A Yearly Contemplative Breakfast with Matt Nightingale

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 22: A YEARLY CONTEMPLATIVE BREAKFAST WITH MATT NIGHTINGALE

Do you have that person who you grab a drink with maybe once a year and it’s as if no time has passed at all? That’s how my friendship with Matt Nightingale has worked.

Matt and I met probably twelve years ago. I think we initially connected through Twitter and our friendship then developed at a yearly conference we attended. It became our yearly tradition where we’d always have breakfast together during the conference. Our breakfast always ended up being hours of conversation and countless cups of coffee. 

In this episode of The Why Behind the What, I have the privilege of interviewing my friend and colleague, Matt Nightingale.  He is a pastor, spiritual director, an educator, ted-talker, musician, father, and does a lot of work surrounding spirituality and sexuality. He has a profound journey and his story is incredible. He has become known for his TEDx Talk with his former wife that shares part of his painful and redemptive story of being in a mixed-oriented marriage for 23 years and coming out during his mid-forties.

In this episode we talk about the importance of contemplative spirituality, spiritual direction, the restrictive teachings of fundamentalism, and how after deconstructing beliefs we didn’t really believe we were opened to finding God in new and incredible experiences.

I hope you’ll find our conversation to be as enjoyable as I did.

You can connect with Matt on his website. You can also follow him on  Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. A few people and resources we mentioned in this podcast are: Steve Wiens, The Journey Center, Quest Novato, Eva Sullivan Knoff, Joanna Quintrell, The Christian Closet.

And, as you discover a faith that you can truly believe in, one where you journey with others through contemplative practices that can be a healing balm to your soul, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, POCKET CASTS, CASTBOX, CASTRO, RADIO PUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

The Church of the Covenant with Dan Harrison

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 20: THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT WITH DAN HARRISON

Reparations, contemplative prayer, the Good Samaritan, the Choctaw Nation, and the racial history and segregation in Lynchburg, VA are a few of the topics Dan Harrison and I talk about in this episode of The Why Behind the What.

Dan is the third pastor of the infamous Church of the Covenant, which has been a force for racial justice and integration within Lynchburg, contemplation, and creating a community of people who live out the teachings of Jesus since 1954. 

The Church of the Covenant was the first integrated church in Lynchburg during the Civil Rights Movement, hosted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, during his visit to the city, opened the first integrated swimming pool, started a camp, and has been an ecumenical movement within its context ever since.

In this episode, Dan and I talk about our role of dismantling white supremacy, the Good Samaritan, reparations, contemplative prayer, and his journey of moving from a fundamentalist Christian faith to an expansive spiritual life. 

Dan knows his history and it impacts his actions. He refuses to forget or ignore history, like so many of us do. Instead, he embodies that history so he might live more fully as a Christian, a minister, and as a human being.

In this episode, Dan mentioned his interview with Quan McLaurin and the LUnderground Railroad GoFundMe Campaign to raise funds for staff who feel racial trauma at the institution and hope to leave Liberty University but are financially unable to do so. 

If you want to learn more about Dan and Church of the Covenant, check out the website and you can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And maybe someday a TikTok.

And as you continue to work for an equitable world where the contemplative leads to you humble yourself, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

Cabin Sessions with Marielle Kraft

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 11: CABIN SESSIONS WITH MARIELLE KRAFT

I finally have a guest on the podcast!

In this episode of The Why Behind the What, I interview Marielle Kraft, a singer-songwriter based out of Philadelphia.

Marielle and I have known one another for a little over eight years. When we met, she had just learned to play a few chords on the ukulele and now she is touring the country, dropping studio albums, and creating some incredible music.

My family and I went and saw her tour when it made a stop in our city. While we were eating dinner and enjoying some drinks, we started talking about the spiritual life and Marielle shared how she had some incredible spiritual experiences in a tiny cabin in New Jersey.

Spending four days in complete solitude and silence greatly impacted her life, her soul, and her music.

As she told me this, I knew I had to get her on the podcast. So, in this episode, we talk about how Marielle got glimpses of the Divine, found out that God has a sense of humor, experienced freedom from technology and the noise of social media, and discovered the beauty of silence and solitude.

Yet, the coolest part of this episode is that Marielle plays a song she has never played publicly. Yes, that’s right people, it’s a world premiere performance on the podcast! It’s a Why Behind the What exclusive! And, it brought tears to my eyes. 

