Podcast appearances and mentions of patti digh

"What does it mean to stay human in a world that can feel so inhumane?" This was a question my Facebook friend Patti Digh asked this morning at the beginning of a beautifully articulated essay she shared. And that first question got me wondering and pondering. I'm nowhere near as eloquent and poetic as Patti, but I wanted to share my ideas this morning. What are your thoughts? What do you truly desire? What are you willing to do to get that?

Yesterday (November 16th) was Jaylen Bechler's 13th birthday. He is the son of Jamy & Tabitha Bechler. The Bechler's adopted Jamy at birth when they were living in the Chattanooga area back in 2009. You might find Jamy's story of adopting Jaylen very interesting. This interview is from 2018 and it was the first-ever time Jamy had discussed the adoption publicly. He is transparent and honest about some things. You may find yourself shaking your head in disbelief but then understanding his thoughts all at the same time. We hope you enjoy this episode of the unCorked podcast with host Melissa Corkum. You can find out more about Melissa by visiting her website TheCorkBoardOnline.com or following her on Twitter @corkboardblog Original show summary: This week's guest is Coach Jamy Bechler. He's a professional speaker, leader trainer, and executive business coach and former college basketball coach. We chat about his journey to being an adoptive dad and some of his misconceptions along the way including what type of child he requested the social worker find for him and his wife. I think you'll appreciate Jamy's vulnerability and honesty about his story. The unCorked Podcast is hosted by Melissa Corkum blogger at the Cork Board Blog. This is the unCorked podcast--conversations with everyday extraordinary people. People who have conquered, people making a difference, and people with opinions and hearts. Brave and beautiful people, but people who, in the end, are just like you and me. If there's one thing Melissa's learned over the past 10 years, it's how much she didn't know that she didn't know. Her family's experiences in adoption and loving kids who have aged out of foster care, living in the country but owning a coffee shop in the city, and traveling internationally have greatly expanded our horizons, shifted her paradigms, and hopefully made u them better humans. The one common theme through all of those experiences was listening to people's stories. Patti Digh once said, "The shortest distance between two people is a story." So pull up a chair and an open mind and meet another one of her everyday extraordinary friends. SUCCESS IS A CHOICE PODCASTING NETWORK Please follow us on Twitter @CoachBechler for positive insights and tips on leadership, success, culture, and teamwork. - - - -  The Success is a Choice podcast network is made possible by TheLeadershipPlaybook.com. Great teams have great teammates and everyone can be a person of influence. Whether you're a coach, athletic director, or athlete, you can benefit from this program and now you can get 25% off the price when you use the coupon code CHOICE at checkout. Build a stronger culture today with better teammates and more positive leaders.  - - - -  Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a quick review on iTunes.  Ratings and reviews are the lifeblood of a podcast. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. Thanks again for listening and remember that “Success is a choice. What choice will you make today?” - - - -  Jamy Bechler is the author of five books including The Captain and The Bus Trip, host of the Success is a Choice Podcast, professional speaker, and trains organizations on creating championship cultures. He previously spent 20 years as a college basketball coach and administrator.  The Leadership Playbook is Bechler's online program that helps athletes become better teammates and more positive leaders while strengthening a team's culture. As a certified John Maxwell leadership coach, Bechler has worked with businesses and teams, including the NBA. Follow him on Twitter at @CoachBechler. To connect with him via email or find out about his services, please contact speaking@CoachBechler.com. You can also subscribe to his insights on success and leadership by clicking here.  

My relationship with Patti Digh's work began many years ago when I stumbled upon her wonderful blog, “37 days”.  Despite the obvious differences, (she was raised in a small town in North Carolina, is a natural redhead and has the most wonderful southern drawl), I felt something strangely familiar in her words as I sat on that first day and read essay after beautiful essay.  It was like looking in the mirror.  I felt like I had known her my entire life.The title of that blog was inspired by the death of Patti's stepfather just 37 days after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  The time frame became a wake-up call for her and she asked herself the question, “What would I be doing if I had 37 days to live.” After the sudden death of my father in 2007, I knew that question. I had asked it myself. Many of the writings from that blog found their way into book form and became an award winning book called Life is a Verb. Patti is an author, speaker, and educator who builds inclusive learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics like diversity, inclusion, and meaning. She is the author of 8 books, including the award-winning Life is a Verb. I was thrilled when she agreed to join me on the podcast to talk about the sparks that led her to a life of activism. For the past last three decades she has focused her energies on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She's developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations, and been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.She has served on diversity councils for major non-profits like AARP, the American Red Cross, and many others. Patti teaches social justice education classes, and hosts an annual Life is a Verb Camp that fosters community among creatives from around the world. Welcome Patti.To learn more about Patti Digh, visit her website.To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of our theme music, please check out his website.To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir,  Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de Santiago. Find Suzanne on Social Mediahttps://www.suzannemaggio.comOn Instagram: @mamasuzannaOn Facebook: @suzannemaggioauthorOn Twitter: @bottomofninth

