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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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Back Porch Wisdom from Our First SMC Event
Sometimes the Sacred moves through scripture. Sometimes, through a favorite song playing in the background while the bread bakes. This reflection explores how simple meals and real conversations can become holy ground.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 274 min read
Summer Reading
What if the right summer novel could help you see your everyday life in 3D? This reflection explores how stories help us come more fully alive to the moment we’re already in.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 205 min read
The Ground Floor: The Very First Sunday Morning Café Event
The Sacred doesn’t start with answers—it starts with awe. From a backyard loss to a community gathering, this reflection kicks off the Sunday Morning Café you’re invited to attend.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 135 min read
Have You Lost Your Mind? Confessions of a Risk Taker.
Building treehouses, crossing borders, challenging injustice—some of love’s best work happens off the map. This reflection invites you to consider the risks worth taking.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jul 65 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
Looking Into the Mirror on Juneteenth
You can read all the right books and still miss what’s in front of you. This Juneteenth reflection is about waking up—slowly, imperfectly, honestly.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 226 min read
The Everyday Father
What if your greatest spiritual practice is simply showing up? This reflection reclaims the sacredness of time spent doing nothing together.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 154 min read
Father Time…Again…
Sometimes healing the father wound means rediscovering the gifts tucked inside it. This reflection explores what we keep, and what we leave behind.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 85 min read
Father Time
What if being a “real man” meant becoming more whole—not more hardened? This reflection explores how you can honor both strength and softness, in yourself and in others.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Jun 14 min read
Growing Second Half of Life Skills…Even If You Happen to Be Living in the First Half
You don’t have to wait for gray hair to grow elder wisdom. This reflection invites you to begin now—wherever you are on the journey.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 256 min read
Making Space for Awe
Research is showing that human beings are built for “awe.” Like other spiritual gifts, awe is not a thing you can grasp at. This article explores the ways you can slow down so that awe can graciously catch up with you.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 185 min read
Comedy Roundup
Comedy isn't a distraction, it's a doorway. In this installment, SMC readers share their favorite picks.
Dr. Tom Wagner
May 115 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
Hip to Be Humorous: How laughing got me through surgery and why it is what you need today, too.
What if laughter was the key to overcoming stress? See how humor turned a pre-surgery panic into a powerful lesson in resilience.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Apr 134 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
How We Spent Our Spring Break Navigating “Small “g” grief.”
How do you navigate life's small "g" grief? Explore how noticing, naming, and nurturing can turn loss into new adventures.
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 225 min read
Pick Up the Call…Please.
Explore meaning, resilience, and connection through inspiring stories of everyday heroes. How do you listen for—and answer—your calling?
Dr. Tom Wagner
Mar 155 min read
Explore the full archive of Sunday Morning Cafe blogs from 2009 through 2024.
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