The July Newsletter

Also featuring good books, Tyler Staton at his finest, and Ottolenghi Mac 'n' Cheese

Snapped a photo of the grasshoppers attacking my wife’s squash plants.

Hello friends, 

It’s July and the garden’s been ransacked by grasshoppers. 

Like, Viking-sacking-of-Paris level ransacked. Last week, my neighbor texted to see if we were getting hit on a Biblical scale. I said yes, and if he didn’t free the Hebrews soon we’d starve. 

Suffice it to say the plague hasn’t lifted. 

Anyway, here are a few things that are worth your time:

Sam Jolman has a new book out on sexuality for men. It’s excellent. 

If you’re behind on your John Mark Comer teachings podcast, the “Nine Practices for a Rule of Life” series is what you should play this month. 

(Note: In June I spent a weekend with some influential Christians; a few of these were gray-bearded, commentary-writing, five-language-speaking scholars. When we talked about our favorite non-scholarly books, most sheepishly admitted, “I like John Mark Comer.” Well of course you do, and so do I! God bless you, John Mark.)

Need a dance party? You know you do, and so does your family. Enjoy. 

A few personal updates. 

On Substack I’ve turned on Chat. It’s a great way to have more back and forth; it’s like closed-circuit social media for nerds, which I am. You paying subs can chime in. I’ve kicked things off with a softball question: summer reads. 

The Mount Vigil podcast is back! We’re starting a series—“How To Love the Church.” It will cover eight hundred years (ish) of Church history, engage thorny ecumenical questions, and hopefully cultivate love for Jesus, his Way, and his Church. Keep your eyes peeled for the video podcast. It’s not far off.  

Consider making this sometime in July,

Blaine