Blog
Coming and Going
The season of Christmas is one in which we emphasize how God comes to us. Immanuel. God with us. Or perhaps, as we tend to think of it, God with us, rather than we with God. And so God comes to us, embodied in Jesus. But it seems the minute Jesus gets here, he starts turning tables in all sorts of ways, not least being his invitation for us to come with him to where he is going… It is striking how the mind responds to such coming and going…. more >
One Millimeter Per Month
I’m not always happy with God’s pace. The speed with which he moves to assist me in my travail, to answer my prayer for others’ plight, or (mostly) to bring about the transformation I long for in my own mind, is frequently out of step with the velocity of my own gait. I wish he would run faster to keep up with me…But what if I have this whole time thing, and the urgency with which I dwell in it, completely backwards? more >
Be Where You Are
“Where are you?” At first glance, the question seems easy enough to answer. “Well, I’m right here, as a matter of fact.” But am I? I often find that question no easier to answer than did Adam…. more >
Attention and the Kingdom of God
On most days, the evidence for the emergence of God’s kingdom seems to be quite thin, especially given the depth of the pain of those who walk into my office, let alone what I read in the paper. However, when I am confronted with the evidence from neuroscience… more >
It’s not about being right. It’s about being left. (Part 2)
At first glance, being right seems to be about nothing but the facts. At times important facts, but facts nonetheless. But when we view this from a neuroscience standpoint, we begin to see so much more…. more >
It’s not about being right. It’s about being left. (Part 1)
Being right, it seems, is important to us…[but] What is it about this right/wrong [brain] mechanism such that it serves us so well when it comes to choosing the right medicine, but creates so many challenges when it comes to relationships, especially with God? And why is there so much anxiety produced when the possibility of being wrong enters the room of our mind…? more >
What Do You Feel God Feeling?
I often ask my patients this question. Not, “What do you think God is thinking?” or “What do you think God is feeling?” Rather, “What do you feel God feeling?” They will occasionally give me a puzzled look, as if to ask in return, “What exactly are you talking about?”… more >
Mind Over Matter?
Mind over matter. We often hear that phrase and suspect that there are two different realms—“mind” and “matter.” Or, as the ancient Greeks thought, the non-material realm and the material one….What does any of this have to say about the stories we tell and the way our minds tell them? Consider this exercise…. more >
Practice Making Mistakes
No one that I know, myself included, actually enjoys making mistakes. Which is too bad, because I seem to make them all the time… more >
Certainty Is an Illusion
It is not surprising that we long for certainty, or at least for what that word usually implies in the English language. We want to be certain that the car will start. That my spouse loves me and my best friend would never betray me. That God is who we’re certain he is. Oddly enough… more >
