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

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 Sunday, Friends.

On a 5TB external hard drive I have a LOAD of old audio and video files for every podcast episode I have ever recorded, coming to about 300-400 hours of audio and video.

Wow!

The other day I went back to listen to some of my older episodes and I was amazed at how much I’ve grown since then as both an interviewer and a person; and that got me thinking - it might be fun to go through some of those old video files to cut some clips to share on YouTube.

For instance.

I was listening back on my episode with Dr. Bart Ehrman about his book “Journeys to Heaven and Hell”. To be honest, I cringed at my interview style - HA! It has evolved a lot since those days and I’ve learned some things (I think) about how to create a better experience for both the guest and our listeners.

BUT.

There were some REALLY good parts to that interview and thought to myself - “MAN, people need to hear this!”; and so I cut out a clip, edited it a bit, and put it on YouTube.

Here it is:

I think I may do this with some other videos as well and maybe post 1 of these shorter clips every once in a while.

In this clip Bart talks to us about "The Apocalypse of Peter", how it almost made it into the New Testament, and why it was left out (AND changed by scribes!).

Check it out and let me know what you think of this idea.

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’m grieving the end of Summer … and it’s only mid-July.

To be fair, though, in the South school starts way earlier than in the North. Growing up in NJ, we went back to school in September (after Labor Day), but in the South Jordan goes back to school early in August.

Sigh.

Anyways.

I do that a lot, you know? I start thinking about what it’s going to be like when things end (often times) long before they actually end.

The other day, for instance, I had myself deep down the hole of what life will be like when Jordan leaves home someday. Dana and I were talking about her eventually going to someone’s house for a sleepover (which I’m also NOT looking forward to!) and my mind started to imagine the day …

Jordan will be 18.

Done with high school.

Deciding what she wants to do with her life.

Maybe renting an apartment.

Maybe having a significant other and moving in with them.

… I imagined her playroom being empty, her bedroom being absent of her presence for days and weeks at a time.

And.

MAN.

I had myself all worked up.

Because although I want all of those things for her and want her to be happy and spreading her wings to fly … my daddy heart wants her to be close, forever. Yes, because I want to keep her safe, but also (maybe even more so) because she’s my best friend and I can’t imagine her not being here every day.

These feelings get stirred up in me a few times a year - usually when school is over in May, when the Summer comes to an end and school begins in early August, and when the holidays end.

And, honestly, those reels you see on Instagram don’t help - you know?

You’ve seen them, I’m sure, there’s sappy music playing with a mom/dad playing with their kids and it says something like …

“The dirty handprints on the wall won’t be there forever. You only get 2 summers with an infant, 3 with a toddler, 7 with a child, 6 with a teenager, and then they are gone and the house is quiet and clean … and you’ll miss the handprints.”

GOOD GOD. KEEP. SCROLLING.

Then I start thinking about the 2 summers when Jordan was an infant and the moments I was tired and weary or when she was a toddler and how she would ask me to play non-stop while I was trying to get some work done or how the last time she played in her sandbox a year ago my mind was distracted by worries and how this year we took the sandbox down and … she’ll never play in it again.

And how one day I’ll take her swingset down.

And one day she’ll need a bigger bed.

And one day she won’t want to play dolls with me anymore (or at all).

And one day …

… You get the picture.

I used to push these feelings away. I would be super hard on myself and tell myself to get it together, to snap out of it, to suck it up.

“Every kid grows up, yours will too. It’s not a big deal. Shed a few tears and move on.”

BUT.

These days I’m learning to be gentle with myself, I’m learning to let myself feel the pain of letting go. When my father passed away back in 2023 I realized that I had no idea how to grieve, that all my life the world around me told me to “move on from my grief and get on with my life”; but if there’s one thing my dad’s passing has taught me, it’s that although I will most certainly “move on with my life”, I will do so not by moving on FROM my grief, but moving on WITH my grief.

Why?

Because grief is not linear - right? It doesn’t begin and then end. It doesn’t have an off button, it doesn’t have a start date and end date so that all of it’s messiness is contained in between.

Instead.

It’s always with you - popping in without warning like an old friend who is so much like family that he/she has a key to your home and can drop by unannounced day or night.

Yes.

I’m learning to view grief like that old friend, like a friend who has permission to use the key to my heart and come out to visit whenever he needs to. And when he comes out to shed his tears and bear his soul, I’m learning to let him talk, to let him express what he’s feeling. I’m learning not to rush to judgment, not to shut him down, not to explain his feelings away with unhelpful platitudes. I’m learning not to rush him, not to roll my eyes at him, not to make him feel like he’s in the way of my productivity. I’m learning that his tenderness has much to teach me, his perspective contains a lifetime of wisdom, and his heart contains a soft, fierce energy that can change the world for generations to come.

And so today I feel sad.

This week I’ve felt sad.

I will reflect.

I will ponder.

I will be grateful.

I will realize that these feelings don’t represent the WORST of me, but the very BEST of me and my heart.

AND.

I will anticipate all that August will bring when Jordan begins school, all the Fall will bring as we get to Halloween and the holidays, all that 4th grade will hold, and all that these last precious weeks of Summer have waiting for us.

