Tall Monastic Guy

My friend, Gary, recently interviewed me for a series of clips to supplement his church's teaching on Moses and the burning bush. 

PPC - Ryan - Moses 2 from Platt Park Church on Vimeo.

 

Soul Meets Body

I want to live where soul meets body

And let the sun wrap its arms around me

And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing 

And feel, feel what its like to be new

These lyrics from Death Cab for Cutie's, Soul Meets Body, express that primal desire for wholeness. We all crave the fullness of soul/body health and congruence.  

Observations from the gym...

As I work out each week at our neighborhood YMCA I’ve been curiously struck by the quick intimacy that takes place between the fitness client and their personal trainer. The small weight room echoes conversation usually reserved for the priest, psychologist, or maybe a spouse.

How do you protest? Learn to be vulnerable...

In a follow up to the previous post regarding ethics of the empire and the manner in which our culture (us) blindly participates, I want to offer the following video. It's one of the most powerful 20 minutes of hard truth I've ever engaged. I'm convinced that if a community were to carefully ponder what she has to say here, take the necessary next steps, that community would be a source of healing to the world. 

 

ethics of the empire: how do you protest?

This weekend the frigid temps meant the boys couldn’t play outside so in order to burn off some of that relentless energy we landed in a convenient indoor spot, the Cherry Creek Mall. When the stores opened I decided to stroll into one that I recently vowed never to buy from again.

I walked by the racks of shirts that caught my gaze and there they were looking up at me seductively, … the elusive tall sized garments.

A few years ago, I thought I had put an end to my life long clothing dillema. I had finally found a store that fit my style and most importantly my lanky 6’6” frame. This store is located less than ten minutes from our home, so without giving it much thought, when I needed clothes, this is where I’d go.

After a while, a little voice in my head invited me to take a closer look at the tags to see where these clothes were made. Mexico… Pakistan… China… This then led to an internet search and sure enough, if I’d want to keep shopping there I’d need to be ok with the idea that the shirt on my back was likely constructed by an underpaid, underage, overworked, individual in some third world situation.

My quest for Bigfoot (or the true self)

At this moment ten years ago I sat down at a small dining room table in our tiny Ft. Wayne apartment to scribble down an essay for a seminary application. A few short months later we’d pack up a yellow truck to set forth on a transition. After arriving in Denver, I’d slowly begin to recognize that in terms of transitioning, I was just beginning.

By far the most important spiritual insight I’ve learned since unpacking that truck ten years ago is that God calls each of us to be who we are. “For me to be a saint means for me to be myself.” Said Thomas Merton.