Breaking the Stigma: Mental Health Awareness

May 19, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

Mental Health Month May is mental health month. I have been a mental health therapist, pastor or social worker for almost three decades. As a pastor, I have observed a lot of well-meaning people trying and talk about mental health, but often fall short. Often, stigmatizing language couched in toxic theology and general ignorance create alienation for people with mental health concerns. The intended audience for this post on the Spiritual Practice of You is church leaders specifically but also... Read more

Girard’s Mimetic Theory and Its Relevance Today

May 19, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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Rene Girard Rene Girard, born in 1923 and died in 2015 was a French polymath, historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science. He would write nearly thirty books which covered many academic domains. Girard was most known for his intellectual work on desire. In this essay, I want to comment on two well-known components of Girard’s work, desire, and his work on the Scapegoat mechanism. Mimetic Desire and the Imaginary Audience Girard was most known for his work on mimetic desire.... Read more

The Mothering Qualities of God

May 11, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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“Just as God is truly Father,” she writes, “so also is God truly our Mother.” – Julian of Norwich. This week, we collectively come together to celebrate our mothers. But the question is not just about who our mothers are, but also what are the qualities that woman possesses that are “mothering”? At a church I once served, I had a woman stand up in the middle of my sermon on motherhood and ask me, “pastor, what if some of... Read more

The Existence of God According to Aristotle and Avicenna

May 8, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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Hard Things I am a big fan of doing hard things. I have run many ultramarathons, 12 hour and even a 23-hour event once. I went back for a second master’s in my thirties while raising small children. This week’s post on a philosophical concept will be one of those hard things. This week, I want to look at Aristotle and Avicenna’s proofs of God. While I am fairly familiar with Aristotle, Avicenna and other Sufi and Muslim teachers only... Read more

A Conference Was Called: A Story about Transition

May 5, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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A Conference Was Called to Undermine My Race: A Story About Transition Life is all about transition Long COVID is annoying and it is making me rethink my acceptance of and transition to a life with it. This is a follow-up from a previous article I wrote. I had a race a few weeks ago, the Hyner View 25k. I have two other finishes at this event, a 50k (32ish miles) back in 2015 in 09:54 and a 25k... Read more

Why Religion Needs more Spirituality

April 29, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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Churches need more spirituality, less prescription In a recent post on a creedal faith (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/loveopensdoors/2024/04/a-creedal-faith-after-deconstruction/ ), I offer these thoughts on deconstruction: We are hearing a lot of chatter and seeing a lot of literature these days concerning the act of deconstruction, especially from a faith perspective. Indeed, it seems that the number of people who identify as not religiously affiliated or “nones” is increasing. The idea of asking questions about our faith is not a new phenomenon nor is... Read more

Rousseau’s Thoughtful Philosophy in Today’s Modern World

April 28, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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Why is everyone anxious? In this post, I want to look at what the 16th century philosopher Jaques Rousseau can teach us about being anxious. One of the many questions I field in any given week is “what is wrong with the people these days?” I don’t claim to be an expert, but I have a high amount of training and exposure to psychology, theology and philosophy to competently answer, “it is complicated”. There is a concept in psychology known... Read more

How to Stay Healthy and Active During the Summer Months

April 21, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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A Spiritual Practice of You Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2018, second edition A healthy and active you starts with how you move and what you eat. In 2018, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans was released as a second edition. Previously, it was discovered that “Approximately 80% of US adults and adolescents are insufficiently active. Physical activity fosters normal growth and development and can make people feel, function, and sleep better and reduce risk of many chronic diseases.”(Piercy,... Read more

Is Socrates Allegory of the Cave Relevant Today?

April 21, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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Is Socrates Allegory of the Cave still relevant in today’s spiritual exploration? In Book VII of the Republic, Socrates tells us the story of the “Parable of the Cave.” See: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/seyer/files/plato_republic_514b-518d_allegory-of-the-cave.pdf In this story, Socrates recommends that political rulers be philosophers. In this treatise, Socrates is describe a just city where rulers must rule by wisdom and not from opinion or self-interest. The Allegory of the Cave: from Kleinman (2013): People mistake the appearance of what is in front... Read more

5 Ways to Cultivate Your Inner Beauty

April 13, 2024 By Rob Giannamore

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You As a Spiritual Practice You are a spiritual practice. We are all works in progress. The spiritual practice of you challenges us to become all we were meant to be in God’s eyes – beloved children who are wonderfully loved. In addressing the word beauty, we need to consider what it is. Beauty is from God and is a result of God’s creative hand. Beauty is good when it is not corrupted by sinful nature. Humanity, however, is... Read more