Welcome to Soul School – your Hump Day treat. Your midweek boost! (WEDNESDAYS)
Today comes some wisdom I gleaned from Cal Newport.
On FRIDAY come back for a longer conversational guest episode!
I liked Cal’s take on working towards skills that are rare a valuable.
It flies in the face of a refrain we often hear, “Follow your passion!”
In a recent Soul School I told you that the Secret Sauce I kept hearing from the many people I speak with indicated that people followed their curiosity and created something useful often found success and meaningful work. LISTEN HERE. On that journey they were doing the very thing Cal talks about, “becoming so good they couldn’t be ignored.”
Work for creative people, and for all sorts of people, looks different now. Don’t fear the shake up.
Do you hate the question, “What do you do for a living?”. Have you ever asked it of someone and then felt like it was the wrong question to ask as soon as you said it? I have a few suggestions and a really funny story about my own experience too.
In January (2016) I’m talking about the concepts of calling and meaningful work.
For more on how you can join in that worldwide endeavor for yourself, in your own way, visit the #synCREATE page.
Spark My Muse listeners tend to be over achievers. Feel like getting some extra credit points? SOUL SCHOOL has homework each week–just for kicks–and you can share your thoughts about the episode or “report your homework” at the Spark My Muse group page here and see what others are doing and saying.
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FRIDAY episodes are longer and feature guests.
Thank you for listening to Spark My Muse. You’ve spent your time with me and it means a lot.
I recommend the weekly newsletter.
Get it here. It comes out every Friday afternoon and delivers links to the new episodes of the week and the LIVE events and posts too, so you never miss a thing.
Welcome to Soul School which comes out each WEDNESDAY!
In January (2016) I’ll spend some time on the podcast talking about the concepts of vocation and meaningful work during Soul School and with my guests.
For more on how you can join in that worldwide endeavor, visit the #synCREATE page.
Are you a good student? SOUL SCHOOL has homework. It can be very helpful to report in when you do your “assignments” So, share your thoughts about the episode or what you did for your homework at the Spark My Muse group page here and see what others are doing saying.
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Remember to Subscribe to the podcast to get the next episode!
Welcome to Spark My Muse! I love that you’re here.
Friday episodes are longer conversational ones with guests. Find the full list here.
Wednesday episodes are shorter, potent ones called “Soul School”. Find the full list here.
SPARK- LIVE: I also do live discussions with friends and guests on interesting topics about 3 times per month and feature the Replays here at the website. Sign up for those HERE; and follow me on Twitter for links and info. (Because some discussions are listed elsewhere.)
Scroll down for detailed show notes labeled by the minute,and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast. If you feel so moved, get the 2-3 times monthly newsletter here that comes to you with love from me with insider info and extras.
Could you live with others communally and share everything in common? Money. Food. Living Space. Possessions. Goals. Identity. Your Future. Many of us may extoll the virtues of community but have minimal exposure with a lived-out experience. Tammy Perlmutter lives in a commune with her daughter and husband and you’ll learn her story today.
The longing for tight social bonds is so primal that even when the people we trust most betray us, we will seek out other opportunities for the solace of those connections until we find them.
Tammy Perlmutter is a talented creator who lives with the intentional community of Jesus People USA, a commune of Christians that dates back over 40 years.
From Tammy’s website:
I’m an East Coast girl at heart, born and raised in Philadelphia, but (for the second time!) called to Chicago for ministry. I live and work with Jesus People USA, an intentional Christian community of 200 members, living together in the historic 10-story Chelsea Hotel. We are rooted in the Uptown neighborhood, described as “Twenties Charm Meets Psych Ward with No Walls,” to love and serve the homeless, disciple believers, and be a presence for Christ in Chicago. I have lived communally for 15 years, and even with all its challenges and hardships, I consider myself beyond blessed to experience authentic, organic community in all its crazy, chaotic richness.
ministries of JPUSA (coffee shop, skate shop, gallery)
The group’s long-term existence and historic roots in the 1960s make it, according to sociologist Shawn Young, one of the most contemporary significant groups from the Jesus Movement era:
Founded in 1972, this community is one of the most significant surviving expressions of the original Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies and represents a radical expression of contemporary countercultural evangelicalism. JPUSA’s blend of Christian Socialism, theological orthodoxy, postmodern theory and ethos of edgy artistic expression (as demonstrated at their annual music festival) prove what some scholars have longed suspected: evangelicalism is a diverse, complex movement, which simply does not yield to any attempt at categorization. [
The building where Tammy lives:
MIN 1:
INTRO
MIN 3:00
Tammy’s upbringing: living for 13 years in foster care around inner city Philadelphia and then a residential facility and being a lost girl.
MIN 10:00
How does Tammy think cycles of instability, abuse and addiction get broken and redeemed?
How hope happens?
11:00
Mentoring
Humiliation and despair.
12:00
A turning point when her case was turned over to Bethana social workers.
Being seen and heard for the first time.
13:00
Escaping into books and starting to write using the bookend papers.
15:30
Finding an intentional community (commune) JesusPeopleUSA
16:00
Cornerstone Festival and the rigged drawing
17:30
Being suicidal and living a dangerous lifestyle.
20:00
Keeping her promise about answering any question.
Finding a home instead of rejection.
22:30
Choosing a new life and the spiritual warfare battles she experienced at that point.
24:30
Being attracted to a Jewish East Coaster who she eventually married.
25:30
The Jews for Jesus experience that took them away from the community.
27:30
The deal to move back to Chicago and things feeling hopeless.
31:00
Being made for community and belonging.
33:30
Businesses that support the community and the ministries.
If this topic interests you, listen to the episode with activist Shane Claiborne who started the intentional inner city community in Philadelphia called The Simple Way. HEAR that here.
If you’re late to hear this episode (and it’s not Christmas any more) or even if you don’t celebrate Christmas at all (I love you non believers very much-xo) you will still have fun hearing this episode that I do with my sweet sidekick Lori Neff.
Enjoy the bonus photo gallery of scary Santa photos, too!
• AND if you want to share a funny or horrifying Santa story or Christmas (or winter holiday of ANY KIND, New Years, Advent candle lighting gone awry, Chanukah hullabaloo, Kwanza craziness, whatever you want) story, or share photos, you can do that here at the Spark community page.
I will have some holiday time and I’ll need a break from consuming empty calories. Friends and fans will love to hear from you, see what you’re up to, and read of your tales.
Scroll down for detailed show notes with links and bonus material.
Tammy Perlmutter is a talented creator who lives with the intentional community of 