In which we talk about words and language; think about their true value and explore how our approach to language can bring us together or push us apart. Two friends, one Black, one White, share a series of tender and uncompromising conversations about how Whiteness and anti-Blackness have shaped their lives. Join us, Tanaka Mhishi and Imogen Butler-Cole, as we attempt our own version of restorative justice through compassion and storytelling. Twitter: @lovingcolourpod Instagram: @lovingcolourpod Theme music: The Boatman from The Other Side by Quest Ensemble Resources mentioned in this episode are: Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin bell hooks' book A Will to Change bell hooks' essay Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination: https://pages.mtu.edu/~jdslack/readings/CSReadings/hooks_Representing_Whiteness_Black_Imagination.pdf and Patti Digh and Victor Lee Lewis's brilliant anti-racism courses: https://www.pattidigh.com/racism/

"Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.” ― Patti Digh   In this episode I talk about: How to overcome decision fatigue How to recognize what our burnouts are How to learn consistency   Sign up for Courageous Rewrite: www.heatherchauvin.com/cr2021 Continue the conversation on Instagram @heatherchauvin_ To get on Heather's calendar this week, send her a DM on Instagram @heatherchauvin_ or send a text to 313-710-5199

In this episode, Heather spoke with writer, speaker, and social justice educator Patti Digh about how the elements within Digh's book “Life is a Verb: (“say yes”, “be generous”, “speak up”, “love more”, “trust yourself”, and “slow down”) are so relevant in these difficult times.

It’s a new year so naturally Mary and Jenn had to start the decade off with a self help book. Join us as we talk all about the world of self help books, and take a look at Patti Digh’s Life is a Verb, a self help book with an unusually crafty cover. Did we learn to be our best selves? Did we gain some enlightenment? Did Mary just pick this book up because she thought it was about scrapbooking? You won’t know until you listen to the first Casing the Cover episode of 2020!To learn more about Patti Digh’s Life is a Verb visit https://www.pattidigh.com/books/life-is-a-verb/New episodes of Casing the Cover are uploaded on the last Tuesday of each month. New and current episodes available atSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Qg83iCryEXcwoTIJ6aqOAStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/mary-harrington/casing-the-coverApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casing-the-cover/id1470176150Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5qOQUYz-qEJZ0JGgFsmnQQTo get regular updates about Casing the Cover, or to suggest an upcoming episode topic or book for review you can find us at:https://www.facebook.com/CasingTheCover@casingthecover on Twitteror email us at Casingthecoverpod@gmail.comSpecial thanks to Mic Leone for our logo design: https://www.facebook.com/MicLeoneDesigner

Trying new things inspired by my first born. Short reading of a personal blog post that made a positive impact on my life. Book: Life is a Verb by Patti Digh. I need major work on splicing my segments together... oh boy. So sorry. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tracie-west/message

Author and activist Patti Digh is a walking compendium of amazing stories. Here she shares her journey caring for a dying friend. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unhurried-moments/message

Author Patti Digh visits the #ReRooted Podcast for a conversation about understanding systemic racism and waking up to our own biases. https://beherenownetwork.com/francesca-maxime-rerooted-ep-7-waking-up-to-racism-with-patti-digh/ http://www.pattidigh.com/racism/ Patti Digh is the author of 8 books, including the grassroots bestseller, Life is a Verb: 37 days to wake up, be mindful, and live intentionally. Formerly the founding Vice President of International and Diversity Programs for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), with over 350,000 members worldwide, since 1996, Patti’s company, Strong Offer LLC, has inspired individuals and organizations to create courageous, creative, compassionate and inclusive communities so people can make “strong offers” that change the world. Learn more at pattidigh.com. Waking Up to Racism Patti talks about encountering the realities of racism at an early age. She shares the influences that led her to work in social justice and towards the eradication of structural racism. Francesca and Patti talk about applying mindfulness to our own biases and privileges when examining racism. Hard Conversations (24:10) Francesca and Patti discuss the discomfort that comes when people of privilege confront the truths of structural racism. Together they look at the role that fear plays in racism. “Racism is a complexity, not a complicated problem. A complicated problem is solvable. You make a plan and you solve it. Racism is not solvable in that way.” – Patti Digh More Than History (37:10) Patti and Francesca talk about Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the day of the announcement that slavery was abolished in America. They discuss events encompassing this year’s Juneteenth that highlight the division and ignorance that still exists around racism. “We have to look for these kinds of hallmarks of what the culture is talking about.” – Patti Digh

Author Patti Digh visits the ReRooted Podcast for a conversation about understanding systemic racism and waking up to our own biases.

