My favorite 'Good Stuff' blogs (part 1)
I was going to do 'top 10', but I just can't
I offered my first ‘Good Stuff’ blog in September.
I was already reading over 250 Substack publications a week - well, skimming, at least - and I found so much amazing good stuff! Especially about the church, life with God, and how to live a meaningful life. And running.
I couldn’t help but share! Others seemed to like the recommendations, and this has become one of my favorite things to do.
So I thought I’d do a roundup of my favorite ‘Good Stuff’ posts for the last two weeks of the year.
I started with the idea of doing a ‘top ten’ - but there’s simply no way I can narrow my favorite writing down to just 10 articles (even in only 4 months!). I’m so grateful to be part of this virtual community of brilliant, faithful writers.
So here - in random order - are the first 15 of my favorite thirty blogs of 2025. I’ll share the rest on New Year’s Eve…
When You Can’t Afford Your Secrets Anymore
by Kate Bowler
‘There is a fine line between humbled and humiliated. But wow…you know when you’ve crossed it.’
Finding Joy in a Sad World
by Beau Stringer
’Joy as holy rebellion.’
What Columbine Taught Me About Grief, Prayer, and Change
‘And what stands out in my memory is not anger. Not rage. Not endless political debate. What I remember most is grief.’
The Bible We Almost Had (And How the World Would Be Different)
by Joe Boyd
‘Whole streams of theology — apocalyptic end-times, sacrificial atonement, faith vs. works — rose or fell based on a handful of close calls.’
Death asks the bigger question
‘We can, on our braver days, try emptying ourselves for others, moving outwards towards them in trust rather than withdrawing into ourselves from fear.’
PROTECTING THE INSTITUTION
by Rich Swetman
‘If churches want to recover trust, they must do the opposite of what institutions instinctively do. They need to center on the vulnerable, bring issues into the light, and hold leaders accountable, even when it hurts.’
It’s all a lie: you DON’T have to be “original”
‘…this unoriginality didn’t stop him from writing his beautiful book, and in its lack of uniqueness, I felt uniquely seen. No longer a fraud but a “beholder” of the beauty which I was invited to grieve and cultivate.’
Let’s Talk About Sex
T’o me these aren’t questions about sexuality (we can ask the same questions about donuts, drinking, church attendance, and exercise), but really speak to the deeper issues about how we live our faith and our naturally rebellious hearts and desires. Will we do what we want when we want to (regardless of what that is)? Or is there some larger ethic that we should follow?’
Dear Kids...
‘Here’s a secret of life: some of the best things in life are not necessarily “fun”. I don’t know why grownups talk about fun all the time to children, because even your parents know this. It’s why they brought you here instead of to the circus. You are here to work.’
Making the Daily Office your friend.
by Chad Brooks
‘the Daily Office gives you a great way to keep situated in God’s time, rather than secular time. It is a practice of re-enchantment.’
Let’s Get Dressed Up And Go Out
by Andy Squyres
‘We’re not exactly young anymore but obviously we’re still sexy.’
The Geography of Belonging
‘Belonging is not comfort. It is alignment. Not ease, but resonance.’
The Three Layers of Community
‘As a community centered on Jesus, our directional aim is toward a life of divine union with God and others, becoming a social witness to the world of what the kingdom might look like.’
A Theology of Running
by Jim Keat
‘Even if you run by yourself, you are not alone. Running connects you with every other runner, a great cloud of witnesses, a community bound by dedication and direction rather than pace.’
Are We Ready?
‘We must be willing to go too. We must be willing to embrace a new way of being. Our sacred tree is good and a beautiful place to provide sanctuary; there are also many who are unwilling to fly, land or roost here in these branches.’
and finally…
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