As perplexing as our lives can feel at any given moment, big-name early Christians like Gregory of Nyssa encourage us that, right now, we have the stuff of unending spiritual growth and the joy and purpose that come with that. With his customary lively stories and cultural touchstones, Dave Schmelzer helps us poke our heads into Gregory's "darkness above the light" as we wade into a spirituality of these early Christian heroes that's, strangely, gotten lost to most Westerners but has provided a path to union with God to countless fellow journeyers.

Mentioned on this podcast:

Gregory of Nyssa's The LIfe of Moses

1 John

Philippians 3:12-15

The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso

What are we hoping our spirituality will offer us as we age? The famed Harvard Grant Study looks at men and women over 75+ years to answer the question of what aging well--and dying well--looks like. What will lead to happiness, health and mental capacity in our eighties if we get that far. Among their intriguing findings: religiosity is surprisingly correlated with depression, but another version of devout spirituality ages very well. Join Dave Schmelzer as he walks you through their insights with his usual lively stories and with insight from a pop culture phenomenon. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

Aging Well, by George Vaillant

The Harvard Grant Study

Tuesdays with Morrie movie

The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer

Our lives can feel like one big waiting-room where the stuff we're hoping will happen is taking a long time to actually, like, happen. But what if the deepest spiritual wisdom of all is embedded in plain sight in that observation? Join Dave Schmelzer as he looks, in this episode, at wisdom from the biblical Letter to the Hebrews about that unexpected contemplative insight--and from the way that wisdom is expanded in the latest Oscar winner, Nomadland.

Mentioned on this podcast:

The Letter to the Hebrews

Nomadland

Contemplatives tell us we all make a classic mistake: we desperately try to fix ourselves when, instead, we're offered a powerful road to change that both works and takes far less effort. Dave Schmelzer, with lots of stories, looks at biblical wisdom around waking up in this way and then incorporates powerful insights from teachers like, from within Christendom, Anthony De Mello and, from outside of it, Charlotte Joko Beck. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

John 12:24; Isaiah 30:15-16

Charlotte Joko Beck, Everyday Zen: Life and Work

Anthony De Mello, Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality

In this occasional TPC series in which we consider what might be familiar Christian themes in fresh ways, Dave Schmelzer looks at the unrivaled power of crossing cultures on God's behalf. Why is that one action so often connected with experiencing spiritual power? Dave tells dramatic personal stories on these lines involving, like, Hezbollah, but then has a wealth of day-to-day looks at this, especially zeroing in on how this might play out as we cross profound cultural divisions that might exist between us and our family and friends. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

The Palestinian-American comedian Sammy Obeid

Genesis 11:1-9; Genesis 1:28

Thomas Merton's thoughts on "the devil's theology" from New Seeds of Contemplation

We all face disillusionment, but the contemplatives offer us the good news that we're then given a profound opportunity to be initiated into the mysteries that lead to freedom and growth--and maybe even enlightenment and eternal life. With plenty of stories, Dave Schmelzer will invite us into perspectives from, well, Jesus and also Father Richard Rohr and St. John of the Cross and Jack Kornfield. He'll detail a fascinating survey he conducted about why people get disillusioned with churches in particular and he'll look at what that might mean. And, most profoundly, he'll talk about how what can seem like such a dark night might actually prove to be, in John's understanding, "a night more lovely than the dawn."

Mentioned on this podcast

Isaiah 50:10-11; John 12:24; Mark 4:26-32

Father Richard Rohr's Center for Action and Contemplation newsletter

Dave's newsletter (see https://www.blueoceanfaith.org/connect)

Jack Kornfield's book: A Path with Heart

A good deal of our misery comes from not feeling like our lives are turning out the way we'd planned. But Jesus--and mystics like Thomas Merton--strongly encourage us that we're on the wrong track when we look at our lives through that lens. Instead, they suggest an entirely different perspective on what we're up to that offers a new opportunity for enjoying our days, experiencing God, and finding the kind of meaning we'd been wanting. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

John 15:5; Matthew 6:33

Thomas Merton

"Seasons of Love," from the musical Rent

A book which addresses similar questions: The Practicing Mind, by Thomas M. Sterner

We live amidst profound cultural and spiritual divisions but can feel adrift in terms of what to do about it apart from judging people across the divide from us. Historic spiritual wisdom does have some thoughts, some of which turn out to be quite practical. Dave Schmelzer walks us through a provocative case study with insights from Franciscans, Zen thinkers, and psychologists, along with his own experiences.

Mentioned on this podcast:

Not the Religious Type and Blue Ocean Faith, by Dave Schmelzer, and Further Along the Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck as books that discuss the stage theory we look at here.

The Wisdom Pattern, by Richard Rohr

The many books of Ken Wilber (here's one that addresses things on this podcast)

Weekly online groups (and a Sunday service) around these things that you should totally check out. More info at [email protected]