Presence: Experiencing God Each And Every Day

India, home of more than 1.4 billion people, wants to increase its overall prosperity. Presently, its citizens consume, per person, one tenth of what is consumed by Americans. If India were to take an intense fossil-fuel burning, CO2 producing path to prosperity, the effect on the planet would be catastrophic. So leapfrogging to a higher, more sustainable level of technology is a sane and sustainable way forward for India. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

It is astounding how much energy Americans use - especially compared to people elsewhere. The per capita consumption of each person in the U.S. is roughly 11,000 watts every moment of every day. And yet, we today have technology - like the 24 solar panels on my roof that can begin to change the carbon emissions which come from the burning of fuel to make those 11K of power I and every other American consume each day. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Today it's about the same, important word repeated three times. We are reminded that with the shift to a renewable energy focused economy, there are new jobs which will grow from the need for labor to build the new infrastructure. And, as followers of Christ, we are also called to build a just, inclusive world in which all of the creatures within Christ's creation are respected. Any so-called "Christian" who wants to build an authoritarian nation founded on demonizing or scapegoating others, restricting freedom or racial supremacy is sorely misguided and not a follower of the goodnews - the gospel - of Christ. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

We begin with the ending quote from the text for letter "I" - "The I.R.A. was called 'historic,' 'transformational,' and 'the best news anyone who cares about the fate of the planet had heard in a long time'" In contrast, just today, Politico reported that an influential oil & gas industry lobbist group 'has drafted detailed plans for dismantling landmark Biden administration climate rules after the presidential election." So much hangs in this election - continued progress with addressing climate change or regression that will continue to dangerously move us backwards. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Just three letters ago we had "D is for Dispair." Now it's "H is for Hope." Which of these two seemingly opposite postures/attitudes is it? Recall the bluntness of "Despair is a sin." Along with faith and love, hope is a core virtue of the Christian tradition. And there's evidence - if we are awake to it, that there's reason to be hopeful that change - with the climate and, well hopefully, with our politics too can come. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Of the many human-made things we take for granted, concrete may be near the top of the list. As it's the building block of nearly every structure we construct - it's always nearby - yet often overlooked. Did you know though that the way traditional concrete is made today accounts for nearly 8% of the global total of carbon emissions in 2023 -which is more than what aviation and shipping combined produced! So, we must make concrete differently. Fortunately, there are scientists working on precisely this urgent task. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

It's Indigenous People's (as it's officially named where I live in Columbus, OH) Day. Or perhaps, as an Atlantic article today suggests, we should celebrate this day as Explorer's Day to honor those of all cultures who boldly set out for new frontiers. In this spirit, it's a good day for "F is for Flight." Check out the Alia electric aircraft featured today - at www.beta.team - and prepare to have your mind blown by the versatility plus sheer coolness. It will take hard work to make passenger planes that are electrical. Yet, the Alia shows it is possible. Climate change shows it is necessary. And in the bold spirit of Explorer's Day, let's set out and try to make this new way of carbon-free flying possible. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Today's letter, our second vowel, is so great it gets a double letter. The cost of capturing renewable energy has dropped in price -especially from the sun - even since 2010 - such that generating carbon-free electricity is almost the same price as the cost of what is made from burning fossil fuels - that also make CO2. Wind power - especially - off shore - uses blades so big that one sweep of the blade can power a home for a day! Christ, when he walked among us, had no idea about turbines or electricity. He did care about the birds & the lilies. Thus he'd surely encourage us to burn less and care for creation more! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Today is stark - "D is for Despair" The text we are pondering in the book "H is for Hope" is brief, pointed & the opposite of the title. It brings to mind a related "D" - doom. It's on my mind as I was feeling a sense of doom about this election before Biden stepped down. And I've been pondering it as I read the 2024 book by Brian D. McLaren "Life After Doom: Wisdom & Courage for a World Falling Apart." How do we navigate a sense of doom? Christ's own words give us a pathway within this current countdown and intensifying climate change. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Letter "C" is a tough one for most of us to hear as it's for Capitalism. In the foundational text we're using for this series, this sums it up: "Climate change can't be solved with the tools of capitalism, because it is a product of capitalism." And don't forget that in the U.S. corporations have been granted the same rights as people. The followers of Christ have a different model though - and one which could guide us as we look beyond this laye-stage capitalism. All four gospels share one illustrative miracle - the sharing of the loaves & fishes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

