Christopher Theo Jolma (Rise Above)
@riseabove_today
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Freelance writer, storyteller, father. Check out my Substack for epic tales of victory and defeat. Now with 37% more victory. ☦️
Joined June 2022
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There has been a surprising amount of interest in some of the engraving work I do. If you’re interested, check out my Etsy shop!
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Getting back into the leather work. This one has the Jesus Prayer engraved on it. What do you think?
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I went to an Orthodox church in Washington State last week. It reinforces my Orthonoob experience: there's something real and powerful going on there. Every. Single. Time.
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@iowahawkblog
I think they ARE reading the room, and they know that they'll always get away with bold lawlessness en masse.
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I am astonished how quickly Orthodoxy facilitates friendships. A bond that takes years in other contexts takes an afternoon here. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
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Today I picked pears with Georgian Orthodox monks in trees.
Thats it. That’s the tweet.
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I have stumbled into a community of artists.
The monastery is called St. Iakovos The New Studion. I had no idea when I, ah, was compelled to come here, but I can now see that it’s a huge “coincidence.” This monastery is dedicated to recovering certain arts. My little crafty
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@roddreher
@JDVance1
Yup. By the time my moving company tanked in DC, I had more work than I could handle but no one to do the work.
But it’s all just “greedy biz owners,” right?
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@TheBrometheus
An array of imagined "options" in a consumer society.
Among many other things...
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This account isn’t primarily about Orthodoxy, but I do have to note the “gathering” happening in the Orthodox world. It’s exploding, or so it seems, and people are finding each other and building life-giving communities or other connections. Monasteries are going up or expanding.
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@IliaOrthodox
I swore I’d never become Orthodox precisely because of online Orthobros six months before I converted. But in community with actual people, I couldn’t resist. Yes, how we speak to people matters.
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@pearlythingz
@JeremyDBoreing
My situation wasn’t quite as bad, but she went with the abuse accusation and ran away from with the kids (they had no idea until they weee halfway across the country). She left a note saying she would come back when I made more money. In the meantime she was going to “work on her
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@ZZZELCH84
You forgot, “Be able to tell anyone that communism has failed everywhere it was tried.”
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@realjosephb
Spirituality hack: take comfort in the fact that you worry about such things. Guess what? That's faith. It's hard. It's not about giving assent to a checklist of doctrines, and it sure as hell isn't a comforting feeling.
Were you expecting a little mint on your pillow every
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Interesting. I’m not primarily writing about Orthodoxy here, (and I’m the least qualified), but this little tweet seems to have resonated.
There seems to be something afoot… :-)
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@roddreher
I was talking to a visitor at the monastery about this yesterday. Community is critical, and apparently a key component of Orthodox life.
I specifically asked him what his home parish community was like as an experiment of sorts. He described it using the keywords that I always
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@orthodoxmary17
Like someone else said, "Loyalty," but I just noticed that the groom has a sword. So, now I really want whatever kind of wife requires me to bring a sword to the altar. I'm guessing she would probably be an early death of me, but I'm also guessing it would be worth it.
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If I come across one more quote by a childless saint whose every need was taken care of by wealthy benefactors, and who says that worrying about the future is a sin, I am going to fucking lose it.
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@SaveYourSons
Yes. Here’s just one of my kids doing that from a few years back. It’s a painful temptation to berate oneself for “missing” the tenderness of those moments. But i think most of us realized something foundational was happening in them. Life just moves fast.
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Since I moved to a monastery to weather the implosion of my marriage, predictability and “normal” have gone out the window.
For example, there’s a greater-than-zero chance that I’ll be adding “goatherd” to my LinkedIn profile.
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It is more important than ever to ground yourself upon what is true, good, and beautiful.
This video was generated in Unreal Engine.
It’s crucial to understand what 5th generation warfare looks like.
Social engineering and misinformation is the name of the game.
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@privxus
Breathe. Stand tall. Let it all crash and burn if you have to. Pray if you can. Take the first step.
I’ve been there. I’m frequently BACK there, but I can tell you as a man almost at 50, most of our worries are just bullshit. Nobody knows what they’re doing and we’re all far
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@TheSkojecFile
The dude drifts above reality on a gust of his own hot air. He’s a cautionary tale about what pride does to a robust intellect.
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I finally have a classification: “Apocaloptimist.”
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@syd_bee3
Yeah…those feelings… Generally untrustworthy. Need lots of principle to keep them in line…
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The upside of our time: we have more than enough information to learn whatever is learnable.
The downside? Same.
Your problem isn't that you don't know what to do.
