It is so easy to grow up in our world and never really understand how different ours is from other peoples experiences. How could we ever know unless we got the chance to experience those other worlds. Eventually, however, most of us end up getting glimpses of other people's understanding of God, religion or even culture. As my friend group expanded and I had the chance to learn that other people's churches and faith teachings seemed so different from the way I was taught in my home church on Davis Street in Ottumwa Iowa. With in this story I reveal two things, 1. As a Member of the little known faith movement called "The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)", I was taught that God was more about love than fear and judgement and 2. Why I hate, I mean really hate, hot chocolate!

This was my first attempt to tell a story about my mother's life and her effect on mine. It is told in more of documentary style but it is worth a listen. It is one of my older stories first released in the book, "Imperfect Stories: Memories from Holt Street."

Before I really knew what my life would become, just as I was finishing up my junior year in college, I traveled to the remote western rainforest of Brazil. I spent 5 weeks with a community of people and in a place, "a living room" as different from the one I was first taught about what was important in life as possible. Now when I look back on it and experience the world of today, I wish - no I hope that people could learn to see the common elements between each other. I guess what I really desire is that people would connect their experience/living rooms with the people they see as most different from themselves. My favorite word and the name of this podcast plays underneath this story ; Propinquity: The necessity of close proximity for relationships and trust to begin.