En este episodio especial, nos acompaña Dr. Luis Rodriguez, Manager del Programa de Educación Pastoral del Hospital Metodista de Houston.  Con un gran sensibilidad, Dr. Rodriguez comparte sus reflecciones sobre el tema del divorcio, y los aspectos espirituales y emocionales.  Tuvimos la gran oportunidad de pasar este tiempo con Dr. Rodriguez en 2017, y agradecemos mucho su generosidad.

In our final episode of Season 2, Reverend Gena Davis reads from her beautiful book entitled Yoga Mass: Embodying Christ Consciousness.  In YogaMass, we create and participate in an embodied liturgy, expressed through movement and breath.  Rev. Davis bridges yogic principles and practices with Christian spirituality and worship as a path for bringing the whole body to the experience of spiritual awakening.  

The Reverend Gena Davis Episcopal priest, yoga educator, and founder of YogaMass.  She serves a mission congregation in Houston, Texas, and is an active collaborator with the Institute for Spiriutality & Health.

In our final episode of Season 2, Reverend Gena Davis reads from her beautiful book entitled Yoga Mass: Embodying Christ Consciousness.  In YogaMass, we create and participate in an embodied liturgy, expressed through movement and breath.  Rev. Davis bridges yogic principles and practices with Christian spirituality and worship as a path for bringing the whole body to the experience of spiritual awakening.  

The Reverend Gena Davis Episcopal priest, yoga educator, and founder of YogaMass.  She serves a mission congregation in Houston, Texas, and is an active collaborator with the Institute for Spiriutality & Health. 

In Season 2, Episode 9, Andrew Miller reflects on his journey as a medical student, and the discernment around medically treating patients while also feeling called to care for individuals with a loving spirit.   Andrew is a fourth year medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a recent graduate of Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellowship at Duke Divinity School.  He reads from his paper entitled: “Love’s Proper Place in the Medical Encounter,” which he first presented at the 2017 Conference on Medicine and Religion, in Houston.

In Episode 8 of Season 2, Dr. John Graham shares his poignant story of a pivotal experience as a young surgeon, the medical emergency that brought him together with a young boy and his family, and the spiritual impact that lead to a lifelong bond.  Dr. John Graham, D.Min., is the President of the Institute for Spirituality & Health (ISH).

Welcome to Episode 7 of Season 2.  Today's episode is shared in the spirit of the season of school graduations and the transition from spring ... onward.  Dr. Andy Achenbaum reflects on the choices brought along the life journey – roads traversed, roads left unexplored, and the differences along the way.  Dr. Andy Achenbaum is holds the Gerson and Sabina David Professorship of Global Aging at the University of Houston and is Scholar in Residence at the Institute for Spirituality & Health.

Welcome to Episode 6 of Season 2.  Today, Kathi Beasley takes us into the other-worldly realms of what is often called a near death experience, or NDE.  For Kathi, this emerged as part of a slow and debilitating health issue that was, as she says, “like watching grass grow.” She careened into a place of darkness that at first, terrified her, but in time, transitioned into something miraculous, and overwhelmingly positive: a near death experience.  Kathi reflects on the landscape of the end of life, which often stirs fear and anxiety of the unknown.  She brings her story with the hope of reassurance, sharing an encounter that brought what Kathi describes as "a soul healing that was custom made with care just for her," bringing hope and healing fro the other side of life.

Kathi has spent most of her life telling other people’s stories in film and photography as a producer, editor, and writer.  She recently received numerous awards for a one woman documentary she shot on location in West Africa called “The Woe of Bo Town” which chronicles the trials of women in underdeveloped countries who have little access to healthcare during childbirth. But in this instance, she describes what compelled her to want to do outreach and mission oriented work.  This story is adapted from ISH’s Healing Stories Event held in February 2017.

Today we host a special feature, in honor of the National day of prayer.  Virgil Frye, Executive Director of LifeLine Chaplaincy, shares spiritual reflections and a prayer from his writings around home, affirmation, and resting in God. Virgil began work as a chaplain at M.D. Anderson Hospital in 1985, and since then, has engaged with thousands of patients and family members in his ministry.  He also provides professional leadership and direction for volunteer chaplains and student interns.  Virgil writes stories, poems, and is the author of two books.

Welcome to Episode 5 of Season 2.  In today’s episode, welcome Dr. Nathan Carlin as he reads from the preface of his book, “Religious Mourning: Reversals and Restorations in Psychological Portraits of Religious Leaders.”  In this reading, Dr. Carlin explores how healing experiences around the study of religion from a psychological perspective is an essential part of the personal and academic journey.  Dr. Nathan Carlin is an Associate Professor in the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.  He also holds a faculty appointment at the Institute for Spirituality and Health.

Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 2.  Are we willing to believe in things we cannot see, or in new things that appear to us?  What if this means moving away from our immediate perception of what is real? And how does this invite us to explore our internal life, experience, and connection with others? 

In today’s episode, we welcome Dr. Jeffrey Kripal as he reads from his book The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained, co-authored with Whitley Strieber.  Dr. Kripal is a Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, and is on ISH’s faculty.  A full audio-version of the book narrated by Stephen Bell Davies is now available through websites including Amazon.com and Audible.com.