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Friends.

What if the Gospel of John isn't only telling us who Jesus is, but is inviting us to become something more ourselves?

In this clip from our longer episode (view the full episode HERE), Dr. Hugo Mendez dips our toes into some theology from John’s Gospel and explores one of its most radical ideas: that Jesus came to earth so that human beings might participate in the divine life themselves.

We talk about things like the Logos, the high view of Jesus in the Gospel of John, being "born again" and receiving the Spirit ... and much more.

What if Jesus didn't come simply to rescue us from somewhere, but to invite us into a deeper participation in the life of God?

Oh.

YES.

This conversation helped me completely reframe the question of who Jesus really IS.

Check out the clip HERE.

Watch the full episode HERE.

Get Hugo’s book HERE.

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

(**NOTE: these show notes contain Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a small commission)

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

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There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

I’ve been thinking a lot of technology lately and, in particular, how the technologies we (as humans) have created are (re)creating us.

And this is a new thought, right? For me anyways.

Because.

I was born in 1982 and so I remember when I got my very first NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1987-ish and how cool it was to play “Duck Hunt” where you aimed a gun at the screen, pulled the trigger, and shot ducks like a hunter.

WHAT. Like, HOW did that even work?!

I remember when the Power Glove came out, which was a glove you could wear that plugged into the NES - it had buttons on it and was able to detect hand movements so you could control the character on the screen with the glove.

Again - WHAT?!

I remember getting our first computer in our home with dial-up Internet (Prodigy Internet) and installing Windows 98 (which came in a gigantic box with nothing short of 32 discs that took hours and hours and hours to install).

I remember when my parents got a fax machine and how crazy it was to think we could send a document to someone on the other side of town or even the country in a matter of minutes.

I remember when my parents got a car phone.

Beeepers/Pagers.

CDs.

DVDs.

Bluerays.

GameBoy.

Razor Phones.

When Facebook was just for colleges.

Myspace.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

And I say I’m having this “new thought” because with the arrival of each and every one of those previous pieces of technology, my question was always …

“What can this thing do for me?”

OR.

“What sorts of cool things can I do with this?”

In other words, the focus was always on what I could do with a piece of technology to create something, make somthing, or just have a good time.

BUT.

Now, though?

As social media advances, as algorithms take over our feeds, as AI becomes a more prominent fixture in everything.

I don’t know.

But I’m no longer wondering “what can I do with this cool piece of technology"?”; instead, I’m asking, “what is this (cool) piece of technology doing to me?”

And that’s a much different question, right?

Previously, I was the one who was using the technology and the technology was assisting me in some way; now, though, it often feels like the technologies around me are using me and molding me and evolving me in ways that (if I’m being honest) make me feel a bit uneasy.

I feel uneasy, for instance, about my lack of wondering.

I used to wonder about things all the time, you know? If something broke, I would wonder about how to fix it. If I wanted to make some sort of art, I would wonder about how to do it. If I came across a Bible verse I didn’t understand or a piece of theology that was new to me, I would wonder about it.

But … now?

I open up Google and within (literally) 5 seconds I have a library of information in front of my eyes with numerous answers to my question …

Detailed videos about how to fix the thing that’s broke.

Detailed explanations of how to do that artsy thing I want to try.

Detailed articles about the Bible verse that confused me.

Now.

PLEASE.

Don’t get me wrong - this is VERY helpful, right? The other day, for instance, my dishwasher broke and so I went to Google and Google’s AI assistant (Gemini) helped me pinpoint the problem, find the parts I needed, and fix the problem once the parts arrived.

Crazy!

Seriously.

I took my dishwasher APART (it was all over the kitchen) - I took the door off, I took out wires, I took apart the back of the dishwasher, replaced a heating element … all sorts of things that I never would have figured out if it weren’t for Google. I would have had to call an appliance company that (let’s face it) would have emptied my bank account and demanded one of my limbs!

And so I’m not here to say that technology is BAD or technology is GOOD.

