My son’s kindergarten class is doing a unit on penguins and I’ve concluded it’s too soon to talk about Werner Herzog’s nihilist penguin. We’re watching a George Miller film instead.

Somehow, Daniel Plainview returned.

Welcome to my mind palace

For all those who didn't watch tonight, allow me to summarize: The liar lied again.

So, I’ve been reading this guy named Origen and let me introduce you to this cool allegorical reading of Joshua I just discovered.

A rival to Mark Wahlberg’s lentfluencing campaign has emerged.

"If you want to draw closer to God then go be near those God loves: the poor, the immigrant, the stranger, the enslaved; then God will rebuild in you all that Empire & consumerism & whiteness & misogyny & racism has ruined, because God is the God who calls life out of death."

Join us this Wednesday at 7pm for a joint Ash Wednesday service with our host church, St. Paul Lutheran

I hold some of McGilchrist’s ideas of history and philosophy at arms length but comparing what he says about left hemisphere brain function and AI is only adding evidence to his conclusions.

Night nativity, with Holy Family precariously sheltered in a stable in serious need of structural repairs, 1515. By Albrecht Altdorfer, whose day was today.

Today’s fountain pen: Platinum PMB-5000 (which sounds like a daft punk track name). NOS on eBay, a 14k nib for less than $50. This pen apparently won a design award in the 1970s.

NEW via me and @alejacorazonhm.bsky.social: Cardinal Blase Cupich, who runs the Archdiocese of Chicago, says that DHS has stopped priests under his purview and demanded proof of citizenship “because of their color.” religionnews.com/2026/02/10/c...

Them: all of western philosophy is a footnote to Plato. Me, too online: ahem, that’s nepoplatonism actually.

Please, I'm begging, read theory.

utterly shameful

Bulwark coming up with the most vanilla headlines yet again.

Juice by Darren Juice by Darren 1-900-976-JUICE

I don’t say this often but you really have to wait until the very end on this one.

My latest piece, at The Bulwark: open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

For the people of Minneapolis, Illinois, Los Angeles, and other places where ICE has disappeared their family and neighbors:

For all who risk their health, safety, and lives in protest and deterrence of tyranny:

For the passion of righteous anger:

In peace, let us pray to the Lord, saying, "Lord, have mercy" 🧵

I think about Elijah McClain a lot. How he was a sweet, lovely young soul who used to play the violin for stray cats. How brutally his young life ended and how the State sent riot police to interrupt the violin vigil in his name. The cruelty was always the point.

It appears that this legend owns a little bookstore — and you can order books from him instead of Bezos. Link in next post.

It is important that tomorrow’s gospel begins with a religious and political dissident disappeared, soon to be executed, by a corrupt state because he critiqued that state excess and immorality.

Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026

“The AI revolution…is not a revolution in computing, but a revolution in accepting lower standards.” Great read.

Ben Luhmann, who filmed this, is one of the two high schoolers from a conservative Christian family I rode along with in Chicago when they were searching for ICE agents there. When I asked him how his faith informed his efforts to document ICE/DHS, he told me this. religionnews.com/2025/11/25/h...

state-sponsored child trafficking

The guy who took this video is 17. The kids are all right. Be like them. Down with ice thugs. Hands off our kids.

Rewatching Return of the King and one of the questions I couldn’t articulate until this viewing is Where in the world are Aragorn’s eyebrows during his coronation?

It’s another great day to read theory.

Recently, a number of people have asked if we plan to offer feedback to the Province regarding the proposed Title IV revisions. These are the reasons we have declined to participate:

Streaming Service Mother Superior: profiles within profiles.

Live updates from entering the cool zone:

Also in here: I spoke with a person who has been out monitoring ICE in Minneapolis — a religious high schooler who has done the same in Chicago for months. He told me ICE’s response to observers like them in Minnesota is already more aggressive — on average — than they’re used to.

Today is the feast of the Baptism of Christ, and there are times when Christians need to really think about the fact they are baptised into Our Lord’s death as a necessary condition of being baptised into his life.

Always has been:

When you wake up in the morning it's a quarter to four and you just can't take it any more Change Regiemes ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch Change Regiemes

So the new Robin Hood movie is Logan by way of The Northman, got it. Hugh Jackman not escaping being typecast as a guy associated with sharp objects anytime soon.

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

New year, new location! Beginning tomorrow, Jan 6, we will be meeting at St. Paul Lutheran (515 South Wheaton Ave). Join us for our usual Sunday Eucharist service at 5:00pm with a potluck dinner to follow.

Actually what I needed to hear.

Happy Phantom Thread rewatch month to all who celebrate.

How will you enter 2026? Me:

Welcome to the time between Christmas and New Years

We Need to Talk About Kevinismus.