My Rocky Spiritual Journey

You don't have to be a big believer to find something interesting to read here . . . You'll find excerpts from the spiritual journeys of people I've met on the religion beat as well as reports of my own fraught encounters with religion and spirituality . . . as well as updates on my book, "Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith," from Patheos Press.

To Finish My Book I Need a Muslim Woman With a Story to Tell

April 2, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 3 Comments

[caption id="attachment_10985" align="aligncenter" width="500"]

Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting Expansion of the universe. Photo by BF Newhall

Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting “Expansion of the Universe.” Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]

I still need to find myself a few more people to interview for my book. A nice, talky Muslim woman, for one. Read more.

In My Rain-Battered Garden — Nothing Is Forever, Not Even Those Poppies

March 31, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

St. Jerome kept a human skull on his desk to remind him of his mortality. We gardeners don’t need a skull . We’ve got stuff dying on us every day. Read more.

Why Meditate — When I Could Be Sweeping the Garage?

January 24, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

I’ve tried meditating a few times – a very few times. I’m well read on the subject, however. Indeed, I’ve spent way more time reading about meditation than I’ve spent doing it.

GodsBigBlog: What Ever Happened to God?

January 10, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

The category GodsBigBlog is now called My Rocky Spiritual Journey.

At Tuolumne — Celebrating Getting Born

December 3, 2011 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 7 Comments

Turning 70 was way better than turning 8 — because I spent the day at Yosemite’s beautiful Tuolemne Meadows with friends. Read more.

Book Openers: How’d He Get an Audience with Her?

November 22, 2011 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

By Barbara Falconer Newhall Yes. That’s me with the Pope. OK, he’s cardboard. But I’m real. The cardboard Pope and I were

Book Openers: Why Are All Those Catholics – So Darned Catholic?

October 4, 2011 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

What is at the heart of Catholicism? What makes all those Catholics so tenaciously Catholic? The Rev. Robert Barron would say – the Incarnation. Read more.