Tag Archives: keven winder

189- Freedom from Fundamentalism

“Do you see yourself as a fundamentalist?”

I’m willing to bet that you answered “No!” We often think fundamentalism is solely the jurisdiction of religion. While religious fundamentalism abounds in the headlines, we must look closer and see how fundamentalism oppresses everyone in every walk of life.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is a message to people who were oppressed and thought the world was too far gone and needed some other kind of external intervention. Join me now as we see beyond our own inner fundy and explore an unconventional and unpopular way of liberating us all from the tyranny of fundamentalism. 

188- The World is the Margarita; You are the Salt

“What does it mean to be Salt and Light?

If you are like most people, you are probably disregarding this post as “Stuff you already know.” Yes this is perhaps the most familiar sermon subject in the world, but given that “everybody knows this”, why do you suppose there has been so little transformation around it? Why is there so much confusion on what it actually means?

Join me now as we continue our examination of the Sermon on the Mount and we learn to see beyond the Salt and Light and look closer at the intended audience. This fundamental shift requires a wider more inclusive interpretation which allows us to see beyond everything.

187- Power will NOT like this

“Are you free enough to speak truth to power?”

That’s a loaded question. Most people, if they are honest, will have to admit they are not. We are free enough to “like” a meme posted on social media. We are free enough voice our opinion when it’s safe to do so, but we are not free to “rock the boat” within our places of employment, our family dynamics, our social structures, our religious frameworks, or our government.

In today’s podcast and post, we continue our look at the sermon on the mount and we examine the punchline statement of the whole thing. Join me now as we see beyond what we thought was persecution, and into the disappointing reality that exposes our lives being lived in captivity.

186- Happy Suffering

“What is your solution to the suffering in the world?”

Most people recognize the enormity of suffering and feel as though they are too small to make a difference. Thus we look to governments, religions or scientific fixes that might be big enough to eliminate suffering. 

What if suffering has a purpose? What if there was a way to deal with suffering that didn’t avoid it, but transformed it into something beautiful?  Join me now as we see beyond the beatitudes into exactly what it means to experience happy suffering.

185-Blessing evokes gag reflex…

“What is your response when someone says they are “blessed?”

For many modern people, we are triggered by this phrase. I think it’s because our culture has made blessed synonymous with material gain or prosperous living. It’s actually the sub-plot that says, “God is on my side, not yours.” that makes us so disturbed.

In today’s podcast and post I examine what it really means to be blessed and expose how far off the trail we’ve gone. The beatitudes are not eight tips for living better than everyone else, but the required lens through which we can discover not only the paradox of wisdom, but the humility to see our self in the lives of everyone else.

184- Awesome Beige Minivan said no one ever…

“What can words do for the state of our world now?” Aren’t we beyond rhetoric and “Thoughts and prayers?”

Our world’s attention span is shortening. We have less interest and tolerance for big transforming ideas. Sound bites and instantaneous answers have eroded that part of us where big questions were once carried deep within our hearts. It’s the automotive equivalent of car makers producing beige minivans. Our thirst for practicality has displaced the drive that once inspired us.

In today’s podcast and post, I begin a series that for many is so played out and tired that few may even have the resolve to look deeper. Join me now as we begin to see beyond the sermon on the mount and recapture just how disruptive a big idea can be.

182- Redshift Cosmology

Same question again this week: “Have you ever had a satisfactory answer to the question of why each religion think it’s better than the others?

Last week’s post burst a few wineskins leaving many of you with more questions than answers. So in this week’s post and podcast we explore what Cynthia Bourgeault calls the San Andreas Fault in the Country of the Heart.

Join me now as we begin to see what has been invisible for so many people for centuries, namely that this faultline creates a rupture in everything we thought we understood about spirituality, faith and religion, allowing us to see beyond everything.

181- Your Monotheism may actually be Atheism

“Have you ever had a satisfactory answer to the question of why each religion think it’s better than the others?

How many millennia will we go on arguing about whose god can beat up another god?  This framework is typified in the story of Elijah and Baal, but I believe we missed the point entirely.  It started by Elijah asking the same question I just did: “How long will you go on limping between two opinions?”

In today’s podcast, I will not answer this question by suggesting that all religions are basically saying the same thing, rather I will argue that they are all missing the same thing. Join me now as see beyond what we think is a monotheistic believe and I reveal how it is simply a modified atheism.

180- The Sunrise of Your Life

The Sunrise of Your Life

“What has Easter become for you?”

Is Easter just another holiday that has been stripped of its meaning? Is it a sacred day of the year where we must pay special attention and make a bit more effort toward our spiritual walk? What if both of these extremes miss the point?

In today’s podcast and post we pull back and reframe Easter in a way that allows all comers to access it’s beauty and transforming power. Join me now as we see beyond the conversion to a religion, and into an inner awakening to the Sunrise of our life.

179- When our Focus IS the Distraction

“What is your biggest distraction?”

Most of us intuitively view distractions as derailments. They are a shift of focus from a more import object to a less important object. I think we all get this at a basic level. 

In today’s podcast and post I will take us deeper beyond the objects of distraction, and show why changing our focus doesn’t always solve the problem.

Join me now as we learn to see beyond the objects of our distraction and gain a glimpse of the single subject that exists just below the surface of everything.