It's that you're getting all your dopamine from getting advice and learning instead of getting it from executing on what you should be doing.
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It’s going to be a busy week at the monastery. The bishop is coming to visit, as well as the abbess from Saint Nina’s in Maryland. Evidently they are going to finalize the bylaws for the monastery.
We will have as many as 45 priests and monks here. That means a lot of
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@HannahDCox
My wife fought every initiative I took to provide, including getting a restraining order because I wouldn’t sell a power tool she didn’t approve of. No joke. Then she left to “work on her career” while demanding alimony. I wouldn’t get married again without an iron-clad pre-nup.
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And don’t forget: he has to give ALL his energy and attention to her, including income generating time, without loss of said income. Perfect protection. Perfect provision. Always. Screw up: it’s over.
This is my hell.
Christian women: "I deserve a 6 foot tall athletic man who makes at least 6 figures and has never seen porn".
You don't deserve anything. You'll get what you get.
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@Joseph_the_Dad
A landscape dotted with Falafel Houses, and everyone says, “Christ is risen, y’all!”
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Something weird happened to me this year.
I used to collapse into darkness when challenges overwhelmed me. Now, I’m curiously joyful when I have an impossible task.
What changed? So many things, but the bottom line is that I nurtured the virtue of courage, including the
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I fight so that my whole family can rest as peacefully as this baby in my arms.
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@SteveSkojec
It’s been a long, slow, bewildering realization for me too. I still feel like I’ve broken orbit rather than landed somewhere, but the one thing I definitely know: trad or formulaic Catholicism is poison.
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@ladymegofthemw
A woman asked me for my number at the bank. I mean, she worked there and she needed to send a verification text, but still. Does that count?
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Just a heads up for anyone considering an entrepreneurial route: it will absolutely destroy your employability. You’ll hate it, for one, but future employers will never trust you or see your value (at least in my experience).
I built and tan a small business for ten years.
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Can confirm.
I was visiting the monastery I now live in when I heard a talk from a Georgian Orthodox abbess and a monk talk about a variety of things. One thing Fr. Dionysius said was, “If it’s from the Holy Spirit, it’s unstoppable.”
I’d had so many doors slammed in my face
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Made a thing for when I’m crusading.
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@godlywomanhood
I’m encouraged to see so many women coming out in defense of men’s…what would I call it? Men’s legitimacy seems about right. I’m hoping it moves the needle toward the center somewhere where men and women can approach each other and commune from a place where everyone realizes
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I work in customer service. People don’t know what real problems are.
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Tonight I’m going to use this blessed free time and turn these leather scraps into beautiful, rugged cuff bracelets.
Then I’m going to create a landing page and sell them.
Then I’m going to use the social proof to advance my copywriting business.
And then maybe a snifter of
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Oklahoma sunrise.
In the midst of painful realignment, especially if you find yourself in a strange land, it’s possible to find beauty.
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I’ve been thinking about this tweet all week. I first saw it months ago. Back then it made a lot of sense, but as I reflect on it and even apply it, I’d say it’s one of the most important insights I’ve ever heard.
Whenever I feel like I’m just reacting to things or doing damage
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Thanks for all the likes and the follows. I’m shocked and appreciative.
If you’d like one of these hand-made for you, here’s the link:
Thanks again!
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If it’s scary, it’s a good one.
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Brutal. I opened the "Drafts and Ideas" folder in Scrivener. Noticed a years-old blog post with the working title, "Procrastination."
Nice.
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On this day we remember the indefatigable Christopher Columbus, the man who braved the unknown and lethal odds so that he could deliver his payload of bank holidays.
Thanks, Chris!
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My family situation requires me to be able to work from home. I just got word from the corporate office that work-from-home is no longer an option for us. Sooo... That means I need to come up with a solution immediately. I guess I'll start lining up copywriting clients and build
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@orthodrip
That may be so, but for many of us, it’s something like manners. We’re coming into a whole new house, a place we never imagined we’d be, and want to be respectful of our kind and generous hosts.
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@fatherhoodninja
Too many men treat life like a shopping trip. It’s about “choices” or “options.” They forget this is a warzone and how deep they are behind enemy lines.
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@littleapostate
I have found that not to be true. At the end of the day, after busting my ass, catering to her demands and preferences, CHANGING RELIGIONS, and ignoring all the insults, she left me and left a note. She had two demands. The first? “Make more money.”
Yeah, I know. Probably not a
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Guard your words. Even the lightest, most off-handed remark can disembowel a sensitive soul.
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@NShrigs
Yeah, where to start…
I sympathize, but if you can’t stand on your own before you find the girl, nothing’s going to be alright when you do.
