As a child, I was fascinated by caterpillars. Living in rural Western Pennsylvania, there was a variety of caterpillars to be found in the back yard on plants and climbing on the stone wall of my family’s home. I was a bit older when I learned that these caterpillars would… Read More »Transformation: An Evolving Process
The sermon was high energy. The congregation followed the preacher closely. They laughed at humorous stories, applauded emphatically when she made poignant points, and shouted “Amen!” more frequently than most congregations in my predominantly white denomination. The preacher was a woman considered to be one of the most inspiring in… Read More »Spiritual Transformation: Sounds Great, But….
I was lucky enough to receive an amazing inheritance from my parents and grandparents. I suspect that they didn’t realize what they gave me. I know they received it from the older generations of my family. I prize it as one of those riches that’s been part of the… Read More »My Inheritance
A profound hopelessness. A feeling of helplessness. The experience of powerlessness. A pessimistic outlook for the future. These are various aspects of despair. Despair is a common human experience. When things are going poorly, really poorly, when it seems like the bottom is falling out of life and we don’t… Read More »The Way Out Is Through
The following is a brief excerpt from my book, The Integrated Self: A Holistic Approach to Spirituality and Mental Health Practice. In this passage, I explain that the commonly used distinction between religion and spirituality is very narrow and prevents us from appreciating that spirituality is a dimension of all… Read More »Spirituality: A Dimension of Human Experience
It’s the kind of story that’s something of an embarrassment to me. I’ve shared it with very few people. My only excuse for getting myself into the situation was that I was young and was naïve. I didn’t know that this kind of thing happened. About forty years ago, I… Read More »Spiritual Abuse and Healing
What does it mean to experience the Divine? That’s a very difficult question to answer. The experience of the Holy One is deeply personal. When the experience is new for someone, it can be confusing. But over time, it becomes familiar. Spiritual writers over the ages have used various images… Read More »The Experience of God
Each Sunday morning, a friend of mine goes hiking. It’s usually something he does alone. Taken while on his hike, he’ll post a picture on social media of something that caught his eye. The caption is always the same. It’s a one-word exclamation. Church. For decades, I’ve facilitated workshops on… Read More »Church
