The Soul's Garage

In almost any life endeavor it helps occasionally to review basic understandings and skills. The same is true of the spiritual life. A return to the ABCs of spirituality can help us decide if we need to reassess or reaffirm our beliefs or lack thereof. As the poet T. S. Eliot said, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” Therefore, in The Soul’s Garage today we begin a series we’re calling “Back to Basics,” and we start with the most fundamental question of all: “Is there a God?” Join us for a discussion of a subject that has comforted and vexed humanity for millennia.

There is nothing new about mixing politics and religion. Christians, unfortunately, have been doing it ever since the time of Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century. More recently there is a growing movement in the United States called “Christian Nationalism” which is gaining traction and influencing officials at some of the highest levels of government. To help us explore the rise of this phenomenon, and assess what can be done about it, we are joined in the garage by Dr. Tom Mockaitis, professor of history at DePaul University.

As we come to Easter this year, we tackle one of the questions that has vexed theologians and ordinary believers for many years; i.e., where can you find a white rabbit with a basket full of candy eggs hanging around the empty tomb? But seriously, we think there is a deeper truth to the story of Jesus’s resurrection that applies to people whether they are believers or not, or whether they think the story is factual or metaphorical. So grab a few chocolates out of your Easter basket and join us in the Soul’s Garage.

For this final episode in the garage with Emily Hensley we concentrate less on the words that are mere descriptor’s of our lives—life’s adjectives—and focus instead on the words that encapsulate the essence of who we are—life’s nouns. We dare to dream how different our world might be if we could think of ourselves and others as the latter instead of the former as well as the implications for our spiritual lives too.

This episode we continue our discussion with Emily Hensley about the adjectives we use to describe ourselves and others, and how negative—maybe downright hurtful—they can be. We explore how to let go of those adjectives, what is helpful and unhelpful in the process, and the implications for relating to ourselves and others.

In school, our grammar teachers taught us the importance of nouns and adjectives for effective communication, but nouns and adjectives are more than just parts of speech. They have the power to determine how we view ourselves, and how we view each other, in positive and negative ways. Join us in the garage as we chat with Emily Hensley about the implications for living in this world that are implied by the words we use and the stories we tell.

Growing up where we did, and when we did, we have been blessed with multitudes of stories. Also, at this time of year, we cannot avoid The Story that is at the heart of the season. Join us in the garage as we share some of the Christmas stories from our own lives—some of them funny, some of them poignant—and talk a little about what the Christmas story can mean to people of faith, to people of a different faith, and to people of no faith.

Even though our society likes to portray the holiday season as a magical time to share with family and friends, there are scores of people who can’t wait for this time of year to appear in their rearview mirror. Sometimes it seems as if the Thanksgiving/Hanukah/Kwanza/Christmas season brings out the worst tensions simmering within families. There are reasons why that’s true, and there are helpful suggestions for dealing with them. But for those of us who are searching for, or living out, a life of spirituality perhaps there are possibilities a tad more helpful than just avoiding too much alcohol or ignoring Uncle Fred. Join us in the garage as we discuss positive approaches for surviving holiday family gatherings.

Have you ever heard a person referred to as a “saint”? Perhaps you have said your mother was a saint. Maybe you had a teacher in school you would classify as a saint. To hear the way people use that word we could easily conclude that a saint is a person who is kinder than everybody else, or more courageous, or more dedicated, or smarter than the average Joe. In other words, a saint is a person most of us will never be. We just can’t measure up to the standard. But is any of that true? Is the world made up of mediocre humans with a few rare individuals that just make the rest of us look bad? Join us in The Soul’s Garage as we look for saints in unlikely places.

As Halloween approaches, our society focuses on the things that terrify us. Children tend to be scared by witches, ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night, but our fears change over time. As adults, our nightmares lean more toward work, family, and other personal trepidations—not to mention the specific worries bedeviling us every time we watch the daily news. Does Halloween raise any relevant spiritual questions about the dragons we encounter in our lives, or is it just a good excuse for gorging on the leftover candy we bought for the Trick or Treaters? Join us in The Soul’s Garage, and let’s find out.

