Coffeehouse Contemplative

According to the liturgical calendar, we are still in the Easter season. Does it still feel like Easter, though? Reminders are much more difficult to come by than they were in March and early April. So what kinds of reminders do we need, and where can we find them now? John 14:15-21 Music: "Reflections" by  Wild Wonder

Sometimes we ask, "How did this happen?" or "How did things get to this point?" To help find the answer, we should look back on what happened the days, weeks, or months before. And what could we do today to end up with a better tomorrow? Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Sometimes the images we use for God make sense, but due to life's current circumstances, there might be others that make more sense to us. This week's episode will explore the fact that we have many more such images to work with than we may think. Dishwalla, Counting Blue Cars Sati by Christopher Pike Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

You may be dealing with some ailment--physical, emotional, or spiritual--that is throwing you just enough off kilter to cause you to re-arrange your approach to life. How do we live with such things, and can we learn anything from them? 2 Corinthians 12:2-12 Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Even the most constructive forms of feedback can feel awful to hear. But remembering some things about ourselves and the person sharing it with us can help us receive it better. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

This episode will be released on Easter Sunday, so I'm sharing one of my own experiences that is foundational to why I consider myself an "Easter Christian." Luke 24:13-35 (NIV) Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Palm Sunday and Holy Week show us a very different use and nature of power than what we're used to and may even prefer. Celebrities for Jesus by Katelyn Beaty Matthew 21:1-11 Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

My sermon at Congregational United Church of Christ in Canton, Ohio on March 26, 2023 for the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Ezekiel 37:1-14 Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

There are certain people, places, experiences, or seasons with which we may have negative associations. And when the circumstances are right, those negative associations can revisit our bodies, minds, and spirits all over again. For some reason, I try to avoid calling this phenomenon "trauma," but that's what it is. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

This week's episode is the sermon I preached at Dover Congregational UCC in Westlake, Ohio on March 12, 2023 for the Third Sunday in Lent. Exodus 17:1-7 Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Hitting our physical nerve points can hurt. Hitting our emotional and spiritual nerve points can hurt even more. This week's episode will explore how to identify what and where those nerve points are for ourselves. "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

All I want to do this week is tell you the story of my recent speeding ticket.  Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Do we have a problem with Lent? Maybe, maybe not. But there are ways in which Lent can be problematic. This episode explores those ways, as well as offers some guidelines for choosing a Lenten practice. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

After experiencing a failure or mistake, it can be very easy for us to dwell on it to the point where we expect nothing but negative things to happen going forward. That mindset can then affect future attempts for the worse. The BLACK PIT of NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS by Brian Cook Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Now that most churches are gathering for worship in person again, the old tired arguments about which form of worship is best are being trotted back out. This week's episode is basically a rant about that kind of thinking, with an encouragement to be more open to what others find meaningful. Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

In one's school days, our experiences of gym class and recess might have been very different, and we might have dreaded the former while eagerly anticipating the latter. What were the differences between the two, and how might we be operating with these same differences in our lives today? Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

I didn't have a clear single idea for this week's episode, so you get several ideas in shorter bursts instead. This week I reflect on "the grindset," rearranging my basement studio, and my current book manuscript. How Interior Design Impacts Your Mental Health Episode 59: When You Have to Start Over My Month of Writing, Derailed Music "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

We can put an incredible amount of pressure on ourselves to get everything in our lives absolutely perfect, and we may even tie this need to our own sense of self-worth. A little-known extra-Biblical document gives us some practical wisdom for how to address that. The Didache Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Many still make resolutions for New Year's, with mixed results at best. But there are alternatives to this method that can be effective in helping people make desired changes to their lives. One such method is choosing a single word by which to live throughout the year.  One Word 365 One Word 2023: Heal Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

The Christmas season can bring a lot of positive feelings such as comfort, peace, sentimentality, and belonging. But the theological implications of this time is also meant to bring discomfort, challenge, and a call to action. Matthew 2:13-23 Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

The season of Advent is the precursor to Christmas, but it serves an important purpose in its own right. This episode will explore why Advent is necessary for Christians' preparation for the new birth to come. NEW ADVENT EBOOK: Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Around the same time that many people like to begin singing Christmas carols, Thanksgiving hymns may be chosen for worship in many churches but might not receive the same attention. This episode is my own attempt to give them the appreciation that they deserve. NEW ADVENT BOOK: Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

Taking a view of life that is ordered and linear and has very clear steps may comfort some, but for many it doesn't make much sense. Perhaps there's another way to approach life and faith that takes better account of circumstance and context. NEW ADVENT EBOOK: Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel Ac...

My new ebook, Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent , released on November 1st. This week's episode includes a celebration of that release, an overview of how it came about, and a couple readings from it. Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life and Faith Music: "Reflections" by Wild Wonder

How does one become better at something, whether art, cooking, crafting, writing, or anything else? I came up with three concepts that all start with the letter C, and then in the midst of recording I added a fourth. Whether three or four, these are what help lead greater ability in one's chosen activity. NEW ADVENT EBOOK: Four Weeks: Reflections for Advent No Perfect Time: Brief Essays on Life an...