I think we all know that it really isn’t either of those things - technology is technology and the the burden of responsibility as to whether it’s good or bad falls upon us who use it in good or not so good ways.

Instead, I’m here to wonder about things like what having such access to immediate answers is doing to us as humans who are wired to wonder.

Wired to wonder?

I’m reading a book by Aaron Cline Hanbury by that very name - “Wired For Wonder” where he wrestles with some of his own questions regarding technology, one of them being this idea that humans are wired for things like wonder and curiosity and reflection and dreaming and how technology, frankly, makes it hard to be human in those ways.

Right?

I mean it’s hard to wonder about a Bible verse when Google can give me 32,000 different explanations for that verse.

It’s hard to sit with the mystery of how the sun works when I can ask Google how it works and be hit with a barrage of articles in a matter of seconds.

It’s hard to sit under the stars like our ancestors did and wonder what’s up there when I can ask ChatGPT and be given way more information that I can fathom.

In other words.

It’s hard to feel small when we have immediate access to such a BIG vault of information.

And so lately I’ve been trying to be intentional with my wondering. For instance, the other day I came across a Bible verse that confused me. I had no idea what it meant even though I had read it a billion times.

My first inclination? - “Let’s Google it!”

BUT.

Instead?

I sat with the verse and wondered about it. Reflected on it. Pondered it. Read it again. And again. And, yet, again. Over and over. I thought about it while I made dinner, wondered about it in the shower, and even pondered it as I fell asleep.

And today?

Weeks later?

I STILL haven’t Googled it and decided that I won’t Google it.

Why?

Not because I don’t want to know “the answer”.

Not because I don’t want to understand it better.

Not because I don’t care.

BUT.

Because there’s something holy and good about not knowing and living with that tension and the mystery of it all.

After all.

It’s OK not to know.

It’s OK not to know the answer.

It’s OK to reflect on a mystery.

It’s OK to let the mystery expand you and stretch you.

Yeah - it’s OK, it’s good, and (I think) it’s very, very human.

Again - technology isn’t good and tecnology isn’t bad. Technology just … is. As humans, though? It’s up to us to use it responsibly, something that will look different for everyone.

How is that looking for YOU these days?

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

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Friends.

Many of us have been told that anxiety is primarily a thinking problem, that if we could just change our thoughts.

Well.

Then?

Our anxiety would just disappear!

“Think positive!”

“Change your mindset!”

“Win the battle of your mind!”

“Pray more! Read your Bible more! Listen to more Christian music! Put good IN your brain, get good OUT of our brain!”

BUT.

What if that's only part of the story?

In this week’s conversation we talk to physician, neuroscientist, and the author of "Anxiety Rx", Dr. Russell Kennedy, who explains why anxiety often begins as a feeling in the body before it becomes a story in the mind.

Who knew?!

He shares why uncertainty fuels anxiety, why overthinking doesn't solve it, and how reconnecting with your body may be one of the most important steps toward healing.

SO. GOOD.

If you've struggled with chronic anxiety, overthinking, or feeling stuck in endless mental loops, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective.

🎧 - LISTEN HERE.

📺 - WATCH HERE.

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

What if boredom isn't something we need to escape, but something we need to make room for? Maybe even intentionally put into our days?

Like, can you SCHEDULE BOREDOM into your life?

Is that even a thing?

You’re your own person - you can do whatever you want, HA!

Seriously, though.

I've been thinking a lot lately about technology, productivity, and the strange feeling that we should always be doing something, always be producing, always be doing MORE.

Do you feel this too?

I mean, with a computer, iPad, and smartphone always within reach (not to mention portable gaming systems, podcasts, audio books, etc.), it's almost impossible to be bored anymore. And, worse, sometimes it feels like there's something wrong with us if we're not being productive … if we (God forbid!) are feeling “bored” or “lazy”.

Lately, though, I've started to wonder what kind of creativity I might be missing out on because I'm afraid to be bored and live in a culture that makes me feel ashamed when I’m not being as productive as others.

Let's wonder about it together.

Heres’ the video:

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

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Friends.

