Dear Living School Alumni,
The new Alumni Quarterly is here—and this issue takes up addiction, a challenging theme for us all. If you are a recent Living School “sendee,” welcome! And if you are a long-time alum, a hearty hello to you, too. This electronic magazine exists to resource your daily lives at the intersection of action and contemplation, to keep you in touch with one another, and to remind us all that the Holy Spirit’s work of transformation is not done with us yet.
This edition leads us into the complex theme of addiction through multiple avenues: you are invited throughout to encounter paintings, artist Kyle Steed’s Stations of Jonah, as a way of personally engaging with your own “belly of the whale” experiences of suffering and addiction. CAC Core Faculty James Finley guides us, as only he can, in a video reflection on mystical sobriety. I interview neuroscientist Judith (Judy) Grisel (’18) about her recent book Never Enough and her own recovery process. Kristi Walsh (’19) shares the direct recovery experience of four men she works with at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. Tim King (’18) opens our eyes about America’s opioid crisis. Then there’s Ali Kirkpatrick’s (’16) new “Monk in Midlife” column, Debonee Morgan’s (’15) film corner, and more.
The Quarterly is crafted with care in the hopes that you will make a cup of tea, carve out some time, and engage in the type of slow and conscious reading process through which the Universal Christ speaks. May it be so.
Yours in addiction and grace,
Mark Longhurst (’15)
Download the Quarterly in one of these formats:
This issue features:
Editor’s Note
Mark Longhurst
Monk in Midlife (A new column!)
Ali Kirkpatrick
Contemplative Practice
Stations of Jonah, Art by Kyle Steed and Text by CAC staff
Contemplative Teaching
Never Enough—The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction: Audio Interview with Judith Grisel
Mystical Sobriety: Video Teaching by James Finley
Contemplative Community
Broken, Redeemed by Kristi Walsh
Canoeing with God by Lynn Johal
Contemplative Solidarity
What the Opioid Crisis Reveals About Us by Tim King
Centering Prayer and Prisoners: Video Interview with Ray Leonardini and Dennis McCain
Debonee’s Film Corner
Rocketman
Alumni News
CAC News
Media
Judy Grisel Interview (click here to download or listen below; read the transcript)
James Finley, “Mystical Sobriety” (watch below; read the transcript)
Dennis McCain and Ray Leonardini Interview (watch below; read the transcript)