I stood at the art gallery, trying to understand what I was looking at. All around me were pieces of beauty attached to the walls, strokes of color splashed across canvases and folks in suits meandering about. I felt out of place, but nonetheless enthralled by what was in front of me: a large chunk of blank canvas with the words “Kids are the Future” scribbled in tiny letters in the corner. I remembered back to when I was eight... Read more
When I was younger, I had several teachers who served as mentors for me – perhaps you did too. They were the ones who led by example, inviting me to understand more about myself, the world around me, and how to use my voice in it. And as an educator for the past seven years, I’ve seen from the other side the impact a good teacher can make in a person’s life. In the spiritual world, this is just as... Read more
A few years ago, I had the great fortune to meet and be guided in a walking meditation by the one and only, Jonathon Stalls. If you haven’t heard of him yet, I hope the conversation that follows will give you a sense of just how amazing he is. (This is the first part of our conversation; I’ll publish the second part next week.) Along with being an incredible walking meditation guide, Jonathon is also an artist, social entrepreneur, and... Read more
As we enter the fourth week of the Lenten season, I’m being consistently reminded that it is often through going downward into our depths that we touch upon what’s truly Real in our lives. Take a moment to think about that in your own life. How have you touched upon the Realness of life in the midst of your pain? How have moments of struggle taught you what the Divine is like? The season of Lent invites us into our... Read more
A few months ago, I had the immense privilege to write a small piece for Being Human Magazine on what it means for me to behold and honor beauty in our world. It wasn’t long after that when I connected with another brilliant Being Human contributor, Sarah Southern. Sarah is a powerful and inspiring writer, sharing her stories of doubt, curiosity, creativity, and exploration; in her own words, she says she’s “writing from the spiritual desert where doubt and faith... Read more
In this post, I am continuing to think about what “healthy religion” might feel like through the lens of Keith Kristich’s recent post on Instagram. He defined healthy religion in the following ways: Reconnects you to the Source. Each faith is a window into God. Love is its deepest calling. Inclusive of all people. Growing loving humans is its purpose. Inward is its spirituality. Outward is its action. Nonduality is its highest teaching. This is the second of two posts... Read more
A few weeks ago, Keith Kristich published a post on Instagram that defined healthy religion in the following ways: Reconnects you to the Source. Each faith is a window into God. Love is its deepest calling. Inclusive of all people. Growing loving humans is its purpose. Inward is its spirituality. Outward is its action. Nonduality is its highest teaching. And ever since he posted this, I’ve been reflecting on each of these and my relationship with them. In this... Read more
Over the past few years of leading workshops, I’ve been asked again and again why I don’t attend church or what I mean when I say “I’m uncomfortable in church spaces.” The truth is, most of my workshops are filled with folks from institutional Christianity – active or past members of churches and faith communities. Over the years I’ve found I do well with this group: people who are nine toes in or nine toes out of organized religion. Either... Read more
(UPDATE NOVEMBER 1, 2022: My book, Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life has now been released! You can check it out here.) Back in January, I spent some time reflecting and creating a list of the 24 Wisdom Teachers Who Have Changed My Life. Since then, I’ve received even more questions about which books to pick up that might help people engage an embodied and contemplative spirituality. While what worked for me might not work for... Read more
As John Shelby Spong helped me dismantle much of my belief system in the early 2010s, I increasingly felt as if I had a default operating system that desperately needed to be updated. It was as if I had ripped twenty pages out of a book, spread them across the floor, and didn’t quite know what to do next. I had all these theologies and doctrines and “traditions” that I no longer knew what to do with and yet were... Read more
Becoming Faithful Questioners and Social Poets
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