Monday Office Hours | 6/23/25

Our final A Teachable Spirit reading group installment (pt. 8) & learning from our enemies?

A Teachable Spirit—Chapter 8 [‘Learning from Enemies and Conclusion’]

We reach the final week of the study guide! Friends, a huge thank you to those of you who have joined along the way and contributed. Last week’s Zoom discussion was a blast and deeply encouraging to me. For those who are still on the journey, you’ve got this. These posts will remain for some time. In fact, I’m going to bring them together into one so that anyone wishing to do the study guide down the road can find them in one place. Next week, I will resume my normal Office Hours rhythm, answering the questions and comments I’ve been receiving.

Now, to our final chapter on ‘loving enemies.’

A few years ago, a friend and I dared each other to start reading biographies—beginning with George Washington’s—about every American president. Our excitement was short-lived. We only made it through one president together, but I continued the journey, using my Audible credits to consume as many as I could. My interest in American presidents is new. I can still remember the first presidential biography I read—Doris Kearns Goodwin’s excellent exposé on Abraham Lincoln called Team of Rivals.¹