What does it mean to live with Christ Consciousness?

In this clip from my convo with Chantal Morales McKinney we hear about how she came to see God's presence beyond church buildings and religious institutions.

Amen?

AMEN!

Learning into the opening of John's Gospel, she shares how Christ Consciousness is the awareness that divine love is present everywhere and how learning to notice that presence can transform ordinary moments into sacred ones.

I also share a bit about how this idea changed my own spiritual journey so that instead of seeing people through political labels or religious differences, I began asking a different question:

What if there's a divine spark in every person I meet?

Watch the clip HERE:

Watch the full episode HERE:

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Hello friends.

I wanted to let you know that I recently opened an Etsy Shop - the “What If Project Store”, which features my paintings and stickers (which are digital versions of my paintings that you can put on laptops, water bottles, cars, etc). A few things are up there now, more will be added in the upcoming weeks and months.

You can either buy things through Etsy OR you can email / DM me if you’d like to pay a different price (lower or higher).

Check it out HERE.

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

I got an email over the Summer from “MillionPodcasts” to let me know that they are featuring the What If Project in their top 90 Exvangelical Podcasts, ranking it at number 24.

Cool, right?!

Here’s the image they sent me:

MillionPodcasts is a searchable database of 2.7 million podcasts built for PR, marketing, and guest-booking outreach. You can check them out at https://millionpodcasts.com/.

Anyways.

I was reflecting on the show’s journey last week and it’s pretty awesome. The first episode dropped all the way back on August 24, 2018, but the show was birthed way before that in October 2017 while sitting in a hotel room in Nyack, NY where I spent my nights reading and studying and working on some course work for the last class in my doctoral program.

2017 … that means the show will turn TEN years old next Fall.

I was up there for a week long intensive class where we were in class every day from 8-5 and then had reading, writing, and group assignments to complete at night. The class was about “Evangelism”; but more than asking the question of “how to share the Gospel to people” - it pushed us to go even deeper and wonder “what IS the Gospel?”

And that got my mind spinning in all sorts of directions as I encountered perspectives on the Gospel message of Jesus that I had never heard before (or if I HAD heard of them before, I had NOT hear about them in the context of my very Evangelical seminary!) while the professor(s) guided us into the ideas of people like Brian McLaren and Barabara Brown Taylor and even Rob Bell.

Our final project for the class was to write a paper detailing what the Gospel was and a project we could implement (in real life) to share that Gospel with people in our modern day contexts. The paper had to be 15 pages, but mine was around 30 as my mind exploded with all sorts of ideas that revolved around a podcast I would call the “What If Project” where we would explore the question, “what if there are ways of thinking about God and faith that are different than what our traditions have handed us.”

The paper received an “A”.

I even got an “A” in the class.

BUT.

The podcast I would go on to start would draw criticism and fire from the very school that encouraged me to think outside of the box. Thinking outside of little boxes is good, I suppose, unless you start thinking outside of the main box that the System tells you to never think outside of!

Oh.

And here’s a photo I snapped in the hotel room that week - I had LINED the walls with poster boards and stayed up every night watching the Yankees (who were in the playoffs that year) and brainstorming for my dissertation and final class project until well after midnight …

… So interesting to me to see how my thoughts have grown and changed. Some of the ideas on that board took root and are STILL alive and well today (podcast, YouTube channel, leaving Apple, etc.). Others never really seemed to fit with the direction the project went. And others, still, continue to brew in the back of my mind - like learning the Adobe Suite so I can up my design skills with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, etc.

Ahh. But more on that another time. Might be a fun 10-year anniversary show for next year.

Anyways.

Just wanted to share the news about the podcast landing in the middle of the top 90 Exvangelical shows and thank you all for being on the journey with me.

Much love, my friends.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Friends.

This week’s episode is FROM THE ARCHIVES as we revisit one of my favorite conversations with John Philip Newell where we explore some ideas from his book "Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul".

What if the deepest truth about being human isn't that we're broken, sinful, or separated from God?

What if we've simply forgotten who we are?

