Take a Breath. Seriously.

When we are stressed we often hold our breath. Ironically enough, holding our breath actually increases our stress. 

Recently, I noticed that I sometimes hold my breath while checking email, reading the news headlines, and even checking social media. It as if the stress of that email, news headline, or some post builds up deep inside me. I’m not alone in this. According to The Center for Humane Technology, it turns out many of us do this while checking our email, task lists, or using mobile technology. 

Yet, slow and deep breathing is our natural antidote to stress. It always has been. 

Breathing has been proven to lower your blood pressure and heart rate. It can calm anxiety and decrease the negative effects of cortisol released in our bodies when we are overwhelmed or stressed. It has the power to calm and center ourselves and is essential to our mental health.

Breathing, something we do almost entirely unconscious 20 times per minute, has countless benefits. 

So take a breath. Seriously.

This blog can wait.

Take a slow deep inhale. Slowly exhale as if breathing out through a straw. Notice how your shoulders relax and tension in your body is released. 

In this pandemic in which we are living through, I have become utterly convinced that developing a practice of deep breathing and awareness is essential to our emotional and physical well-being. And, as I have discovered, it is also essential to our spiritual well-being.

You can find the importance of breathing as a spiritual practice in Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 

For instance, a group of Christian monks in the fifth century determined one could pray without ceasing by connecting one’s prayer to one’s breath. For these monks, with each inhale or exhale a prayer is recited. 

In some Jewish traditions, the pronunciation of the unspeakable name of G-d (Yahweh) is believed to be the actual sound of breathing. Yah as the inhale and Weh as the exhale. So breathing can connect us to God because breathing is reciting the name of God.

In Hebrew the word for Spirit is ruach, while in Greek it is pneuma. Both of these terms can also be translated as breath. Because of this, many have come to believe that the Divine Spirit is as present to us as our very breath. 

In the Sufi tradition of Islam, chanting with the breath is a way to become “a child of the moment” who is aware, present, and able to find calm in every moment. And, in the Buddhist tradition, focusing on breathing allows one to enter into a deeper meditative state and bring a sense of calm to all aspects of daily life. 

If I’m honest, in these uncharted times in which we are living, I have found myself to be more anxious and stressed than in other seasons. For me, practicing deep breathing rhythms has had a 100% success rate at calming my nerves, centering my soul, and connecting me with the Divine.

The more I practice breathing, the more I realize I crave a life that is calm, centered, and connected.

I have a bookmark on my browser that I occasionally click when things get a little hectic, it seems I have too much on my to-do list, or when I need a good reminder about breathing. It is a quote from Zen Habits founder Leo Babauta. I’ve quoted it below for you as a reminder to breathe. 

So, seriously, take a breath. Deeply inhale calm and let your stresses melt away with each exhale. But, if you’re around others, make sure you’re wearing a mask. 

Breathe.
If you feel overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.
If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present.
If you are moving too fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy life more.
Breathe, and enjoy each moment of this life. They’re too fleeting and few to waste.

If you want to learn more about breathing and prayer, be sure to check out my podcast episode on the Breath Prayer.

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.

Profane Faith with Dr. Daniel White Hodge

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 19: PROFANE FAITH WITH DR. DANIEL WHITE HODGE

In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Daniel White Hodge, Professor of Intercultural Communication and Department Chair of the Communication Arts Department at North Park University in Chicago. 

He is the author of 5 books, including The Soul of Hip Hop, Heaven Has a Ghetto, Hip Hop’s Hostile Gospel, Homeland Insecurity, and his most recent, Baptized in Dirty Water: Reimagining the Gospel According to Tupac Amaru Shakur. He also hosts the podcast Profane Faith, which I am loving right now! 

We talk about systemic racism, the ongoing black experience in our culture, a bit about how the president has changed communication and the presidency, as well as what white people do to screw up this work. 

Dr. Hodge is real, says it how it is, and is not afraid to speak truth even when it stings.

A few resources that Dr. Hodge recommended include Color of Fear Film and White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Be sure to check out his website and follow him on Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook.

As you continue to do this important and essential work, even when it stings, 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.

The Return of Darren Calhoun

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 18: THE RETURN OF DARREN CALHOUN

Four years ago, July 18th 2016, Darren Calhoun appeared on the first season of The Why Behind the What.

In that episode, we talked about racial justice, intersectionality, and our response to the killing of Philando Castille, Alton Sterling, and the mass shooting of 49 people at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

Four years later, we are having the same conversation.

We talk, again, about racial justice, the need for intersectionality as we dismantle systemic racism, and our response to living through a pandemic, engaging in protests, and the self-care needed to endure it all.

Has anything changed? Is it different this time around? Darren and I both seem glimmers of hope, but we realize there is so much more work to do.

Hopefully, Darren and I will not need to have a similar conversation four years from now. If we do, things really got screwed up.

Darren is a worship leader, a justice advocate, and a photographer based out of the great city of Chicago. He is also a member of the band, The Many, which is creating some beautiful music and resources.

Darren is truly one of the best human beings I have ever met.

I hope you enjoy this podcast interview and gives you the hope that there continue to be people who are doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. For more information about Darren, check out his website. You can also follow Darren on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can support Darren and his work on Venmo and CashApp.

And so friends, as you continue to do the work of racial justice, as you discover compassion even amongst the depth of unjust systems, and as you find joy even when things become exhausting, 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.

