April | 2025
Everything is parenting. Everything is formation.
I took a week off last week to officially transition between jobs and was reminded that staycations are far superior to so-called vacations with young children.
One of the things I got to do was take my oldest son, who is four, to a coffee shop, get a cappuccino for me and a vanilla steamer for him, and play Castle Panic (the kid’s version). It was raining outside while we were sipping our drinks and sending monsters to the dungeon inside. Four years isn’t really that long a time to be a parent, but it was one of those moments that I sort of imagined happening in my mind over the course of the first three years, but those kinds of things just weren’t really possible for all kinds of reasons.
Those first few years are a grind. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, but so much of parenting between birth and four is just keeping them alive. Three is sort of a transition year where they start to get their basic needs taken care of more and more and develop more of a unique personality that can relate to you. It wasn’t until my oldest turned four that I really felt like I was stepping into the phase of fatherhood that I imagined when I first found out we were having a son. That has been true in all of the best and all of the most challenging of ways.
There have been many times that have confirmed that, but there was something about the coffee shop and the drinks and the board game and the rain and even getting to talk with some old friends we haven’t seen in several years that was just one of those moments that made you stop and take it in and say, “Yes, this is it.”
This newsletter is the first in the new format that I mentioned a few weeks ago in light of my new role with Mere Orthodoxy. My hope is that this becomes a resource of helpful content for you as you journey through life and grow in your faith.
One thing you’ll notice pretty quickly is that parenting and technology are fairly recurring themes. Even things that are not directly related to those topics might be tangentially related just in how I’m thinking about them. There’s this quote from the old preacher Andrew Murray that rocked my world. He says, “What I am to make my child, I must first be myself.” So even when I’m thinking through things like work, finances, technology, education, theology, church, and more, there’s a large part of it that, yes, is personally edifying, but always with an eye toward how to parent my children.
I originally thought about writing a short paragraph for every link below. After I realized how many links I included, I decided not to. Sorry for my laziness here. Maybe I will get better at this in the future. I did, however, add a few notes to give some context for things.
This format is new for me, so I’d love your feedback. I really do hope this kind of roundup is beneficial for my audience in the absence of regular writing on here. I know many of these things may not seem to be related to deconstruction or spiritual formation on the surface, which are two of the main reasons people found this newsletter. But I hope you trust me that, in many ways, all of these things are related in one way or another. Sometimes, the best way to address those things is not to think of them directly, but to think about each individual thing connected to it from a million different angles. That’s what these lists will do.
With that, I hope you enjoy.
My Latest
Articles
To Go Forward, We Must Go Backward on Mere Orthodoxy
Interviews
When It Feels Like Your Faith Is Failing with Collin Hansen (Gospelbound)
The Inevitable Emptiness of Deconstruction with Paul Anleitner
Steward Your Story with What Would Jesus Tech?
Why Do Christians Deconstruct? with Liberty McArtor
Speaking
Amplify Conference at Wheaton College | October 21 & 22
My Book is On Sale
From The Bookshelf
The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life — Sahil Bloom
From what I can tell, this is the most popular new self-help book out right now, and for good reason. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but it pairs really well with something like 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I know self-help books get a bad wrap in Christian circles. I have a bit of a different take on it. I think every high school senior or college student should read this book. It isn’t perfect, of course. I could critique just as much as I would recommend it. But this is the sort of stuff your dad should have taught you but probably didn’t (unless your dad is Jon Tyson or someone like that).
On The Human Condition — St Basil the Great
Sorry about the cover. Great book though. It’s always worth diving into the church fathers.
“Rule the thoughts in yourself, that you may become ruler of all beings. Thus the rule we have been given over the animals trains us to rule the things belonging to ourselves.”
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? — Seth Godin
I read this book every time I start a new job. One of the most influential books on my life in terms of my career. That’s also just true of Seth Godin generally.
To Read
Technology for the American Family — Jon Askonas
Must read. His concept of the third oikos is already becoming a concept I’m thinking about a lot.
The Case for Changing the Scorecard in Education — Bob Thune
Why Christian Men Need Friendship, Not Just "Accountability" —
Samuel James finally saying what every man has wanted to say about accountability groups.
Steered by Spectacle: Jacques Ellul and the Illusion of Online Engagement — James Wood
This is actually related to Jon Askonas’ third oikos concept, and I completely agree with Chris.
Quaker Parents Were Ahead of Their Time — Gail Cornwall
‘Dramatic growth’ in young people attending church, Bible Society research finds — Church Times
Fascinating and insanely encouraging.
To Watch
Everything I Know About Writing With Al — David Perrell
This is the most important video on AI you’ll watch in a long time. It’s definitely on the techno-optimist side of things, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think David is directionally correct, if only about where society is going with AI, even if I’d be a couple clicks more hesitant than him.
Why Modern Women Feel More Lost Than Ever — Freya India
The headline is misleading. This really isn’t just about women.
is one of the most insightful voices on therapy culture and must be listened to. It boggles my mind she isn’t a Christian. Seems like only a matter of time.Adventure as Lasting Happiness — Arthur Brookes and Jordan Peterson
My theory with Jordan Peterson is that on his own he is almost impossible to listen to, but he has some of the best conversations with others. Pair that with the fact that Arthur Brookes is one of the most interesting people to listen to and you have an incredible conversation that would change most people’s lives if they took it seriously.
To Listen
‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of’ — Ezra Klein and Jonathan Haidt
I’ve listened to a lot of interviews with Jonathan Haidt, and this one with Ezra Klein is the best. Jaw-droppingly good. Really highlights how good of an interviewer Klein is, too.
Technology and Why Conservatism Failed — Jon Askonas and James Wood
A conversational intro to the longer Jon Askonas piece above. Might be a good idea to listen to this before you read the essay above.
The Great Novel That Almost Wasn’t — Collin Hansen and Allen Levi
My wife and I read this novel together, and it’s incredible. Stop-you-in-your-tracks beautiful. Highly recommend it.
Whew! 😅 My resource list just got longer! Thanks so much for all of this, can’t wait to dive in!
If this isn't the truth haha ---> "My theory with Jordan Peterson is that on his own he is almost impossible to listen to, but he has some of the best conversations with others."