Coffeehouse Contemplative

There are certain people, places, experiences, or seasons with which we may have negative associations. And when the circumstances are right, those negative associations can revisit our bodies, minds, and spirits all over again. For some reason, I try to avoid calling this phenomenon "trauma," but that's what it is.

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

This week's episode is the sermon I preached at Dover Congregational UCC in Westlake, Ohio on March 12, 2023 for the Third Sunday in Lent.

Exodus 17:1-7

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Hitting our physical nerve points can hurt. Hitting our emotional and spiritual nerve points can hurt even more. This week's episode will explore how to identify what and where those nerve points are for ourselves.

"Reflections" by Wild Wonder

All I want to do this week is tell you the story of my recent speeding ticket. 

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Do we have a problem with Lent? Maybe, maybe not. But there are ways in which Lent can be problematic. This episode explores those ways, as well as offers some guidelines for choosing a Lenten practice.

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

After experiencing a failure or mistake, it can be very easy for us to dwell on it to the point where we expect nothing but negative things to happen going forward. That mindset can then affect future attempts for the worse.

The BLACK PIT of NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS by Brian Cook

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Now that most churches are gathering for worship in person again, the old tired arguments about which form of worship is best are being trotted back out. This week's episode is basically a rant about that kind of thinking, with an encouragement to be more open to what others find meaningful.

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

In one's school days, our experiences of gym class and recess might have been very different, and we might have dreaded the former while eagerly anticipating the latter. What were the differences between the two, and how might we be operating with these same differences in our lives today?

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

I didn't have a clear single idea for this week's episode, so you get several ideas in shorter bursts instead. This week I reflect on "the grindset," rearranging my basement studio, and my current book manuscript.

How Interior Design Impacts Your Mental Health

Episode 59: When You Have to Start Over

My Month of Writing, Derailed

Music "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

We can put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves to get everything in our lives absolutely perfect, and we may even tie this need to our own sense of self-worth. A little-known extra-Biblical document gives us some practical wisdom for how to address that.

The Didache

Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder