The Deeply Formed Life with Rich Villodas

Season Two - Episode 30: The Deeply Formed Life with Rich Villodas

Contemplative Spirituality. Racial Justice. The Art of Preaching.

Rich Villodas speaks and writes about three of my favorite topics! I couldn’t wait to have him on this podcast.

In this, the 30th episode of The Why Behind the What, I interview Rich about his new book, The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformational Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus. We talk about his journey of discovering contemplative spirituality, how these transformational values can help us live a deep life instead of a shallow life, and how racial justice is an essential contemplative practice.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was when Rich mentioned that “God doesn’t dwell in allusion, but God dwells in reality.”

It was a reminder to me that God is as close to us as our very breathing, that the Divine is all around us, and that we need to become of aware of the True Reality within our reality.

If you want to learn more about Rich, be sure to check out his website and follow him on Twitter. If you’re in Queens and looking for a church community, I recommend you check out his church, New Life Fellowship. You can also stream services online.

Finally a few great resources Rich recommends in this episode are, Barbara Holmes’ Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church and Henri Nouwen’s Out of Solitude and The Way of the Heart.

As you pursue a deeply formed life, one that finds God in reality, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

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Truth Bombs and Cheese with David Rice

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 27: TRUTH BOMBS AND CHEESE WITH DAVID RICE

Truth bombs and cheese.

This has been the theme of so many of my conversations with David Rice. David is one of those guys who, when he speaks, you listen.

Over the few years that I have known David, he has spoken so many truths that I needed to hear. He may not even know the impact that his words, encouragement, and truth bombs have had on my life and soul.

For years, I have kept a journal where I catalog thoughts, quotations, and ideas I want to remember. I have multiple quotes from David in this journal. Under one quote in the journal I had written: “Another truth bomb from David.”

In this episode of the podcast, David and I talk about spiritual formation, church, and...cheese.

Yep, cheese; my guess is you didn’t expect that one.

David is a pastor, practical theologian, former cheesemonger, chef, gardener, father, husband, and a vessel for truth bombs. You can learn more about David via his website  and you can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

As you continue on this journey of spiritual formation within a church and as you wake up to the reality of God in your life, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

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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.

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Contemplative Listening with Megan Westra

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 21: CONTEMPLATIVE LISTENING WITH MEGAN WESTRA

On this episode of the podcast, I have the privilege of interviewing Megan Westra.

Megan is a pastor in Milwaukee, WI, author of the soon-to-be-released book, Born Again and Again: Jesus’ Call to Radical Transformation, host of the Podluck Podcast, and is an advocate for the marginalized, voiceless, and those who need hope. I stumbled upon Megan’s work thanks to Twitter and have been following her and her work for a while. 

Her personal faith journey has led her from very conservative southern baptist routes to a contemplative faith that leads to action and equity. And in this episode we touch on centering prayer, lectio divina, and silence as ways to encounter God in fresh ways. 

One of the greatest insights I gained from this conversation was from a brief comment Megan made about finding God in the silence.

Now, I’ve often heard that in silence, we can hear the still small voice of the Divine. There are ancient scriptures that speak to this point. However, what Megan states in this episode is that in the silence God is.

So, silence and stillness does not necessarily mean the absence of God.

Nor does silence and stillness mean we can maybe, just maybe, hear the still small voice of God.

But it means that in the silence and stillness God is.

I don’t know about you, but that is refreshingly good news to me. It’s great to reminded that silence and stillness are not a barrier to encountering God, but are ways to encountering God.

Therefore, stillness, silence, and contemplative practices are a way to complete reorient our lives to encounter God in all places and at all times.

If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts as it enables more people to see the podcast. As always, this podcast was recorded and edited on Monocan Land. 

As you discover the richness of lectio divina, journey to a faith that takes you places you never thought imaginable, and discover the Divine within the silence and stillness, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

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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 Two: Silence

SEASON TWO - EPISODE TWO: SILENCE

The hustle and bustle of a noisy city have a way of becoming white noise. It can lull you to sleep. You almost don’t hear the noise until it is no longer there. This was my reality when I lived in Chicago.

Most evenings, in the middle of the night, I would wake up to a moment of silence. The stoplight at the intersection turned red, there were no cars moving, and all the sirens stopped. Yet, as soon as the light turned green and the hum of the cars started up again, I’d wistfully fall asleep again.

It surprised me that the silence would wake me up rather than a honking horn or a siren.

Silence. It got my attention even in my sleep.

We fill the silence with music, podcasts, thoughts, notifications, and words. I think there is an epidemic of noise in our culture. In a season of stress, busyness, and burnout is when I began to notice how noisy my world was. And as I learned to become aware of the noise, to learn what is deafening the silence, I realized just how important silence is.

Silence is imperative for the spiritual life.

Silence does more than simply allow our minds to settle down. It enables us to become better listeners in conversation. It can refresh our souls and calm anxiety. It trains us to trust our thoughts and better handle our emotions. It even enables us to have greater compassion for others and upon ourselves. Yet, more than that, it enables us to be present to the One who is always present to us. It creates a space for us to be still and hear the still small voice of the Divine. It allows us to open ourselves up to God so God might do a transforming work in us.

If your world is a bit noisy, I hope you will take a listen to this episode. I even end the episode with a prolonged moment of silence in hopes that you might find peace amidst a noisy world.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please write a short review on Apple Podcasts. It helps the algorithm push the podcast to more people.

Additionally, here are a few great resources referenced in this episode: Stillness is the Key, by Ryan Holiday; Thoughts in Solitude, by Thomas Merton; Invitation to Solitude and Silence, by Ruth Haley Barton; The Way of the Heart, by Henri Nouwen.

As you experience the silence, may you have peace, may you have calm, 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.

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