Paths to Restoration

My hope is for better conversations that can help bridge our divides that are fueled in part by some mix of bad information and limited exposure to the stories of individuals. My hope is that there can be some sort of recognition of wrong that leads to healing and reconciliation.

I want to consider what divides us and what unites us because, even if these are hard conversations, things won’t get better unless we have them.

I hate conflict, but sometimes it’s the only way forward in order to untangle the sources of our pain and division.

Do you know what it feels like to be overwhelmed? I sure do! If you don't feel overwhelmed because of this pandemic right now, you'll probably never feel overwhelmed. In this episode I wrap up my series on simplicity for the month of May with a few of the strategies that have helped me simplify overwhelming situations and to plan some experiments to help alleviate the feeling of "overwhelm." 

Although simplicity has long been a vital discipline for Christian spirituality, it has new look today in pop culture's minimalist movement. While minimalism is certainly preferable to limitless consumption, it can become its own self-serving trend that best serves the wealthy and cultivates an image of being a minimalist. This episode considers how we can carve a path that avoids the distractions of minimalism while pursuing a simple lifestyle that frees us to do what matters the most. 

We don't need to make drastic changes to our lives in order to make more space for spiritual practices or an awareness of God. By considering how to integrate prayer into what we're already doing and making small spots in our day for prayer words or silence, we can see long-lasting spiritual benefits, that are more likely to take root and grow, without having to make a giant overhaul of our daily lives.

What keeps us from mourning with those who mourn? This week, we wrap up our mini-series on mourning with those who mourn by talking about the ways misunderstandings, narratives, and bias prevent us from seeing the pain and suffering of us. The story of Mary Ann Vecchio, who was 14 at the time of the the Kent State shooting, reminds us that our narratives often let us down and that our children may be our best guides for growing in empathy for others. 

At the risk of making an epic Jesus juke, I ask this week if our interactions on social media tend to reinforce tribalism and prevent us from responding to others with understanding and empathy. We are called to mourn with those who mourn and to walk alongside those who suffer, but in our current media environment, it's easy to claim a pass on this if someone isn't mourning in a way that makes us comfortable. 

In the middle of Lent my attempt to limit my social media use to 10 minutes per day wasn't working out. I often found an excuse to increase my time just a little bit more. After reading an article by Judy Wu Dominick about getting off social media for good, I decided it was time to go cold turkey with a 30 day social media fast along the lines advocated by Cal Newport. At the end of 30 days I can feel many of the benefits of being off social media, and I'm not quite sure how I'll handle getting back on. I did notice one unexpected challenge along the way as I created a gap in my day from being off social media.

Social media can overwhelm us with suffering, grief, and anger. Seeing only a shallow digital representation of others online often prevents us from seeing their full humanity. Our challenge today is to remain present for those suffering around us, especially those in close physical proximity to us, and to ask how we can grow in empathy for them, mourning with those who mourn. Contemplative prayer practices can serve as part of the puzzle in developing our empathy.

I'm sharing about my annual April Fool's Day book release pranks and how a little bit of levity can bring us together. These remain difficult, uncertain times with a looming surge of COVID-19 despite increasing vaccinations. Sometimes the right kind of joke can help release a bit of tension and build a shared sense of community with others. I share what I've learned over the years about the use of humor through my April Fool's Day book pranks. 

Check out my latest prank here: https://edcyzewski.com/2021/04/01/announcing-my-new-book-release-tweet-use-facebook-pray

As we assess where we are right now, it's fair to say that in America at least, we're encouraged to see the vaccination rates climbing and the COVID-19 infection rates declining. While we aren't returning to "normal," there are plenty of folks who don't feel like we're in the middle of an emergency for the most part. We can still wear masks and social distance, and vaccines will make things better. What does it look like to return to more sustainable practices that help us remain aware of our thoughts, our spiritual health, and our relationships while still keeping an eye out for the challenges in front of us? 

Heather Caliri didn't think she was the artist of her family, but then a journey of self-discovery and prayerful introspection developed a deeper awareness of God's presence in her creative work. She is currently helping others go on similar journeys of healing and growth, while nurturing the healing of artistic projects. If you don't think creativity has a place in your life or if you want to find more room for the restoration of creative pursuits, Heather is a reliable guide. Learn more about her creative work at www.heathercaliri.com and her course at https://www.heathercaliri.com/dignity. 

