Inspired to come back traditional blogging 

It's December 22nd 2024, which is the last Sunday of Advent in the Anglican Liturgical Calendar and I find myself resting still in the Presence of God and feel closer or more inspired by the Spirit more than ever.   The past 3 years, have been a major transition from executive leadership to a return to teaching and advising students in their first years of higher education.  I went through a process therapy to discern that taking a few step back would not limit my resources but instead allow for more autonomy and movement of the Divine Spirit in my life and relationships.  I started a new less pressure career as an academic advisor to students who are earning college credits while they are in high school.  It's rewarding to see the impact of my work it's direct influences in the lives of students and the mission of the community college where I work.

Over 20 years ago, when I was in graduate school the first time I was the youth director at an Episcopal Church in a rural East Texas college town.  This was one of the most rewarding experiences that kept me there even after I graduated with my Masters Degree, but I knew when it was time to move on and allow new opportunities and movements of God's blessings and Spirit.  I ended up in project management for a youth centered non-profit in Houston, Texas.  This was a vast period of growth and renewal.  I also came to terms with my identity and revealed to myself, family and friends that I am a Gay man.  This process was like hatching from a shell and finding out who my true friends were and has lead me to a circle of chosen family from all walks of life.  If I could pray the Gay away I would but I had to come to the understanding that would never happen so instead I embraced who I am and feel chosen to be.  I am now approaching my 12th wedding anniversary on December 27th to the person I was meant journey life on Earth with as long as we're both here together.  I never thought that marriage was in my life path but obviously the Universe had another plan that I was unaware of.   We both have many differences but have learned and journeyed together for 22 years and make a great team. (More on Marriage in a latter post)

In 2024, I started seeking Spiritual Direction at the Villa De Matel Convent in Houston, Texas.  This has opened my eyes, ears, heart and soul to experiencing God on a much deeper level.  I have begun reading up on Christian Mystics and embracing a more universal view of God.  This has inspired this blog and the name of my new project Studio Grand Dios.  I will totally embrace God and allow the Divine to be the breath and inspiration and me just the container and inspired mind by the Divine Source.  The goal is to promote kindness, goodwill and develop a flow of blessing to areas such as preventing homelessness and inner-faith peace and community.  I tried to register my email for this project on Facebook and got blocked and banned forever because the project is not a person.  I see this as blessing and a safe way to log into a virtual space that has no distractions from social media.  I had my own blog www.thenxtlevel.org that I surrendered to the era of social media where I blogged about emergent theology and postmodernism. Now I feel called back to the basics and allowing more creative juices to flow.  As we enter Christmas and the New Year let's be on the lookout to experience the wonders of this world. 





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A View from the Hungarian Quarter – Rome

 I am currently sitting on a private balcony at my hotel in the Hungarian Quarter of Rome, enjoying a glass of wine after over 20 hours of travel. A short power nap and a great local Roman dinner next to the hotel have helped me settle in. Tomorrow, we leave by train for Venice to begin a seven-day cruise through the Adriatic. I’m completely disconnected from media and the internet. After almost two hours trying to connect through the hotel Wi-Fi, I gave up. So, I’m partying like it’s 1999 with a good old Microsoft Word document and spellcheck. I’ll return to this and edit it for my blog when I’m less sleep-deprived. In the distance, I see rain drifting over hills or mountains. The evening is filled with the sounds of gliding birds and a nearby family enjoying their dinner on a multilevel terrace. Back home, I’ll be stepping into some big shoes. A beloved colleague and incredible educator is retiring, and I’ve been asked to carry on her legacy. Before I left, she gave me two gif...
Read more

Here I Am, Again

  As a youngster growing up in a vibrant, multigenerational faith community, Sundays felt like gatherings of extended family. My church family was shared with my dentist, my band director, my science teacher along with many active citizens and role models in our town. That close-knit environment helped inspire my own journey of faith. I vividly remember the sixth grade especially the summer I spent at Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, Texas. One night, we sang “Here I Am, Lord.” I was flooded with emotion and full-body goosebumps. I knew without a doubt that I was surrounded by the presence of God. That moment marked me and turned on my inner compass Here I am, Again…lifted, forgiven, and wrapped in a mercy I did not earn but deeply need. Time and again, God meets me with grace, steadies me on my feet, and gently sets me back on the path. A few years ago, during a career transition, I returned to teaching part-time while also serving as a full-time academic staff member at a community c...
Read more

Walking in Faith and Learning: A Reflection on Teaching, Personality, and Presence

This semester, I am teaching a Learning Frameworks college course that uses a new open-source text filled with resources and self-assessments designed to help first-year college students understand themselves as learners. Through exploring their strengths, habits, and personality types, students begin to see how their unique learning styles can align with their career interests and future pursuits. What I didn’t expect, however, was that in guiding my students on this journey of self-discovery, I would find myself on one as well. The best part of teaching is realizing how much you learn about yourself in the process. In the Myers-Briggs self-assessment, I am an ENFJ  and the description fits me perfectly. This semester, we introduced students to the resource PsychologyJunkie.com , which helps them interpret and apply their personality insights. Reading through my own profile, I was fascinated by the accuracy of the reflections and how much they clarified my motivations and sense of...
Read more