Loving THIS with Michael Gungor

Host Michael Gunger welcomes songwriter Dave Riffle to discuss the origin and meaning of the song "Be," and how it grew from a meditation into a shared hymn. The episode explores the Mystic Hymnal project and why group singing matters for connection, health, and spirit. They trace the history of communal singing, critique modern worship trends, and explain the three guiding qualities of the project—singable, kind, beautiful—while reflecting on silence, presence, and the simple power of "be."

In this episode Michael Gungor shares a personal 2010 story of spiritual crisis and a week of silence in Assisi that led to a profound breakthrough—dissolving into a sense of God, dancing on the hills where St. Francis preached, and feeling a deep, freeing presence.He connects that experience to the song "Remember," inspired by a letter from St. Clare, exploring themes of re-membering the present moment, the balance of emptiness and form (Om Namah Shivaya), reclaiming spiritual language, and the simple practice of resting in love and presence.

This episode is a continuation of the "Magnificat" series, where Michael Gungor does a deep dive on every song of his new Gungor album, Magnificat. This week's song: "This is Love". To understand this song fully, one must understand "Play"--an experiment in “worship 2.0” that mixes the sacred and the absurd, explains the song’s writing and production choices, and shares how the event fostered playful, healing community. Gungor also addresses the song’s potentially triggering religious language, invites listeners to sit with tension and healing, and encourages reconnecting with community through music and events.

Michael Gungor reflects on seeing three crosses with a political banner and uses the image to explore the song "I Am," the meaning of Jesus (Yeshua), the I AM mantra, and how religion and empire distorted a message of love. He combines musical behind-the-scenes, personal stories from the Mystic Hymnal retreat, and a call to return to the root of being and unconditional compassion.

Michael Gungor recounts a shamanic sexual healing retreat and explores the ideas behind his song "Like Hallelujah" from the album Magnificat.He argues for a third way between repression and indulgence—sacred sexuality as a guided life force—draws on Tantra and Christian mystics, and shares personal stories of healing and deprogramming religious shame.The episode closes with an invitation to deeper somatic and spiritual work through sessions and retreats.