It’s back to school week here in Stockholm, so life is beginning to resume the patterns and rhythms we’ll mostly be in until June next year.

I’ve never read The Odyssey and I may never do so to be honest, there are a lot of books to read. I really only know about some of the things that have passed into the popular imagination like Cyclops and of course Troy. So I approached the film as a Nolan fan but largely ignorant of the plot so to speak. I enjoyed the film on the whole. I think, as I tend to do with almost any film, that they could all benefit by being about 20 minutes shorter and tighter.

I haven’t run much this week although today I had a crack at my parkrun PB on what is my 200th time at my local parkrun. Age really hits home when you start cranking out big numbers.

You Should Read These

Seven handpicked articles

1. RIP Wendell Berry. Here’s Hadden Turner; Paul Kingsnorth and if you’re interested in reading Berry this from Nadya Williams
2. Some of the Strangest Old Testament Laws and What They Mean. I don’t think any modern reader can read the Old Testament laws without at some point wondering, ‘what the heck?’
3. Mapped: The Largest Religion in Every Country. Making disciples of all nations. Although I’m pretty sure that Sweden should be unaffiliated even though half the population is officially a member of the Church of Sweden.
4. But freedom of religion is not everywhere: Religious restrictions in the 25 most populous countries in 2023 and is in fact rising in many nations
5. Zanchi on the Apostolic Salutation of Ephesians. This is pretty niche I admit but it’s fascinating to read how others read and interpreted Scripture. Fred Sanders explains it well.
6. We have national elections soon here in Sweden and one thing worth noting is this: Sweden prides itself on equality – so why is its political gender gap growing?
7. A Physicist Rigged His Pet Hamster’s Wheel to Upload to Strava. Humbling to realise I don’t run as far every week as a hamster. (HT: Kottke)

You Should Look At This

ZOO ANIMALS! It’s both kind of sad and kind of amazing to have the opportunity to see these creatures.

Winners of the 2026 British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Photo Contest

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You Should Listen To This

I’ve found myself enjoying new piano music recently. This sort of stuff.

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You Should Watch This

I may have shared this before, don’t care. Latvians singing the Lord’s Prayer. Beautiful.

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This Week’s Postings

Back to a writing blank. Working on it.

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From The Archives

But in all of them there was the mysterious presence of joy. It’s not joy in suffering or saying that their suffering was somehow good but that in their suffering they knew who God was, His promises, His goodness, His comfort, His ability to produce goodness even from evil. Their eyes weren’t fixed on their suffering (all of which was great) but fixed instead on something incomparably greater which they realised was somehow (by the mystery of faith) theirs and this caused them great joy.

Joy and sorrow

I’d love to hear the interesting things you did, saw, read, thought this past week. Let me know in the comments.