Making space for prayer, creativity, family, and service to others requires significant boundaries from digital distractions. Yet, setting up those boundaries and using them well often results in failures, changes in plans, and then more failures. It's never too late to reclaim our attention and to pursue our relationships offline in ways that don't rely on social media, but we need to be willing to fail and then try again. 

There's a lot of pressure to be productive or to make progress with our time. Even in the case of spiritual practices, we can feel tempted to seek results. If we don't see the results right away, our time in prayer may feel like a waste. But "waste" is really a terrible word for the steps in our longer term process of growth.

Sometimes the practices that can feel wasteful or unproductive can give us the space we need to be far more present and at peace for everything else we do. Sometimes we need "waste" in order to more forward. 

The urgency of our current moment can fuel a constant tension and alertness about the next crisis. I know what it feels like to live with an awareness that something big and important, and potentially bad, could happen at any moment. Plenty of big challenges remain and our engagement will be needed, but for the sake of our mental health and spiritual vitality, crisis mode won’t serve us well for the long term.

This episode asks how we can develop more sustainable boundaries and practices during our difficult times where one crisis seems to compound another. 

This week I'm sharing a short podcast based on my latest blog post about how we evaluate the trustworthiness of our spiritual leaders. What if we are using the wrong criteria? Based on the many popular Christian leaders who have had scandals, we have a lot of work to do. 

Too many well-meaning leaders have been crushed by the entrepreneurial, corporate-influenced model of pastoral leadership in America. Far, far too many church attending Christians have been burned by abusive leadership systems and toxic church cultures.

If we have this many prominent names leading double lives, deceiving their congregations and readers, and perpetrating horrible abuse to the most vulnerable, it’s time to start second-guessing our judgment when it comes to our spiritual leaders in the American church.

At the very least, we need leaders who show evidence of a deep inner life of prayer, a message of dependance on God rather than working toward specific moral outcomes, a capacity to recognize their limits, and a willingness to even give up the power and influence that is so readily given to them.

When a spiritual leader’s popularity and influence increases, so should our scrutiny and our caution toward them.

The highs and lows each week often include disturbing news stories or social media posts that leave us concerned about the bad behavior of others. Since social media naturally amplifies agitating content, it's no wonder that the worst behavior is often gaining the most attention. Can we take some time this week to step away from the fear-inducing content in the news and on social media? Can we grow our awareness of God's love today, remembering that God made the first step toward us? 

It feels like the problems we face are only growing more complex during the pandemic. As we feel the weight of so many things piling up, some simple prayers may be what we need the most right now. Using Thomas Merton's book Contemplative Prayer as a jumping off point, I share a few simple prayer words and practices that I've found to be helpful as the complexities of our world only seem to increase. 

Control is a complicated word. I have a love hate relationship with it. Control is a source of anxiety and conflict many times when it comes to other people. Yet, self-control is a vital spiritual discipline. What does a healthier relationship with "control" look like for people of faith who are saturated with news about events that appear threatening or troubling yet far beyond our control? 

In this brief solo episode, Ed Cyzewski, author of Reconnect: Spiritual Restoration from Digital Distraction, asks whether we've started to expect the worst because of our traumatic past four years. How can we remain engaged in the important issues of our time, such as poverty, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic while also giving ourselves space to be hopeful?  

After the alarming insurrection at the Capitol building in America, how can we reset our thoughts and regain a sense of mental grounding and spiritual balance? This week's episode offers a few strategies for facing a difficult moment, such as a disruptive national crisis, and offers some next steps--that is, besides not voting for people in the future who will cause a national crisis! 

In this solo episode, Ed Cyzewski asks what we're expecting in the new year. Are we waiting for the worst to happen? Are we immersed in the bad news on social media and news sites to the point that we have lost hope for anything good? Or are we waiting expectantly for God, remaining grounded in the present moment in faith? 

What worked in 2020? Before you answer "NOTHING!", consider for a moment the areas in your life where you felt at peace and grounded. How can you make more space for that? Are there changes you can make in 2021 that will help you stay rooted in God's presence and love? Now is as good a time as any to make small, incremental changes that can really grow and blossom in the course of a full year. 

