This week’s rummage is just my way of sharing what I’ve read on Substack that I thought was memorable or meaningful or meandering. Let’s see what’s in the box this week.
To Live Close to the Bone is Laura Kelly Fanucci’s haunting tribute to Autumn. I think I already cross-posted this (I actually do not even know what that means, but it deserved to be cross-posted anyway!) “Only fall lets us see the fractals of trees in full glory: each twig a tiny replica of the whole, repeating patterns in smaller scales, rhythms reaching up and out in self-contained splendor.” Don’t miss this.
Jim Martin’s Encouragement Note is written with ministers in mind, but I often find things in his Notes that will be a blessing to anyone. Jim is an optimist, a compassionate listener, and a man of great faith. “Perhaps I need to turn off the television news and walk through a park. In spite of the discouraging news, God’s everyday beauty remains. After all, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands’ (Ps. 19:1).”
How China Got Our Kids Hooked on ‘Digital Fentanyl’ is frightening. TikTok’s connection to communist China is not just a conspiracy theory gone bad. A few weeks ago I deleted my TikTok account, mostly because of the endless scrolling that was stealing my time. “Every day, every hour, every waking minute, TikTok is hoovering up seemingly infinite bits of information about its users—their tastes, hobbies, political views, sexual preferences, their facial structure, the sound of their voice. Ostensibly, all this is meant to provide a better product. It should also be noted that this information can be used for spying, influencing millions of users—even waging war. Every time we swipe for the next video, every time we post videos of our own, we are helping the world’s most sophisticated police state learn more about us.”
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Twenty Hours on the Dog. Chris Arnade takes us along on a bus ride from NYC to South Bend. Chris has a way of helping us identify with those who are unlike us in many ways, but have so much in common as fellow human beings. “Two hours later, and twenty since I started, I get to South Bend and I’m completely exhausted, flipping between emotional highs and a deep fatigue. Everyone else that started with me has at least another three hours to go. Oscar and his family probably have another twenty to reach Denver.”
The Funnies. Just what it says. Thanks, Chris Martin. Do we ever need a smile!
If You See Someone You Think I Might Like is Heather Holland’s striking reflection about something she learned from her grandfather. “I have been saying hello to people for my grandfather for many years now, sometimes without even knowing it. He is there in the way I talk to strangers, in the way I listen when they talk back, in the way I try to understand their points of view, and in the way I say goodbye when our conversations are over.”
Andrew Morton on The Crown, The Queen, and Harry’s Memoir. Elizabeth Holmes interviews Andrew Morton on all things Royal Family. I have been a fan of The Crown, but this season is just not my cup of tea. I think it’s the new actors, honestly. Even so, I may not have known who Andrew Morton was without that episode this season! But the fascination with the Royal Family is consistently popular. “But also, the point I make in my new book, is that the Queen in the beginning was overwhelmed by the tsunami of responsibility. Once she got it under control, she kind of enjoyed the job. And you see that towards the end of her life, she’s having a whale of a time. I mean, when was the last time you saw a head of state parachute out of a plane?”
Practicing the Presence of God is Patrick Ryan’s engaging sermon about living close to God. “Communion is more than a meal around the Lord’s Table. It is God's communication to us coupled with our response to Him. When one brings about the other, He is glorified, and we are glad.”
Joel J Miller asks, What Classic Novels Should I Read in 2023? A great post and a great idea. I may just join him on this quest!
My other Substack newsletter consists of sermon notes, devotionals, and Bible class notes - all from Forsythe Church of Christ in Monroe, Louisiana. I’d like to share them with you. Check it out HERE.
In 1985 Neil Postman wrote the iconic Amusing Ourselves to Death, about how television was draining our concept of truth. Chris Martin gives us a few outtakes and they are remarkably related to the advent of social media. Postman on Bias and Truth encourages us to engage our contemporary communications with Postman’s observations of nearly forty years ago.
Well, that’s what I’ve saved from rummaging around Substack over the past week or so. What did you save that was worth hanging on to? Keep digging around, there’s a treasure or two in there!
John, this is excellent. I appreciate you mentioning me and your very kind words. Thank you! -- I love what you have done here. I loved skimming through these various posts that appeared on Substack. Very interesting!
Thanks as always for mentioning me. I enjoyed the Classic Novels read. One of the things I love about homeschooling Blake is getting to read the classics again with him. 😊