Print Vol. 4

Foreword

Chase the right things. 

The other day, we tried to nutshell And Sons for a group of young men. It isn’t easy—how do you put the formation of the young man’s soul in four words, without using that phrase, or maturity, or virtue, or anything else that could sound vague or dusty? Then the sage himself, Padre, dropped the line above: chase the right things.

That’s it, after all. There are plenty of things you could chase in your 20s. A career. Romance. Education. Success. Money. Freedom. Fame. There are narratives to back each one. Our point is—chase things that will form your soul in the direction of the man you’d love to be. It does you nothing to end up rich if you’re hollow. 

Now, it might be a career. It might be romance. It might be education. But any of those will be the particular expression of a general rule. Chase soul formation. Meaning, establish holding places for beauty. Acquaint yourself with good things. Choose adventure because the man who is familiar with adventure has a framework with which to read his whole life. Become a real friend. Be able to play.

How do you know which things will form your soul? You walk with God. It actually takes a little pressure off because “Which job will form my soul?” is an easier question to ask than “Which job should I take?” So are “What hobbies would form my soul?” And “What summer job would form my soul in the way you want right now, God?” They have the goal built in.

Why take your 20s to do it? Because a life is a long time. Paul disappeared for 15 years before beginning his mission. Padre didn’t start college until he was almost 30. In fact, most artists, novelists, and entrepreneurs don’t get going until their 30s or 40s. What do they do in the meantime? Well—you know our guess. Explore. Form a soul that can handle a calling. 

What about us? Well, this time around, I chopped firewood. Stacia worked as a therapist. Sam investigated kindness to young places in his heart. Amy reframed friendship and then lived it out. Luke put up a kiddie pool in his backyard. In doing so, he increased his attentiveness to small beauty. Brett hunted Stone sheep.

For something so serious, it’s actually a lot of fun. May this issue be a guide for you as you explore the formation of your own soul. 

The chase is on. 

 – Blaine Eldredge