Begin Again Podcast

This is my introduction and explanation of the difference between "conventional" and "traditional" Christianity. I think these adjectives are incredibly helpful to add to our vocabulary, especially since they seem to give people struggling with faith so much freedom. For more, visit: https://www.johnchaffee.com

This is a reflection on St. John of the Cross's piece The Ascent of Mount Carmel (Book 1, Chapter 13, Paragraphs 11 and 12). His teaching on Todos y Nadas, or Everything and Nothing, has been utterly transformative for me... and so here I am sharing about this piece of mystical, post-conventional, second-wisdom.

This is a quick reflection on Carl Jung's statement, "Walk or be dragged," alongside Jesus walking his way to the Crucifixion, and the twists, turns, and unexpected events of our lives. To sign up for my free weekly email, join an online class, or otherwise see more of what I do, visit https://www.johnchaffee.com

This one is essentially a Bible Study on Galatians 5, the Greek word Sarx, and how we know the Spirit from the Selfish Ego by what fruit they bear. For more, visit https://www.johnchaffee.com

This one is pretty much a sermon, inspired by the story of Zaccheaus in Luke 19, the Gottman Institute's "Emotional Bank Account", and our need to learn how to make really good amends. For more, join my free newsletter at https://www.johnchaffee.com and join my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/johnchaffee

This episode essentially follows a version of Lectio Divina on a famous prayer by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called Patient Trust (or Trust in the Slow Work of God). To join my free weekly email, visit https://www.johnchaffee.com, or to join my Patreon, look me up on https://www.patreon.com

This episode is devoted to understanding the ideas of empires and the kingdom of God. First it begins with the story of Exodus, to Solomon, to Jesus, to Constantine, to this cultural moment in America. For more, visit: https://www.johnchaffee.com

This episode is inspired by an interaction that happened between Thomas Merton and DT Suzuki. After their meeting, Merton said of Suzuki that he finally met "The Man with No Title." I hope you enjoy this! For more, visit https://www.johnchaffee.com and https://www.patreon.com/cw/johnchaffee

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For more of my work, visit https://www.johnchaffee.com

Check out www.johnchaffee.com to sign up for spiritual direction, join an online cohort, learn more about my books, or get my free weekly newsletter.

Ep. 160 | Where'd You Park Your Spaceship Book 2 w/Rob Bell by John Chaffee

Hey friends, check out this interview I had with #RobBell! We talk about his most recent book, Where'd You Park Your Spaceship?, Dill Tudd, Sigur Ros, Rafiki, Grief, and the writing/creative process! For Rob's Website: https://www.robbell.com For John's Website: https://www.johnchaffee.com

This was a dense one! Dr. Wood adapted his Ph.D. dissertation into one of the most impressive, modern expositions on Maximus the Confessor. Maximus was a later Patristic of the early church and had his hand cut off and tongue cut out for how firmly he held to the logic of saying Jesus is the central logic (read: logos) of everything. He was incredibly humble while also showcasing that he is an expert on Maximus. What a great guy! Click here to get his book, The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus the Confessor: https://a.co/d/1bSsxfW

To learn more about what things I am up to, visit www.johnchaffee.com

This was a delightful interview for the Begin Again Podcast with David Hayward about the kind of work he does, being people who chose to take the Bible VERY seriously, what a healthy church looks like, having a spirituality not built upon fear, anger, or shame, Bible quotes we are not allowed to talk about in church and so much more. If you would like to see more from David, check out his website at https://www.nakedpastor.com as well as @nakedpastor on all social networks. If you would like to see more from John, check out his website at https://www.johnchaffee.com as well as @thatjohnchaffee on all social networks.

