The Pocket Contemplative

Eighteen hundred years of Christian teaching tells us we should be focusing on something that we likely have never even heard of--union with God. Join Dave Schmelzer as he takes a brief tour of some of these great teachers as he explores whether such a thing is possible for normal, modern people and how, if it is, the way to start will be by reengaging some fundamentals. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages, by Ursula King

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith, by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich

John Wooden on the Fundamentals: YouTube Video

It can feel threatening when our experience of faith changes--or when someone else's does. Dave Schmelzer looks at classic wisdom from spiritual direction about what different stages of faith look like and about how to figure out both where we are and what we might expect is to come. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith, by Janet O. Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich

Outrageous cultural happenings understandably provoke our outrage. On the downside, the recent FB whistleblower points out that FB's artificial intelligence relentlessly looks to inflame that righteous anger for its own nefarious purposes. A whole category of spiritual writings, called "apocalypses," helps us safely navigate this conundrum. Dave Schmelzer offers wisdom from a major scholar and from the great writer sometimes called "John the Revelator" to help us boldly stand up for important things while remaining happy and hope-filled. 

Mentioned on this podcast

Craig R. Koester's magisterial Great Courses course: The Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History

If you'd enjoy giving to The Pocket Contemplative: journey-on.net/give

Irene Kraegel is a pioneer in exploring mindfulness from a Christian perspective. Dave Schmelzer explored some of her insights in the previous The Pocket Contemplative. She joins us in this episode to walk us through how she's arrived at her unique life mission and to offer wise counsel to those of us on a similar journey.

Mentioned on this podcast:

The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith, by Irene Kraegel. Also, check out themindfulchristian.com

To learn more about or join in with an online group with Dave and others: journey-on.net

To join Dave's mailing list for a conversation about big topics about faith and culture: https://www.blueoceanfaith.org/connect/contact-us. Then click "Join the list."

Practicing mindfulness is popular and, for Dave Schmelzer, robustly helpful. But is it Christian? Dave looks at insights from The Mindful Christian, in which Irene Kraegel thoughtfully and thoroughly grounds it in the Bible and the Christian tradition. God, it turns out, is very much present and at work as we "get behind the waterfall" of our thoughts and emotions. 

Mentioned on this podcast:

The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness and Faith, by Irene Kraegel

To learn more about or join in with an online group with Dave and others: journey-on.net

To join Dave's mailing list for conversation about big topics about faith and culture: https://www.blueoceanfaith.org/connect/contact-us. Then click "Join the list."

Maybe like C.S. Lewis you've had spiritual experiences that have kicked off a kind of longing that's almost painful. Contemplatives like Meister Eckhart, calling in particular on the biblical book Song of Songs, tell us that such experiences--along with many others that are more subtle--are ways that God is inviting us into a renewed, vivid experience of being alive.  Join Dave Schmelzer as he explores these experiences both with Eckhart and the Song of Songs and also with a modern brain researcher who gets excited about what such experiences can mean for your long-term thriving. 

Mentioned on this podcast

Meister Eckhart

Song of Songs

J.P. Williams's book Seeking the God Beyond: A Beginner’s Guide to Christian Apophatic Spirituality

Wallace J. Nichols's 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

Irene Kraegel's book The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith

Our newsfeed can overwhelm us with terrible world news, but what are our options? We don't want to cover our ears and disconnect, but who wants to feel daily dread? Dave Schmelzer walks us through advice from contemplatives, from spiritual leaders like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, from folk wisdom, and from a man who learned from his native India the power of embracing the chaos that's all around us.

Mentioned on this podcast

Bob Miglani's book, Embrace the Chaos

The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu's book, The Book of Joy

An article from Psyche.co by Loyola Marymount philosophy professor Brian Treanor called "The 'Melancholy Joy' of Living in Our Brutal, Beautiful World"

A scene from Shakespeare in Love

A therapeutic approach called ACT has a lot in common with contemplative spirituality with the added benefit of offering practical advice in unexpected language. Dave Schmelzer offers a deep dive into how to take fresh action about the things that can build your richest life--even as you allow your challenging thoughts and emotions to live in an expansive world.

Mentioned on this podcast:

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT, by Russ Harris

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