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.

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 …

The irony is that the same anesthetic that numbs our pain also numbs our passion. We doomscrolling, for example, to dull our grief and in doing so allows the disease of indifference to sever the nerve endings of our joy that was awake to all we had.

- Joshua Luke Smith, This Is the Main Event

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.

Hey friends.

How about a video? I was thinking about the podcast the other day - we’re approaching it’s NINE YEAR anniversary. Can you believe it? Insane. And I was reminiscing about some of the great conversations we’ve had over the years with people like …

Brian McLaren.

Diana Butler Bass.

Alexander John Shaia.

Bart Ehrman.

Nicole LePera.

Elaine Pagels.

David Brakke.

Barbara Brown Taylor.

NT Wright.

Rob Bell!

… the list could go on and on. What a ride it’s been!

As I was thinking back over this wild adventure, though, I started to recall those early days when it was just me and the mic. If you’ve been around since the beginning - do you remember that? I’d turn on the mic and talk about something I was reading in the Bible or a Bible story or something I was wrestling with in my faith.

I loved that!

I do that with the blog a lot, of course, but I don’t do much of it in terms of audio/video as most of that is dedicated to interviews and asking people questions about their faith, their books, etc.

Anyways.

So today I had the itch to turn on the mic and camera and share some things. I want to do a (short?) series of videos where I share a bit about my faith journey and also share some things I’m wrestling with today as my journey continues to unfold and lead me here, there, and … everywhere.

Here’s the video - take a look, share some thoughts if you wish.

AND.

If you want to support this soon-to-be NINE YEAR OLD project, you can do so HERE over on Patreon. We have 30 supporters today along with 7 who support here on Substack and all the money goes towards our monthly grocery bill - my family and I are forever grateful.

Thanks for being 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 the life we long for is buried within the life we have? What if the MAIN EVENT we’re waiting for is actually happening … right now, as we speak? And what if by constantly looking to TOMORROW for the good we hope and long for, we’re actually missing out on the good of TODAY?

That’s the idea of a book I’m currently reading called “This Is the Main Event” by Joshua Luke Smith. The book releases towards the end of July and he’ll be joining me on the podcast to chat about it in a couple of weeks.

But.

MAN.

This idea really has me hooked because how often do we think that we’ll be happy or we’ll finally be able to calm down or everything will be better WHEN …

A.

B.

Or.

C.

… finally happens.

Right?

Like …

I’ll finally be able to relax when I make 5 more dollars an hour.

I’ll finally be happy when I get married.

I’ll finally have arrived when I land that job.

I’ll finally have some time to breathe when the kids go back to school.

I’ll finally feel good about myself when I lose that weight.

I’ll finally fit in when I ________.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

But, here’s the thing: the life we long for with the peace and relaxation and happiness and good feelings about ourselves isn’t in some far off dreamy place.

No.

Instead, it’s RIGHT. HERE. RIGHT. NOW.

Joshus says it like this …

And this is one of the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I think. The Gospel writers (for the most part, anyways) paint of picture of a Jesus who went confidently to his death because he knew that buried in the NOW of his death was the HOPE of his resurrection.

Right?

Maybe?

I think so.

Because it was only by going into the crucifixion that he could tap into the resurrection - there is no resurrection without a crucifixion. And so even though he sweat blood and asked that his Father devise a different plan, he moved ahead with confidence anyways because resurrection and new life was buried within the terrifying moments he was living.

Friend - resurrection and new life are buried within the life you’re living too … no matter how terrifying it may be.

I don’t intent to make light of your situation;I truly believe that.

This is one of the mysterious message of the Scriptures, I think, and a message that is woven into the very fabric of the universe:

Just as winter leads to spring.

Just as night leads to day.

Just as rain leads to flowers.

Just as crucifixion leads to resurrection.

So this moment that you’re in will lead to something new. And so rather than resist the now, you can embrace it. Rather than run from the scary thing, you can face it. Rather than push away, you can draw near. Rather than wait for the thing you want, you can recognize what you have.Mind if

NOT because it’s easy to do so.

NOT because what you’re facing isn’t hard.

NOT because we’re downplaying your circumstances.

BUT.

Because this wintery, dark, rainy crucifixion will lead to a springing, bright, flowery resurrection - good that might come rushing into your life with tons and tons of good news and change or (much more likely) good that might trickle in with bits of good news scattered here and there throughout your upcoming days, weeks, months, and years.

Today Jordan and sprinkled some good into somebody’s life.

We were driving home and were sitting at a red light when a homeless man came walking by the car with a sign asking for money. Jordan INSISTED we help him, but I had zero cash on me and so we drove to McDonalds to order a Big Mac, large fries, large soda, and a bottle of water. Then we drove back to where the homeless man was, rolled down the window, and gave it to him.

I said, “hey man, we don’t have any cash on us but we saw you standing out here and picked up an extra meal for you at McDonalds. And since it’s so hot out, here’s a bottle of water too - make sure you stay hydrated today.”

He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “may God bless you. Thank you so much.”

Did we change his life? No.

Did we turn his whole life around? No.

Did we solve the problem of homelessness? No.

BUT.

