“Reading Scripture isn’t simply a matter of acquiring new information, together with some pious inspiration. Rather, a faithful reading of Scripture is to be nothing less than a training ground for lives of justice. If our reading of an ancient text like Romans doesn’t deepen our lives and our habits in a way that makes us more proficient, more practically competent in lives of justice, then it isn’t a reading of Scripture at all!”

I like this passage from the book I’m reading, Romans Disarmed, by Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh, because of the idea of how reading Scripture is a key part of shaping our lives and habits in a way that seeks justice. The common way many people approach Scripture is to read it like we would any other text: as a purveyor of knowledge, albeit a unique kind of knowledge perhaps. But the reading of Scripture is something different than just reading a book. Scripture should be read and understood in a way that produces a material change in the way you live. The power of the words of Scripture are their ability to reorient our lives towards God, and thus towards love, mercy and justice. It’s not a list of rules, of do’s and don’ts, of how to avoid sin and thus hell. To treat Scripture that way is to not give it the respect it deserves.

As I’ve documented over on my Substack, I love good prestige television, as well as content from the major IP universes – Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Game of Thrones, Dune. I’m not really big on movies, but I watch a lot of tv. That’s probably something I’ll reflect on in these daily diaries, as I watch things. So, I wanted to just note a view things I am currently watching, or have watched recently.

First, on right now is three main things: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, on Disney+; Dune: Prophecy, on Max; and Silo, on Apple+. I am really enjoying all three of these a lot. I binged through the first season of Silo over the last two weeks in preparation for the new season, and was sucked in immediately. Skeleton Crew had it’s two episode premiere Monday night, and it was a lot of fun, and very low stakes for a Star Wars show, which is nice. And while I’m not entirely sure where Dune: Prophecy is going, I absolutely loved the third episode that aired this week, which focused on prolonged flashbacks in the lives of Valya and Tula. I’ll keep writing about these as I watch.

I’m also currently watching the first season of Severance, on Apple+, in preparation for season two, which is coming in January. I really, really like it, and I’ll have a lot more to say on this. (I’m three episodes in, no spoilers please!)

Finally, over the last couple of months, I’ve watched the following shows:

• Say Nothing, on FX: an adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s book of the same name, about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. One of my three favorite shows of the year (along with Shogun and Industry season three.)
• Disclaimer, on Apple+: this show was weird and beautifully made and ultimately a heavy handed and slightly confused story.
• The Penguin, on Max: I went into this show with a lot of skepticism, and eventually fell in love. Such a good show.
• Agatha All Along, on Disney+: Another one I had a lot of skepticism about, but which I loved. The ending, and the Lilia episodes were top notch, the best stuff to come out of Marvel TV since probably WandaVision.
• Slow Horses, season four, on Apple+: another banger; this show never misses. Keep those seasons coming, Apple. One of my favorite shows on tv right now.

I’m probably forgetting something recent; I’ve watched a lot this year, and I’m trying to limit this to stuff I’ve watched over the last month or so. There was a lot more stuff this year, which I may do an end-of-the-year round up about on Substack later this month.

Did you catch any of these shows? What were your thoughts? Or anything I missed?

I’m trying out something new here, in light of two really good Substack posts I read last week.

First, this really good (and long) piece by Nate Silver, on the act of blogging and how to do so successfully. And second, from Mike Hahn’s really good Running Lightly newsletter, this piece called “The World Needs Your Running Blog.” You should give both a read, especially if you are someone who wants to write online.

I’m always thinking about how to make writing online, both here and on my Substack, a more sustainable and regular part of life. I know, as Nate says in his piece, that consistency is key. My problem is that inspiration and energy for writing come in waves, and when the tide is high, so to speak, I can post a lot of things. But then that energy recedes, and I’ve just got nothing for a while. And by nothing, I mean no inspiration for new pieces, and subsequently, very little motivation to push through the hard work of forcing myself to write about whatever it is that I’m thinking.

But, drawing from Mike’s piece, I’m going to try his suggestion of writing a daily diary-type thing here, which, as you can see above, I am literally calling “Daily Diary”, with today’s date. I’m going to do this, usually in the morning, as often as possible, about whatever is on my mind that morning. Could be politics, could be sports, could be TV, could be books, could be random thoughts. But I’m hoping what it does is spurs my mind on to a more habitual process towards writing, that will hopefully (maybe) inspire more regularity at my Substack, where I post longer, more thoughtful essays on a variety of topics.

I’ll also, for promotional and social media purposes, try to include a picture every day, which may at times pertain to the topic, but more than likely won’t. For today, a picture of my new planner for this year, Monk Manual’s new Weekly Planner, which I am really loving so far:

One other note: you can find me over on Bluesky now, which I have just joined. I don’t post much, and when I do, it’s probably going to be sharing my writing, or about the Packers or Tottenham or television. But give me a follow!

https://bsky.app/profile/justindametz.bsky.social

So, here you go. Daily Diary.