"How the Wildfires Are Reminding Me About the Importance of Mindful Breathing," Episode #181, July 20, 2026

Episode Summary

Living in Wisconsin, smoke from wildfires in the US and Canada has had a dramatic effect on our air quality, making it difficult to breathe at times. In this episode, Scott reflects on how life can also make it difficult to breathe emotionally and spiritually. At such times, we're reminded that breath and spirit are deeply connected — as we can see in the word "respiration" — and that all prayer is grounded in mindful breathing. One takeaway from the challenge of the wildfires is to see it as an invitation to be more intentional about breathing deeply and prayerfully — especially when life feels challenging.

Our Living Compass app is designed to help each of us breath more deeply and mindfully. . Download the free app on your phone's app store or find it online at https://app.livingcompass.org. Reach out if you want more guidance at scott@livingcompass.org.

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"You Don't Have to Sit Still to Be Still," Episode #180, July 8, 2026

You Don't Have to Sit Still to Be Still

Episode Summary

Scott talks about two recent experiences he had that reminded him of the power and simplicity of walking meditation. He provides some guidance on how to get started with this practice. Please know, too, that there are several guided walking meditations in the Living Compass app. Download the free app on your phone's app store or find it online at https://app.livingcompass.org. Reach out if you want more guidance on this practice at scott@livingcompass.org.

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"When a Cup of Coffee Is So Much More than a Cup of Coffee," Episode #179, June 30, 2026

When a Cup of Coffee Is So Much More than a Cup of Coffee

Episode Summary

Scott shares a "declaration of interdependence" based on his morning meditation with his cup of coffee.

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Rooting for One Another," Episode #178, June 25, 2026

Rooting for One Another

Episode Summary

Inspired by joining over 100,000 fans at a World Cup pre-game party and march in Seattle, Scott talks about the spirituality of rooting. The double meaning of "rooting" is explored — meaning to cheer one another on, and to ground us more deeply in our spirituality. The episode invites each of us to think of someone specific in our lives who could use a little rooting on right now.

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Keys to the Beautiful Game and a Beautiful Life," Episode #177, June 16, 2026

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Episode Summary

Host Scott Stoner — Episcopal minister, licensed marriage and family therapist, 40-year soccer player, and lifelong fan — draws on the principles of "the beautiful game" to explore what it means to live a beautiful life. Recorded during World Cup season, this episode is an invitation to see the wisdom embedded in the world's most beloved sport.

Key Themes

1. Simplicity
Soccer is the simplest of games — all you need is a ball and two goals (even makeshift ones made from backpacks or duct-taped newspaper). With only 17 rules, it's accessible to the youngest children and the most resource-limited communities. Scott reflects on a teammate from Indonesia who learned to play with a homemade newspaper ball and garbage can goals — and became one of the finest players Scott has ever shared a field with. The invitation: where might simplicity open up more beauty in your own life?

2. Diversity
The World Cup is a living celebration of human diversity. Scott reflects on the remarkable Spain vs. Cabo Verde match — the largest ranking gap in World Cup history — and the overnight fame of Cabo Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper. He also shares from his own playing community, which includes people from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, England, South Africa, Peru, Russia, Colombia, and Tunisia. Diversity isn't just welcome in the beautiful game — it's essential to it. The same is true of a beautiful life.

3. Flow
Unlike American sports that emphasize constant action and scoring, soccer invites us to appreciate flow — the movement, the playmaking, the improvisational dance of the game. A 0-0 match can be among the most beautiful games ever played. Scott notes that soccer coaches do their real work in practice; during the game itself, the players are in charge. Life, too, calls us into this kind of trust — less micromanaging, more presence and responsiveness.

4. Improvisation
Within the flow of the game, players are constantly making real-time decisions without a script. This improvisational quality — responding to what's actually happening rather than what was planned — is as essential to living well as it is to playing well.

Reflection Questions

  • Where might you simplify your life to create more beauty?

  • How are you embracing diversity in your relationships and community?

  • Are you focused more on goals and scores, or on the flow of the journey itself?

