Podcast #105: The Surprising Truth About Your Spiritual Health (with Chad Jarnagin)

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Do you remember the classic Tootsie Roll Pop commercial? A little boy walks up to a cow and asks, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop?” The cow responds, “I don’t know, I always end up biting. Ask Mr Fox.” The boy goes to the fox, who says the same thing, and then to a turtle, who also has the same reply.

The boy finally goes to a wise owl, who takes three licks and then ends up eating the pop with a loud crunch. The dejected boy walks away, never having gotten his question answered.

Everybody, it seems, is in too much of a hurry to find the center in a way the maker intended.

I’m thrilled that today’s guest is here to help us slow down and find the center. His name is Chad Jarnagin, and he is an ordained priest in the Anglican Communion, as well as an artist and writer. He’s the author of the fantastic new book Learning to Be: Reconstructing Peace & Spiritual Health, which we reference in the conversation. He is also the host of the “Learning to Be” podcast, which focuses on slowing down, peace, and spiritual health.

Chad spent about twenty years as a touring musician and continue to write and play today. He is the founding rector of Luminous Parish, an Anglican mission to Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee.

I asked Chad to be a guest because it’s so easy for us to have tunnel vision and focus on our creative work to the detriment of our souls. In this conversation, Chad guides us through some practices to help us be spiritually healthy as well as more creative.

I’ve titled this episode “The Surprising Truth About Your Spiritual Health” because here is the surprise: if we want to be healthier, we need to stop focusing on being more productive and getting more things done. Instead, we need to focus on slowing down, embracing the mystery, and simply learning to BE. Chad does an excellent job in this conversation sharing his journey and encouraging us to focus more on “being” instead of “doing.”

Resources & Links

• ChadJarnagin.com
• LearningToBeBook.com
• Learning to Be Podcast
• Follow Chad on Twitter
• Follow Chad on Instagram
• Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
• Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Shattered Lantern by Ronald Rolheiser

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