Loving THIS with Michael Gungor

May we be free from our beliefs. Amen.

In this episode, Michael talks about his discovery about how the most destructive patterns in his history have been rooted in a story of not being enough. This realization has made him refocus his mission to the point that he is restructuring all of his life, work, and business. Support this new work at www.patreon.com/michaelgungor

“What do I love when I love my God?”

 

This is a famous question asked in St. Augustine’s “Confessions” that many people through the centuries have pondered and wrestled with.  

 

I too have wrestled with that question. And I can tell you it wasn’t just a theoretical or casual philosophical conversation for me. For me, it felt like the slow breaking of a tree branch I was perched upon over a cliff.  It was terrifying and painful and often lonely.  But one thing that I think sometimes gets missed in conversations around “deconstruction” is that there is often a deep love that is underneath and even fueling the questioning. I didn’t question God because it was a cool or progressive thing to do… I didn’t question the Bible because I was trying to be relevant culturally. I questioned God BECAUSE I loved God. I questioned the Bible because it was so important to me.  

 

This tension between loving something and not being able to understand it has shown up not just in my spiritual journey, but my personal life as well. In the last several years, some of my most important relationships have either been lost or redefined in some very scary and painful ways. But honestly, I still have such deep love for every one of those people. So what do you do in those scenarios? What do you do when your structures/expectations/understanding of reality falls apart even while you still are in love? What do you do when you love God even if you don’t know how to believe in God? What do you do when you love someone but don’t know how to define your relationship or understand them? This new single, “I Still Love You” that dropped today is an exploration of that tension. Sometimes, you just gotta let things be what they are. And maybe that’s actually the heart of what true, unconditional love is.

 

Can the idea of forgiveness actually be violent? In this episode, Michael talks about Gungor's new single "I Forgive You" and explores the idea of forgiveness looking through the different lenses presented in Marshall Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication".  

 

Michael talks about the meaning and story of Gungor's new single "A Million I's"

What is truth? Can one be certain of anything? 

Singing together is not only a potentially powerful spiritual technology and form of spiritual community, but it’s good for you! Studies have shown singing to be linked to lower stress, better moods, more of a sense of connection, and many more benefits.

In this podcast, Michael Gungor announces that he will be leading some simple chants and musical experiences that are designed to draw one into deep presence and embodiment. No religious belief is necessary to enjoy and reap the benefits of this powerful spiritual practice.

How do we make a difference in a world that feels so big and out of our control? How do we not feel hopeless in the face of huge problems like climate change, racism, and inequality? Michael offers a radical suggestion. 

This is probably the most vulnerable podcast I've ever recorded. 2020 and 2021 have been some of the most challenging and beautiful years of my life. In this podcast, I share some of what's been happening with me as well as a song that I just released out of some of the shadow work I've been doing called "Look What I Can Do." 

In the wake of a disturbing week (and year) (and four years) (and however long humans have been around), we are confronted with what feels to be such vivid displays of evil in the world. What is evil exactly? Is it real? Is it objective? What do we even mean when we talk about good and evil and how does it relate to who we are and how we live?