I’ve posted here before, but I want to get it in front of your eyes again: I have a newsletter! I’ve been struggling to figure out how to use it, but I think I’ve figured it out. I would love it if you would subscribe. In order to pique your interest, here is the first section of this week’s edition.

I’ve been trying to think for a long time now how I can use a newsletter. I love receiving newsletters; it’s the newest format of choice for a lot of thinkers I really like, and I love the freedom of it. Substack does a great job of hosting great voices, and has created a nice, clean platform for writing, sharing and getting feedback. As someone who strives to write online, I feel a lot of potential for this format.

At the same time, any one who reads my blog knows I’m not exactly prolific in writing; blogposts come in waves for me. I’ll pound out a week or two worth, then my mental energy needs a while to recover and build up material and passion again. So, my biggest struggle in finding a way to use the newsletter format has been two, interrelated questions: first, what am I going to write about here, that I’m not already doing on my blog or elsewhere; and second, what could I write about that would give me the passion and enough material to write often enough to make this worthwhile for someone to subscribe to?

I think I’ve finally found an answer to these questions.

I mentioned before that one of my favorite things on the internet is Alan Jacobs’ Snakes and Ladders newsletter. In it, he does a weekly update on things he is doing: what he’s working on, what he’s reading, what he’s been eating, etc. I love this little peek into the world of someone I greatly respect, and at times, these little reflections morph into longer thoughts about things. I love this feature, and I’ve decided to shamelessly steal it as the basis for what I am doing here.

Every week, in this newsletter, you will find a listing of what I’m calling “Status Updates”: a compendium of things I am writing, reading, watching, listening to, eating, drinking, learning, and a whole bunch of other verbs. These updates will be a jumping off point for longer reflections and ideas about things for me; the concrete nature of what I’m experiencing is a good way for me personally to organize and verbalize thoughts better than just randomly posting things on my blog, which is what I have been doing for the most part for the last five or so years.

These newsletters will run once a week, and they will likely be on the long side. I feel confident in this choice as an avid reader of Andrew Sullivan’s newsletter, The Weekly Dish, which often runs several thousand words in length, on a variety of topics. This has shown me, newsletters don’t necessarily need to be short and succint; they can operate as longer pieces that encourage deeper thinking and engagement.

I hope you enjoy reading these as much I have enjoyed putting this first one together. I would love engagement back to me, so please feel free to “Reply” and give me your thoughts on anything you read here. And of course, share as widely as you wish, and encourage others to subscribe as well! The more readers the better.

Thanks for reading, and again, please subscribe and share!

I’ve mentioned before, I have an email newsletter I sent out periodically, which collects my random thoughts and ideas, as well as updates on the things I am working on, reading, listening to etc. You should check it out! Even better, you should subscribe! It’s free, it comes straight to your email, its fun (I think.)

You can subscribe by clicking here. And here is a taste of today’s newsletter, with my favorite part: the status update. Enjoy, and subscribe!

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What I’m reading: Finished Salamandastron, so on to the next Redwall book (chronologically), Martin the Warrior. Still working through American Sphinx. And still on The Socialist Decision by Tillich, which was muddling along through the middle, but now is picking up rather well in part 3.

What I’m watching: Almost nothing, except for some news. Consciously making the effort to use all this time to read and write, rather than watch.

What I’m eating: That pizza bread was something else. Also, Tabitha made her delicious “Chex” mix yesterday, which you can read more about here.

What I’m playing: A little bit of Elder Scrolls Online, on the XBox. I’ve had it on the shelf for a a couple years, but have never given it a chance (which is strange for me, because I love all things Elder Scrolls.)

What I’m writing: I am definitely feeling the pull, after about 9 months away, into full theological writing again. Got a few things on the burners, and fingers crossed that I’ll make some good progress.

What I’m listening to: Removed The Pressbox from the blog roll, because it was, in fact, too much. Trying mostly to catch up on Ezra Klein, The Prancing Pony, and Homebrewed Christianity, after about two years away.

What I’m working on; Edits! Had a couple of friends reach out to me to read and edit some things, and I’ve really been enjoying that. Trying to find more of that kind of work to do!