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With Larry Payne, D.Min., LPC
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INDEX OF EPISODES
All episodes of TRACKS FOR THE JOURNEY podcast and videos are indexed by TITLE, DATE, TOPICS, and LINKS. Click to use this searchable Google Sheets INDEX
View the Discovery Video
What is Tracks for the Journey all about? This short video tells the resources, the elements of Well-being, and the benefits for you!
SELECTED EPISODES
Making the Spirituality-Physicality Connection
Our physical experiences offer a gateway to profound spiritual encounters. Integrating our physicality and spirituality promotes holistic well-being. Body and Mind can flow in a dynamic unity. In this episode let’s explore the deep connections to our bodily experience and our spiritual life. The insights of Process Theology and modern neuroscience form a foundation for this life-giving integration. God is always present, inviting us to tune our unified awareness to make the connection.
Is God Punishing Me?
“Why is God punishing me?” An answer to the age-old question affects our well-being in many ways. Modern psychology and progressive theology offer insights built on God’s love and human choices which inspire hope in the toughest times of life. Explore the teaching Jesus offered when the disciples struggled with the same question to develop greater resilience in your own journey.
New Words for Prayer
My understanding of prayer has changed towards a new dynamism and excitement. I’ve learned to collaborate rather than plead with God. Explore with me some new words that will make a difference in your spiritual devotion. Rather than tossing a hope in the wishing well of prayer for a far-away deity to act, we can join in a synergistic experience with a loving partner. Insights from Open and Relational Theism show the way for new words to enrich your experience.
Awestruck! The Emotion
of Transcendence
The delightful emotion of awe offers a path toward transcendence and well-being. The thunder of Niagara Falls or the face of a newborn can provoke emotions that change us forever. Science has given new perspectives on the impact of awe for our faith and well-being. The insights of Cole Arthur Riley, Victor Frankel, David Ray Griffin, and Summer Allen add breadth to the discussion. I invite you to explore how awe can mean so much for our human journey.
Go Wild! Spirituality for the Earth
Running the path beneath the giant Sequoias brought a depth to my faith experience. Could going Wild lead to a closer connection to God and the Planet? Explore with me a green path with the perspective of Panentheism, Jesus in the Wild, Ecopsychology, and the battle against plastic pollution. We can learn from Brian McLaren, Ilia Delio, and others a new language of faith discovery that is as old as the planet.
Baby No? The Ethics of Birth Control
Today 950 million women will say “No” to pregnancy by utilizing birth control. Is that a moral choice? With changes in America’s laws, the legality of interventional birth control is under attack. I believe there are four ethical and theological reasons to support reproductive choice which contribute to well-being at every stage of adult life.
Lessons from my Billion-Year-Old Friend
"If you visit me at the Bright Star Farm, you’ll see something amazing. The centerpiece of a Prayer Garden is a red granite rock, round and smooth, the size of a soccer ball. Dark streaks mark its surface amid hues of red. Just a rock, you might ask? No. This magnificent stone is a billion-year-old witness to the work of God. Sitting near it I am called to unite my life with the universal energy of the Divine."
Don't Sabotage Your Well-being
Danger! You may be sabotaging your own well-being! Uncover the ways we hinder our happiness in the newest episode of Tracks for the Journey. It’s vital to avoid the twin saboteurs of “Fearing Your Fears” and “Confusing Feelings with Facts.” In this episode I share a story of Nazi sabotage, the help Jasmine found, and inspiration from a jailbird. Join me to explore ways to foil the plot within and build greater well-being.
Travel to Your Well-being
Travel starts with a big question: Where am I going? We can expand the question to our life experience. Where am I going in this journey of life? Research shows well-being is enhanced by exploring the worlds outside of us and within us. Join me to discover ways of growth through explore places around us and inside us. We can travel for our well-being
Affirming Transgendered Care
Transgendered youth and their parents have rights to determine their gender identity. But laws across America are trying to take away this fundamental freedom. Join me to understand the issues and the reasons this is bad for them, for you, and for the kingdom of God. Let’s affirm transgender rights in this episode of Tracks for the Journey.
Transgender, LBGTIA, Ethics, Gender Dysphoria
Myth of Christian Nationalism
The myth of Christian Nationalism is creeping across America in this Independence season. The ideology weds fundamentalist faith and regressive politics to undermine our democracy. We should stand against this bad theology, bad political history, and bad racism. Explore with me the timely topic “The Myth of Christian Nationalism.”
(Photo by T. Merkler on Flickr.com)
Politics, church and State, Bigotry, Jesus
Sex is Okay with God
Sex commands center stage in our society today, filling the headlines with debate and the websites with erotica. Can we find a healthier sexuality through theology, ethics, and science? I think so, as the title of this Tracks for the Journey episode says, "Sex is Okay with God."
In this episode I discuss the basic vocabulary we need but don't really know. I dig into some of the Bible material beyond just the simple proof texts, especially surrounding LBGTIA issues. Finally, the principles of sex as good and fidelity as central are presented.
Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/907723/episodes/10426891
(Photo by Conscious Design on unsplash.com)
Sex, LGBTIA, Gay rights, Ethics