Practice Not Perfect

The Podcast You’ve Been Waiting For: a conversation with Stacey Gleddiesmith about Advent waiting

One of my favorite seasons in the church year is this season before Christmas (beginning Sunday Dec. 3 this year) where we prepare our hearts for Christmas and the coming of Christ. I sat down to talk to Stacey Gleddiesmith, Director of Worship Arts at Columbia Bible College, in Abbotsford, BC to discuss what Advent is and how we may practice it.
 
You can connect with Stacey through her faculty page at Columbia Bible College: https://columbiabc.edu/instructor/stacey-gleddiesmith/
or her blog:
https://thinkingworship.com/ 
 

It’s Zac Cannon Day!

I got to sit down with author, pastor, spiritual director Zac Cannon to discuss his creative process and the ways spiritual direction and spiritual practices have enabled to be more present in his vocation as writer and as a creative. Zac is a good friend and we got to hang out together as part of a Spiritual Direction program we both attended. 
 
You can pick up his novella, Sunflower, on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/Sunflower-Zac-Cannon-ebook/dp/B0B8JZZH3Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Z9311LTDWQ9I&keywords=zac+cannon&qid=1700175757&sprefix=zac+can%2Caps%2C955&sr=8-1 
and the Scifi anthology, Augmented, Vol 1. (Quoir Publishing) edited by Keith Giles and Matthew Distefano: https://www.amazon.com/Augmented-Science-Fiction-Anthology-Vol-ebook/dp/B0CKZXXTMN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=113G5GCA51WQ4&keywords=augmented+keith+giles&qid=1700176051&sprefix=augmented+keith+giles%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-1
 
Zac's website is: www.withwanderingawe.com

Rebels, Despots & Saints, oh myyy! A conversation with Sandhya Rani Jha

Who are our ancestors and why does that matter? Why do we tell certain family stories and not other ones? Are there ancestors we need to hear from or ones we need to heal from? 
I got to sit down with Sandhya Rani Jha (They/Them) to discuss their new book, Rebels, Despots, and Saints: The Ancestors Who Free Us & The Ancestors We Need to Free and the ways we can engage our ancestors meaningfully: 
 

Creating a Life with God: a conversation with Dan Wolpert about contemplative prayer practices

I caught up with Dan Wolpert to discuss with him the new edition fo his first book, Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices which Upper Room Books recently re-released as a 20th Anniversary Revised Edition. 
 
Daniel Wolpert is the cofounder of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing (MICAH). He worked as a research scientist, psychologist, spiritual director, farmer, teacher, and construction worker before earning his Master of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Over the past forty years he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation. He is also the author of Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership and Creation’s Wisdom: Spiritual Practice and Climate Change.

Loving Disagreement a conversation with Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos

I had a chance to sit down with Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos to discuss their new book, Loving Disagreement: Fighting for Community Through the Fruit of the Spirit. While fighting, dissension, and disagreement are commonplace. in today's world, many of us run from conflict. Others of us, dig our heels and get ready to fight. Mikalatos and Khang explore a way to create a spacious, loving place, which makes room at the table, even for those we disagree with. Using the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) they give us a way to engage our differences with love. 
 
Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, and yoga teacher. Her journey began in childhood diaries and journals, moved into newsrooms and then turned toward writing. She is a contributing author of More than Serving Tea and the author of Raise Your Voice.
Matt Mikalatos is an author, screenwriter, and speaker. He is the author of Journey to Love and the YA fantasy series The Sunlit Lands. He has written for Today.com, TIME Magazine, Relevant, Nature, Writer's Digest, and Daily Science Fiction, among others. 

The Making of a Mystic: a conversation with Kevin Sweeney the author of a making of a mystic

I sat down and had a conversation with Kevin Sweeney. He is the author of  The Making of a Mystic: My Journey with Mushrooms, My Life as a Pastor, and Why It's Okay for Everyone to Relax. We talked about what a mystic is and what it means to pursue a direct relationship with the divine, what it means to die, and how to live 
You can catch up with Kevin Sweeney on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinsweeney1/ and order his book wherever books are sold or follow along on his podcast "The Church needs Therapy"

Practice of the Presence with Carmen Acevedo Butcher

I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher about her new translation of Brother Lawrence's Practice of the Presence from Broadleaf books. 
You can find out more about Carmen or order her books from her website - CarmenButcher.com
 
The music on this podcast was Lawrence Grey's Laundromatted (CC BY 3.0)

Practice Not Perfect - Coming This Fall!

Join us as we experience Spiritual Practice in the Christian Tradition. A new podcast speaking with contemplatives, activists and other spiritual practitioners about how to live out their faith. 
 
Music in Episode: Modulation of the Spirit by Little Glass Men (Creative Commons with Attribution).