Random? (Not So Random)

Mark Nepo describes the original meaning of random as “the instant a horse at full speed has all four hooves off the ground.” Random implies—suspended midair, defying gravity for a fraction of a second. Originally, random meant unbridled passion, full tilt, full send. A life given over completely to God—no half-measures, no calculated caution. Just lift.

Ever had one of those moments where you think, You can’t make this up? This is not random. This is being caught up in a stunning orchestration of love and grace. It’s recognizing the people and places that ooze Mystery, that whisper of the endlessly knowing One who is Love. And when you see it—really see it—stunning is an understatement.

So there I was, leading a retreat for an ecumenical group of clergy in northern Michigan. My job? Introduce them to Enneagram Harmony and spiritual formation. As always, I set the table with words from the great cloud of witnesses—voices from every faith tradition—because if this work isn’t for everyone, what are we even doing?

Here’s where things got wild. Just a week earlier, I had been teaching my spiritual direction students about the Enneagram and the Dark Night of the Soul—cue St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, both Carmelites, masters of holy abandonment and deep interior work. So, naturally, who do I meet on this clergy retreat? A Carmelite monk.

What??? You can’t make this up.

Random, indeed.

Brother Mike.

Have you ever met someone whose presence is so still, so anchored, that they don’t just influence the room—they claimit?

Meeting Brother Mike was like walking into a monastery without doors. He was a living threshold into silence, a presence that didn’t just invite calm—it was calm. And let’s be honest: in a world where collective anxiety spreads faster than a TikTok trend, we need people like that. We need spaces that quiet the noise, relationships that don’t add static but absorbit.

Because the point of silence isn’t just the absence of noise. It’s the presence of something else. Someone else. The One whose voice transcends our own.

Friends, we need silence—within us and between us. We need solitude and community that anchor and still the storm of anxiety, shame, and rage perpetuated by ungrounded souls.

So—how are you calming the inner and outer chaos?

And how are you watching for Random? (Not so random.)

Join Us in June

You can join us in June for four days of Random with the Enneagram Harmony Model—deep dive, full send.

Click here to work toward certification or simply retreat for your soul’s sake. Either way, expect lift.

*The Book of Awakening: Having the life you want by being present to the life you have.