A lesson in governance as I navigate changing traffic signal timing for a light near our school:
The people I interact with in the city office are very helpful, from the Director to the phone operators. The processes they are tied to are mind-numbinly bad.
The One With the Pink CandleLiturgical colors—those featured in various Holy Days and Holy Seasons—do more than remind us of what season we are in. (Though that is always helpful.) In a future post we’ll explore the ins and outs of these colors—what they signify and what they do to us. But I mention colors this week because you have likely noticed that Advent candles are not uniform in color: most of the candles are purple (the color of the season), and there is sometimes a white or gold candle in the center to be lit on Christmas Day.
A full few days of putting up lights, a family hike, USA soccer, basketball, Bob Goff, and work on the playhouse.
Advent as a call to joy through repentance.There are some things that are very real, and yet very invisible. We often see the result of these things, but the thing itself remains unseen. Wind may be a good example. Wind is very real—nobody would argue with that. But it is also very invisible. There are no wind particles that make up “wind.” We can see trees or dust or debris being moved by the wind, but we cannot see wind itself.
I named our sunroom lights by their cardinal directions, not expecting political commentary gems like this one when routines don’t work as expected.
Are you in organizational leadership in any capacity? I’d love some advice.
What helps you:
Advent is about preparation for judgement, and that is actually a good thing.
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.
Advent as preparation for judgement.What is the theme of each week of Advent? and What do each of the Advent candles represent? are the sort of questions that illicit a wide range of answers. It is probably most common today for the themes of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy to be linked to each of the four weeks of Advent. An older tradition asks us to focus on the four last things during this season: death, judgement, heaven, and hell.
An under-appreciated mark of a truly great sports commentator: knowing when to say nothing.
Messi scored, and there was a 45 second period of commentary silence followed by a subtle, “It had to be him.”
Advent is coming. Time to set some intentions for this Holy New Year.
A Holy New YearThe Church Year begins afresh tomorrow with the First Sunday of Advent! Some of you recently began intentionally following the Church Calendar and are looking for ways to be more formally shaped by this ancient practice. Others of you have followed the calendar for years, and have a fairly seasoned set of traditions for each major season. Regardless of where you are on your journey with the Church Calendar, Advent offers not just an opportunity to prepare for the season of Christmas, but a fresh start—a new year—of Christian discipleship.
Oh no. It has happened. I tried to prevent it by asking reason to temper my expectations.
But mere hours before kickoff …
I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN.
USA is taking home the trophy.*
*or advancing to the Round of 16 and remaining competitive in their first knockout match.
I just finished reading Pillars of the Earth. It was published when I was four years old, but seems to have been written for me to read at this exact age (37).
Great books tend to feel like that, don’t they?
An unusally free Saturday means that I had a chance to make some good progress on the playhouse.
I am pretty sure the title “Queen of Christmas” is already taken.
Leaving Twitter is a small but important first step towards a healthier relationship with technology, your neighbor, and your self.
Not because of Musk, but because Big Social is shrinking our souls.
The final first-person verb of the Nicene Creed helps us remember that the Christian faith is more than mental affirmation of truth. It involves a shaping of hopes and desires.
All Souls Day is a helpful antidote to our death-anemic culture that oscillates between ignoring and overly-fearing this experience shared by all living creatures.
All Souls Day helps us to remember that thou art dust … and to look for the resurrection of the dead.
November 1 and November 2Thank you for subscribing to Rhythms of Habit! As we enter the month of November, it is worth noting that Advent—the beginning of the Church Year—is quickly approaching. If you know someone who may enjoy these emails as we enter a new Christian year together, please encourage them to subscribe or consider purchasing a gift subscription on their behalf. Give a gift subscription Share Rhythms of Habit by Jon Jordan
The farmer and the pig.
