In 2015, I took my first job in education as a public high school teacher just south of Seattle, Washington. As I began the year, I was excited to prove myself and make a difference. I had spent the summer crafting the perfect curriculum, designing a fail-proof system for grading, and had purchased more posters than I could ever have the wall space for in a classroom. I saw this as my opportunity to “shape young minds,” face down and... Read more
There’s an experience many of us have: running on autopilot, going through the motions, just going along to get along. In a perfect world, the spaces our spiritualities are supposed to be engaged would help us sink into the depths that lie underneath these experiences. And yet, too often, our faith communities seem to live upon the surfaces themselves, only dipping beneath the waves of life when a catastrophe forces us under. This leaves us – often – feeling at... Read more
From a young age, many of us have been taught to idealize personal freedom. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in my adult years that I learned any other form of freedom existed! For me, being free meant: being able to do what I wanted without undue restriction, buy whatever I wanted given I had the money, and lead a life however I could, given my circumstances. In other words, freedom meant “I get to do what I want;... Read more
The inner critic is not the voice in your head. (At least not for most of us.) In our culture, we have this image of the inner critic as a monolithic homunculus in our minds, shouting about our worthlessness around every corner. Here’s the problem: the inner critic is unique for each of us and shows up in infinitely creative ways. While it might be a singular voice for some people, it often shows up with a multitude of voices,... Read more
In the pursuit of meaning, many of us have been trained to treat spiritual depth the same as intellectual consumption. We might read more books to gain more knowledge or attend every workshop and conference we can. Or perhaps we engage in overly complex practices we have little hope of holding onto for more than a week. But spiritual depth – and therefore finding deep meaning in one’s life – isn’t rooted in accumulating more information or adopting elaborate rituals.... Read more
Most of us have an inner critic of some kind. For some, it is a loudmouth inside us yelling about everything wrong with us; for others, it is a whisper in the silences; and for even others, it doesn’t have a voice – it speaks through our bodies and through our muscles. When I think about why I don’t go to church – and why 61% of my fellow millennials don’t either – it’s largely because the Church has failed... Read more
When was the last time you were able to genuinely spend time in nature? I don’t mean going for a walk or texting as you venture around the local park loop. When I ask this question, I’m referring to the giving of yourself to nature: the experience of having no distractions, no interruptions, and no realization of anything but yourself in the natural world. It’s rare. In his book The Great Conversation, Belden C. Lane offers us four ways of... Read more
No matter who you are or where you’ve been, each of us at some point experience moments when we find ourselves holding onto beliefs, commitments, or experiences that no longer serve who we are becoming. This clinging can hinder our ability to fully embrace the future and live as authentic, whole individuals – not to mention, it can keep us committing ourselves to sunk costs, rather than living into a healthier way of being and seeing the world around us.... Read more
For so many of us, we feel like we are swimming in unknown waters. If you’re in the midst of deconstructing your faith, it can be scary. If you’re engaging contemplative practices but have no idea what’s “right” or what’s “wrong,” it can be disorienting. If you’re just trying to feel grounded and yet you feel as disconnected as ever…it can be absolutely soul-breaking. When I think back on my last decade of life – and I bet this goes... Read more
During the last ten years of leading workshops, one framework has resonated the most with the folks I work with. To be honest, it’s the framework that has resonated with me the most as well. It’s called “shadow work.” I’ve written a longer explainer on my own approach to shadow work and somatic shadow work, in particular, but here is a quick read for how to integrate this framework into your life. What is Shadow Work? The renowned psychoanalyst Carl Jung... Read more
Becoming Faithful Questioners and Social Poets
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