In this chat, JP introduces us to the wisdom of Celtic Christianity and its radically different understanding of humanity, Jesus, creation, and the sacredness of the earth. We talk about things like …

Original sin.

"Soul forgetfulness”.

The divine presence within every human being.

AND.

What it might mean to see Jesus not as the exception to humanity, but as someone who reveals what has been there all along.

We also explore JP's own journey from conservative evangelical Christianity into Celtic spirituality, why ancient Celtic teachers challenged the marriage of religion and empire, and how practices like silence, meditation, nature, and attentiveness can help us remember what our souls already know.

I originally recorded this conversation a few years ago, but as I listened back to it, I was struck by how much of it still speaks to where I am today.

Oh.

AND.

Today happens to be the 8th Anniversary of the podcast and so I'm digging into the archives to sort through some of my favorite episodes and moments of the show. This one certainly ranks near the top!

📺 - WATCH HERE.

🎧 - LISTEN HERE.

Enjoy.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

Grief isn't always about death, you know?

Because sometimes grief shows up in other times and places in life, like …

When your child starts another school year.

When summer comes to an end.

When you realize a season of life will never come again.

… these are moments that carry a lot of weight, right?

In this video, I share a bit about why I've begun to think of grief as an old friend, as someone who shows up unexpectedly and invites us to slow down and remember to cherish the moments we've lived.

Instead of pushing grief away, what if we welcomed it as a friend who has much to teach?

If you've ever struggled with endings, nostalgia, parenting, or simply watching life move faster than you'd like, I hope these thoughts might encourage you.

Watch it HERE:

• Glenn || || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Friends.

What happens when the place that taught you about God becomes the place that wounds you most?

This week we sit down with Chantal Morales McKinney as she shares the deeply personal story behind her book "Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls" where she presses into a question many of us have asked before:

Can you still follow Jesus when church no longer feels safe?

Together we explore topics like church trauma, deconstruction, Christ consciousness, contemplative spirituality, reclaiming faith beyond institutional religion, why so many people are leaving church while still longing for God ... and so much more.

Whether you've been hurt by church, are questioning your faith, or simply wonder if there might be a more expansive way to follow Jesus, I hope this conversation encourages you.

📺 - WATCH HERE

🎧 - LISTEN HERE

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Hello friends.

I haven’t posted any art for a while because. Well. I’ve THROWN myself into the piece I’m doing for JC Escarra (one of the catchers on the New York Yankees). I wrote a bit about the story HERE and will share more details when it’s done.

It’s huge.

It’s COLORFUL.

And it’s been so much fun to create.

I messaged him the other day, I should have it done sometime next month; and then I need to figure out how to best ship a painting that’s 5 feet tall 🤔🤣.

Anyways.

Although most of my painting creativity has gone towards that, I have been doing some digital art where I use an app called Procreate to draw on my iPad and redo some of my past paintings on a screen where I can manipulate things with different kinds of brushes, colors, etc.

It’s a lot of fun!

Here are a few (plus a new one of Bartman taking down a Flock Camera because he hates being watched by “the Man” - HA!).

If you want any of these, I have stickers of Marvin the Martian and will be making tshirts of Grumpy Bear and stickers of Bartman. Just sent me a DM and I’ll let you know what I have, will have, or might have sometime down the road.

Much love.

• Glenn SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

I reached for my phone the other day for absolutely no reason at all.

Has that ever happened to you?

Sigh.

I was actually playing with Jordan. We were playing dolls.

I’m always the “mean doll”, by the way - HA! We’ve been playing dolls together multiple times a week since she could walk and she likes me to be the “mean doll” every single time.

AND.

I’m always the SAME mean doll - a short red-headed doll named “Annia”. Whether we are playing with Harry Potter dolls, Barbie dolls, Unicorn Academy dolls, Princess dolls … “Mean Annia” makes her way into every one of our imaginary worlds and creates mayhem.

Anyways.

So we were playing dolls and I reached for my phone for no reason at all. I don’t usually have my phone with me when we play unless it’s during the workday (I work from home) and I’m waiting for messages from people regarding things I’m working on …

Images.

