It’s amazing what a difference being present and kind makes. Time and again my wife will simply take the time to compliment someone and be curious about her/his story. The incredible thing is nearly every time this simple kindness will brighten and enliven the person in the most incredible way. Over the last few weeks … Continue reading Kindness = Happiness
I bet people who see me walking or running by think I'm one weird dude, with my frequent sighs, lip flutters, laughs, growls, mmm sounds, and deep breaths. I bring that up to ask: What's "sacred" mean to you? I'm willing to bet it's special. It's not something neglected. We view sacred things, times, places, … Continue reading Meditation on Remembering the Sacredness of Breath
In our fast-paced, breakneck, go-go-go society, I think it’s easy to forget the importance of rhythms in life. When going through my second divorce, I remember seeing people madly in love and thinking: “Bah! That sucks!” The thing was, my love tanks were empty. Then, after being refilled by both examining and rebuilding myself in … Continue reading The Rhythms of Love: The Importance of Dancing Between the “City” and the “Desert” like Jesus Did
For a long time I felt pretty dope in Warrior 2; like I was a hero from Lord of the Rings. Then, one day at a studio with mirrors I saw myself in the pose, and my jaw dropped open in horror. While I felt strong and electrified, that's NOT how I appeared to myself … Continue reading Meditation on Seeing Ourselves and Others as Masterpieces
I never got a real answer for why my second wife left me, which, as you might imagine, amplified the heartbreak quite a bit. Likewise, nearly 10 years ago in a freak family-hiking accident I slipped, slid, and fell 30 feet off a cliff onto a boulder headfirst. I SHOULD have died, but didn’t, YET … Continue reading What > Why: Why Life and God Don’t Often Tell Us Why Bad Things Happen
Growing up I was the good boy and my sister was the wild child. YET, while outwardly I behaved "right", my insides were another story. For instance, even as I entered my thirties I was pretty self-centered. Then, as my marriage hit the rocks, realizing the hurt this inner disposition brought to my ex-wife broke … Continue reading Meditation on Allowing Life’s Small Specifics to be Gateways to Sacred Experiences
Remember the song "Don't Worry BE Happy"? Did you know Jesus says much the same thing? While I've been crazy for Christ my whole life, I feel like in many ways I've only recently come to "get" Him. For instance, He implores us to "not worry about" our lives, because "can any of you by … Continue reading Meditation on Attuning to the Deep Rhythms of Kindness, Care, and Peace
"NOTHING can dim the light that shines from within." This reminder from Maya Angelou has the power to change our lives, communities, and the world. A common Truth mystics share based on their Divine encounters is we are innately good, each of us is a conduit of Love, and EVERY person has an inner-light shining … Continue reading Meditation on Tapping Into, Shining, & Seeing Our Inner Light!
My heart is a bit heavy. A dear friend of mine and I used to see pretty much everything the same way. But now, while we still hold much in common, we diverge in certain aspects on one of the BIG topics: God. Truthfully, I'm the one who's left "home", so to speak, and even … Continue reading Meditation on Using Our Imperfections as Gateways into Big Love and Community
Growing up there were times when I HATED my name. Some kids, whose hurts led them down the path of bullying, would ridicule me by making fun of it. They twisted Lang Charters into "Fang Farters", for instance. As an adult, someone very close to me would name certain things I did, like licking a … Continue reading Meditation on the Power of “Names”
Grace and Peace Yoga 