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Dr. Tom has been sharing refreshing, insightful essays on his Sunday Morning Cafe blog since 2009. Each Sunday, he brings his extensive experience from resilience research, counseling, and consulting to help you find more connection, meaning, and joy in life. We're so glad you're here to grow with this community!
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Hip to Be Holy Part Two
You don’t get to choose when fear taps you on the shoulder. But you can choose what steadies you. This piece invites you to consider what might ground you when life shifts.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Dec 75 min read
The Thin Veil Between Life and Death
As the leaves fall and the days grow dim, this is the season poets say the veil between life and death is at its thinnest. This reflection invites you to look closer at our mortality—and discover what gratitude, meaning, and connection can grow there.
Dennis Kempf
Nov 24 min read
Fire
“Fire” was once a cry for safety. Now, it’s the spark of a calling. This reflection follows the transformation of one woman’s fear into fierce compassion.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Oct 195 min read
Bending the Universe
What happens when love seems unlikely to prevail in fractured times like these? This reflection offers perspective—and quiet hope—from the past.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Oct 124 min read
South of Eden
What does it mean to move from Love toward Love in a world that often seems anything but? A reflection on nature, faith, and our messy human role as co-creators.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Sep 145 min read
Rendezvous
Maybe the Sacred is already reaching for you, in the spaces only you recognize. Read on for a reflection on unexpected altars, inked stars, and the God who meets us there.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 295 min read
Seriously Funny: Uncovering the Sacred Roots of Humor
When a late-night comic and the Pope start saying the same thing, you listen. Read on to discover what their surprising agreement reveals about the connection between resilience and grace.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 45 min read
As I Have Done, So You Also Should Do: Remembering Pope Francis (1936-2025)
Honoring the man whose life embodied mercy, humility, and hope.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 274 min read
A Touch of Easter in Every Laugh
What if every laugh—especially the ones that sneak in during sorrow—held a hint of resurrection? Discover how humor can carry you through the dark and into something deeper.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 206 min read
Wake Up Your Lizzie the Lion
Facing fear head-on leads to resilience and growth. What roar are you running toward?
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 63 min read
Co-habitating with Cobras & Other Common Human Experiences
How do you co-habitate with a cobra and not get bit? Discover spiritual reflections and practices for life’s toughest moments.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 304 min read
Latte for Lent.
Some beauty exists for no other reason than to delight you—like a perfect heart in a latte, made just to make you smile.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 24 min read
The Road: Intentional Defiant Love.
In a world that can feel as bleak as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, what does it mean to love—intentionally, defiantly, and against all odds?
Dr. Tom Wagner
Feb 224 min read
Hip to Be Holy.
In a world that once dismissed the spiritual as silly or suspect, what does it mean to live unapologetically aligned with your soul? Step into a story of secrecy, spirituality, and the surprising freedom of coming home to your inner life.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jan 104 min read
Emmanuel in the Mirror.
When joy feels distant and connection elusive, the gift of “God with us” doesn’t disappear—it deepens. This week’s reflection explores why.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Dec 21, 20244 min read
Rendezvous: Meeting the Divine in Your Own Way
The Sacred doesn’t need a sanctuary. What if God is waiting for you in the places unique to you—under the stars, beside an old tree, or in the quiet corners of memory?
Dr. Tom Wagner
Dec 14, 20244 min read
Bending the Universe.
What happens when love seems unlikely to prevail in fractured times like these? This reflection offers perspective—and quiet hope—from the past.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Nov 30, 20243 min read
Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Cafe blogs from 2009 through 2024.
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