We trickled a little bit of good news into his day that hopefully helped him feel seen and loved, that hopefully gave him some strength to keep pushing on, trusting that resurrection (even if it’s just a sliver) looms in the very fabric of his everyday life.

And for me and Jordan?

It was tempting to just drive home and assume that the “main event” would come the next time we saw a homeless person and actually had some cash on us to give him/her.

BUT.

The reality? The reality is that the main event was that moment where we could do something with what we had and buy a meal for someone who was clearly hungry, thirsty, and in need of some sustenance on a hot, 100 degree July day.

Yes.

THIS IS THE MAIN EVENT, friends.

Right here.

Right now.

This moment.

This day.

… let’s not let it pass us by as our eyes stay locked on tomorrow.

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.

This week we are talking Aldo Cazzullo about his book, “God of Our Fathers: the Great Stories of the Bible” where he connects some of the most well-known stories of the Bible to present day circumstances and shows how the Bible is a stunning literary achievement that contains the full breadth of the human experience.

Are you weary of hearing about how the Bible is nothing other than the “inerrant and perfect Word of God” that is to never be questioned, never doubted - little more than a rule book filled with rights and wrongs, dos and donts, and a blueprint of how to get to heaven?

Me too.

Pull up a chair and join Aldo and me as he shifts our perspective and ignites our wonder about these ancient writings.

📺 - 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.

I went canvas shopping today and here’s the one I’m planning to purchase this week:

This 48in x 36in blank slate isn’t for me, but was commissioned by …

Wait for it.

… a member of the NEW YORK YANKEES.

Yes.

I can’t believe it either - someone PINCH ME. The way it came together is, honestly, mind-boggling; and my inner child is SQUEALING with delight that not only do people enjoy my art, but a player on my favorite baseball team since I was a kid wants something hanging in his house made by … me.

And.

(In his words).

He wants me to “make it HUGE”.

When it’s done I will share the full story with you (along with photos!), but for now, I just wanted to give a sneak peek into the very beginning stages of my latest piece of art. The idea of what to make is brewing in my head (he told me to surprise him!) and I’m working on making it in my sketch pad before I put it on the canvas because this is the biggest canvas I’ve ever done.

It involves …

Cartoons.

Baseball.

AND.

(Of course!)

Lots and lots of color.

That said - take a look at my art over at the ART STUDIO and let me know if you see anything you like. Suggested prices are listed, but any offer will be accepted - even $0. And if you don’t see anything you like, but have an idea - let me know and I’ll make it for you.

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 …

It is important to understand the particular way in which human beings have affinities with the physical world according to the Ancients. They believed in a quite literal way that nothing inside us is without a correspondence to nature. Worms, for example, are the shape of intestines and worms process matter as intestines do. The lungs that enable us to move freely through space with a bird-like freedom are the same shape as birds. The visible world is humanity turned inside out. Lung and bird are both expressions of the same cosmic spirit, but in different modes.

- Mark Booth, The Secret History of the World

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.

In Buddhism’s Diamond Sutra we are encouraged to throw away or release 4 different notions so that we can come to understand our True Selves … who we really are.

“Who we are?”, you might ask.

Yes, who we REALLY are beneath …

Who the world says we are.

Who the world says we SHOULD be.

Who our parents or families say we are.

Who we have come to think we are.

Who our friends say we are.

Who our employers say we are.

Who our teachers say we are.

Who our critics say we are!

Etc.

… because beneath all of that and all the many layers of thoughts and opinions about us lies our Truest Self.

Anyways.

Thich Nhat Hanh is (perhaps) one of the most well-known modern-day Buddhists. He passed away in 2022 but before he did he left us with a gold mine of writings and thoughts about Buddhism, life, and discovering our True Selves.

One of the last books he wrote (in 2021) is called “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet” and it’s one of the most important books I’ve read in a while.

Well.

I’m only halfway through and so I suppose I should say that SO FAR it’s one of the most important books I’ve read in a while - it’s giving me A LOT to think about as I wonder about this life, our reason for being here, and our connectedness to each other and (really) everything in the universe.

Hanh says that according to the Diamond Sutra the first notion we must throw away is “the notion of self” or the idea that we have a “self” that is separated from the rest of the world …

That we are ourselves.

And.

Everyone and everything else in the entire universe is NOT us.

I don’t know about you, but this is what I grew up thinking … right? I’m me. My classmate is my classmate. My other classmate is my other classmate. My teacher is my teacher. My neighbor is my neighbor. Etc.

But then back in 2023 my father passed away.

And.

Honestly?

I think that’s the moment where a lot of my thinking about my “individual self” began to shift as I struggled to see myself as separated from my father. I remember when he passed away I was sitting at his bedside with my mom. The doctors had given him some medicine to relieve his pain and discomfort and they told us that it would only be a matter of minutes before he passed away.

What do you do with that information, right?

I remember feeling like I was holding the last grains of the sand of his life in my hands as they slowly seeped through my fingers. No matter what I did, no matter how tightly I held on … I couldn’t stop what was coming.

His breaths got shorter.

He made some noises.

He squeezed my hand.

And then … that was it.

I remember wishing that we could be connected forever and mulling over how unfair it was that he was taken from us, ripped from our lives and ripped from our arms far, far too soon.

