Practice Not Perfect

I sat down with Roger Wolsey to discuss his book Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices that Transform Lives. Roger is a spiritual director, pastor, speaker and blogger. He is well known in progressive Christian circles as the author of Kissing Fish: Christianity for People Who Don't Like Christianity. His latest book explores spiritual practices that have nurtured and aided Roger in his own journey from woundedness to wholeness. Some of these practices come to us from the Christian Tradition; some of them are practiced by the Spiritual-but-Not-Religious set and yet are a resource that Christians and other spiritual travelers can all draw on for their own journey to wholeness. If you would like to check out Roger's work, you can find him on his Facebook Author page, his Kissing Fish Book Facebook page, at RogerWolsey.com or on his blog at Patheos, Holy Kiss: https://www.facebook.com/RogerWolseySoulCoach https://www.facebook.com/KissingFishBook https://www.rogerwolsey.com/ https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogerwolsey/ If you would like to purchase Discovering Fire, you can find it on Amazon and Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Fire-Spiritual-Practices-Transform/dp/B0BZ9V9V8H https://www.audible.com/pd/Discovering-Fire-Audiobook/B0CPTHKW8Q?qid=1712382762&sr=1-1&ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=HYD4Z70JK1CZY7NPC01S&pageLoadId=PHcJynqUsVFdAgx1&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c

I got to talk with Aaron Burns and Matt Mikalatos about their new book, Praying with Saint Patrick: Prayers and Devotions Inspired by the Irish Hero of the Faith. Aaron is a filmmaker (producer, director, screenwriter) and Matt is an author, screenwriter and speaker (and my first repeat guest!). The two of them previously collaborated in writing the screenplay for Legacy Peak (2022). In this project they explored the life and writings of Saint Patrick, and they have produced this little devotional/prayer book which invites us to pray along with Patrick's Story. You can order their book from the Publisher here: https://www.tyndale.com/p/praying-with-saint-patrick/9781496446756 from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Saint-Patrick-Devotions-Inspired/dp/1496446755/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y25YYFln7wn1tu7K749l71NE-ukJR8EYbt0grGnHSpLWl2sv3NqEpAyftbxjX14V-CYAoIjlX2qwssl0fZR049jHYkR9ahZnkqx5EiZRxEjOo7Fiw860sxRXBtLVj0GVX3uikeWiEB7Kv7MTmUzInzL-bJOADd6URpKbMr7veS2CShopRLuY6ypFIA5q9alg_SMYXlGVu6zXkredVn1ktmP-hT81tVUzh9r1oh-PWAw.YRGUag2E2ihG8CiONXHgQvl8Js5fyXHNBriaKVbV_ns&dib_tag=se&keywords=praying+with+saint+patrick&qid=1710224264&sr=8-1 Or from your local bookstore. You can follow Matt Mikalatos on social media here: https://www.threads.net/@mattmikalatos https://twitter.com/mattmikalatos https://www.instagram.com/mattmikalatos https://www.facebook.com/matthew.mikalatos And you can find Aaron Burn's website: Burns & Co at https://burnsco.us/ or his company's Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/burnscoproductions

I got to sit down with Maki Ash Van Steenwyk (She/They) to discuss the role that embodiment plays in spirituality, activism, in our mutual belonging, and in the ways, we navigate the world. If you want to connect with Ashe in her work, head on over to Center for Prophetic Imagination website: https://propheticimagination.org/ Or you can also follow the Center for Prophetic Imagination on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/propheticimagination Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/propheticimagination/?hl=en Threads: https://www.threads.net/@propheticimagination?hl=en If you are interested in checking out books that Ashe has written here isa linked to some of the books she has written or contributed t(pay no attention that this is Amazon, and find these books elsewhere): https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-Van-Steenwyk/author/B002BMN6IS?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1709538273&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Julio Hernandez is a pastor and activist here in the US, but his family heritage is Salvadorian. We got together to discuss the legacy and witness of Archbishop Óscar Romero and the first of his Pastoral Letters, The Easter Church, written on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1977. If you are interested in learning more about Saint Óscar Romero, you can find links to his writings (including the pastoral letters) at the Archbishop Romero Trust: http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/

I got to chat with Christine Sine—author, activist, gardener, contemplative, spiritual director and "liturgical rebel—about what Lent is and how we can practice it. What I loved about this conversation was how passionate and insightful Christine is. And I learned a lot. Did you know that Lent was in the hunger time in the Northern Hemisphere, so the practice of giving stuff up, was away for more well-off Christians to identify with the suffering poor who struggled through these winter months? I know you are going to find this conversation enlightening and encouraging as you seek to practice your way through the Lenten season. If you want to catch up with what Christine Sine's work you can follow her on her website: https://godspacelight.com/. Purchase her books @ https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christine-Sine/author/B00BL4EC3A?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1707821520&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true or follow her on Facebook or Instagram Look for her podcast: Liturgical Rebels (Coming Soon!)

