Life is full of stops and starts. Sometimes, it seems like we just get going and something happens to discourage us. It’s a part of every movie and every hero’s journey. The hero discovers a worthy endeavor and sets out to find the treasure or rescue someone or find their way home. Then, they discover that the journey is tougher than they thought, and the hero often returns home defeated. For some of us this is a cycle that happens... Read more
This is from my friend, Anita Grace Brown. An excerpt from the new book “Kamikaze Yogi: Christ, Yoga and the Courage to Emerge” When you read this book, I want you to say: “I feel like I just went to church, to the therapist, and to the gym!” WHY I AM DOING THIS Because the world provides us tools that don’t last For example, Alcohol is a ‘spirit’ It can change the frequency we operate from, temporarily Shopping... Read more
Last week, an article made the rounds about a pastor that suggested from the pulpit that women should make themselves attractive so that their husbands wouldn’t stray. There was tremendous backlash and the public responded negatively. The church and the denomination responded by placing the preacher on administrative leave and reported that he would be attending counseling. I don’t want to continue to berate the guy. He is most likely internationally famous now and I can’t imagine what his wife... Read more
I currently work for a manufacturing company on an assembly line. It’s physically demanding, but also pretty emotionally demanding. If you have ever seen the I Love Lucy episode where she is on an assembly line, the physical chaos she portrays is much like the emotional struggle to keep up with the line. Any mistake is quickly compounded, and it takes a lot of focus and practice to do what you have to do there. Recently they put me on... Read more
Truth is a persistent thing. It’s found in many different places, spoke by many different voices; and although it seems elusive, it appears to pursue us consistently (especially if we are ready for it). These simple thoughts keep re-occurring to me so I have made them my motto of sorts. I’m sure they have been discovered by others at other times: but, for me, they are exactly what I seem to need for this season. I share them with you... Read more
(from the introduction to my new book, Being — out in April) I learned the value of hard work from my family-of-origin early in life. Doing something was a way to be affirmed and rewarded. Even before my first paying job, my brother and I discovered we could scavenge for aluminum cans and sell them to a recycler. My mother encouraged us and even drove us to the recycling center, even though it likely cost more for the gas than... Read more
Currently, I work on an assembly line. It monotonous, long hours of doing the same thing over and over. In a way, it suits me, and it allows me to create things in my head, or wrestle with concepts or ideas. So, it’s like sitting in my lazy boy only standing up. One other thing I do to pass the time is sing. I’ve realized I don’t know all the words to most songs that I remember, but I know... Read more
Over a year ago, we stopped attending church. After our deconstruction, we immediately started attending a large church. It was a good church, but after about 2 years, we made a conscious decision to step away. There were too many triggers and we realized we had internal work to do and we both agreed to first go to a smaller church, then to stop attending all together. We were not angry at the church, we didn’t want to punish it,... Read more
All of us potentially have trauma! Religious people are not exempt. In addition, religion often creates even more chances to experience trauma and carry those scars into our experience. Religious traditions can promote spiritual bypassing that avoids facing the trauma while seeking miraculous cures. Eugene Gendlin, the founder of focusing, said something that I think is significant and I would like to dissect his quote throughout this post to help us analyze how we might better handle trauma. “What is... Read more
This is the first chapter of my new novel about a Hotel that has some secrets. Uncovering these secrets reveals as much about the former owners and the investigator as it does about the hotel…enjoy! The Hotel Walking through the doorway of the 100-year-old hotel brought back memories of an earlier time in his life when things were a little simpler. The feel and smell of the old building brought back memories of a hardware store in his hometown. Scattered... Read more
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