I have spent a lot of time in graduate school; this is the moment where I somewhat sheepishly confess that the MA in spirituality which I am currently completing is in fact my fourth graduate degree (I also have an MA in history, an MTS in theology, and a PhD in theology). As a result, I am very familiar with the world of academia, and the challenges of maintaining a spiritual life in that context. I also have spent a lot of time pondering and talking to others about the rich but at times difficult work of rigorously grappling with intellectual questions while also being serious about faith. I am not a fan of any approach to spirituality that aims to shut down questions or dismiss doubts; I believe that a faith worth having can handle those things, and even more importantly, in a God who is more than open to hearing doubts and questions. But while I enjoy a good theological conversation, over the years I have also become more comfortable with mystery, not in the sense of a cop-out for hard questions, but more in the sense of a willingness to acknowledge the limits of our understanding. I’ve also become increasingly attuned to the importance of personal, embodied experience in shaping spirituality. So that’s a bit about where I’m coming from! If you are interested in a place to explore your own sense of faith and spirituality, and how that intersects with your scholarly interests or any other areas of your life, I’d love to hear more about that.