We look happy. And we are. But when a friend called this morning and was like, “great photos of you and Eric this weekend!” and all I could think was, you have no idea what shit-show this week has been for me.

Christmas is a season of lights… And a season to become enlightened…. To notice and amplify the light that shines within us all, revealing inner wisdom and guidance for our lives. 

Why not at least integrate working on gratitude as our routine attitude during “the season” this and each year —and continue our practice into each new day of the fresh year?

Looking for a spiritual retreat to tide you over in quiet contemplation during the holy days leading up to Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, and Epiphany? Here are many choices — some Christian and inclusive, others multifaith — from which you can find a perfect match for your needs.

Watch Rev. Mark Sandlin, Presbyterian Church of the Covenant on his November 13, 2022, sermon on Happiness via Compassion and Connectedness.

This week’s reading is a Sunday school children’s favorite — the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who climbs a tree to see Jesus.

Mythic Christ Podcast offers an online community for exploring mythic structures of story, archetype, dream, and the deep imaginal realm within religious traditions to explore a growing collective longing to rewild our divine images in order to support the reawakening of the mystic perennial wisdom of Earth and soul.

Divine Sparks presents practical and inspiring wisdom from the world’s great religious traditions for men and women of all faiths—or none.

Are you searching for a way to connect children with an authentic spiritual experience that is inter-spiritual, creative and multi-layered?  “A Joyful Path” is truly progressive Christian curriculum that is inclusive, joy-full, compassionate, and intelligent.

Meaningful Messages has been created to help you to find a sense of calm and contentment.

BUILDING COMPASSION features interviews with a range of experts on the science and practice of compassion, including Dr. James Doty, Dr. Saamdu Chetri, Dr. David Vago, Scarlett Lewis and many more.

Offering practical, intelligent, loving, spirit-filled wisdom rooted in the joy and deep love of the Christian faith as well as developmental psychology, this book includes personal reflections, suggestions for family faith practices, reflections on biblical passages, ideas for family holiday activities, and original music.

Sermon with Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines

This passionate love story is set in the picturesque village of Valle Crucis in the North Carolina mountains. Within the warm embrace of Abby Dunbar and among his many friends in the Valle Crucis community, the Reverend Jeffrey Peterson heals the scars from a failed ministry and psychological trauma.

I assure you I am well, content, and thankful to God for this extension of my ministry. Thank you for your interest, comments, correspondence, and contributions. I am grateful to Metropolitan Community Churches for recognizing this blog as an “Emerging Ministry” and ProgressiveChristianity.org for reposting many of my reflections, as well as the dozens of Facebook pages that allowed me to provide links to particular posts.

As violence and division erupt here at home and around the world, we are forced again to ask of ourselves: who are we? What is the essential nature of human beings? Are we inclined to do good, or are we bound to pursue what might be named evil? Good, or bad? A seemingly simple question but one that drags in its wake a multitude of ramifications that are not so simple.

Do you also tell yourself that you don’t have the right to be upset when you are upset? What if, instead, we trained ourselves on compassionate self-talk?

For all of you grieving the loss of someone you love — whether this loss occurred last week, last year, or decades ago — I hope you find some comfort in these words, too. I hope you have the courage to tell the truth about your loved one: the good, the bad, and the complex. And that you don’t break faith with the full spectrum of your feeling, from mourning to dancing.