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Reading with Your Kids Podcast with Father Greg Boyle & Leslea Wahl
Hello listeners, Welcome to iTunes #1 kids & Family podcast!
We have an extra special episode for you. We’re delighted to have Father Greg Boyle to the Reading with Your Kids podcast. Gregory Boyle is an American Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. He is the acclaimed author of Tattoos on the Heart (2010). Barking to the Choir is his second book, and he will be donating all net proceeds to Homeboy Industries.
We had the opportunity to ask Fr. Gregory Boyle a few questions about his books recently. Listen in to learn about his inspiration for the books, how his books will be a great read for middle graders and young adults and what he’s working on next.
We also chat with one of our favorite middle-grade authors, Leslea Wahl. Leslie shares some great insights and her review on of Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir.
You’re going to just love hearing her insightful thoughts about sharing these wonderful message sof acceptance and compassion with kids!
About Fr. Gregory Boyle
Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, CA. Now in its 30th year, Homeboy traces its roots to when Boyle, a Jesuit priest with advanced degrees in English and theology, served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, which also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city. Homeboy has become the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world, and employs and trains gang members and felons in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women each year who walk through its doors seeking a better life. Father Boyle has received the California Peace Prize, the James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the University of Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal. He was inducted into the California Hall of Fame and named a 2014 Champion of Change by the White House. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion.
More about “Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship”
In a nation deeply divided and plagued by poverty and violence, Barking to the Choir offers a snapshot into the challenges and joys of life on the margins. Sergio, arrested at nine, in a gang by twelve, and serving time shortly thereafter, now works with the substance-abuse team at Homeboy to help others find sobriety. Jamal, abandoned by his family when he tried to attend school at age seven, gradually finds forgiveness for his schizophrenic mother. New father Cuco, who never knew his own dad, thinks of a daily adventure on which to take his four-year-old son. These former gang members uplift the soul and reveal how bright life can be when filled with unconditional love and kindness.
This book is guaranteed to shake up our ideas about God and about people with a glimpse at a world defined by more compassion and fewer barriers. Gently and humorously, Barking to the Choir invites us to find kinship with one another and reconvinces us all of our own goodness.
More about “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion”
For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.
Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we could find the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JCPenney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Lula we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Pedro we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the darkness. In each chapter we benefit from Boyle’s gentle, hard-earned wisdom.
These essays about universal kinship and redemption are moving examples of the power of unconditional love and the importance of fighting despair. Gorgeous and uplifting, Tattoos on the Heartreminds us that no life is less valuable than another.
Here is the link to the homeboy web site – https://homeboyindustries.org/
People can get a free audio version of Barking to the Choir by going to – http://www.audibletrial.com/respect
Here’s some more information about Leslea Wahl
Leslea lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and three children. Their own life of adventure includes traveling, skiing, and scuba diving. Leslea strives to write fiction that will inspire readers to use their own talents and gifts to glorify God. Leslie has been a creator of stories with ideas swirling through her head. She is thrilled now to be able to share some of them with others. For many years she has been driven by a belief that our purpose in life is to use our gifts to glorify God and lead others to Him. She feels blessed to have found a way to intertwine her two passions by creating adventurous stories with positive Christian messages for today’s youth. Not only does she hopes to entertain with her writing, but also to inspire others to find their gifts as well.
Visit Leslea’s website at www.LesleaWahl.com.
Here is the link to Leslea’s amazon page – https://amzn.to/2IFnaLN
In this episode,
- Introduction to Homeboy Industries founder Father Greg Boyle
- more about his books Tattoos on the Heart (2010) & Barking to the Choir
- How can parents share the idea of radical kinship with their young kids?
- Fr. Greg shares the idea of recognizing amd seeing the God that is living inside all of us
- Leslea Wahl shares her thoughts on Barking to the Choir
A big thank you to Leslea Wahl & Fr. Greg Boyle for sharing these wonderful books with us and for joining us on the Reading with your kids podcast!
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Have a stellar day!
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