John Powell (he/him)
@chesterware.bsky.social
Just an old, white, straight, cisgender, male doing my best to love everyone and to remind them that they are precious and beloved.
Let's trade stories over coffee or beer. Can we bike there together?
Let's trade stories over coffee or beer. Can we bike there together?
Listen to the voices that love you. "Don't drink coffee" is clearly the devil.
November 27, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Listen to the voices that love you. "Don't drink coffee" is clearly the devil.
Nothing is sacred except the golden rule "Quantity over quality". Oh wait. Or was it... I can't remember. I think it depends on whether you are French or German.
November 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Nothing is sacred except the golden rule "Quantity over quality". Oh wait. Or was it... I can't remember. I think it depends on whether you are French or German.
If you get it and read it - please let me know. I'd love to discuss it with you. I'll even buy the coffee. Or beer.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
If you get it and read it - please let me know. I'd love to discuss it with you. I'll even buy the coffee. Or beer.
You can get the book at rabbibrian.com. It has a spiritual value of $75 CAD, but it sells for only $25 USD!! And it comes with stickers!
Rabbi Brian — Religion Outside The Box – Rabbi Brian Zachary Mayer is a very, very, (very) honest rabbi. He left organized religion to teach high school mathematics and now connects digital age folk w...
rabbibrian.com
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
You can get the book at rabbibrian.com. It has a spiritual value of $75 CAD, but it sells for only $25 USD!! And it comes with stickers!
It's a beautiful mixture of stories and teaching and encouragement.
I think you'll like it. Unless you already have spirituality and religion all figured out.
I think you'll like it. Unless you already have spirituality and religion all figured out.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
It's a beautiful mixture of stories and teaching and encouragement.
I think you'll like it. Unless you already have spirituality and religion all figured out.
I think you'll like it. Unless you already have spirituality and religion all figured out.
Basically, the goal of the book is to help the reader unlearn some of what we thought had to be true about religion, and to empower the reader toward more lovingkindness, as in loving with reckless abandon, for ourselves and for others.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Basically, the goal of the book is to help the reader unlearn some of what we thought had to be true about religion, and to empower the reader toward more lovingkindness, as in loving with reckless abandon, for ourselves and for others.
When it comes to your spiritual life, no other person - no pastor, no mentor, no internationally reknown guru - has more authority over your spiritual life than you. No one else knows your story or your heart better than you. You are the world's foremost authority on your spiritual life.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
When it comes to your spiritual life, no other person - no pastor, no mentor, no internationally reknown guru - has more authority over your spiritual life than you. No one else knows your story or your heart better than you. You are the world's foremost authority on your spiritual life.
Rabbi Brian never tells you what the answers are to your spiritual questions. What he does do (and he does it well) is teach you to have grace for yourself on the journey, to trust yourself on the journey, and to take the journey.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Rabbi Brian never tells you what the answers are to your spiritual questions. What he does do (and he does it well) is teach you to have grace for yourself on the journey, to trust yourself on the journey, and to take the journey.
If you're reading this and you didn't read that last sentence again, stop now, go back, and read it.Thank you. If you got this far and you're still ignoring my request. It's ok. You do you. I'm not upset. I had to stick this in here because this is the kind of thing Rabbi Brian does in his book.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
If you're reading this and you didn't read that last sentence again, stop now, go back, and read it.Thank you. If you got this far and you're still ignoring my request. It's ok. You do you. I'm not upset. I had to stick this in here because this is the kind of thing Rabbi Brian does in his book.
BOOM! That last sentence was me, 100%. Go read it again.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
BOOM! That last sentence was me, 100%. Go read it again.
"Over time, you could not ignore the fact that your internal moral compass's magnetic north kept showing a different reading than what the church was telling you."
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
"Over time, you could not ignore the fact that your internal moral compass's magnetic north kept showing a different reading than what the church was telling you."
"At first, that knowledge was like an internal gear on an otherwise functional machine slipping, if only for a moment. You didn't know yet what was wrong, but you knew that something was off. "
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
"At first, that knowledge was like an internal gear on an otherwise functional machine slipping, if only for a moment. You didn't know yet what was wrong, but you knew that something was off. "
The book opens with several letters (this chapter is called "The Epistles") that he wrote to different people that needed spiritual encouragement. One in particular resonated with me. He was talking about the point in your faith journey when what had worked so well for so long starts to malfunction.
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
The book opens with several letters (this chapter is called "The Epistles") that he wrote to different people that needed spiritual encouragement. One in particular resonated with me. He was talking about the point in your faith journey when what had worked so well for so long starts to malfunction.
But if you believe that the law of God is written on all our hearts (like it says in Deuteronomy, Psalms, Jeremiah, Romans and Hebrews) than you might like Rabbi Brian's take on things. And who can read our heart better than ourselves?
October 19, 2025 at 3:59 AM
But if you believe that the law of God is written on all our hearts (like it says in Deuteronomy, Psalms, Jeremiah, Romans and Hebrews) than you might like Rabbi Brian's take on things. And who can read our heart better than ourselves?