Coffeehouse Contemplative

Have you ever spoken to or sought guidance from a loved one or mentor who is no longer living? If you've never done so, it's not that strange of an idea. Biblical and spiritual writers offer some ideas on how to do this, but it's really as simple as imagining their presence and talking.

Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday (my first book)

Hebrews 11-12:3

All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak by Caleb Wilde

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

What truths about ourselves might we be avoiding, and why are we avoiding them? It may be because to address them is to experience discomfort and pain. But that discomfort and pain will also bring growth and greater wholeness.

Millenneagram by Hannah Paasch

Proverbs 8

All the Ways Our Dead Still Speak by Caleb Wilde

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

We may not always realize it, but everything we go through has the potential to teach us something. It may not be the first thing on our mind when it happens, but eventually we can look back and identify what we learned from both the most joyous and tragic moments in our lives.

Episode 46: Further Thoughts on Healing

Acts 2

Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

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