  • Where is life inviting you to improvise rather than control?Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Liminal Time: Honoring the Space Between No Longer and Not Yet, "#176, June 9, 2026

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

About This Episode

Liminal time is that time between "no longer" and "not yet." It is something we experience in many seasons of our lives — something we see now as we enter the season of graduations and weddings. Other experiences of liminal time, though, come not by choice but by loss. This episode explores how the two most important factors in helping us when we find ourselves in the "in between" times are spirituality and community.

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Is Your Recreation Truly Re-Creative?, "#175, May 29, 2026

Is Your Recreation Truly Re-Creative?

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

About This Episode

As summer begins, host Scott Stoner invites listeners to reflect on a simple but important question: Is your recreation actually restoring you — or are you just zoning out?

Scott distinguishes between mindlessly scrolling or numbing out (easy to do, but not truly restorative) and activities that create genuine flow — that quality of being so present and engaged that you lose track of time. For Scott, those activities are playing mandolin at bluegrass jams and riding his bike. Both draw him fully into the moment and replenish him body, mind, and spirit.

This idea of true rest has deep roots. Sabbath — woven into the founding traditions of Judaism and Christianity — is ancient wisdom about the necessity of restoration. When we neglect it, the signs show up across all dimensions of our wellbeing: emotional flatness, spiritual dryness, physical depletion, relational withdrawal.

A simple practice to try this week: Choose one dimension of your wellbeing — physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational — and do one thing that is genuinely replenishing for that area. You already know what it is. The challenge is simply remembering and then choosing it. Bonus points if one activity nourishes more than one dimension at once.

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Beginner's Mind: The Spiritual Practice of Not Knowing, "#174, May 18, 2026

Beginner's Mind: The Spiritual Practice of Not Knowing

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

About This Episode

IBeginner's Mind: The Spiritual Practice of Not Knowing Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Episode Summary

What if not knowing were a gift rather than a failure? In this episode, Scott Stoner explores the Zen concept of beginner's mind — the practice of approaching life's questions with openness, humility, and curiosity rather than the pressure to have all the answers. Drawing on decades of experience as both a therapist and Episcopal priest, Scott shares how embracing "not knowing" has transformed the way he accompanies others — and himself — through life's deepest challenges.

In This Episode

  • A story from Scott's therapy practice about a man in midlife — and the reminder that every person's story is truly unique, heard for the first time

  • How Scott's approach shifted over the years from giving answers to holding space for deeper wisdom to emerge

  • The Zen teaching: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few"

  • How "expert mind" can show up as "should" language — and why that closes us off to possibility

  • The connection between beginner's mind and the Quaker wisdom that "way will open"

  • An invitation to trust the deeper wisdom already within you

Reflection Questions

  • Where in your life right now might a beginner's mind open up new possibilities?

  • When you face uncertainty, do you tend toward "expert mind" — trying to force clarity or resolution?

  • What helps you practice not knowing?

Quote of the Episode

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few."

Connect with Scott

Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"No Ahead, No Behind: What Trees Can Teach Us About Sacred Timing, "#173, May 11, 2026

"No Ahead, No Behind: What Trees Can Teach Us About Sacred Timing”

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

About This Episode

In this episode, Scott reflects on one of spring's most quietly profound lessons: that trees bud in their own time, on their own internal rhythm — and that the same is true for each of us.

Walking near the Ice Age Trail and in his own neighborhood, Scott has noticed that even two trees of the same species, standing side by side, can be weeks apart in their budding. One is fully leafing out while the other shows barely a sign of life. And yet neither is ahead or behind. Each is simply following its own inner clock.

This observation opens into a deeper invitation: to release the pressure we place on ourselves — and on others — to bud on our timeline. Whether we're longing for clarity, resolution, healing, or change in our own lives or in someone we love, the wisdom of the trees reminds us that we cannot force the budding. We can only trust it.

Scott draws on several threads woven throughout the Living Compass community:

  • The Quaker saying "Way will open" — revisited from a recent episode, and deepened here through the image of a tree's patient, unhurried unfolding.

  • Coaching youth soccer — a vivid reminder that children, like trees, bud in dramatically different ways and timeframes, physically, emotionally, and in skill — and that the difference is not a deficit but a beautiful symphony.

  • The hidden life of trees — recent research showing that trees in distress are actually supported by neighboring trees through their root systems, sending nutrients underground. Not competition, but communion.