When you’re strong and secure, they’ll find you.
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Biggest lesson hitting home these days: when it comes to reconciling reliance on God and the professional/material necessities of your life, get out of your own way. Just focus on what’s in front of you, pray, and don’t worry. Even if you’re in the midst of a disaster, pray and
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“I bid you stand, men of the west!”
Something I made…
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@NShrigs
Just learn to be confident, capable, productive and virtuous, and don’t care about “girls.” If courtship and marriage happen. great. Desperation turns them off. But also, count your blessings: The loneliness within marriage is far worse than being single.
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If I could catch up with a guy right before his turn in the crucible, and maybe had a chance to set him in a different course to avoid it, I would tell him to keep eternal vigilance over his worth
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@STEFisDOPE
A seriously undervalued tactic. I do exactly this all the time—I set the big goal or even just the vision, WRITE IT OUT, and then let my subconscious go to work on it for a time. Works like a charm. Brute force creation is a game of quickly diminishing returns.
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@BowTiedBroke
It’s kind like what Hemingway says about writing: “Write drunk, edit sober.”
We’re editing now.
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Saw this tonight. It’s not my picture - I couldn’t capture one due to almost driving into a ditch as I reached for my phone, and then a cloud layer hid the satellites.
Whatever else might be going on in the world, - and whatever you might think about the man behind these things
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@hilarityjane
Call it community, then. I scoffed at the idea of “community” when I was Catholic, but when I found an authentic, life-giving community, it was a game-changer. It wasn’t just about hanging out with buddies and having a good time—it was a powerful reinforcement to live a
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@CopyMaverick
Lol. Yes. My mom suggested I get into it three decades ago. Everyone says, "Is that, like, patent law or something? You're trying to be a freelance lawyer?"
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@Joseph_the_Dad
I believe it. A year before I converted, I swore I'd never become Orthodox precisely because of Facebook Orthodoxy.
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@jacket951
Don’t bother with marriage counseling. It will likely exacerbate the problems. Spiritual direction is the way to go.
Connect with loved ones. Lean on them.
Avoid being alone until that’s what you need.
Pray and fast.
Lift heavy things and put them down.
It may be that
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The antidote to toxic masculinity.
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Really struggling with some critical work stuff right now. Brainstorming turned into a panicked rant. I got over it and scribbled this out.
It’s a good reminder. When shit gets real, it’s just hard. That’s all. It passes.
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@littleapostate
Funny. I’ve been blogging about that recently. A big thing: I realized it’s not that I didn’t know what to do, I was afraid to stand by my convictions. When I found the courage, everything else fell into place.
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@JosephH32325700
Praying. I’m in the same boat, plus some. It’s possible to survive this. Make time for prayer daily. Breathe.
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Yes. This.
“For the devil assails most especially when he sees men left alone and by themselves…On this very account we have the greatest need to be flocking together continually, so that we may not be open to the devil’s attacks…” St. John Chrysostom
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@AprilSixsmith
Faith is a choice. Or many choices, really. The fact that you want a strong faith is a great sign that you have it. :-)
Don’t be so hard on yourself. (Not easy sometimes, but nonetheless true).
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I’ve been reflecting on Matthew 25:14 and the parable of the talents since last week. It’s challenging, particularly the part about how the fearful servant wasn’t just chastised for cowardice and failure to use his “talent” to generate a higher return, he was CONDEMNED for it.
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@LilaGraceRose
Things can change. I see it happen to marriages every day. A common phrase men use is, “The person I married disappeared out of the blue in one day.” Another common theme: A couple celebrates their anniversary, everything is fine—great, even—and two days later she hits him with
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@tyromper
+5 points for giving full, loving attention to the child who interrupts deep work time at a critical moment.
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Three EMT guys just came into the coffee shop sporting the most majestic moustaches I’ve ever seen. I think maybe I’ll jump on a trend.
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@TheSkojecFile
I’m not sure. Rigor. Authenticity? I would have punched someone in the throat if they’d accused me of inauthenticity as a Catholic. But back then I never formed instant bonds with my brothers. It just took a lot longer - and THOSE bonds are strong and true.
It’s very possible
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@philokalia_min
Humility, yes. Becoming a doormat that puts you, your wife and kids in danger? No. If most men and women achieved this level of virtue, the psychotic, morally retarded minority would still have them in camps.
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Ok. I was overwhelmed with gratitude when the monastery gave me a place to land when some personal stuff blew up. It’s a quiet, serene place of prayer and community.
The clean, modest food was a big benefit. I was grateful.
When they found an office for me that I could use to
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