Video edits.

Document editing.

Email creation.

Etc.

Sometimes a message will come in and we’ll need to stop for a few moments so I can respond to someone, tweak something, etc. Jordan understands because she knows I work from home and do my best to do my work throughout the day while taking breaks to play, go places, etc.

This was one of those days - I was waiting to hear back from someone regarding their approval for a project I had been working on over the last month or so. I was sitting on the floor with “Mean Annia” in my hand, my phone was behind me so that it WOULDN’T be a distraction, and my watch was on my wrist to alert of me of any texts or messages from the people I was waiting to hear from.

But.

Even so.

Without even thinking, my hand went behind my back to grab the phone.

And.

Honestly?

That bothered me because here I am having a moment with my daughter who is growing up way faster than I can wrap my mind around. And we’re playing dolls, which is something she still loves to do but is something (I realize) she won’t like to do forever. One day I will look back on these days with tears, longing for another chance to sit on the ground and be “Mean Annia” for a little while.

And me?

I’m mindlessly reaching for a screen for absolutely no reason.

Which got me thinking, “why am I REALLY reaching for this screen?”

Right?

Like, what is this compulsive pull that I feel to reach for my phone for absolutely no reason at all? What is drawing me to it?

OR.

Better yet.

What internal sensation am I trying to escape when I reach for the distraction of a screen?

Now, there’s the REAL question - right?

Because.

What if reaching for the phone for no reason at all isn’t so much about bad tech habits as it is a revelation of something deeper that’s going on inside of me and my heart and my soul - revealing some thought or feeling or sensation that I’m (subconsciously) trying to distract myself from?

And so the questions become …

What am I trying to distract myself from?

What am I trying to distract myself from WHEN I’M PLAYING WITH MY DAUGHTER?

Why is the pull so strong?

Why on earth am I doing it without even being aware that I’m doing it?

How often do I do it?

How many other times a day do I do it without having the momentary awareness I had in that instance?

I’m reading a book by Shannon Algeo (a conversation with him will be dropping on the podcast in September) where he explores these kinds of questions and wonders if the relationship we have with our technology is a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves and the struggle we have to be present to the moments we’re in, present to our feelings, and present to the needs of those around us.

Hm.

I did some reflecting while preparing for my chat with him and I came to realize that I feel the pull towards my phone A LOT when I’m playing with Jordan and I think it’s an urge that comes deep from within my subconscious that believes that if I somehow distract myself from the moments I have with her, I won’t miss them as much when they’re gone.

Which is weird, right?

Or.

Maybe, not really all that weird; because, you see, I struggle with things ending. I struggle SO MUCH with things ending. In fact, I have spent the last few days with tears running down my cheeks on and off throughout the days because Summer is coming to end and Jordan went back to school TODAY (the day this post releases).

Actually.

By the time you’re reading this, she’ll already be in school for her first day at 4th grade and I’ll be sitting home at my computer without the …

Footsteps running around upstairs.

The giggles of Jordan playing with her kitty.

The sound of the TV and her favorite shows (“Is It Cake” on Netflix is her current favorite).

The requests for snacks.

The getting up to make lunch.

The taking of breaks from work to play dolls.

Trips to the skating rink.

… all of those moments from the last 3-ish months are memories, moments I’ll never have back again.

And, truth be told, deep down I start dreading this day EARLY in the Summer as I start thinking about it a week or so after school is over … already dreading when the summertime that has yet to be will end.

The same goes for holiday time - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.

Birthdays.

The ending of the school year.

Over and over again throughout the year I hit these heavy moments where I feel deep and profound loss and sadness about times gone by that I will never have the opportunity to live again.

And so.

Back to me holding “Mean Annia” and mindlessly reaching for my phone - I think there’s a part of me that longs to disassociate from these precious moments with Jordan …

NOT because I don’t want to be there.

NOT because I don’t want to play.

NOT because I would rather be doing something else.

NOT because I’m bored.

BUT.