The Leprosy of Whiteness with Dave Capozzi

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 17: THE LEPROSY OF WHITENESS WITH DAVE CAPOZZI

Being healed from the leprosy of whiteness. 

That, among other things, is what Dave Capozzi and I talk about in this episode. Dave is a former church planter and now works in preventative work for under-resourced populations outside of Boston, MA.

Dave is one of those guys who make you think, who challenges your assumptions, and pushes you to be a better human being.

In this episode, we talk about whiteness, how we've messed up these conversations and were complicit in racist systems, the importance of shutting up and listening to the stories and experiences of others, and the importance of checking our motives as we do this work.

Dave isn’t an author, doesn’t have his own website, isn’t hosting a podcast, or living as a social media influencer. He’s making a tangible difference in his community, in the lives of the people who know him, and in the culture.

Be sure to follow Dave on Twitter and Instagram. He’s someone you should know.

As you continue to do the work of dismantling systems, listening to others, checking your motives, and being healed from the leprosy of whiteness, 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.

Rediscipling the White Church with David Swanson

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 16: REDISCIPLING THE WHITE CHURCH WITH REV. DAVID SWANSON

What if the answer to the racial segregation within our churches is not diversity, but discipleship? And, what if our church’s methods of discipleship have actually contributed to our racial segregation? 

In this time of racial violence and protests, what if our role, as white people, is not to become woke, but to become dismantlers, repairers, and reformers? 

In this episode, I interview David Swanson, pastor of New Community Covenant Church in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago and the author of Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidary.

In this conversation, we talk about the how white people are often complicit to racist systems, that the answer to racial segregation in our churches is not diversity but is actually discipleship, we talk about unlearning the narrative we have come to believe in order to relearn the truth of our history so that we can begin the work to repair and reform not only the church but our society.

If you are white and someone who is a part of the Christian tradition, I think not only should you listen to this episode, and probably listen to it a couple times, but also immediately go out and buy David’s book. 

I believe David is a voice that every White Christian needs to listen to. He is pastoral and prophetic, and I think he will be one of the key leaders helping White people unlearn and relearn their history as well as work to become dismantlers of white supremacy.

You can learn more about David on his website and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Resources that David recommends in this episode include: Be the Bridge, White Awake, Trouble I’ve Seen, Roadmap to Reconciliation, Divided by Faith, and every essay and book by James Baldwin.

As you move from cheap diversity to true solidarity, being discipled so you might become dismantlers of white supremacy and systemic racism, 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.

Digging Up the Roots of Racism Podcast

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 15: DIGGING UP THE ROOTS OF RACISM

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about digging up racism. I had written this almost two weeks before George Floyd’s brutal murder.

I can’t stop thinking about this metaphor, even though, like all metaphors, it can only go so far. In light of everything happening now in our country, I felt the need to share a longer version of it on my podcast.

Now, I’m one of those over-achieving-planners. I had 10 other podcast episodes recorded and scheduled for the rest of the summer. But, I’m putting all of those on hold for a bit.

Instead, I want to spend some time on the podcast talking about whiteness, our racial biases and privilege, dismantling white supremacy and systemic injustice, as well as resource us while amplifying important voices and crucial work. 

So for the next few weeks, I am going to spend some time talking about this and interviewing a few friends and colleagues.

In this episode, I share a story, give you some resources, and end with a contemplative prayer that lasts 8:46 - the same amount of time that George Floyd spent gasping for breath as a police officer kneeled on his neck.

I think the upcoming episodes will be crucial for us white people who rarely think about our race, worry about police brutality, are unaware of our privilege, or refuse to face the evil and racist systems in our culture.

We need to learn our history, acknowledge the reality, speak up and out, repent, and apologize. We need to name it. We need to call it out. We need to repent. And then, we need to shut up for a while in order to listen and learn. As we do this, we need to find the roots of racism within our own hearts and lives.

Instead of just trying to become woke, we need to become the fixers and repairers.

Instead of unknowingly benefiting from racist systems, we need to become the dismantlers of racist systems. 

We need to uproot the entire system and fix it, because we created it.

We need to become anti-racist who are working to create anti-racist policies, systems, culture, and the world. 

As I mention in this episode, I have a bunch of resources for you.

If you love podcasts as I do, I recommend: Code Switch, Existential, Momentum, Pass the Mic, Profane Faith, Speaking of Racism, and White Homework.

There are so many incredible books out there. Some of the most impactful to me have been the following: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Just Mercy, How to be an Anti-Racist, Stamped from the Beginning, Antiracist Baby, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You.

I think you should read everything by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Between the World and Me, We Were Eight Years in Power, The Case for Reparations, The Beautiful Struggle, and The Water Dancer. The Cross and the Lynchburg Tree and God of the Oppressed by James Cone are essential.

The Warmth of Other Suns, Slavery by Another Name, The Color of Law, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, Tears We Cannot Stop, and Trouble I’ve Seen are all incredible books worth your time.

And for those of us who are white, here are some specific books on whiteness that I recommend: White Fragility, White Like Me, Waking up White, White Awake, Raising White Kids, and Rediscipling the White Church. 

I’ve also created a Let’s Get to Work Resource List, which you can download as a PDF. (Oh, and if you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll get other perks like this once and a while)

It’s time to stand up, declare Black lives matter, grab a shovel, and start digging up the roots of racism because we are 400 years behind on this important work.

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