Exchanging ideas...
A relevant reason to tell you why I miss college
Sometimes (a lot of times) I miss college. It’s interesting for me, personally, to miss any time period in the past because I am usually so critical toward my past-self that I generally just look back in time briefly, catch that familiar pit in my stomach that signals I’m inching toward self-loathing, and quickly reorient myself to the present.
(Anyone else? Just me? It’s fine, that’s not the point of this post at all.)
But lately I've really been missing college. Not all of it, of course. But my extroverted people-loving self misses the part of college where my life was intricately connected to the lives of others. I miss having roommates to talk to in the wee hours of the morning, or first thing upon waking over a cup of coffee. I miss Bible studies where people I loved and trusted would come together to discuss scripture, life, and the convergence of the two.
I love a good conversation with a good person over a good cup of coffee. In my world, there are very few things that top that combination. But the natural course of life in our current culture is that as we age, and as we add responsibilities of career, marriage, children, homes, and so much more we have less and less time for lounging around in someone’s living rooms discussing whatever deep topic is swirling around our mind and heart at that moment.
I’m not saying this as a critique, necessarily, because I believe that the Spirit is living and active in the most mundane and ordinary of our lives. I just say this to say I’ve been missing communal conversation lately, and my attempts to revive it just haven’t landed well just yet.
But, Substack just launched a new feature in their app called “chat.” Some authors are wondering if it will be an alternative to social media, I'm wondering if it might give us some space to share deep ideas, and discuss how those ideas impact how we live life in our communities.
The downside, of course, is that we can never truly recreate the sweetness of in-person connection with people who are actually in our community. However, maybe the things we discuss will spur more conversations at play dates, in church fellowship, or even with your spouse on the sofa before bed.
I see my Substack chat threads centering around books I find intriguing, spiritual formation ideas, and questions about what’s landing (or not) in your experience of faith.
Even though I won’t be able to learn how you take your coffee, I hope you’ll grab your favorite beverage and come chat with me. I’m posting my first thread at the end of this week. You can follow the instructions below to make sure you don’t miss it.
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Chat is only on iOS for now, but chat is coming to the Android app soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
I have a deep longing for my college days too! I absolutely understand ❤️ Thanks for sharing!