About ten years ago, I came up with some rules for myself as a reminder for me to get in the studio and make art. Now, these are not completely original and I borrowed heavily from the likes of nun and artist Corita Kent and writer Patti Digh, but I put my on slant on them and adapted ten basic principles to help guide me.They're not hard, fast rules that cannot be broken, but they are reminders of the things that I need to do in order to keep myself creating and making, and when I feel disconnected from my art, I turn to these rules to help give me a kick in the pants.In this episode, I share the rules and try to give a little insight into each of them through general discussion and personal anecdotes.

In this episode I will present 5 awesome apps that you should download to boost your productivity.   Last week’s episode was all about habits and habit forming. One of the reasons that I started this podcast was to get back into the HABIT of creating again. It took drive, it took focus and it took vision, but once I got into the swing of it, I just kept on going and here we are. You wouldn’t be listening to this now if it wasn’t for the power of habit, so if you have a NEW HABIT YOU WANT TO FORM or a BAD HABIT YOU WANT TO BREAK and you missed that show - do check it out.   Every episode of the show can be accessed directly via filmproproductivity.com or you can find it on any number of podcasting apps out there.   Feel free to get in touch and let me know how you are getting on, or if you have a moment, go to the contact page and let me know what you are struggling with. I’m very interested in what productivity techniques you are adopting or what matters you are struggling with, whether industry wise or personally, so that I can tailor future episodes to tackle them.   THE LESSON   The format this week is a little bit different as I want to offer you suggestions on productivity apps which you can use to make your day to day life and work just a little bit easier. I’m not sponsored by any of these apps, at least not yet – anyone want to sponsor me? These are just the ones that I genuinely find useful and that I actually use. Sadly I’ve not discovered any app to research and create podcast episodes, which I still do it one word at a time, but luckily there are a few awesome and mostly FREE apps out there that will make our lives easier along the way.   I’ll put links to the apps that I talk about in the show notes on the website so don’t panic, you can always grab them there. I’ll give the exact address at the end of the episode. Peter Drucker the American-Austrian educator said “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.” GOOGLE CALENDAR: https://www.google.com/calendar   And one of the greatest apps out there for managing time, in my opinion, is GOOGLE CALENDAR. It’s free, it works cross platform on PC and apple desktop, and on android and apple devices. I use it every single day, probably 10 times a day or more.   I use Google Calendar for all of my work bookings, all of my travel arrangements for jobs and all of my important deadlines and meetings. I stay on top of it and if a date moves and as soon as I get that information and I login and make the change.   I have several calendars for several email addresses. And they all can come up on the app simultaneously or you can toggle through them. For example you could have a calendar for work, which I have for my fight directing work, a calendar for family, for picking up kids and getting them to swimming lessons, dentist appointments or whatever and a calendar perhaps for your own projects.   You can even donate different colours to each calendar so you can tell at a glance what is what.   Google calendar also sends you reminders. There are reminders on mine that tell me 24 hours before something is going to happen and again 30 minutes before.   In order to get the best from Google Calendar you have to keep it updated, but it’s kinda like my old Filofax, which I updated religiously, and if you do commit to using it, it will make your life easier. Not having to retain the details every single date and time and place you have to be makes this app invaluable. Whatever you can say in a meeting, you can put in an email. If I have questions, I'll tell you via email. - Mark Cuban Following on from that, my second free productivity resource is Gmail. Yes Gmail. I get swamped by emails on my fightdirector.com address. Most things come through that, but when I set up a new project, like this podcast for example, before I do anything else, I set up a Gmail account.   GMAIL: https://www.google.com/gmail/   And why is that good for productivity? Because everything I have set up for this podcast is in the same place. My podbean account, my itunes account, my spotify, stitcher, blubrry, envato, speakpipe, mailchimp, twitter – everything to do with THIS PODCAST goes through my filmproproductivity@gmail address. And anything that doesn’t, there’s a few that got tied to my fightdirector account as I had a pre-existing relationship with them like wix - I just forward those to the podcast Gmail account so they are there too. So if I need anything to do with this podcast, I go to the gmail account, login and it’s there. I don’t have to hunt and hunt in my main address. It just makes everything easy. I do it for films too, and when I finish that film and no longer need it and when emails to that account become few and far between, I set up a forwarder in the gmail settings and it send any new emails to another kinda catchall address that I’ve set up. And if anything comes to these email addresses I get a nod that it’s there through my phone - Yeh, Gmail is my second awesome productivity app, and if you are clever about how to use it, it will save a lot of headaches   Next on my list, and it’s another app I use every single day is DROPBOX. I have all of my important – oh hold on – that’s my calendar app telling me that my friend Alasdair is picking me up in 30 minutes – see I told you it was good – where was I yes, DROPBOX is where I have all of my current work folders, all of my recent documents and also a few shared folders.   DROPBOX: https://www.dropbox.com   You get your first 2.5gb for free when you sign up and for some of you that may be enough, but I’ve actually got my free allotment up to 21.2 Gb by recommending friends and taking on various free offers that came up along the way. You can of course pay for it but I’ve not had to yet. I actually also use the other free app GOOGLE DRIVE which is similar to dropbox but different for overspill items I might need. With it you get 15gb free at first so you may prefer it.   Dropbox though is my weapon of choice as its simple I’m used to it and I like it’s format. I mainly use it on desktop when writing fight risk assessments but I also at least once a day access it through my phone app.   