In the last TPC, Dave Schmelzer talked about how a profound union with God is what 1,200 years of Christian spirituality teaches is what you and I most want--though you might not have been taught this after the Reformers went in a different direction. In this episode, Dave dives into the most lasting theory in the Christian tradition about how we might get this union, Teresa of Avila's seven-stage "The Interior Castle." (A note: The Pocket Contemplative will break until September after ...

When you explore the history of Christian spirituality, you run across a big surprise. For 1,200 years, the biggie Christian teachers told us that we've been created to profoundly want one and only one thing--union with God along the lines of what Teresa of Avila calls "mystical marriage." Maybe you weren't taught that! If not, you might want to blame John Calvin, who wrote at the same time as Teresa and shouted her down, saying that we instead were profoundly separated from God. Dave Schmelz...

In this longer episode, Dave Schmelzer reviews fascinating research about how prayer--and faith--can work so powerfully. He reviews a new book by Nir Eyal which explores the crucial role of injecting hope into our lives and how, that done, our bodies can thrive and we can develop what Eyal calls the "high agency" that can empower us to take meaningful action when life throws obstacles our way. Dave considers how this ties in with how churches look to develop strong faith in you and me and how...

Generations of people exploring contemplative spirituality, both in the Christian tradition (Thomas Merton) and outside of it (Thich Nhat Hanh) have gone back again and again to one brilliant and confounding teacher, the German academic and mystic Meister Eckhart. He's the mystic other mystics look to. Dave Schmelzer will take just a bit more time than normal to unpack why this might be so and to give you a window into his own enthusiasm for Eckhart. Mentioned on this podcast: You can sign ...

We talk about happiness every now and again, but how can we find it if we realize the things we'd been pinning our happiness on, our biggest dreams, just aren't going to happen? Or even if the bottom really seems to fall out, if we get a terrible diagnosis or someone we love does? What then? Dave Schmelzer discusses research from Sonja Lyubomirsky that suggests potent ways forward. Mentioned on this podcast: Sonja Lyubomirsky's book The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, b...

The connection between contemplative practice and psychotherapy is often noted, but how that came to be is a fascinating story. Dave Schmelzer offers a look at fourth century monk Evagrius of Pontus as a key example of what came out of desert spirituality and, in particular, as the (possible) originator of things you might know and love like the Enneagram, the seven deadly sins and, yes, what Freud and Jung spun into modern psychiatry. Dave closes with a brief look at Evagrius's student and c...

Cutting to the chase, getting what we want won't make us happy because of what the researchers call "hedonic adaptation." The good news is that these same researchers tell us these desires for our lives absolutely can be central in helping us create a happy life. So what gives? How can our dreams for our lives work for us and not against us? Dave Schmelzer will explore this key question by way of famed happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky's research and insights. But before getting there, h...

In another episode of Dave's "history corner," he looks at the cataclysm that happened when the emperor made Christianity the state's religion in 325. Where Christians had been poor, persecuted and few in number, it now messed with the heads of the old guard to suddenly be favored and joined by millions of far less devout "fellow Christians" who loved the perks of their connection to power. The response of a few bold people to head to the wilderness changed what Christian faith--and its conte...

Contemplative practice has a remarkable connection to our physical health, among its many benefits. Dave Schmelzer will review how it connects with lengthening our telomeres, the caps on our chromosomes which determine whether we age with vigor or disease. He'll touch on advice for stress management and exercise and diet and sleep, all in a context of a mindful world. Mentioned on this podcast The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer, by Eliza...

"I dunno, that seems kind of out there to me" is a sentiment that has shadowed Christian conversations from the start. Dave Schmelzer takes us on a journey to the second century when early attempts to define orthodoxy made consequential choices about how much our experience might inform our understanding of who God is. He introduces us to key figures like Irenaeus and to a consequential debate that perhaps we haven't heard about: whether the fourth gospel would be John's or Thomas's. Mentio...