Week 25 (2023)
dumbphones & Instagram the narcissist, Liz Bruenig, capitalism & family finances, tech & the hands of Jesus, givenness & the city's helpers
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reading: books
My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante — audio — I’ll probably continue the series, mostly for how emotionally charged she can convey moments in a friendship.
Maternal Body, Carrie Frederick Frost — paperback — Recommended by Elizabeth of Good News For New Moms. (Who had her own series on the Churching Of Women, a topic covered briefly in the book.) I loved learning bits about Eastern Orthodoxy, one of the 3 major branches of Christianity I am the least familiar with.
reading: essays, articles, newsletters
Is Instagram The Narcissist? — Annelise Roberts, Writing While Washing — “I hesitated to write this, it sounds so harsh - Instagram as an abusive narcissist. But it also feels true.”
(related: Tsh Oxenreider on Leaving Instagram, shared previously)
The Case For Ditching Your Smartphone — David Strunk, Mere Orthodoxy — “I suppose this essay will fall on mostly deaf ears. In which case I should have a realistic conclusion, so here goes: everybody needs a point at which they say ‘no’ to tech inevitability.”
The Holy Hands Of Jesus — Denise Trull, Theology Of Home — “He hauled in nets with his hands, he raised Lazarus with those hands through which such power had come out. He cast out devils with a flourish of those hands and gave back sons, cured, to the arms of their fathers. He calmed the raging sea and pulled a terrified, dripping Peter from the waves with his hands. He gave a little girl back to her heartbroken parents - raised to life with the very hands which in turn wiped their tears away.”
How To Write Beautiful Stories About Hideous Things — Elizabeth Bruenig w/ Yi Ning Chiu, Ecstatic — “Well, writing is what I can do. God makes butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers. And I was minted out as a writer.”
(related: Liz Bruenig, Fleming Rutledge, and Matthew Lee Anderson discussing The Politics Of Forgiveness, shared previously)
Enchanted Capitalism — Eugene McCarraher, Plough — “Fixating on material progress evidences a failure of moral imagination.”
What Happened To Capitalism? — Oren Cass, American Compass — “The decision to form a family and raise children is not a consumption choice—an experience, to be weighed against a nice vacation or more time for gardening. It is the basic obligation of life and citizenship, incurred by virtue of having been born and raised oneself… A capitalism that avows neutrality on the importance of this pursuit compared to others, rather than holding it up as the highest good, has no future, and does not deserve one.”
(related: Ivana Greco on Supporting American Homemakers and Reframing Family Policy, Grace Olmstead on the Strangulation Of The American Family, shared previously)
Above Clay Land — Sarah Horgan, Ekstasis — “…Sacasas explains that technology has the potential to profoundly influence our perceptions of the world. Certain technologies encourage us to perceive our bodies as things we can control and transform.”
The Peace Of Parenthood — Jamie Boulding, The Public Discourse — “It is peaceful not in the contemporary sense of freedom from discord (did I mention twins?). Rather, parenting is peaceful in the deepest meaning of the term, which is when we understand, embrace, love, and find joy in one another as gift.”
You Can Believe Your Own Eyes — Emma Durand-Wood, Strong Towns — “But I also see signs of resilience, dedication, and hope…”
Here Are 8 Great Worship Artists Beyond Hillsong, Bethel, And Elevation — Katelyn Beaty, The Beaty Beat — I have to add Poor Bishop Hooper. They recently completed a project, Every Psalm. And their rendition of Come Ye Sinners, Poor And Needy has recently burrowed itself inside me. It’s beautiful.
watching/listening
The Commonplace with Autumn Kern — Twaddle vs. Living Books — Starting from the beginning of her work, and will slowly work through all episodes. I prefer doing this with creator’s episodic work sometimes, like making your way through a book. You get a more well-rounded view and appreciation of a person’s work as opposed to one-off episodes… which have their place!
I first heard about her from Tsh’s newsletter a while back, and she recently had Autumn on the podcast talking about switching to a dumbphone. Food for thought to pair with the above essay on ditching your smartphone.
Continuing On:
Verity with Phylicia Masonheimer — Episodes 91-92 — Satisfaction in God & Biblical Repentance
100 Days Of Dante — Purgatorio, Cantos 32-33
And to conclude the canticle, A Conversation On Purgatorio.
using: product, tip, resource
Theotokos Poem Poster — I’ve had this large poster print for a while, but sharing it now as it relates nicely with the Maternal Body book mentioned above! And because I finally got a magnetic frame hanger for it. (Still slowly putting up art and photos in this house. Everything takes a while these days!)
Front Porch Republic Conference — My husband snagged us tickets after I mentioned it would be less than an hour away from us. They do allow people who are sadly front-porch-less (us).
remembering
One Year Ago:
Two Years Ago:
This Week:
Haley, thanks for sharing a couple different essays about leaving Instagram. Especially the Born of Wonder one. I found myself nodding along with every word. I realized over a year ago now that if a life event wasn’t captured or in some way alluded to on social media, it was like it was invalid or unfinished in some way. (Pics or it didn’t happen). And no wonder. I’ve been logged in since 2012, pretty much, and every significant event of my life since high school graduation (along with a ton of events not that signifiant) have shown up on the ‘gram. I read these essays and finally took the plunge. I want my brain back. I want to read more and really sink in to a challenging book. I want my kids to see less scrolling. I want to make photo albums. I want to keep in touch with dear friends in a more thoughtful, intentional way. I want to spend online time more fruitfully (Substack, or excellent food blogs, or Goodreads). I want to make peace with the fact that I cannot keep and capture everything and it’s futile to try, and it’s the Lord who holds all things together. In short, goodbye Facebook and Instagram, I have a life to live!
(I’m aware this probably sounds so silly to anyone who’s not a Millennial woman, but the addiction, the hold these apps have on us, is real!)
I know that turtle! As a Madisonian, what a lovely surprise to realize these thoughts and notes I enjoy reading are from someone I could run into in my regular life. I love that. Thanks for sharing!