Where you live: Washington DC and Oklahoma City, OK (the juxtaposition of two very different worlds!)
What you do as a vocation or avocation?
a blogger, pastor without a traditional church, social media consultant and global traveler in support of work of Feed The Children.
Your two favorite books: An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Your two favorite songs: "Say" by John Mayer and "Simple Gifts" Shaker Hymn
Why you are interested in spirituality?
I believe that all of life goes back to God. We come from God. We move and have our being in God. Our hearts become restless, as St. Augustine writes until they find rest in God. My life has been shaped, enriched and given greater connectivity as I have paid attention to my own spiritual rhythms. I have felt a calling since a teenager to be a leader a spiritual community-- helping others long on their journey to find God as I have been aided by others.
Your favorite quote: "Those who say it cannot be done shouldn't interrupt the people doing it." -Chinese Proverb
Your favorite web sites:
I am a fan of Feed The Children-- an international non-profit that is ensuring that less children go to bed hungry every day. www.feedthechildren.org I also blog regularly about issues of faith, spirituality and popular culture at http://elizabethhagan.com. And I'm a super fan of twitter. I love the opportunities twitter has given me to create spiritual community, share ideas and "meet" people from all over the world. You can find me at @elizabethagan
Your hero?
I'm not real fond of this word because how it pestles people in unhealthy ways. But since you asked, I would point to folks like memoirist Anne Lamott who writes with an honest flavor that I aspire to write, or those in civil rights like Martin Luther King, Jr. who never accepted the labels others placed on him that challenges me daily, or those women in journalism like Ann Curry and Diane Sawyer who blaze new trails with courage in the modern era, or women in church leadership positions like Aimee Semple McPherson who started her own church in the early 1900's when women just didn't do such, and Beth Dotson, a teacher and now friend who believed in me from an early age when no one else did and continues to encourage me in my faith journey today.
A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?
How to come fully alive and comfortable in my own skin with ease as I age. To follow the teaching of Jesus in more aspects of my life. And to know that no matter what happens or doesn't happen in my life, I'll always be a beloved child of God.
A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"
In meaningful conversations. I love the joy of connecting with people beyond the fluff that often surrounds the busyness of daily life. To love and to be loved deeply is one of the greatest needs and joys of my life. This can happen anywhere if we are willing to be vulnerable when safe spaces emerge in our lives.
