Greenbelt Website Link: https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/ Ticket link: https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/buy-tickets/ Instagram: @greenbeltfestival – https://www.instagram.com/greenbeltfestival/ Facebook: Greenbelt Festival – https://www.facebook.com/GreenbeltFestival X: @greenbelt – https://twitter.com/greenbelt Youtube: @greenbeltfestival – https://www.youtube.com/@greenbeltfestival #GB24  The post I’ll be at Greenbelt Festival this August – see you there? #GB24  first appeared on Brian McLaren ..read more

I’ll be speaking in your neighborhood on May 10 and 11, 2024. I hope you can come! (PS: These are the only scheduled events in Canada where I’ll be speaking about my new book, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart.   For information on the Guelph lecture the evening of May 10, see https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/life-after-doom-an-evening-with-brian-mclaren-tickets-828450256017 University of Guelph, Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, Canada 50 Stone Road East Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada   For information on the London lectures on May 11, see https://wesleyknox.com/mcla ..read more

My friend Jim Burklo sent this gem … Let us feast on simple pleasures, and fast from all that gets our bodies and souls out of balance. Let us feast on kindness, and fast from sarcasm. Let us feast on compassion, and fast from holding grudges. Let us feast on patience, and fast from anxiety. Let us feast on peace, and fast from stirring up needless conflict. Let us feast on acceptance, and fast from judgment. Let us feast on joy, and fast from jealousy. Let us feast on faith, and fast from fear. Let us feast on creativity, and fast from all that deadens our souls. Let us feast on social justic ..read more

In passing, I shared this poem as part of a delightful online class with John Dominic Crossan and Tripp Fuller. Several participants asked for the poem. You can watch past and future class sessions here: http://www.crossanclass.com/. +++++ I do not walk on water Except in winter, When ice makes the miracle more natural. To me, these days, natural miracles are better, Signifying lessons to live rather than shortcuts to take, A more subtle yet more real magic. For me, nature is already as supernatural As it needs to be. The simplest, humblest things — Green moss on grey rock, Spotted turtle bask ..read more

About 30 years ago, a pastor moved as a missionary to Ukraine to minister there. When the war broke out, he and his wife could have left, but their hearts told them to stay. Last year, he wrote asking if he could translate parts of my book We Make the Road by Walking into Ukrainian for his congregation. I found what he wrote so moving that I asked permission to share selections with you. We need glimpses of the human experience in war-torn places in our world, whether Ukraine, Gaza, wherever. Every person, every child, every family … precious human beings, beloved and fragile and of immeasurab ..read more

If you have a book group or large event and you are planning to order my books in bulk, here’s what I recommend. First, if you have a local independent bookseller, I hope you’ll ask them for help. Often, they can give you a discount of 5 to 15% for less than 25 books, and a larger discount for 25 or more books, and if you pick the books up, you save shipping charges. If you’re looking for an independent book store that handles bulk sales, here’s a contact in the Eastern, Central, and Western zone of the US: RJ Julia (Connecticut) – juliearriens@rjjulia.com Watermark (Kansas) – rebek ..read more

A reader writes: Appreciated your piece yesterday on the CAC daily readings email. I too discovered Thich Nhat Hanh during a time of struggle and change and was immediately struck by the simplicity and readability of his books, their exoteric truths. Around the same time, I read Merton’s Asian Journals, which recounted his similar spiritual path. As you have noted, we have to keep learning, relearning, expanding our spirituality. That which kept me sane yesterday may not do so today. And in reading of other traditions other than the one in which I was raised, I can gain new insights into ..read more

A reader writes: I am a 92 year old retired Presbyterian minister, who has served churches in New York, New Jersey and Florida. I recently became aware of your work, and have been deeply moved by what I have read.  I am now reading “The Great Spiritual Migration”  for at least the 4th or 5th time.  I have also read “Do I Stay Christian?”, “We Make The Road By Walking” and several others.They feed me spiritually.  I often find myself saying, as I read, Why didn’t I think of that 50 years ago?  Thank you so very much. Thanks for these encouraging words, my brother! You ..read more

Happy New Year, everyone! This will be a year of big challenges and big opportunities to grow in wisdom and courage. Here are five opportunities you might be interested in this month: Christ Church, St. Simon’s Island: I’ll be sharing on Four Stages of Faith Development at 6 pm. Details here: https://www.ccfssi.org/visit.html Southern Lights: January 12-14 in St. Simon’s Island, GA (or streaming to a computer near you): https://southernlightsconference.com/ Charlotte, NC: iCU talks, January 20 … I’ll be speaking on mental health and contemplative spirituality. Info here: https://www.icutalks ..read more

The brave and brilliant Matthew Fox raises the following questions for the anti-gay wing of the Catholic Church. I’d say they are equally appropriate for Protestants to consider:   You can read his original post (with illustrations and links) here: https://dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/ +++++ Since Jesus never once talked about homosexuality, it seems strange that you consider it a pillar of your faith. Where do you get your sureness buttressing your homophobia? Doesn’t your certainty about gay morality closely resemble the certainty of the inquisitors in the 17th century who k ..read more