Facing Up: Life Beyond Belief

I was surprised and delighted to meet a kind and thoughtful man this week who had a similar experience to mine.  He, too, was brought up in Conservative Christianity and came to a place where he had to leave. There were some amazing parallels in our journeys. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

There is no true story (Lost) There are no happy endings (Hadestown) We will never find the conflict-free place we long for (The Hunger Games) These three stories illustrate  the futility of basing our lives on stories. The only way to have meaning, purpose and belonging is to live life Facing Up. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Mrs. Swift was the 70-year-old widow who helped teach me how to poke fun at my story and break its power. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Thoughts about facing life's final years with dad. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Not all dogma is the same. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Here is the shift that has literally transformed my existence. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Liminal space is the awkward "in-between" that separates two states of existence. Facing Up helps people navigate liminal space between story and being.  The payoff is life beyond belief. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

OUTRAGE is everywhere these days. But outrage is dangerous energy. It's negative, not positive. Worse, it can unleash our inner Pharisee. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

It is liberating to face the fact that I am a predator like everything else. This opens a door to empathy and gives me the freedom to harmonize with others in a new way. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Is the war in Iran a just war? Maybe that's the wrong question. I'm looking at the war and my conflict with other people through a different lens these days. I like it way better. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

I'm up in Seattle this week with my dad, who broke his hip a few weeks back. Here are some thoughts on growing old and facing death. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

It's fun to use my imagination but what I imagine is always a pale shadow of actual experience. If you want to be amazed, don't turn to imagination. Open your eyes! To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Thoughts from my Easter trip to Point Reyes on feeling close to the Divine plus some info on ultralight backpacking for those who are interested. This one has lots of pictures. If you want to see the video, go to https://facingup.club/ultralight-on-the-trail-with-my-old-friend/.  To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

The hardest to thing to let go of when I stopped being a Christian was the feeling that God was close. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

I'm getting sick of making deals. A deal is a zero sum game where there is a winner and a loser. There is a better way. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

I know how great it feels to live an authentic life. Why is it so hard?? To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Sometimes when people make a mistake they say, "Oops! I lied." But making a mistake and lying are different. A lie is not a misunderstanding of reality, It is a betrayal. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

I get discouraged when I look at what is going on in the world. I find the Serenity Prayer to be a helpful tool to navigate the chaos. (Not Frank Constanza's serenity prayer. We'll look instead to the Dalai Lama and Reinhold Niebuhr.)  To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Sometimes Julie says to me, "I love you but I don't like you." Other times she says, "I don't just love you. I like you!"  I like the second statement way better!   When it comes to relationships, commitment isn't enough. You gotta find friendship. Otherwise, what's the point? To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Here's my sloppy drawing of the the existential shift to life beyond belief. You can watch the "Three Breaths" video here .  To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Is your life a meaningless grind? Don't sit around waiting for things to change. Strike out on an adventure! To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Isn't it dogmatic to oppose dogma?  Philosopher Karl Popper has an enlightening insight that has helped me understand why resisting the current push toward Christian Nationalism is not the same thing as being dogmatic. He also helps me understand why treating others with compassion and kindness is not as simple as saying anything goes. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup...

I'm a slow learner! I'm just starting to recognize one of the most damaging effects of evangelical Christianity: a toxic view of myself. There is a better way! To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

Everyone feels joy when things go their way. But what happens when things go wrong? Here are some thoughts from the trail along with the wisdom of three exceptional women. To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club . 

When we assert our story as Truth we produce dogma, tribalism, and war. Our superpower is that we tell stories. Our Achilles heel is that we believe them. Stories are an essential expression of our existence but they are a lousy foundation. What we need is not a new story, but a new way to REGARD story. The existential shift gives this fresh perspective. We are free to ask “What makes a good story...