Dr. Drew Moser is a professor at Taylor University in Indiana, author of The Enneagram of Discernment, father of 5, co-host of Fathoms Podcast, and so much more. This was a delightful conversation about his book on the Enneagram and how helpful it is, not only to young adults, but to anyone looking for ways to overcome being stuck in their decision-making and how to live a life with more wisdom and discernment. This truly was a joy and it was beyond the shadow of a doubt that Drew knows what he is talking about. To see Drew's Linktree of all the is up to, visit: https://linktr.ee/drewmoser To see John's website, visit: https://www.johnchaffee.com

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is a best-selling and award-winning author, having written or edited more than twenty-five books. Academic Influence ranks him among the most influential theologians in the 21st century. Oord directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He is known for his research and writing on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, evil and power, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation. For Tom's website: https://thomasjayoord.com For John's website: https;//johnchaffee.com

Brad Jersak (www.bradjersak.com) is the Dean of Theology and Culture at St. Stephen's University (https://www.ssu.ca), and November 22nd is the release date of his newest book entitled, "Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction." He was such a delight to talk with and I believe that his book is one of the best, if not my favorite, on the topic of deconstruction and how absolutely normal it is within the Christian tradition. In this interview we talk through St. John of the Cross, burnout, vulnerability, Moses, how the term "deconstruction" is now a little bit behind us, and how what comes next in Western Christianity might be incredibly exciting. Enjoy! For John's Website visit www.johnchaffee.com and to sign up for his free weekly email visit signup.johnchaffee.com!

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If you are interested in the weekly Monday email called, "Learning from the Mystics," you can learn more here: learningfromthemystics.johnchaffee.com. - And, if you are interested in the weekly Wednesday email called, "Musings of a Holy Fool," you can learn more here: musingsofaholyfool.johnchaffee.com

Without a doubt, this was one of the most fun and humble and exciting interviews I have ever done. Terry Wildman is the point man behind the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament. Terry was so gracious as to talk with me for a full hour and we discussed not using the word "God" in the translation, Rabbis as "wisdom-keepers," the prayer practices of his people, decolonizing the Scriptures, and how this translation has been so positively received by so many various types of peoples and cultures globally. https://firstnationsversion.com | www.johnchaffee.com

Shane and I sat down to talk about how Rusty Bowers, a witness of one of the January 6th hearings, referenced the Constitution as "inspired." Of course, this led to a further discussion about faith and politics, a conversation that goes all the way back to Constantinian times and the start of the Church's seduction to political power. It was a great convo. Shane is such a good dude. www.redletterchristians.org | www.johnchaffee.com

Keith Giles is an author of numerous books, a former Southern Baptist pastor, and currently lives in Texas with his wife. He has multiple podcasts and started a home church in which all tithing goes directly to local charities. His personal mantra and mission statement is: "I introduce Christians to Jesus." How fantastic is that? In this episode we talk about his most recent book, Sola Mysterium, and how people can embrace mystery as an integral part of their faith. Personally, this was an absolute delight for me. I hope you all enjoy it! Keith's website: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/keithgiles/ - https://www.johnchaffee.com https://signup.johnchaffee.com #christian #christianity #sola #mystery #jesus #cosmos #sauloftarsus

What does it look like to have a Christianity that is anchored in the best of the old while integrating the best of the new? Check out my website at www.johnchaffee.com!

Shane Claiborne is one of the founders of https://www.redletterchristians.org, an organization based out of Philly that emphases the "red letters of Jesus." He is the author of many books and frequently travels the US to speak at churches and rallies and more. Shane clearly has a Franciscan heart in today's world and has settled into being a great example of "walking the walk." In case you are interested, here is his Amazon page of all of his books: https://www.amazon.com/Shane-Claiborne/e/B001H6L6JA?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1655999673&sr=8-1 - https://www.johnchaffee.com

Alexander John Shaia is a renowned author and speaker on Christian spirituality, psychology and is a self-proclaimed "ritual nerd." It was a privilege and a joy to talk with him seeing as his work has expanded my own heart, mind and soul so very much. To see more of what he is about, check out www.quadratos.com. - For John's Website: www.johnchaffee.com For John's Free Email the 5 on Friday: signup.johnchaffee.com

Brian Zahnd is the senior pastor of Word of Life Church (www.wolc.com) in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the author of a number of books, all of which can be found on Amazon. His personal website is www.brianzahnd.com. For more, check out John's website: www.johnchaffee.com To sign up for his weekly email: signup.johnchaffee.com

