Today’s post is going to be a little more random (than usual.) I’m taking a friend to the airport before I head to the J.O.B. I have just enough time for some random thoughts and hot takes…
St. Macarius and the Kingdom of God
First - I wanted to share this great quote I found in Frederica Mathewes-Green’s short-but-profound book, “The Jesus Prayer: The ancient desert prayer that tunes the heart to God.”
“The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there also are lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. There are also rough and uneven roads; there are precipices. But there too is God; the angels, the life, and the kingdom; the light and the apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasures of Grace - all things are there.”
FMG notes that “This is how the hesychast elders understood Jesus’ saying, ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’ (Lk 7:21).”
I wish I’d seen it before I published the last piece - or, I don’t know, maybe researched it better beforehand. Hah. Never.
Man/Woman of the Household
Yesterday, I took another look at Dr. John Cuddeback’s “Man of the Household” course at his “LifeCraft” site. I took part in a sort of pilot program for it a few years ago and didn’t like it. I thought it was far too heavy on the “ideology,” for lack of a better term. That’s an idea I’m fleshing out for a near-future post, but it boils down to this: I think that living by ideology rather than practical wisdom is artificial and breeds hypocrisy. But then…don’t we have to start with ideology?
Like I said, I’m working on it. And a la Flannery O’Connor, I need to write it down so I know what I think about it.
Anyway, upon a second review, I was more than just surprised by Dr. Cuddeback’s course, I was moved by it. It made a lot more sense now, and yes, it’s bulging with “ideology.” He provides a framework for thinking about our role and vocation as men that is just absent from the broader inventory of the Manosphere. It’s a bottom-up approach instead of the top-down approach you find elsewhere. (“Hey pansy - you have to lift heavy things to find yourself!”)
I just started it, so we’ll see where it goes, but I appreciate the way it’s unapologetically pro-masculine, while at the same time oriented toward complementarity of the sexes. That’s utterly missing from other man-focused work out there, which seems geared toward domination of relationships, women, and everything around us. Becoming men-in-full is vital in and of itself, but also for our “people,” our tribes and communities.
I have more thoughts on that, but it’ll have to wait for now. Suffice it to say that it seems like powerful stuff, and I would bet that the “complementary” course, “Woman of the Household” is just as good. Highly recommended.
The direction of this ‘Stack
I did a bit of musing about this blog (newsletter?) on my morning prayer walk today. I’m thoroughly enjoying the work. Even if readership wasn’t steadily growing (slowly, but definitely growing), I think I’d be putting this stuff out there anyway. It’s been a great brain-dump, at the very least.
However, I wonder if I’m being a bit silly. I’ve been on a solid diet of self-improvement content for years, and I’m concerned about what’s coming out now. (Don’t…think about that analogy too much…) It’s not that it’s bad. It’s just…off. It’s as true and good as I can write it, but it’s possibly, maybe, veering toward the direction of hollow Twitter advice. Am I writing a motivational blog about workout tips and taking action? About the importance of walks, journaling, and cold showers? (Big negative on that last one, compadre.) That’s all well and good, however, that’s kind of beside the point.
And besides - who am I to pontificate about these things?
The fun thing about this little effort is that I can explore whatever territory I want. And, oh man, there is so much amazing new territory to explore. Taming the soul, training it to fight in this wild Kingdom, has so much more drama and adventure than I ever imagined, and it’s definitely not just for men. All of us - men, women and even the younglings - have so much more to become, and there’s no reason why we can’t all start right now.
Personally, I love the idea of consciously living in a land where the stakes are high and eternal, where there are grotesque enemies that can actually snatch you from your destiny, and angels of the Almighty whose actual glorious visages would be too terrifying to depict in a stained glass window. That’s the whole point - it’s not just an idea. This is our reality right here, right now.
I want to write about that, and I have some ideas…
Them’s my (too quick, unedited) thoughts. Have a great weekend. Go slay some dragons.
Isn’t practical wisdom an ideology too?
As to the stack form, so much more conducive to human thought than a book of passing faces or twitting away in short bursts.
Oh, Christopher! I want to share these with a certain few people I know through the "interweb". Your word. Is that okay? Your wisdom, depth and knowledge far surpasses mine, if I had any at all until you. Keep writing it down - as much of it as you can. I love you, your mind and seeing another facet of your purpose.