If I go into it now, I have a few random images and PDF’s dotting about, but I organise it quite specifically and have folders for every film and show that I work on. For example I have a folder for BBC Scotland’s River City which contains all of my risk assessments for the previous season and the current one. Previous seasons I’ve moved to backup folders in he google drive as I don’t need instant access to them. Last season has 20 episodes which contained fights, and so far this season has 9 episodes - each with it’s own sub folder which contains PDF’s of the scenes and my risk assessments for them in word format. I can access these anywhere and make alterations if necessary.   As I have set this up to view by date I have the podcast folder, with 15 sub folders containing notes and scripts etc for each episode, plus folders for music and show notes and marketing etc - all easily accessible and up to date. I have a folder for the TV show Shetland which I was shooting this week and last and a folder for Bannan which I shot this week and continue on next week, and folders for my feature films in development in Hong Kong with friend and colleague Bryan Larkin as well as in development for myself. It’s a very lively place for my very lively schedule. It’s not unusual for me to be shooting maybe 5 or 6 productions in any one month and dropbox in combination with the other free apps here keeps me on top of it all.   I have two shared folders here too. One is a family album created by my niece who is researching the family history and another which is created and updated by River City production as that is a very regular gig. In that folder my line manager updates a fight schedule and every time a date moves, or disappears or a script update is made that might affect me, rather than emailing me or calling me about it, I get an update via dropbox. It’s a very efficient system.   Dropbox, really is an essential productivity tool as far as I’m concerned. Self help author ― Patti Digh says “Sometimes our STOP-DOING list needs to be bigger than our TO-DO list.” That’s another quote I can’t help but agree with. Check out last week’s habit podcast for more advice on that or episode 2 which talks about the power of saying NO.   The quote does also have relevance to this list though as next up I suggest you try the free productivity app TO-DOIST – “To do – ist”   TODOIST: https://todoist.com/   I discovered recently that you can tie this app, even the free version, into Google Calendar and that makes it all the more amazing. TODO-IST is a to do list organiser and reminder app.   If you have a list of things to do, grab this app and type them up. You can create separate lists within it based on your lists topics. What to do ist does though is not just hold onto your list, and allow you to cross things of fthat you complete, but it will remind you every day of what is still to be done. That daily reminder helps you to maintain the drive and will power required to complete them. For that reason and because I’ve been using it now for about 2 years, TODO-IST is number 4 on this list. Mrs Beeton who wrote The Book Of Household Management famously said that there should be “A place for everything, and everything in its place” So with that in mind the final App that I will recommend today is POCKET. It’s yet another free app which is available, like everything else on this list, across all platforms and its purpose, as Mrs Beeton says, is to give you a place for everything – everything on the web that you want to save and view later that is…   POCKET: https://getpocket.com   I use it every day when saving web pages, articles and YouTube vids that I’d like to read later or that might be useful for this podcast. I still do favourite and bookmark pages using browsers, but if it’s a quick read that I don’t want to lose, I drop it into pocket, where later on I can easily find it and view on any device without searching. You can install Pocket on your mobile device or add it as an extension to Google chrome, which is my recommended browser incidentally – So - if there’s anything you see that you don’t have the time or the inclination to read then and there, you can simply save it to Pocket. If installed, it comes up in an option for you to save to in android and apple devices, and it’s a clickable button on the toolbar of Google chrome. I know there are similar apps around but for me the standalone Pocket app which is fast and simple and free, tops the list.   SUMMING UP Martha Stewart said that “Life is too complicated not to be orderly.” …and these 5 apps will definitely make your life more orderly and productive if you use them. They are tried and tested and if you are willing to embrace them you are going to love them. That said, please remember that many apps are as bad for your productivity as these ones are good. As you try out some of these suggestions, perhaps you should think about losing some of the apps on your phone that really disrupt your productivity, or at the very least take them off your front page so that you have to hunt for them in the app menus instead. Make them a little less easy to access and perhaps you’ll eventually stop using them altogether.   I’ll have to do another one of these episodes as choosing the ones to talk about here has been really difficult. There are desktop extensions which are also awesome but I’ll leave all that for season 2.   I feel I should put a full stop on all this with a quote, and although the episode is a bit more factual than inspirational today I’ve got one that I rather like. It’s another by Peter Drucker, who said “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” He also said that “Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” So I’ll leave you with that.   CALL TO ACTION   A link to every App that I’ve talk about here, and a full transcript of this episode is available at filmproproductivity.com/home/episode14   Go there, try them out and see how they work for you. They’re all free but some have some in app purchases which can be used to expand their capabilities. I however only use the free versions.   ENDING   Next week’s episode, episode 15, will be the final show of season 1, and I’ll be discussing the topic of setting and achieving goals.   Until then, take control of your own destiny, keep on shootin’ and join me next time on Film Pro Productivity.   · The podcast music is Adventures by A Himitsu. · You can view the show notes for this episode at filmproproductivity.com · If you’re struggling with something you think I can help with or would like to tell me how you are getting on then please get in touch via the contact page on the website. Alternately you can get me on Twitter @fight_director or follow the show @filmproprodpod · Please support this podcast by subscribing, leaving an AWESOME review and spreading the word. If you can get just one new person to tune in I’d really appreciate it.

