Week 4 (2025)
dependency & losing home, healthy & strong female bodies, education's purpose, credentialism & bullshit jobs
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to read: books
The Towers Of Trebizond — Rose Macaulay — Loved.
Thanks to
for recommending this one:“The person who originally gave me the book read it and she became a Christian. I think you need to be a very particular kind of person to read this and become a Christian…” (Chuckling after the fact, because this is quite true.)
From this obscure conversation I found, which was thoroughly enjoyable:
“The book describes how losing God is like losing our most intimate companion, losing a lover... and the ache of that loss.”
“There’s a difference between what she discovers in Jerusalem—which she calls a cruel city—and yet a city that points to what we might call philosophical issues… then when she gets to Galilee there’s a much more personal faith.”
Natural Law: A Short Companion — David VanDrunen — Thoughts.
to read: essays, articles, newsletters
Educating Hands For Human Flourishing? Or Economic Growth? —
, Front Porch Republic — “Even “human flourishing,” an ideal for which I believe industrial educators would have said they were all working, is not a clearly agreed upon concept. Does it come through the integration of an individual’s faculties and growth in virtue? By the cultivation of a sharp mind? By fitting a student to their economic environment? What is education for?”On Not Being A Cubicle Monkey —
& , The Savage Collective — “Pointless jobs are what we hate, not work itself.”The Strange Online Kerfuffle About Work —
, Stuff I’m Thinking About — “My own misgivings about this entire online debate revolve around the ignored presumption, made by the resumè proponents, that degree holders are ipso facto skilled… Credentialism eclipses genuine interests whenever your concern for an impressive resumè outweighs your concern for your actual skills.”(related: Addressing The College Credibility Crisis, Schools For Philosopher-Carpenters, ’s Repository, ’s Humanities Grad School discussion, shared previously — plus wisdom from )
Wisdom From The Ashes: A Family Reflects On Losing Their Home —Noelle Mering, Theology Of Home — “After the initial pain and shock, the next hardest part comes a year or two later when everyone forgets what happened but you’re still wrestling with it. Finding ways to help even much later is nice.”
- , The Dispatch — “But no human person has ever fully possessed bodily autonomy, and the legal right to destroy the body cannot make this aspiration achievable. Opposing euthanasia begins with care for the weak, but it ultimately depends on simply telling this truth about the human person.”
(discussion here)
It's Good That You're Alive — Jamie Gillies, First Things — “Every single one of us has been or will be a “burden” on others.”
(related: The Lost Art Of Dying (book), The Cultural Roots Of Our Demographic Ennui, What Is Medicine For?, Bring Back Hippocrates, The Dark Kenosis Of Medical Education, and euthanasia/assisted suicide/end of life here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, shared previously)
Why The “Weaker Sex” Should Hit The Gym —
, — “I’m not looking to blame anyone for my own negligence here, but it is somewhat remarkable how I barreled into the life of open-to-life Catholic mom without reflecting at all on the physical demands… What I learned over those years was that the entire maternal enterprise is saturated in raw physicality”(thanks to vouching for and sharing this free prenatal program… also eyeing the 12 week postpartum plan)
Rhymes — J.C. Scharl, Ekstasis —
“but no rhyme left to offer except yours—
this weary body, quiet now like hers.”- , Fertile Faith — “If you suspect you have PMDD, here are some facts to assist you in receiving a diagnosis… In the meantime, when you find yourself in that deep, dark place of despair — ask God to be with you.”
(related: more from her on progesterone’s importance and using it to treat one common root of postpartum depression, shared previously — also, locusts)
to watch, listen to
The Iceberg Of Traditional Christianity ...And Where Things Get Weird — Sorry, but this video is kinda hilarious. And perceptively wise. Give this guy a medal. “Let’s take a breath, let’s come up for air here… I’m glad we’re interested in these things… but let’s get some perspective, sign off the internet for a minute.” (This guy spent a whole year doing his darndest to dive into Catholicism from a low-church background a few years ago, so he’s run the gamut and knows the meme well.)
Continuing On:
Black & Red All Over: A Classic Confessing Anglican Podcast with Steven Wedgeworth & Richard Tarsitano — Articles of Religion (Pt. 2) — Discussing Articles 9 and 10 (Original Sin and Free Will)
The Natural Womanhood Podcast with
& Cassondra Moriarty — Season 2, Episode 7 — The "Third Way" for Sex EducationWoven Well Podcast with
— Episodes 33-34 — Client Story: Anna (Young, Single) and Is Contraception A Faithful Choice for Christians?related, shared previously, and found in the compilation linked below:
Evangelical Sex vs. Catholic Sex (Emily Hess) Christians Rejected Contraception For Centuries / Just Wait Until You're Married. Then All Bets Are Off! / Seeking Control (Caitlin Estes)
The Question Of Vasectomies (Matthew Lee Anderson) *Astounded by the responses he recently shared from this panel over here in this paywalled post. A clearly grieved “deeply immoral” received with a surprised “oooo!” surrounded by a giggling, cavalier, and/or ambivalent majority pretty much sums up the unserious and inconsistent ethical landscape regarding matters of the body among Christians. Though authority functions differently in Protestantism, having consistent moral teaching on practical matters of sexuality and procreation in clear, authoritative writing is often enviable. On its own, however, it is clearly insufficient for receptive and faithful practice of the virtue of chastity (to-be-read) within marriage… as well as understanding the dignity of the body-soul unity enough to resist the allure of degrading artificial reproductive technologies. Appreciate all the input in that discussion.
Contraception: A Symposium (First Things) A History Of The Protestant Debate Over Contraception and Lambeth On Contraceptives (Touchstone)
On Couples Saying "We're Done" () Birth Control And The Purpose Of Marriage: Part 1 + Part 2 + Part Final (Shelby Arnette) So, Are You Done? () Surrendering Your Fertility And Family Size To God () How Many Do You Want? () The Rest Of The Story ()
(more resources on female embodiment in the Big Ol' Compilation)
to glean from: tip, product, resource
Thanks to
vouching for and sharing this free prenatal program. Also eyeing the 12 week postpartum plan. Since my entire family came along to the sports store for me to purchase some needed gear, there’s no backing out now without a little healthy shaming.This Musical Rendition of Psalm 23 — From one of the best.
I felt SO SEEN by the "weaker sex" piece, and have also found exercise to beat out medication in managing anxiety. I know you and the author of that piece both have boys, but I'd love to know how moms of girls are thinking and talking about this. I've noticed that my tween daughter no longer gets a reasonable baseline of exercise through "play" as my teenage son still does, and it makes me very curious about how mental health in young girls is impacted just by no longer having regular, low-key movement in their days- if they're not in sports, which are often getting pretty competitive at that age and can introduce all kinds of other pressures, it's really easy for them to just not have very much activity. Combine that with an increased tendency to ruminate and you suddenly have a not-great mental state...
That Iceberg of Traditional Christianity video was a gem! I just watched another of his and will have fun slowly going through them. My church's Sunday school class is church history right now & I'm learning so much (grew up nondenom evangelical so have a lot of gaps to fill 😅).