Sending you so much love right back, Miriam! Absolutely, I feel the same pull. Despite the irony of discussing it online, there's a powerful urge to reconnect with real-life communities. Online spaces often lack the depth and authenticity that physical interactions provide.
Mo, hi and thank you for being here, reading, and sharing!!! I agree on the irony bit and also the comparative depth of the spaces. I’m finding a balance in exploring some of this online and then bringing those reflections back to in person communities and conversations — to allow them to support one another in a sustainable way. I’m so glad you’re here!! I just read a recent piece of yours — your writing is beautiful ❤️
Hello Miriam ❤️ I'm so grateful to you for subscribing to my magazine & sharing such kind words! Also, you have a beautiful name! What does it mean? My full name is Mohika, but everyone calls me Mo, and it means affectionate!
Wow I love that meaning — what a beautiful gift from your parents!! I've never actually looked into what my name means so just looked it up 🙈 My mother is German and it is a fairly common name in Germany (at least when she was growing up, I'm not sure about now), and she just liked it 🙃
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this. It sounds like something is stirring within you. I wish we could sit down in my backyard office and talk over a cup of tea. I think that yearning for community in person is healthy. You asked about how others felt. I am a Christian and I can say that without my faith, I would struggle a lot more than I do. I’m guessing I am quite a bit older than you. I used to teach college students, first in China and then young people from all over the world. I love seeing people search for meaning and belonging. I appreciated what you shared. I write about transformation, and healing and growth. My masters is in counseling and I really love seeing how brain science and faith can be integrated. I wouldn’t call myself religious. I’m not trying to earn God’s love. He offered me new life in His Son, Jesus. If you ever want to talk, I am always open to that. Life without His love and a transcendent hope would be rough. The book I am writing is called Tenderly Transformed: Growing and Healing Through Turbulent Times. Life gets bumpy. Depression and anxiety can make a person feel so stuck. But lots of things can throw us off balance. I am grateful that God is able to bring us through the hard things in time, and we can emerge changed.
Hello again, Susan!!! I always love seeing you pop up here and am so grateful for another thoughtful reply from you. I am especially grateful that you're writing that book. It sounds so beautiful, and what a rich arsenal of experience and love you have to put into it ❤️ I would love to be able to sit down in your backyard office and talk over some tea! I see now that you're in Oregon. Whereabouts? My husband and I lived in Oregon for a little over a year, in Klamath Falls, and my sister's family still lives there. Maybe someday our paths will get to cross in person, given I know we'll be back in the state for visits ☺️
Good Morning, Miriam. That’s cool. My husband grew up in Klamath Falls. We live in Salem now. Definitely let me know if you’re ever passing through ☺️. (If I repeated something, sorry. Might not have recalled.). Thank you for your encouragement. I find writing a labor of love. Have a wonderful weekend.
I share this wandering in and out and back and away from the church again and again - and have for decades for all the reasons you've named here. Over the hills and valleys of my journey, I've enjoyed exploring the Center for Action and Contemplation. CAR offers a program called The Living School which I applied for years ago, but wasn't accepted - but you may be and it may be something that speaks to you deeply. It is uncomfortable to live in and out of church at the same time. And Jesus seemed to do this - I don't think Jesus intended to establish a religion. He seems to be teaching a way of being. When living in St. Louis, I found The College Church at SLU to be the most supportive. It pulls from something like 40+ zip code. They helped me with a triple baptism of my boys when I realized I wanted to do so - and they did it with so much love and compassion and celebration. The College Church also has a beautiful Montessori Sunday School program for the littles. I've joked over the years that I'd like to say I'm Jesuit, not Catholic - though I love what catholic stands for - all of us, universal, everyone belongs. Anywho, so much to talk about. Thank you for sharing.
WOW of course you are a wealth of knowledge — as per usual 🙃 I've never come across the Center for Action and Contemplation and just looked into it and am so intrigued. Thank you for sharing this!!! And The College Church is also an amazing place to know about. We've talked about exploring a few places close to us, and then keep making the excuses (some valid, e.g. baby nap times lol) to delay. But The College Church is now on my list of places to explore 🥰 Thank you thank you 🥰 So grateful for you.
