I am . . . Writing into the Whirlwind
David R. Weiss – August 11, 2023

Hello, friends,

It’s August and I’m asking. (For your support.)

Since 2019, when I began blogging in earnest, I’ve posted nearly 250 essays, poems, presentations, and more to my blog—over 300,000 words.

This is my “job,” so to speak. I read, reflect, and write on a wide variety of issues, both personal and political. I am especially committed to thinking publicly about the coming challenges of climate breakdown and the related socio-political repercussions. Most especially, how we meet those challenges in ways that preserve our humanity.

This is my life’s work. And I will undertake it with increased focus in the months and years ahead. Over the past year I’ve set aside almost all my other work and volunteer commitments to place my first and best energy here, animating my gifts for the common good.

I believe my work has real value to others. To you. And to your loved ones.

So, I’m seeking your support to make my work sustainable. If you’ve subscribed to my blog, I hope you might be glad to support my work on Patreon.

Seriously. For as little as $2/month (or as much as $26+/month, or any amount in between!), you can help fund the most important work I’ll do in my life. And I’ll be most grateful!

Whether or not you choose to support me financially, please keep reading my work. I am committed to writing into the whirlwind, and I’m hoping you’ll choose to be part of that conversation.

Now, here’s the pitch:

The Short Sweet Ask

We’re headed for tough times, what with climate crisis and all. Indeed, a whirlwind of change is coming our way. I believe I can write words that offer insight, wisdom, and and grace even as the whirlwind approaches. I’d love to have your support … while I write into the whirlwind. Thanks! (You can sign up right here.)

The Whole Deal

I launched this Patreon in 2019 under the heading “Creating Community-Supported Theology.” In some ways, I’m still doing that. But having written over 300,000 words and almost 250 posts since then, I’m clearer about the scope of my work even as I invite your support.

Writing. It’s become clear that “theology” is too small a word for what I’m doing. In a couple of ways.

First, my love of crafting words runs so deep that I often find myself simply writing because it is how I move through life. Personal anecdotes. Social-political commentary. Family stories. Whimsical reflections. True, my training in Christian theology and Christian ethics has deeply shaped the way I view the world. So, whether I use “god-language” or not, most of my writing does reflect on life from the perspective of sacred values, ethical principles, and ultimate concerns. But my deepest instinctive impulse is simply to make words sing: with joy or anger, sorrow or cheer, insight or critique. The words, lovingly crafted, come first. And last. Sometimes God is named in the words, although my own thinking about God has evolved so much over the years (beginning well before 2019), that even when I refer to God, it’s almost certainly NOT the notion of God that either you or I grew up with. So “theology” is too small a word.

But there’s a second reason, driven by truths more tumultuous than I wish. I’ll come back to that. First …

The Whirlwind. I spent all of 2019 blogging weekly at the intersection of Christian Faith and Climate Crisis. At the time I understood my vocation (my sense of calling/purpose; my recognition of the place where my deep gifts and passion meet the world’s deep needs) as helping to rouse the church to a faithful response to the climate crisis. That work was modestly successful. I wrote some really insightful pieces: essays, sermons, devotions, hymns, worship resources. I gave some powerful presentations.

However, since I started this work, something has shifted. Decisively so. For me and for Earth.

I’m now convinced that catastrophic breakdown of our climate is inevitable. Add to that: ecological, social, and political breakdown as well. We are not “facing” an existential crisis; we are engulfed in one already well underway. And while it may be another decade or two before the full repercussions begin to upend our lives, other lives, communities, ecosystems around the world are already being upended. Collapse of the ecological world that has allowed us to flourish has begun, and with it, the collapse of human society as we have known it.

Truly, a whirlwind is coming. For us. Today “faithful response” means surrendering the notion of hope and bracing ourselves for catastrophic changes that will come to our world. Holding out hope for somehow making a smooth (or even bumpy) transition away from fossil fuel is now a mirage that only drains away energy and resolve that are needed for more pressing tasks. Yes, we must absolutely get ourselves off fossil fuel as quickly as possible—just as we must drastically lower our consumption of the planet’s resources. Such steps will lessen the strength of the whirlwind and the magnitude of suffering. But they will not avert it.

