Soon, I’m turning 29. My birthday always sends me into an introspective tailspin about what age means, considering the past, and wondering what the heck I’m doing with my life.
When I was younger, I craved independence. I couldn’t wait to move away from home, to manage things all on my own. It worked most of the time, but as a recent back injury reminded me, I am still the absolute worst at asking for help. I got mad at my partner for doing the dishes because I wanted to do them MY WAY.
My girls lack for nothing, but they are so excited about all the toys they see on TV. What can I do to free them from the Christmas hype?
Author, activist, and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson is often considered one of the defining voices for a new generation of spiritual seekers.
I’m openly gay and openly Christian. I don’t believe I had a choice in either matter: everything is God’s will. Yet what the Bible has to say about homosexuals hurts and confuses me. Why would God make me only to hate me?
I was in school for 30 years and sometimes wondered if there would ever be a time when I wouldn’t formally be a student. My first day of school in a rather strict Catholic elementary school in Detroit was so off-putting that I refused to go the next day, and my mother ordered me to stay in my room until I changed my mind. I also remember my last days of school doing doctoral studies in religion, when I was clicking away on my portable typewriter, using two sheets of carbon paper, to get my dissertation completed.
Yoga has been banned in several countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and within sects of Christianity in America. Some of the bans have been lifted, others have not.
This sounds a bit silly, of course: Those of us that practice yoga know it as a stress-relieving practice that’s all about peace and love, man. These ladies even developed “Christoga,” a practice of down-dogging for Jesus.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard about Karma Yoga, the yoga of service. I was in a yoga class taught by the fabulously healing and transformative Marla Wedge, and was holding one of my favorite poses, Half Moon, which involves balancing on one foot and one hand. And on this particular day my body found its way into what felt like a perfect expression of the pose.
God always answers our prayers. Sometimes the answer is “no.” You’ve probably heard this said dozens if not hundreds of times. It’s God’s “Get Out of Jail Free” card. In other words, no matter what you get in response to what you pray for, you can say God answered your prayers, and your faith in God is maintained.
Author Matthew Fox is the popular and controversial theologian and author of more than 25 books that expose the corruption and patriarchal hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and invite us to return to a more mystical experience of Christianity. He is founder and director of the Institute of Culture and Creation Spirituality in Oakland, CA.