I was raised a Lutheran, but I had this nagging sense of wrongness the entire time. I was a Lutheran until I was 19. It felt like a lie. I'm not sure I ever believed it. But giving up The Lutheran Church also meant giving up community. That is what purpose church gave me. That's the thing we lose.
I also joined a Buddhist Sangha, Common Ground Meditation Center in Minneapolis, and it provided a lot of non-answer answers. I liked that.
So even though I don't believe a lick of my Christian upbringing, I refer to myself as a Loo-Boo. Lutheran Buddhist. I take the good of Christianity, but for the most part, I find it incredibly difficult to get up on Sunday morning :)
LOL Loo-Boo — I love that!!! I've heard Jew-Boo (my teacher describes himself as such), but not yet Loo-Boo :) I can relate to your journey strongly. It's also so nice that you did have an in person Sangha that you felt connected to. I had one in San Francisco that I loved, but since moving I haven't again found an in person one near me that feels right.
And you're right about Sunday mornings being tough 😂
So good to see you Lutzi 🥰 thanks for sharing your experience!
I think I might've invented Loo-Boo (stealing it from Jack Kornfield's Jew-Boo)... I gotta' get a trademark :)
I also don't have a Sangha here. I prefer Zen philosophy but don't really enjoy their formalized communities. I like hanging out with the looser Vipassana peeps. Lutherans are the Zen Buddhists of Christianity.
Oh I love this! I agree with much of it. I started my formal practice at the San Francisco Zen Center and then ended up in the Vipassana community (my teacher is James Baraz, so it makes sense that he adopted Jew-Boo from Jack!). I also feel more at home in that community style, but I love so much from both trainings / teachings :)
The San Francisco Zen Center! I’ve always wanted to check it out but never have. I read a book from your teacher a while ago! Same from me on all fronts. I did think when we moved rural I would do the online communities…. But it just loses that certain something.
I love the peaceful nature of the SF Zen Center. I also highly recommend visiting Green Gulch Farm and Greens (their restaurant) if you ever make the trip happen :)
And I love James's books! I can attest that the nature of his writing captures his spirit in person. So warm and loving.
Sending you so much love right back, Miriam! Absolutely, I feel the same pull. Despite the irony of discussing it online, there's a powerful urge to reconnect with real-life communities. Online spaces often lack the depth and authenticity that physical interactions provide.
Mo, hi and thank you for being here, reading, and sharing!!! I agree on the irony bit and also the comparative depth of the spaces. I’m finding a balance in exploring some of this online and then bringing those reflections back to in person communities and conversations — to allow them to support one another in a sustainable way. I’m so glad you’re here!! I just read a recent piece of yours — your writing is beautiful ❤️
Hello Miriam ❤️ I'm so grateful to you for subscribing to my magazine & sharing such kind words! Also, you have a beautiful name! What does it mean? My full name is Mohika, but everyone calls me Mo, and it means affectionate!
Wow I love that meaning — what a beautiful gift from your parents!! I've never actually looked into what my name means so just looked it up 🙈 My mother is German and it is a fairly common name in Germany (at least when she was growing up, I'm not sure about now), and she just liked it 🙃
It's beautiful! When I lived in Dubai I made a friend called Maryam. She's an emirati. I wonder if the name has common origin!!! I'll look it up too!
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this. It sounds like something is stirring within you. I wish we could sit down in my backyard office and talk over a cup of tea. I think that yearning for community in person is healthy. You asked about how others felt. I am a Christian and I can say that without my faith, I would struggle a lot more than I do. I’m guessing I am quite a bit older than you. I used to teach college students, first in China and then young people from all over the world. I love seeing people search for meaning and belonging. I appreciated what you shared. I write about transformation, and healing and growth. My masters is in counseling and I really love seeing how brain science and faith can be integrated. I wouldn’t call myself religious. I’m not trying to earn God’s love. He offered me new life in His Son, Jesus. If you ever want to talk, I am always open to that. Life without His love and a transcendent hope would be rough. The book I am writing is called Tenderly Transformed: Growing and Healing Through Turbulent Times. Life gets bumpy. Depression and anxiety can make a person feel so stuck. But lots of things can throw us off balance. I am grateful that God is able to bring us through the hard things in time, and we can emerge changed.
