The Why Behind The What
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The Why Behind The What
Welcome to the Why Behind the What where the 'what' can spark a conversation; the 'why' can open up one's soul. In Season Three, we are discovering the Divine all around us, seeing the Spiritual in everything, and hopefully being surprised by the Sacred. Learn more at nathanalbert.com.
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86 episodi
S.3 Episode 38: The Squirrel Whisperer
I think I found a squirrel whisperer. He helped me be so still I experienced the mystical and mysterious all around me.
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S.3 Episode 37: What is the Loving Thing to Do?
I am not a normal or wise person and this caused me to cut open my hand with scissors. This got me thinking about the damage and pain we cause when we...
S.3 Episode 36: Sea Glass as the Spiritual Life
I am mildly obsessed with sea glass. And by mildly, I mean wildly. It has shifted my entire understanding of the spiritual life. By far, it has become...
S.3 Episode 35: Kicked in the Face with a Tap Shoe
I once got kicked in the face with a tap shoe. I had a mustache at the time, so I probably deserved it. Thinking about that experience, I'm reminded h...
S.3 Episode 34: Rehab Relevance
Some people seem to think the best way to be relevant is to strip away the stuff that actually is relevant. Sometimes, though, you need to restore it...
S.3 Ep 33: Hitting the Invisible Wall
Have you ever hit the wall? Have you ever hit an invisible wall inside a museum? Sometimes, discovering what you can't see by bumping into it is the b...
S.3 Episode 32: Be a Bowl
I've had a wooden bowl in my office for over a decade. This simple bowl has radically impacted my identity as a pastor and chaplain.
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S.3 Episode 31: The Magical Food Elevator
My son has a fascination with the magical food elevator. In this episode, I share how his love of the food elevator can be an illustration of being se...
S.3 Episode 30: Making Things Right
I have always loved home repair shows, even though I am not very handy with home repairs. A couple of home repair shows have taught me a thing or two...
S.3 Episode 29: True Art and Spirituality is the Process
There is something about the process of creating art, as well as Netflix's Blown Away, that reminds me of the process of the spiritual life.
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S.3 Episode 28: You're Not a True Dancer Until You Fall
As a Musical Theatre Performance major in college, I took a lot of dance classes. It was one in particular where I learned it wasn't perfection that m...
S.3 Episode 27: The Tree Envelops the Fence
Remember Instagram before it was Instagram? One of my favorite posts was of a tree enveloping a fence. That picture made me think there might be a con...
S.3 Episode 26: See No Stranger
I read Valarie Kaur's book, See No Stranger, last year and it really impacted me. Seeing someone as a stranger can actually do much harm. And, maybe s...
S.3 Episode 25: Little Fingerprints Everywhere
I find little fingerprints everywhere and, most of the time, they smell like peanut butter. Something about seeing those fingerprints remind me of my...
S.3 Episode 24: The Practice of Looking Up
While living in New York City, a friend once gave me the following advice: "Don't forget to look up." Since then, I've tried to make it a practice in...
S.3 Episode 23: The Birding Expert
I once knew a mildly well-known birding expert. He taught me how to see differently.
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S.3 Episode 22: See the Butterflies
We all need the chance to change, grow, evolve, and experience a metanoia. Sometimes, butterflies teach us how.
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S.3 Episode 21: Do You See?
There's an ancient story about a Rabbi who was captivated by what others refused to see. In this story, it reminds us that we are seen not by what we...
S.3 Episode 20: Mysterious Fire
What is it about a flame or a campfire that is so mysterious and mesmerizing? Is it just because were pyromaniacs? Or is there something spiritual goi...
S.3 Episode 19: Rothko, Pollock, and Me
I have a deep appreciation for art, especially the works of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. In this episode, I share a little bit about seeing their...
S.3 Episode 18: Cardinals and Awareness
Once a cardinal almost flew into my face. After thinking about the entire experience, it reminded me of a story from the Bible and how the Divine is o...
S.3 Episode 17: Epic Views and Prayers
Driving around town with my son, we found some pretty epic views. And, as we did so, it led us to find beauty and awe all around us.
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S.3 Episode 16: In All Its Fullness
Living in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago taught me about the fullness of peace. And, may we all experience it to the fullness.
S.3 Episode 15: Grecian Theatre, Rocks, and Flowers
In this episode, I confess a rebellious thing I once did and how an ancient and crumbling theatre taught me about the spiritual life.
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S.3 Episode 14: Life Finds a Way
I don't know much about trees, but the one in my backyard that is almost dead has taught me quite a bit about the spiritual life.
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S.3 Episode 13: Every Loving Thought From God
If every loving thought is from God, then perhaps every loving thought is the Divine speaking to us.
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S.3 Episode 12: Lady Laws and the Imprint of the Divine
A professor of mine in the UK, Professor Lady Laws, taught me history and helped me fall in love with Durham Cathedral. She also made me realize somet...
S.3 Episode 11: Read It Until Something Happens
While practicing Shakespearean monologues my acting coach once said, "Read it until something happens." That changed not only how I read Shakespeare,...
S.3 Episode Ten: Comparing the Bovine with the Divine
Have you ever compared cows with God? Compared the bovine with the Divine? In this episode, we do just that.
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S.3 Episode Nine: Everything Makes Music
Everything can make music if you really want it to...and if you listen. Thanks to some ice on a lake and a children's book, I've learned this well.
S.3 Episode Eight: Deer Surprises
In finding myself surrounded by a group of deer, I had a quick decision to make. And, I hope it's the same one we make any time we encounter God.
S.3 Episode Seven: I Couldn't Have Done It Without You
While working as a hospital chaplain, I awkwardly held hands with a woman as she grieved in front of her husband's hospital bed. I didn't think I was...
S.3 Episode Six: The Underwhelming Bison
An underwhelming bison taught me a thing or two about church and God.
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S.3 Episode Five: Happiness, Grief, and Dress Shirts
Working as a hospital chaplain, I had met a woman who experienced deep joy even as she was living with deep grief. And, it centered upon dress shirts....
S.3 Episode Four: Dada, Where Are You?
Nothing like your 2-year-old son playing with micro machines making you think of spiritual things.
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S.3 Episode Three: The Need to Be Replanted
I don't have the greenest thumb nor do I enjoy gardening. But when I started a garden a year ago, I was amazed at how much it made me think we all nee...
S.3 Episode Two: Good One, God
While living in New York City, I visited the Body Exhibit. My best friend who went with me had a drastically different experience than I did. However,...
S.3 Episode One: Surprised by the Sacred in Twelfth Night
I once worked at a regional theatre in Tennessee performing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In rehearsal one day, a sacred and beautiful thing happened....
S.3 Trailer: The Divine All Around Us
Welcome to Season Three of The Why Behind the What. In this episode, discovering the Divine in all things, seeing the Spiritual all around, and being...
S.2 Episode 32 - Practice the Contemplative Season Finale
On this, the season two finale, I encourage us to practice the contemplative in order that we might discover the Divine.
If you want to become...