It was a joy and a privilege to talk with Cameron Trimble! Cameron is a serial entrepreneur committed to the triple bottom line – a concern for people, progress and the planet. Driven by an adventurous spirit, she runs businesses and NGO organizations, both secular and faith-based. She serves as a consultant, a frequent speaker on national speaking circuits, is a pilot, and an author. In this episode we come together to talk about "The Great Unveiling" that these past few years of Covid has caused, an unveiling of what wasn't working for most people anyways. Her personal website can be found at https://camerontrimble.com. ----- For more, check out John's website: www.johnchaffee.com To sign up for his weekly email: signup.johnchaffee.com For a parent resource: parents.johnchaffee.com To donate: www.johnchaffee.com/donate

As a result of recent news, I was experiencing some heavy anger... and I don't think it was unjustified. The things I saw and the things that I read about actively led me to become angry over the injustices of the world... and I believe that we perhaps need to come to a better understanding of anger. So buckle up, in this one we are going to talk about healthy and holy anger. My hope is that it helps you to express your anger in a healthy and holy way and let it evolve into holy action that the world so desperately needs from you. ----- For more, check out John's website: www.johnchaffee.com To sign up for his weekly email: signup.johnchaffee.com For a parent resource: parents.johnchaffee.com To donate: www.johnchaffee.com/donate

This one is a straight up shout out and encouragement for all the thru-hikers on the AT this year. I met a good number of you at Trail Days in Damascus, VA last week, and I hope we stay in touch. Please share this with any other thru-hikers that listen to podcasts. Just trying to pay forward the good times. Remember, "Last one to Katahdin wins!" ----- For more, check out John's website: www.johnchaffee.com To sign up for his weekly email: signup.johnchaffee.com For a parent resource: parents.johnchaffee.com To donate: www.johnchaffee.com/donate

This week I thought it would be great to share with you two lengthier quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ. TNH was good friends with the Catholic monk, Thomas Merton, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by his friend, MLK Jr. I believe that it is helpful to be inspired by what is good, beautiful, true and loving in someone else's tradition as well as to listen to what people of another faith say about how Christianity is done in the world. - For more, check out John's website: www.johnchaffee.com To sign up for his weekly email: signup.johnchaffee.com For a parent resource: parents.johnchaffee.com To donate: www.johnchaffee.com/donate

I want to share with you a personal story of mine from 10 years ago, what it taught me, and then shift to talking about Luke 13, Ram Dass, and doing your own self-work. - Check out my website and sign up for the free weekly email: www.johnchaffee.com - Also check out a paid email subscription I do every Monday that is a devotional reflection on another quote from a Christian mystic: learningfromthemystics.johnchaffee.com

Bouncers and Bellhops. Interesting title, right? It's all about you and the life of faith. Sign up for John's Weekly Email Here ---> signup.johnchaffee.com Sign up for the Learning from the Mystics Email Here ---> learningfromthemystics.johnchaffee.com Social Media: @thatjohnchaffee

Happy Easter, y'all! Here is a straight up sermon about Jesus being a "True Rebel" and how we are invited to be "True Rebels" in his footsteps. Have a wonderful day! signup.johnchaffee.com

Brian McLaren (http://brianmclaren.net) is the author of an upcoming book entitled, "Do I Stay Christian?" The book is broken up into three parts: No, Yes and How. It gives an honest look at the reasons why someone might want to leave Christianity, reasons why someone might want to stay, and some perspectives on how someone might choose to stay. So here is an interview about "Do I Stay Christian?" Enjoy! John Chaffee (http://johnchaffee.com) is a NJ native with 20 years of professional ministry background and two masters degrees turned professor/writer/holy fool. You can join his weekly email list by signing up at his website.

This past week I happened to come across a particular quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I first highlighted years ago. Bonhoeffer is a fantastic Christian ethicist, pastor, and figure of Church history. So here is an episode devoted to what he had to say about living in an already reconciled world. For more, check out www.JohnChaffee.com and be sure to join the email list.