If yesterday's "A" was for someone you didn't know, today's "B" comes from someone you likely do - Greta Thunberg. In late 2021, she spoke in Italy and used a refrain of "Blah. Blah. Blah" to point out the hypocrisy of political leaders thus far on true reduction of carbon and other climate changing gases. Jesus the Christ, also a truth-teller, had pointed words for the hypocrites of his time. I imagine, he - like Greta would have similarly strong words for political leaders and candidates today who are not acting with urgency - even as natural disasters continue to illustrate a changed climate. NOTE: I misspoke Greta's age - her Bday is Jan 3, 2003 - and thus 21 years old. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

A is for Arrhenius - Who? What? We start our trip through the alphabet as we have 28 days (and change) to the U.S. election. Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius, starting in 1894, constructed the first climate model which showed the effects that CO2 has on the atmosphere. It's a good place to start as everything on and enveloping earth connects to carbon. And Christ, "through who all things were made" is there in the midst of the "building blocks" that are carbon connected molecules. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

With just 29 days until Election Day, I'm keeping my mind off of polls, horse races and general catastrophizing by pivoting this podcast to the climate crisis. The centerpiece is the 26 letters of "Climate Change A to Z" written by Elizabeth Kolbert and illustrated by Wesley Allsbrook - "H Is for Hope: Climate Change from A to Z" https://a.co/d/bREBnLb . I give a snapshot of the letter - and interpret it through the emerging experience of the Cosmic Christ. Let's vote early and encourage others to vote. And let's be in faith - not fear - as these next 29 days unfold. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Are you, right now, facing a time of change and uncertainty? I was, exactly two years ago. Please listen as I share how I wrote and prayed during June 2021. And how my life has unfolded in amazing ways from then until now. God - The MORE - moved & worked in my story. I believe that The MORE is moving & working in your own story right now too. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Do you know how to use Microsoft One Drive? I kind of do. On Memorial Day I Zoomed with my 83 year old dad and showed him how to use this often confusing computer tool. I was surprised to experience The MORE (how I am growing to know God) in this mundane act of service. It got me wondering about the deeper more in a child teaching and/or supporting their aging parent - especially as the child does so in far more expansive ways than how I served my dad and helped him to figure out (at least a bit) the confounding One Drive platform. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

I listen to Peter Gabriel - an artist who has inspired me for 35 years now - sing as I walk my pooch on a beautiful Saturday AM. In his new song "I/O" he declares a truth "I'm just a part of everything." So much of the world around us shows this to be true. Listen as I ponder how even one H2O molecule in the saliva in your mouth reveals this truth. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

I finish listening to the outstanding 24 hour long audiobook of King's newest novel "Fairytale". The simple, yet engaging telling of a familiar tale allows me to go deep into the more it holds. Like the 'Fairy Stories" about which Tolkien spoke this fairytale illuminates the light and dark in our world. The MORE ultimately dispels the darkness, yet in this not yet time, the shadows within each of us remain. Learn more at https://presenceexperiencingthenearnessofgod.wordpress.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

I return to a theme which is at the center of hundreds of prior episodes - experiencing God - The MORE. Today I reflect on how my dog Lucy, with her intense focus on a patch of grass as we walked in the rain, reminded me of how I can use my senses to ponder any sliver of the world I encounter as a go about my day. By finding the deep more to everything, I experience The MORE who creates and sustains it all. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Screwtape celebrates how The Enemy's own self-identified followers are facilitating his Dark Father's cause as these Reds claim that they and their boy Prince Chaos are the actual victims. ST21 is pleased that dark history was again made on April 4th like it was made on January 6th (Epiphany.) Yet, he relishes the irony of how it might have taken place a day later on Spy Wed. - the day Judas' betrayal is remember during Screwtape's "Profane Week." --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Screwtape is excited that the first ever indictment of a former US president will take place as a spectacle and thus distraction for the faithful during what he calls "Profane Week". --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

It's Code Yellow when Wormwood tells ST21 that Fr. Steven Bell, a thoughtful and authentic priest is coming for a three day mission. ST21 commands that Wormwood must prevent his Patient from attending and being drawn closer to The Enemy and his warm embrace. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

Screwtape encourages Wormwood to guide his Patient to find pleasure and doom in one of the greatest inventions by The Agency of Enticement to Obsession -- online sports betting. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/presence/support