In this episode Patti Digh and I talk about the power of story, what inclusion looks like and how we move from our specific silos to being a more inclusive society. In this conversation we look at ways to navigate the challenges that we face in our work places, as a country, and as individuals.

MD and Mari sit down to talk about bi+ narratives and why sometimes, it's so hard to tell a queer story. We explore humor, tragedy, and even terrible puns. “The shortest distance between two people is a story.” - Patti Digh. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bi_positive 
Follow us on Tumblr: http://bipositivepodcast.tumblr.com 
Follow us on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/bipositive/id1351323613?mt=2 Email us at bipositivepodcast@gmail.com *** Sources: Hannah Gatsby – Nanette. 2018. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8465676/ Joe Lycett – Live at the Apollo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El2woked9r8 Joel Herman – Being Bisexual. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Tehhai4hQ Mae Martin – Dating Men. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szMe4nUGcfs Queer Eye, 2017. Season 1, Episode 4.

Facilitator and creator of social justice and diversity/inclusion programs, 8-time book author Patti Digh reaches far to explore courage, creativity, community, and compassion.

Sermon “You Have Heard it Said, But I Say” February 12, 2017 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 15See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his (God’s) ways, and observing his (God’s) commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying him (God) , and holding fast to him (God), for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Matthew 5:21-37 21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire… 27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart… 33“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God… “Choose life, l'chaim!” “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” There is a Jewish toast that I want to lift up and use today for the sermon. “l'chaim,” or in English, “Choose life.” Many years ago as a teenager I remember that on one occasion when I went to get my hair cut at the local barbershop, the woman that was cutting my hair got shared with me a struggle that she was having in faith. This woman was from a fairly traditional church with fairly conservative teachings. The teaching that was causing her a bit of a faith crisis had to do with baptism. Her church taught that baptism was a prerequisite to having eternal life. Therefore the unbaptized were not welcomed into heaven. Her faith crisis happened when one of her friends had a baby that died shortly after being born. Due to the suddenness of the child’s death, the child had not been baptized their pastor. Now this woman, my barber, was struggling with her fear that this child, due to the lack of being baptized, was not welcomed into heaven, into eternal life. Her faith told her that the only outcome here was death. Now I do not remember exactly what I said to her but what I do remember of that time in the barber’s chair was that I could not imagine that the God we believed in could be so cruel as to bar an infant from baptism for the lack of being baptized. I chose to believe in a God that offers life. A second thought on eternal life was triggered by my attendance at funeral not long ago where another pastor was giving the message. In an effort to offer hope in the midst of death, this pastor on several occasions remarked that the deceased through his death had entered eternal life. Each time it was stated, I was thinking, I am not so sure about that. You see, I believe that his entrance into eternal life did not happen at death but happened much earlier than that. I believe his entrance into eternal life happened the moment he experienced life. Each of these stories speaks to an understanding of eternal life and of faith. Both give voice to what I believe is a bit of a limited view of both God and eternal life. Each is limited in that the emphasis on life with God is placed after one dies. Plus, neither does justice to either the Hebrew or Christian scriptures. I think of Jesus’ words, “You have heard it said, but I say to you” as a way to challenge us to think in new ways. For instance, consistently both the Hebrew and the Christian scriptures are concerned about the here and now. Neither the Hebrew or Christian scriptures places its emphasis on what happens after death. But historically though, there has been a part of the Christian faith that has placed an emphasis on the eternal life (after death), ours included. By so doing, those who chose this emphasis in belief then did not have to seriously address issues of faith in the current life. As a result, as long as Christianity was only about the afterlife, then it had little or nothing to say about the current life. For instance, here in the United States for decades the church read scripture in such a way to justify slavery. (Who among us today would do such a thing today?) “A century and a half ago, Frederick Douglass, as he led the faith-rooted struggle against slavery in America, wrote, ‘Between the Christianity of this land and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference -- so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure and holy is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt and wicked.’”1 Douglass clearly saw that the Christianity of this land, not that of Christ, by placing its focus on the afterlife not only had little to say about the issues of its day but found