Aldea Spiritual Community

The Gravity of Gratitude | Jake Haber

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving we explore gratitude not as a performance or a forced positive attitude, but as a way of grounding ourselves like gravity. Gratitude does not ask us to deny pain, grief, confusion, or complexity. Instead, it gives us a way to hold joy and sorrow side by side, to remain tethered when life feels heavy or uncertain.
 
We reflect on how gratitude works like an internal algorithm that shapes what we notice in the world. Where our attention rests, our experience follows.
 
Join us as we delve into the grey, into nuance, into mystery. Gratitude is not the denial of complexity, but a way to meet it with open eyes and open heart. It is courage, grounding, and faith expressed through two simple words: thank you.
 
Quotes:
 
William James — The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human being can alter their life by altering their attitude.
David Steindl-Rast — Gratitude is the courage to acknowledge life in all its gifts — even the painful ones — and to trust that within every moment is an invitation to grow.
Brené Brown — Gratitude isn’t about the moment being good. It’s about the moment being sacred.
Meister Eckhart — If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
David Whyte — To feel grateful is to recognize the gift in what we cannot explain.
John O’Donohue — May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
 

If We Build It...(Part 5): THEY WILL COME | Jake Haber

We close out our "If We Build It…" series with a message about what happens when you take the risk to step out, answer the call on your life, and show up as your full self. When you do, people are impacted. They’re drawn into your orbit. They catch your vision. They are strengthened by your courage.
 
We explore who “they” really are: the ones who benefit when you stop shrinking, stop apologizing, and begin standing in the truth of who you are. We look at why Aldea exists, the kind of people we are uniquely positioned to serve, and why embracing our identity matters more than trying to please everyone.
 
This finale gathers all the threads of the series into three guiding statements that help anchor our purpose, our impact, and the deeper meaning of building something together. You’ll be invited to consider your own sphere of influence, the real lives your presence affects, and the future people who will one day find belonging because of what you (and we) build today.
 
Quotes:
 
Brené Brown: “Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It’s something to own. And when you own it, you open the door for others to do the same.”
Seth Godin: “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.”
Glennon Doyle: “You will be too much for some people. Those aren’t your people.”
Anne Lamott: “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
Fred Rogers: “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”
Tao Te Ching (Chapter 9): “Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.”
Clarissa Pinkola Estés: “Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but of reaching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.”
Marianne Williamson: “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
 

If We Build It...(Part 4): IT | Jake Haber

In this message, we explore the mysterious and powerful idea of “IT”... that inner pulse, purpose, or pull that each of us carries.
 
When we stop forcing everything to make sense and become still, real and raw emotions begin to surface. Our inner world starts pointing toward the things that matter most. Sometimes that shows up as joy — the things that make us feel alive. Sometimes as ache — the compassion, heartbreak, or outrage that reveals where healing or action is needed. And sometimes as curiosity — the questions that won’t leave us alone.
 
By paying attention to these three signals, we begin to live in alignment with our deeper calling rather than the expectations around us. We move with resilience, clarity, and a grounded sense of direction — not because we have the answers, but because we’re finally listening.
 
Quotes:
 
The earth seems to be beseeching us to connect with joy and discover our innermost essence. This is the best way that we can benefit others. — Pema Chödrön  
Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within. — Eckhart Tolle  
Let your heartbreak be your guide; it will lead you to what you most need to know. — Terry Tempest Williams  
A healer is someone who seeks to be the light that they wished they’d had in their darkest moments. — Alan Watts  
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. — Albert Einstein  
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. — Albert Einstein  
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves… Live the questions now. — Rainer Maria Rilke  
 

If We Build It...(Part 3): BUILD | Jake Haber

In this week’s message, we explore what it means to "build" - literally or metaphorically. Whether you’re building a relationship, a home, a community, or a dream, the process is universal.
We reflect on how building something meaningful often starts small and unseen. It requires commitment through the rain and shine, a willingness to keep going when it’s uncomfortable, and the imagination to see what doesn’t yet exist.
 
At Aldea, we’re rediscovering the sacred art of building together. A new way of being spiritual, of being community, of being human.
 
