Welcome to another installment of Weekly Wrapped.
If you are new here, this is basically like virtually grabbing a cup of coffee with me and I share with you about everything I am reading, watching and thinking about. Rather than avoiding anything stained by the world, here at Jenna’s Column, we seek to find glimpses of the good in all things.
I post every Monday and alternate between these recommendation posts and longer form pieces about Gen Z and faith. Subscribe to stay tuned!
Hi friends, it is wonderful to be with you again.
Frankly, I feel like I have lived a thousand lives since the last time I wrote to you. Thank you so much for the warm reception on my last piece, “Social Media as a Means of Transendence.” It is one of my most popular posts to date.
God has been kind to strip away the longing I have for more likes and restacks, knowing that those are not the only indicators that your work matters or resonates with somebody. I saw a note earlier this week that spoke to this wounding deeply,
You’ll never find your identity in applause. It waits for you in the wilderness (the inner room or secret place), where no one is watching and only God speaks your name.
Despite this, it is still exciting to see that the piece did resonate with many of my readers. Whether you are on socials or not, you may find my connection with social media usage and the Tower of Babel interesting!
I usually put life updates here, but honestly, life has been really great and simple lately. Just dinners with friends, meaningful work, walks with God, all of it. I am so grateful.
Things are a little hectic working in admissions, since college decision day is coming up on May 1, but once that passes, we will move into our summer season,n which will be a lot more chill. I will need to use that downtime to stockpile some writing.
If there are any specific topics you want to see me write about, feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me a DM. I would love to hear your ideas as I plan out my work for this summer!
Ok, let’s dive in!
Writing
Nietzsche Loves You and Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life
Russell Moore is one of my favorite thinkers of the day, and this piece demonstrates exactly why.
Moore speaks about how often the conservative Right requires us to be cruel, and to favor the authority of the Bible over the counter-cultural, upside-down Kingdom content that we find inside. He quotes David Brooks, one of my favorite writers as well to speak about Christianity’s move toward nihilism in the West.
Moore critiques how Christian values of love and civility are considered ‘weak,’ and how many Christians today praise the pagan virtues, such as domination, power and will.
His podcast, The Russell Moore Show, is an incredible weekly listen. He brings on thoughtful guests, and I always leave his episodes more educated and more hopeful about the vision the Gospel provides us.
This piece was adapted to a podcast from his weekly newsletter, so it technically would not fall into the writing category, but I highly recommend you listen to it.
The Problem With Everything Being Pornified
Freya India, the writer behind the GIRLS substack publication, is an incredible follow. I have been reading her work since getting on this app last year, but this piece from December 2023 came across my feed today, and it still feels as poignant as ever.
I think this does a lot of damage to Gen Z. I think it desensitises us to sex. I think it can ruin relationships. But beyond that, I also believe a major problem with everything being pornified is the pressure it puts on young girls to pornify themselves. To fit the sex doll beauty standard; to seek validation through self-sexualisation, and potentially monetise all this like the influencers they’re inundated with.
Reading
Read
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
I have been a Hunger Games fan since I was in middle school. I remember going to see “Catching Fire” with my mom and my friends in 7th grade, and the unbelievable excitement and thrill at seeing the adaptation of one of my favorite books on the big screen.
I felt a similar thrill when I went to see “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” a prequel that was released last year, revealing the backstory of the iconic villain, President Snow.
Collins does a great job of writing compelling backstories for misunderstood characters, which is my way of saying that I could read another 100 prequels of all of the characters we see in the HG series.
I rated this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads, but honestly, only time will tell. I have such a hard time giving a definitive review, because the show of a really good book (in my book) is if I think about it for weeks, months and years after reading it.
This book delivers on suspense, entertainment and thrill. I would read it on my lunch breaks at work and would regularly get to the end of a chapter or scene and be dying for more, but my hour lunch would have already passed by. I reserve 5 stars for books that are *perfect*, so 4 stars still means I really enjoyed it. It definitely reinvigorated my love for the series, so I may be due for a re-read soon.
November 20th, 2026 truly can not come fast enough. I can’t wait to see this in the theaters!!!!!!!
Currently Reading
Golden Son by Pierce Brown — I am making my way through the Red Rising series, and I am honestly not having the best time with this book so far. I hope things will change soon, as I have heard that the series really picks up in this tome.
Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis — It feels embarrassing and vulnerable to share that I have not actually finished this book, which is so beloved in the Christian space. I am around halfway done and it has been just sitting in my Kindle. Somebody motivate me to finish it!
Appreciating
When I am posting this, it is the week of tax day. A dreaded day, when we must give up our hard-earned funds to the government. Sigh. This can bring up a lot of feelings, and I am sure that gratitude is not one of them.
In a time where we accept, begrudgingly giving Caesar what is Caesar’s, it is evident that a change of heart is needed.
I encourage you to plug in your yearly income into this wealth calculator, which compares your wealth to that of the rest of the world. While you may feel like you do not have enough, particularly in the West, you likely have beyond than you need. Even if things feel tight and like you barely have enough.
Be reminded of the reality that if you are reading this, you likely are much better off than the rest of the world. You may feel like you have less than your neighbor or your friends, but you have enough. Do not let money or finances compete for your heart; let God have it all, and trust that He will provide.
So, this week, I am appreciating that I have enough.
Pondering
I have been thinking about this Shel Silverstein illustration a lot.
A post about how we misidentify and misvalue beauty is definitely in the works, and you know this illustration will be a part of it.
Thank you for reading this week’s piece. I publish every Monday.
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Your friend,
Lovely update as always