My boss at School of the Ozarks is a big Lonesome Dove fan, so despite my admittedly poor knowledge of westerns, I have a good many lines of this movie memorized on account of their frequent usage around school. One of my favorites is a line by Woodrow Call after a particularly violent scene leaves some beat-up bad guys and a crowd of stunned villagers. … Continue reading What I Can’t Tolerate In A Student
I’m a huge baseball fan, having played the game from six years old through college and watched it all my life. During those years, one of the more interesting developments has been the rise of interest in sabermetrics, an innovative attempt at empirically analyzing in-game activities to measure success. For example, traditional statistics measured straightforward outcomes like batting average (hits divided by at-bats) and statistics … Continue reading Sabermetrics and Grades
There once was a man named Colonel Crane, and as his title may suggest, he was well respected in his community. He was well known and he could walk around in his hometown and people would see him and greet him. For a middle-aged man he was considered handsome and was widely regarded as a likeable man. This was the story of Colonel Crane, until … Continue reading Cabbage Hat Christians (Theology through the Eyes of Fiction Series)
I was sitting one day in a McDonald’s while my children were attending AWANA at our church. As a people watcher, I am perhaps more sensitive than some to social cues that individuals give off, but certain postures seem unmistakable. I purchased my $1 fountain drink, filled it with Diet Coke, and assumed one such posture—I buried my face in a book with a pen … Continue reading “How Do You Read A Book…?”
I decided recently that I needed some fresh air, the kind you breathe in right off the leaves of the trees while ambling through the forest. As I wandered aimlessly along the path, I came at length to a clearing where I could see the brilliance of the deep blue, cloudless sky. I noticed to my left an old, yet apparently stable, wooden lookout erected … Continue reading Etched in Wood (Mundane Meditations)
With Thanksgiving only a day away, I thought today might be a good day to share Reeves’s book as a reminder of why and in whom we rejoice and give thanks. In Rejoicing in Christ, Reeves does a masterful job of putting Christ as the focal point of the gospel. The gospel is not that Jesus helps us get to heaven and then disappears, but that … Continue reading Rejoicing in Christ (Book Blurbs)
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island. The final paper I attended was not only one of the best of the conference, but also led to some further reflection that I think is helpful for our endeavors in classical Christian education. The presentation was given by John Dickson and it was … Continue reading Monday Musings (November 20, 2017): New Testament “Creeds” and Classical Christian Education
This is one of the better books I have read in the Counterpoints series. Each of the four main contributors present their cases well and give substantive feedback and criticism to each other in their responses. Additionally, the inclusion of reflections by Strauss, Wolters, and Wright are an excellent addition to provide further reflection from various perspectives that are not “defending their own view”. The … Continue reading Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology (Book Blurbs)
One of the more ridiculous confessions of my life came not long ago at a professional development meeting. As I sat in a classroom taking notes, my pen stopped working. This annoyance had happened before, so I knew the proper technique to shake the pen, scribble in the corner, and move on. Yet it didn’t work. I tried again, and again, and sat amazed at … Continue reading On Running Out of Ink (Mundane Meditations)
Reeves has done a marvelous job of showing the central importance of the doctrine of the Trinity for Christianity. More specifically, it is not the doctrine that is central, but the reality of who God is AS Trinity–Father, Son, and Spirit–that is central to Christianity. Reeves highlights the self-giving, loving nature of the Father, which is magnified by the obedient, loving response of the Son … Continue reading The Doctrine of the Trinity (Book Blurbs)
Recently I reflected in my post “‘I’m Bored’ vs. the Cultivation of Wonder” on the first meeting of our newly formed Chesterton Society in Branson, Missouri. In that piece I discussed briefly my own realization, which lies at the heart of Chesterton’s Tremendous Trifles, that our lives should be characterized by making ourselves small and the world big and learning to wonder at the mundane … Continue reading Tremendous Trifles, Mundane Meditations, and Wonder in the Simple Things of Life (Mundane Meditations Series)
“What is needed today is a better understanding of the person not just as an individual but as someone who finds his or her true being in communion with God and with others” ~James Torrance, Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace, 38 Torrance’s quote is one I reflect upon often. As a strong advocate for the local church and God’s design for Christian community, … Continue reading Monday Musings (November 6, 2017): Is Education about the Individual?
The Classical Thistle 