The Declaration of Independence claims we all have the right to “the pursuit of happiness,” and many of us spend a lot of time and energy on that search. Happiness, however, often seems fleeting and ephemeral. Should we be searching for something else instead? Join us in the garage as we discuss the difference between pursuing happiness and cultivating joy.

There are numerous biblical passages about God’s anger, as well as scores of preachers who seem to take a fiendish delight in dangling sinners over the fires of hell. Join us in the garage as we discuss whether God really does get angry, and, if so, what does God’s anger teach us about our own.

When you are in pain, and someone says, “I know how you feel,” is that helpful to you? If not, what would be helpful? Join us in the garage for some thoughts on what a person in pain really needs, and why our culture does not give us much help in giving it.

Is it true that “God will never put more on you than you can stand”? Are my troubles some kind of test engineered by God? If so, what does that say about God, and what does it say about me? Join us in the garage for more discussion of “dubious dogma” designed to make a person in pain feel better, but often has the opposite effect.

Have you ever paid attention to the platitudes people offer to someone who is hurting? We have, and we think they are really spoken to make the speaker feel better instead of truly offering comfort to the person who is in pain. Join us in the garage for the first of three episodes where we examine some of these common sayings, and suggest an alternative approach.

Political and religious leaders recently have claimed that empathy is Western civilization’s “fundamental weakness.” Others go so far as to call empathy “dangerous,” and “toxic,” and a notion that “needs to be struck from the Christian vocabulary.” But can empathy be erased, or even watered down, in one’s practice of spirituality, especially Christian spirituality? Join us in the garage as we examine the place of empathy—or the lack of it—in a life of faith.

Everyone has nights lying awake worrying, problem solving, or feeling guilty. In such moments how does my spirituality comfort me? What resources does my spirituality offer for the new day when it dawns? Join us in the garage as we examine faith in the wee hours when troubles seem to loom so large.

Can my spirituality be passed on to the next generation? Should it be passed on? Join us in The Soul’s Garage as we discuss faith that is bigger than any one individual, and spirituality that is more like a living relationship than a museum relic.