Contemplify.com recently did an interview with Fr. Dave Denny and titled it “Vitality out of Emptiness.” I’ve heard Dave’s story many times and can almost tell it myself. But in this interview, I heard it as though for the first time. I was fascinated as Dave described moving contemplation out of the monastery into the world and the captivating poetry of St. John of the Cross, full of divine intimacy, but never even mentioning God. Dave discusses the dangers of “weaponizing God language” and taking God’s name in vain piously.

I was touched by the way he begins each day and his concern over Islamophobia, which inspired him to create the Desert Foundation, and the way he contrasts the profound reality of Cezanne’s peaches with the clouds in Japanese paintings. You will appreciate his conviction that religion is “not an answer but a path of unknowing” that leads us to deeper listening and learning. And you’ll probably chuckle, too, when he talks about letting your “freak flag fly!”

Listen to Dave’s interview here.

Do you know about Contemplify.com? Paul Swanson is a young, fresh, and unique voice that intrigues me in both his monthly emails and his podcast interviews, which always include a drink pairing! “Listen responsibly,” Paul says. (Dave’s drink of choice is a Sazerac.) Contemplify.com is about “kindling the examined life for contemplation in the world.” Paul hopes that his efforts will refresh you and lead to contemplative musings. I find them refreshing.