Mark Yaconelli wrote Between the Listening and the Telling in 2022. We had a great conversation about it then, and after a long delay I present it to you for your listening pleasure. Mark reminds us of the hunger in each of us to connect, to be heard, to be understood. You will want to listen to this! You can order Mark's book from Broadleaf Books: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/productgroup/2046/Between-the-Listening-and-the-Telling And catch up with his work as a story-catcher, and teacher of story-craft through his non-profit, The Hearth: https://www.thehearthcommunity.com

Adam Shields is a book blogger (at Bookwi.se) and a spiritual director (at aspiritualdirector.com). In this episode we discuss the nature of Spiritual Discernment, what it is, why it is an important part of Christian Spirituality, and what are some misunderstands, obstacles and limitations to discernment. You can catch up with Adam on his blog or on his socials. His handle is AdamRShields, and he is most active on Twitter and Threads. Some books and resources discussed in the Podcast: Anderson, Hanna, All That’s Good. Chicago, Moody, 2018. Anderson, Laura, When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion. Grand Rapids, Brazos Press, 2023. Beck, Richard, Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age. Minneapolis, Broadleaf, 2021. Brooks, David “David Brooks on How to Know A Person” The Russel Moore Show, produced by Russell Moore, January 3, 2024, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-brooks-on-how-to-know-a-person/id1074011166?i=1000640420856 Gallagher, Timothy, OVM, The Discernment of Spirits: an Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living. New York, Crossroad, 2005. Graves, Marlena, Bearing God: Living a Christ-Formed Life in Uncharted Waters. Colorado Springs, NavPress, 2023. Howatch, Susan (Starbridge Series, various) Ignatius of Loyola, Personal Writings. New York, Penguin, 1996. MacIntyre, Alasdair, After Virtue. South Bend, University of Notre Dame Press, 1981. Martin, James, SJ. Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints. Mahwah, Paulist Press. 2006. McConnaughey, Janyne, Trauma in the Pews: the Impact on Faith and Spiritual Practices. Glendora, Berry Powell Press, 2022. Winner, Lauren, The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage and Sin. New Haven, Yale University Press

Jackie Allen-Ducot is a spiritual director, a member and cofounder of the Hartford Catholic Worker (HartfordCatholicWorker.org), and an artist. We got together to talk about hope, activism and art, and how both protest and art looks at the grim realities of our present world and helps us imagine what it would be like to inhabit a different world.

One of my favorite seasons in the church year is this season before Christmas (beginning Sunday Dec. 3 this year) where we prepare our hearts for Christmas and the coming of Christ. I sat down to talk to Stacey Gleddiesmith, Director of Worship Arts at Columbia Bible College, in Abbotsford, BC to discuss what Advent is and how we may practice it. You can connect with Stacey through her faculty page at Columbia Bible College: https://columbiabc.edu/instructor/stacey-gleddiesmith/ or her blog: https://thinkingworship.com/

I got to sit down with author, pastor, spiritual director Zac Cannon to discuss his creative process and the ways spiritual direction and spiritual practices have enabled to be more present in his vocation as writer and as a creative. Zac is a good friend and we got to hang out together as part of a Spiritual Direction program we both attended. You can pick up his novella, Sunflower, on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/Sunflower-Zac-Cannon-ebook/dp/B0B8JZZH3Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Z9311LTDWQ9I&keywords=zac+cannon&qid=1700175757&sprefix=zac+can%2Caps%2C955&sr=8-1 and the Scifi anthology, Augmented, Vol 1. (Quoir Publishing) edited by Keith Giles and Matthew Distefano: https://www.amazon.com/Augmented-Science-Fiction-Anthology-Vol-ebook/dp/B0CKZXXTMN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=113G5GCA51WQ4&keywords=augmented+keith+giles&qid=1700176051&sprefix=augmented+keith+giles%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-1 Zac's website is: www.withwanderingawe.com

Who are our ancestors and why does that matter? Why do we tell certain family stories and not other ones? Are there ancestors we need to hear from or ones we need to heal from? I got to sit down with Sandhya Rani Jha (They/Them) to discuss their new book, Rebels, Despots, and Saints: The Ancestors Who Free Us & The Ancestors We Need to Free and the ways we can engage our ancestors meaningfully:

I caught up with Dan Wolpert to discuss with him the new edition fo his first book, Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices which Upper Room Books recently re-released as a 20th Anniversary Revised Edition. Daniel Wolpert is the cofounder of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing (MICAH). He worked as a research scientist, psychologist, spiritual director, farmer, teacher, and construction worker before earning his Master of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Over the past forty years he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation. He is also the author of Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership and Creation’s Wisdom: Spiritual Practice and Climate Change.

I had a chance to sit down with Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos to discuss their new book, Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community Through the Fruit of the Spirit. While fighting, dissension, and disagreement are commonplace. in today's world, many of us run from conflict. Others of us, dig our heels and get ready to fight. Mikalatos and Khang explore a way to create a spacious, loving place, which makes room at the table, even for those we disagree with. Using the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) they give us a way to engage our differences with love. Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher. Her journey began in childhood diaries and journals, moved into newsrooms and then turned toward writing. She is a contributing author of More than Serving Tea and the author of Raise Your Voice. Matt Mikalatos is an author, screenwriter, and speaker. He is the author of Journey to Love and the YA fantasy series The Sunlit Lands. He has written for Today.com, TIME Magazine, Relevant, Nature, Writer's Digest, and Daily Science Fiction, among others.

I sat down and had a conversation with Kevin Sweeney. He is the author of The Making of a Mystic: My Journey with Mushrooms, My Life as a Pastor, and Why It's Okay for Everyone to Relax. We talked about what a mystic is and what it means to pursue a direct relationship with the divine, what it means to die, and how to live You can catch up with Kevin Sweeney on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinsweeney1/ and order his book wherever books are sold or follow along on his podcast "The Church needs Therapy"

I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher about her new translation of Brother Lawrence's Practice of the Presence from Broadleaf books. You can find out more about Carmen or order her books from her website - CarmenButcher.com The music on this podcast was Lawrence Grey's Laundromatted (CC BY 3.0)

Join us as we experience Spiritual Practice in the Christian Tradition. A new podcast speaking with contemplatives, activists and other spiritual practitioners about how to live out their faith. Music in Episode: Modulation of the Spirit by Little Glass Men (Creative Commons with Attribution).