I'm closing down this podcast at the end of June 2024. But, life goes on. I've moved all my written, audio and even video over to www.jameshazelwood.substack.com

Join me there.

It's been great

Thank you

James

I read the opening chapter of my new book, Ordinary Mysteries: Reflections on Faith, Doubt & Meaning. The book launches on April 30, 2024. But I've got a pre-launch special of a hardbound color edition. More information at www.ordinarymysteriesbook.com

or my website www.jameshazelwood.net

Book Description

Journey between two realms—the sacred and the mundane—with this thoughtful collection of essays on spirituality in everyday life. Drawing upon personal stories, cultural references, and wisdom from every age, James Hazelwood invites readers to uncover the thin spaces where heaven and earth meet.

From daily encounters in nature to the symbolism of dreams, the mundane is revealed as a gateway to the divine. Hazelwood explores the power to awaken grace and meaning through spiritual practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and compassion. With humor and heart, these stories and reflections offer insight for those looking to deepen their faith and nurture their spiritual life amidst the complexities of the modern world.

Blending theology, philosophy, and psychology, this book will open you to the extraordinary mysteries in ordinary life. Discover how attentiveness and an open heart can reveal the holy ground beneath your feet. This is an invitation to the spiritual journey, where your own story is woven into the Infinite.

Endorsements

“ORDINARY MYSTERIES is extraordinary in how much in-depth theology, psychology, and spirituality are brought together in one book. Here is Carl Jung paired with Howard Thurmond. Explorations into Trinity, Beatitudes, Ash Wednesday. We are invited to a “holy curiosity” and “a gritty mysticism grounded in compassion.”

Bishop Doug Fisher
Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts

“Throughout this book of essays, James Hazelwood extends a continual and continuous invitation that dares us to see differently. Adjusting the lens and opening the aperture, he offers a view that is wider, deeper and nuanced by a light that allows the detail of shadow to emerge. Jim's scope is broad, his humor wry and his gaze unflinching. Reading Ordinary Mysteries felt like meeting a friend for honest conversation over multiple cups of strong coffee. I was left with a sharpened awareness of The Holy within and around me.”

Sheila Longo Petruccelli
Director of Creative Embodiment
The Haden Institute

James Hazelwood serves as Bishop of the New England Synod (ELCA Lutheran). His previous books include Everyday Spirituality and Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net

Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson is Associate Pastor at Tokyo Lutheran Church and the Founder of Thornbush Press. She has written, edited, and contributed to numerous books of both theology and fiction and has published hundreds of articles. She hosts the podcasts Queen of the Sciences, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Stories, and The Disentanglement Podcast, and writes the e-newsletter Theology & a Recipe.

She is the Founder of Thornbush Press, launched in 2020, and author of a number of books under its imprint: I Am a Brave Bridge, Sermon on the Mount: A Poetic Paraphrase, Small Catechism: Memorizing Edition, Pearly Gates: Parables from the Final Threshold, To Baptize or Not to Baptize: A Practical Guide for Clergy, and A-Tumblin’ Down.