Your Simple List for May 2018
This is your Simple List.
T R U T H ::
Writing this newsletter has been like trying to jump on a spinning merry-go-round — I want to send it out the last weekend of the month but I keep missing it as it whizzes by…February…March…April...
The thing is: I don't think you really care that much about when it comes or if it doesn't regularly. I think I should stress less about it, too.
And the other thing is: it's a Simple List — let's keep it simple and listy.
In the season of life I'm currently in, my interests are towards the literary search for truth, goodness, beauty, and the growth that comes from those things. What I share here will hopefully be of interest to you, but if you find yourself disinterested feel free to unsubscribe! No hard feelings.
However, if you are interested in what I share and know others who might be, please pass this email along to them.
Here’s what I’m currently reading:
I mentioned on the blog that I am putting together a plan to create my own Homeschool MFA, and most of this reading is because of that goal.
The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse. It’s hilarious, witty, and absurd. Perfect. I’m reading along with the Close Reads Podcast and enjoying their discussions of the book week-by-week.
Poem-a-Day podcast (listening) and Louis L'Amour’s Smoke From This Altar (a collection of his poems).
The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers. This is not catching me like I think it should, but I need to devote regular time to it; I think that will help. When I get too many books going at once, there is always one that gets more attention than the others and it’s probably not fair to the other authors.
The Christian Imagination, edited by Leland Ryken. This is a collection of essays from JRR Tolkien, Frederick Buechner, Annie Dillard, George MacDonald, Francis Schaeffer, and others. I’ve had it for years and read parts of it, but my goal now is to read an essay a day-ish. I love the insights on imagination and literature -- so many great quotes.
“In God’s economy, the writers of the Bible did not have something better to do with their time and ability than to be artistic to the glory of God.” - Leland Ryken
G O O D N E S S ::
The Perks of a Play-in-the-Mud Educational Philosophy - "Today’s kids are growing up at a moment when American childhood—like much of American life—is increasingly indoors and technologically enhanced. Families spend more time indoors and on screens. Smartphones have warped the teenage experience. Perhaps as part of reaction to those trends, the United States is witnessing a budding movement to reintegrate childhood with the natural world."
Walking Through Difficulties When We'd Rather Go Around Them - "In this season of life, there is no around or over or under–there is walking through with the wisdom and the power of Holy Spirit as my companion. And like muscle memory, my soul remembers what this felt like and how it leaves a mark, but how vibrant and alive and triumphant I will feel on the other side of this adventure.”
B E A U T Y ::
Sundays - "We must worship, and we must indulge in God’s good earth, and we must rest. This is a feast. These are our liturgies. It is all of a whole: one life, one God, one grand and beautiful day.”
The Danger of Neglecting Beauty by Russ Ramsey. "When we neglect the pursuit of beauty, we neglect pursuing one of the primary qualities of God"
FROM THE BLOG:
When Your Life Needs a Review - May your margins be wide enough for this sort of review, friends.
What I put in My Notebooks and Why - What might you be missing out on by not writing things down?
Everything God Controls - We need a slow and steady soundtrack, a voice like butter, to remind us to breathe, to rest, to live.
The Power to Think Comes From Words - If our power to think is only as strong as our words, then this really is dangerous business, indeed.
The Epiphany of Small Things - Sometimes a small tweak in the way you've always done something can make a big difference.
Thanks for joining me. If you ever have a question, suggestion, or something you'd like to share with me, please hit "reply" and send your thoughts my way.