Shows / Facing Up: Life Beyond Belief
Facing Up: Life Beyond Belief
A place for people who have lost their way to wrestle with the dark night and find life beyond belief.
Episodes
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefI'm Learning the Name of God
I'm slowly learning how to say the name of God. It doesn't come naturally for me!To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefSuicide is Painless
There are a lot more ways to say "No" to your existence than killing yourself.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefDon't Miss Out on Being YOU!
Finding your voice and setting out on an adventure that matters and expresses who you are is not self-indulgent. It's the only way not to miss out on being…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefI'm Sorry: A Long Overdue Apology
This week something hit me hard. I have never really fathomed with the damage that my commitment to Christian dogma did to others. If you're one of those…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefWho Do You Trust? Try Yourself!
I'm in Lithia Park in Ashland , Oregon, reflecting on the changes that have taken place since I was here for the summer 43 (!) years ago.The biggest shift in…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefEscape to the Wilderness to Practice Life Beyond Belief
Here's why the I love to escape to the wilderness to practice the three movements and embrace life beyond belief.I also do a little gear review for those who…
Facing Up: Life Beyond Belief3 Beauty Tips from an Old Bald Guy
Some of the most attractive people I know aren't very good looking. Here are three beauty tips that will work for anyone. And they're free!To find out more…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefI Met Someone as Strange as Me!
I was surprised and delighted to meet a kind and thoughtful man this week who had a similar experience to mine. He, too, was brought up in Conservative…
Facing Up: Life Beyond Belief3 Great Stories, 3 Great Truths
There is no true story (Lost)There are no happy endings (Hadestown)We will never find the conflict-free place we long for (The Hunger Games)These three stories…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefMrs. Swift
Mrs. Swift was the 70-year-old widow who helped teach me how to poke fun at my story and break its power.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Power of Play
Thoughts about facing life's final years with dad.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThree Flavors of Dogma
Not all dogma is the same.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Existential Shift
Here is the shift that has literally transformed my existence.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefLiminal Space
Liminal space is the awkward "in-between" that separates two states of existence. Facing Up helps people navigate liminal space between story and being. The…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefOUTRAGE! is dangerous energy
OUTRAGE is everywhere these days. But outrage is dangerous energy. It's negative, not positive. Worse, it can unleash our inner Pharisee.To find out more about…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefLove Stinks!
It is liberating to face the fact that I am a predator like everything else. This opens a door to empathy and gives me the freedom to harmonize with others in…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefJust War?
Is the war in Iran a just war? Maybe that's the wrong question. I'm looking at the war and my conflict with other people through a different lens these days. I…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefAn Old Man, Full of Years
I'm up in Seattle this week with my dad, who broke his hip a few weeks back. Here are some thoughts on growing old and facing death.To find out more about the…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefReality Is Better than Imagination
It's fun to use my imagination but what I imagine is always a pale shadow of actual experience. If you want to be amazed, don't turn to imagination. Open your…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefUltralight on the Trail with my Old Friend
Thoughts from my Easter trip to Point Reyes on feeling close to the Divine plus some info on ultralight backpacking for those who are interested.This one has…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefHow I Pray Now
The hardest to thing to let go of when I stopped being a Christian was the feeling that God was close.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefI'm Sick of Making Deals
I'm getting sick of making deals. A deal is a zero sum game where there is a winner and a loser. There is a better way.To find out more about the Facing Up…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefWhy Do I Check Out?
I know how great it feels to live an authentic life. Why is it so hard??To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefMistakes and Lies
Sometimes when people make a mistake they say, "Oops! I lied." But making a mistake and lying are different. A lie is not a misunderstanding of reality, It is…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefSerenity Now!
I get discouraged when I look at what is going on in the world. I find the Serenity Prayer to be a helpful tool to navigate the chaos. (Not Frank Constanza's…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefLove Without Friendship Isn't Enough
Sometimes Julie says to me, "I love you but I don't like you." Other times she says, "I don't just love you. I like you!" I like the second statement way…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefA Picture of Life Beyond Belief
Here's my sloppy drawing of the the existential shift to life beyond belief.You can watch the "Three Breaths" video here. To find out more about the Facing Up…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefADVENTURES are the secret of MEANING in life
Is your life a meaningless grind? Don't sit around waiting for things to change. Strike out on an adventure!To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Paradox of Tolerance
Isn't it dogmatic to oppose dogma? Philosopher Karl Popper has an enlightening insight that has helped me understand why resisting the current push toward…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefA Toxic View of Myself?
