Hey, I’m Jonas.

I am a writer living in the fog-drenched redwoods of Aptos, California.

I also happen to be an ordained Lutheran priest.

For a long time, I tried to categorize what I do. But I’ve learned that good writing—whether it comes from the sofa or the pulpit—doesn’t come from a job title. It comes from a life deeply (albeit imperfectly) lived. And pondered. And questioned. And… Accepted. In all of its complexity.

Why “Along the Way”?

I named this publication Along the Way to be purposefully vague. It is not a niche blog. It is not strictly a “Christian” blog, or even a “spiritual” one.

It simply follows me... well, along the way.

Sometimes that path leads into the sanctuary of the church, where we deal with ancient texts and heavy questions. But often, it leads into the local overpriced grocery store I’m in a toxic, co-dependent relationship with here in Aptos, CA.

The Backstory (or, How I Got Here)

For over twenty years, I lived in the vast, unscripted space outside the church. I spent years running from the “cigar-chewing accountant god” I was sold growing up.

I worked in golf course management (yes, I was a golf pro, but NOT a PGA Tour Pro; there is a big difference) and other customer service roles. Then as a direct marketing copywriter and blogger. I was a seeker of “high-vibe” spirituality, and a professional observer of the human experience. I spent a decade writing one of the most-read spirituality blogs on Medium, searching for the “secret” to life. I even ventured a little ways towards ministry in the New Thought movement via the Center for Spiritual Living.

This is where things get a little weird (and where I might lose the heresy hunters):

During that time, my “gateway drug” back to Jesus wasn’t a sermon or a church service. It was a dense blue book in the ‘metaphysical’ aisle of the bookstore called A Course in Miracles.

While the theology of ACIM is certainly different from the Lutheran Confessions (though there are stark similarities!), it introduced me to a Jesus who wasn’t angry, punitive, or disappointed in me. It kept the candle flickering until I was ready to find Jesus in the sanctuary again.

Though I still consider myself a student of ACIM, eventually, I burned down the "manifest your reality" career and found my way back to the "bells and smells" of ancient Christian liturgy and contemplative spirituality. I found a home in a tradition1 that is expansive enough for my doubts and earthy enough for my actual life.

Even though I’m a priest now, I still don’t speak “Christianese” particularly well.

What You’ll Find Here

I write about things like:

• The Sacred in the Mundane: Finding God not just in the Eucharist, but in the confusing, messy, beautiful reality of raising a pre-teen, keeping the spouse married to me, and paying a mortgage (wait, or is that just me?).

• Amateur Depth Psychology and Enneagram: I am not a licensed therapist (legal disclaimer!), but I am a student of our inner landscapes. I’ve been a student of the Enneagram and MBTI for over ten years (I register as a 9w1 / INFP if you’re into that kinda thing). I lean on thinkers in that realm to help us make sense of our shadows, our contradictions, and why we do the things we vow we won’t do (Romans 7).

• The "Heretical" Stuff: I openly discuss my history with A Course in Miracles and woo-woo spirituality. It’s a big part of my story and I know God can use it. I get a lot of emails from Christians who are secret students of the Course but feel they can’t talk about it. Here, we talk about it.

• Digital Sanity: How to remain human in a machine world. We’re drowning in notifications, comparison, and the relentless pressure to “scale.” I write about unplugging, slowing down, and reclaiming our attention from the algorithm.

• Honest Faith: Moving away from apologetics and toward a faith that can survive the acids of modernity—and the messiness of actual life.

• The Unspoken: I might share a sermon here and there, but mostly, this is where I share the things I wouldn’t say in the pulpit, sometimes for fear of tar and feathering:)

Who is Jonas?

I have no idea. But when I’m not writing here or serving my parish, you can often find me:

• Sipping coffee on the porch with my wife, Alex, trying (but failing) to solve the world’s problems.

• Playing really bad golf (like I said, I used to be a pro in a past life, and though I’m awful now, I do still enjoy the game).

• Moonlighting as a personal Uber driver for my pre-teen daughter, Rory.

• Getting purposefully lost in the Forest of Nisene Marks—because nothing says “spiritual practice” like questionable trail choices.

One more word about the “Christianity Thing”

Please know this: I am not here to convert you.

I am not God (thankfully). I am just a guy trying to plagiarize Jesus, Luther, and maybe a little John O’Donohue.

The way I see it, faith isn’t about being “right.” It’s about trusting that, as battered and busted as we all are, we are insanely loved at the core of our being. The Gospel is the great cosmic leveler.

I promise not to take myself too seriously here. Being able to laugh at the human in the mirror—and the life that human gazes out on—is a mark of the Spirit.

If you’re a seeker, a skeptic, or just someone exhausted by life in our accelerating world... pull up a chair. And subscribe while you’re at it so you get my work in your inbox when it’s hot off the digital press.

Grace & Godspeed,
Jonas