Creative Force, Help me to desire to know what you desire for me to desire. As we launch ourselves into another Lenten season, with the clashes of war in front of our eyes and the painful realities of unmet needs so present in our society, may we cultivate a desire to desire. It becomes so easy for those of us who are privileged with so much to avoid, to deny, to evade. The temptation of the status quo... Read more
This is part three of my short series on Teresa of Ávila. You can read part one and part two or check out my post, 24 Wisdom Teachers Who Have Changed My Life. The Fifth Dwelling of our Soul Love made me what I am, that I may be what I was not before. – St. Augustine We are brought into the fifth dwelling by a hand not our own; the threshold into it simply cannot be crossed thanks to... Read more
This is part two of my short series on Teresa of Ávila. You can read the first post here or check out my post, 24 Wisdom Teachers Who Have Changed My Life. The Third Dwelling of our Soul The reality is, our 21st century society doesn’t respect the work of the first two dwellings of the soul. The engagement of one’s inner life so often looks as if it has no byproduct, no criteria for success. In a culture of... Read more
As we got Patmos up and running, I began to read the words of Christian mystics more, those who also found meaning in the silences of life. I was questioning a lot for myself at this time: What is the meaning of my life? Who are the guides I can trust to follow? Where can I go to find those who will companion me? In 2015, I stumbled upon a translation of St. Teresa of Ávila’s The Interior Castle by... Read more
My brother and I stared through the front window of our house as we contemplated what we had just sat through. There was a silence between us, one that was infiltrated only by the sounds of our breathing and the occasional deep sigh. He broke the silence first: “What the hell was that?” It was a typical Sunday morning and we had just returned from a church service. There was nothing particularly unique about this experience: there had been singing,... Read more
When I “left the Church,” I’ll admit I didn’t get far. I spent a few years not attending services and happily proclaiming my agnosticism/atheism, but during college I was drawn back into religion quite easily. My dad was a pastor, so it was a constant conversation whenever I visited our home and I found I deeply enjoyed religion classes, reveling in learning about the Hebrew Scriptures and the Book of Revelation. I was one of those “I’m an atheist!” types... Read more
Growing up, social justice was always front and center in my faith community. When I talk to my ex-evangelical friends, I now realize how unique this was. In comparison to their stories of guilt and sin-based shaming, progressive Christianity seems to take a different angle on societal change. For progressive Christians, one of the core ways we’re taught to engage societal change is through the political realm – this seems like a foundational element of what it means to be... Read more
When I was young, my parents told me the Tooth Fairy was real. It led me to believe I lived in a magical world, one filled with fairies and some form of strange, twisted economy whereby my teeth could be purchased without my consent, but only in the dead of night. It was an illusion created and birthed unto me, regardless of my desire for it, designed to be discarded with age. When the moment of disillusionment came and I... Read more
My favorite part of liturgy has always been communion. When I was young, this was snack time – a communal agreement that what was needed in the middle of a long service was some grape juice, a bit of gluten, and a quick stand-and-stretch. If I was off adventuring through the building or playing in the gym with the other kids, I would race back to the sanctuary to partake in this holy event. On typical communion weeks (we... Read more
During February, I’ll be exploring my own story with Progressive Christianity, with religion, and with my constantly evolving spirituality. It is a story from the gymnasium to the sanctuary, beyond the walls of institutionalized religion (and sometimes back again), always falling deeper into my own experience and relationship with the Divine. If you’d like to read it in order, you’ll find them on the blog’s home page. Although my father had not been born into a particularly religious family,... Read more
Becoming Faithful Questioners and Social Poets
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