ST21 explains to Wormwood the risk and potential reward for their Dark Father on the U.S. day of Thanksgiving. While the Seven Slippery Slides - gluttony, greed and envy - are there at the table, so too is the risk that The Patient may feel the vilest of attitudes - that of gratitude. ST shows WW how he can deploy two of their most effective tools - distraction and entitlement to keep the man away from the generosity their Enemy is always showing to His creation. And to lead the man ever closer to the hungry maw of darkness. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

ST21 speaks to Wormwood for the first time in the week since the 2022 election. He encouragea WW to "keep his chins up" as The Prince of Chaos has announced that he is running again for president in 2024. ST21 extoles the vices of this remarkable figure and prepares for the decisive chaos ahead on the road to 2024. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

ST21 explains to Wormwood what it means that "democracy is on the ballot today." ST21 recounts the dark reality of how some of the same people who fought for democracy 80 years ago and in decades since, will today vote for candidates who boast of how they will ignore the will of the people when votes are cast. This makes ST21 proclaim - "Truly this is Our Dark Father's century!" --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Screwtape brings Wormword out of exile and gets his nephew up to speed with smartphones and other aspects of the 21st century. WW's "patient" - a white middle aged American Evangelical Catholic is preparing to vote. ST21 tells Wormword of the delicious hypocrisy this man and others like him show as they hurt those whom Christ identified as "my little ones." --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

"The Screwtape Letters," written by C.S. Lewis and published in 1942 is one of the most remarkable novels ever written about good and evil. What would the character Screwtape have to say about our world and the U.S. in 2022 and beyond. Listen and follow along at www.ST21century.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

The Church begins the age old "O Antiphon" prayers on Dec 17th? Learn about these centuries old prayers and how they connect with the hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel. Today we pray for the coming of God's Wisdom to come upon us. Learn more at EdTechEmergent.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Its the rose-colored Third Sunday of Advent and we hear St. Paul's exhortation to "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing!" How do we do this in the brutal 2020 though? By remembering that Emmanuel - God with is - is here even in the midst of the mess. Find more at EdTechEmergent.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Its the first weekday of Advent 2021 and the Church remembers Saint Andrew the Apostle. For the readings of the day and a video about St. Andrew, visit EdTechemergent.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

The Advent journey begins with Jesus telling us to 'Be watchful!' and 'Be alert!' We hear the prophet Isaiah reminding us that God has already done amazing deeds for those who wait for God. Listen to hear the themes of the four weeks of Advent and an invitation to be more mindful in your prayer during this season. For more resources visit EdTechEmergent.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

The last week of the liturgical year begins with Christ the King Sunday. The week ends with a vision of a "new heaven and a new earth" as well as word from Jesus warning us "to stay vigilant" so we can endure "the tribulations to come". How do we do this, especially as we are on the cusp of the new liturgical year? For links to the scripture cited and more resources visit EdTechEmergent.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

My newest subpodcast for Advent 2021. Listen to the sevenish minute reflections on one or more of the liturgical readings - posted before each day of Advent. Follow my blog EdTechEmergent.com for links to the readings and much more! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

"The most radical, hopeful act one can perform as a citizen is to love freely, deeply, articulately...This is how a decent society is built outside of its laws and continual quest for justice." From page 73 in 'Dictionary of the Undoing' by John Freeman. For more visit www.edtechemergent.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

"If you have ever watched power crumble, you know it happens very suddenly. One day a wall is up and the next it is coming down" (p 70). We don't have to continue to be silent about the killing that takes place around us everyday. Listen and be inspired to stand up, rise up in boycotts and marching to tear down the monuments to violent and hatred and build memorials which inspire and remind us of The Common Good. For more on this and for resources see edtechemergent.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

"Justice may not be blind, it may give too much respect to the size of one's wallet, but it does respect momentum." (p 63) from "Dictionary of the Undoing" by John Freeman. Visit by blog for materials related to this episode -- www.edtechemergent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Has the rise of the internet and social media made Americans more self-centered? As our own individual 'I' has felt more powerful have we lost the experience of how much more powerful a 'we' is? The uprising that is continuing in the US shows what happens when we put down our devices and gather as a 'we, the people' Learn more at edtechemergent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Sunday, June 21st marks the 100th day since I began counting this Pandemic Period from Friday, March 13th. I go back and listen to and comment on the podcast episode I recorded on March 11th as the seriousness of the coronavirus and the disruption it could cause was becoming more apparent. In light of what I noted on March 11th, where are we today - 100 days later? Visit my blog at edtechemergent.com for more resources and to comment on what you heard in this episode. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