You can find Marielle’s music on Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your music. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also buy some merch on her website. If you like this episode, be sure to SHARE it and REVIEW it on Apple Podcasts.

As you discover a mystical God, the One who has a sense of humor, who is found in silence, solitude, and even mazes, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

Podcast Episode Ten: Contemplative Ecumenical

SEASON TWO - EPISODE TEN: CONTEMPLATIVE ECUMENICAL

In episode ten of The Why Behind the What, I seek to introduce you to a new language that, for a long time, I did not have words for. Much of this episode is based on a three-part blog series I wrote a little over a year ago entitled, On Being an Ecumenical.

My spiritual journey, which has led me to practice the contemplative and the ancient, has led me to discover and develop a new identity:

I am a Contemplative Ecumenical.

I see more and more people who once identified as Evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, or Christian, seeking and longing for something new. So, I think it’s time we find a new term and form a new type of community. And, lucky for you, this is what I’m trying to do with turning Ecumenical into a noun and claim it as our identity. 

I think Contemplative Ecumenical might be a great term that embodies the ancient spiritual practices we’ve been talking about and what the Jesus tradition is all about.

As an adjective, ecumenical means promoting unity and oneness among the world’s Christian churches. It seeks cooperation and better understanding among different Christian traditions. It values the beauty of diversity, names and embraces our differences, sees everyone as members of the same community, all the while not letting these things bring division. A lofty goal, for sure.

I think being an Ecumenical means viewing the Christian Tradition as a diamond. We acknowledge and appreciate every facet of the diamond, rather than thinking the unpolished parts need to be removed or only one facet gets to glean the brightest. 

What I want to do is hold this diamond in my hand, move it around, look at each facet, and be in awe of the facets that catch my eye, reflect the beauty of God’s Light, and impact my soul.

I don’t know how this sounds to you, but being a Contemplative Ecumenical it gives me a little more hope, speaks deeply to my soul, and I’m all in. I think it could be so cool to see a movement of Contemplative Ecumenicals who are living an ancient faith and experiencing glimpses of the Divine and being transformed by this God today.

Maybe you’ve come to the point where you can no longer identify as Protestant, Evangelical, or Catholic. Maybe there’s something better for all of us. Maybe, we’re all Contemplative Ecumenicals reading to join this mysterious, contemplative, and transformational way of life.

A few resources I reference are The Pocket Meister Eckhart and The Pocket Thomas Merton as well as my blog series, On Being an Ecumenical. Also, please leave a review of the podcast here.

As you live as Contemplative Ecumenicals, as you practice an ancient spirituality, and as you see glimpses of the Divine all around you, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

Podcast Episode Nine: Digital Disconnect

SEASON TWO - EPISODE NINE: DIGITAL DISCONNECT

If you’ve followed my blog, you know I’ve been writing a lot about social media, technology, and disconnecting from our digital devices for the last couple of years. This has included the following posts: Attentive to Advent, Not Social Media; A Break to Declutter; and the three-part series: A Digital Declutter: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3.

In this ninth episode of The Why Behind the What, I share how disconnecting from social media and technological devices is essential to our spiritual transformation.

The more I have used social media, the more I have questions the value of social media.

It is impacting my spiritual life? Is it a barrier to connecting with God and other people? Is my time spent on it actually worth it? Does it significantly add value to my life? Is it keeping me from being productive in any other area? Am I a better human because of it? Am I aware of how social media makes me feel while I am using it? Or am I caught in a trap of mindless scrolling and numbing liking and retweeting?

These are actually ancient questions. For centuries, people of all faiths have been asking whether modern life and technologies of their time enhance or inhibit their spiriutal life.

In this episode, I share my journey and relationship with social media and technology, gives some examples of what I’ve done to log off from social media in order to be with people, and why I think we must disconnect from our digital devices to connect with the Divine.

The thing is, if God speaks using a still small voice, if the Ultimate Creator is known through Creation and Creations, if to hear the Divine we must be silent or embrace solitude, if what we’ve been talking about this entire season are actually tools to open ourselves up to the Presence of the Divine, then we MUST rethink and change our relationship with technology. 

If you’re interested in reading and learning more, I highly recommend the following: Digital Minimalism; iDisorder; The Distracted Mind; Reclaiming Conversation; Bored and Brilliant; Irresistible; The Shallows; 10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now; I Used to be a Human Being: An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. It broke me. It might break you, too; How to Break Up with Your Phone; 

 If you need a few new podcasts on this topic, I recommend: It’s Complicated; Note to Self; and Your Undivided Attention.

