the holy ordinary

An Ordinary Life, Fully Awake

The Holy Ordinary Podcast is a “pop-up” podcast that explores the contemplative dimensions of everyday life. Every so often, host Mark Longhurst interviews authors, thinkers, and activists who illuminate the sacred, the just, and the beautiful in the midst of the ordinary. This episode is a re-release of an interview with Lerita Coleman Brown (1954-2025). Brown was a retreat leader, a spiritual director, and the author of the book “What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk With Howard Thurman. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-makes-you-come-alive-a-spiritual-walk-with-howard-thurman-lerita-coleman-brown/18548053?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwytS-BhCKARIsAMGJyzpXKFv3vq5OykLEhwcOBGQMweaYrX_bLI0rwIvES33oY1WhCuA8JroaAmfmEALw_wcB]” Brown spent years studying the life and wisdom of Howard Thurman, and she shared her learning in a way that impacts our everyday quest for God. Topics covered include: Thurman’s nonviolence, his influence on Martin Luther King Jr., and how he understood mysticism as a creative response of life. Get full access to the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst at marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe [https://marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Josue Perea on Contemplation, Blackness, and Culture

The Holy Ordinary podcast explores the contemplative dimensions of everyday life. Host Mark Longhurst interviews authors, thinkers, and activists who illuminate the sacred, the just, and the beautiful in the midst of the ordinary. This episode’s guest is Josue Perea. Josue is the Director of the Black Lives and Contemplation [https://www.spiritualimagination.org/black-lives-and-contemplation/] project for the Center for Spiritual Imagination, an organization that we both are active in through the new monastic Community of the Incarnation [https://www.spiritualimagination.org/community/]. He’s also the Executive Director of the Afrolatin Forum [https://www.afrolatinoforum.org/], which is a research and resource center that centers Blackness within Latinidad. This conversation covers contemplation and Josue's love for Black literary artists such as James Baldwin and bell hooks, spirituality and comic books, and more. Get full access to the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst at marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe [https://marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Matthew Fox on Prayer as a Radical Response to Life

This episode of "The Holy Ordinary" pop-up podcast is part one of a conversation with spiritual theologian Matthew Fox [https://www.matthewfox.org/]. Matthew is one of my heroes, someone who I consider to be a courageous, creative, spiritual genius. He is the author of 35 books, a leading proponent of creation theology, original blessing instead of original sin, and has had an enormous role in helping recover appreciation of the historic Christian mystics for our lives today, people like Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, and more. This first part of our conversation is about his book Prayer: A Radical Response to Life [https://www.matthewfox.org/prayer-a-radical-response-to-life], one of his very first books, which I still think has so much resonance and wisdom for today. Get full access to the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst at marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe [https://marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Loving Broken Bodies with Sister Julia Walsh

The Holy Ordinary podcast is a "pop-up" podcast that explores the contemplative dimensions of everyday life. Host Mark Longhurst periodically interviews authors, thinkers, and activists who illuminate the sacred, the just, and the beautiful in the midst of the ordinary. In this episode, Mark speaks with author and Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Mercy Julia Walsh. Sister Julia is the host of the Messy Jesus website and podcast [https://messyjesusbusiness.com/about-sister-julia/]. This episode discusses her book For Love of the Broken Body [https://www.monkfishpublishing.com/product/for-love-of-the-broken-body/], which is a spiritual memoir that tells the story of Julia's recovery from a horrific, near-death accident and her call to the sisterhood. Mark says that "I loved Julia’s joyful, authentic spirit and am deeply inspired by her journey - and I hope you might be, too." You can follow Mark's writing at marklonghurst.substack.com [http://mark.longhurst.substack.com]. Get full access to the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst at marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe [https://marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Howard Thurman and What Makes You Come Alive with Lerita Coleman Brown

The Holy Ordinary Podcast is a "pop-up" podcast that explores the contemplative dimensions of everyday life. Host Mark Longhurst interviews authors, thinkers, activists who illuminate the sacred, the just, and the beautiful in the midst of the ordinary. This episode's guest is Lerita Coleman Brown. Coleman Brown is a retreat leader, a spiritual director, and the author of the book "What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk With Howard Thurman. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-makes-you-come-alive-a-spiritual-walk-with-howard-thurman-lerita-coleman-brown/18548053?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwytS-BhCKARIsAMGJyzpXKFv3vq5OykLEhwcOBGQMweaYrX_bLI0rwIvES33oY1WhCuA8JroaAmfmEALw_wcB]" Coleman Brown has spent years studying the life and wisdom about Howard Thurman, and she shares her learning in a way that impacts our everyday quest for God. Topics covered include: Thurman’s nonviolence, his influence on Martin Luther King Jr., and how he understood mysticism as a creative response of life. Learn more about Lerita Coleman Brown's work at https://leritacolemanbrown.com/ [https://leritacolemanbrown.com/]. This podcast is released as a companion to host Mark's book "The Holy Ordinary [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-holy-ordinary-a-way-to-god/21068937?ean=9781958972519&next=t]." Follow Mark's writing on marklonghurst.substack.com [http://marklonghurst.substack.com], and on Instagram @ordinary.mystic. Get full access to the holy ordinary by Mark Longhurst at marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe [https://marklonghurst.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]