“Progress is the soul of the universe” de Chardin For 20 years, I was a pastor in evangelical churches. It was a common exercise for me to stop and examine “why” we were doing what we were doing. Even more so, now that I am outside organized religion, I have been examining the nature and practices of what used to be a normal part of my life. In my estimation, what drove us primarily was recreating the past. For most... Read more
I was using a guided mediation called “Connecting to your Inner Guide.” Most of my practices are not very complicated. This meditation asked me to investigate and feel my inner guide. At one point, I was supposed to touch an area of my body where I felt this. Most times when I am struggling a little, I feel it in my heart. This morning I felt a slight tightness in my chest area, specifically around my heart. So that is... Read more
As a child, I remember trying to spell difficult words like Mississippi. We used the phrase “M I, crooked letter, crooked letter I, crooked letter, crooked letter I, hump back, hump back I. It sounds complicated but I still remember how to spell it based on that phrase. I remember the number of days in a month by the common, “30 days has September…” phrase. I also learned to say words like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and my Karate instructor’s last name, Touysinhthiphonexay. ... Read more
I grew up in a tradition that didn’t value the contemplative. It was rather stoic and rigid when it came to our practices. We sang songs in church, had quiet times where we read the Bible, and listened to lectures in a formal setting. This was about the extent of our experience except for study classes where very little questioning was allowed. it was essentially another lecture where we answered guided question meant to lead us toward an objective. When... Read more
My friend, Matthew Distefano has released another book. But, this one is quite different. It’s like a work of art and quite creative. He and another friend of his essentially illustrated the book of Genesis. Here is the official description from the book cover. The biblical book of Genesis is a violent masterpiece. Deception. Treachery. Murder. But it is also a book of redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In The Genesis of Violence, author Matthew J. Distefano and artist Zak Parsons collaborate... Read more
I know a lot of songs by their tune, but I can’t really tell you who sang them or anything like that. In other words, I never studied or paid attention to the music as much as I liked the rhythm and beauty of it. So, the only U2 lyrics I remember are, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” It resonates with me because I am adventurous by heart and I’m always looking over the next horizon. One... Read more
The first funeral I remember was for my Grandpa Joe. He was a bridge builder for the county and a farmer of sorts. He had about 10 cows and all of them had names even though he eventually ate most of them. We got to stay with him and Nanny every year on our birthday and we spent most holidays with them. After my grandma died, they put him in a nursing home which he kept escaping from until he... Read more
When I try to discuss the topics about thriving outside organized religion, the most prominent pushback that I get from those that attend church is in the area of community. They will say to me, “But, we need community!” And, I will say, “I couldn’t agree more.” But, if we all agree that community is important, maybe it would be worth our time to go through an assessment and make sure we are all talking about the same thing, and... Read more
Video recording of all 13 speakers – reserve now Description of the Conference Last year, the Desert Sanctuary initiated the Nomad 2020 online conference during the pandemic. Ever since that day, I have been dreaming of this event. I wanted to lean forward and look toward the future with all the other spiritual nomads and seekers. I wanted to bring together people with differing vantage points to see if we could see what is over the horizon. To be on... Read more
Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA from PexelsA few days ago, my daughter sent me a Tik Toc video from Joseph Yoo He appears to be an Episcopal Priest who was engaged by someone in Starbucks that wanted him to commiserate about the way the church is being persecuted. I remember conversations like that when I was a pastor and I always came to a similar conclusion as Pastor Yoo, “The church in American is not being persecuted.” But I also... Read more
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