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My work is about deepening the conversation between the Soul (deep self), the mystery of life, and God.
“Mostly, I help people listen to the call on their own life.”
The deeper we descend into the inner world, the more we touch the eternal and transcendent. This kind of seeking, or longing, has come for me in fits and starts, seeking something that can’t be found through jobs and titles and roles. A kind of deeper belonging, to the world, to the Mystery, to meaning, to God beyond all human frames. I’ve been a mega-church pastor, a biblical scholar, a tour guide, a high school teacher, an author, and a handful of other things. But what I’ve really been longing for is a sense of Soul, or place, in this vast dance of being.
St Francis’ haunting question, “Who are you God? And who am I?” grew louder as the roles in my life continued to evolve and shift and fall apart. The fact that I had no idea how to answer these questions, meant I was beginning a deeper conversation, one in which the great saints and mystics led the way.
The last decade has felt like the unraveling of my own Evangelical Christian faith, an experiment in trusting my own curiosity, invitations to trust the ordinary, conversations with dreams, and a returning back to wild landscapes. I also met a few unexpected guides that have pointed the way. It’s been as much unlearning as learning. I’ve been influenced by Carl Jung, Bill Plotkin, James Hollis, Ken Wilber, Joanna Macy, Thomas Merton, Robert Bly, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Richard Rohr, David Whyte, and Mary Oliver, to only name a few. Not to mention the influence of my own personal mentors and guides and spiritual directors.
These voices and guides have led me further into the archetypal terrain of the spiritual life, the descent to Soul, deeper into the unknown mysteries of my own life, and the Divine. It’s been both thrilling and perilous. What I thought would be the end of faith, or my own Christian starting place, turned out to be a return to the deeper mysteries of faith, a more honest relationship to God and world. And something of my own life’s work has also emerged in the process.
At the heart of this work is a fundamental trust that each of us is born with innate capacities of wholeness that need reawakening and cultivation (see Wild Mind by Bill Plotkin). In addition, each of us has a unique shape that longs to come forth in this world, or a certain way of relating to life, that is our own. This is the gift of Soul. Helping to cultivate wholeness, and bringing forth the seeds of Soul, are key dimensions of a life of meaning and purpose. And more than that, what I’ve found is that the Mystery of God - both Source and animator of life, call us into relationship, gives us direction, and calls us to serve something larger. As the sages insist, we called to serve God and the world. This what I’ve committed my life to pursuing, and to helping others do the same, as best I can.
I’m a guide at Animas Valley Institute, in addition to offering my own retreats, intensives, programs, teachings, mentoring and podcasts. I’m also an Associate Pastor at Mayflower Congregational Church in Grand Rapids MI. Come and visit us any Sunday. I live in Ada, Michigan with my wife, three kids, and a couple of horses.
EXPERIENCES
+ Guide at, Animas Valley Institute.
+ Former Lead Teacher, C3 West Michigan’s Inclusive Spiritual Community
+ Owner and Founder of New Pilgrimage specializing in tours to Israel
+ Most recent book, Bitten by a Camel, Leaving Church Finding God 2018
+ Teaching Pastor, Mars Hill Bible Church, Grandville MI 2014-2017
+ Editor and author of the notes in the NIV First Century Study Bible 2016
+ Host of the Jesus: The Missing History, Discovery Channel 2008
+ Student in the Foundations of Christian Spirituality, Dominican Center Grand Rapids 2007
+ MA Historical Geography and Biblical Studies, Jerusalem University College 2004
+ Comparative Religion Graduate Work, Hebrew University Rothberg International School 2005-2006
+ MFA Coursework in Playwriting and Poetry, Western Michigan University 2002
+ BS English, Liberty University 1998
+ Religion and Bible Teacher, Grand Rapids Christian School 2009-2013
+ Music Director and Worship Leader, Mars Hill Bible Church 1999-2003
+ Cofounder of Pressed Records, a contemporary record label for alternative sacred music 2002
Join the Conversation
For those interested in deepening their own unique conversation with soul, I will be sending a monthly update on programs, events, podcasts, teachings, and more.