Friends,

We are halfway through our fall Book of Common Prayer class, and I am excited to announce two new Spring Living Room classes on offer next semester!

But first: Beautiful custom ornaments, made with love.

Viv is taking a limited number of hand-lettered ornament orders this week and next. If you are looking for a gift or something for your own tree, reach out to her today: hello@vivjordan.com!

You can pickup from our house, arrange a local drop-off, or she can ship.

Thinking about Slow Productivity

I am reading Cal Newport’s latest book, mostly because of its subtitle. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout.

About halfway through the book, I have already started to shift my thinking and have adopted a few practices. Below is an excerpt from the introduction about Carlo Petrini’s Slow Food movement that arose, in part, to a 1986 attempt by McDonald’s to open a restaurant in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome.

There’s a personal satisfaction in grimly pointing out the flaws in a system, but sustainable change, Petrini came to believe, requires providing people with an enjoyable and life-affirming alternative. Petrini didn’t simply write a sharply worded op-ed about the corrupted forces of McDonald’s, he instead promoted an appealing new relationship with food that would make fast food seem self-evidently vulgar.

It is probably more accurate to say that Petrini was trying to rediscover and recover an old relationship with food rather than promote a new one. But the point stands.

Those of us looking to do similar things in the world of education, technology, and the church can probably learn from his approach.

Spring Living Room Classes: Register today!

These intimate Living Room classes generally cover some of my favorite things I have taught in the school and in the parish over the years.

Two Spring classes are now open for registration! A third—aimed at preparing you to fully enjoy the 2026 World Cup—is in the works…

Here there be Dragons

• 3 class sessions with light required reading in between.

• In-person and Virtual options available

History of Christian Traditions

• 2 classes with no homework

• In-person only

You can read more details below and register starting today!

Spring Class Pricing

• $100 for Here there Be Dragons (In Person or Virtual, 3 Classes)

• $100 for History of Christian Traditions (In Person, 2 Classes)

• $150 for access to BOTH

• Register here: https://form.jotform.com/253384584319163

Here There Be Dragons (In-person and Virtual)

In-person Dates: The first Mondays of February, March, and April (February 2, March 2, and April 6). 8pm-9:30pm

Virtual Dates: The third Mondays of February, March, and April (February 16, March 16, and April 20) 8pm-9pm

A three-part introduction to classical moral theology cleverly disguised as a reading course about dragons. This is an accelerated version of a course I am teaching Logic School students on Fridays this year. Light outside reading required between sessions, mostly comprised of selections from C.S. Lewis and Friends.

Please select In-person or Virtual when you register so that I know who to expect where. All in-person students will also have access to the Virtual classes - a great way to make up a missed class!

The course includes three lectures and class discussions spread out over the semester, with time to complete assigned reading in between.

All reading selections will be provided as PDFs for the course.

History of Christian Traditions (In-person)

In-person Dates: Sunday, January 25 and Sunday, February 8. 8pm-9:30pm

An Anglican, a Presbyterian, and a Baptist walk into a bar. But where did they all come from?

Join us for a two-part overview of the history of Christian traditions and denominations. You will leave with a renewed appreciation for the church throughout the ages, and a richer understanding of the history and strengths of your own Christian tradition.