👙Lil Treasures #178: Finding a Faith Community and Modesty Discourse

Plus we're talking about libraries, seven layer dip and the Animaniacs

Hiiiiiiiiii 👋

How are you doing, pals? This week I am experiencing both a preschool graduation and a middle school dance so the emotional pendulum is just a’swinging.

One of my favorite parts of each Friday is to read what your brilliant minds have to say in the comments of this newsletter (you can do so below).

This week that got taken a step further over on the Swipe Up+ with getting to read an entire guest post from one of our lovely Lil Swipes, Codi! She wrote about the magic contained in local libraries and what they have taught her about abundance. The nostalgia that rose to the surface while reading about her first library card! Gah. You can read a snippet here:

I’ve been a big reader most of my life. My first library card was orange plastic, with the name and patron number listed in a 90’s Courier typeface meant to replicate a typewriter that was printed onto a label and stuck to one side. I remember the public library of my childhood as an enchanting experience for the senses: the musty smell of pages, crinkly plastic book jackets, muffled book-on book sounds, and the buzz of quietude. As an adult, I often use reading to escape from the general exhaustion of being a human, but as a child, it was purely my joy. I loved books! I loved reading! And I especially loved that the library was where those things were widely celebrated and made available to everyone. 

My spiritual director recently pointed out what a tender kindness it was that this love of reading has threaded itself throughout my three and a half decades of life. I have always believed libraries were magical, and now I also see them as deeply sacred places as well. Harbingers of the Gospel message that all are welcomed, inherently valued, and have access to “immeasurably more” than we could imagine.

I thought her writing was so lovely, and wanted to make sure you all got a taste. You can read the rest of Codi’s post by subscribing to The Swipe Up+ for just $6 below!

This week’s best treasures:

🎙️ I didn’t know I needed this post about Babysitter’s Club characters ranked in order of how likely they are to start a true crime podcast that preys on white women’s fears and props up the prison industrial complex but it’s brilliant and I love the internet (sometimes).

♫ Common Hymnal has a new song called Breaking Me Down. It’s so raw and beautiful and asks the question “what if deconstruction is just refinement?”. I strongly suggest you give it a listen!

🌶 Cinco De Mayo might be behind us, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop drinking margs and eating spicy dips like this Mexican Street Style Jalapeno dip by HBH. 🤤

🪧 I am taking this kind of passion with me to my next protest.

💗 This is such a beautiful post from Shannon Evans on just how meaningful it is to enjoy being with your kids.

⛪ We just put together a new resource focused on finding a faith community over at The Bible Binge! Many of you have followed my twisty journey of figuring this out over the last couple of years and I know I have not been the only one in this situation. If you need a great resource for a season like this, this you can either join The Bible Binge seminary to get access or buy it at the online store for $5!

🐝On it’s way out, Buzzfeed News just published this history of how chaotic everything at Buzzfeed really was. I love a good journalistic journey through chaos!

Cheers to the tweets! 🥂

Wishing you a most magnificent weekend, friends! Thanks for being here and for sharing your delightful treasures and thoughts with us all. See you next week!