Percolations from life in greater Phoenix where I serve as the Director of Marketing for Help One Now — opinions found here are my own and not representative of Help One Now. I also freelance as a WordPress developer, and dabble in a handful of side projects. Oh, probably some dad stuff to be found around here too.
I’ve been aware of, and curious about, the Enneagram for about 15 years, and done quite a bit of reading on it. This year, though, brought me to a new level of understanding. I’ve learned a great deal about myself within it, and how I relate to others. This book was a helpful part of that, and listening to the audio version, read by Suzanne herself, made for a great experience.
Moving into non-profit development work, it was a no-brainer to read this one. It seems to be one of the most influential books for faith-based non-profits, and rightfully so. Really, though, it deserves a much wider audience than that, offering a view of justice or development work that empowers those in need to find their way forward.
I guess it was too ambitious to try to post every book I read on here, so I’m just trying to catch up on some of the stand outs. But golly, that’s still a lot!
This book didn’t come recommended to me — I didn’t hear it mentioned in a conversation or on a podcast. I think I just saw it featured in the library or a bookstore, and that’s a rare cause for me to read a book. But it looked interesting enough from the front cover, and all the way through to the back cover it held up. An interesting look at how the trends of big data can help us understand cultural forces in ways we’ve not been able to before. It’s rare that an audiobook keeps me engaged throughout many different drive times, but this one did.
That time CenturyLink passed me through to seven different people (and still counting) just to get the proper settings and credentials.
First post in the new block format of WordPress 5. Kind of weird to use it, because I never really use the post editor anyway. (And probably won’t start now.)
Loved the idea of this book, but about 80% of the book was about the accelerations and only about 20% was about the Thriving. Found myself wishing it was at least 50/50. Still, it left me with much to consider which is what I most ask for in a book.
Rereading an old friend. I’d forgotten much of how the book resolves, but some of paragraphs in the first few chapters were still completely memorable. Is it okay to say this was one of the most formational books of my childhood? Don’t panic.
A chunk of books to post about here on a quiet Saturday morning while the family sleeps. Working with people in the Eastern time zone means my work days have been starting early. I still get a little reading in each morning, but the space to post what I’ve read, among other things, is going to have find a new wedge in my weekly rhythms.
I started this for my final sermon series at aMS. Volf writes about how Christianity should be engaged in the greater good of humanity, and like everything by Volf it is so well though out. Proved even more to be a timely read for my new role with Help One Now.
A quick listen of an audiobook. Not going to make to it recommendation level in any conversations I have with other readers, but interesting enough to finish it. Chose it because I’ve been shifting to a handwritten Bullet Journal (which I really need to write about) after years and years and years of digital task management. And by years and years and years, I mean my whole adult life.
A final sermon for the church we started and love. Thirty or so minutes couldn’t begin to cover all things the I would have wanted to say. Or all hopes and prayers for them as the continue forward.
I hope that it is clear by now that every day going forward we’re going to be asked to dance in a hurricane, set off by the accelerations in the Market, Mother Nature, and Moore’s law…. There is only one way to thrive now, and it’s by finding and creating your own eye. The eye of a hurricane moves, along with the storm. It draws energy from it, while creating a sanctuary of stability inside it. It is both dynamic and stable — and must we be.
This quote is the payoff of the book, and it took 11 chapters of him stressing me out talking about the accelerating world to get to it. Worth the journey, though.
This one looks simple on the surface, but it was one of the most complicated sites I’ve worked on. It’s a site to help voters in Central Texas learn more about the positions of candidates in their own words. The Honor Roll, an agency in Austin, contracted me to build out their design. Had a great working with them and a lot of fun taking on the challenges involved in building it.
In such a time, opting to pause and reflect, rather than panic or withdraw, is a necessity. It is not a luxury or distraction–it is a way to increase the odds that you’ll better understand, and engage productively with, the world around you.
Didn’t intend it when I scheduled it, but this turned into a celebration of all those who have stepped into critical roles in the life of Austin Mustard Seed. And now maintain critical roles as they carry forward the life of our church community. One of the easiest sermons I’ve ever preached, because really it just required me to talk about people I have deep affection for.
So the thing is, Chris is a good friend, and I was closely tied to the early days of Help One Now. But I hadn’t read his book. I finally started in on it a couple months ago to prep for the Make Good series at Austin Mustard Seed.
Starting a job with Help One Now certainly wasn’t on my radar at the time. But now it’s imminent. (Something I need to write about more in depth here on the blog.) Nobody has asked me if I’ve read the book anywhere in the process, but I’m ready to say yes if they do.
This doesn’t completely read like a biography. It’s biography enough though, in that it serves as a helpful introduction to how all of the Paul related pieces of the New Testament fit together. And it offers an overall view of how Paul’s developing theology fits in early and contemporary Christian conversation.
Also, it is NT Wright. I read everything he publishes.
A privilege to take the new design for Jonathan Dodson’s new site and turn it into a working WordPress theme. While jiggling around in the backend I was reminded that I first created a theme for Jonathan almost ten years ago. Great job on the design, Jeremiah Chaney!
And while were at it, congrats to Jonathan on the release of is new book, Here in Spirit, today!
Happy to see that the Siri Shortcuts app picks up from Workflow with everything still intact. All my prior workflows work great, like that one that’s publishing these words. Seems a little faster too.