That underground network becomes a metaphor for the Living Compass community itself — people whose roots, Scott reflects, are by divine design interconnected, supporting one another as the life force moves through each of us in its own time.

The episode closes with a gentle reframe: we are not the creators of our own growth. We are the receivers. The river is flowing. Our calling is not to force it, but to trust it.

Please know that a seven-minute Guided Meditation is offered on this same theme in our Living Compass app.  See below for how to access the app--you can also access it here at:

https://app.livingcompass.org

Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org

The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

https://app.livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Befriending Uncertainty: Learning to Live in the "Not Yet, "#172, April 21, 2026

Befriending Uncertainty: Learning to Live in the "Not Yet"

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

About This Episode

This episode is a follow-up to last week's reflection on the Quaker wisdom phrase "Way Will Open." If we're going to trust that way will open, what do we do in the meantime? How do we learn not just to live with uncertainty, but to actually befriend it?

Scott explores this question through the lens of both Christian and Buddhist wisdom, and through the surprising insight that befriending uncertainty works much the same way as being a good, patient friend.

In This Episode

  • The Jeff Foster quote that anchors this reflection: "Leave everything undefined, including yourself. Befriend uncertainty. Fall in love with mystery. Kneel at the altar of not knowing. Give your questions time to breathe. And the answers will find you."

  • The Christian tradition of actively waiting on the Spirit — not passive, but attentive and expectant

  • How the way we hold space for an anxious friend is the same posture we need with our own uncertainty

  • The Buddhist practice of beginner's mind — approaching even familiar situations as if for the first time

  • Scott's experience as a therapist: "I've never heard this story before"

  • The compass as a tool for reorientation — not a guarantee, but a way back to true north

A Practice to Carry With You

This week, try approaching one conversation, one relationship, or one unresolved situation with beginner's mind. Set aside what you think you already know, and simply listen — to the other person, or to your own heart — as if you're hearing it for the first time.

We don't so much find the answers as we make space for the answers to find us.

Resources

  • 📱 A guided meditation on this theme is available in the Living Compass app — search Living Compass in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org

  • 📧 Reach Scott at scott@livingcompass.org

  • 🌐 Learn more at livingcompass.org



Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Way Will Open," Episode #171, April 13, 2026


Way Will Open: An Easter Reflection

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Episode Summary

In this Easter season episode, Scott explores the ancient Quaker wisdom phrase "Way will open" and its profound connection to the resurrection story. With honesty and hope, he reflects on why we sometimes close ourselves off to new life — and why trusting that way will open is both a radical act and a deeply grounded spiritual practice.

In This Episode

  • Why "Way will open" may be the most-used phrase in Scott's coaching work

  • How we sometimes unconsciously seal ourselves inside our own tombs — in relationships, at work, and in our inner lives

  • The healing of the man ill for 38 years (John 5) and what his response reveals about our own resistance to new life

  • Why way doesn't always open in the direction or manner we expect — and why that's actually part of the wisdom

  • The cave illustration: sometimes the opening is right behind us, if we're willing to turn around and walk through the darkness

  • Easter as a way of seeing — a counter-cultural mindset of hope in the middle of a world full of Good Fridays

Key Quote

"Do I believe that way will open? Yes, I do. Believe it? Heck, I've seen it."

Scripture Reference

John 5 — The healing of the man who had been ill for 38 years

Reflection Question

Where in your life right now might way be opening — perhaps in a direction you haven't yet turned toward?

Resources & Connect

  • 📧 Reach Scott at: scott@livingcompass.org

  • 📱 Living Compass App: available in your phone's app store (search Living Compass) or at app.livingcompass.org

  • 🎧 A guided meditation based on this episode will be available in the Living Compass app

Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"The Ground Begins to Soften," Episode #170, April 4, 2026

The Ground Begins to Soften

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." — Ezekiel 36:26

Happy Easter! In this episode, Scott Stoner reflects on one of his favorite Easter metaphors — one rooted right here in Wisconsin: the slow, unmistakable thawing of frozen ground in spring.

Alongside the powerful images from the Easter story itself — the stone rolled away, the risen Christ, the road to Emmaus — the annual spring thaw offers its own quiet resurrection message. The ground that has been locked and hardened through winter softens, loosens, and comes alive again. And so can we.

