Good Books, Excellent Speech, and a new bunk bed project

August 22, 2024

Friends, Since there is nothing interesting going on in the American political sphere, I thought I would fill your inbox with a few short personal updates....

A mini writing retreat, Not-a-Podcast, and Malcolm Guite's commencement address!

June 21, 2024

Hello, Friends! I took a couple of days away from the school this week to force myself to spend a few hours at a time working on Rhythms of Habit. The result...

Ash Wednesday 2024

February 14, 2024

Friends, On the evening of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the people of our nation—and many across the world—went to bed with a pit in their stomachs. The next...

Meet Bandit! Plus my new Covenant column and an update on Rhythms of Habit

January 24, 2024

Hello, Friends! Mostly through my own fault, the Jordans are a bit delayed in filling out our own family Bingo cards for 2024. You can download and print a...

In Praise of the Beautiful Game, and some early thoughts about AI

April 28, 2023

Hello, Friends! While much of my newsletter attention these past six months has been spent keeping Rhythms of Habit reasonably updated throughout the...

Introducing Rhythms of Habit!

September 10, 2022

Friends, While I am keeping this newsletter as a way of occasionally sharing fascinating things with you all, I am thrilled to introduce you to Rhythms of...

I just finished running every day for a year

March 14, 2022

Friends, Today I completed a 365 day run streak. I have run at least one mile per day for the past year. To mark the occasion, below are some initial...

Change your name, and fool the Angel of Death

January 1, 2022

Friends, As we head into a new year, two excerpts from things I’ve been working on are below: one from a recent sermon and one from an article published...

Leslie Odom, Jr. on the Holy Family

December 15, 2021

Friends, This newsletter is an ongoing attempt at slower, but still social media. For the past year or so, the emphasis has certainly been on the slow part....

Origin Stories, Human Dignity, and The Repair Shop

June 11, 2020

Friends, Origin stories tell us who we are as individuals, and who we are as a society. In other words, if you want to explain some of what you see in...

Breath

June 1, 2020

Friends, Yesterday I baptized our daughter. It happened on the Feast of Pentecost, after a night of protests, riots, and looting across the country. Those...

Update on Augustine Reading group PLUS another chance to read something together.

April 2, 2020

Friends, See below for an update on the Confessions of St. Augustine reading group and a chance to read yet another book together without scheduling yet...

Invitation: Confessions of St. Augustine Reading Group

March 29, 2020

Friends, You are invited to join me for a weekly discussion of The Confessions of St. Augustine. Sign-up now to be notified when the reading and meeting...

Today's Break: Christmas lights in the Jungle

March 18, 2020

Friends, The nation of Columbia has been home to one of the longest-standing guerrilla warfare conflicts in the world. For over 50 years, the FARC guerrillas...

Today's short break from the news: Old beauty, experienced afresh.

March 17, 2020

Friends, Today’s short break from the news is a beautiful flash mob performance of Ode to Joy. A few observations and favorite moments before you watch:...

A 15-minute break from the news that will heal your soul

March 16, 2020

Friends, It is worth pausing to consider that you have received dozens of emails about the virus from your church, schools, gym, movie theater, and local...

Welcome Billie Wynn Jordan! Plus saints who pierce their ears, one-star reviews of National Parks, and the monks of Silicon Valley.

March 9, 2020

Friends, There is a new addition to the Jordan family, one that has caused me to encounter a new modern-day saint. Plus, we take a look at the monks of...

Men without Chests, St. Augustine on Education, and an Ash Wednesday invitation

February 24, 2020

Friends, Seventy-seven years ago today C.S. Lewis delivered the first of three lectures that would eventually become The Abolition of Man. Tonight, CDA...

Church architecture & metaphysics, plus your phone might be using *you*

January 21, 2020

Friends, This time around we explore the link between metaphysics and architecture, with a little bit of help from a friend named Hans. (If that doesn’t...

Keeping Time and saving the Humanities

January 15, 2020

Friends, We embark on a quest to save the humanities, meet the slow watch, and I share about a workshop on classical education and Christian formation I am...

On Empires, Nations, and Vocation. Plus a living poet you need to meet!

January 8, 2020

Friends, This time around I share a slightly longer thought on Vocation, as well as some delightful words from Martin Luther about marriage. But first, have...

Moon Chapels, Hymn Madness, and a thought about Vocation

January 1, 2020

Friends, Happy New Year / Feast of the Holy Name! A little over one year ago, in tandem with the deletion of my social media accounts, I brought back this...

Prayer Books, Sunscreen, and a new new new Helvetica

May 20, 2019

Friends, It has been a minute, but this time around I share a fascinating sentence I recently read about the Book of Common Prayer, an article about how...

The Beautiful Game, Marie Kondo, and my new wardrobe.

February 4, 2019

Friends, This time around we hear a professor of literature explain the beauty of soccer, discover Marie Kondo’s one flaw, and find out why my wardrobe was...

Bingo in the New Year, Yo Yo Ma, and the Visual Commentary on Scripture

January 1, 2019

Friends, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a Happy Feast of the Holy Name to you all! This time around I share a great episode from the Song Exploders...

Social media that doesn't drain the soul, Christmas Eve services, and a word on John Grisham

December 20, 2018

Friends, This time around we explore a new social media experience that is designed not to drain our souls, and I share links to the now complete Nicene...

Two hours of great public radio, tools of the trade, and an upcoming ordination.

December 14, 2018

Friends, This time around I share about two hours of great Public Radio I experienced, a few of my favorite current tools, and some exciting personal news....

Bringing the Newsletter Back

December 10, 2018

Friends, Years ago, I started a newsletter. It was a fun project for a short season. I think there was some interesting content shared over the course of...