Where's the Good Stuff this week?

Friday 1/23/26 roundup of what I've discovered on Substack

Jan 23, 2026

‘Good Stuff’ = blog posts I’ve read this week that inspired, educated, entertained, or moved me.

Which for a Free Range Priest, means reading more amazing, inspiring things about God, the church, the universe, and running.

Here’s this week’s roundup:

God stuff

‘why you should(n't) smoke’ by Josh Nadeau. ‘Smoking is not inherently sinful and it is not inherently holy. Smoking is a kind of mirror, a lens, that reveals what we think about the body, desires, and self-control.’
‘Why Do We Run From the Things That Heal Us?’ by Paul Christopher. ‘For pastors, leaders, and fellow believers, there is a lesson in that 30-minute drive: People don’t drive further for better facilities; they drive further for better grace.’

Church stuff

‘5 Things Evangelicals Get Wrong About Mainline Churches’ by Beau Stringer. ‘There’s tremendous power in liturgy precisely because it doesn’t depend on your emotional state in the moment. On days when you can’t find words, the liturgy speaks for you. On days when you doubt everything, the creed reminds you what the church has always believed. On days when you feel isolated, the responsive readings connect you to every other person praying the same prayers.’
‘Why I Walked into an Episcopal Church, and Why I Stayed’ by Megan Costilow. ‘none of it seemed to have anything explicitly to do with Jesus. Except that it did. Not in the loud or declarative ways I remembered from childhood. Not through altar calls or certainty or pressure. But in the quieter, harder-to-name way—in hospitality without conditions, curiosity without agenda, and a community that made room for me before asking me to become anything else.’

Other stuff

‘My Oura Ring Says Everything Will Be Fine’ by Sam Robinson. ‘These ratings, covering a dozen odd contributing factors like sleep efficiency, body temperature, activity levels, and resting heart rate, contribute to a gestalt score called “readiness.” Readiness for what, exactly?’
‘The Great Global Cafe Conspiracy: Why Does Everything Look the Same?’ by AI Generations.

What I wrote this week:

‘Come and See.’ ‘Jesus IS where we abide. ‘Abide in my love’ he says, over and over, especially in the Gospel of John. Peace doesn’t have to just pass us by. We can live there.’

‘Hearts up!’ Where the Practice comes from.’ ‘The Sursum Corda (Latin for ‘Hearts up!’) is one of the oldest, most universal elements in Christian worship.
It dates back to at least the 3rd century and appears in virtually every Christian tradition: Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist.’

And finally…