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Hello friends,

In my last email (“Amazon vs. Church”) I unpacked the two key arguments in Jeff Bezos’ defense of Amazon (and his own wealth) that he delivered to Congress last summer: “The Perilous Journey to Success” and “The Unique Benefits of Scale.”

(It’s worth noting that since then Jeff Bezos has stepped down as Amazon’s CEO, following the precedent set by Larry and Sergei that I saw happen at Google when it transitioned into Alphabet in 2015.)

Hello friends,

In my last email (“What’s next for America?”) I used the mottos of American presidential candidates as examples of how we can choose to root ourselves in the fear of the unknown or use our energy to hope for a better future, even though it’s the more difficult and scary choice.

At the end of the email I asked:

Hello friends,

In my last email (“Back after burnout”) I recapped my first year of writing this newsletter and my goal to explore creativity as a spiritual discipline over the next year.

At the end of the email I asked:

Hello friends,

In my last email (“Should I Text my Black Friends?”) I wrote about how inviting God into my inner dialogue helps me navigate the cacophony of social media.

While I didn’t know it at the time, that email would be the only piece of writing that I’d publish until now…four months later 😳

Hello friends,

In my last email I wrote about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and how I believe white Christians should be responding. For the first time I also published an edited version of the e-mail for non-subscribers to read.

Hello friends,

In my last email I drew parallels between the “uncanny valley-ness” of video calls and prayer. I can’t say I’ve done the best job implementing my own learnings into my prayer time over the past couple of weeks, but everything is a work in progress.

At the end of that email I asked:

Hello friends,

In my last email I was inspired by how a church in West Virginia responded to the constraint of social distancing, and challenged myself to start thinking of creativity as a spiritual discipline in the same way I regard prayer and scripture.

At the end of that email I asked:

Hello friends,

In my last email I meditated on the word “serenity,” and how the morning light in my apartment (paired with Verve coffee) has been bringing me a sense of calm.

I asked you to share your own photo as answer to this question:

Hello friends,

In my last email I recounted being held hostage in the sausage aisle of a grocery store by my anxiety, and realizing I needed to pray for God’s “transcendent” peace before my next grocery run.

Hello friends,

In my last email I outlined the perils of the “read receipts” feature of an email app called Superhuman, wondering about how such an invasive feature was allowed to ship and asking myself about the ways I actively consider minorities and other vulnerable groups in my life.

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Hello friends,

In my last email I drew comparisons between the rituals of Communion and Instagram, and both rituals ring hollow without remembering the heart behind them.

Hello friends,

You’re finally receiving the first Valleyist of 2020! It’s been two months since my last email but I haven’t abandoned the newsletter – I’ve just been in a bit of a rut 😅 (more on that below). But I’m excited to get back into a regular rhythm of writing!

In my I described how the grandeur of two majestic, European cathedrals made me feel like God is a cold, distant being; and how this image of God differs from my view of God as deeply relational.

Hello friends,

I’m back in the Bay after spending the week of Thanksgiving on vacation in Paris and Barcelona (hence the break in emails). It was the first real vacation I’ve taken in over a year and I gotta say vacations are great. Take as many as you can.

During our time in Europe, Nidhi and I visited two churches: in France and in Spain. Both structures are magnificent!

Hello friends,

In my last email I drew comparisons between how companies and churches play a role in my life, reflecting on the ways they make me feel like I am or enough.

Hello friends,

In my last email I talked about how wealth and transience are two primary factors that make it difficult for community to organically take root, and how these factors raise the question: if I can satisfy my own needs, what role does God play in my life? And more specifically,

Hello friends,

In my last email I described how challenging it is to find real friends in Silicon Valley, illustrating the point through the true story of my co-worker calling an Uber instead of a friend when their car broke down.

Do you know what happened to Nidhi and me this week?

Hello friends,

In my last email I described how America conflates Christianity with white-American culture and how I’m hesitant to casually share my faith in Silicon Valley because of the negative connotations it carries.

Hello friends,

First off, an apology: I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to establish a consistent rhythm of Valleyist emails (not that you’re holding your breath). It certainly hasn’t been for lack of effort – I’ve spent 10+ hours and written 10,000+ words before finally arriving at this email – but I’ll do my best to get us back on track to a weekly or biweekly cadence.

In my I described how Christians are at the very bottom of Silicon Valley’s social ladder, and I ended the letter with two questions:

Hello friend,

When you meet someone in Silicon Valley, the very first question they’ll ask you is “what do you do?” It’s a great question! In fact, it’s one of my favorite things to ask. I love hearing about the eccentricities of other people’s work.

But I also think that the frequency and prominence with which the question is asked reveals something deeper about the area than just an affinity for work.

I think it reveals the two most deeply entrenched values of Silicon Valley: ambition and intelligence.

Hello friend,

Thank you deeply for subscribing to The Valleyist! I’m honored that you’re joining me on this 52 week journey.

So what exactly is The Valleyist?