Is it all doom and gloom? Far from it! There remains MUCH for us to do. But our real work begins with an honest reckoning. And deep anguish. But not despair. Rather, when I say “bracing ourselves” I mean recognizing grief and lament, gratitude and awe, compassion and empathy, resistance and solidarity as the defining features of a soulful humanity that chooses integrity … as the world unravels. A choice that will be the exception rather than the norm. Fostering these features of a soulful humanity in earnest—as though our lives depend on it—will be quintessential for navigating the whirlwind. Far from “doom and gloom,” this work will be about deepening our humanity—our capacity for connection—like never before.

Writing into the Whirlwind. This shift in perspective—the inescapable sense of an inevitable and imminent whirlwind that will leave our world in tatters—brings me back to the second reason “theology” can no longer capture the thrust of my writing. My writing can no longer be content to imagine Christians or churches as my primary audience. Time is so short, and the stakes are so high, my message must now be aimed first and foremost to those I hold most dear: my family. Few of my children or grandchildren are engaged in Christianity. As I explore in Giving Up on Church for my Children, the words I have written over the past four years—no matter their urgent eloquence—have largely missed those who matter most to me.

My vocation moving forward is to write—relentlessly and lovingly—into this whirlwind. We each have a “superpower” of sorts. A gift/skill/passion that can be offered up to the whole human community to support its well-being within the larger community of creation. Mine is words. And so, I will write about life, in all its richness (not only, but not least, the ecological unraveling that is upon us), seeking to foster in myself and in my readers grief and lament, gratitude and awe, compassion and empathy, resistance and solidarity. This is my work.

I hope you’ll choose to be part of the conversation: reading along, reflecting with, and commenting on my writing. I’ll be especially grateful if you choose also to be part of the community that financially supports my work. (You can sign up right here.)

Community Supported Writing. For a decade now my wife and I have participated in a CSA: community supported agriculture. We “invest” in a nearby farm early in the spring, long before any produce is available. But come June through November we get a weekly box of garden fresh produce … whatever is in season, whatever the interaction of sun, soil, rain, (and storm, hail, insects) provides. We help underwrite the farm’s independence; we make it possible for them to stay small, organic, local, nurturing of the earth they farm. (And we get a weekly bouquet of fresh cut flowers as well—nourishing ourselves not only with vegetables but also with beauty!)

Community Supported Writing is a similar idea. Rather than being beholden to “the market”—chasing after popular appeal, I want to gather support from a community of those who appreciate my work and want to engage with it in the days ahead. This way I can focus on attending to the inner voices that stir in me and let that energy flow through my words. No doubt you’ll find plenty of familiar treasures in my writing (after all, we’re both participants in the shared experience of life), but just as with a CSA box of produce, I expect to offer you an occasional surprise as well …

Some of which may unsettle you. Sorry/not sorry. This is “community-supported” writing, but the writer is ME, and my thinking and writing may well unsettle both of us at times. Still, I hope you’ll hang in there with your support for the overall arc of my work, which is to offer writing that contemplates the wonder-beauty-tragedy of life itself and that promotes the flourishing of the human spirit in what promise to be very challenging times.

How it Works: Pledging in a Gift Economy. Patreon collects the monthly pledges you make (billed directly to a credit card you place on file), bundles them together, and pays the total to me each month to support my work. In this way, a mini-multitude of small consistent monthly gifts become a (modest but) steady stream of income to allow me to focus more and more on listening, thinking, and writing. Patreon doesn’t take one-time gifts because its aim is to provide steady income (even at a limited level) for creators—that’s me. However, Patreon now accepts annual pledges, in which case your credit card is only charged once per year. (They calculate an annual pledge as 12 times the monthly tier you choose—and then give you an 8% discount, as a thanks for paying for an entire year up front.) (You can sign up right here.)

