The Presence Project Podcast

How the story of the transfiguration of Jesus is the key to our transformation.

There are two invitations when we're walking through pain: to lament + to Worship. To pour out our lament with an empathetic listener and also to lift our eyes to the throne, fix our eyes on Jesus, and find our story within his larger story.

But in spiritual matchmaking there's a different law at play, we cannot conjure up desire in our own strength. It also says that we can't formula our way to relationship. We can't perform our way to wonder and mystery. And that wisdom is not a currency to count before fellow church members nor is information the path to a deep rooted love. It can be a part of the path, learning the topography, learning the facts on the ground.

And sure, we can chase desire like a couple in marriage counseling positioning ourselves in the flow of first things, but we can't perform our way into connection. We can't tick off a to-do list and create communion.

God is not a destination or a list of truths to dominate. God is a Person.

Aundi Kolber talks with me about attachment styles, a new view for anxiety, and looking at spiritual practices through a trauma-informed lens. What happens when spiritual practices like silence trigger you? You Try Softer.

We're headed into the holiday season, a season of feasts but also of family stress.

We're all aware that joy rarely stands alone. We can be all over the emotional map even on Christmas morning. The older I get, the more I realize we are complex, a daily mixture of pain and joy. The question is, can we invite Jesus to walk with us in our complexities. Can we sift through the fog of our internal narratives and find Him in the nativity? There is often so much joy to be found but we can be run over by stress, by to do lists, and triggers, and we miss it all. But here's the question: Can we stay awake to the Presence of Jesus?

Psalm 78 confronts us with how easy it is to speak against God and ask, "Can God set a table in the wilderness?" On the hard days we struggle to remember. It's human. But, what if we kept a journal, like Ann Voskamp's 1000 gifts, and on the hard days, we perused the pages and found the goodness of God printed in our own handwriting? Or what if we used a holiday primed for this, Thanksgiving, to speak the stories of gratitude into each other's lives, to pass the goodness of God from one generation to another just like we do the mashed potatoes. This simple ritual, three kernels of corn, is our own family's way of doing just that.

"Sometimes we get a glimpse of a soul and we want to take off our shoes.

Whether it's looking into the eyes of the checkout clerk surprised someone truly wants to know how she's doing or a spiritual directee who lets me see the pain underneath her socially accepted story. Like all of us, she's become adept at holding up a whole bevy of masks. Every time she walks into our chapel for direction, she takes a while to settle, going through an awkward song and dance performing for my approval before becoming quiet and receptive to the Spirit.

What she doesn't know is that underneath, when the Holy Spirit broods over her vulnerable story, she's stunning. & the wrinkles and scars point to a story as deep as her words.

And then as she closes her eyes childlike, holding her face up to the light of God's Presence I too am warmed by her light."

Read the transcript here.

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How centering prayer teaches our brains to release compulsive thoughts into the hands of God.

Hurry clamps down on creativity.

Hurry makes decision-making nearly impossible.

Hurry leaves us weary.

Hurry divides our focus.

And usually, Hurry is driven by anxiety.

Overwork. Overfunctioning. Overscheduling. They're rarely if ever driven by joy or trust. And if we follow the train back far enough, we find they're created by fear. Fear we'll miss something. Fear we'll be rejected. Fear we're not caring enough. Fear Fear Fear.

Can we experience God as our primary attachment figure, turning and returning towards the face of He who is always accessible, responsive, and engaged?

Frank Laubach's story reveals a man who has found this not only possible but he stands on the shore of Mindanao with an invitation in his hand.

And this is where we intersect Practicing the Presence with Calling. Brother Lawrence prayed with his arms elbows deep in warm soapy water, doing dishes in a monastery kitchen.

Brother Lawrence was less interested in his calling or vocation and more interested in following closely behind Jesus.

Today, we have our own brand of static, the constant search for personal fulfillment and umpteen journals stamped with a rainbow and "Follow your dreams." Dreams are important to pay attention to. The deep desires of our soul can often be signposts to God's invitation. But, I wonder if sometimes in following our dreams, we're actually losing sight of the Dream-Giver.

Often we slander the small, trashing the simple and beautiful act of offering, and worship the large.

But so much of our lives are serving in small ways.

And really, if we think about it, every big thing is made up of a thousand tiny faithfulnesses. "We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed."

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