We probably would not get much disagreement when we say that all of us are living now in a time of fear. Our nation, and our world, are deeply polarized. There are serious economic concerns, growing authoritarianism, and brutal wars around the globe. Every poll indicates a deep fear gripping people everywhere. So what is to be done? We contend that what we do with fear is pivotal, and how we define hope is pivotal too. Is hope just wishful thinking—“I hope so”—or something deeper? Join us in the garage as we discuss finding hope in times like these.

In this final episode of our series on losing religion, we discuss how walking away from faith could be a good thing, and what might ultimately replace it. Can a person develop a perspective on life that could help them grow, evolve, and live positively in this world? We think so, but the process can be challenging, difficult, maybe even life-changing. We know. We have been there. Join us in the garage to find out why both of us, metaphorically speaking, feel like we walk with a limp.

Today in the garage we continue our discussion of reasons why someone might give up on faith, or “lose” their religion. And we do not make value judgments on anyone who chooses that path. In fact, we think it might be a good thing. How can two pastors make such a claim? Join us for “Losing My Religion-Part 2” to find out.

The two of us have a good time eloquently waxing and waning about the practice of spirituality or faith in today’s world, but some people just don’t swim in that ocean anymore. They would claim they have “lost” faith, and they are in good company. Join us in the garage for this first of three episodes where we will acknowledge and discuss the truly valid reasons why so many people walk away from a faith they once held.

Humorist Grady Nutt once said, “Laughter is the hand of God on the shoulder of a troubled world.” If that’s true, why is spirituality in general, and Christian spirituality in particular, so often associated with straightlaced, dour living? Could some Bible stories have comical elements that most of us have missed? Join us in the garage as we examine humor as a gift from God.

The Declaration of Independence claims we all have the right to “the pursuit of happiness,” and many of us spend a lot of time and energy on that search. Happiness, however, often seems fleeting and ephemeral. Should we be searching for something else instead? Join us in the garage as we discuss the difference between pursuing happiness and cultivating joy.

There are numerous biblical passages about God’s anger, as well as scores of preachers who seem to take a fiendish delight in dangling sinners over the fires of hell. Join us in the garage as we discuss whether God really does get angry, and, if so, what does God’s anger teach us about our own.

When you are in pain, and someone says, “I know how you feel,” is that helpful to you? If not, what would be helpful? Join us in the garage for some thoughts on what a person in pain really needs, and why our culture does not give us much help in giving it.

Is it true that “God will never put more on you than you can stand”? Are my troubles some kind of test engineered by God? If so, what does that say about God, and what does it say about me? Join us in the garage for more discussion of “dubious dogma” designed to make a person in pain feel better, but often has the opposite effect.

Have you ever paid attention to the platitudes people offer to someone who is hurting? We have, and we think they are really spoken to make the speaker feel better instead of truly offering comfort to the person who is in pain. Join us in the garage for the first of three episodes where we examine some of these common sayings, and suggest an alternative approach.

Political and religious leaders recently have claimed that empathy is Western civilization’s “fundamental weakness.” Others go so far as to call empathy “dangerous,” and “toxic,” and a notion that “needs to be struck from the Christian vocabulary.” But can empathy be erased, or even watered down, in one’s practice of spirituality, especially Christian spirituality? Join us in the garage as we examine the place of empathy—or the lack of it—in a life of faith.

Everyone has nights lying awake worrying, problem solving, or feeling guilty. In such moments how does my spirituality comfort me? What resources does my spirituality offer for the new day when it dawns? Join us in the garage as we examine faith in the wee hours when troubles seem to loom so large.

Can my spirituality be passed on to the next generation? Should it be passed on? Join us in The Soul’s Garage as we discuss faith that is bigger than any one individual, and spirituality that is more like a living relationship than a museum relic.

In these days of religious ferment, how can I practice a spirituality that is more than a passing fad or whim? We think there are three crucial questions any spiritual approach needs to answer. Join us in The Soul’s Garage as we discuss the first question: How does my spirituality make a difference in my life and the lives of others?

In this first episode we dive into the meaning of our podcast's title. What kind of space can be created for spiritual discussions from a variety of perspectives, and what difference could it make in day-to-day living? We think this is especially important in these times when faith and religious language are driving people apart instead of bringing them together.