Whether you call them homilies, sermons, or talks, there’s a lot you can learn from the spiritual leaders in our community. While in a perfect world, you’d have time to listen to everyone, that simply isn’t possible for most with limited time to spare. To help, we’ve surfaced and summarized the teachings from the audio sermons of some of the most influential priests and pastors from around town and in the Christian sphere.
You can skip to a specific section by clicking the links below.
Jump to:
- Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Buckhead Church
- Cathedral of Christ the King
- Passion City Church
- Trinity Anglican Church
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Fr. Mike Schmitz
Fr. Mike Schmitz addresses the common anxiety of choosing the “perfect” path in life, especially during transitional periods like the end of a college semester. He begins by debunking the popular interpretation of Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken. While many see it as a celebration of rugged individualism, Fr. Mike explains it was actually a joke about a friend who suffered from chronic regret, always mourning the road he didn’t take. This serves as a warning against the “perfection trap”—the paralyzing fear that making one wrong choice will ruin our lives, leading us to constantly look back with a sigh.
To illustrate what truly matters at the end of life, Fr. Mike references Bronnie Ware’s Top Five Regrets of the Dying, noting that people rarely regret their choice of major or city. Instead, they regret not living true to themselves, working too hard, and failing to stay in touch with friends. He contrasts these earthly regrets with the “top three regrets of the souls in purgatory” as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska: the value of wasted time, how they treated others, and most importantly, how little they loved God despite His constant presence. He emphasizes that while we often stress over logistical life choices, our spiritual growth hinges on the quality of our relationship with Christ.
The core of Fr. Mike’s message is that as Christians, we aren’t called to find the “perfect” road, but simply to take the “next right road.” He shares advice from his own college chaplain: when faced with a choice, just choose; if it turns out to be wrong, then simply choose again. He encourages the congregation to practice metanoia—a change of mind or direction—whenever they realize they are on the wrong path. Drawing from C.S. Lewis, he reminds us that the most progressive person is the one who turns around the fastest when they realize they’ve taken a wrong turn.
Finally, Fr. Mike provides a practical roadmap for the summer to stay on the “next right road” through consistent habits. He cites personal prayer time as the single greatest predictor of spiritual maturity and invites the faithful to commit to regular confession every two to four weeks, attending one daily Mass per week, and spending quiet time with God in the Bible or the Eucharist. By focusing on loving God in the present moment—through every breath and heartbeat—we can avoid future regrets and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, who is Himself “the Way.”
Listen to the full version here.
Buckhead Church
In his sermon “The Best Question Ever,” Andy Stanley introduces a framework for decision-making that shifts the focus from what is permissible to what is wise. He argues that most people make choices based on whether something is “wrong” or “illegal,” which sets the bar far too low for a successful life. Instead, he proposes a single, powerful question that acts as a filter for every area of life: “In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?”
The first part of the question—”In light of my past experience”—forces an honest assessment of one’s personal history and tendencies. Stanley explains that we often repeat mistakes because we fail to account for our specific “track record.” If a certain type of relationship, financial habit, or environment has led to trouble in the past, the wise choice in the present is to steer clear of similar triggers, even if those choices aren’t inherently sinful or wrong for someone else.
The second and third components focus on the present and the future. By considering “current circumstances,” Stanley encourages listeners to acknowledge their actual capacity, stress levels, and season of life. When coupled with “future hopes and dreams,” the question highlights the tension between immediate gratification and long-term goals. Stanley emphasizes that every decision becomes a permanent part of your life story, so wisdom requires choosing the path that aligns with the person you eventually want to become.
Ultimately, Stanley challenges the audience to replace the standard of “What can I get away with?” with a standard of “What is the best for me?” He concludes that while following the rules can keep you out of trouble, following the path of wisdom is what leads to a life without avoidable regrets. By consistently asking this “best question ever,” individuals can navigate the “gray areas” of life with clarity, ensuring that their daily decisions support the future they actually want to inhabit.
Listen to the full version here.
Cathedral of Christ The King
Father Jared Kleinwaechter begins with a humble confession, acknowledging that while he is an earthly shepherd, he is not a “good” one in the perfect sense. He admits to his own shortcomings, such as putting himself before others or not always having the answers to people’s problems. This serves to shift the focus from human leaders to the true Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, emphasizing that even priests require shepherding and God’s grace to lead his flock.
Drawing from the day’s readings, Father Jared highlights the transformative power of baptism as the means by which we enter the sheepfold and learn to recognize the Shepherd’s voice. He references Psalm 23, noting that everything the Lord does is for our ultimate good. He explains that the Shepherd chose to become a sheep to lead us from within our own experience, showing us that death is not the end for those who follow Him. By suffering without retaliation and bearing our sins, Christ set the ultimate example of a shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.
Father Jared also addresses the reality of suffering and inconvenience in daily life, contrasting Christ’s patience with our human tendency to grumble and complain. He reminds the congregation that while earthly priests may fail or give bad advice, the Good Shepherd remains constant and faithful. Using the analogy of a parent taking medicine to show a child it is safe, he explains that Christ entered into death to prove to his sheep that it has no final power over them, offering the promise of abundant, eternal life.
In a concluding practical exhortation, he calls for prayers for priests and a healthy approach to vocations. He warns families against two extremes: viewing grandchildren as an entitlement and potentially stifling a young man’s call to the priesthood, or trying to force a vocation where it does not exist. He stresses that hearing God’s call requires being immersed in Scripture so that one can truly recognize the Shepherd’s voice. He ends by encouraging everyone to be “better sheep,” following the Shepherd who died for them and seeks their constant good.
Listen to the full version here.
Passion City Church
Louie Giglio draws a sharp distinction between a simple “profession of faith” and the “possession of faith.” Using the book of Joshua as a backdrop, he argues that while confessing Jesus as Lord is the doorway to salvation, the true Christian life involves actively taking hold of the promises God has already provided. He emphasizes that possessing the “Promised Land” of one’s spiritual inheritance is a lifelong process that requires moving beyond a mere intellectual belief to participating fully in the divine nature of God.
Giglio highlights that this spiritual journey is a partnership where God has already done His part by providing everything needed for life and godliness, but it is up to the individual to “occupy” that land. He warns against making alliances with “darkness”—including generational curses, occult practices, or negative family patterns like bitterness and anger—which can act as snares and traps. He calls for a total surrender to God, urging the congregation to break ties with anything that hinders them from fully possessing their birthright in Christ.
A central theme of the sermon is the sobering reality of mortality, which Giglio calls “the way of all the earth.” By sharing personal anecdotes—from a mouse caught in a glue trap to holding a man’s ashes in his hands—he reminds the audience that both the small and the great eventually face their final “farewell.” He challenges listeners to consider their own legacy: will they have “fared well” when their time comes, and what kind of spiritual impact will they leave behind?
Giglio concludes by illustrating that it is not how one starts, but how one finishes that matters. He recounts the journey of Joshua, who began as a slave in Egypt and spent decades in the wilderness before leading Israel into peace. He also tells the sweeping story of Joseph’s bones, which were carried through the Red Sea and the wilderness for hundreds of years before finally being buried in the Promised Land, proving that God’s promises never fail. He encourages the audience that it is never too late to turn their story around and begin building a legacy of faith.
Listen to the full version here.
Trinity Anglican Church
Kris McDaniel explores the spiritual and relational toll of the human compulsion to win every argument and defend every position. He posits that the “need to be right” is often a mask for deep-seated insecurity and a fear of losing control or status. By constantly positioning ourselves as the arbiters of truth, we inadvertently build walls between ourselves and others, prioritizing ideological purity over the actual presence of people in our lives. McDaniel suggests that this habit is not just a personality trait but a spiritual barrier that prevents us from experiencing the humility required for true transformation.
McDaniel draws on the life of Jesus to illustrate a different way of being, noting that Christ often prioritized connection and healing over winning theological debates with the Pharisees. He argues that the Kingdom of God is less about “being right” in a legalistic or intellectual sense and more about “being in right relationship” with God and neighbor. This shift requires a willingness to dwell in the tension of disagreement without the immediate need to resolve it by proving the other person wrong. This practice, McDaniel suggests, creates the necessary space for the Holy Spirit to move, as it removes the ego from the center of the interaction.
The sermon offers practical steps for cultivating this discipline, such as the “five-second rule” before responding in a heated moment or intentionally entering conversations with the goal of understanding rather than convincing. McDaniel emphasizes that “not needing to be right” doesn’t mean abandoning one’s convictions or the truth; rather, it means holding those convictions with “open hands” instead of “clenched fists.” By releasing the grip on our own rightness, we become more curious, more empathetic, and ultimately more like Christ, who submitted Himself to a world that was profoundly wrong for the sake of love.
In his conclusion, McDaniel challenges the congregation to view their daily interactions—especially the difficult ones—as a training ground for this practice. He reminds listeners that the goal of the Christian life is not to be the most informed person in the room, but the most loving. Relinquishing the need to be right is presented as an act of trust in God’s sovereignty; if God is ultimately the source and defender of truth, we are free from the exhausting burden of having to defend it ourselves at every turn. This freedom allows us to focus on our primary calling: to be witnesses of grace in a world fractured by the need to be right.
Listen to the full version here.
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