And then it dawned on me.

A year or so beforehand I had read something by Thich Nhat Hanh in another one of his books where he said that the Universe is like a vast ocean and you, me, my dad, your mom, your dad, my classmate … we’re all like waves in that ocean.

As a wave, I rise up from the ocean - still connected to it.

As a wave, you rise up from the ocean - still connected to it.

As waves, we rise up to live our lives and go through a vast amount of experiences. Some of us rise higher than others and some of us rise up along the coastlines of the US while others in Europe, Austrailia, etc.

As waves, we’re always connected to the ocean - right? Even though the wave is a wave, it’s still the ocean. Each wave might be different, but as part of the ocean - each wave is the same.

Mind-boggling, isn’t it?

Anyways.

Regardless of where we rise up to live our lives.

Regardless of how long we soar along the ocean’s surface.

Regardless of how fast we travel.

… regardless of any of that, we all (eventually) meet the same fate - we either crash up against the sandy shore, hit up against a rock, meet an iceburg, or just slowly melt back into the ocean.

In other words.

We all die.

BUT.

When we do?

We simply fall back into the ocean from which we came in the first place, the very same ocean that we rose out of (and always remained connected to) during our wave-like-lives.

This helped me when my dad passed away because even though I (as a wave) still had more soaring to do and even though my dad had crashed up against a sandy beach to fall back into the ocean … I (as a wave) still remained connected to (and held up by!) the ocean into which my father sank back into after he took his last wave-like-breath.

In that sense we were still connected.

AND.

He wasn’t just soaring alongside of me - him a wave, and me a wave; now he would be holding me up as part of the ocean.

Do you see what I’m getting at? This, I think, is the first notion we have to let go of in regards to the Diamond Sutra - I am not a wave that is separate from other waves; instead, I am a wave that is connected to all other waves and connected to the ocean from which we all stand upon.

In other words, we are all connected - we are all one. I may be a wave and you may be a wave, but we are the ocean. I may be a wave and you may be a wave and the trees out in my woods may be waves and my cat might be a wave and the spiders in my shed might be waves and Donald Trump might be a wave … but we are all the ocean, we are all connected.

You.

Me.

My cat.

Spiders.

Donald Trump.

Your mom.

My dad.

My daughter.

Your child.

We are all one - we are all the Universe. You contain the Universe and I contain the Universe. There is no place where I stop and you begin just as there is no place where one wave ends and another begins.

The waves are waves and yet the waves are the ocean, they are one.

I am me and you are you and yet we are the Universe, we are one.

Perhaps this is why Jesus told us to “love our neighbors as ourselves” … because I (a wave) and my neighbor (another wave) are both the ocean. I am my neighbor and my neighbor is me and so whatever I do to my neighbor and whatever my neighbor does to me - we do that same thing to ourselves.

Or.

Maybe this is why Jesus said that super confusing thing in John 14:20 (that, now, maybe isn’t so confusing) - "on that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."

Jesus is in God.

God is in Jesus.

I am in Jesus.

You are in Jesus.

My dad is in Jesus.

Donald Trump is in Jesus.

Joe Biden is in Jesus.

My neighbor is in Jesus.

Jesus is in God.

Yes, we are all connected, we are all the ocean … we all forever live in the Ocean of the Divine, we are never disconnected from it or each other - not at our highest wave-like moment or our lowest moment of crashing upon a beach.

We’re always connected.

We’re forever One.

And “on that day” in the hospital room while holding my father’s hand and feeling his breath leave his body - that’s the day I realized the depth behind Jesus’ words in John 14:20 … depth that I will ponder for the rest of my days, all the more in these days where everything and everyone feels so divided.

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.

This week we are talking to Dr. Richard Beck about his incredible book, “The Book of Love: A Better Way to Read the Bible”. The reality is that we all have a particular lens through which we read the Bible along with a set of experiences we bring with us to the text. In his book, Richard helps us realize that and then suggests a different lens or prism through which to read it - love.

In these divided days that we are in where (let’s face it!) lots of us are using the Bible to support our values or our beliefs or our candidates ... this book is a breath of fresh air and a challenge to let the Bible be what it is.

🎧 - LISTEN HERE

📺 - WATCH 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

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 …

“Ah, Harry, how often this happens, even between the best of friends! Each of us believes that what he has to say is much more important than anything the other might have to contribute!”

- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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.

Unpopular thoughts and ponderings are coming in this post as I’ve been thinking a lot about AI lately - it’s in the media, it’s all over the Internet, and people are feeling more and more pressure to use it.

For instance.

Over the last 6 months or so I have had various clients request that I make them an image for their book or podcast or whatnot and that I include some sort of intricate detail(s) that “AI would be good for” or that “AI could easily make”.

AI would be good for?

AI could easily make?

Sigh.

After having this happen a bunch of times I’ve come to realize that it bothers me.

A lot.

For many reasons.

AND.

It happens way more than you might think.

Now - I’m not here today to convice you not to use AI. Hear me out on that, OK? If you want to use ChatGPT or Google Gemini or whatever, knock yourself out - all good. It DOES have some good, helpful uses.