As you disconnect and become disentangled from social media and your phone, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

Podcast Episode Eight: Fixed Hour Prayer & Liturgy

SEASON TWO - EPISODE EIGHT: FIXED HOUR PRAYER & LITURGY

In episode eight of the Why Behind the What, I introduce you to Fixed Hour Prayer and Liturgy; absolutely ancient and foundational practices in the history of the Christian tradition.

Fixed Hour Prayer is pausing to pray throughout our day at regular intervals- usually in the morning, around lunch, in the early evening, and before bed while utilzing a type of prayer book, such as the Common Book of Prayer. Liturgy, meanwhile, is the guiding and organizing principles of a church’s worship gathering; the rituals, traditions, and structure within the service.

When faith and church stopped working for me, when my prayer life seemed stagnant, when I didn’t know what to pray and felt pretty numb in a church service, it was Fixed Hour Prayer and the Liturgy that revived my soul.

They brought tears to my eyes, gave me the words I knew I needed to pray but didn’t have the words for, changed how I viewed and experienced church gatherings, and made me so much more appreciative of church history and global faith community.

Through prayer and liturgy, it was as if I was discovering and witnessing a language my soul knew how to speak all along. Through practicing them, I discovered depth, beauty, richness, and mystery; something I rarely found in other contemporary Christian traditions.

Fixed Hour Prayer and Liturgy are mysteriously mindful, refreshingly remarkable, strongly spiritual, and deeply theological.

They move me from not feeling it to saying, affirming, believing, and finally, living it.

They form me, mold me, and ultimately, transform me.

They are tools that open us up to the transforming presence of the Divine.

I don’t know about you, but I need the Liturgy and Fixed Hour Prayer, whether I’m feeling it or not and I’m convinced they are essential ancient practices for our continued transformation today. If interested, here are some great resources to start experiencing Fixed Hour Prayer: The Divine Hours (Volume One); The Divine Hours (Volume Two); The Divine Hours (Volume Three); The Divine Hours: Pocket Edition; Book of Common Prayer; The Online Book of Common Prayer; Hour by Hour.

As you experience the ancient contemplative practices of Fixed Hour Prayer and Liturgy, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

Podcast Episode Seven: Lectio Divina

SEASON TWO - EPISODE SEVEN: LECTIO DIVINA

Many of us read ancient scriptures like we do a news article or a tweet; for information. Whether it’s a blog, Facebook post, tweet, or an online article, we read to gather information as quickly as possible. Then, we move onto the next post or article looking for facts, information, or understanding.

Yet, ancient scriptures aren’t simply meant to be skimmed for information, they are to read for transformation.

In this seventh episode of The Why Behind the What, I introduce you to Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading, which is by far my favorite way to read and listen to scripture. Without a doubt, this has been the most profound way I have come to read texts, hear the voice of the Divine, and be transformed by these ancient words.

Even better, though, in this episode, you might just learn Latin! Ok, ok, you won’t be fluent, but you might just learn four words, which will make you incredibly far from being even remotely an amateur. 

What is Lectio Divina? It is an ancient monastic practice of reading scripture through meditation and prayer with the purpose of union with the Divine and increasing one’s knowledge of Scripture. It teaches us to savor the ancient texts, to meditate upon it, ruminate on it, and respond to it.

Lectio Divina is an ancient contemplative practice that can transform our lives today.

It forces us to slow down, incorporates silence and stillness, and allows us to wait upon the Divine rather than rushing to read the next verse.

In this episode of the podcast, I will share some instructions and also lead you through Lectio Divina. The following is a summary of how I do Lectio Divina:

Number 1 - Lectio: Read the passage. Listen for a word of phrase. 

Number 2 - Meditatio: Read the passage. Define that word or phrase.

Number 3 - Oratio: Read the passage. Write a letter to yourself from God about that word or phrase.

Number 4 - Contemplatio: Read the passage. How do you need to respond? What needs to happen? 

If you’d like to read more, a couple of recommended books to begin with are: Sacred Rhythms, by Ruth Haley Barton; Invitation to a Journey, by Robert Mulholland.

As you listen, meditate, contemplate, and respond to ancient scriptures and the voice of the Divine, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.