"Hope is less an emotion than a field, a magnetism...Hope operates as a positive charge between people and wants to move." These words are by John Freeman from page 45 of his book 'Dictionary of the Undoing'. We are living in a time of illness and uprising. Fear, playing out as denial, is around us. And yet an electric hope has driven people to the streets for 4 weeks now and change is happening. For more on this theme please visit my blog edtechemergent.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Since the Pandemic Period began nearly 100 days ago, we have seen great human suffering. While the federal gov has been generally unwilling or unable to give in meaningful ways to aleviate this suffering, neighborhoods, groups and inviduals have heroically stepped up to give. In the uprising after the lynching of George Floyd, millions have poured into streets around the world in acts of protest and agitating for change. This must be the beginning as each of us, especially me and other white people continue to learn about our racist structures and to repent and seek to change our society. We have so much more to give and sustaining this over the long run is key. For more resources, visit my blog at edtechemergent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Have you ever seen a molten blob of super heated sand ready to be blown and shaped into glass? I have and you can too at my blog - EdTechEmergent.com. In his his chapter on how we acheive greater fairness in our nation John Freeman uses the metaphor of sand turned by great heat into glass. Listen as I reflect on how the current protests and inter–related traumas - health, economic, and white supremacy on display in the murder of George Floyd - have brought us to a moment of rupture through which the melting of structures can lead to a more just reshaping of our nation. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

This Pandemic Period is showing us how the world looks with somewhat lower CO2 emissions. It is also shining a harsh light on meat packing and the risk of disease for workers in those factories. How should we think about the natural world as we eventually emerge from this crisis and seek to better care for creation? For resources supporting this episode visit www.edtechemergent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Its clear to see that over the past decade or so and especially since the 2016 election, there's been an erosion of what is considered "common decency" in our society. There's a shocking indecency specifically in words used to describe others and generally what is acceptable for elected leaders to say or Tweet. Listen as I reflect on how a presidential proclaimation made earlier today to 'open the churches' could be used by relgious leaders to indecently hurt The Common Good. I also share a decent way the Catholic diocese where I live is being kind in inviting people slowly and gently back to face to face worship. See my blog for more info related to this episode - www.edtechemergent.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

I live in Ohio where our governor talks daily to the "citizens" of our state. Not far away in Wisconsin voters a few weeks ago had a stark choice - stay at home in safety or risk infection and go out to vote. Identifying as a citizen today and demanding a safe and fair vote in November is critical now. See the articles referenced in this episode at www.edtechemergent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

The next in my series of recordings as we remotely learn. Here is a pair of significant Psalms (149 & 150). A Psalm of joy and trust (41) and a Psalm of lament and anger (17). Each Psalm is read from three translations - the Catholic NARB, the scholarly NRSV, and the modern Message Bible. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

The next in my series of recordings as we remotely learn. Here is a significant Psalm (1). A Psalm of joy and trust (27) and a familiar Psalm of lament and anger (22). Each Psalm is read from three translations - the Catholic NARB, the scholarly NRSV, and the modern Message Bible. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Why do good people suffer? This is a foundational question that humans have asked throughout the ages. It is being asked more and more urgently during this time of pandemic. About 2600 years ago, the Israelite author of the Old Testament Book of Job asked this same question in one of the most famous narratives in history. How does Job react when all is taken from him? How does God respond to Job? How does this story answer the perpetual question about the innocent one who suffers? The translation read here is The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson. This recording covers Chapters 1-3; 22-27; 38-42. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

In this episode I read from The Book of Proverbs using the NRSV translation. I read 1:7-33. 7:1-27. 11:1-31. 23:19-35. 24:2-22 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

This is a brief reading of the NRSV translation of The Song of Solomon. Includes 1.2-8. 1:8-17. 4:1-16. 5:2-16. 7.1-9. 7:10-13. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

I read parts of the Old Testament Book of The Wisdom of Solomon using the NRSV translation. I read 1:1-11. 3:1-10. 6:12-25. 7:21-30. 8:2-10. 11:1-26. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support

Listen to a dramatic reading of the brief, yet significant story in the Old Testament Book of Jonah. The traslation used is the New Revised Standard Bible. To learn more visit www.edtechemergent.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/presence/support