The Gospel According To Joe

"Life is movement. Life is change... Yet there are foundations… the deep patterns of life... We breathe in what the plants breathe out, and together we persist—one life held together on this one planet... How do we receive the gift of life and participate in this great circle of mutuality and love here and now?" --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

On San Jose and Columbine, and Sandy Hook, and Parkland, and Aurora, and Las Vegas, and Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Indy, Portland, Youngstown, Fairfield Township, Minneapolis, Jersey City, Oakland, Augusta... Recorded shortly after the May 2021 shooting at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Mass shootings in the United States --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

I'm not a fan of labels. Am I a Christian? It's complicated. Who's asking? And why do you want to know? What does it say about me if I use that label or don't in your eyes? Does it really matter?... Welcome back! It's Season 2 of The Gospel According to Joe. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

It's a strange time in our world. And so it is a strange Easter, but maybe that can bring some clarity... "How did we get to the place where some of us feel like the words that we speak don't mean what they used to mean? Where resurrection seems so natural and real as a symbol... but where it just feels sort of wrong within a list of doctrines and especially as a prescribed “belief” that we are sometimes explicitly compelled to assent to?" --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

"I've been kind of sad lately. I would call it a case of the Februaries…" "...before anything can change we have to grieve. I wonder about that, as I see so many people anxious and worried over so many things. So many people ready to spiral into dismay or to lash out at the so-called “other.” Is it really that we all need to grieve our losses, our communal losses together? But where? And how? We aren't leaving space for that to happen, nor offering the solidarity it demands." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

There's a little more to say about this "do not be afraid" thing. So this is just a slightly deeper dive, a closer look, a kind of meta reflection on the reflection... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

Holiday spirit wears off fast, but maybe it doesn't have to... "... I need a change right now. I need something different, something that doesn't create walls or barriers or push anyone back into a corner, anxious and alone, or anxiously tribal and ready to fight the so-called “other.” I want to hear the good news of great joy that takes all that away..." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

So why bother with all this talk of finding the good and beautiful amidst pain and suffering or about trust in goodness? Where does that even come from? Maybe it's all Pollyanna BS... Or maybe it's about Christmas magic and skiing in the woods... Oh, and Merry Christmas! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

Back to basics here, way back... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

So this is fairly emotional... Nothing like jumping into the deep end here. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

What is this podcast about? Well, maybe everything, but it starts with a longing for more, with our framing stories, and with taking the risk to be vulnerable. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message

You know, like they used to show after the feature at the ol' picture show. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegospelaccordingtojoe/message