Welcome to The Diner!

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

Today’s episode is about how excessive rationalism can sometimes lead to irrationality. It’s a difficult concept for us westerners who are used to rationalism as the answer for everything, after all, what higher authority is there than the mind?

Some ideas to ponder:

* How do emotions differ from the heart?

* What does it mean to be excessively rational? Why might that be a problem sometimes?

* Take time to notice where your thoughts are your ultimate authority when perhaps they ought not to be. Is this a problem? Is it sometimes ok?

Welcome to The Diner!

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In this episode we discuss Moral Agency and how it becomes an answer to Moral Luck in that the more responsibility we voluntarily take on ourselves in our efforts to be with Christ, the more free we become as we learn to rest in Him.

* What are the areas in your life where you can exercise agency?

* What are the areas in your life where you have no control except over your own responses?

Welcome to The Diner!

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In this episode we continue the conversation about moral luck and the ways in which we relate to it.

Take a few minutes to think about the following questions:

* Think about your own moral luck. How can you view it in such a way as to be less judgmental and more compassionate?

* How do you view suffering?

* Do you relate to suffering in a way that allows for the possibility of transformation or do you fight against it?

Welcome to the Diner!

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In this episode we talk about moral luck, what it means and what we do with it.

Listen in and then comment to be part of the conversation!

Questions to ponder:

* What is moral luck?

* What kind of moral luck do I have?

* What part of my own moral luck have I taken responsibility for?

* What part of my moral luck have I assumed is not redeemable or usable?

Welcome to the Diner!

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of pie. Mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In this episode we talk about how the opposite of war is not peace, but liturgy.

Listen in and then comment to be part of the conversation!

Questions to ponder:

* Think about areas where you have experienced trauma, or the sense of being totally alone and isolated. Compare those times to the times you’ve been in communion and notice the differences.

* How does the practice of liturgy and being communion bring you back together as a person?

Welcome to The Diner!

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of pie. Mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In this episode we talk about the consequences of war and Just War Theory. Take a listen and then take minute to contemplate some of the following questions:

* What is your own view of war?

* Does rationalizing our actions (like with Just War Theory) nullify their spiritual consequences? 

* Does having a good reason for war take away the effects that killing has on the soul?

Welcome to the Diner! Come join us for a slice of mental pie.

For the curious — the quote Lisa couldn’t remember from Way of the Ascetics is this: “He who fasts much is he who loves much.”

This week we are talking about fasting and eros. Take a listen and contemplate the following ideas:

* Think about fasting as purifying eros and feasting as intensifying it.

* Think about our own power of eros, our desiring power and what happens when we get what we want, what we desire.

* Do we often get what we want?

* How does not getting what we want now help us to want the right things?

Join in the conversation by commenting below!

If you like what you hear feel free to share!

Welcome to The Diner! Come join us for a Slice of Pie: Not a feast, just a mental snack. A deep thought to chew on from a big, meaty book.

It’s Mother Culture served from a short order kitchen.

For season one we’ll be talking about The Ethics of Beauty by Timothy Patitsas — that huge intimidating popular theology book that you wish you had time to read.

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of pie. Mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

In this episode we talk about who The Ethics of Beauty is written for and why that matters.

Questions to ponder:

* Pay attention to the places where you see beauty around you.

* Have you noticed it before?

* How do you usually interact with it?  

* Do you take it for granted?

* Do you see it as a potential encounter with a personal God?

* How does the definition of trauma as “a force-feeding from tree of knowledge of good and evil” resonate with your own life experience? 

Welcome to The Diner! Come join us for a Slice of Pie: Not a feast, just a mental snack. A deep thought to chew on from a big, meaty book.

It’s Mother Culture served from a short order kitchen.

For season one we’ll be talking about The Ethics of Beauty by Timothy Patitsas — that huge intimidating popular theology book that you wish you had time to read.

Sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of pie. Mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self back to the fray with a few new beautiful thoughts to think.

Thank you for reading Patterns for Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.