The Pocket Contemplative

We're told that God is powerful, but as we age, most of us are flummoxed or frustrated with how to think about that, because clearly that power quite often does not bring about things that are important to us. Dave Schmelzer--inviting us into a perspective from a new, occasional Journey On offering--details how Jesus (followed by Gandhi, among others) helps us experience what our very encouraging, if unexpected power actually is. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

[email protected] to learn more about weekly, online Journey On groups and a new, occasional Sunday service

Sally's monologue from Barry, an HBO series

Scene from Ted Lasso, an Apple TV+ series

"God of Many Worlds"--reflections from Dave's physicist friend, Brian Odom. https://brian-c-odom.medium.com/

Justice questions are an explosive dividing line. Natasha Huang, a leader in Journey On and a hospital chaplain, and Cecil Tengatenga, a health researcher at Yale, join Dave Schmelzer to pass on how insights from a transformative class experience they shared together about contemplative spirituality and racial justice have shaped their lives and the lives of their classmates ever since.

Mentioned on this podcast:

Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman

Most of us, in the end, experience two fundamental emotions. When the wind of life feels at our back, we feel great. When it feels in our face, we feel anxious and stressed. Both the Bible and the great spiritual teachers tell us that the way to experience the good one of these is mystical and comes by pursuing the kind of spiritual practice that empowers God to bring us everything we need--all on God's own initiative. Join Dave Schmelzer as he explores deep teaching along these lines from Jesus and St. Paul and famous preachers and pop spirituality and, okay, the new streaming comedy, Ted Lasso. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller

Father Thomas Keating

Isaiah 64:4; Matthew 6:33; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:19-23

The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso

Persistent, heartfelt prayer has a long history of bringing good things into the world... but perhaps not in the direct way we'd hoped for. Dave Schmelzer looks at how many of his friends can no longer pray as they once did, because it doesn't "work." He talks about a provocative take on this from an unexpected contemplative point of view and about how many have found it unlocks a whole new world of good things from a praying life.

Mentioned on this podcast:

A quote from Thich Nhat Hanh: 

Ephesians 6:18; John 17: 20-21; Matthew 17:21; Philippians 4:4

A, perhaps whimsical, scale of emotions:

1. Joy/ Knowledge/ Empowerment/ Freedom/ Love/ Appreciation
2. Passion
3. Enthusiasm/ Eagerness/ Happiness
4. Positive Expectations/ Belief
5. Optimism
6. Hopefulness
7. Contentment
8. Boredom
9. Pessimism
10. Frustration/ Irritation/Impatience
11. “Overwhelment”
12. Disappointment
13. Doubt
14. Worry
15. Blame
16. Discouragement
17. Anger
18. Revenge
19. Hatred/ Rage
20. Jealousy
21. Insecurity/ Guilt/ Unworthiness
22. Fear/ Grief/ Depression/ Despair/ Powerlessness

Modern mystics are quite user-friendly--but the early Christian saints encouraged us to sail into some deep waters. This week, Dave Schmelzer explores the kind of unity with God that early greats like Augustine and Athanasius encouraged us was the central goal of being alive--and was what offered the hope of immortality to come. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor

Mystics quoted from Journey to the Heart, edited by Kim Nataraja and from The Roots of Christian Mysticism, edited by Olivier Clement

Richard Rohr's book What the Mystics Know. His book The Naked Now is also touched upon. 

John 14:20, John 17:21; Galatians 2:20; Genesis 28:16; Psalm 95

Constant change can feel uniquely hard. Do, say, beloved friends come and go? Or do we lose work or living situations that once were great? The mystics tell us that this is right at the core of reality--and that it's not all bad, particularly as we learn the key skill of living in the present moment as all that change swirls around us. Join Dave Schmelzer as he brings insight from the Old and New Testaments and great thinkers like Blaise Pascal and Thich Nhat Hanh (and, in a left field move, the actor Alan Arkin). So, yes, maybe everything is changing in your life... but maybe that's actually working on your behalf. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

Alan Arkin's audiobook Out of My Mind

Blaise Pascal's Pensées

The book of Jeremiah

2 Corinthians 6:2

Thich Nhat Hanh's Essential Writings

Being lighthearted, while pleasant, can sound trivial. But it turns out to be a far bigger deal than we might think, in fact to be a central aspect of being loving and maybe even (if we believe a great Christian creed along with people like the Dalai Lama) of finding the meaning of life. Join Dave Schmelzer for a look at how spiritual masters (and happiness researchers) help us develop this crucial, delightful way of being.

Media used in this podcast:

Intro Music:  Ryanhood
The movie:  Stripes
The end song: Lovely Day

It's a paradox. Faith overtly offers us the chance to hear and live out promises from God. And then great saints (and, frankly, our friends whom we most trust) seem to suffer even more than normal people. Living in that paradox is at the heart of great spirituality. Join Dave Schmelzer as he tells vivid stories and learns from people like Catherine of Genoa and Father Richard Rohr and the so-called "father of three faiths," Abraham.

Mentioned on this podcast:

New Journey On Basics "starter groups" on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. See journey-on.net for more information

Catherine of Genoa

Richard Rohr's book The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Philippians 2:12-13

Contemplative spirituality might suggest becoming more "inner"--being aware of all that's happening inside your consciousness. But it actually is meant to go just the other way--towards being so present to the moment at hand that nothing gets past you, that you notice people and a world that you otherwise certainly would have missed. Great souls like David Foster Wallace have thought deeply about the opportunity that's here to find joy, even in stressful times, as we enter into a much bigger universe--by way of noticing other people--than we'd been aware of. Dave Schmelzer will tell some vivid stories along these lines.

Mentioned on this podcast: 

A dynamic new Journey On website! journey-on.net

David Foster Wallace's graduation speech: "This is Water"

How "should" we feel in the craziness of the world around us? The answer might lie in Blue Mind, a joyful, contemplative state that neuroscientists tell us might affect how we age,  how we experience today, and even how we might productively engage with our ideological enemies.

Mentioned on this podcast:

Amishi Jha:  www.amishi.com

Elissa Epel:  www.amecenter.ucsf.edu/elissa-epel
Her book: The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer

Dacher Keltner: https://ggsc.kerkeley.edu
His book: Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life

Wallace Nichols: http://wallacejnichols.org
His book: Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do

Daniel J. Siegel: http://www.drdansiegel.com
His book: Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence

The Great Courses course that includes these lectures: Masters of Mindfulness: Transforming Your Mind and Body

Vox: Is it immoral if you feel schadenfreude about Trump’s Covid-19?