Way back when I lived in Ithaca, I often did a “Friday Data Dump” post. It was basically whatever random stuff happened to be on my mind at the time.

This isn’t quite that, but I wanted to share a few things from the past week. I’d love your thoughts if you have any.

Photos

Last weekend the weather was so beautiful we went to Howth for a few hours. We originally planned to just walk around the outdoor market a bit, but M decided she wanted to walk up and see the cemetery.

The first two images were taken there.

Earlier this month, I began taking an improv class. It has been fun and a bit nerve=wracking. As I was walking to the bus stop after the Tuesday night class, I noticed all the buildings lit up. You can see the Custom House (left side), the Convention Centre (rings of light) and then the Samuel Beckett Bridge (the harp-shaped bridge). I love walking around the city when everything is lit up.

On Wednesday, I walked to a meeting I had on Parnell street and saw Croke Park and liked how clear the reflection was in the canal.

Finally, on Thursday, I was dropping M off at school and noticed the boat on the water. The boat is usually there, but with the fog, it looked a bit eerie. After dropping her off, I stopped to take a photo, and noticed how cool the wooden bridge looked.

What I’m Reading

Books

Earlier this week, I finished Church Planting: Laying Foundations by Stuart Murray. I’ve jumped right into Planting Churches in the 21 Century by the same author. I’ve read both of these previously, and the latter is one of my all-time favourite books on the topic.

I’ve begun reading Seculosity by David Zahl. after hearing him on a podcast. The book isn’t what I was expecting after listening to the podcast, but I’m enjoying it so far. (It also led me to Mockingbird, which is a website with a lot of great stuff.)

I am also listening to The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink, which I have found fascinating.

M and I are working our way through Wishes and Wellingtons on Audible during our trips to school and back.

A few articles that caught my attention

Non-Irish EU citizens to need biometric data to cross Border into North – The Irish Times

I had put off getting my Irish citizenship for a few years, but in 2017 it became clear that getting around Europe would become more difficult on an American passport. While I didn’t know it at the time, it was also going to become far more difficult to drive 90 minutes north of Dublin.

Although I have heard this story rumoured for a while, it looks like it will come into law in 2023. There are no borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland, so there doesn’t seem to be clarity on how this will be enforced, but this will be a fairly large burden for a lot of people.

While Ireland is not in Schengen, it does share a common travel area with the UK. That is why the rules listed in the article do not apply to Irish citizens. So, I definitely had good timing on this!

Surely It’s Time to Retire the Role of “Celebrity Christian”

I’ve enjoyed reading Roger Olsen for years. He comes across as a grumpy old man who doesn’t want to deal with people’s stupidity anymore, which I probably enjoy more than I should. He is spot on with the idea that ending Celebrity Christianity is long overdue.

Oh, and I wrote one other blog post this week. A Jesus Centred Approach to Church