Faithfully Creative

Matt Brough and J. Dana Trent have part 3 of their conversation on Ancient Wisdom in Chaotic Times, this time focussing on the season of Eastertide. Which Spiritual practices are most helpful right now and which ones might not be as much as we live with the realities of a Pandemic. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, v...

This is a replay of the Facebook Live that Dana and Matt did on April 1st, 2020 about how in this time of emergency, crisis, and uncertainty, we have resources available to us embedded in the ancient wisdom of our faith.   Together they explored: the 23rd Psalm, the Lord's Prayer, the difference between sabbatical and experiencing wilderness, and more.   J. Dana Trent is a professor of World Relig...

This is a replay of the Facebook Live that Dana and Matt did on March 25th, 2020 about how in this time of emergency, crisis, and uncertainty, we have resources available to us embedded in the ancient wisdom of our faith. Together they explored: the importance of experiencing both joy and grief, how we need to lean into sabbath and why this is hard for us, and what we need in order to serve and lo...

We are living in very uncertain times as we continue to face the realities of the Corona Virus. We might be anxious and afraid. And we might have all kinds of voices or thoughts that tell us to "be strong" or to not feel certain ways.  In response to this, I am sharing a short meditation that I wrote recently. Start with your feelings Acknowledge how you feel and actually feel it. Don’t let voices...

This was such a fantastic conversation with Pastor Steph O'Brien about her book, Stay Curious, which is all about embracing curiosity, questions, and even doubts as a key to unlocking a more vibrant and dynamic relationship with God. A lot of us sometimes think that we aren't supposed to have big questions about fundamental ideas about God, Jesus or the Bible. Or we might believe that the life of...

The Spirituality for Ordinary People Podcast returns with a reflection on rediscovering our identity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mattbrough.substack.com

Season 3 of Spirituality for Ordinary People is all about Prayer Walking. In this third episode, Matt Brough continues the conversation from episode 2 with Robin McGauley about Labyrinths. Check out the resources below the picture of the Labyrinth... Overhead view of the Labyrinth in Chartres Cathedrale Resources: Veriditas: https://www.veriditas.org The Expressive Arts program at fleming college:...

Season 3 of Spirituality for Ordinary People is all about Prayer Walking. In this second episode, Matt Brough, welcomes Robin McGauley back to the podcast to talk about walking the Labyrinth. This is such an amazing conversation. So amazing, that it has been broken up into 2 parts - so there will be another episode with the second half of the conversation! Check out the resources below the picture...

Season 3 of Spirituality for Ordinary People is all about Prayer Walking. In this opening episode, Matt Brough, goes over a few different kinds of prayer walks and invites listeners to consider making prayer walking a regular Spiritual Practice. He goes over two main types: 1) Neighbourhood Prayer-Walking (Outward focus) This type of prayer walking intentionally focusses on a particular neighbourh...

In this episode of the Spirituality for Ordinary Podcast your host, Matt Brough, continues the conversation with J. Dana Trent, author of One Breath At A Time: A Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation . The first part of this conversation was in Episode 3 of Season 2. This wraps up the season on the Examen. For an overview of the Examen, you may want to go back to Episode 1 of Season 2 - The Examen in a Nu...

In this episode of the Spirituality for Ordinary Podcast your host, Matt Brough, begins with J. Dana Trent, author of One Breath At A Time: A Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation . The second half of their conversation will feature in the next episode. Most of this conversation goes over whether the Examen is helpful when you have days that are high stress or anxiety producing. For an overview of the Exa...

  In this episode of the Spirituality for Ordinary Podcast your host, Matt Brough, has a conversation with Jen Ostash-Gooch about their individual experiences of the Examen.   They open up a conversation about a number of topics:   how the Examen allows awareness of what God might be doing in life. how the Examen helps us to not simply drift through life. how the Examen helps us to stay in the mom...

In this episode of the Spirituality for Ordinary Podcast your host, Matt Brough, goes over the five steps in practice of the Examen and shares about his own ups and downs in trying to stay focused for a 10 to 20 minute time of prayer. For an overview of the Examen, you may want to go back to Episode 1 of Season 2 - The Examen in a Nutshell Episode 2 covers... The temptation to just not do it or no...

This is the first episode of Season 2 of the Spirituality for Ordinary People Podcast and we are about to shift the focus in a big way. For this season, we are focusing completely on a single spiritual practice - The Examen. Below is a modified version of the Examen, a prayer practice developed by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). This way of going through the Examen is outlined in the book A Simple...

  "Doubt is only a problem if certainty is the expectation."—Austin Fischer   Episode 70 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Austin Fischer. Austin is the Teaching Pastor at Vista Community Church . His latest book is called Faith in the Shadows: Finding Christ in the Midst of Doubt   Key Learnings   Everyone has doubts.   "The problem of evil" is a cold, rational way to...

"Meditation is intentional about holding the space for listening for God's still small voice."—J. Dana Trent Episode 69 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features another interview with J. Dana Trent.  Dana was on episode 67 speaking about the practice of Sabbath, and this time she is back sharing about Christian Meditation. She is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and professor of World Religi...

"I knew all this stuff about God but I was lacking in terms of how much I knew God in my personhood, in my lived experience..."—Phileena Heuertz Episode 68 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Phileena Heuertz.  Phileena has spent her life in social justice work among the world’s poor. A member of the New Friar movement, for nearly 20 years she and her husband Chris serve...

"It's that one day a week that shapes the remaining six..."—J. Dana Trent Episode 67 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with J. Dana Trent.  J. Dana Trent is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and professor of World Religions and Critical Thinking at Wake Tech Community College. An ordained Baptist minister and former hospital chaplain, her work has appeared on Time.com , an...

"Beauty is a form of truth that God uses to display His glory. Imagination allows us to tap into that again - to see God through beauty."—Manuel Luz Episode 66 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Manuel Luz. An aerospace engineer by day jazz/pop musician by night, Manuel Luz was called to be a worship pastor 18 years ago. He continues playing gigs, has combined engineeri...

Matt Brough explains why there won't be any new episodes of Spirituality for Ordinary People coming out in November. He needs a bit of a buffer time as he adjusts to his new role working as the Program Coordinator for the New Worshipping Communities Initiative (Cyclical PCC) for his denomination. The role is half-time, and he will be staying on as pastor of Prairie Presbyterian Church on a half-ti...

In Episode 65 of the Spirituality for Ordinary Podcast we revisit two old interviews with children's authors S.D. Smith and Laura Alary who speak about the importance of imagination, ritual, story, and how we need to inspire hope. Matt Brough also shares a bit about his own fiction writing for children, and reads from Laura Alary's new children's Bible, titled Read, Wonder, Listen. Links Matt Brou...

"Habits can be a tool, a means to an end, or they can become a distraction if we're not careful because they're not the point—God is the point—they're only there to help us pursue God."—Darryl Dash Episode 64 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Darryl Dash. Darryl is a pastor and church planter in Toronto with over 25 years of ministry experience, and author of  How to G...

"It's not depth, it's not breadth, it's not knowledge... it's can you be consistent in your time spent with Jesus?"—Grant Vissers Episode 63 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Grant Vissers. Grant is a pastor at St. Paul's Leaksdale Church , a writer, blogger, and host of the Young Church Leaders Podcast . Key Learnings When trying to figure out a calling, a vocation, o...

"There is a part of discipleship that always leaves us in motion, even if we've lived in the same place our entire lives"—Michelle Van Loon Episode 62 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Michelle Van Loon. Since coming to faith in Christ at the tail end of the Jesus Movement, Michelle’s Jewish heritage, spiritual hunger, and storyteller's sensibilities have shaped her fa...

"The Celtic Christian tradition is not what I would call 'I need a hug theology.' It's deeply grounded in the revelation of Father, Son, and Spirit..."—Ross Lockhart Episode 61 of Spirituality for Ordinary People features an interview with Dr. Ross Lockhart. Ross is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrew’s Hall.  Ross serves as the Presbyterian Direct...