Being in nature has profound effects emotionally and mentally but is also a place to engage our spirituality. For years the western mindset pooh poohed an engagement with nature and creation as at best too woo-woo and at worst heretical. But a new movement is emerging where people are rediscovering the creation as a source of peace as well as wisdom. Jesus spent most of his time outdoors and taught using examples directly from creation. When did we stop listening? In this podcast I break down some practices by friend, Matt Syrdal, that have been passed to me and I pass on here.

Matt Syrdal Website and Podcast: https://www.mythicchrist.com/

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Creation Liturgy by Aaron Niequist: https://store.anewliturgy.com/album/no-4-creation

Hallowell/Bifrost Arts: https://bifrostartsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/hallowell-2

It's the joke people laugh at but no one gets, Post Modernism. In this episode I take a swing at just what this era is and what it means to discuss life, faith and goths in Uzbekistan. Lots and lots here to absorb and think about so... you know... do your best.

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Ngozi Family: https://open.spotify.com/artist/60Ec3tL0Z85Jp3f2CTUUu3

Gocha Abuladze: https://www.facebook.com/gocha.baritone/

In this episode we take a look at the parable of Jonah and discover that it is far more than whales. We'll talk about what happens when you spend more time worrying about whether something happened and instead focus on what the story is trying to tell us.

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Soft Like Fire by Chris Freeman: https://open.spotify.com/track/2dSvvbX5JI6h21AFlZRbob?si=7542227266594787

Mythos is a story that tells us a truth about something. They are the stories a community tells themselves they norm around. In this podcast we look into the stories around God that tell us about who we are and our relationship to the divine. We help dispel a little bit of the slippery slope fallacy, change names midstream, and try to get our heads wrapped around just what God is doing in the universe.

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Simply Enough by Justin Rimbo: https://www.reverbnation.com/jacobsporch/song/11734524-simply-enough

Return by Jay Gamelin: https://www.reverbnation.com/jacobsporch/song/2451185-return

We recently discussed doubt in episode 6, so why not hear what it sounds like to preach on this message? In this episode I preach on the story of courageous Thomas and encourage my church community to embrace doubt and step out in faith as we work toward creating an inclusive nature-based preschool for neurotypical and neuroatypical children.

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Did anyone ever tell you good news but it didn't sound like good news? Yeah, me too. How often has we've seen religion used to hurt and harm? It's this picture of God who is "love", yet if you don't do all the things then this God will condemn you to torture. If someone says they love you but they don't love you back they will kill you, well, that's not a person of love, that's a psychopath. Where does this message of a psychopathic God come from? We get to the bottom of Zeus, Google forms, parenting, and the good news of Jesus that actually sounds like good news.

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Mukteshwar by Aradhna: https://aradhna.bandcamp.com/track/mukteshwar

Translation of Lyrics:

Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy
Those who are poor in this world
Blessed are they, blessed are they
For the kingdom of heaven is theirs
Blessed are they, blessed are they
They who mourn in this world, will have peace
The meek in this world, will rule
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy
Those whose hearts are pure in this world will see God
Those who make peace will be called the children of God

Praise! Praise! Praise!

Ever get tired of trying so hard to be "Christian" but you can't help but feel like you just aren't there? Welcome to the club! Maybe we should let go of performative faith and instead embrace the journey, the ups and downs everyone experiences. In this podcast we talk about anesthesia, poop and ice cream, the yellow brick road, and more.

Email: [email protected]

When You Go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Moanin' by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Vkk3iD1VrENHJEACNddvt?si=ed09d36671bb4c11

In a previous podcast we talked about how important it is to do the spiritual life in community. But, community can be hard.  How do we manage all the different thoughts and points of view while maintaining a sense of connectedness? How does one maintain unity without tripping into uniformity? In this podcast we share one possibility of a way forward, the way of Humility, Vulnerability, and Dignity.

When you go by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

I'm Not Fine by The Welcome Wagon: https://thewelcomewagon.bandcamp.com/track/im-not-fine

The Snow Plow Snow Pusher: https://a.co/d/8HWVCCD

If we're really honest with ourselves, we're not designed to do our life by our lonesome. Whether you are speaking of your physical and social life, or even your spiritual life, we need others to help us grow and thrive. In this podcast, I share three stories of different communities that helped strengthen, and clarify my spiritual walk.

Theme by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Extra Music by Hammock: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0VOR7Ie9xUSb45fzIIVJQ1?si=EpO_-KTERSCfN6JIiCuC7A

What does it mean that our faith evolves? What does it look like to see our faith move through developmental stages? Are we allowed to move beyond what we knew before so that we can grow into what is ahead? In this podcast we take a look at many different experts and their understanding of how we develop in our faith and grow, just as we do from children into adults. We also explore the peril of what happens if we don't evolve and give ourselves permission to grow and thrive.

Theme by Matt Fagen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrbLzLBVws

Music by Chris Freeman: https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0016HMOFK?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_19P7e5KnzhU0mEsguqPuruknB