RoFTers and Treaders

We've been readers of First Things and Touchstone magazines for several years. I am sure we learned of both of them through Ken Myers' audio journal Mars Hill Audio. This is just one more reason to feel gratitude toward Mr. Myers.



Have you read All God's Children in Blue Suede Shoes: Christians & Popular Culture? It's excellent. I also give credit to his audio journal for keeping me in polysyllabic words during the Diaperer of Many Children phase of my parenting career (especially the Three Under Three season.)

But, I digress. Back to Touchstone and First Things. A few years ago, through our association with a homeschooling group, we met Anne of Green Curtains and her husband. Our interest in the articles in these two magazines came up, and we decided to do what others around the country have done: we formed our own RoFTers group. Readers of First Things get together and discuss selected articles and, in our case, enjoy good food, as good a wine as we can afford, and plenty of laughter. We've been nothing close to monthly or bi-monthly RoFTers, but we love it. Last night, though, we had our first Treaders gathering (Touchstone Readers.) In the spirit of RoFTers, we selected two articles from the October issue of Touchstone, and we had a great time discussing Education & Alienation (subtitled, "What John Henry Newman Could Learn from Wendell Berry"), and Vanishing Sea of Faith. I wish I could link the Education & Alientation article for those of you who have any interest in classical education, but I couldn't see how I could. You can always order the October issue.

It's Thanksgiving week, and the Green Curtains Family is certainly on my thankful list. Not only do we get to talk about important things, challenging each other to grow intellectually and spiritually and practically, but when I pull out orange truffles, she pulls out port. There's a synergy here that is not to be taken for granted.