As we navigate a culture saturated with distractions and strife, the biblical call to stillness and reflection becomes increasingly relevant. However, many believers fear that mindfulness, with its association with Eastern spirituality, might conflict with Christian teachings. I get it.

You. The one reading this. It isn’t a mistake that you landed here. There is power inside you to walk through this. Hang with me through these simple practices and I promise you’ll have a psychic shift that’s going to get you off the crazy train of self-harm. 

In a world filled with stress, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty, we all need a simple way to experience present moment serenity and contentment. Seem like a tall order? It’s not. In fact, you probably have the perfect tool you need to achieve this sense of calm in your pocket right now.

How fun to be out on the streets shooting again! It was great to see people coming out and enjoying the cool mountain evening at Carbondale’s June First Friday.

Live music? Are you kidding me? I’m there! That was my reaction when I read this Aspen Daily News article about the kick-off of the Sunlight Music Festival Series at the base of the Glenwood Springs, Colorado ski area.

On February’s first Friday I was blessed to put on a photography exhibit in Bastrop, Texas. The images, of a body of work I shot during our four years living in Austin, feature striking portraits of homeless people in downtown Austin.

A few days ago I spiraled into feelings of abandonment, anger, and despair while someone was “leaving me hanging” for two days, They were supposed to get an answer to me about something important, but instead they were “icing” me—forcing me to suffer. The arrogance! The cruelty! Oh–the humanity!

Samuel Grey Horse is a native Austinite, and a genuinely cool dude. Sometimes you’ll catch him riding one of his beautiful horses around downtown. Or, you might experience him jamming with he Greyhounds on a Saturday night. It was heartwarming to hear a dear friend call out to him and chit chat.

Want to practice a form of meditation that goes really deep and is an endless source of trips into pure consciousness? Set a timer for 20 minutes, sit comfy, observe your breath. As thoughts come return to the breath. Do it again later today. Yep. That’s it.

Have you embraced little habits, apps, systems, lists, etc. that have helped you stay on track, moving towards your heart’s desire? I have had many, and I’m really excited about the latest thing I’ve been tinkering with.

Who am I to talk about consciousness, let along portals to consciousness. Heck, 99% of this stuff is from my present guru, Eckart Tolle. I’m an imposter. I’m a fake. I’m not an artist and I’m not a writer. Whew! Now that we’ve gotten that nonsense out of the way, here is a little starter thought for you:

I have practiced mindful meditation over many years. I go through some seasons when I meditate daily, and others when I don’t meditate at all. Sometimes I set a timer and simply focus on the breath, and other times I follow guided meditations. Some days I practice for 20 minutes and other days I’m lucky to sit silent for 3.

My wife Sandra and I will miss spontaneously jaunting over to Austin’s legendary Skylark Lounge, just a few blocks from our current home. We will be moving east of town to Bastrop in a few days, and are so excited about enjoying the vibrant music scene out there.

Breath, I know it is cheesy, and grown men shouldn't have to say it, but seriously—you are my very best friend. Out the womb I came, and “whoosh!”, there you were, inside me, surrounding me. And you haven’t left me since.

As I write this entry on a long flight back to Austin from San Francisco, I’m feeling blessed that my wife and I got to experience God’s majesty, California-style. Our trip began with my wife’s business conference in San Francisco. We then rented a car and headed east to Yosemite Valley, where we spent 6 nights.

First, let me say that I looked at my images of these precious young souls tonight and I cried. Second, let me say that I’m falling in love all over again with the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 lens. And third? Well, I don’t know which to talk about first.

So glad I took a deep breath, composed myself in the middle of this encounter, and asked this guy to close his eyes. I’m sure he lived his life on the streets with a tough persona. But in this shot I recognize his innocence. Haven’t seen him downtown in quite some time. I hope he has found peace.

Yesterday I wrote about my encounter with four outstanding people in my quest to connect with others who might share their thoughts on pain and grieving. My walk around the UT Austin campus led me to my second encounter. Meet Nayzak.

On a recent Facebook Live video, I expressed some mighty heavy emotions regarding the loss of our precious Yellow Lab Travis, who has been with us on this journey for 16 years. Through this process of grieving, God’s presence has been strong, and I’m being blessed with some clear messages like these:

Welcome to a little story about the next outstanding person I met on my walk earlier this week. I was on a quest to connect with others who might share their thoughts on pain and grieving. Fresh on the heels of losing our precious Yellow Lab Travis, I knew it would help for me to utilize one of my most effective tools when emotions are tough: my camera.