The Woodlands: A Place for Exploring the Spiritual Life

To start my sabbatical, I got out of town for a week. I needed to slow my internal pace, and a change of scenery seemed like a good way to start.

When I told friends I was heading to Portland, they lit up—until I clarified: Oregon, not Maine. They didn’t say anything outright, but their faces said it all: Why would you go there? You won’t find what you’re looking for in that place.

Well, just for the record, I did. But this reflection isn’t about the merits of the Pacific Northwest. It’s about the spiritual destinations we set our hearts on—and whether they can truly satisfy us.

As I’ve discussed throughout this series, a holy longing animates our lives. We’re all on a path toward something we believe will make life meaningful in an enduring way.

Rethinking Your Spiritual Path

The woman sitting across from me was warm, sincere, and intelligent. She belonged to the church I was serving and had asked to meet so we could get to know each other better.

“I’m not exactly Christian,” she said.

When I asked her to say more, she explained that no single tradition—including Christianity—could claim the whole truth. “So I’ve woven together a spiritual path that fits who I am,” she said.

Modern life tells us that our worth depends on how much we produce and what we achieve. But the Christian story tells us something deeper. In the Incarnation, God crossed the universe to connect with us—and in doing so, gave our lives meaning.

We yearn for love, meaning, belonging, and transcendence. This is our soul’s holy longing, whether we name it that or not. And we remain restless until we find what we seek.

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”—William Butler Yeats

This episode is a homily preached at St. Paul’s, Winnfield.

In this episode we discuss two spiritual pathways. Both promise to deliver a full-hearted life. One does. One doesn’t.

Just a reminder that my sabbatical starts in June and runs through mid-September. A written post (with audio) will still drop every Friday. However, The Woodlands Podcast will switch to once or twice a month.

Conversion has three dimensions. It’s a turning. It’s a transformation. And it’s a process. In the end, conversion is about relationship.

This is a homily preached at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Ronald Rolheiser says that what we do with our longings is our spirituality. Longing is part of being human. So, each of us is spiritual, whether we realize it or not. However, not all spiritualities are equal. This episode is drawn from my latest book A Full-Hearted Life.

“You have turned my wailing into dancing.” (Psalm 30:12)

On May 5th eighty years ago Mauthausen Concentration Camp was liberated. My mother was one of the prisoners there. Preached on the 5th, this episode is a meditation on the liberation we find in our relationship with the risen Christ.

Today’s episode is about learning how to walk the way of Jesus. It is drawn from my book A Resurrection Shaped Life.