Explore every episode of the podcast Coffeehouse Contemplative
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please Rate Your Dining Experience | 25 Aug 2024 | 00:29:26 | |
My sermon at Community Christian Church in North Canton, Ohio on August 25, 2024. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| To Know What We Don't Know | 18 Aug 2024 | 00:31:57 | |
My sermon at West Park UCC in Cleveland on Sunday, August 18, 2024. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| God's Anonymous Ones | 12 May 2024 | 00:28:28 | |
My sermon at Community Christian Church in North Canton on Sunday, May 12th, 2024. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Have a Great Week | 10 Apr 2022 | 00:33:47 | |
Sometimes words are just words. But when we have stories, experiences, or personal connections to them, they become so much more. This includes the words and practices of Holy Week. NEW BOOK: No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The "Should" Lens | 03 Apr 2022 | 00:32:47 | |
We have an internal voice that constantly tells us what we should be doing to make ourselves more worthy of love or acceptance. This voice may come from our family of origin, religious upbringing, or workplace environment, but it presses down upon us and stifles our joy and sense of meaning. What if we viewed the world in another way? NEW BOOK: No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| 500 Words | 27 Mar 2022 | 00:37:04 | |
Having a big dream for a new beginning or a changed lifestyle sounds great in our heads, but beginning to pursue them is something else entirely. The reality of what we need to do to make the change we seek is often jarring and discouraging. Carving out smaller steps and habits is the way to get past these times of frustration or hesitation. Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic by Reinhold Neibuhr "Sunrise swims to cope with winter," Chicago Tribune Atomic Habits by James Clear Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Pie, Caesar, and Shrines | 20 Mar 2022 | 00:32:54 | |
We each have days that are personally meaningful to us. There are the more obvious ones like birthdays, relationship anniversaries, and holidays, but we each may also have days that we ourselves acknowledge and remember but that most others have no idea about unless we tell them. And yet marking those days is as important to us as the others, and maybe even moreso. No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Dare to Be Stupid | 13 Mar 2022 | 00:32:48 | |
Pursuing your creative passion involves a certain amount of awkwardness, since you'll need time to develop yourself as a creator. But then when it comes time for the question of whether to share your creation with the world, that brings a new set of fears: of being laughed at, or rejected, or ignored. It can take a lot of courage to share your passion with others, but the possibility of finding your audience outweighs the risk of looking foolish. Dare to Be Stupid by "Weird Al" Yankovic "Those Impious Galileans" by Jonathan D. Blundell MY NEW BOOK: No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| No Perfect Time | 06 Mar 2022 | 00:35:49 | |
On March 7th, my new book, No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith, officially releases. I take time this week to talk about where it came from and why I'm publishing it the way that I am, as well as read two entries. I'm excited to share this new creative work with my expanding listener base. No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Ash Wednesday | 27 Feb 2022 | 00:28:33 | |
Ash Wednesday--and the season of Lent in general--is known to be a time of humility, repentance, and being honest with ourselves about our shortcomings, mistakes, and mortality. With all that's going on in our world every day, why would we want to pile more on? This episode will explore the lesser desirable themes of the upcoming season, while also exploring their positive qualities (no, really, there are some). Reinhold Niebuhr - Time Magazine Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| No Notes! | 20 Feb 2022 | 00:34:41 | |
We encounter moments for which we prepare carefully and with attention to as many details as we can. But then something might happen that demands our adaptation, testing our ability to change our approach in order to respond. If we try to stick strictly to the script, we may miss out on an opportunity for growth. But if we allow for this "eruption of the real" to happen, we may experience life more fully. "How playwright Tetsuro Shigematsu has transformed my homiletics classes" by John Byassee Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The Winter of It All | 13 Feb 2022 | 00:23:33 | |
We tend to associate the season of winter with scarcity, barrenness, and despair, where signs of life are more difficult to come by. It's also a season where we are left with all that we are facing, with less to shield ourselves from dealing with it. But even bare seasons can carry hope and redemption and the promise of new life, even if those things are harder to see. Whole 'nother Story - February by Kevin Killeen I'm not languishing, I'm dormant by Austin Kleon Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Illness and Morality | 06 Feb 2022 | 00:22:15 | |
Many people have a tendency to see illness in terms of failure, laziness, and weakness. This view places an extra burden on the sick and disabled, which are among the last things that they need. Rather than guilt and shame, those who suffer from illness need healing and support, as well as a re-framing of the meaning of illness in general. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Creating Through It | 05 May 2024 | 00:34:02 | |
Sometimes in the midst of grief or loss, creating through it can help. Paw Prints on the Baptism Cake Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The Eject Button | 30 Jan 2022 | 00:23:56 | |