The episode centers on Ezekiel 36:26: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

Just as our hearts, bodies, relationships, and spirits can become hardened — through grief, anxiety, depression, grudges, or the weight of what's happening in the world — Easter holds out the promise of thawing. And crucially, we don't cause the thaw. We receive it. The word resurrection shares its roots with resurgence — divine love never stops wanting to surge again in us. Our part is simply to loosen our grip and let it.

This episode is a companion to the guided meditation The Ground Begins to Soften, available on the Living Compass app. 📱 Download or access it at app.livingcompass.org

Jesus has risen. The ground is softening — in Wisconsin, in this season, in you. The thaw has already begun. Thanks be to God.

Connect with Scott at Scott@LivingCompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Disarmed, and Armed with Love," Episode #169, March 27, 2026

Disarmed, and Armed with Love

As we enter Holy Week, Scott reflects on one of the most overlooked details of the Palm Sunday story — how Jesus enters Jerusalem. Rather than arriving with military might, chariots, and armor as the leaders of his day would have done, Jesus enters humbly, on a donkey, armed only with love. This simple but profound choice sets the tone for everything that follows in Holy Week.

In this episode, Scott explores:

  • What Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem reveals about the nature of true power

  • Why healing and wholeness are always rooted in love rather than might

  • How vulnerability and simplicity — not armor and force — are the hallmarks of love in action

  • The through-line connecting Palm Sunday, the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday, and the cross

  • Why, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, only love can drive out hate — and what that means for our world today

As the Lenten season draws to a close, Scott reminds us that cultivating healing and wholeness with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind is ultimately another way of saying we are choosing love — and that love, as Easter proclaims, always wins.

Blessings to you as you enter Holy Week — disarmed, and armed with love.

Connect with Scott at Scott@LivingCompass.org

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"The Grass is Greener Where We Water It," Episode #168, March 19, 2026

The Grass is Greener Where We Water It

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Lent 2026 Series: Cultivating Healing and Wholeness in Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

Episode Summary

We've all heard it: the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. But what if we changed the saying — and changed our lives in the process? In this episode, Scott Stoner explores how envy and comparison quietly drain our relationships, and offers a simple but transformative reframe: the grass is greener where we water it. Drawing on 40 years as a minister and licensed marriage and family therapist, Scott unpacks what it actually looks like to tend the relationships we already have — with intention, honesty, and love.

Key Themes

  • How social media amplifies the comparison trap — showing us everyone's "outsides" while we live our own "insides"

  • Why envy is a natural human emotion, and how to redirect its energy

  • The Living Compass core principle: whatever we pay attention to is what will grow

  • What good "watering" looks like — from simple expressions of gratitude to honest, loving conversations about conflict

  • The gardening metaphor: tending soil, pulling weeds, and creating conditions for new growth in relationships

Quote of the Episode

"The grass is greener where we water it."

From the Counseling Room

Scott shares a practice he uses when working with couples and families in conflict: before diving into the presenting problem, he asks them to remember what they love about each other. The shift in energy that follows is a living demonstration of the episode's central truth — what we pay attention to is what grows.

Resources Mentioned

Reflection Questions

  • What influence, if any, does social media have on how you see your own relationships?

  • Is there a relationship in your life where you have been focused more on the weeds than on what is good and life-giving?

  • Choose one relationship right now that would benefit from more intentional watering. What is one specific thing you could do this week to tend it?

A Challenge from Scott

Don't just take his word for it — try it. Choose one relationship. Water it every day this week. Be creative. And see for yourself whether it's true: the grass is greener where we water it.

Connect with Scott at Scott@LivingCompass.org

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Prayer Doesn't Always Change Outcomes, But It Always Changes Us," Episode #167, March 12, 2026

.Prayer Doesn't Always Change Outcomes, But It Always Changes Us

Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast

Lent 2026 Series: Cultivating Healing and Wholeness in Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

Episode Summary

What happens when the healing we pray for doesn't come? In this episode, Scott Stoner — pastor, therapist, and founder of Living Compass — explores one of the most honest and tender questions in the spiritual life. Drawing on decades of walking with people through serious illness, disability, and dying, Scott reflects on the crucial distinction between cure, healing, and wholeness, and why prayer remains transformative even when outcomes don't change.