Quotes: 
 
“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day…. He was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
— Anne Lamott
The amateur believes they must first overcome their fear; then they can do their work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.” — Stephen Pressfield
 
“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.” — Carl Jung
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller
 

If We Build It... (Part 2): WE | Guest Panel

For the second installment of our series "If We Build It...", we called upon members of our community to share about moments in their lives where collaboration, interconnectedness, and belonging reminded them that "WE" is greater than "ME". 
 
Hear a collection of wonderful stories from Kathleen, Toni, Robyn, Glenn, and Roger.

If We Build It... (Part 1): IF | Jake Haber

Two letters can change everything. This first message in our new series explores the power of “If” — the thin line between fear and freedom, obligation and possibility.
 
We’re often taught to live under the weight of “must,” carrying expectations shaped by culture, religion, family, and fear. But “if” invites us into something different: curiosity, play, and co-creation.
 
This message weaves together the story of Aldea’s three-year journey of resilience, the spiritual and emotional power of living with open hands, and the courage to build without guarantees. It’s about shifting from control to trust, from obligation to love, and from rigidity to wonder.
 
As we step toward the future together, this is an invitation to experiment, to create, and to say yes to the unknown.
 
Quotes:
 
Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. — Søren Kierkegaard
You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free. — Thích Nhất Hạnh
Our culture teaches us to seek meaning in accumulation, but the hunger is never satisfied because what we crave is connection, not consumption. — Gabor Maté
Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
 

Discovering Your Internal Universe | Cody Deese

On Sunday, we were joined by Pastor and Author Cody Deese. His new book, Discovering Your Internal Universe, is a powerful and deeply personal exploration of his journey with anxiety—revealing how our greatest symptoms can often become doorways to our deepest inner truths.
Cody is also the pastor of Vinings Lake, a spiritual collective in Georgia whose journey mirrors Aldea’s in many ways. It was a gift to share space with someone walking a similar path of reimagining spiritual community with honesty, courage, and depth.
 
Purchase Discovering Your Internal Universe now:
https://a.co/d/hjBByg4
 
 

Growing Pains (Finale): Inviting Accountability | Jake Haber

Growth isn’t always graceful: it’s gritty, uncomfortable, and often asks us to face the gaps between who we are and who we want to be. For the series finale of "Growing Pains", we explore the role of accountability in real transformation...not as finger-pointing, but as an invitation to grow.
We’ll journey through cringe-worthy personal stories, "The Coldplay Incident", and honest reflections on how we resist being called out… and how we can choose to lean in to an accountability that is both deeply personal and profoundly communal.
 
When grace meets accountability, growth happens.
 
Quotes:
 
Truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. — Gloria Steinem
Without accountability, we drift; with it, we thrive. — John C. Maxwell
Accountability without compassion is cruelty. — Krista Tippett
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17
 

Growing Pains (Part 8): The Power Of Pruning | Jake Haber

Pruning is not just a gardening technique... it’s a profound spiritual practice. In this week’s message, we explore the deep wisdom behind letting go, saying “no,” and shaping a life that aligns with what truly matters.
 
From the necessity of cutting back, to the surprising freedom that emerges when we stop trying to “do it all,” pruning teaches us how to focus our attention, reclaim our energy, and make space for what’s next.
 
We talk about why society’s obsession with “more” often leads to burnout, how every meaningful “yes” is built on a thousand “no’s,” and how pruning isn’t a sign of failure...it’s a choice for growth, balance, and purpose.
 
This is about more than minimalism: it’s about living intentionally. Whether in relationships, work, spirituality, or purpose, pruning invites us into a deeper, more focused way of being.
 
Quotes:
 
“Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness and benefit.” — Buddha (Na Tumhaka Sutta)
“My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind.” — William James
 
 

Growing Pains (Part 7): Expanding Faith | Benjie Danquah & Jake Haber

Check out this in-depth and intimate conversation with Benjie Danquah - a speaker, coach, educator, and self-proclaimed mystic.
 
In our chat, Benjie is vulnerable and transparent about a faith that is continually evolving and expanding. We discuss what it means to be authentic even when it comes at a cost, and what it means to be a "mystic".