Most “creators” on Patreon use a transactional model: the more you pledge, the more rewards you get (usually more access to the things they produces). However, I choose to operate on a GIFT basis. I do this partly for sacred/spiritual reasons: along with many of the great spiritual teachers, I believe the universe operates on grace. But also for very material class reasons: I don’t want the person struggling to make ends meet who still pledges $2/month to get any less access to my work than the person able to pledge $20/month. So, whatever level you pledge at, you’re all in. Period.

Moreover, as a writer dedicated to the public good, I’m determined to think out loud in the town square (which is usually my blog, but occasionally a physical place where I’m speaking). My blog will remain free and accessible to anyone whether they pledge or not. But the freedom of my work depends on people being willing to pledge. To borrow a Minnesota Public Radio pledge line, through Patreon you make me happen. Every dollar of support helps enable me to write into the whirlwind.

Many creators post their latest work right on Patreon (where it can be “restricted” to those who pledge at different levels). I post all my writing to my blog so that its freely accessible. You’ll want to subscribe here to follow my writing—but pledge on Patreon to support it! I’ll post occasional updates on Patreon, but the bulk of my writing will always be here on my blog: http://www.davidrweiss.com.

Every pledge of any amount helps support my work. As of 2023 I have about $500 in monthly pledges. (Not all pledges reflect on my Patreon page because several generous benefactors make annual gifts direct to me.) It’s a pretty modest income, and hardly reflects the value of my time or words, but I’m committed to writing no matter what—and trusting that the community that values my work will find and support me. So I hope you’ll pledge at a level that’s meaningful to you TODAY. Since every pledge gets the same reward, the pledge “levels” described below are offered as playful ways for how you might think of your support.

Overall, about 90% of your pledge will reach me. The rest covers Patreon’s expenses as well as assorted credit card and transaction fees. That’s my “overhead,” and it’s worth it to have the added organization, reach and credibility that Patreon provides.

$2-$5/month: The Cup of Tea – At this level you might imagine your monthly support as inviting me to join you each month for a cup of tea. I’ve set $2/month as the lowest level pledge because there’s a small, fixed fee for every transaction. If you pledge only $1/month, nearly half your pledge gets taken by this transaction fee, other credit card fees, and Patreon charges; but at $2/month, nearly 80% of your pledge supports my work and on a pledge of $5/month better than 85% reaches me.

$6-$10/month: The Quick Snack – Could you imagine treating me once a month to a basket of fries (or a bowl of fresh fruit) while we chatted about life?

$11-$15/month: The Pitcher of Beer (or the Movie out) – Few things spark conversation like a pitcher of beer or a good film. Pledge at this level and we’re on.

$16-$25/month: The Book Club – Writing into the whirlwind means reading about that whirlwind as it unfolds; if you can see springing for a book a month to keep me well-read, this is your level.

$26-$50/month: Table Talk! – Could you see yourself picking up the tab on a full meal once a month? Conversation’s on me! Even just a couple patrons at this level will make a HUGE difference for me.

** THE ONE SPECIAL PERK **

$51-$100+/month: The Writer-in-Residence – Perhaps a congregation, or a self-selected group of folks, would like to pool resources and make a pledge like this. If so, let’s talk about ways to get me in front of your community in person. If you can get me to where you are—and cover my housing and meals—I’ll do one public presentation for free (per year). Want several events over a weekend or a weeklong residency? We’ll negotiate a package that works for both of us. Partnerships at this level become a significant way to help connect my work to the wider world.

Thanks for reading all the way to end! Now, I hope you’ll sign up right here!

And a word of deepest gratitude if you’ve already been supporting me!

* * *

David Weiss is a theologian, writer, poet and hymnist, “writing into the whirlwind” of contemporary challenges, joys, and sorrows around climate crisis, sexuality, justice, peace, and family. Reach him at drw59mn@gmail.com. Read more at www.davidrweiss.com where he blogs under the theme, “Full Frontal Faith: Erring on the Edge of Honest.” Support him in Writing into the Whirlwind at: www.patreon.com/fullfrontalfaith.