Hello again, Susan!!! I always love seeing you pop up here and am so grateful for another thoughtful reply from you. I am especially grateful that you're writing that book. It sounds so beautiful, and what a rich arsenal of experience and love you have to put into it ❤️ I would love to be able to sit down in your backyard office and talk over some tea! I see now that you're in Oregon. Whereabouts? My husband and I lived in Oregon for a little over a year, in Klamath Falls, and my sister's family still lives there. Maybe someday our paths will get to cross in person, given I know we'll be back in the state for visits ☺️
Good Morning, Miriam. That’s cool. My husband grew up in Klamath Falls. We live in Salem now. Definitely let me know if you’re ever passing through ☺️. (If I repeated something, sorry. Might not have recalled.). Thank you for your encouragement. I find writing a labor of love. Have a wonderful weekend.
Wow tiny world! Most people haven’t even heard of Klamath 😂 I will definitely let you know. I hope you had a beautiful Sunday! 🥰
I share this wandering in and out and back and away from the church again and again - and have for decades for all the reasons you've named here. Over the hills and valleys of my journey, I've enjoyed exploring the Center for Action and Contemplation. CAR offers a program called The Living School which I applied for years ago, but wasn't accepted - but you may be and it may be something that speaks to you deeply. It is uncomfortable to live in and out of church at the same time. And Jesus seemed to do this - I don't think Jesus intended to establish a religion. He seems to be teaching a way of being. When living in St. Louis, I found The College Church at SLU to be the most supportive. It pulls from something like 40+ zip code. They helped me with a triple baptism of my boys when I realized I wanted to do so - and they did it with so much love and compassion and celebration. The College Church also has a beautiful Montessori Sunday School program for the littles. I've joked over the years that I'd like to say I'm Jesuit, not Catholic - though I love what catholic stands for - all of us, universal, everyone belongs. Anywho, so much to talk about. Thank you for sharing.
WOW of course you are a wealth of knowledge — as per usual 🙃 I've never come across the Center for Action and Contemplation and just looked into it and am so intrigued. Thank you for sharing this!!! And The College Church is also an amazing place to know about. We've talked about exploring a few places close to us, and then keep making the excuses (some valid, e.g. baby nap times lol) to delay. But The College Church is now on my list of places to explore 🥰 Thank you thank you 🥰 So grateful for you.
I was raised a Lutheran, but I had this nagging sense of wrongness the entire time. I was a Lutheran until I was 19. It felt like a lie. I'm not sure I ever believed it. But giving up The Lutheran Church also meant giving up community. That is what purpose church gave me. That's the thing we lose.
I also joined a Buddhist Sangha, Common Ground Meditation Center in Minneapolis, and it provided a lot of non-answer answers. I liked that.
So even though I don't believe a lick of my Christian upbringing, I refer to myself as a Loo-Boo. Lutheran Buddhist. I take the good of Christianity, but for the most part, I find it incredibly difficult to get up on Sunday morning :)
LOL Loo-Boo — I love that!!! I've heard Jew-Boo (my teacher describes himself as such), but not yet Loo-Boo :) I can relate to your journey strongly. It's also so nice that you did have an in person Sangha that you felt connected to. I had one in San Francisco that I loved, but since moving I haven't again found an in person one near me that feels right.
And you're right about Sunday mornings being tough 😂
So good to see you Lutzi 🥰 thanks for sharing your experience!
I think I might've invented Loo-Boo (stealing it from Jack Kornfield's Jew-Boo)... I gotta' get a trademark :)
I also don't have a Sangha here. I prefer Zen philosophy but don't really enjoy their formalized communities. I like hanging out with the looser Vipassana peeps. Lutherans are the Zen Buddhists of Christianity.
Oh I love this! I agree with much of it. I started my formal practice at the San Francisco Zen Center and then ended up in the Vipassana community (my teacher is James Baraz, so it makes sense that he adopted Jew-Boo from Jack!). I also feel more at home in that community style, but I love so much from both trainings / teachings :)
The San Francisco Zen Center! I’ve always wanted to check it out but never have. I read a book from your teacher a while ago! Same from me on all fronts. I did think when we moved rural I would do the online communities…. But it just loses that certain something.
I love the peaceful nature of the SF Zen Center. I also highly recommend visiting Green Gulch Farm and Greens (their restaurant) if you ever make the trip happen :)
And I love James's books! I can attest that the nature of his writing captures his spirit in person. So warm and loving.
I'm so glad we connected Lutzi!!