What’s a moment where you long considered doing something different or letting go of something, and you finally did it because circumstances pushed you into doing it? We may dwell in hesitation and rationalization and safety for so long, but eventually reach a point where staying where we are is no longer an option. Sometimes it's less than ideal, but at other times, it's exactly what we need. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| KIME and MUSHIN | 23 Jan 2022 | 00:28:48 | |
Our thoughts are often scattered by the number of different responsibilities that we have to keep track of, that any one of them is always in danger of not receiving our best effort. Before taking on any helpful tips or tricks regarding how to focus, we first need to explore the issues underlying our lack of focus, which often stem from our sense of self. Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams The First Principle and Foundation by Ignatius of Loyola Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The Rage Room | 16 Jan 2022 | 00:31:13 | |
Anger is one of the most socially unacceptable emotions, in part because it makes others uncomfortable, but also in part because it is often expressed in destructive, harmful, and abusive ways. As a natural human emotion, anger is not wrong in itself, but what we do with it can be. Rather than avoid our anger, we should take time to understand it better, and to discern how best to express it. The Angry Christian by Andrew Lester Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Based on a Freudian Slip | 09 Jan 2022 | 00:23:18 | |
Some practices that help reduce anxiety may involve breathing exercises or talking things out with others. But just as effective might be actions that involve taking it out - not on people, but on inanimate objects such as hitting a bag, stomping balloons, or going for a walk or run. Sometimes we need something much more active as a form of release to bring us back to ourselves. Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Just Vibes | 02 Jan 2022 | 00:28:54 | |
The past few years have been marked by anxiety, for both national and personal reasons. So where do we find peace in the midst of this? How may we be able to calm and center our minds, hearts, and spirits not just to survive, but to truly live a life? What sorts of tangible actions could we take to tap into a vibe that sustains us? Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The Holiday Special | 28 Nov 2021 | 00:27:13 | |
We are now in the season of Advent, a time of 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas. It's a time of preparation for the celebration of birth, and to reflect on our need for God to do a new thing in the world. So in this final episode for 2021, I want to give a reflection meant to be a help you the listener in your own preparation leading up to this special time. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Coffee Meditation #3 | 14 Nov 2021 | 00:25:53 | |
Most people associate coffee with the morning, but coffee can be for the late hours of the day as well. For many who drink it this time, it may be when coffee’s practical uses truly come to the forefront. But again, there can be another dimension to enjoying coffee after hours. Its spiritual potential is just as strong as earlier in the day. Episode 23: Coffee Meditation #1 Episode 24: Coffee Meditation #2 Barbara Brown Taylor, Learning to Walk in the Dark Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Coffee Meditation #2 | 07 Nov 2021 | 00:29:29 | |
Coffee has a reputation of speeding things up, but I think it can also have an opposite effect. It can help slow us down and take stock of our surroundings. Coffee may be able to alter and enhance our awareness at the chemical level, but it can also alter our awareness at the mental and spiritual level by helping us take stock of what’s around us and within us. Episode 23: Coffee Meditation #1 Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation Rob Walker, The Art of Noticing Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Coffee Meditation #1 | 24 Oct 2021 | 00:25:29 | |
For some, coffee is essential to waking up. For others, it's a common cause and catalyst for socialization. It can aid in our ability to reflect and observe. This episode and the ones that will follow will be a series of meditations less about coffee itself and more about the larger experiences that it helps us enjoy. How to Be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Selective Forgetting | 10 Oct 2021 | 00:32:44 | |
“Forgive and forget” is one of those terms that people sometimes trot out in times of trauma, especially when one person has inflicted it on another. But forgiveness isn’t that simple, in part because forgetting isn’t that simple. When we experience that level of injury, it lives in our bodies, minds, and spirits. How might forgetting play a role in our healing? Or can it? Episode 21: It Never Truly Leaves Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Don't Ask Me How I Did It | 28 Apr 2024 | 00:38:23 | |
People occasionally ask me how I've managed to write my books. Here's my basic approach to the creative process, which will seem anticlimactic, and generally boils down to "I just did it." Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| It Never Truly Leaves | 03 Oct 2021 | 00:27:38 | |
We may tend to frame our need for healing from trauma or loss in terms of "letting go" or even forgetting what happened, as if we won't truly experience wholeness again until this past event is erased from our heart and mind. But rather than erase it from our lives (which isn't really possible), we may instead acknowledge that it is part of us, and incorporate it into our new and emerging sense of self. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Building in a Pandemic | 26 Sep 2021 | 00:29:34 | |
