so, who am I?
so,
who
am I?
I have different answers to that question in each season of life, but here’s what’s clear:
I’m a spiritual director and co-founder of The Table Collective, a creative interspiritual community.
I work with people seeking a deeper experience of their belovedness and compassionate interconnection with the Divine / Reality.
I incorporate mindfulness and creativity as elements of my spiritual practice
I have a BA in Religion and Globalization studies at Messiah College, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and training in Spiritual Direction and Group Spiritual Direction from Stillpoint.
I am a member of Spiritual Directors International.
My wife, Kali, and I live in Los Angeles, CA with our dog (he’s a good boy) Winston.
My Storythe experience of being known by love + the freedom to ask questions was one of the greatest gifts I could have received.
I had the fortunate privilege of growing up in a church that always painted a picture of a gracious God, where I deeply and personally experienced Divine love, and I was able to ask questions without fear. I had the space to breathe and be myself with this Loving One.
And it's a gift I want to give.
While I did not grow up in evangelical circles, I went to an evangelical-leaning peace and justice college, and then lived and worked in evangelical and charismatic spaces for another 12 years after that. I always felt like a partial outsider, but I received many good things and continued to grow in a deeply experiential spiritual life of abiding with Spirit.
Then I started to hit a wall.
Over the years I had many significant and overwhelming experiences of the presence of God in my life, and Jesus was a dear friend. But I had more questions. Ones that I couldn’t explore and answer honestly in the spaces I was in.
I realized that my sense of the Divine was simply wider and more all-embracing than could fit in the theological boxes I was living and working in.
The safe “harbor” was too small.
then i felt the invitation of spirit
to cross the threshold and enter into
a wider spiritualitY
then i felt the invitation of spirit to cross the threshold
and enter into
a wider spiritualitY
i began to experience the presence & wisdom of God in new places
i began to experience the presence & wisdom of spirit
in new places
I started to dive more deeply into Buddhist practice and teaching, integrating it with my contemplative Christian leanings. At the same time, life experiences asked me to let go of myself and my desired outcomes, and to simply love with open hands. Along the way, Buddhism has provided helpful practices for learning to cherish others while seeing how self-centeredness causes our own suffering. For me, teachings on the compassionate heart of enlightenment (bodhichitta) have been an invitation into the loving heart of God.
Buddhism offers me new ways of seeing our interconnection, letting go of my false self & opening to Love.
At the same time, I began rediscovering my own creativity and seeing that, in my experience, it flows from the same intuitive and spiritual space of deep listening and connection to our creative Source.
Creativity has become a spiritual practice, allowing fresh expression to emerge from a place of stillness.
The journey has been one of entering into the compassionate, creative, interconnected space of Divine Love. And it has included a return, to receive in a deeper way from the contemplative and mystical stream within Christianity. I hold dear all the meaningful spiritual experiences of my life, while being drawn deeper still into knowing my true self in union (not one, not two) with God.
In short, I came to see being human as a beautiful journey of creative interbeing,
where Love flows through each of us and through every thing.
In short, I came to see being human as a beautiful journey of creative interbeing, where Love flows through each of us and through every thing.
)
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Whatever your religious or spiritual background,
if you find yourself looking for wider and deeper ways of experiencing your spiritual life…
if you find yourself looking for wider and deeper ways of experiencing your spiritual life…
For example:
You desire a healing space for reimagining your spiritual life, finding new meaning and
You seek wholeness and inner peace through mindfulness and compassion for yourself and others
You want to integrate your vocation and spirituality, growing in experience of Love everywhere.