There is something so deeply intimate about where one lays their head. It’s such a vulnerable act, as if saying “here, take this; this is my body. Do with it what you will and I hope – I hope – I will see you again on the other side.” (I wrote about “place” here.) For the better part of the last four years, this house has been my home. It has been the place where, on most days, I have... Read more
Read more about shadow work here. In the spiritual life, shadows represent the parts of ourselves we’d rather not be seen. They include, but are not limited to: our negative self-narratives, our fears and failures, and our inner contradictions. These are things we all have – and they’re the worst. They shape the way we see the world, interact with others, and even treat ourselves. (Perhaps most especially how we treat ourselves.) If you’re like me, you may have grown... Read more
If you hang around churches and church communities for long enough, you’ll almost certainly hear the words growth and attendance. Church leaders are obsessed with metrics that show numerical growth; conservative evangelicals count bodies to justify their evangelism while progressive mainliners count any new visitors and members as proof of hope for their institutional future. Set aside for a moment the evangelical argument and the obvious fact that attendance numbers have little to nothing to do with discipleship or healthy... Read more
As I prepare to venture off in September on the Camino de Santiago, I’ve been thinking a lot about “place.” What does it mean to have a home, a geographical foundation? And what does it mean to tend to your inner home, your inner sense of place in a culture that doesn’t honor such a practice? (If you’ve ever been on the Camino, I’d love to hear about it and get your advice!) There is certainly no shortage of stories... Read more
We live in a society that breathes stress and anxiety. From the constant deadlines of the day-to-day to the TSA lines and militarized police, everywhere we go we clench our muscles into defensive and reflexive positions. We have to. It’s our body’s natural security mechanism. It’s our body’s way of speaking to us and telling us to pay attention. But where do we learn to pay attention? Our schools have only recently begun to include mindfulness training in curriculum and... Read more
So many of us don’t really know what to do with death. We’d prefer to ignore it, or if we have to engage with it, we do so with dark humor or out-of-touch platitudes. I think it’s partially because we don’t know what we can do. And we think, raised within and indoctrinated by an action-centric society, that we must be doing something to be useful for others. Despite it being the near-universal request of those who are suffering in... Read more
In just over a month, I’ll be trekking along the Camino de Santiago. (Before we get too far, I have a legitimate ask of you. If you’ve gone before, please go to the comments and share! I’m curious: which route did you take? What were the most useful things you brought? Any new insights along the way?) My dad and I have been saving money and gearing up to go this September. From start to finish, we’re looking at walking about... Read more
So much of my spirituality is connected to the teachings of the mystics and elders who have gone before us. Back when I lived in Seattle, it wasn’t abnormal for me to ride the bus with my head deep in the words of Teresa of Ávila or Howard Thurman. Their stories and analogies helped give color and understanding to my experiences. In other words, they acted as guides for me in the midst of my own confusions, wonderings, and wanderings.... Read more
The reason, it seems to me, the mystics are rarely spoken of in church settings is that they are a threat. The words of the mystics and the prophets inspire action, they offer alternative ideas, and they challenge the doctrines and the dogmas of the certain-minded. They invite us to question what certainty even is. In most churches I have spent time in, the divine figure most often presented has been a white man in the sky, caring for some... Read more
It has been a long time since the word “God,” for me, referred to a Being. It has been an even longer time since it referred to the Being I was taught about growing up, which was largely the whitemalegod that Christena Cleveland names so brilliantly. (Which, by the way, her latest e-book is amazing.) Depending on the audience, I might refer to my new image for God as “the presence of inherent dignity,” or a “creative force” in the... Read more
Becoming Faithful Questioners and Social Poets
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