In this episode, Ed Cyzewski shares how he's making changes in preparation for 2021 and making more space for life giving, soul restoring practices. 

We are going through a unique moment of shared trauma. Even caregivers have to find ways to cope with the trauma of this moment, and that is just the start of the challenges we face since safety measures have been politicized and made controversial. This brief solo podcast explores some ways to pursue soul care at a time when we face the challenges of isolation, imperfect technology, and misinformation. 

As we speculate about what a new year and a new president will bring in America in 2021, there are some larger trends to consider. The nature of politics and social media may prove especially challenging for our spiritual health and mental well-being. One school of thought in political analysis believes that negative partisanship is what has been driving our most recent elections and expect it to only grow if our social media and news media environments remain unchanged. How can our spiritual practices keep up with the crazy that may be coming our way? 

In this solo episode of Paths to Restoration, author Ed Cyzewski shares about the vision for this podcast. Moving forward we need to share more fact-based conversations about pressing issues such as the COVID pandemic and the rise of anti-vaccine social media posts. This is a time when the credibility of Christians is on the line, to say nothing of the thousands of lives that could be lost if we can't achieve herd immunity due to misinformation about the vaccine or medical experts. 

We'll still have interviews from time to time, but this podcast will also offer a weekly check-in about the sources of digital distraction and misinformation that may mislead, divide, and disrupt us so that we can make more space for spiritual practices and take steps to love our neighbors. 

There is a lot of fear and anxiety over the outcome of the election and the transition process. How can we recover from the emotional and soul care challenges of the election and develop long term soul care strategies to carry us through the months and years ahead? In this brief solo episode, Ed Cyzewski talks through some ideas for social media, news, and soul care resets over the coming days. 

In this solo episode, author Ed Cyzewski shares about the ongoing soul searching in America after the 2020 election, including the questions so many are asking about why our nation is so divided over a man who clearly mismanaged the pandemic response. There aren't easy answers, but in sharing his own story, Ed offers a few ideas about how truth and compassion, joined together, can help us as we ponder what's next. 

Election day is coming up in America.  While most people already have a voting plan in place, do you also have a soul care plan? In this solo episode, Ed Cyzewski talks about the sources of our anxiety and stress at this time,  the ways media can feed anxiety and stress, and some soul care ideas to help you stay grounded throughout election day and the uncertain days that will follow. 

Elizabeth Maxon is the author of Begin and Wonderland and hosts the Breathing Room, an online community for women who engage in spiritual practices every week together. In our interview we talk about the challenges of using social media, how connecting over video has been life-giving, and some simple boundaries and practices to increase your intention when using social media and making space for daily prayer.   Learn more at https://breathingroom.life/.

Shawn Smucker is the author of These Nameless Things, The Day the Angels Fell, and Light from Distant Stars. He is the co-host of The Stories Between us with his wife Maile, sharing their journeys as writers together. Learn more at www.shawnsmucker.com.

Pastor and author Steve Wiens shares about his book Shining Like the Sun and the spiritual practices that guide him. As a pastor in Minneapolis, Wiens has been involved in activism for justice and equality alongside fellow clergy in his community. Wiens also shares about the challenges of pastoring people at a time of quarantine during the Coronavirus outbreak. 

Podcast host, author, and spiritual director Lisa Delay shares how she uses social media to share her work while remaining aware of the many challenges of empty virtue signaling for social media. Lisa discusses how she places boundaries around her use to guard her soul and how spiritual practices bring renewal each day. www.lisadelay.com

Marlena Graves (@MarlenaGraves), author of A Beautiful Disaster and The Way Up Is Down, shares her approach to social media, viewing Twitter as a kind of cafeteria where she replies to people the same way she would speak with them in person. She also shares how she posts on social media based on her experiences and expertise while elevating the voices of experts and others who have wisdom to share.

Seth Haines (@sethhaines), the author of Coming Clean and the Book of Waking Up, shares with Ed Cyzewski about the ways he uses social media, the limits he places on his technology use, and the practices that express his creativity and restore his soul.