At the end of a hard month that has brought tragedy and uncertainty about the future, it's important to give voice to our anger, sadness, and anxiety. This week's episode explores the theology of lamentation and offers a brief guide on how to do it.

Lamentations 3

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

We may recognize when we're in need of healing. But there are a lot of voices within and outside us that will work against us actually taking time to do it. Where'd those voices come from, and how can we discern which are truly worth listening to?

Episode 45: A Hodgepodge

Nerdette podcast, Aim for just okay

Amil Niazi, "How the pandemic Made Me Lose My Ambition"

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

I had a few different things on my mind this week, and rather than flesh any of them out into a full length episode, I decided to just talk about all of them. So here I talk about 1) the important messages our body sends us, 2) more thoughts on being a geek, and 3) Mother's Day.

Episode 44: The Geeks Have Inherited the Earth

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Books, movies, TV, and music help us make meaning and find community with fellow fans. They also provide ways to talk about faith and spirituality that Bible verses and theology books might not. Having just attended Cleveland Fan Expo, this sort of thing is on my mind, and so I talk about it.

The Gospel According to the Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky

My pop culture books:

Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band

The Doctor and the Apostle: Intersections Between Doctor Who and the Letters of Paul

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

After over 20 years of journaling, I’ve learned what works best for me. You may still be trying to figure out what works best for you. Here are some basic thoughts and tips for those looking to begin or improve their own journaling practice.

A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren

Moleskine notebooks 

Zequenz notebooks

Morning pages

Music: “Reflections” by Wild Wonder

Many people of faith may have a strange relationship with Easter. It may be due to the past few Easters being so different due to the pandemic, or to the strange claims we make on this day, or to our pulling away from the faith community we’ve been a part of. 

Luke 24:13-35

No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith

Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday 

Music: “Reflections“ by Wild Wonder 

Sometimes words are just words. But when we have stories, experiences, or personal connections to them, they become so much more. This includes the words and practices of Holy Week.

NEW BOOK: No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

We have an internal voice that constantly tells us what we should be doing to make ourselves more worthy of love or acceptance. This voice may come from our family of origin, religious upbringing, or workplace environment, but it presses down upon us and stifles our joy and sense of meaning. What if we viewed the world in another way?

NEW BOOK: No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith

Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times

Luke 10:38-42

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Having a big dream for a new beginning or a changed lifestyle sounds great in our heads, but beginning to pursue them is something else entirely. The reality of what we need to do to make the change we seek is often jarring and discouraging. Carving out smaller steps and habits is the way to get past these times of frustration or hesitation.

ALL MY BOOKS

Amie McNee website

Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic by Reinhold Neibuhr

"Sunrise swims to cope with winter," Chicago Tribune

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

We each have days that are personally meaningful to us. There are the more obvious ones like birthdays, relationship anniversaries, and holidays, but we each may also have days that we ourselves acknowledge and remember but that most others have no idea about unless we tell them. And yet marking those days is as important to us as the others, and maybe even moreso.

Episode 36: No Perfect Time

No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith

Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday

Luke 9:28-36

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder