Presence: Experiencing the Nearness of God

NO Spoilers for the series in this episode! I finish all three seasons of Stranger Things and am awed and moved by how great and soulful the story telling is. God is always Present in a well told and moving story.

I am struck my two conversations I had last Thursday which took place hours apart and just a few store fronts from each other. The second was a talk about Jimmy Buffet and his "greatness" while the first was about the great mystics of the Church. Are you a mystic? Are you a "parrothead?" How is Christ present in the midst of this contrast?

My son and I gathered with 175 others on the evening of the Lights for Liberty action. We gathered for talk, song and prayer at the Mount Gillead, Morrow County Ohio jail where about two dozen migrants are being detained. I witnessed, from a small distance, some of those men reaching out to us from behind the windows. They are "the little ones" to whom the Hebrew prophets and Jesus himself tell us...

There are three kinds of phosphorus - the deadly white, the rare and useless black and the red form used in matches to ignite. It is also the key element needed for plants to grow. Christ came to bring light and flame and growth to the world. And there are many forms of his followers - some who are toxic and use his name for bigotry and violence, those with a benign faith that never leaves the chu...

What was Jesus the Christ's first commandment as told in the first written Gospel (of Mark?) Was it to "repent" or to "change your heart?" And is it silicon or silicone? Is there even a difference between these?

The US Inspector General for the Dept of Homeland Security today said the migrant detention centers the US is running at the border are a "ticking time bomb" Yesterday my son and I attended two rallies asking US Representatives to immediately improve the conditions of these camps and to ultimately #closethecamps. I experienced God's presence in at least two people that I spoke with at these rallie...

I am working this summer with a temp agency and also delivering with a food delivery company. In both of these job roles I am a servant. On Sunday afternoon I worked serving a bridal shower and then was served at my daughter's dance banquet.

What of the greatest value? Gold? Silver? Or Aluminum? It all depends on your perspective. How do we know when we are hearing the voice of God? And what are the marks of a healthy, life giving religion? Ponder these questions and more in this episode.

We arrive at "the first of the truly marvelous structural metal" which is also highly explosive 🎆 in small amounts. Is Christ 💥 and loud or a "still small voice" like the one Elijah heard when he waited in the cave?

Sodium is a remarkably contradictory element. In its pure form, when combined with water, it violently explodes. Yet, when combined with chlorine, it makes table salt - which is necessary for life. Jesus the Christ was also contradictory in surprising ways too.

"I am the charge and you are the neon-filled tube" is what Jesus might say to us today. Please listen and discover how this noble gas becomes beautiful with just a charge of electricity.

Fluorine is one of the most reactive gases. Yet when it is bonded with one or more other events, it makes quite stable compounds - including one of the most famous item you'll find in your kitchen or winter coat. Jesus the Christ, although he had great power was responsive rather than reactive.

The most common element on earth is also the one which fuels the life on earth. For what are humans fueled? For what does Christ fuel all of creation?

Squeezed between carbon (#6) and oxygen (#8) the importance of nitrogen might seem minimal. Until you realize that plants need nitrogen to grow. And it is the Presence of Christ in creation which brings about all growth and development.

In this episode find out why carbon is the "most important element of life, PERIOD" and how it is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as Frankenstein's monster. Listen to an inspiring quote by Mirabai Starr and hear how the Incarnation of Jesus the Christ is all about carbon.

Boron is best known for being a laundry aid and an ant-killer, but did you know that a crystal it forms with nitrogen might be stronger and harder than a diamond? And yet it is also a key component of a very familiar soft and bendy "toy." Listen and learn how this under appreciated element reveals a key aspect of Jesus the Christ.

I sat on my porch yesterday afternoon and enjoyed a conversation with a friend in the same 12 Step fellowship. We sat in silence together (via the phone) for a while and I felt God's Presence in the connection we shared. 🕊

Just like the light metal beryllium and its mineral form beryl, Jesus the Christ was both strong and alluring. How was Jesus the Christ allurring and what beautiful gemstones come from Beryl? Please listen and learn!

This soft, light metal which floats on water powers most of our modern batteries. Lithium also gives great comfort to those who struggle with bi-polar disorder. Immortalized by the song "Lithium" by Nirvana this element shows us Christ in its healing, comforting power.

It' another World Cup Summer - this time it's the women who are competing in France. I love The Beautiful Game and experience Christ's Presence through it in so many ways!

When you think of helium what comes to mind? Balloons? Blimps? But do you know from where it gets its name? Or where it comes from? Find out these things and how we can learn about and experience Christ through helium.

This is the first episode of my new podcast Christ Through the Elements. I will walk in order through the Periodic Table and share about each element and how I believe we can experience Christ through pondering and experiencing that element. Let's begin with the lightest element which make up 75% of the visible universe!

I've not recorded an episode since Holy Thursday and I'm feeling moved to return to creating this podcast. It's Pentecost Eve and it feels like the right time to begin again. Thanks for returning with me!

In this first reflection on the meaning of Holy (or Maundy) Thursday I wonder - What would it be like if Christians followed Jesus' clear example and washed each others feet during every mass or time of worship?

The gospel a for mass on Holy Tuesday and Spy (Holy) Wednesday both take place at the Last Supper as Jesus acknowledges that one of his friends will deny him and another will betray him. When have you experienced either denial or betrayal from a friend?