I'm a slow learner! I'm just starting to recognize one of the most damaging effects of evangelical Christianity: a toxic view of myself. There is a better…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefChoosing Joy, Rain or Shine
Everyone feels joy when things go their way. But what happens when things go wrong?Here are some thoughts from the trail along with the wisdom of three…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefOur Only Hope to Get Along with Each Other
When we assert our story as Truth we produce dogma, tribalism, and war. Our superpower is that we tell stories. Our Achilles heel is that we believe them…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefWhat Would Katniss Do?
Will the good guys finally wipe out the bad guys so we can live happily ever after? The world Katniss lives in is not so simple. Neither is ours.To find out…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefFacing Up And The Attack on Venezuela
Facing Up is not an escape. It is a way to embrace being human on every level: desire, story, and being. Today, I woke to the news that the United States has…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefMy Goal is to Make 2026 the Best Year of Your Life
In 2025 I put myself on the hook to share my life with you each week. In 2026 I'm putting myself on the hook to help you make the shift from beliefs and…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Existential Shift
Sometimes I give a conditional "yes" to life, based on circumstances. The existential shift is to START with "yes" and go from there. The story of my life is…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefAn Existential Connection with God
This is how I experience God even though I no longer know what "God" even means.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefHow to Stay Happy Without Religion
It is much harder to be sad without faith. In fact, a feeling of comfort might just be the #1 reason people cling to faith even when they stop believing in it…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefRoad Rage
I do not understand why the world is set up so that everything lives by munching on everything else. I don't understand it but I think I know what to do about…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefFind the Meaning IN Your Life
I'm pretty sure no one knows the meaning OF life. Our perception is too limited. The meaning IN life? That's a different story.To find out more about the…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThoughts from the Trail
If you want to try something NEW, you gotta let go of the OLD. For years, I have made my backpacking more difficult than it needed to be. All because I…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThought from the Senior Center about Death
In my day job, I direct a Senior Center. I love the job. It gives me the opportunity to think deeply about life's greatest chapter. I also have the privilege…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefConflict!
There's no escaping the fact that we CAN'T get along. Conflict is our only option. But there's a bright side for those with the courage to face it.To find out…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefFrom Church to Universe: Carol Ann Keiser
Carol and I served churches in Yuba City during the 90's and 00's.In this episode Carol tells how she overcame the challenges of ministry and personal tragedy…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe end of faith, hope, and love?
I haven't given up on Faith, Hope, and Love. I just don't use the words anymore. Here's why.To find out more about the Facing Up Club, go to facingup.club.
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefWhat nearly everyone gets wrong about GRATITUDE
Gratitude is not about looking at the glass half full or ignoring the fact that it is half empty. Gratitude is embracing the dynamic tension between the two.To…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefDogma Zombies!
A hunger zombie is a human being reduced to pure desire. A dogma zombie is a human being reduced to pure story. We were not meant to be zombies!To find out…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Three Breaths: Try it!
I spend a lot of time explaining things but sometimes the best way to experience something is to try it.I start every day with the three breaths. It only takes…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefFacing Up: The Essence
Einstein said if you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it. Here is my latest attempt.This one is much better when you can see the map…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefPeople Who Helped: Me!
It took me WAY too long to look with my own eyes. I thought what everyone else said was more important. I hope you won't make same mistake and fail to value…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefPeople Who Helped: Jesus
In this episode I will tell you why Jesus meant so much to me and why it was impossible for me to imagine life without him. I'll go on to explain why I no…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefPeople Who Helped: John Muir
John Muir is famous for his love of nature, and especially the Sierras. If you have never read any of his writings, start with "The Wild Muir." It's a…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefPeople Who Helped: Viktor Frankl
Viktor Frankl was a holocaust survivor who studied how people were able to survive in horrific conditions. I read his book, Man's Search for Meaning, in High…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefPeople Who Helped: Ralph Waldo Emerson
No single person has had more of an impact on my life than Emerson. I have read his essay "Self-Reliance" hundreds of times. Today I tell you why he means so…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Third Movement
How to find belonging in a world that's out to get you. I describe the third movement and show you a breathing exercise I use each morning to internalize a…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe Second Movement
How to find motivation when you just want to quit. I describe the second movement and show you a breathing exercise I use each morning to internalize a…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThe First Movement
How to find meaning in a word gone mad. I describe the first movement and show you a breathing exercise I use each morning to internalize a positive response…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefMarriage and Relationships
There are three ways to approach marriage--or any relationship: Dominance/Submission CompromiseHarmonyAfter 36 years of marriage I finally learned harmony is…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefWhy I Love to Backpack
People wonder what possesses someone to give up the comforts of home and strike off into the woods. Here's why I do it. It's not so much about nature's beauty…
Facing Up: Life Beyond BeliefThoughts on Love from the Trail
Today I threw on my backpack and hiked up the Oat Mine Trail above St. Helena and Calistoga to get in shape for my trip to the Enchantments (in Washington…