Link Love and Other Formational Things

I have always tried (for almost twenty years now—Sayable turns twenty in 2020!) to be one of those bloggers who keeps a regular and regimented schedule. And I have always failed. I just don’t work well within those constraints and I suppose I will have to stop trying eventually. However, one restraint that has always worked for me is to keep all the tabs open on my browser of all the things I want to share with you until one day I realize I cannot find the new tab I’ve opened because there are 60 tabs preceding it. And this, dear reader, is the day I then pen a Link Love.

…

My writer friend Aarik writes mighty and beautiful words on the regular and here he is at Image writing about living in the word softly. I was almost crying by his closing words. He is a wordsmith I hope you read.

Speaking of living in the world softly, I think it takes a willingness to listen to opposing views or merely differing views in order to carry tenderness through these ages. Here was a surprising read from an artist who made a name for herself by confronting the world instead of listening to it.

For the past few years, and the past six months in particular, I have struggled to sleep. I struggle to fall asleep and I especially struggle to stay asleep. My friend John Starke (who has a book coming out soon, which you should preorder), wrote this on his newsletter, which I read after the rare gift of a good, deep full night’s sleep and I loved it.

Please don’t skip over this one. I know you’re tired of all the Mister Rogers articles and movies and documentaries, but…oh wait, what? You’re not? Well, bless me then, here’s another and prepare your heart.

Here’s a short video from Josh Garrels on taking the Lord with us in our work, and it’s nothing less than everything I’ve come to expect from Josh. Full of the Spirit and Word, with truth, beauty, and goodness.

Over the past six or seven months, as I’ve been doing some soul care work of my own, I’ve also been trying to root out the source of my anxiety. If you’ve followed me any length of time, you know I am not against medication, therapy, meditation, or any other common grace of God for the common maladies of the living. However, I know I was also probably exacerbating my anxiety by the unregulated use of legal additive substances like coffee. I cut coffee two months ago and it offered tremendous relief almost immediately. Another thing that has helped, though, is this tool from Curt Thompson. I highly recommend you take a look and, even if it isn’t helpful for you (though I can’t imagine that it would hurt to try), perhaps you could pass it on to someone else.

Nate and I listened to Dolly Parton’s America while on a road trip this past week. Jad Abumrad is one of my favorite radio writers and producers, so I should have expected nothing less, but it’s so entirely good that I hope you’ll give it a chance.

We also listened to this episode from The Place We Find Ourselves and were both thoroughly convicted and comforted.

Lastly, my writer friend Tyler Braun interviewed me about touch in light of Handle With Care’s release in less than three months! You can listen here.