Key Themes

  • The difference between physical cure and deeper spiritual and emotional healing

  • Why prayer changes us even when it doesn't change our circumstances

  • Holding grief and anger honestly as part of authentic faith

  • The "container" metaphor: how the spiritual life expands our capacity to hold suffering

  • Walking with others through illness as its own form of healing ministry

Quote of the Episode

"Prayer doesn't always change outcomes, but it always changes us."

Featured Prayer

Scott reads the Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (p. 461), from the Ministry to the Sick:

"This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen" (BCP, p. 461).

 

Resources Mentioned

Reflection Questions

  • How does the idea that "prayer doesn't always change outcomes, but it always changes us" connect with your own experience?

  • Where in your life are you being invited to expand your container — your capacity to hold suffering with grace?

  • How might you bring healing and wholeness to someone in your life who is suffering, even when cure is not possible?Connect with Scott Scott welcomes your reflections on this episode. How does this story land for you? Where are you sitting with the question Do you want to be made well?

    Reach him at scott@livingcompass.org.

Connect with Scott at Scott@LivingCompass.org

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Do You Want to Be Made Well?" Episode #166, March 6, 2026

."Do You Want to Be Made Well?" Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast Lent Series: Cultivating Healing and Wholeness with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

In this Lent episode, host Scott Stoner reflects on one of the most striking healing stories in the Gospels — Jesus's encounter with a man who had been ill for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–9). At the heart of the story is a deceptively simple question Jesus asks the man: Do you want to be made well?

Scripture John 5:1–9 — Jesus encounters a man among many who are blind, lame, and paralyzed near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, and asks him a single, penetrating question rather than inquiring about the nature of his illness or how long he has suffered.

Key Themes

The Power of the Question — Of all the things Jesus could have asked, he asked only this. It is not a question meant to shame or judge. It is an invitation to examine our deepest desire and longing.

Getting Comfortable in Our Dysfunction — Sometimes we hold on to our dis-ease because it is familiar. Scott shares a personal story from his time as a parish pastor, when a church council member lovingly turned the question back on him after he repeatedly reported struggling with overwork and neglecting self-care. The community's gentle, loving accountability became a real turning point.

"I Have No One to Put Me in the Pool" — The man in the story believes healing can only come one specific way. Jesus gently shows him otherwise. How often do we say, "I'll be whole, I'll be at peace, I'll be able to let go — but only when this happens"? Healing often involves releasing our need to control the how and when.

Letting Go — Much of the invitation in this story is about loosening our grip — on ego, on control, on habit energy that keeps us stuck. The Divine source of healing may be closer than we think, and arriving by a path we didn't expect.

Connect with Scott Scott welcomes your reflections on this episode. How does this story land for you? Where are you sitting with the question Do you want to be made well? Reach him at scott@livingcompass.org.

Free PDF of the devotional booklet and daily email reflections available at livingcompass.org.

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Wrestling with God and Listening for Whispers," Episode #165, February 26, 2026

.Episode Summary

Wrestling with God and Listening for Whispers, Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast — Lent, Week 1

In this episode, Scott Stoner reflects on two powerful biblical stories that illuminate what healing and wholeness can really look like — not always peaceful or easy, but sometimes raw, wrestling, and hard-won. Drawing on the story of Jacob wrestling with God the night before his reconciliation with his brother Esau, Scott invites us to see that God is present not only in the moments of clarity and consolation, but in the darkness, the struggle, and the dis-ease we carry. Whatever we are wrestling with — a broken relationship, a physical challenge, an emotional weight — we do not walk through it alone.

Scott also revisits the story of Elijah from 1 Kings, reminding us that God's healing voice doesn't always come in the dramatic and overwhelming moments of life. More often, it comes as a gentle whisper — through Scripture, a meaningful conversation, a moment of stillness in prayer, or a quiet sense of being led forward. The episode closes with a beautiful reflection from contributor Robbin Brent, who writes that faith is not about certainty or the absence of questions, but about the willingness to keep trusting in the deeper reality of God's healing presence, even when circumstances seem to contradict it. Wherever you are on your Lenten journey, this episode is an invitation to be still, listen for the whispers, and trust that way will open.

