The Meaning Code and Other Updates

Here's all the newest information happening around Tectonic School

I was very glad to have the opportunity to share my vision for Tectonic School with Karen Wong on “The Meaning Code” podcast that just came out, and I’m quite pleased to have a few new subscribers sign up as a result.  

Karen has lots of great guests and covers a whole range on interesting topics on her YouTube channel. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to our conversation yet, it’s available here - give it a listen and be sure to subscribe.

For those newcomers, I would like to say welcome! 

Here’s a few things that you might be interested in - 

If you haven’t already checked out the welcome page on Substack, here is a link -

The Discord invite has just been updated and should be good for the next 30 days. There is not a ton going on there right now, but it’s a good way to communicate, and there are some interesting things to check out, including rough drafts of some documents that flesh out the Tectonic School concept, as well as some Biblical and practical research.

There’s also a playlist of YouTube videos to get you started. Some of these are quite short and discuss the need for programs like this, the vision behind it, and why I chose the name “Tectonic”. These videos are meant to be shared, so if you enjoy them, please share them with anyone who might be interested. 

There are also several conversations with various tradesmen on the channel, and I’m looking to do more. For those familiar with Paul VanderKlay’s “Randos” conversations, I want to do something similar by providing stories of regular people who have found meaning and joy in working with their hands.

I’ve been on a hiatus from discussions for a while as my wife and I adjust to a new baby, a new ministry role at our church, and a new dog, but I’m very eager to get back into it. If you or someone you know would like to share their story or ideas that might be pertinent, please get in touch. 

I can reliably schedule conversations on Monday from 3-5 PM central time (I know that’s pretty specific) - but I can probably make other times work as well. If worse comes to worst, I can usually host a conversation from my pickup truck. 

In the meantime, this Substack is the best place to get reliable content. I have been reading quite a few books and will be writing reviews to share. This one about Nancy Pearcey’s new book received a nice endorsement from the author

- it’s an important book and people really need to check it out.  You can read my thoughts here:

The only thing that is currently behind the paywall are the devotions. Eventually these will be compiled in a book to help mentors and students discuss their work and its relation to God’s word and our spiritual and communal lives.  

There’s been a brief lull in the release of devotions as well, but this should soon change. I am currently teaching a Bible study class for Jr. & Sr. High School students on Sunday mornings, and we are about to start a study going through the book of Genesis. The themes of work, craftsmanship, and community are there throughout, and I’ll be putting those lessons into the devotions as we go through it - integrating multiple tasks is the Tectonic School way!

Lastly, if you think that this project is worthwhile, I encourage you to consider a paid subscription. As I mentioned in my conversation with Karen, my goal within the next 12 months is to transition from working as a W2 employee with my current company to self employment, so that I can put these ideas into practice and hire some young men to train up. The support received by paid subscribers would make this transition much more feasible.

If it is not something that is possible for you at this time, I am still extremely grateful for those who will take the time to read, watch, consider and share these ideas. Please keep myself and my family in your prayers as we try to make this broken world a little bit of a better place to live. 

Thank you, 

Michael Sartori