Been on a kick the past week about "liminal spaces", the in-between spaces, seasons between the seasons of life, etc.  Apparently, this is where learning and growth happen the most.  So let's chat through some insights about that. To sign up for my email list mentioned at the beginning, check out www.johnchaffee.com

This most recent episode is all about the book of James saying that showing favoritism actually discredits for him whether or not someone is following the Way of Jesus.  To show partiality to the greatest, the first, the never lost, never victimized and the robust is still giving into the old formula of religion.  I hope this one challenges you in the right ways. Check out John's Website: www.johnchaffee.com Socials: @thatjohnchaffee

Interested by that title? This one might get me in some heat but its okay, the Good News is supposed to be Good News, not Good Advice. Perhaps this one will invite you to "begin again" about how you think about Judgment Day... because what if God has good, and true, and beautiful, and loving things planned for us? Check out my website at www.johnchaffee.com and feel free to contact me through that if you would like to discuss this episode further!

Suzanne Stabile is a master enneagram teacher that often brings it alongside other topics and themes that you may not immediately associate with the enenneagram. Her most recent book, The Journey Toward Wholeness focuses on what she considers is the untapped wisdom of the enneagram to help people be transformed (which for her, is NOT the same thing as "changing"). This was an absolute delight and I felt enormously privileged to have the chance to talk with her. She is a healer for certain... Check out her work at: lifeinthetrinityministry.com suzannestabile.com @suzannestabile Also check out John at: signup.johnchaffee.com johnchaffee.com @thatjohnchaffee

My goodness, this was an ABSOLUTE gift being able to talk with Dr. Jerome Lubbe. He is an accomplished doctor, author and family man. In this, we chat through neuroscience, the enneagram, growth mindsets, and more. Hands down I look forward to the day I can take this guy out for a cup of coffee in person. I hope you enjoy listening to this! If you are able, go to his website and get his book on the Brain Based Enneagram, which we talk about in this interview, for its unique take on the Enneagram in connection to neuroscience. I HIGHLY recommend it. Follow Dr. Jerome Lubbe at: @doctor.jerome on Instagram @DrJeromeLubbe on Twitter And, his personal website at https://www.drjerome.com

This episode was a real treat. I've been a long time fan of this guy since being in seminary together... the Very Reverend Randy van Osten (van Awesome).  Randy is a fantastic and stand up gentleman with the heart of a lion (and the mane to match it).  A family man, pastor, and dreamer, Randy embodies for me and enacts what a good pastor can be when they are present to the needs of their community. Follow Randy at @hippiepastor First Baptist Church of Pitman at @firstbaptistpitman Lighthouse Community Center at @thelighthousecommunitycenter

Don't worry. It's all good. Nothing but gratitude for all that brought me to this point. This is just to invite you into what I will try to do next. Sometimes it's just time to grow, even if it isn't "good timing." Join my email list by checking out the link: simplesignup.johnchaffee.com

I think the title says all you need to know, but stay to the end, because there is a humble surprise for you... To check out more from John, check out these links: Website - johnchaffee.com Twitter and Instagram - @thatjohnchaffee Email List - https://newsletter.johnchaffee.com/

The word "metanoia", which is often translated as "repent" is better understood as "change your mind." So, let's chat through the life of Peter, and chat through what it means to constantly be "changing our minds" all life long. In this episode I also reference Teilhard de Chardin on the Gospels by Louis Savary. It's a fantastic and thought provoking book. The amazon link to the book is this: https://www.amazon.com/Teilhard-Chardin-Gospels-Message-Evolutionary/dp/0809154498/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=de+chardin+on+the+gospel&qid=1639427977&sr=8-1 To check out more from John, check out these links: Website - johnchaffee.com Twitter and Instagram - @thatjohnchaffee Email List - https://newsletter.johnchaffee.com/

On the 53rd anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, let's chat through contemplation, deep seeing, activism, false religion vs true religion, and learning to look at the world the same way that God might. To check out more from John, check out... Website - johnchaffee.com Twitter and Instagram - @thatjohnchaffee Email List - https://newsletter.johnchaffee.com/