justification its support of the great evil of slavery. So in this enlightened age, let us not like those in the past error by dwelling only on life after death but let us be challenged by Moses and by Jesus to choose life in the here and now. Let us consider what is meant in the Hebrew scriptures when it says to choose life. What doesit mean to choose life? Or easier yet, what does it not mean? For Moses, choose life did not mean worshipping the crazy idols of the Canaanites, the people who occupied the land where the children of Israel were headed. This is good advice for us too. We all have things that we idolize or covet or prioritize over God's teachings, things such as money, power, fame, big houses, fancy cars, or our cell phones. None of us have these as gods, right? So tell me, how anxious were you the last time you went someplace and realized that your cell phone was not with you? What emotions did you experience? If you experienced any anxiety, then that phone has become more than just a telephone. Moses tells us that these things that cause us to be anxious do not lead to life. In fact they only lead to destruction and death. Idols can be powerful things. If we worship money, for example, we become greedy. If we worship power, we can become corrupt. If we worship another person, we can become co-dependent. As Ralph Waldo Emerson explained, "That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our life and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming." Beware of the idols, for they do not lead to life. So what is life? Moses answers in verse 20: "Loving the Lord your God, obeying God and holding fast to God; for that means life to you." This is all in the present tense. It is what we do now during this life that makes a difference - that gives us life, eternal life.2 In the Christian scriptures, Jesus challenges us to choose life as well. First of all he stresses that the Kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, is present now. And if it is present, if God is present among us, then our lives ought to reflect that reality. If we trust that God is present, then we have the power to choose life and to live life to its fullest. He challenges us to choose life in such a way as to not limit what God has in store us. He suggests that life is threatened when anger and judgment and insult reign. So he says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” He suggests that life is threatened when women are objectified, or merely seen as fulfillment of sexual desire or the carrying on the family name. So he says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” He suggests that life is threatened when you do not follow through with oaths you make. So he says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” In other words, Jesus is saying that interpreting the law is far more complex than you make it out to be. And if your interpretations lead to death -- the silence of voices, the discounting of the personhood of the other, the disrespect and demeaning of entire groups of people, the labeling (which is a nice way to say calling names) thereby putting people in their place -- then you have to think long and hard about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.3 Consistently the teachings of Moses and of Jesus, those about choosing life, are at their root all about how one lives in community with one’s neighbor. I came across this poem recently that speaks truth to how to choose life and to live in community. I you us them those people wouldn’t it be lovely if one could live in a constant state of we? some of the most commonplace words can be some of the biggest dividers they what if there was no they? what if there was only us? if words could be seen as they floated out of our mouths would we feel no shame as they passed beyond our lips? if we were to string our words on a communal clothesline would we feel proud as our thoughts flapped in the breeze?4 To choose life is to enter into eternal life in the here and now. By entering in the here and now we begin to fully experience what it means to live in the presence of God! When we realize that we are in God’s presence, that is living life at its fullest. “l'chaim” --choose life! 1. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/oped-moral-outrage-after-national-prayer-breakfast-n716261 2. The Rev. Susan Sparks, Sermon - L'Chaim, and Don't Mess It Up! February 16, 2014 3. Karoline M. Lewis , Associate Professor of Preaching and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching 4. "clothesline," poem by Marilyn Maciel. Published in Patti Digh, "Life Is a Verb: 37 Days To Wake Up, Be Mindful, And Live Intentionally." (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), 42

Patti Digh is a social memoirist, master Southern storyteller, social justice activist, and a placemaker who builds supportive, joyous communities full of soul. By drawing on transformative events in her life and career, Patti’s honest writings unearth bridges for others to use along their own path. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and events and teaches online courses in writing and personal growth. Her books include Life is a Verb, Creative is a Verb, Four Word Self Help, What I Wish for You, and her upcoming book, The Geography of Loss. Patti writes regularly at 37days.com. TOPICS: How to navigate the 3 blocks to creative expression + How to stop diminishing your creative self + Why focusing on the process is more important than the outcome + How to make a difference doing what you love + How to live intentionally and connect more fully with life as it is.

