Print Vol. 6

Foreword

Several years ago, some friends and I were hiking in the Tenmile Range. The cold came early that year, and though it was only October, the mountains were covered in a veneer of hard, slick snow. After an hour or so, our trail crossed a level snowfield. There was an ice-covered lake on one side with boulders strewn along its edge. Naturally, we went over there to throw rocks at the ice, and the first guy—being prudent by nature—tossed his rock from a distance.

The rock rose in the air. It did a slow-motion flip. It came down in the snow, far short of the lake. Only, it didn’t stop on the surface. It plunged right through, with an icy glunk. There followed a moment of silence. Then, abruptly and at the same time, we realized three important things:

1.  The snowfield was an ice-covered lake. 

2.  We were on the ice. 

3.  The ice was thin.

Like startled sheep did we bolt for the shore.

It’s a story with several morals, but this time, the point is, when there’s a crisis, we experience everything we observe. There are no outsiders in a hard time. We’re all on the same thin ice.

That’s too bad because distance feels good, which is one of the reasons many of us act like crises are happening to other people. We say things like “People are going crazy right now” or “Can you believe that Sally hasn’t left her house in months?” or “Everybody (else) is acting so angry” or “I noticed that the rates of anxiety are rising—what should people do about it?…asking for a friend…”

The problem is, it doesn’t work that way. A crisis isn’t happening somewhere else. It’s happening right here. We’re going crazy, too. We’re unreliable friends, too. We’re emotionally raw, too. The only way through is in. Which means that, in the times we have, we need to take our soul care and our maturity seriously.

While we were building this issue, we called it the Med Kit. It’s full of deep dives into the heart, sage advice, and real-world examples. It exists to give you, the And Sons crew, the tools you need to thrive. 

This is an exciting time to be alive, which is not the same thing as an easy time to be alive. We all have a part to play, and though our parts vary, they start in the same place: our restoration and our initiation, a process by which we become men who can bring the Kingdom and change the world. 

We’re glad you’re with us on the journey. 

 – Blaine Eldredge

Contents

When Will We Feel this?

Ten Questions with Silicone Boone

The Anxiety Crisis

Lament

Adventure Reading

Things I Hope in More than God

Light & Dark: An Interview with Steven Hanna

What Is A Sexually Healthy Man?

With.

Making Space: Wyleworth Furniture

The Heresy of ‘Adventurianism’

Modern Man

Annie, Vomit, and the Coffin

Dignity of a Name

Welcome to Our City

Gear Guide: Cold Weather Cycling

Computer Hands

Contributors

WRITERS

A.J. Bianchi, Andrew J. Bauman, Blaine Eldredge, Brandon Palma, Cameron Moix, Dave Small, John Eldredge, Josh Skaggs, Luke Eldredge, Michelle Thornberry Patterson, Morgan Snyder, Sam Eldredge, Sam Jolman, Tanner Kalina, Wookie Jones

ARTWORK & PHOTOGRAPHY

Aaron Anderson, Abed Ismail, Alyssa Joy, Andreas Haimerl, Arnaud Mariat, Ave Calvar, Dave Small, Eric Hurtgen, Evie Shaffer, Jesse Orrico, Maeva Vigier, Matt Nelson, Richard Seldomridge, Sam Hall, Sasha Freemind, Steven Hanna, Wookie Jones

DESIGN & LAYOUT

Wookie Jones