LifeCraft Read-Alouds
LifeCraft presents you stories and essays that inform and challenge the mind, feed the soul, and warm the heart. We uncover little known treasures and bring back neglected classics to offer you a variety of joyful and life-changing perspectives. Presented with clarity and passion, these recordings are perfect for your morning commute or a fireside family gathering. Keep checking back for new offerings.
Episodes
57 episodes
[Essays] The Honor of Work by Charles Péguy
This essay has no soft edges. Peguy is controversial and minces no words. “Today, an artisan is no longer an artisan.” “Those bygone workers… had an absolute honor.” Writing at the dawn of the twentieth century, Peguy is a Frenchman recalling p...
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18:51
[Essay] The Idea of a Pilgrimage by Hilaire Belloc
In this provocative essay Belloc offers a conception of pilgrimage as a unique kind of journey that speaks to the deep desires of the heart. And though pilgrimages have become rarer today, what Belloc describes remains very much within our reac...
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12:08
[Excerpt] Mowing by Hand: Levin in Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
This famous excerpt from the novel Dostoevsky called “a flawless work of art” is a stunning account of the beauty and power of real manual labor.
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28:02
[Poetry Excerpt] The Father from The Portal of the Mystery of Hope by Charles Peguy
Just a few unforgettable lines from Peguy's great poem on hope The Portal of the Mystery of Hope, reflecting on a father's work in his home.
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3:17
[Short Story] Where Love is, There God is Also by Leo Tolstoy
This is a classic and inspiring story that illustrates how the Gospel message of serving others applies in everyday life. Suitable for the whole family.
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31:57
[Christmas Stories] Young Scrooge: Fezziwig's Dance from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Our family favorite scene from A Christmas Carol: the amazing dance put on by Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig when Scrooge was young. Here is a striking testimony to the power of good people to make others happy.We have a podcast reflecti...
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10:32
[Christmas Stories] The Clockmaker's Apple by Ruth Sawyer
This German Christmas story is a family favorite that we return to again and again.
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13:42
[Christmas Stories] The Gift of the Magi
This classic Christmas story never fails to delight the whole family while it gives occasion to reflect on what really matters.
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15:11
[Philosophy] The Life of St. Thomas Aquinas in His Own Words
A touching and rare personal statement by St. Thomas Aquinas about the focus of his life.
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3:11
[Short Story] The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson
A classic tale of the danger of vanity and the importance of courage and honesty.
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11:30
[Short Story] The Enchanted Bluff by Willa Cather
A classic Willa Cather story offering a delightful sketch of a Nebraska summer and the adventures and dreams of boyhood friends.
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24:24
[Short Story] The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde
This wonderful story is a deeply moving classic for all ages.
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12:03
[Wildlife Essay] The Song Sparrow by John James Audubon
One of America’s greatest naturalists gave unforgettable descriptions of our native birds. These are shot through with a sense of wonder and provide an accessible sketch that moves us to closer observation for ourselves. Listen to what he says ...
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6:34
[Short Story] The Peddler of Ballaghadereen - Retold by Ruth Sawyer
In this classic and fetching Irish story we have opportunity to reflect on what really matters in life.
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15:12
[Philosophy] Aristotle on Contemplation and Happiness
In one of the most striking passages in the history of philosophy we see Aristotle’s conviction that happiness consists most in contemplation. This gives much food for thought regarding our deepest longings and a divine plan for their fulfillme...
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10:01
[Wildlife Essay] The Northern Cardinal by John James Audubon
The Northern Cardinal by John James Audubon. One of America’s greatest naturalists gave unforgettable descriptions of our native birds. These are shot through with a sense of wonder and move us to closer observation for ourselves
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8:36
[Short Story] The Atheist by Walter Macken
Beautiful and challenging, touching and provocative, this story of a sickly yet soulful boy is sure to move you, and get you thinking. Can be suitable for all ages, but with guidance/discussion for the young.
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23:39
[Essay] Cheese by GK Chesterton
This light-hearted essay penned in 1910 offers a perspective on cheese and the whole realm of eating prior to the industrialization of food production.
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8:22
[Short Story] On Coming to an End by Hilaire Belloc
This is a classic Belloc essay that intertwines the mundane and the transcendent, finding in everyday life echoes of our ultimate human destiny.
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12:05