Episode #34:  Reclaiming the Wild Soul: How Earth’s Landscapes Restore Us to Wholeness with special guest MARY REYNOLDS THOMPSON Mary is an author, facilitator of poetry and journal therapy, and certified life coach who helps people discover and live their WILD SOUL STORY so they can bridge the false divide between outer and inner nature, Earth and Self, and become full creative, connected and alive. Join us as she introduces her new book RECLAIMING THE WILD SOUL and takes us on a fascinating journey into Earth’s five great landscapes — deserts, forests, oceans and rivers, mountains, and grasslands — as they reveal timeless aspects of our deeper, wilder selves. Luxuriate in the Earth's wild beauty and fierce challenges. See how deserts model simplicity and silence, how forests help us make peace with uncertainty, how rivers and oceans reveal the power of flow, how mountains inspire our highest purpose, and how grasslands teach us about giving back. Discover how Mary's work connects people to nature--and their own inner nature—through what she calls WILD LANGUAGE—the way the Earth speaks to us in metaphors and symbols about our lives and purpose. You'll love it! ROUND TABLE with HiC Luttmers, John Carosella and Mildred Lynn: “Being GENEROUS often consists of simply extending a hand. That’s hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your righteousness, your belief system, your superiority, your assumptions about others, your definition of normal.” — Patti Digh.   Get ready for a fun, energetic discussion! Healing Conversations with Mildred Lynn airs the FIRST SUNDAY of the month @ 10:30am PST.

Patti Digh is the author of eight books ranging from diversity and inclusion to social justice and mindfulness. The author of the best-selling Life is a Verb, she is also the founder of The Art of Activism, which hosts online courses on issues such as racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and other "isms." In the first year of her "Hard Conversations" course on racism, more than 4,000 people have participated. She is also the host of the Hard Conversations Book Club, which reads books each month about social justice and related issues like modern slavery, immigration, transgender and gender identity, sexism, racism, and more. You won't want to miss this provocative and inspiring interview!

In this week’s podcast, Shut Your Monkey author and host Danny Gregory talks with Patti Digh, the bestselling author, teacher and storyteller. They'll discuss trauma and how the harsh voices of our childhood can continue to play tired old tapes in our heads — long past their expiration date. Monkey of the Week: the Fake. It’s that voice that says: "You are a fraud and an imposter. Everyone knows you can’t do this. They’re all laughing behind your naive back." What can we say in response?  Monkey Tale: A few careless critiques can derail one's young career. Steve tells us how he was sabotaged by his first boss and how he has fought back after years of hiding his talent. What’s your experience with your monkey? How has it affected you, and how have you overcome it? Record your Monkey Tale at dannygregory.com/monkey. This podcast is brought to you by Sketchbook Skool, online art klasses that inspire you how to be creative—no matter what your monkey tries to tell you. See what it’s like to take a klass, and use the promo code MONKEY to save 20 percent off your first kourse. Take that, monkey…

Episode #34:  Reclaiming the Wild Soul: How Earth’s Landscapes Restore Us to Wholeness with special guest MARY REYNOLDS THOMPSON Mary is an author, facilitator of poetry and journal therapy, and certified life coach who helps people discover and live their WILD SOUL STORY so they can bridge the false divide between outer and inner nature, Earth and Self, and become full creative, connected and alive. Join us as she introduces her new book RECLAIMING THE WILD SOUL and takes us on a fascinating journey into Earth’s five great landscapes — deserts, forests, oceans and rivers, mountains, and grasslands — as they reveal timeless aspects of our deeper, wilder selves. Luxuriate in the Earth's wild beauty and fierce challenges. See how deserts model simplicity and silence, how forests help us make peace with uncertainty, how rivers and oceans reveal the power of flow, how mountains inspire our highest purpose, and how grasslands teach us about giving back. Discover how Mary's work connects people to nature--and their own inner nature—through what she calls WILD LANGUAGE—the way the Earth speaks to us in metaphors and symbols about our lives and purpose. You'll love it! ROUND TABLE with HiC Luttmers, John Carosella and Mildred Lynn: “Being GENEROUS often consists of simply extending a hand. That’s hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your righteousness, your belief system, your superiority, your assumptions about others, your definition of normal.” — Patti Digh.   Get ready for a fun, energetic discussion! Healing Conversations with Mildred Lynn airs the FIRST SUNDAY of the month @ 10:30am PST. 

