mike, 28:55)“I don’t have anybody with whom I have no qualms about sharing the entire contents of my heart, only God. God is my friend, but no one else.” (Connor, 30:21)“You know how to follow the directions in the video game that is your life.” (Connor on GPS, 35:35) Media Mentions: Wired’s “AR Will Spark the

In this episode, the dogs talk about a new book Mike is reading and its similarities to The Lord of the Rings (2:44). They all discuss various branches of the United States Armed Forces (6:53) and Connor suggests renaming the U.S. Army to “host” (9:20). The conversation turns to The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius (10:25) and […]