Free PDF of the devotional booklet and daily email reflections available at livingcompass.org. Contact Scott at scott@livingcompass.org.

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily email signup available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Opening Our Eyes: Healing Our Vision," Episode #164, February 23, 2026

.Episode Summary

Opening Our Eyes: Healing Our Vision Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast — Lent, Week 1

This episode explores the theme of "Opening Our Eyes" as part of the first full week of Lent, connected to the daily devotional booklet Cultivating Wholeness and Healing with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.

Scott reflects on the many healing stories in the Gospels involving sight, noting that healing doesn't always happen all at once. Drawing on the story of the blind man in Mark 8 — who is healed progressively, first seeing blurrily and then fully — Scott invites listeners to recognize that moving from blindness to blurry is still grace, still progress.

He then explores the different kinds of "blindness" Jesus addresses beyond physical sight — spiritual, emotional, and relational — and how each can leave us seeing life less clearly and with less love and hope than we'd like. Whether it's a faith stuck at an early stage of development, emotions we've numbed to protect ourselves, or patterns of "othering" people in our relationships, these forms of blurriness are not causes for shame but invitations to healing.

Scott closes with the image of Bartimaeus crying out, "My teacher, let me see again" — reminding us that Jesus is in the business of opening eyes, and that Lent is a season to nurture and restore our vision in all its dimensions.

Free PDF of the devotional booklet and daily email reflections available at livingcompass.org. Contact Scott at scott@livingcompass.org.

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily emails available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Cultivating Healing and Wholeness," Episode #163, February 17, 2026

.Episode Summary

Host: Scott Stoner, Episcopal pastor and licensed marriage and family therapist

Recorded the day before Ash Wednesday, this introductory episode launches the Lenten podcast series centered on the theme Cultivating Healing and Wholeness with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Scott reflects on what it means to tend to our whole selves during the 47 days of Lent, drawing on his 40 years of experience as pastor and therapist.

Key Themes

Scott opens with a simple but powerful question: When was the last time someone genuinely asked how you're doing? He invites listeners to treat Lent as an annual spiritual check-up — an unhurried season to reflect on body, mind, heart, and soul. Healing, he suggests, is less like a lightning bolt and more like tending a fire: patient, gentle, and attentive. The Ash Wednesday words "Remember that you are dust" are framed not as shame but as an invitation to humility and openness.

He also introduces the Living Compass model of well-being — four quadrants (Heart, Soul, Strength, Mind) with eight dimensions of wellness — and reminds listeners that wellness begins with "we."

Resources Mentioned

  • Daily readings booklet — PDF download or daily emails available at livingcompass.org

  • Living Compass App — search "Living Compass" in your app store or visit app.livingcompass.org; includes guided Lenten meditations; free trial for one year, then $10/year

  • Spanish-language content — daily reflections by Estela Lopez and Pedro Lopez (Bruja La De Vida), PDF available at livingcompass.org and posted daily on the Bruja La De Vida Facebook page

During This Series

Two new podcast episodes will be released each week throughout Lent.

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

"Practicing Love, One Step at a Time," Episode #162, February 12, 2026

In this Valentine's Day episode, Scott reflects on the Buddhist monks who recently completed their 2,300-mile peace walk to Washington, D.C., drawing connections between walking meditation, pilgrimage, and the true nature of love. He explores how love is primarily a decision and practice rather than just a feeling, using 1 Corinthians 13 as a guide to understand love as patience, kindness, and endurance. Scott shares insights from his retreats at Magnolia Grove Monastery in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, emphasizing that sustaining long-term relationships—whether marriages, friendships, or commitments to justice—requires showing up one step at a time, even when feelings waver. This episode reframes Valentine's Day as an opportunity to practice love as a sustained commitment rather than momentary emotion.

Remember: You can download the Living Compass app for guided meditations, contemplative practices (including walking meditations), and self-guided retreats for your phone at:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en

And…you can find the content of our new Living Compass app online from any web browser at https://app.livingcompass.org

(Click the player at the top of the page to listen to this podcast episode.) You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast app—Apple, Google, Spotify, etc. Search for Living Compass, and be sure to subscribe so you get new episodes automatically.

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