Healing Conversations Episode 34. Reclaiming the Wild Soul: How Earth’s Landscapes Restore Us to Wholeness with special guest MARY REYNOLDS THOMPSON Mary is an author, facilitator of poetry and journal therapy, and certified life coach who helps people discover and live their WILD SOUL STORY so they can bridge the false divide between outer and inner nature, Earth and Self, and become full creative, connected and alive. Join us as she introduces her new book RECLAIMING THE WILD SOUL and takes us on a fascinating journey into Earth’s five great landscapes — deserts, forests, oceans and rivers, mountains, and grasslands — as they reveal timeless aspects of our deeper, wilder selves. Luxuriate in the Earth's wild beauty and fierce challenges. See how deserts model simplicity and silence, how forests help us make peace with uncertainty, how rivers and oceans reveal the power of flow, how mountains inspire our highest purpose, and how grasslands teach us about giving back. Discover how Mary's work connects people to nature--and their own inner nature—through what she calls WILD LANGUAGE—the way the Earth speaks to us in metaphors and symbols about our lives and purpose. You'll love it! ROUND TABLE with HiC Luttmers, John Carosella and Mildred Lynn: “Being GENEROUS often consists of simply extending a hand. That’s hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your righteousness, your belief system, your superiority, your assumptions about others, your definition of normal.” — Patti Digh. Get ready for a fun, energetic discussion!

In this episode of the podcast, author Patti Digh talks about honoring the intentions of our legacy, writing in our truest voice, and not getting caught up in the stories we tell ourselves. HIGHLIGHTSWhy we never know where we are in the journey of lifeWriting in your true voice The points that become moments of significance in our livesThe power of putting yourself in a position of not knowing Why we can't judge and learn at the same time Living in the space between the things we think are incredibly significant Not getting caught up in the stories we tell ourselvesThree keys to dealing with our losses Why pain can be incredibly powerful How telling the darker parts of stories can liberate usThe 4 Levels of Story and How They Impact Our Work Why the obstacles are necessary for a great storyQuotesIt's often said that the shortest distance between two people is a story. The choice that we always have in a hotspot or place of discomfort is to learn.We have the capacity to shift our stories anytime we want to. Patti's award-winning blog, 37days.com, emerged from the lessons she learned by asking that question and soon the essays were crafted into the bestselling book LIFE IS A VERB: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally. Patti has since written FOUR-WORD SELF-HELP: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives, CREATIVE IS A VERB: If You're Alive, You're Creative, and WHAT I WISH FOR YOU: Simple Wisdom for a Happy Life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the subtitle of her book Creative Is a Verb affirms, Patti Digh believes "if you're alive, you're creative." So if you're someone who doesn't really believe you're a creative person—or if you do believe you're creative, but are looking for inspiration for how to approach your whole life as a work of art—you'll want to listen to the wisdom of Patti Digh. She's the perfect person to conclude our monthlong look at ways to cultivate creativity!

“Live like it could go away,” As Patti Digh’s been known to say. But here is the quandary: Why do the laundry? We’ll stink on the 38th day. In Life is a Verb, Patti Digh wrote about living life as though you had 37 days to live. If I only had 37 days to live, […]

In this Unmistakable Classic, we revisit a thought provoking conversation with Patti Digh, author of Life is a Verb. The importance of feeling good about the work you're doingAsking yourself what you'd do if you have 37 days to liveThe keys to writing your voice with a sole intentionHow art history and English degrees shaped Patti's world viewThe 3 blocks that keep dreams from coming trueA look at what it means to be truly transparentHow we deal with incredibly negative thoughtsHow intention shapes the nature of what you createPresence and the role that it plays in our lives Why you don't want to be invested in an outcomeWhy you need organizing principles for a bigger body of workPatti Digh, the creator and author of the award-winning blog 37days.com, is the author of the best-selling Life is a Verb (Skirt!), a Books for a Better Life nominee. An internationally recognized speaker who has worked in over 60 countries, Patti 's comments have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The London Financial Times, and The New York Times, among other international press. Smart, funny, and insightful, her Web site is pattidigh.com. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I’d like you to meet Patti Digh. Her writing is one reason why. Her camp is one more Of the things we adore, And no bone in her body is shy. We talk with Patti Digh about leading and co-creating a vibrant community. Highlights: Design Your Life Camp making a strong offer leadership co-creation too […]