As we consider the habits and decisions that have brought us to where we are, that will especially include how this pandemic season has forced us to rethink and redirect parts of our lives. We’ve been presented with so many different changed circumstances that we can’t avoid taking into consideration that the question “what are you building” can’t be answered in the same way now. Episode 18: What Are You Building? Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Church Building | 19 Sep 2021 | 00:29:46 | |
The question "What are you building?" pertains to every aspect of our lives, but let's apply it to one thing: the church. Through this example, non-churchgoers may still be able to see how this may be applied in other ways. Episode 18: What Are You Building? Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| What Are You Building? | 12 Sep 2021 | 00:31:33 | |
Many events in our lives or in the world happen because they’ve been building for a while, set in motion days, weeks, years ago by a series of decisions and factors. We may or may not know it at the time, but they helped contribute to where things are today. Are we able to analyze how certain things in our lives built to where they did? Can we pause to look behind and see what we’ve been building now? Episode 4: Practice Makes Proficient Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| And Then Maybe You Can | 05 Sep 2021 | 00:28:55 | |
After admitting you can no longer do something and entering the bare season after, you may begin to get anxious about how long that season is taking. Maybe the answer involves a slow discovery or comes as a sudden epiphany. Either way, there are certain ways in which we may take active and intentional steps to figure it out. Episode 15: Sometimes You Can't Brian Cook, The Story 2021: As You Can See, I Can't Pay You Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| A Bare Season | 29 Aug 2021 | 00:26:07 | |
Letting go of something can feel liberating. But then we may enter a new season where we wonder what's next, and it may take a while to figure that out. What can we do during this bare season that will help us discover what we may be called to produce next? Episode 15: Sometimes You Can't Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Sometimes You Can't | 22 Aug 2021 | 00:28:39 | |
We receive so many messages around us that no matter how hard things get, we should be able to push through. We're told to never say that we can't. And yet admitting that we don't have the energy, resources, or willpower that we really need could be the first step to greater healing and wholeness. Blog posts: Blank, Can't Handle This Bo Burnham, All Eyes on Me Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Still Here | 15 Aug 2021 | 00:15:57 | |
It's been a long, low creative energy summer. But I'm ready to get this podcast back up and running with some new ideas and a slightly different approach. I hope that you didn't give up on me in the meantime, and that this episode popping up on whatever subscription feed you use is a welcome thing. Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Episode 4: Practice Makes Proficient Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Aw Hell, There's More | 07 Jun 2021 | 00:27:30 | |
If the concept of hell in the Bible isn’t as clear cut as many Christians believe, what do we do with it? Can we, or should we, retain the idea of hell at all? Most importantly, does hell mesh logically with the idea of an all-loving God who shares God’s grace unconditionally? Given how damaging the idea of hell has been for so many Christians and non-Christians, it’s worth spending more time with to consider how worthwhile it really is. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Aw, Hell. | 24 May 2021 | 00:31:34 | |
Where did the popular concept of hell as a place of eternal torment come from, and how can we reconcile it with the idea of a God who loves humanity unconditionally? This week begins an exploration of the concept, including a brief treatment of the primary places in scripture on which the idea is based. Love Wins by Rob Bell Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Celebrating Our Stories | 21 Apr 2024 | 00:32:56 | |
A brief recap of my family's recent experience at Cleveland Fan Expo, and reflections on how and why we connect to stories in books, shows, movies, and comics. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| A Theology of Star Wars, Part 2 | 17 May 2021 | 00:31:24 | |
After publishing last week's episode on a theology of Star Wars, I started thinking that I wanted to continue focusing on the subject. There is so much possibility in just how the Jedi and Sith each approach the Force, that I wanted to explore it more. In particular, the Jedi tend to discourage focus on one's emotions, which ends up having devastating consequences. What can we learn from the mistakes of the Jedi to better incorporate emotion into our spiritual experience? My books on spirituality and popular culture: Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith and the Music of Dave Matthews Band The Doctor and the Apostle: Intersections Between Doctor Who and the Letters of Paul Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| A Theology of Star Wars | 09 May 2021 | 00:30:55 | |
Star Wars is one of the most beloved and enduring pop culture franchises ever made. And it's worth asking what we might learn from it theologically. One podcast won't be able to do so exhaustively, but we can at least begin to explore the rich possibilities of this series. My books on pop culture and theology: Wonder and Whiskey: Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band The Doctor and the Apostle: Intersections Between Doctor Who and the Letters of Paul Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Re-Entry | 02 May 2021 | 00:15:53 | |
