Week 9 (2022)
small talk & built environments that foster friendship, attention vs. attending, Ukraine's Christians & a Church for the ages, safteyism, reading, and lent
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reading: books
Perelandra, C.S. Lewis — audio — This was my second time through, since it had been a few years.
reading: essays, articles, newsletters
Urban Planning Can Facilitate Friendship — Eve Tushnet, America: The Jesuit Review — Every paragraph could be it’s own essay! Especially thrilled she incorporates the urbanist & sociological writers Addison Del Mastro, Chris Arnade, and Strong Towns.
“The culture of a place that is facilitated by a mix of uses makes it easy for people to engage each other and encounter each other, either spontaneously or in a planned way. How do we create and introduce some of those charmed encounters, where human diversity is on full display, and make it easy to experience it?”Maybe we need to start by giving up some of the things we think we need. The features of cities that foster friendships most often involve the absence of many of the goods Americans value most: autonomy, control, safety, order and comfort… Pursuing these goods above the goods of community and solidarity has left us lonely and overwhelmed.”
Toward A New Building Culture — Austin Tunnel, Strong Towns — Keeping with the theme of our built environments… because our family’s in the market for a house (which comes with its own set of value-judgements of the where, what, and why of the places we live and the houses we live in.)
“Many new building materials and practices are good, and after all, most traditions were once considered modern. But we also do not want to throw out thousands of years of architectural innovation and progress. We want to build upon that foundation. We need to go back to the point where we were still building architecture that inspired, lifted the human spirit, and lasted millennia, and build upon those practices.”
Attending To The World — L. M. Sacasas, The Convivial Society (audio version available, and recommended!) — “Right now, I’m inclined to put it this way: our dominant technologies excel at exploiting our attention while simultaneously eroding our capacity to attend to the world.”
Christianity's Third Divorce — Elizabeth Bruenig, Plough — “That is, “deep church” means a set of truths about belief, worship, and action which remains constant for all Christians, everywhere and always. These truths, the authors argue, are the stars by which we can set our course, regardless of where we find ourselves in human history… even when that means taking deeply unpopular positions – it’s difficult to imagine a harder sell to the average millennial Christian than Saint Augustine on sexual morality. Like the ministry of Christ itself, the quest to recover a deep church is demanding but not violent, hard but not merciless – its essential purpose is the achievement of unity.”
Saints And Blesseds Of Ukraine — The Pillar — This was good for perspective, and for encouragement that the Christian tradition has endured so much for so long. A reminder of the countless believers (Catholic or Protestant) living faithful lives… through times of want and plenty, times of war and peace.
As Russia Invades Ukraine, Pastors Stay To Serve, Pray… And Resist — Jayson Casper, Christianity Today — “Bombs hit three infrastructure centers in his city. “Please pray for disciple-making in the country, safety for our people, and generosity in the midst of war,” Kulynchenko asked.”
On The First Anniversary — John D. Blase — A tender poem.
Small Talk Is Not Small — Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt, Plough — “Small talk is a fundamental practice of hospitality. We might not think of hospitality as something occurring away from home or something we carry along with us, but Jesus’ whole calling involved this kind of itinerant hospitality. Whether among strangers or friends, he welcomed his listeners with a recognition of their mutual context and a particular concern for their individual needs.”
Who Needs Reading? — Jessica Hooten Wilson, Ekstasis — “…a brief excursion into the tradition brings to light the reality of reading as one of the necessary spiritual practices for a Christian… Decades ago, Neil Postman warned us that we’d end up amusing ourselves to death.”
Breaking The Fever — Addison Del Mastro, The Deleted Scenes — Long, but worth it. (For context, he was an editor at The American Conservative, so these aren’t just the words of someone looking over at “those people”.)
“…many of the people who see COVID caution as safetyism also avoid many urban neighborhoods, or public transit, out of fear of crime—neighborhoods that many others love or at least find safe enough.
This is why it is meaningless to talk about the necessity of risk or little trials for the soul or tools like masks as symbols of this or that ideology. When the rubber meets the road, everybody is a “safetyist” for the things that scare them. Risk assessment and comfort level with risk is a deeply and indelibly personal and specific matter. “Safetyism” is a muddled abstraction that muscles out real discussion about particular risks and benefits.”
watching/listening
Ukraine And Russia — The Rest Is History — A sweep of their history, going back quite far.
America Is Afraid Of War. Putin Knows It. — Honestly — A look at the conflict as it relates to America’s relationship with war.
What Are Christians For? (with Jake Meador) — Mere Fidelity — Some food for thought, discussing themes in his new book.
Moms + Work: Episode 4 — Risen Motherhood — I found it helpful to hear the guest discuss her own life, and one example of what decision-making around work can look like over time. Appreciated their discussion of how the nuances of personal circumstances, finances, desire, capacities, children’s needs, familial/social support, and family vision all play a role in how income-producing work may evolve over the life of a family.
using: product, tip, resource
How To Successfully Start Seeds Inside — One of the many winter garden projects you could do. I ordered WAY too many flower seeds last year, and we moved to Wisconsin before I could see the ones I planted bloom. Now I’ve planted a few seeds in hopes that soon enough we will have our own place with more sunny windows, and space to plant them outside.
Giving — We had some extra money that needed to be donated. Spontaneous giving sprees are fun! (A reminder of the importance of regularly and sacrificially to both the work of whatever church you might belong to AND the mercy ministries, directly supported ministry workers, and organizations you care about and trust.) Including:
Local Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Still looking into where to give support in Ukraine. There’s an overwhelming number of good options doing various work. If you have suggestions, feel free to share below.
remembering
A Year Ago:
Our second week with newborn Lukas (and 14 month-old Ezra).
This Week:
Nursed Lukas for the last time, after 12 months of exclusively breastfeeding(!!!) Became a fan of cauliflower pizza crusts. Planted flower seeds. Prayed and cried over a family health situation that isn’t mine to share here, but took up most of my mental space this week. Listened to Joy Ike, Jonathan Ogden, and Leon Bridges. Met kind people at the church we’ve been going to. Got offered hospitality. Hope to return it to them and show it to others (like we did in our 700 square foot home on Long Island.) Went to our first house showing with the realtor. Gleaned some ideas for Lent from Jen, Claire, and Tsh.