Essays

My long-form and short-form essays are a working out of my attention on the page. These are ideas on spirituality, creativity, culture, books, art, and whatever seems worth exploring.

More About Ryan

"Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love. Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer."

-Simone Weil

1000+

24+

Published books

Podcast + Substack subscribers

Dr. Ryan J. Pelton | Writer · Pastor · Spiritual Director

I've spent most of my life obsessed with one question:

"What does it mean to pay attention and be faithful in our generation?"

That question has shaped everything — twenty years of pastoral ministry, twenty-plus books, a podcast, and the spiritual direction work I do now with writers, creatives, and leaders. I don't think I'll ever fully answer it. But I keep showing up to it.

I'm an ordained pastor, a spiritual director, and a writer who believes God shows up in the most unexpected places — in art, in music, in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday. That conviction is what The Art of Paying Attention is built on.

A few other things worth knowing:

• I married my high school sweetheart. We've been at it for 25 years, and have four kids and one dog named Milo.

• I've written 24+ books — fiction and nonfiction — on grace, faith, and the creative life.

• I founded and pastored New City Church in Kansas City for 15 years.

• In the summer of 2024, I moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles.

• I once placed seventh in the Junior Olympics for fencing. Yes, really.

25+

Years experience

What I Believe

Grace doesn't wait
for the right moment.
Neither should you.

The gospel insists grace is everywhere — not just in sanctuaries and Sunday sermons, but in a three-minute song that breaks you open, a film that names something you couldn't, a Tuesday morning over coffee with a friend.

The art of paying attention is learning to see what's already there.

Where to start?

Grace meets you wherever you begin. Here are a few ways I help people find grace in unexpected places.

THE PODCAST

Each week Ryan explores where grace shows up when you least expect it — in interviews, solo reflections, and deep dives into culture, faith, and the creative life.

THE WRITING

Weekly essays on paying attention — what grace looks like when you slow down enough to notice. I write here on the blog, Substack, and Medium where I share tips for writers/creatives.

Soul care for writers and creatives — hearing God, finding rest, getting your voice into the world.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

THE BOOKS

I've written 23+ fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of genres. Check out my author page.

THE SPEAKING

Bringing the message of grace in the ordinary to your church, retreat, or conference.

A course on writing your first novel, or tenth in 45 Days or less. And, more to come.

THE COURSES

Grace notes, every week.

Weekly essays on paying attention — what grace looks like when you slow down enough to notice it. On Substack alongside the podcast, free to read.

My Latest Book

Leaving Arrow Rock (Fiction, 2024)

Leaving Arrow Rock is a gripping exploration of addiction, redemption, and the often unseen struggles of those seeking a second chance. Roger "Wilks" Wilkins works with a program that helps clergy and religious leaders transition back into society after serving prison sentences. In 1988, he’s assigned to Joe Campbell, a former pastor just released from an eight-year stint at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.

Joe's new home, the Lighthouse—a halfway house and rehab facility—is his stepping stone to freedom. But adjusting to life outside proves more difficult than expected. As Wilks and Joe develop a tentative friendship, Wilks struggles to reconcile the man he sees with the past Joe left behind. When Joe hints at his possible innocence, everything shifts. Is the past behind him, or will it unravel the fragile hope he's built?

Through themes of grace, addiction, and the weight of past mistakes, Leaving Arrow Rock asks hard questions: Does society offer second chances? Can faith and forgiveness extend to those society deems irredeemable? In a world where grace is often conditional, Joe’s story forces us to confront the messy, complicated reality of what it means to be forgiven.

I truly appreciate Ryan's commitment to helping other writers succeed. Not only is the course incredibly informative from a practical standpoint but is also full of wisdom, motivation and encouragement.

Quinn N.

★★★★★

A Message from Ryan

Hey friend,

If you've found your way here, something probably brought you. A restlessness. A creative project that won't leave you alone. A sense that God might be closer than you think — and in stranger places than you expected.

You don't need a louder life. You need a more attentive one.

Grace is already moving in your ordinary — in your work, art, questions, and the still places. The invitation is simply to slow down long enough to notice.

That's what this place is for. Whether you start with the podcast, the writing, spiritual direction, or just a single essay — welcome. There's no wrong door.

Your most attentive life? It starts right here.