I didn't have time to write and record a full episode this week, so instead I take a few minutes to process out loud what it was like to attend my first public social gathering in over a year, thanks in part to becoming fully vaccinated. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The Call Cycle | 25 Apr 2021 | 00:35:45 | |
There are many signs and symbols that we need to watch for in order to discern our call. But after we begin pursuing it, there come times when we may need to recalibrate, and decide between recommitting ourselves or taking a different path. In that sense, calls can be cyclical, and recognizing where we are in the cycle can help us choose what to do. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Anatomy of a Call | 18 Apr 2021 | 00:30:10 | |
What comes to mind when you think of the word "calling?" Do you believe that you have found yours, or are you still searching? What goes into seeking a call, anyway? The answers to these questions may not be straightforward, but there are certain signs and elements that we can watch for. Hearing God's Call by Ben Campbell Johnson Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| We Should Talk About Burnout | 11 Apr 2021 | 00:34:29 | |
Have you ever walked into your workplace or some other place to which you've been dedicated, and realized you no longer have the energy to be there? Can you name something that you used to approach with energy and passion, that you now regard with cynicism, apathy, or despair? This feeling is called burnout, and we need to talk about it. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Just Do Today | 04 Apr 2021 | 00:33:52 | |
So many of us live closely by our schedules and to-do lists. But those schedules and to-do lists come with worries and an overdeveloped preoccupation on what comes next. We have both the possibilities and limitations of any given day, and both can be gifts. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Palm Sunday | 21 Mar 2021 | 00:36:35 | |
Christians know Palm Sunday best as the beginning of Holy Week, during which they are invited to reflect on one of the stories from the Gospels of Jesus' ride into Jerusalem a few days before his crucifixion. It tends to be a celebratory day, as well as a lead-in for what comes later in the week. But the story's implications carry so much more than what we may tend to see. Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| A Pandemic Lament | 14 Mar 2021 | 00:31:44 | |
After months of watching lockdowns begin in other countries, it was the United States' turn in March of 2020. Now here we are a year later, and we have experienced and lamented so much. Have we allowed ourselves to grieve over this past year? Will we allow ourselves to deal with lingering effects of grief even after we begin to return to a post-pandemic existence? Psychology Today, When Grief Gets Physical Shoma Morita, Morita Therapy Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Practice Makes Proficient | 07 Mar 2021 | 00:34:46 | |
If you were asked, "What's one thing you wish you were better at," you may actually be able to name more than one thing. We all have activities we wish we could do better, or habits we wish we could develop or break. We may recognize that the key to all of this is more practice -- "practice makes perfect," as the saying goes. But the pursuit of perfection may sabotage us before we even begin. Fortunately, there are other ways to think about practice that are more reasonable and achievable. Austin Kleon, 31-day Practice and Suck Less Challenge James Clear, Atomic Habits Prayer in Motion: Connecting with God in Fidgety Times Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| After the Honeymoon Phase | 14 Apr 2024 | 00:33:09 | |
When the initial novelty and excitement of a new experience fades, what do we do? We have several options, one of which is adaptation. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| Everything Is Already Different | 28 Feb 2021 | 00:33:51 | |
It's been about a year since the pandemic lockdowns began. Events have been cancelled or postponed over and over, and life in general has been turned upside down. This entire time--and more frequently now that an end slowly appears on the horizon--many have been talking about going "back to normal." But will everything really be exactly as it was, and will we really want it to be? Ed Prideaux, How to heal the "mass trauma" of Covid-19 Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||
| The Second Lentiest Lent | 21 Feb 2021 | 00:30:26 | |
All the COVID-related lockdowns and cancellations began during Lent 2020, leading someone to create a meme that read, "This is the Lentiest Lent I've ever Lented." This year, we are still faced with going without many of the same things, and questions of where hope and new life may be found are still with us. With all that we've been through and all that we've learned, how might this Lent be a source of renewal rather than added despair? Related blog post: Five Reminders for a Meaningful Lent Benediction: Blessing the Dust by Jan Richardson Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder Find more about my writing at coffeehousecontemplative.com | |||
| Let's Begin with a Story | 16 Feb 2021 | 00:35:59 | |
The inaugural episode of my new podcast. Many across the spectrum of religious experience and belief carry with them a question: “Where is God beyond what I know? Where is God beyond the walls of my place of worship? Where is God beyond the pages of my sacred texts and songs?" There is no one answer to that. I figured that the best way to begin would be to tell a little of my own story, and why I'm passionate about finding the spiritual in everything. My books:
Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder | |||