I’m reposting this column from a few years ago in memory of Rabbi Phillip Berg who passed away last week. Berg may be best known as the man who introduced Madonna, and several other big name celebrities, to the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. (After his death, Madonna paid tribute to Berg saying: “I learned more from him than any human I have ever met.”) It is said it can takes decades of study to truly understand Kabbalism which helps... Read more
We’ve all had those moments in life when we’re facing an especially tough decision or proverbial fork in the road, and we’d like to have a little help from on high to guide us. “If God would only steer me in the right direction,” we think, “I would know just what to do.” If you ask Simran Singh, she’ll tell you this advice is available to you at all times—if you’re just willing to pay attention to it. It’s the... Read more
The quote you see above is the headline that appeared on the Web site of our local newspaper. As some of you know, I live on the Jersey Shore, a few miles from where Sandy hit hardest and where now a fire in Seaside Park has destroyed eight blocks of boardwalk and businesses that line the ocean. Over the years, more times than I can count, I ate slices of pizza at Marucca’s, the very best pies on the Shore.... Read more
While I don’t always see eye-to-eye with my Patheos colleague David French, I was especially intrigued by a recent column he wrote titled “Yes, There is Evidence That God Exists.” Fully expecting it to be chock-full of Biblical quotes, French instead told a compelling personal story about how he was once diagnosed with an incurable disease. After months of unsuccessful treatment, a friend called one day to tell him that during a prayer session the Lord “told me you were... Read more
Do you know the Dude? He’s a character in the Cohen Brother’s movie The Big Lebowski and he’s played by the actor Jeff Bridges. And while Bridges has acted in dozens of roles over his storied career, this may be the one he is most associated with. He was so convincing as a live-and-let-live philosopher/stoner that the character seemed to be an extension of Bridges himself. Earlier this year, Bridges enhanced the legacy of this now quasi-legendary character by putting... Read more
If you’re a regular reader of Wake Up Call, you’ll know that I often feature the philosophies of others who I admire and who have influenced my thinking. This includes the soul-virtuoso Thomas Moore, the businessman-turned-philosopher John Templeton and the passionate promoter of “interspirituality” Mirabai Starr. I like to think that these writers, and others of their ilk, add an additional layer of wisdom to what I already know, putting a fresh coast of paint on the bedrock principles that... Read more
As I write this, it’s Wednesday and I am winding things down at work in anticipation of a rare four-day holiday weekend. I am especially looking forward to tomorrow, the 4th of July. I’ll start the day with some stretching and light meditation, followed by a prayer of thanks, and then embark on a four-mile run. If I have the time, I’ll also partake in a few pages of spiritual reading. I’m currently perusing Wisdom from World Religions by the great... Read more
How are you feeling today? Healthy, alert and full of vim and vigor? Or are you suffering from chronic aches and pains, fatigue or depression? If you’re in the latter camp, you must read a book that can honestly change your life: A Beautiful Medicine, A Radical Look at the Essence of Health and Healing by David Mercier. Mercier has crammed a lifetime of knowledge into this book, which includes decades of clinical experience and even a two-year stint as... Read more
Each weekday morning I get on a bus and make a very long commute from the Jersey Shore to New York City. On one particular morning, it dawned on me that I might have only a few seconds to live. It was a couple of days after the Boston Marathon bombing and I was sitting in the back row of the bus. Just as we were about to roll out of the park-and-ride lot, a man boarded the bus. I... Read more
A few months ago I had a reader contact me about a blog post I had written. Like a lot of my Wake Up Call columns, it referenced God, and this particular person had a question that went something like this: “I enjoyed your story but you didn’t answer the question: Who is God?” It was a peculiar query, since this particular column wasn’t addressing the subject at all. Yet it got me thinking. Could I actually define God? Who... Read more
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