Out of the Boat

Many people say that our culture used to ask the question "what is God?"...but that the question has changed, and now it is "what does it mean to be human?" I argue (in my rambling way...sorry, out of practice!) that this is not a simple change in focus. Instead, the reason our secular culture asks what it means to be human is because the question has become an idol, REPLACING God. The question cannot bear that weight of ultimacy. How do we as Christians best understand what it means to be...

Jesus Christ: "You have not chosen me, I chose you." (John 15:16) That means, among other things, God is not a prop. "Using God" as a prop is about as twisted a way to relate to God as I can imagine--but it is literally all over the place. How do we use God as a prop?...because recognition is the first step of changing that mistake.

If you don't like poetry you're reading the wrong stuff. And...poetry, more than any other genre, has the ability to help us pay attention to transcendence in the world. I explore three poems by contemporary poet Marie Howe ("Part of Eve's Discussion," "Prayer," and "Annunciation") to show you how these plain spoken, "everyday mystic" poems help you perceive God in your own life.

It's summertime! Nine (humorous but true) reasons why the spiritual life is like swimming. Enjoy!

Even in dying, God still has work to do through you in your life. This podcast is the second in a series as to why physician assisted suicide is wrong...but focuses on the real opportunities the dying provides us. God did not create us for death (that happened because of OUR original sin), but brought good out of evil by shaping the dying process to help us depend more on his power and his love, trusting that he will nourish us through and into new life with him. This podcast explains how.

This podcast takes a slightly different tack from our others--but not entirely. Physician assisted suicide is a movement that is challenging people nationwide to take a stand...and I'm going to argue it is more a spiritual stand than a moral stand. PAS is morally wrong. But reasons people support and choose PAS are spiritually rooted reasons--bad ones, I say, but ones we need to recognize and resist. This podcast looks at the reasons people give for choosing PAS and examines the common...

Part II of the pre-Pentecost podcasts (say that three times fast!). What does it mean to live in between the now and the not yet? This is part of what I mean when I say Easter doesn't make sense without the Pentecost....so, ways to build an expectant faith, and how the power of the Holy Spirit can help you recognize and share the good news. The Holy Spirit is gift, and makes life so much easier. So join us for this novena! P.s. fans of "Truth Is Stranger Than It Used To Be" (Middleton and...

You know how it is when you have a big, great story, and you don't know how to share it? But you also feel like you have to? That's this podcast. Pentecost ("God's breaking out all over") is coming up, and I am encouraging you to expectant faith for what could/would/should happen if you were to pray to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And I'm doing this by sharing my experience of miraculous healing, thanks be to God.

Forgiveness is wildly misunderstood by most people, and even seen as offensive. But it is also the surest medicine to spiritual blockage that we have. And Jesus helps us do it when we feel we can't. This podcast walks us through a concrete way of praying for forgiveness through imaginative prayer.

The irony: a podcast dedicated to the spiritual value of silence! Our culture is the noisiest culture in all of human history, and cultivating silence is critical to the spiritual life. In this podcast, I go into why silence is important, how to we make space for silence, and how to embrace it...for at least a little bit each day. Working with our friends Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and contemporary philosopher John Kavanaugh, S.J.

It's the Easter Season! That means Christ is risen and now what? You could (and should) read the book of Acts, but this episode looks at what the earliest apostles spread the news, and how the first Christians heard it: they heard the whole story of the Gospel according to Mark. Not bits and pieces! And they HEARD it! Does that make a difference? I think so...and you can find out! More in the podcast.

Eucatastrophe! This changes everything! The episode where I define that word (I didn't make it up!) and reflect on how the resurrection of Jesus is no parlor trick--it changes EVERYTHING.

These upcoming days we are invited to participate in the way of the cross. Jesus encountered two particular people on his via Crucis, Simon of Cyrene and Veronica. Who are we as we approach the cross today? How do we join with Jesus in carrying the cross?

The cross is a scandal to some, a terror to many, and God's premier act of love for us. What? We're going to explore the impact of people seeing and touching the cross before this coming Good Friday, and then the one thing that could help us see the cross as the great gift of love that it is: confession. Yet we often avoid reconciliation. Spiritual tips to recognize what prevents you from confessing, and make the move to get you into the confessional. It will make all the difference Good...

The single most important thing you can do in your life is open yourself to the love of Jesus Christ. Sounds like something you already know, right? Except we tend to act quite differently. Why is that? Thoughts about our closet Deism, our haunting misguided thoughts that God is personal except in my messed up case, he'll make an exception, and how we can pray in a way that helps us with the most difficult word in that sentence: open. Music credit: Jason Shaw, Landra's Dream

Ah, moving into cryptic subtitles. This episode is especially for people who don't exactly know how to pray, or it's been a while -- have you ever considered asking God for help? Because -- imagine this -- He wants you to pray too? Some thoughts on being a temple of the Holy Spirit and where that comes from and what it means for your prayer life. P.s. still learning this podcast thing....

More about the title "Out of the Boat," what it means to pray a "composition of place," and keeping your eyes on Jesus through praying with icons. Peter walked on water when he kept his eyes on Jesus. Just sayin'. Music: Jason Shaw, Landra's Dream

What keeps you from getting out of the boat when Jesus calls you? Are you overwhelmed? Fearful of sharks? How do I know that's this Jesus guy, anyway? No sweat. Get ready to walk on water. First-time podcast, in the books! If you want to do me a favor and wince less, start at the one minute mark. Otherwise, humility is good. Yep.