Much like religion and politics, I really don’t care what you believe, think, etc. I might disagree and be curious as to why you see things the way you do, but I’m OK with you using something (whether that be something like AI or something like alcohol) even if I choose not to. I think that approach to life, religion, politics, etc. is one of the many paths forward in these divided times.

But.

For me?

I am aiming to us AI as little as possible in my life and in my work.

Why?

ONE: (TO ME) AI IS INSULTING

The request to include an element in a design that “AI would be good for” or that “AI could easily make” is … well … insulting. Not so much because I could easily make it (I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not proficient in design programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. and so I’m a bit limited in what I can create) but more so because I’m capable of coming up with very good design ideas even if I don’t have the proficiency of a trained graphic designer.

I mean.

Not to brag, but I have a pretty colorful and eclectic portfolio with ideas ranging from bright and trippy to sophisticated and scholarly that I’ve built over the last 7 years or so.

I also find it insulting as an artist because even if I can’t make the thing you want me to make, someone in the art community can; and so why not hire them? Why not reach out to someone who is trained in those programs and who would welcome the challenge to sit at their computer screen over a pot of coffee to tinker with an idea until they nail it?

Ah, because … money.

Right?

And time.

You see, AI has allowed us to get relatively decent results FAST and CHEAP. For instance, a design idea that might take a graphic designer 10 hours at $50/hour to produce will take ChatGPT or Google Gemini 30 seconds to make for free or for a very low cost per month.

The problem, though is …

Phew.

Where do I begin?

The first problem is that getting that quick result from ChatGPT is taking work away from creative, artistic people … people like me. Back when I started doing social media graphics for people, for instance, I had so many requests that I could barely keep up. 3 years ago I was having to pick and choose who I could help because I had so many people asking for help …

Authors.

Podcasters.

Creatives.

Businesses.

Etc.

At one point I was managing a total of 20 different social media accounts for 5 different authors/podcasters/businesses and was designing the images for all of them along with random images and websites and logos for people who would reach out for help.

Images for Instagram.

Graphics for Facebook.

Reels for Instagram.

TikToks.

Packages of graphics for book releases.

Websites.

Logos.

Merch (t-shirts, stickers, etc.)

But.

Then?

AI became more of a thing and the need to hire someone with an eye for design to sit and tinker with Canva or Illustrator or Adobe Express has become less and less and less important. A lot of those people/companies are still posting content, but it’s very often content that is very clearly not made by a human.

The reality is that AI made it for them much faster than I could.

AND.

It cost them next to nothing - something that is really nice for (especially) small businesses that don’t have a huge budget as well as larger businesses that are looking to cut costs here and there so money can be allocated to larger projects.

So, yeah - I get it. It’s appealing and helpful. It saves time. It saves money. And in these crazy times we’re in - how can you say “NO” to saving time and saving money?

This is the appeal, sure ... but the appeal comes with (I think) problems.

Another problem is that it’s robbing us of the high we get when we “figure something out”.

Do you know that high?

The other day I was working on an image for someone and no matter what I did I couldn’t get it to look the way I wanted. I was getting super frustrated and so I went to Starbucks for a bit to grab a coffee and stretch my legs and get some fresh air.

And then?

When I came back?

Something clicked and I moved a few things around in ways I hadn’t previously considered and before I knew it the idea I had in my head started to take shape on the screen and within an hour or so it was ready to go.

I love that feeling.

Don’t you? Whether you do art or make music or write books or give talks - when that perfect note or perfect sentence or perfect phrase or perfect color hits the canvas … there’s a rush of dopamine that runs through your body as you look back and realize, “I did that!”

AI, I fear, is stealing that from us as we figure out how to rely on it more and make it do things for us that we/other creative people used to do, things that used to give us (or creatives we could ask/hire) that deep sense of satisfaction.

“I did that!” or “Wow, you made that? I love it!” is quickly becoming replaced with “I created the perfect prompt to make AI do that!” … and the 2, for me, are not the same.

TWO: AI MAKES CHEAP KNOCK-OFFS

The reality is that AI is creating these images and essays or whatever else we ask it to create by pulling from whatever information and content is already on the Internet.

And so.

If I ask it to, for example, make an image of a landscape that looks like an oil painting and I want certain colors with a certain vibe and I want it to have a Pop Art theme to it.

Well.

Then it’s going to scan the Internet to find pictures that already exist with those elements …

Paintings painted by artists.

Photos taken by photographers.

Etc.

… and it will merge various elements of those images together to make a brand new image.

Now.

At first? That might not seem like a big deal.

BUT.

I mean - think about out. Because what’s really happening (I think) is that it’s STEALING the ideas from artists who spent hours crafting their piece so it can present you with (in my opinion) a cheap knock-off.

THREE: AI IS OFTEN USED IN DISHONEST WAYS

I‘ve come across this a few times, where people are using AI to design stuff and then selling it as their own without any indication or asterisk letting potential buyers know that it’s AI generated.

Wait.

WHAT?

I’ve seen (MANY TIMES) people create AI images and then SELL THEM on Etsy, eBay, etc. as their own art - sell prints, sell the digital file, etc. without really telling people (other than in the fine print) that they designed it with an AI program.

