#305 Steve Garnaas-Holmes: Renewing Our Language About God

The Next Chapter with Charlie

Show Notes

After a three-month break from doing podcasts, we’re back. I am very much looking forward to our new season. You know, I needed a time of intentional pondering about what I might like to do in my final chapter of what I call “a life richly lived.” This year, in September, I turn 75. Three quarters of a century. Enough time to live a life meaning, adventure, and awe—which has been the theme the of The Next Chapter with Charlie for the past 9 years.

After considering the purpose of my web presence, the theme of meaning, adventure, and awe continues… but perhaps with a renewed and personally vibrant focus. In my most recent couple of blogs, I have written about the American vacuum regarding something to trust, something to hang our hats on, or an anchor in our wild seas of politics, news media, and vacuous religion.

Yes, at 75, God, the Spirit of Life is not yet finished with me. My present calling is to engage in conversations of ultimate meaning and purpose, mostly having to do with the heart—that force which has driven humankind for millennia.

As you know, I am a contemplative follower of the late medieval Christian mystics who spoke in the language of the heart, guiding people to experience everyday life in a spirit wonder and meaning and service.

*****

So that leads to our first guest on our newly directed version of the Next Chapter with Charlie.

So, it should not be surprising that today’s guest is a poet and a mystic… with eyes not on the ethereal but on the practical, everyday vision of life in the arms of love.

Steve Garnaas-Holmes is a gift to all of us. He writes of himself, quite simply and quite humbly…

“I’m a retired United Methodist pastor. I often lead retreats on prayer, poetry, and renewing our language about God. I am trying to be… here… now...” which means Steve, in the words of our dear friend Terry Hershey, lives intentionally in “the Sacrament of the Present Moment.”

Personally, I am loving his commitment to “renewing our language about God.” As a culture, we are in need of a fresh and relevant language about love and presence.

LINKS

Please check out Steve Garnaas-Holmes’ blog post “Unfolding Light” HERE.