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The Pocket Contemplative

The Pocket Contemplative

Written by: dgschmelzer@gmail.com (Dave Schmelzer)
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A vibrant, story-filled look at contemporary spirituality that's fun, contemplative, practical and cultural.© 2026 The Pocket Contemplative Spirituality
Episodes
  • Aging as a Spiritual Practice
    Jan 8 2026

    After relaying some brief advice from Dick Van Dyke about turning 100, Dave Schmelzer chats about some wisdom from the Buddhist therapist Lewis Richmond about what he's learned by working with aging clients. Dave touches on fascinating ideas from Richmond about horizontal versus vertical time and the isolation of a sudden setback and experiencing aging as a fresh start along with much more.


    Mentioned on this podcast:


    Lewis Richmond's book Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser

    Here's how to learn more about and register interest in the Faith Part 2 course

    If you are not receiving Dave's emailed "Thursday Notes" and would like to (or if you have friends who would like to receive them), you can sign up for them here.

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    37 mins
  • Finding a Third Way in a Divided World
    Nov 22 2025

    Mark Charbonneau and his friends at The Vine church in Austin, Texas are charting a unique way forward in our cultural and religious divisions. Dave Schmelzer talks with him about what their “third way” looks like and how it might help all of us in the middle of such unprecedented divisions. Does it only apply to a small number of people of good will? Does it offer broader hope? They close with a few words about the life of a pastor at all, much less one in the middle of these sorts of cultural divides.


    Mentioned on this podcast:

    The Vine church in Austin, Texas

    Join the list to receive weekly "Thursday notes" about how the themes we discuss on The Pocket Contemplative might apply to your larger world.

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    32 mins
  • On Playfulness
    Oct 25 2025

    Some great thinkers like GK Chesterton and Meister Eckhart pitch that right at the heart of God's reality is play and that the more we can tap into this bone-deep playfulness, even in the middle of realities that look quite unpromising and overwhelming, the better we'll thrive.

    Mentioned on this podcast


    The God Who Plays: A Playful Approach to Theology and Spirituality, by Brian Edgar

    Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, by Stuart Brown M.D.

    Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times, by Matthew Fox

    The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron

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    22 mins
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