Yes.

They are creating images using AI (that, admittingly, do look pretty cool) and then selling them as their own.

And.

For me?

That just doesn’t feel very good. It feels dishonest. I mean, it’s one thing to design something cool in AI and let people know it was designed in AI and that you’re selling it as such - that’s great. Maybe they will want to buy it. Maybe they will want to hang it on their wall. Maybe that’s right up their alley.

BUT.

To post the picture to my socials as “my art” or something “I made” and then when people ask me what Adobe program I used to make it or what medium I used and I STILL don’t tell them it was AI … the motives no longer feel artistic or honest (again, in my opinion).

In short, I think AI makes it easier for us to be dishonest even if being dishonest isn’t our original intention.

Big deal, right? “Who cares! It’s just an image.”

Sure - but if this is the “lie” we’re starting with while AI is still relatively new and small … what kind of lies will grow as AI grows? This feels like something (to me) that can get wildly out control very quickly.

FOUR: AI HAS MADE ME LAZY

For 3 months, for example, I used it to generate “show notes” for my podcast. I would download the transcript of the episode, upload it to ChatGPT and ask it to give me an SEO-friendly, short description of the episode that would capture the attention of people and draw them into wanting to listen.

And.

Honestly?

It gave me some pretty great stuff that I would tweak so it was in my voice - it gave me a great description, saved me a lot of time of having to think about how to describe a 45-minute conversation in a short paragraph, AND it made it SEO-friendly so that it had a greater chance of showing up in people’s Google searches.

Excellent!

Or.

Is it?

Because one day I was sending the transcript into ChatGPT and copy/pasting my edited version into the show notes of the podcast when I found myself wondering what other tasks ChatGPT could help me with to save time …

Could it help me brainstorm questions to ask my guests?

Could it help me edit the podcast?

Could it help me create YouTube thumbnails?

Could it help me edit my blog posts?

Could it WRITE a blog post for me that I could edit?

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

In other words, I found myself wondering what other tasks (that do take time, but that I actually enjoy) ChatGPT could take over for me so that I could save time and wouldn’t have to do anything else other than sit in my chair, hit a button, and tweak it’s work.

Hm.

And although that might save time, is it helpful? Is it making me a better podcaster? A better writer? A better interviewer? A better reader? A better thinker? A better communicator? A stronger creative?

Like …

What am I sacrificing on the altar of “saving time” and “being more effecient”?

And.

At what point does the podcast become less of me and more of ChatGPT?

And.

At what point does my voice become so muddied that the show is more AI produced than Glenn produced?

And.

Is that fair to my listeners? To my Patreon supporters? To ME?

Lots of questions, right?

And I’m not alone in this, because even college professors are struggling with students using ChatGPT and other AI sofware to write their term papers and essays as it (again) pulls from millions of pieces of information available on the Internet (that has been written and compiled by HUMANS) to write a paper for a college student who waited until the last minute to write their paper or, maybe, just doesn’t feel like doing the work.

Sigh.

How much AI is too much AI?

At what point does AI shift from a brainstorm partner to a cheap employee?

At what point does AI’s voice become elevated over our own voices?

FIVE: AI IS DESTRUCTIVE

You’ve probably heard about all of these “data centers” that are going up around the country. These are gigantic buildings that house millions of dollars worth of computers that house the information that AI pulls from to make whatever it is that we ask it to make.

And these data centers are massive, ranging anywhere from 100,000 square feet to campuses that cover hundreds of acres.

In fact.

The largest campuses cover millions of square feet and might eventually occupy up to 1,000 acres of land.

One building.

With millions of pieces of technology in it.

Covering over 1,000 acres of land (1,000 acres of land, by the way, can be home to around 500,000 trees).

WHAT.

On top of that the primary way that these data centers are cooled is with water. The computers run so hot that they need to be almost SUBMERGED in water, which is accomplished by having water literally fall from the ceilings on to the computers to cool them off.

And how much water do they use?

The average data center uses between 1 milion and 5 million gallons of water a day, which is equivalent to the daily water usage of a town of 10,000 to 50,000 residents.

AND.

If you have noticed, much of the US is in a drought these days and even though water restrictions are being placed on residents, there are little to no restrictions being placed on the data centers.

That’s not to mention - how many people don’t have access to clean water? Are we really OK with water being poured on top of our billion dollar data centers when it could be given to a child or a family who has none? I mean, do we not see any problem with that at all?

Sigh.

It’s literally STEALING land from nature and draining our planet of water. In fact, the UN has recently warned that if we keep building these data centers and AI continues to expand like it is, we could have a planet-wide drinking water ciris by 2030.

That’s alarming, friends.

And so there you have it. I still need to use AI, of course. It’s not 100% avoidable, unfortunately. Even if you do a Google search - AI is involved to an extent as it gives you a “summary” of what is available on the websites it pulls up for you. It’s also being built into programs like …

Zoom.

Canva.

Microsoft Word.

… and many others so much so that it’s difficult to figure out how to avoid it or shut it off.

Even if I don’t want to use it, I find that it sneaks its way into various places that I frequent for my own work. And sometimes people I work for will ask me to use it for something specific and so I will do as much as I can on my own and then use it for whatever part of the task I need it for.

