Carl McColman leads us to the brink of lessons no book can teach, then frees us to go forward to learn them, trusting the God who meets us at every…
Let’s Elect Silence
N.B. I wrote this post for my new Substack publication, Mystical Journey. But since the message is timely, I’m cross-posting it here. Despite its significant flaws, Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey…
Subscribe to the Mystical Journey Substack
I’ve started a Substack! If you’re not familiar with Substack, it’s like a blog that you read through email. My Substack is called “Mystical Journey” and will include a variety…
Examen of the Senses (Inclusive Version)
In 2020, I posted to this blog an “Examen of the Senses” which I co-wrote with my wife Fran. We wrote it for use in our Catholic adult faith formation…
Themes that Inspired “Eternal Heart”
I’m writing this blog post the morning after returning home from a lovely weekend where I was the guest presenter at Minnesota Contemplative Outreach’s fall retreat. We spent our time…
Join Me for the Spiritual Wanderlust Contemplative Summit (October 24-27)!
I’m so honored to be one of the presenters of the Spiritual Wanderlust 2024 Contemplative Summit! I’m joining other contemplative writers and teaches like Carmen Acevedo Butcher, James Finley, Kaira…
Who’s Giving Up On (the Institutional) Church? It’s No Longer Just the “Casual Christians” who are Disappearing
Here’s a fascinating quotation from Laura Anderson’s important and insightful book, When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the largest…
Deconstructing Mysticism
In recent years, I’ve talked to a number of people who describe their spiritual journey as going through a period of “deconstruction.” These “deconstructors” are usually younger folks, in their…
Four Dimensions of Mindfulness, Brainwaves and Centering Prayer
In chapter five of his book Buddha Is as Buddha Does, dharma teacher Lama Surya Das offers this fascinating insight into the nature of mindfulness: According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition,…
I Believe Prayer Changes Things. Here’s a Few Thoughts Why.
I posted this on Facebook not long ago… A couple of people posted comments to the effect of “Please say more about how prayer changes things.” That’s a great question…
You don’t have to become a monk to be a mystic
A reader wrote to me recently: Hello, I am interested in becoming a Christian Mystic. However I am not sure if I can join a monastery due to being a…
Two Books that Shaped My Spiritual Path
Two of the most meaningful books I’ve ever read are Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness and Thich Nhat Hanh’s Living Buddha Living Christ. I…