Because I know that there will be a time when I will have to let go of those moments; and so if I’m not as present in them as I could be, perhaps letting them go won’t hurt quite as badly.

And this is a realization that allows me to have compassion on myself, right?

Because rather than being a loser dad who is reaching for his phone while he’s playing with his kid because he’s bored out of his mind, I’m beginning to see a tender part of myself in those moments - an inner child of sorts who has struggled with endings since he was a boy and can’t possibly stand the idea of there coming a day when Jordan and I won’t play dolls anymore.

Reflecting on this has been helpful because it’s allowed me to reconnect with my inner child on a new level and speak to him as a parent, speak to him with wisdom and compassion in the same way that I would speak to Jordan if she were struggling with this sort of thing.

How so?

Later on that day, for example, when Jordan was playing upstairs and I was sitting at my computer, I wrote a letter to that younger part of myself and I think writing that letter was healing for me …

“Hey buddy.

Jordan is an amazing kid, isn’t she? I know that you’ve had to let go of a lot of things over the course of your life … and some things you had to let go of way sooner than you should have. Those losses are painful and they hurt. And the thought of having to one day let go of playing dolls with Jordan or being on the swingset with her or drawing with her … I know how scary that can feel as it feels like one more loss, one more ending, one more time we’ll never get back.

But.

Can I tell you something? I once heard someone say that ‘we hurt deeply when we lose something or someone (or a season of our lives) because we loved deeply’. In other words, deep hurt is a reflection of deep love and so even though we hurt deeply when we lose something or someone or a season of life ends, we can be thankful that we had and have the opportunity to love and be loved so deeply because many people make their way through life having never had those experiences.

The love you have for Jordan.

The love you have for playing with her.

The love you have for spending time with her.

Sure, the times will change - she will grow, her interests will change, the things she wants to do with you will change, and time with her might even be less.

BUT.

The love will always be the same and will only grow stronger and stronger and stronger.

And so live in these moments. When you feel the urge to reach for the phone to distract yourself from the moment that will soon end, choose to be present instead - choose to be present in this memory-making-moment and choose to throw your all into it knowing that one day letting it go will hurt, but that on that day you will also be able to look back with tremendous gratitude because of how fortunate you are to love so deeply and be loved so much, and to have had the chance to make such incredible memories.

And when the thought of those changes and losses seems too much to bear, I will be here and we can weep together for as long as you need all the while knowing that feeling the grief will only serve to unlock a deeper love, a deeper gratitude, and a deeper creativity for the work we do in the world.

Love you.

- Glenn”

Hope that can encourage someone who is thinking about their own relationship with technology or who is, maybe, like me, constantly struggling with and (very!) resistant to endings.

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

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Friends.

Why do so many of us feel like we have to earn love, prove ourselves, or constantly achieve more just to feel "enough"?

In this clip from my conversation with about her book “How to Be the Love You Seek” we learn about how childhood experiences shape our nervous system, our beliefs about ourselves, and the patterns we carry into adulthood as we explore how criticism, emotional absence, and conditional approval can become trauma responses that continue influencing our lives decades later.

Phew - that’s a lot jammed into this clip!

If you've ever struggled with perfectionism, people-pleasing, or the feeling that you're never enough, I hope this short conversation helps you feel seen and loved.

WATCH THE CLIP:

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE:

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

A couple of weeks ago I shared a video where I talked about how (as a society, especially those of us who grew up in the church) don’t “grieve well” - we tend to push grief away and push on with our lives, pretending all is well.

And.

Honestly?

That’s just not helpful for anyone!

After I edited the video, I thought of another angle to explore regarding grief and so here it is - I hope it helps!

Much love.

• Glenn || || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Friends.

What if the Book of Psalms isn't simply a collection of ancient worship songs, but a guide for living an honest spiritual life?

In this week’s episode we sit down with Richard Bruxvoort Colligan - musician, songwriter, and author of the incredible "Dangerous Songs: The Psalms and a Life of Honest Faith" to explore why the Psalms have endured for thousands of years.

