A Pilgrim’s Odyssey

From Turmoil to Peace: Regaining a lamp to my feet and a light to my path

Scott Peck said that "truth is reality" and our understanding of truth was like our map to navigating life. What happens when our map is upended and truth seems like an unsolvable mystery?

Do we embrace the mystery and search for what matters, or do we allow ourselves to be scattered by the wind and blown to wherever it may take us.

I suggest you embrace the mystery and enjoy its magical ride.

Destiny and Anxiety Part Three: Let Your Light Shine

We've all had those experiences we can't really explain and maybe didn't really deserve. Don't keep them hidden. The world needs light, and hopefully today's episode encourages you to share yours.

I met him volunteering in a maximum security prison and his battle over heroin addiction would help teach me learn the meaning of faith.

The Cross of the Paradigm Shift: What are you willing to change?

Paradigms can trap us without us even being aware. Thomas Kuhn explored this phenomena in relation to science in his groundbreaking book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. In the world of religion, Christ broke paradigms and ultimately sacrificed his life.

Breaking paradigms are hard because they usually go against conventional wisdom. Kuhn suggested that the most important first step was a willingness to look in the mirror and understand that in many ways, the more "expert" we are, the more likely we are to fool ourselves.

Join us today as we explore paradigms and the humility to change ours when needed.

Facing Chaos: Uncle Milton, Jordan Peterson, and Snapping Turtles

I learned how to face chaos and find the tasty watermelon that comes when you face down mighty beasts thanks to my Uncle Milton.

Today with a little help from Jordan Peterson and my Uncle Milton, we discuss how to straighten up with our shoulders back and face the responsibility of life with eyes wide open.

Destiny and Anxiety Part Two: You have triumphed, You are not a failure

The great psychologist and expert on human development, Erik Erikson, said:

"the most deadly of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child’s spirit".

Today we discuss the value in every child's spirit, how to help children who have been psychologically damaged, and what to do about our own baggage that can contribute to us feeling unloved and unworthy.

Tipping Points: Your effort matters

Today, on The Pilgrim's Odyssey, we take a look at the concept of The Tipping Point, made famous by Malcolm Gladwell, it's impact on us today with the coronavirus and what we can learn from it to move forward with hope.

Change often comes from the person following truth and everyday making even a small impact on others until the result of their good efforts explode. Of course, bad change can come about the same way.

And most importantly, if you are fighting the good fight, whether you see it or not, your effort matters.

Destiny and Anxiety Part One: Asking the right questions to remove planks and overcome fear and find truth

The "right" questions can be scary. We avoid facing them, and in doing so, miss out on the knowledge that can change the trajectory of our lives.

Questions were big to Thomas Merton and my favorite professor at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Volney Gay. Learning to ask good questions gave me the skills I needed to overcome trauma and set a course for the life I wanted.

Join us today for some inspiring, but tough, words on the power of asking the right questions.

The Light of the Sun, and the Fire of Faith

We spend so much energy fighting ourselves and fighting what we were created for. Energy that could have lifted us up, instead it burns us up.

I was told once God is like a burning fire. If you resist, it will eventually burn you up. If you accept, you will become as alive as the fire and it will give you life.

May you surrender, in order to burn in the flame that give us life.

Are you crazy enough?

Steve Jobs said, "The people who think they are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who do."

If you are about playing it safe, and pleasing others, you might just be keeping yourself from where the action is. To make a difference, you have to make somebody mad. To bring the light, you have to be the salt.

Today, on The Pilgrim's Odyssey, we get a little crazy.

Eat a Popcycle: A Creek in the Woods and the Collective Unconscious

Within all of us is a magnificent journey, good and bad, divine and evil, scary and comforting. The collective unconscious is an idea, introduced by Carl Jung, that in our deepest unconscious we are filled with images and stories from our ancestors and unlocking them can lead to amazing discoveries everyday! It also helped me understand the concept of sin and what the real struggle in life is, the struggle with ourselves.