Episode #33 feat. Chester Trocha (Encore)

What happens when a corporate executive caught in the rat race sits in silence by a pond and finally lets his guard down?

In this special encore presentation of Follow Me to the M-R-O-P!, host Brian Mueller brings back his very first conversation on the podcast with Chester Trocha. As Brian heads to the Illinois Men's Rites of Passage this week to stand with the men crossing the threshold, we revisit Chester's powerful 2012 initiation at Pilgrim Park. Chester, a co-convener for Illuman of Illinois, shares his journey of leaving behind the superficial containers of the corporate world to discover a deeper spiritual churning.

Guided by the wisdom of Weaver Belden Lane, Chester recalls the profound impact of intentional rituals, the beauty of a diverse council group featuring a Franciscan friar and a Mennonite minister, and the uncontainable joy that led him to buy coffee for a stranger on the drive home.

Episode Highlights

• The First Encounter: Reliving the very first episode of the podcast as a special encore presentation.
• Belden Lane's Wisdom: The incredible impact of nature, silence, and an authentic storyteller.
• Sobbing by the Pond: The overwhelming mix of emotions Chester experienced immediately after the rites concluded.
• The Starbucks Joy: Driving home and feeling an uncontainable happiness that spilled over to a stranger.
• The Slow Burn: How the rites initiated a slow spiritual churning that led to daily centering prayer and the CAC's Living School.

Links & Resources

• Brian Mueller (Host)
• BriansPoems.com
• Illuman MROP
• Choosing Presence (Sponsor)
• Practicing Presence App
• The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
• Adam's Return by Richard Rohr
• Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr
• Trust Stillness by Brian Mueller

Credits

• First and foremost, thank you to Chester Trocha for sharing his journey and his heart with us today.
• Thank you to Fr. Richard Rohr and the men of Illuman who have stewarded the Men’s Rites of Passage since 1996.
• Thank you to Jim Heaney and Jim Taylor for their dedication to Choosing Presence.

Music Credits:

• Slow Mo Dreams by Soundroll
• Becoming a Legend by Vens Adams