We cover LOTS of ground and explore things like lament, joy, grief, hope, prayer, worship, and why the Psalms give us permission to bring every part of ourselves before God.

So.

Good.

Whether you're deconstructing your faith, rediscovering Christian spirituality, or just looking for a more authentic way to pray, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on one of the Bible's most well-known books.

Pull up a chair and come hang out with us for a bit.

🎧 - LISTEN HERE

📺 - WATCH HERE

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Friends.

It’s Friday and that means it’s time for my “Friday Offering” where I give you a quote from a book that I’m reading with no commentary from me.

Here you go …

“When I am in a compulsive relationship with anything, it does not feel like I am choosing it, but it is choosing me. I am a puppet tethered to an external source of strength. Its center of gravity draws me to it, rather than me being connected to my own center and making a choice from my core.”

- Shannon Algeo, The Power in Your Hands: Liberate Yourself from Attachment to Technology

Much love, my friend. May the Spirit or God or the Universe or your own Amazing Intution use these words to stir up something radical inside of you.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Friends.

I used to search for Spiritual Experiences.

What do I mean by that?

Well.

When I was in seminary, for instance, I remember going on a “Spiritual Formation Retreat” and having the expectation that THIS would be an absolute MOUNTAINTOP experience that would change my life.

Me.

My class.

Our professor.

… getting away from it all to spend time in silence, prayer, study - learning about God and the Bible and ourselves.

We were like modern day monks!

I remember driving to the retreat center full of hope that THIS would be a moment that would change my life forever and maybe even redefine or solidify my “calling”.

Another time I got on a plane and went to Colorado for a “Wild At Heart” retreat with John Eldredge. Do you remember his books?

Wild At Heart

Raising the Dead

The Sacred Romance

… so many; and all of them were a tremendous help to me. I was an avid student of his work as it helped me work through some of my father wounds and introduced me to “inner child work”. And so for my birthday one year my mom and dad surprised me with a ticket to the retreat - they got me the ticket, airfare, the whole 9 yards.

And, man - it was a great experience. I got to meet John, made some new friends (some that I even keep in occasional contact with today!), and came home feeling … different.

Another time when we were getting ready to plant our church I flew down to Charlotte, NC (2 times, actually) and spent time at Elevation Church and with Steven Furtick’s team. I remember feeling like THIS would be a moment that would change the trajectory of my life, my vision, my heart … my everything.

“Surely I’m gonna meet God in THIS place”, I thought.

And.

Honestly?

I did. Elevation Church is a megachurch and (for that) they often get some criticism from people. And, yeah, I get it - it’s a million dollar machine, their pastor lives in a mansion, all justifiable critiques.

BUT.

I also know some things about the behind the scenes world of Elevation and if I had to pick a megachurch to go to, that would be the one - some things on the outside might look questionable, for sure, but they do a lot of things really well and a lot of things right.

Anyways …

I got a tour of all the campuses.

I met all the campus pastors.

I got to ask questions.

They gifted me with stuff that would help me with our church plant.

I got phone numbers.

Email addresses.

AND.

I still keep in contact with some of those pastors, even today - all these years later.

… I came back from those trips feeling like I had clearer vision, more confidence, and a deeper faith in God.

Yeah. As I said at the outset, I used to chase after Spiritual Experiences and mountaintop experiences, always having this idea that I had to step out of the ordinary in order to experience the EXTRAordinary.

But.

These days?

Maybe it’s old age (HA! I’m 44, and that feels old to me!) or maybe it’s being a parent or maybe it’s a mix of those things and a whole lot of other things … but these days I’m realizing that more often than not, God or the Divine or Jesus or whatever isn’t only found in the mountain top experiences, but in the day to day grind of everyday life.

God is found in the middle of the night when Jordan calls for me because she had a bad dream.

God is found in packing her lunch everyday.

God is found in the school drop off and pick up lines.

God is found in the next blank canvas that will soon be filled with color.

God is found in the next podcast conversation.

