Taking a pause for Advent

Yesterday was the first day of Advent in the Western Church's calendar.

It seems poignant to me that we end the year with a rumination on and celebration of the appearance of a new reality on earth – the advent of Jesus of Nazareth forces us into a startling encounter with the beginnings of a new world breaking out in our midst.

As we wonder at this seemingly impossible event – God's becoming-human – we are sent forth into the new year, into the clearing left by this situation, being thrown back into life to grapple with the implications of what God has done.

Dear reader, this email is to inform you that Samsara Diagnostics will be taking a break until the arrival of the new year – 2024

Ideology and Christian Freedom

I'm taking these next four weeks to wrap up a few projects, in particular my forthcoming book Ideology and Christian Freedom about Endo Shusaku's novel Silence and its contemporary applications to political consciousness, theologies of liberation, and religious dialogue.

I've been working on this book all year, and I know that I've done a terrible job marketing it (it's so hard to talk succinctly about your baby, right?), but I hope that you'll take a moment to look at the new landing page I built, and also consider supporting the book by purchasing it.

Every Sunset is a Moonrise

Additionally, I have another shorter book which I'm aiming to release on January 1st, 2024. It's a collection of essays and poetry, titled Every Sunset is a Moonrise.

Every Sunset is a Moonrise puts Christian theology, Martin Heidegger, Dōgen, and Japanese poetry (waka) into conversation in order to explore how we can take our own finitude as a positive starting point for reflection rather than viewing finitude as a prison from which we are trying to escape.

Family, Priorities, and Holidays

Lastly, I'm giving myself some space to thoughtfully consider how to invest my time in 2024, especially as my plans are shifting in light of some wonderful news – God has blessed us with a second child who is due sometime in the middle of next year! All the changes that come with that are having me re-evaluate what my capacity will be next year, and how much I can commit to intellectual labor.

Whether you've been reading Samsara Diagnostics since the beginning or you just signed up last week, thank you for being here. Thank you for reading, thank you for considering, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey.

We will talk again in the new year! I will share with you my plans for 2024 then.

Note: December will be the last month that I'll be offering the pre-order package for my forthcoming book Ideology and Christian Freedom.

I'm aiming to have that manuscript wrapped up and heading to the presses near the start of January. So, if you want to support my work and to get your name into the Acknowledgements section, consider taking advantage of the pre-order offer now.

Premium subscribers at Samsara Diagnostics will be receiving a physical copy of the book as a thank you for their support, so consider a premium subscription to help Samsara Diagnostics head into the new year with renewed momentum.