The ethos and heart of my next book is that just about nothing “is what it is.” Instead, as the title of the book would have it, It Is What You Make Of It. I realize that shifting from “it is what it is” to “it is what you make of it” is a long process … Read More
I think it was 6 or so years ago, I was in a session with a therapist who practiced cranial – sacral therapy. Which, in short, attends to the alignment of the body between the cranium (my noggin) and the sacrum (which is pretty much my tailbone). It’s a series of long tensions and pulls … Read More
Often enough, the topic of pain gets tied up into the same kind of conversations had about “evil.” Spoken of as a “problem” or a thing to be avoided. A thing that diminishes the human experience and limits relationships. Oddly, pain, including physical pain, is perhaps the most common human experience. in the eternally wise words … Read More
I didn’t know a lot about the actual life of Jesus before I was in my mid-twenties. Honestly, even after I started calling myself a Christian (which is far more interesting conversation now than it was then). What actually led me to do the work of discovery and research wasn’t a sermon series; it was … Read More
Most of the guests I host on the podcast share some kind of faith in common. For many of them, that faith carries the label of “Christianity.” for others, that label doesn’t fit quite as well or as comfortably. My last guest, Jon Steingard, is one such guest for whom religious labels are somewhat unhelpful, … Read More
My father over-identified with his work. It cost him his life. I’ve talked about that a lot since losing him, which happened 22yrs ago, today. Talking about my Dad’s overworking and depression was a warning to folks kind enough to listen. I also know I live with many of the same capacities for overwork and … Read More
I spend a lot of my time and energy actively imagining what the practice of faith looks like “tomorrow.” That is to say, I started creating and helping create religious culture over 25 years ago and I’m deeply invested in what the practice of faith will look like 25 years from now. I want to … Read More
On Ash Wednesday, I shared a short meditation on my relationship with death and promised to share, over the Lenten season, a few touch-points in that history. This is the 4th installment. — On May 8, 2018, my son lost his first pet; a guinea pig named “Morris.” At first, Asa seemed to take the … Read More
On Ash Wednesday, I shared a short meditation on my relationship with death and promised to share, over the Lenten season, a few touch-points in that history. The first installment is here. Below is the second. Full disclosure: it is an installment I didn’t plan on writing: —— I used to have an office … Read More
Stavros’ mother was bedrock in his life. Stavros was bedrock in mine. When Stavros’ mother Pat passed away, it shook a number of us (Stavros more than anyone). When I think about her passing, I remember gathering in the hospital parking lot with a small group of people my same age (mid-20’s) to sing and … Read More