For example.

I use a program called Opus which cuts long form video into smaller clips that can be used for reels. Although it still requires me to adjust the clips, edit the clips, etc. it does some of the heavy lifting of adding captions and whatnot. I use this for my own podcast on occasion as well as for 2 other people I do work for.

BUT.

I’ve deleted the main AI places from my phone and refuse to use them anymore - ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.

If I’m asked to use it to make an image, I inform the person that I can attempt to make something similar without AI or I uggest they find someone else who can make it OR they use AI to make it themselves because I have both personal and moral struggles with AI.

Even though it could save me time with my podcast, I know that doing the work of writing a description, generating a title, brainstorming interview questiins, etc. will only make me a stronger creative person … even if those things do take a considerable amount of time.

Even though everyone seems to be flocking to ChatGPT to make fun memes, get answers to health questions, get help in writing letters, etc. … I’m choosing not to.

Yes, as I shared above …

I find it insulting.

I think it makes cheap knock-offs of art, letters, essays, etc.

I think it makes it way too easy to be dishonest with our work.

I’ve found that it’s made me lazy.

And.

Most of all - it’s desctructive to our planet.

The reality is that we have in our hands a superpower that is developing so fast that we aren’t able to keep up with understanding the (largely unintended) consequences to our planet and to our lives - our brains, bodies, and our souls. I saw someone in congress the other day say that they recently went to an AI convention where they were told that the amount of technological development coming in the next year will outweight what we’ve seen in the last 10+ years.

Phew.

And so I think we need to pump the brakes a bit and really take some time to think about what this technology is, what it’s doing to us, what it’s capable of doing, and how we can best utilize it in ways that are safe for humanity, safe for the environment, and safe for our kids and their kids, and for generations to come.

But.

That’s just me and where I’m at.

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 …

If you see the suffering in the world but you haven’t changed your way of living yet, it means the awakening isn’t strong enough. You haven’t really woken up.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

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

Friends.

We have an incredible episode this week featuring John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz talking about their recent book, “Jesus and Justice” - a book that is so, so important for these tense moments that we’re in.

In this episode, Dom and Michael invite us into the world Jesus actually lived in — a world of occupied shores, commercialized lakes, and an empire that called itself divine.

Sound familiar?

They ask what it means to follow a Jew who proclaimed distributive justice under the shadow of Rome, and what that following might demand of us now, when autocracy wears a cross.

This is not a conversation about belief. It is a conversation about becoming — about organizing like rain, walking into the wreckage, and letting the ancient land speak again.

Lots to unpack. Enjoy.

🎧 - LISTEN 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

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 started a new community over on Skool, which allows people to create community spaces revolving around whatever kind of work they’re doing in the world.

A podcaster? Make a “Skool” around the topics you explore.

An arists? Make a “Skool” that will help people with their own art.

A writer? Make a “Skool” that will help people become stronger writers.

… You get the idea.

Anyways.

I had this idea to do a little experiment and create a “Skool” revolving around the recent explorations of the What If Project. The Skool is called “What If There’s Another Way to Be?” - a little, quiet place on the big, loud Internet where people can explore and wonder about what it might be like to live as a “united one” in a world that pushes to divide us.

What if we could ask more questions of people we disagree with instead of feeling the need to “set them straight” and “tell them how it is”?

What if we could remember that we are all more than our religious beliefs? Our voting choices? Our values?

What if we could be interested in learning the stories of the people who see things differently than we do?

What if we could look at someone with a MAGA hat on and not immediately judge them?

What if we could remember that buried deep inside of everyone is a Divine spark of goodness?

Yes.

It’s a place to ask questions, share ideas, and talk about ideas and books and practices and life events that have shaped us, softened us, and opened us up. There’s a “feed” similar to Facebook where you can share ideas, thoughts, photos, etc. We might end up doing some Zoom sessions, too, where we gather over video with some coffee and just encourage one another, listen to stories, etc. Maybe even invite a podcast guest to join so people can ask their own questions, share their own stories. There’s a spot called “classroom” where I’m adding some of my favorite What If Project episodes that have shaped me.

Lots of possibilities.

Below is the “Introduction” that I wrote in the community, welcoming people in. This will give you a little more background to the idea and share the heart behind it. It’s currently an “invite only” thing and so if you’d like to be part of it, just send me a DM or email me at whatifproject.net@gmail.com and I’ll send you the link.

Like I said, this is an EXPERIMENT - it may continue, it may not. I figure we’ll give it a go over the Summer and see if we want to continue it in the Fall.

Much love.

• Glenn || SUPPORT / ART STUDIO

Hello friends.

I’m tired. Are you? Do you feel the exhaustion?

I’ve been “away” from social media since mid-December. When I say “away” I mean that I haven’t posted anything because (honestly) I was tired of competing with an algorithm that promotes content that is divisive and fuels outrage.

And.

If I’m being honest - I miss the interaction that I used to have with people, especially the interaction where we’d encourage each other’s work and encourage one another on our journeys.

But.

I stepped away because I’m working hard at “finding another way to be”, you know? And I think (for me, anyways) that’s super hard to do in the heat of social media.

