Who is this man you’re following?

I am the Rev. Dr. Carl R. Gillett.  I hold these degrees:  M. Div. from Chicago Theological Seminary (at the University of Chicago), M.A. in Counseling from Central Michigan University and D. Min. from Western Theological Seminary.  I have had a long-standing interest in the study and practice of hypnosis.  My Doctoral degree focuses on the relationship between hypnotic practices and spiritual direction.  I have provided my professional services in a variety of contexts over the years.  I have accumulated 22 years of experience as a church pastor, 25 years of experience as a counselor and psychotherapist and have recently made a couple of significant changes in my professional life.  I have returned to emphasizing the pastoral counseling, which has been part of my life for a very long time, and have sought training in the relatively new fields of life and spiritual coaching. In preparation for doing more coaching, I have obtained training in coaching from the Fowler Wainwright International Institute of Professional Coaching and have been trained by Kelly Burris in Subconscious Restructuring Coaching.  I have been involved in exploring mind-body issues through the Mind-Body Institute at Harvard University Medical School..  I hold my clergy standing with the United Church of Christ.  Most recently I completed the requirements to become a professional certified mBIT Master Coach and Trainer and had the privilege of training with Grant Soosalu, co-creator of the mBraining theory. I have been married for 61 years to a wonderful, supportive woman who humors my idiosyncrasies and is a great life partner.  I have published two books (available at Amazon): “Heresy Out Loud!” and “Authoring Your Own Life Script.” Both books are relevant to the mBraining concept and the Heresy book has a lengthy theological section in it which invites readers to consider the value of replacing many nouns in the theological lexicon with gerunds so that God becomes Godding, Human becomes Humaning, etc. This will help to respect the reality that verbs and nouns are processed differently in our head-brains–actually in different locations–and thus get us in sync with the idea that Divine reality, however you choose to label it, is an active force not a static “thing.” I write from a Christian perspective because that is my own history.  I deeply believe that there are many valid and important perspectives on the topics I am addressing.  I know that Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam, among others, offer helpful ways of dealing with the topics to which I am attending.  I feel I would be less than honest if I attempted to speak on behalf of those traditions even though I will from time to time offer quotations from these other traditions.  I also freely own the fact that many traditions within the Christian community will consider me to be a heretic.  If there is no heresy, there is only stultified orthodoxy which will very quickly be irrelevant to peoples’ daily living. Thoughtful heresy has the power to transform irrelevant statements of ancient truths.