Warby Parker Home Try On

If you follow me on any social media at all, you've probably already seen this because I'm a narcissist and a terrible person.

But I am also posting here. Because it's my hot blog and I do what I want.

Warby Parker is great--really good-looking frames, and really affordable (most are $95 including prescription). They let you pick out five frames to be sent to your home (for FREE) for a five-day trial, with no pressure to purchase. AND for every pair of glasses you buy they donate a pair to someone in need. Although according to their website, the program is WAY BETTER than just dumping a bunch of glasses in a poor neighborhood in the third world. They work with nonprofit VisionSpring to train optometrists and entrepreneurs--it's really a bout community building.

Anyway, I'm trying to decide on a pair of frames to buy. So help me out.

I'm going to the optometrist next Saturday (for the first time in two years, oops) and I'm fairly certain I need a new prescription. So I'm excited to purchase some nifty new frames.

Every time I think I've decided on one (or narrowed it down) I change my mind.

Let me know what you think!

(Also, please note that nowhere in this post --uh except here of course-- did I say anything about librarians and glasses. Because guess what people--wearing glasses does not make you "look" like a librarian!)

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Theologian Thursday: Ignatius

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This is week 3 of 5 in my Month of Martyrs series. Yes, I finally decided how long this series will go--and lucky for me August includes 5 Thursdays! Still open for suggestions in the comments, through email, or on Twitter.


As you might guess from the icon above, Ignatius died by being "thrown to the wild beasts," AKA eaten by lions.

He was pretty stoked about it too--in his letter to the Romans he says, "May I enjoy the wild beasts that are prepared for me." He also hoped that they would be extra hungry. To be a martyr was the most noble and enviable of deaths.

Ignatius was BFFs with Polycarp, and also an disciple of the Apostle John. Furthermore, tradition and legend hold that he was the child whom Jesus held in Mark chapter 9 when he told his disciples "Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name receives me. And whosoever shall receive me receives not me but him that sent me" (though this is admittedly probably not really true).

Ignatius was the Bishop of Antioch and wrote many letters of encouragement to those to whom he ministered. The things he was most concerned about were church unity and guarding against heresies (which troublingly included Judaism). He is considered the first person to use the term "catholic" (καθολικός) to describe the universal Church.

Ratings:
(To read more about my Theologian Rating System, click HERE)
Gender Equality:
I tend to believe that even though historically patriarchy has always been pretty bad and thoroughly engrained in ancient societies, the early Christian church valued women's participation in the formation of this faith community, and that you can see glimpses of it despite things like solely male literacy and androcentrism. For example, in Ignatius's letter to Polycarp he actually mentions women (albeit in relation to husbands), and not unfavorably: "Speak to my sisters, that they love the Lord, and be satisfied with their husbands both in the flesh and spirit."
Environmental Sensibility:
I feel like I say this every week lately, but care for the environment just was not an issue at the time. He really didn't say anything about it. Unless you count offering his body as food for the wild beasts.
Heretical Tendencies:
Being so early in the Christian tradition, and such an integral part of building up and maintaining the burgeoning community, he cared to much about getting things right to have any part in questionable doctrine. He was quite clear about what was right and what wasn't, and encouraged Christians to always trust their bishops (he was one, after all).
General Badassery:
Dude got eaten by lions. He was an early church triple threat: apostle, bishop, and martyr.


"Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is brought to an end."
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Theologian Thursday: Justin Martyr (100-165)

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Justin is among the first of the apologists of the church. He studied philosophy extensively--Platonism, Stoicism, and others--and eventually came to the conclusion that Christianity was the best school of thought. He argued for the marrying of philosophy and religion, even asserting that many philosophical ideas (like the immortality of the soul) actually came from Jewish Scripture. In my opinion, that's a bit misguided since as far as I know the Jewish Scriptures don't teach or assume the immortality of the soul at all. But anyway.

Justin went so far as to say that Socrates was a Christian, because he lived by reason--the Logos which would come into the world and by which Christians also live. Justin was especially focused on God as this Logos.

The Apologies were the beginning of a long tradition of mashing up philosophy and Christianity and asserting that Christianity is really based on reason. Tertullian would take issue on this later, saying "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" Justin Martyr is like a really really early forerunner of CS Lewis.

The reigning Hellenistic government of the time, headed by Marcus Aurelius, didn't see eye to eye with Justin or the Christians though, confused by the fact that they refused to worship the emperor and therefore seen as "atheists"--since the "God" they said to worship didn't seem to exist.

Justin and Friends were questioned and ultimately beheaded in about 165.

What you should read:
Ratings:
(To read more about my Theologian Rating System, click HERE)
Gender Equality:
With Justin's emphasis and love for the classic philosophers, I'm certain that he did not escape their influence in regard to hating women. Especially with his propensity for Platonic thought.
Environmental Sensibility:
Along the same lines as his views toward women, I believe that Platonic ideals and even Stoicism are rather harmful to any sort of appreciation for the Earth--they lead the person to value the mind and the "spirit" over above the body, or indeed nature as it is.
Heretical Tendencies:
I think Justin's beliefs are fairly orthodox--even (or maybe especially) today. He is considered a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches.
General Badassery:
He was very well educated, wrote a ton, and had a huge part in the way the church relates to philosophy. He may not have faced any wild beasts, but martyrs get four stars by default.

A Justin Martyr quote to finish:
"We pray for our enemies; we seek to persuade those who hate us without cause to live conformably to the goodly precepts of Christ, that they may become partakers with us of the joyful hope of blessings from God, the Lord of all."
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750 Words

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So this happened the other day:


And no, I didn't actually do his dishes (sorry, Josh) but I did join 750words.com, and today I wrote my first 750 words.

As someone who has journaled her whole life, I found myself asking why I didn't just commit to journaling more. And obviously I blog (albeit irregularly), so why not just blog more?

It's nice to have a place to just do some throw-away writing--where no one gets to see it, and I don't have to keep it lying around the house either. It's supposed to get my creative juices flowing and serve as a place to get ideas out there and jump-start the thinking process. I'm excited to see where it takes me.

Have you tried writing a certain number of words a day, or other writing challenges? What did you think of the experience?