Belief, Mystery, Miracles and Eternity

An Invitation to Wonder

In life, what divides families, friends, and colleagues is often the facts we embrace as ultimate truth. This is also true for the separation that exists between science and spirituality. But, what if the mysteries that have inspired saints, seekers, and sages for thousands of years, are now found in the very language of quantum physics and sub-atomic particles in modern science?

In recent years, science—particularly physics—has begun to explore astonishing ideas. That consciousness might not arise from the brain but be woven into the very fabric of the universe. That everything and everyone is interconnected. That death may not be the final chapter. That what we call “miracles” might not violate the laws of physical nature but instead may reveal a higher natural order we are just beginning to perceive.

The era of materialism's dominance is fading. We have now entered the era of post-materialism where an affirmation of spiritual truths humanity has long revered—belief in the soul, the miraculous, and life after death—glimpses that embrace a deeper, quantum reality. This is the foundation for what I cultivate in this book—to find where science and spirituality can agree.

And, if these two radically different disciples can find agreement, so can all that divides.

Whether science and spirituality can be united is not theoretical—for me, it has been my lived experience. I have walked in a white coat. I have worn clerical robes. I have lived in both worlds. Science and spirituality. Science embraces the what; spirituality embraces the why. I love both.

And—we need both.

I began my professional life steeped in the rigor of the physical sciences. After graduating from Tulane Medical School, I pursued a career in medicine, embracing the sharp delineation between science and spirituality that so many in science accept without question. The two domains, I believed, were fundamentally separate—perhaps irreconcilable.

But then, at the age of 35, a spiritual experience shattered that divide for me. It was an encounter so profound that I could no longer cling to the belief that the physical world was all there is. The impact of that experience inspired me to become an Episcopal priest and to write this book to share how we can find a place of agreement even where it seems impossible. In the download section of this website I have posted a downloadable article which provides a full description of four encounters I have had with the living God, including the story of me leaving medicine to become an Episcopal priest. I believe you will be blessed if you read the story of my four encounters with God.

Belief, Mystery, Miracles, and Eternity, is an invitation to look again—to see with new eyes and an open heart. It is written for the seekers and the skeptics alike, for those who suspect that life holds more meaning, more mystery, and more connection than we have been taught to believe.

Our journey begins with belief—because revisiting our beliefs (the facts) can open the door to transformation and wonder, and wonder is the first step to find wisdom that unites.

For centuries, since the days of Rene Descartes (1596-1650), we have lived with a split—a great division between body and soul, science and spirit. But that division is beginning to heal. Quantum science shows us that all things are connected—that we live not in a universe of separation, but of deep and mysterious unity. Ecumenical teacher and Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr (2016), has said:

“Right now, we are finding quantum physics, biology, and cosmology are finally at a level of development that our understanding of everything from atoms to galaxies to organisms is affirming, confirming, and allowing us to use old faith language and right now with a new level of appreciation.  Now is the right time—the critical time—to explore all that divides, not with a sword, but with the heartfelt desire to bring us together.”

My life changed radically following my spiritually-awakening experience. In the applied science of medicine, as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, I had many opportunities to serve people in their hour of great need. One involved a four-year-old boy, Robert, whose arm had been totally amputated above the elbow on the back of a farm tractor. Using the training I had received in microsurgery and in reconstructive plastic surgery I was able to replant his arm on "Good Friday," April 7, 1977. Years later he was able to pass a physical exam to become an FBI agent. Another young boy, Chad, sustained a shotgun blast that ripped his face apart. In the operating room, working with an oral surgeon, we were able to rebuild the child's face. Years later, Chad graduated from medical school and today is an anesthesiologist.

These are two of many stories I could share as to how medicine uses the facts of science for healing.

After serving many years as a physician, I felt called to the ministry. I attended the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest and served in churches in Austin and Houston for 20 years. In 2010, I became President and CEO of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center, in Houston (ISH).

This brought together my experience as a physician and as a priest which allowed me to embrace a great divide and to love both—science (the physical universe) and spirituality (the metaphysical dimension)—which together embrace the whole of the human experience as we know it, thereby uniting all of reality.

I do not argue that science and spirituality must be blended in order to be united. They are different disciplines, and rightly so. Each offers a vital way of seeing. Each points to truth. Each addresses the mystery and calls us to wonder. Each gives us the opportunity to discover how to embrace both without losing either.

That is the key.

This book is my humble offering. A weaving together of belief and mystery, miracle and eternity, science and spirituality, head and heart. Above all it is a witness to wholeness that is already present—waiting to be revealed in science and spirituality, and in all of life.

Before reading my book, please know:

First, although this book is written from my own spiritual perspective, I believe it will also be recognized that I have made a heart-felt effort to affirm people of all faiths because I have seen God’s love and grace is present in everyone. And, because of the discoveries in quantum physics, I know we are all interconnected whether we know it or not. We are One with The Source, God.

Second, I make every effort in my book to document the discoveries of science as well as to affirm the spiritual experiences that I and countless others cannot deny.  For me, both the material universe and the spiritual dimension must be valued, respected and affirmed. The material universe is a gift; and the spiritual dimension is a gift.

Third, I believe the discoveries of quantum physics affirm both the material and spiritual dimensions of reality. Although the long-awaited scientific Theory of Everything (TOE) in physics refers to the union of classical and quantum physics. For me, when science and the metaphysical come together, they inform what could become an ultimate, unified, singular, all-encompassing, coherent Theory of Reality (TOR) that unites all humanity experiences as reality. 

I hope you will join me by purchasing my book online.  Belief, Mystery, Miracles, and Eternity: Where Science and Spirituality Can Agree launches Oct. 1st in both paperback and ebook versions at Amazon and other online distributors. 

Below is a prayer I was taught by my friend, Lex Gillan, at our Institute during his yoga training class.  It is my prayer as I seek wisdom that unites.  Perhaps, it can be your prayer, as well.

 Truth, awaken in me (Anonymous)

Illuminate me with Your presence.

Shine Your light into all the dark places.

Reveal to me Your understanding.

Shower me with the light of Your peace.

Move me closer in passionate inspiration.

Uplift my being with Your radiant joy.

Infuse my body with Your healing light.

Infuse my mind with the light of wisdom.

Infuse my heart with creative passion.

Infuse my spirit with loving-kindness.

Truth, come alive within me.

Set me free in You.