Mindfulness with Steve Wiens

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 12: MINDFULNESS WITH STEVE WIENS

What happens when our faith stops working? Is it all over? Should we just give up entirely on faith and God?

Steve Wiens doesn’t think so. Steve actually thinks that a deconstruction of our faith is a regular pattern. And, he’s all about helping people reconstruct their faith.

On my newest podcast episode, I interview Steve Wiens as we talk about just that. We talk about how disillusionment and disorder are a regular rhythm of the spiritual life and the importance of practicing mindfulness as a way to encounter God all around us- from brushing our teeth, to a sunset, to a religious gathering. 

Steve is a spiritual teacher, author, and pastor who loves helping people reconstruct their faith after their theological foundations have crumbled. He desires to give people permission to experience new and expansive ways of understanding God, themselves, and the world in which they live.

We need more pastors like Steve.

He’s written three books: Beginnings, Whole, and his newest book which we talk about in this episode is called Shining Like the Sun, which introduces seven mindful practices for those who’ve lost their faith but are still in search of God. 

Steve also hosts the weekly podcast, This Good Word, which explores what’s holy in our humanity. You can learn more about Steve and connect with him on his website.

I feel as if Steve is a few years ahead of me on this journey and I am so thankful for the ways he is helping so many people, myself included, to discover God in new ways and to experience the Divine all around us.

If you like this episode, please SHARE it and REVIEW it on Apple Podcasts.

And as you experience the rhythms of a reconstructed faith and are given permission to follow the truth wherever it may lead, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

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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.

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Podcast Episode One: When Faith Stops Working

SEASON TWO - EPISODE ONE: WHEN FAITH STOPS WORKING

I never thought I’d be the pastor who would find himself laying on the floor, under his desk, with noise-canceling headphones on, crying.

But within a few years of actually being in full-time ministry, within a few years of actually working for churches, within a few years of actually preaching, and pastoring, and creating programs, I found myself so overwhelmed with life and work that there I was, just chilling under my desk.

At the time, I found myself burnt out. I felt overworked, completely unprepared for ministry, and my soul was aching for something I wasn’t sure was even worth it, longing for something more. My faith wasn’t working the way it once had.

I realized that I needed something new. And what I learned was that the something new I needed was actually something quite old; ancient actually.

And so, from meditation to monasteries, silence to solitude, contemplative practices to centering prayer these ancient spiritual practices changed everything for me. They literally revived my soul and saved my faith. It wasn’t as if I pursued contemplative spiritual practice, it was as if I fell into them, discovering them by human accident but divine purpose.

Contemplative spiritual practices are ways that open me up to God’s presence, ways to be with God rather than things to do for God, and they’re practices that allow God to do things in me while I am simply learning to be; be present and still.

In this episode of the podcast, I share how these ancient practices revived my faith, healed my soul, and allowed me to hear the Divine. Take a listen and be sure to leave a review on iTunes Apple Podcasts.

If you’re looking for more resources, check out: The Emotionally Healthy Leader, by Pete Scazzero; Just This, by Richard Rohr; New Seeds of Contemplation, by Thomas Merton; Concerning the Inner Life, by Evelyn Underhill

Until then, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE and LISTEN on APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Coming Soon: Podcast Season Two

It’s back!

After a long hiatus, my podcast, The Why Behind the What, is back with all-new episodes, a new logo, new music, and new ideas to share with you! Where have I been for the last few years? Well, not doing a podcast, that’s for sure. But rest assured it is back and ready to go.

Starting January 13th, a new episode will drop every two weeks based on the theme, ‘Ancient Contemplative Spirituality for Today’s Transformation.’

The past few years have brought me on a journey where I realized faith wasn’t working for me as it once had. My Christian life wasn’t what it once was. The prayers I said, the songs I sang, the church services I attended, the Bible I read, it all stopped working. I became disillusioned, bored, tired, and critical. I was burnt out. And, much of this happened while I was working as a pastor.

I needed something new in my faith and something more for my soul. What I discovered was that something ‘new’ was actually something quite old; ancient actually.

That’s what I’ll introduce you to this season. In these episodes, I’ll invite you into ancient spiritual practices that relieve stress, increase union with the Divine, and lead to personal and spiritual transformation. These practices have quite literally revived my faith, healed my soul, increased my passion, and allowed me to hear the still small voice of God.

If you have found yourself on a similar faith journey; one that isn’t working as it once did, one that has led you to become burnt out, cynical, or tired, I hope you will listen. And more than that, I hope you will open yourself up to the Divine and through ancient contemplative spirituality, you might be transformed today.

A few things you can do to help spread the word about The Why Behind the What:

• First, subscribe to the podcast on APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, google play, podcast republic, or wherever you listen.

• sECOND, please share it on social media (I need your help to spread the word to the masses).

• THIRD, please review it on ITUNES PODCASTS so those silly algorithms will allow more people to find it.

Until then, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

This podcast and blog were written and recorded on Monacan Land. For more about indigenous land and territories where you live and work, check out native-land.ca.