God is found in the smelly parent room at gymnastics practice where parents are crammed in a small room like sardines watching their kids do cartwheels.

God is found in the quietness of sitting with Dana on the couch at the end of a long day watching whatever show we’re currently obsessing over.

God is found in the “good morning” call from my mom.

God is found in the tears I shed when I think about my dad and how much I miss him.

God is found in the meow of my cat as she follows me around the house begging for treats.

God is found in Billie Joe Armstrong’s guitar solo that gives me goosebumps in “American Idiot”.

God is found in the smell of the freshly cut lawn.

God is found in the sun that sets across the street from our front door every night.

God is found in the crack of the bat as I watch Aaron Judge send another ball over the wall.

God is found in the feeling of wanting to give up.

God is found in the bliss of success.

Yes.

In other words, God is found in all the highs and lows of being human and when we insist that God must be found in mountaintop experiences, I think we’re in danger of missing the extraordinary love and power of God in our (seemingly) ordinary days.

In fact.

I think I’ve experienced God MORE over the last few years of truly aiming to be present in the moments of my seeminly ordinary days than I did in all of my years of church work, Bible College, seminary, and searching for mountaintop experiences.

My friends - if you’re looking for an extraordinary experience with God or the Divine, know that you don’t have to travel to the mountains or Colorado or a Spiritual Retreat Center in New York or a megachurch in Charlotte, NC or any other place for that matter.

Those things might be good.

Those places might be helpful.

BUT.

God is found just as much (maybe even more so) in the seemingly ordinary moments of your beautiful human life.

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Friends.

For generations, many Christians have been taught to look for the signs of the end times, the rapture, Armageddon …

Etc.

Etc.

ETC!

… BUT - according to New Testament scholar N.T. Wright, that's not actually what the Bible teaches.

In this clip from a longer episode, N.T. Wright talks to us about why Jesus and Paul consistently describe Jesus' return as unexpected, why dispensational theology became so influential, and how Greek philosophy gradually reshaped Christian beliefs about heaven, the end times, and the future of creation.

Lots of good stuff jammed into these few minutes.

If you've ever wondered what the Bible really says about the Second Coming, the rapture, or God's ultimate plan for the world, this clip (and the longer convo!) offers a thought-provoking perspective.

Check out the clip HERE:

Watch the full episode HERE:

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO
  
  

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

Friends.

It’s Friday and that means it’s time for my “Friday Offering” where I give you a quote from a book that I’m reading with no commentary from me.

Here you go …

Once we are conscious of this energy of love, we can choose how we use it. Like Jesus’ prayer, I send this energy of love to myself. I send it to my family and friends. I send this energy of love to those whom I encounter. I send this energy of love to those whose energy I entangle with, whether for work or for fun. I send this energy of love to war-torn areas of the world, to parts of our country that need it, and to humanity as a whole. This energy of love never runs out. It is limitness. Christ consciousness is the deep awareness that we are all connected in this way. I am aware of this Divine love within me, and I am empowered to acknowledge, call, and direct the energy of love in me to be shared with others.

- Chantal Morales McKinney, Follow Jesus Beyond the Walls of the Church

Much love, my friend. May the Spirit or God or the Universe or your own Amazing Intution use these words to stir up something radical inside of you.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

No paywalls here; but if you have the means to support, it helps pay the grocery bill and keep the lights on - thank you for your encouragement and support!

Subscribe now

There may be spelling / grammar mistakes in my articles that make it through my editing, and that’s on purpose. I’m a recovering perfectionist (who was once VERY hard on himself) and one of the ways I’m learning to be compassionate on myself is by allowing mistakes to just … be.

Happy Saturday, friends.

How about another video? In this one I share about how I'm learning to grieve.

As many of you know, my father passed away in March 2023 and prior to that ... ?

Phew.

I can't remember the last time I had a good cry.

Yeah.

The reality is that the world of my upbringing in the (Evangelical) church taught me more about how to fake being happy than it did how to process and sit with my sadness.

Here's a bit of my story and what some of what this season of grief has been teaching me.

Much love,

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO