Bob Katz
Episode 297
7 OCT 2024
He independently produces faith-based films. His most current film, “Average Joe,” releases exclusively in theaters nationwide this Friday, October 11th, and is based on the true story of a high school football coach, Joe Kennedy, whose fight for religious freedom — the right to pray on the field following games — went all the way to the Supreme Court, where he won his case. This guest was also executive producer of the film “God’s Not Dead.” He played on his high school golf team and went on to be an avid racquetball player for most of his life. He also has a story of conversion to the Catholic faith, which he shares during this interview.
Notable guest quotes:
“I was born, actually, and raised – ‘til I was about 13 – Jewish, and I think we were reformed Jews… the equivalent would be Christians who go to (church on) Easter and Christmas and that’s about it.”
“I went over to join the Marine Corps, was an officer, went to Vietnam for a year, came back. It was, I don’t know that I was necessarily that aware of it and they didn’t have PTSD back then, I just was angry. I was in grad school but just always on the verge of exploding and didn’t know what was wrong. And one day I came home from school and I’m flipping through the channels and Pat Robertson’s on, and we weren’t allowed to watch Christian TV as kids and I was watching him… and then I noticed I’d rush home the next day to watch him.”
“A incredible bright light went off in my room. I don’t know how I got from laying in bed to standing straight up in the floor. There were no voices, no angels, but something happened.”
“It was just one of those milestones, one of the most important milestones of my life, was just giving my life to Christ.”
“Ever since I was in the Marine Corps, I’ve known you have to work out. So, I’ve always worked out, exercised, played some sport. I’m 73 now, I still work out four days a week, and racquetball is just a great, great sport. I mean it’s an intense cardiovascular workout, balance, coordination, and you don’t realize you’re working out because you’re having so much fun playing.”
“If you’d have told me five years ago that I would be a devout Catholic I would have told you there’s just about as much chance that I will walk on the moon.”
“The saint of that day happened to be Saint Faustina, and they started talking about this lady who died when she was just 33 years old, she had this stigmata… she was walking – literally seeing and walking and talking to Jesus almost every day – talking to the Holy Mother and predicting things that came to pass and still had predictions yet to come and I was just mesmerized by it.”
“I was confirmed and became Catholic, and … I immediately knew I was home … just a peace came over me to this day that I’ve never really truly had before. The Eucharist came alive. The living presence became alive… sacred scripture and God’s Word, it all just came alive.”
“My life is just kind of, I’ve learned to jump in the middle of the stream and let the stream take me where God wants.”
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