Welcome to Ordinary Matters

A new thing for us and for you

Ordinary Time for Ordinary Matters

Ordinary Time in the Christian Calendar reminds us that our our lives are anything but ordinary. The new baseline, the default, the ordinary for us is life in the Spirit. We share in the very life of God. Given where we are in the church calendar, Julia and I want to share something with you. We've been dreaming about this for quite some time and Ordinary Time feels like the right season to share Ordinary Matters with you.

But first, let’s cut to the chase: Why are you receiving this email?

The answer is quite simple: you were once subscribed to our newsletter. It’s true that our newsletter’s consistency has wavered over the years, and we won't hold it against you if you've forgotten that you were ever subscribed. Now, we’ve made a transition—from Mailchimp to Substack—and we’ve given our newsletter a new name, Ordinary Matters.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Substack, it’s not just another newsletter. It’s a place where we get to share our writing and podcasting endeavors to build a meaningful connection with you. It delivers our articles and episodes straight to your inbox—like a handwritten letter from a friend (except digital and not handwritten at all, but still very personal). You can even download the Substack App or visit ordinarymatters.org to read or listen to our content, or simply await the abracadabra of Ordinary Matters appearing in your inbox.

Why Ordinary Matters?

To us, Ordinary Matters is more than a name. It’s a reflection of our passion and joy. It’s about the countless conversations we've had about faith, grace, and love in the ordinary moments of life. Crafting articles about the intersection of faith and daily living has been at the heart of our spiritual journey, particularly during our time with St. Peter's Fireside. We take delight in exploring how to fully immerse ourselves in the essence of Ordinary Time. Because how we live in the ordinary matters in the sight of God.

Throughout the years, we’ve explored a vast range of topics, from the spiritual significance of the church calendar to the transformative power of creativity and art, from the whimsy of surprise potatoes to the weighty matters of women’s rights and the complexities of raising children. We’ve delved into critical subjects like vaccinations, the quest for God's will, navigating the blessings and perils of social media, the challenging topic of euthanasia, and so much more.

During the pandemic, we embraced a new medium—podcasting—and the name Ordinary Matters was born. In a handful of episodes, we pondered how to anchor ourselves in the midst of upheaval, explored alternatives to the ceaseless pursuit of productivity, and delved into how to hold space for grief and lament. We were surprised by how helpful these few episodes were to people and we have often thought about investing more time into podcasting.

We want to cut through the cacophony of noise with quality articles and episodes that share our experiences and insights on living a life infused with faith in the everyday.

Moving forward, Ordinary Matters will be where Julia and I write and podcast together. We want to cut through the cacophony of noise with quality articles and episodes about faithfulness in every day life. We’ll share our experiences and insights—drawing from my background as a pastor and practical theologian (technically, a missiologist), as well as Julia's expertise as a clinical counsellor. We have transferred our existing podcast episodes to Substack and we will revise and share some of our past articles too. As we invest our time into Ordinary Matters, we will explore:

• Spiritual formation for everyday life, reflecting the journey of our own hearts

• The cultivation of emotional well-being, as we navigate life's ups and downs

• Thoughtful explorations of how the gospel speaks to cultural issues

• Theology that nourishes our minds, stirs our hearts, and guides our steps

• A window into our daily lives, sprinkled with updates on the projects that ignite our passions

So, What Comes Next?

As you may know, our family relocated from Vancouver to Victoria this past March. We are in a season of new beginnings. One new beginning is dedicating a portion of our time to nurture Ordinary Matters. You’ll soon receive an invitation from us to join a Thread—a Substack way to have a good conversation. Keep an eye out for it! We need your perspective and ideas. And since it’s Ordinary Time, you can expect an article about this season to show up in your inbox soon. While we work on establishing a consistent publishing schedule, our posts may be sporadic initially but will gradually become more frequent. For now, we’ll make sure we share something at least once a month.

In the grand scheme of things, our dream is to set aside one day a week to create a meaningful and valuable resource for you. Through Substack, you have the opportunity to become a paid subscriber to support our journey. If you already know us and trust our past work, we hope you will consider supporting us right from the get-go—a Let’s get this thing going together, I’m rooting for you commitment. It’s basically what you would spend if you met up with us once a month to have a conversation over a good cup of single-origin coffee (or tea) and a scone. If you’re a little hesitant, we understand! We invite you to wait and see if this endeavour is worthy of your time and generosity. Take a moment to ponder it for us?

Please, don't hesitate to reach out—send us a note, leave a comment, or simply share your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you!

Grace and peace,

Alastair & Julia