Back in the middle of the 2024 election season I realized that I “hated” Trump and MAGA and Chrisitan Nationalists in the same way that I once “hated” Obama and Democrats and people who are “woke”.

Sure.

Maybe “hate” is a strong word as I’m not sure I ever “hated” anyone, but “hate” certainly describes the energy I once held towards the Obamas of the world and now found myself holding towards the Trumps of the world.

You know the energy, right?

“I’m right, you’re wrong.”

“Our side is close to God, their side is far from God.”

“God is on OUR side, not THEIR side.”

“It’s US vs. THEM.”

“WE are the ones wo will make things better!”

It’s an arrogant, cocky, stuck-up kind of energy; and one day when I was in someone’s comment section on Facebook getting ready to annihilate a MAGA supporter with my carefully phrased words, a small voice stirred from within and said ...

“If you aren’t careful you’re going to become the very same energy on the Left that you wanted to leave behind on the Right.”

And.

I don’t know.

But, that has really stuck with me and over this last year or so has really pushed me and challenged me to find another way to be in the world, to hold my energy differently - not in a way where anything goes and I have no opinions and no voice and no willingness to speak out against what I feel is wrong.

No.

Instead, holding my energy differently ... in a way where I (first and foremost) recognize that people are more than their beliefs, more than their voting choices - that behind every person is a long history and a long story and a long series of events that brought them to this moment where they hold these beliefs, value these things, and vote for these candidates.

And.

So do I - we all have a story, we are all more than the things we believe, the people we vote for. We have families, we have friends, we’ve had successes, we’ve had failures, we have a favorite food and sports team and ice cream flavor and movie and TV show.

More than that, we’re all connected (I believe, anyways). I believe that we are all connected by the same Divine breath that is pumping through our bodies, energizing our souls, and giving us life.

You.

Me.

Your MAGA neighbor.

Your WOKE neighbor.

Your Evangelical Uncle.

Donald Trump.

Joe Biden.

People in Iran.

People in the hateful church down the street.

Yeah - deep down inside, underneath all the stupid things we’ve done, said, thought ... underneath it all is a small, Divine spark that refuses to go out. It may be covered up by years of mistakes and baggage and carelessness.

BUT.

It’s still there, I believe, as dim as it may be.

And so I’ve been challenging myself this past year to focus on THAT spark in others ...

Even when they do something I hate.

Even when they vote for something I find revolting.

Even when I read a fear-laced statement on the sign outside the church.

... I try - REALLY HARD - to let my first thought be, “if only he/she/they could remember who they REALLY are and wake up to their full, Divine potential. I might not agree with them. I might not even really like them. BUT. I can love them by hoping the best for them, by refusing to hate them, by letting my words towards them and about them be formed by the Divine I know is deep within them”.

And so this space is an invitation of sorts to explore other ways to be in the world alongside other people who are also searching for other ways to be as well.

Are there books you’ve read that you’ve found helpful? Share them.

Are there spiritual practices you’ve found helpful? We want to hear them.

Are there ideas you have? Share them.

Are there tears you’re shedding? Shed them here.

Are you looking for support? You’ll find it here.

My hope is for this to be a community of sorts AWAY from the algorithms of social media, a place where people can share what’s on their heart without the fear of being crucified by an angry mob who thinks differently than they do. This isn’t an echo chamber where everyone needs to think the same, but a safe place to be yourself and gift that same safety to others. It’s a place to ask more questions, hear the stories of others, and practice seeing the Divine in everyone.

A few things to know:

First, introduce yourself here - tell us who you are, why you’re here, maybe your own story of wanting to find “another way to be”. At the bottom of your post before you hit “post” you’ll see a tab where you can choose what “category” to place your post in. If you’re introducing yourself, choose “Introductions”; if you’re sharing a book you’re reading, choose “Books I”m Reading”; if there’s a category you’d like to see, let me know and I’ll add it.

Second, there might also be Zoom sessions that I schedule where we can hang out for an hour or so over coffee or a meal to talk and dream and share and wonder together. When that time comes, I will suggest a few days/times and then share the Zoom link.

Third, if you hop over to “classroom” I will be sharing some of my favorite podcast episodes from the “What If Project” that have helped me on my journey of finding “another way to be”. I won’t be posting any “courses” or things like that or charging you any money. I’ll just use that space to add helpful conversations and I’ll let you know when more are added.

Fourth, I might schedule time for some of those podcasts guests to come in and talk to all of us - a time when we can all hop on Zoom and you can ask them your own questions about finding “another way to be” and get some insights into the things you’re wrestling with. More details to come.

Fifth, this is free. It costs me $7/month to keep the community open, but I am not charging you to be here. If you’d like to donate, though, you are welcome to sign up on Patreon where you can pledge monthly support for the What If Project. All money made goes towards making a dent in our grocery bill every month. If you already support there - thank you!

Oh.

And this is NOT a public group and so (for now) this is an “invite only” thing. If you know of someone who you think would appreciate a space like this, let me know and I’m happy to send you the invite link. At the end of the day, this is an experiment - it might be helpful, it might not. We’ll see and we’ll go from there.

Much love.

• Glenn