The Harry Potter books are better than anyone other than the insightful John Granger believes. They contain many life lessons and one is that you should go to Wheatstone Academy this summer. (At least this is an implication I have drawn from the books . . . ) Don’t let “life lesson” discourage you: Harry Potter is brilliant fun . . . meaning the life lesson goes down as easily as if vitamins were included in your butter beer. Here is one... Read more
It is an odd thing to be called on to defend something you think you know. It is disturbing at first, because it makes you simultaneously wonder about your own mental clarity and that of your questioner. Why would he ask such a question? Isn’t the truth of the matter obvious? Unfortunately, there are few things we believe that some other person, seemingly rational, cannot doubt. After a bit of reflection, the doubts of others about my beliefs are less... Read more
Photography was still new and mysterious when this picture of Sam Houston was taken. Men would make a living claiming that they could show the spirits of the dead captured on the plates. Sam Houston, already a legend, looks as if he is daring any spirit to make an appearance. Brave soldier, congressman, governor, general, and leader of Texas, Sam Houston was the sort of alum any school would be proud to honor. Though colleges are named after him, no... Read more
I have never posted a picture of a cute cat, but I shall do so today. Why? Because I am writing about those who have not fallen, because they never stood up and it is difficult to picture this without causing offense. I am told that kittens never offend anyone so I shall illustrate my point with an image of a kitty. If you stay in bed all day, then an image of laying in bed is not an image... Read more
What should we do in difficult times? Today marks the celebration of a man with a plan we should emulate. He was a Georgian, but not the kind who plants peanut, the kind who plants one of the earliest just and Christian states on Earth. He was the equivalent of a duke (Tornike) and he gave up the world to pray and then the world asked him to return when he was needed. He is a model for the Constantine... Read more
I have not lived as good a life as Hope. Generally, with far less going for her, she has made better choices and so she has fewer regrets than I do. One way to deal with this truth is to deny it. My sins were more obvious, but after all, Hope has . . . and it is all nonsense. Some problems have a bigger impact than others. The other solution is to sit in a dark room and despair.... Read more
My dad and mom did a lot right, but one of the best things they did is not the sort of thing that gets much attention. They both spent as much time with the “least important” or difficult members of the congregation as they did with the elders or the big donors. I am not even sure my dad ever had a very good idea who the big donors were! This turns out not always to be the case. I... Read more
Jane Eyre is a manual for Christian romance and anybody in love should read it. The lessons in it are many, but here is an unexpected one: the lover tells the beloved what he needs to hear and not always what he wishes to hear. Jane and Rochester initially are separated by God and Jane’s obedience to Him. At the end of the novel a miracle happens to bring Rochester and Jane together. God shows mercy in His judgment of the... Read more
If you wish to be in love properly and have not read Jane Eyre, stop now. Read the book. If you are still reading, then you know that the worst moment in the book is when St John Rivers proposes to Jane Eyre. This proposal comes from a man who is called to a hard ministry in foreign lands. He rightly has seen that the woman he actually loved was unfit for this life. He makes the mistake of thinking marriage can... Read more
Failure on a big stage is failure indeed just as triumph is true worldly triumph in fact. The rest of us watch and wonder, sometimes hastily opining, judging, forgiving, celebrating, doing something where we are called to do nothing, but acknowledge the failure or the victory. Yet all of us will fail, fall short of the calling or ideals of goodness, truth, and beauty. I have done so. We all need healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. I do. We all score... Read more
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