“This book is just what the world needs right now. At a time when tensions are hot, divisions are growing, and uncertainty is the order of the day, Sacred Parenting is a call to reconnect with what matters most: our children, our families, ourselves, and our God. The authors offer gentle wisdom and contemplative practices as antidotes to the high-volume, fast-paced, do-or-die world in which we live.”

— David M. Csinos, founder and president of Faith Forward, research director for Family Faith Every Day

Rev. Dr. Aizaiah G. Yong and Rev. Nereyda “Neddy” Yong, authors, speakers, and incarnational advocates for contemplative parenting. In our conversation we talk about their book Sacred Parenthood: Spiritual Practices for the Highs and Lows of Parenting, a profound exploration of how we can approach raising children as a spiritual practice and sacred calling. Aizaiah is the executive director of @Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at Saint John’s Abbey and University. Neddy is the Director of the Radically Inclusive Parenting Project. Aizaiah and Neddy bring a beautiful blend of contemplative insight and practicality that I will transform the way you think about the ragged and holy work of raising children.

• Visit Aizaiah G. Yong at collegevilleinstitute.org
• Visit Nereyda “Neddy” Yong at inclusiveparents.org
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This is a repost of my conversation with Dr. Larry Ward. Dr. Ward passed away on August 19 at his home in Rhode Island. He was a Buddhist teacher, author, and co-founder of The Lotus Institute. He left behind a legacy of peace and advocacy for healing individual and collective trauma. I only ever interacted with Dr. Ward online, but his big soul, wisdom, and laughter came through with so much heart. My daughter and I tuned into his online memorial which held his spirit… we joined in the prayers and listened to the stories from his students, friends, and loved ones, it impacted us both. Dr. Ward’s wife and co-founder of The Lotus Institute, Peggy Rowe, will continue their work. As we lose elders, those we barely know and those we consider kin, a desire to honor them and cherish them in their passing arises, so I am sharing this again. and if you so moved, head over to thelotusinstitute.org and consider supporting their work. With that, please enjoy this rebroadcast of Dr. Ward’s timeless wisdom and joy.

Dr. Larry Ward is a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition, the author of the book America's Racial Karma, and co-author with his wife, Peggy, of Love's Garden: A Guide To Mindful Relationships.

Dr. Ward brings forty years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work at the Lotus Institute. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation, and has trained at the Trauma Resource Institute. Dr. Ward and I talk about humanity’s greatest weakness, learning from our teachers, the impact of fragrance as a teaching metaphor and so much more.

Visit Dr. Larry Ward at thelotusinstitute.org | IG: @thelotus_institute

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“You can trust Amy Frykholm as a modern-day amma who knows the terrain of the soul. Reading Journey to the Wild Heart is like going out to the desert for a word. It helps us slow down, let go, unknow in Silence, and embody Love.―

— Carmen Acevedo Butcher, author of Practice of the Presence

Amy Frykholm is a writer and journalist who makes her third appearance on Contemplify (round one, round two) to talk about her latest book Journey to the Wild Heart: Four Invitations to Contemplative Living. Amy is an award-winning writer, scholar, and journalist whose work insightfully explores American religion and culture. Her debut novel High Hawk has been long-listed for the 2025 PEN/Hemingway Award.  This is Amy’s third time on Contemplify, so you will not be surprised that in Journey to the Wild Heart Amy weaves together ancient mystics to modern poets and philosophers, inviting readers into deeper knowing through reflection and practice.

Visit Amy Frykholm at amyfrykholm.com

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"To read a new and selected collection is to experience the evolution of a voice, in this case an essential voice in American poetry. To sit with the whole of these transportive, immersive poems is to awaken like a wild riparian corridor in spring. Wildflowers on the banks. Birdsong in the branches. The reader’s heart is a bud: open. Beautiful work.”

Poet Todd Davis's latest collection is Ditch Memory: New and Selected Poems. This is Todd’s third time on Contemplify, and like the previous conversations we find our charge in the sacred strides of cultivating attention. The poetry of Todd Davis stretches me and helps me scratch the dirt of what is real, to taste and relish my short passage through this world. I think he will do the same for you.

Visit Todd Davis at todddavispoet.com

• Ditch Memory: New and Selected Poems
• Coffin Honey
• Native Species
• Winterkill
• In the Kingdom of the Ditch
• Todd Davis's full catalog

• Dave Shumate
• W.B. Yeats
• Mary Oliver
• Wendell Berry
• Hildegard of Bingen
• David James Duncan
• Chris Dombrowski
• Mary Rose O'Reilley

• Sleepytime tea with Peace Orange Tea with a dab of honey

"…Swan's book provides an accessible overview of beguine spirituality in the context of their own times…[it] does a good job of explaining both the beguines' spiritual practices and their continuing legacy."

— Commonweal

Sr. Laura Swan is a Benedictine sister, spiritual director, author, teacher, and archivist. In our conversation we talk about her book The Wisdom of the Beguines: The Forgotten Story of a Medieval Women s Movement. I am fascinated by the Beguine movement as I think it is incredibly instructive for our times. Sr. Laura brings a contagious passion and a catalog of wisdom to the Beguines that I hope seeps into your soul. Can’t wait for you to hear more about the Beguines movement.

Visit Sr. Laura Swan at lauraswanosb.com | YouTube: @BenedictineLauraSwan | Facebook: laura.swan.505

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Patrick Boland is an author, teacher, coach, and consultant. In our conversation we talk about his book The Contemplative Leader: Uncover the Power of Presence and Connection. Patrick is a whipsmart, strategic thinker with a contemplative heart and presence. Patrick's atypical approach to leadership brings a new vitality to leadership development.

Visit Patrick Boland at thecontemplativeleader.com | IG: @contemplativeleader | Substack: thecontemplativeleader.substack.com

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault is a mystic, teacher, writer, Episcopal priest. In our conversation we talk about her book Thomas Keating: The Making of a Modern Mystic. A book that should not have, but did, surprise me with its brilliance in understanding the route Thomast Keating took on (and off) wellworn mystical maps. And Cynthia has had an outsized impact on my life over the years, yes in her books, but in a word here or there that opened a new direction or portal of insight.

Visit Cynthia Bourgeault at cynthiabourgeault.org

“Practice simply is one intensification of what is natural and around us all the time. Practice is to life as poetry is to spoken language. So as poetry is the practice of language, “practice” is the practice of life.”

- Gary Snyder

SEASON 6 TRAILER  contemplify.com

On this last episode of Season Five of Contemplify, we welcome Rev., Dr. Peter Traben Haas.

Rev., Dr. Peter Traben Haas rises each morning watching the light shade from dark to dawn and the still silence births words. His aim as a pastor and writer is to deepen spiritual fecundity by exploring biblical wisdom, verse by verse. He is an ordained Teaching Pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and earned a B.A. from Moody Bible, an M.Div. from Princeton Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Peter is the author of multiple books and is widely known for his series of profound daily prayers in Paraclete Press' book series Centering Prayers, which is the center of our conversation today. . Peter and I talk about prayer as abiding, centering, and radiating, Peter’s unfolding journey since we last spoke, the ripening role of the Advent season, and so much more.

Visit Peter Traben Haas at christchurchtelluride.com | ayearintheschoolofjesus.com

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Backporch Advent Outpost with Hadewijch and the Mother of Love

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