Alana Levandoski – “Ring Out, Wild Bells” My Canadian, contemplative friend Alana Levandoski has put music to an old poem and created a masterpiece. The Steam Punk themed video is a must see. This her explanation of the song and video that is perfect to RING in the new year! Youtube Video of the song From Alana: For New Years 2020. A steampunk-themed masquarade party with my brand new recording of Ring Out, Wild Bells. To receive Ring Out,... Read more
“Let me be crystal clear; if you’ve faced a tragedy and someone tells you in any way, shape or form that your tragedy was meant to be, that it happened for a reason, that it will make you a better person, or that taking responsibility for it will fix it, you have every right to remove them from your life.” Tim Lawrence For years, these types of responses to other people’s trauma were the default for the religious system that... Read more
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come up and nest in its branches.” It is worth just contemplating what Jesus suggested. This very tiny seed when placed in the soil becomes possibly the... Read more
I wanted to tell you about what is coming next! A couple of years ago, I went through one of the toughest periods of my life. Earlier this year, I decided to document my experience and talk about the healing I found. Through a process called focusing that helped me address the shadow issues in my life, I was able to begin a long journey toward authenticity and presence. Eventually, this became a book called... Read more
I received a lot of mixed messages about the body in the tradition I evolved from. It was okay to build your body and be healthy, but you shouldn’t be too proud of the edifice. There were also subtle messages about the body being evil and the source of most of our sin. The Scriptures sometimes dismissed it as just a tent or covering for the things... Read more
Being by nature an introvert, I don’t necessarily like to go to parties. I love people, I just don’t want to be around them all the time. I love listening to someone process their trauma and find solutions through modalities like focusing, but casual conversation hasn’t always been something that I aspired to. So, when I went to parties and social events, I usually would introduce two of my friends to each other and listen... Read more
Occasionally people irritate me. When they don’t do things the way I think they should or if they treat me or others different than I think they should, It sometimes causes me to react negatively toward them. Once when I asked another pastor how I should handle this dilemma, he suggested that I have compassion for them like Jesus. That was not what I wanted to do. I wanted to find a way to punish them or tell that what... Read more
All of the intelligence for the plant and its leaves and it’s eventual fruit and future seeds is contained inside the seed. There is a knowing seeded inside us that already does things like: * Turning food into elements of our body * Breathing automatically and preforming hundreds of complex chemical transformations each second * Regenerating parts of us, distributing waste, and processing energy * It protects us, warns us, and preserves us Yet... Read more
(an adapted excerpt from my book The Tea Shop) I have noticed a lot of people say this about their spouse or significant other, “He / she is my best friend!” Personally, I have a hard time saying that, not because Laura is not an outstanding friend. She is a fantastic listener, a giving person, and someone that people seek out to spend time with. She is probably the par-excellence of what a friend is like, but I do not... Read more
Since I usually do not quote much Scripture anymore, I won’t start now. But you may remember that Jesus occasionally scolded the disciples for not understanding what he was trying to do. I’m assuming they heard most of his sermons, watched him do the miracles and observed his way and practices. But they still had a hard time putting the pieces together. Just investigate the “fire from heaven” passages for one example. It is a frustration that most pastors feel... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In