A Drink With a Friend

* There’s ONE spot left for Ireland — will you claim it?

* Ted Lasso

* The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1, 2, 3) audiobook, narrated by Andy Serkis

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Why is Seth Catholic? Part 2 May 05, 2023

Show notes

Continuing with (what the numbers say is) this show’s most popular series, in this episode, Seth shares more of why he became Catholic. If he could sum up a major reason why he and Amber led their whole family into the Church, it's this: matter matters. (…And again, don't worry, it's not to pressure you — Tsh and Seth and just telling their stories.)

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Seth’s essay in America Magazine

* Why is Seth Catholic? Part 1

* Why is Tsh Catholic? Parts 1 & 2

* The Songlines, by Bruce Chatwin

* Learning the Good Life, ed. by Jessica Hooten Wilson & Jacob Stratman

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Why Switch to a Dumbphone? Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

We've reached a fever pitch with smartphones, and more and more people aren't sure what to do anymore with these computers in our pockets. Is it time to throw them in a river and "downgrade" to older school flip phones? Some folks are. Autumn Kern is one such person, and in this episode, she chats with Tsh about why she'll never go back. She makes the case that smartphones are turning us into gnostics, they're depleting us of our virtue, and they're depriving us of true community, instead giving us dopamine hits of a faux version of connection. The trade-off? A more beautiful life!

* Common House

* Autumn Kern’s podcast and YouTube channel

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Recommended reads

* Marc Barnes on smartphones

* Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport

* The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forster

* Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman

* The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

* Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy

* When the Church Was Young, by Marcellino d’Ambrosio

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Why is Tsh Catholic? (Part 2) Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

It's still the question Tsh and Seth get more than just about any other... They each began answering this question in earlier chats, but it involves an answer that may take a lifetime to share... In this episode, Tsh shares more of her journey to the Catholic Church, why it wasn’t just switching a “denomination,” and why the telos of the idea of a global church led her to recognize that Jesus established it in a particular way for a particular purpose. All Christians were Catholic for most of Church history, and this communion of saints is for all of us. …It's a fitting story to continue telling during Holy Week.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Why is Tsh Catholic? Part 1

* Why is Seth Catholic? Part 1

* Resources that answered Tsh’s Catholic questions

* Christy Nockels’ Come Magnify and Benediction

* Tsh’s Bitter & Sweet Lent playlist

* Andrew Peterson’s Resurrection Letters Anthology

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Why Hope in the Midst of Despair? Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

On the trails, in silence of an adoration chapel, in the practice of shrugging our shoulders, in the dirt of the earth, in art, bread, a feast with our friends. In other words: practice. This is where Seth and his wife Amber have learned to search for signs of hope, even during a season of recovery, pandemic chaos, political turmoil. Tsh talks with Seth about this idea — looking for hope in the midst of a world that tips toward despair — and why doing so changes everything. Seth and Amber recorded their experience in a book, and they didn’t hold back.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Olga Karlovac on Instagram

* Pre-order The Deep Down Things here, here, or here!

* Seth’s announcement

* Amber’s announcement

* East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

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Why Screwtape Letters? Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

C.S. Lewis wrote a newspaper column as a series of letters from a demon writing to his nephew training for his role as …well, a demon. Screwtape advises Wormwood how to best attack his “patient” — an unassuming young man — and his tactics aren’t what we’d expect. Tsh shares with Seth why she loves this book so much, why it’s still relevant (perhaps more?) today than it was when it was first published during the height of World War II, and why all of us need to read it. In fact, if you’re new to Lewis and want to give him a whirl, The Screwtape Letters is a great place to start.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Catechism in a Year podcast

* Sing Hat Co.

* Wilson Knives

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Bonus: Why Go on a Pilgrimage? Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

Isn’t it weird to travel with people you’ve never met? Tsh thought so, too, until she started leading pilgrimages. Now it’s one of her favorite things she does. She chats with her friend Bond Strong, who went on Tsh’s 2022 pilgrimage to Italy. They talk about why travel makes them love their home even more, how their love for travel only grew once they became parents, what they loved most about their time in Italy, and why you — yes, YOU — should go on Tsh’s 2023 pilgrimage to Ireland. There’s still time, but there are only a few spots left!

* Tsh’s Newsletter & Website

* The original Harvard Classics

* Recommended reads

* Saint Stories for Kids podcast

* The Awakening of Miss Prim, by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera

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Why Read Classics to our Kids? Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Aren’t old books too hard for kids to understand? Maybe. Or maybe not. Tsh chats with her new friend Noah Tyler about his challenge of reading aloud from the original Harvard Classics set (also known as “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books”). They talk about how books have the proclivity to form our minds and hearts, what it looks like to homeschool in an urban setting, and how any parent can shape their home environment in small ways to help the family better order their loves.

* CLT Exam: get 25% off any registration with the code COMMONPLACE

* CLT’s Author Bank

* Anchored Podcast

* CLT’s Great Ideas series (based on the Syntopicon)

* Gillian Cross’ Iliad & Odyssey

* Philosophy for Kids, by David White

* The Way of Perfection, by St. Teresa of Avila

* Bitter & Sweet playlist for Lent

* Tsh’s Newsletter & Website

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What Were Our First (Paper) Loves? Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

You always remember your first. ...Get your mind out of the gutter, we're talking about first BOOK loves — you know, the stories that captured us and wouldn't let us go. In this episode, Seth and Tsh talk about the books that first drew them to the magic of good storytelling and word-weaving — beyond childish trinket stories, these were the books that first taught them the sacramental beauty of telling a story well. What about you? What were your first story loves? They go beyond books — these stories tell us more about ourselves as co-creators, made by God to bring beauty into the world.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Catholic Lofi on Spotify

* A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

* The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway

* The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

* The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Lex Orandi, Lex Vivendi Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Lex orandi lex credendi lex vivendi. What does this old Latin phrase mean? And what does it have to do with actual life? Lots, actually. These words represent an idea that’s not only time-tested, but it affects more of your life than you think. Seth and Tsh unpack why this concept matters, and what it has to do with topics like faith, education, work, and more. (In fact, you’ll hear more about this idea in upcoming episodes this season!)

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website