Am I being an empathetic listener, or am I enabling gossip? Am I only seeking counsel? Or am I trying to eavesdrop or putting others in the position to gossip? Am I listening to someone with the gift of discernment? Or is it self-righteous slander? Character assassination? Or creating division? Is it just venting? Just…
An Apology to Men
Over the past year, I’ve been reminded of some heart-breaking ways that our culture, even pockets in Christian culture, deem fit to treat men. I was reminded of my own contributions years ago when I went through my own man-hating stage. Yes, it may have come from some wounds, but it was far from the…
Badges of Honor, Hiding Our Shame
I am a perfectionist. I'm an overachiever. I can be a workaholic. Like you, I've heard many people make these statements, and I've made them myself. (I'm trying to quit.) But over the past few years I've noticed something about how we make these statements. Tone and body language can communicate quite a bit, as…
A Bit on Journals, Words, and A February Prayer for May
I remember my first journal, and I still have it. It was thin and covered with multicolored balloons.
God with Us: Thoughts on the Incarnation Part #1
“Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is possibly the holiest object presented to your senses.”[1] While I’ve been blessed during this quarantine time to live in community with my family, the absence of other forms of community has turned my thoughts towards the Incarnation. I noticed this the first week of online…
Learning in Wartime: A Podcast
Hey friends, I wanted to connect you with a new and fantastic podcast named after a lecture given by C.S. Lewis to his students at Oxford during WWII called "Learning in Wartime." In this podcast, Providence Academy Secondary Principal Dane Bundy, Dean of Students Bryce Ballard, and I explore truth, goodness, and beauty through both…
5 Reasons I Love Reading Shakespeare with Middle School Students*
When my 7th and 8th grade students first hear that we’re going to read Shakespeare, many slouch in their chairs, groan, gag, and roll their eyes. But each time we open A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet, they find out how accessible and enjoyable the Bard can be, and I’m reminded of five reasons I love reading Shakespeare with my middle school students.
10 Old Books I Would Like to Read or Read in Full (Or Perhaps More Accurately, ‘Books I’m Ashamed I’ve Yet To Read’)
I once read somewhere that Plato said we would not be ready to learn until we were about fifty because that is about the age in which we realize we do not know anything. As much as those in education--public school, private school, home school, community college, and universities--may discuss having a teachable spirit, I have found that those are sometimes the very places in which it is the riskiest to admit that you do not know.
Four Truths to Help You Survive the Logic Stage with Your Child (2015)*
One of the qualities I’ve grown to love about my logic level** students is the quirky combination of playful innocence and sporadic insight. While the fluctuating maturity levels can prove frustrating, they also indicate a beautiful transition.
We’re All Mad Here: Keeping Faith in the Logic Stage*
I realized that I could have helped them pick the story apart, but I really didn’t want to overanalyze and so kill the story. So I began to ask myself: Why read nonsense literature? What’s the place of nonsense in the life of a Christian?
