Witnessed the yearly piano recital of my two oldest today in the public hall of the Waltham Public Library. Hearing their lovely melodies and inspired playing reminded me of one of my boss’ best articles on the subject of music, inspiration, and worship. Enjoy!
Katertyna Tereshchenko, Pianist by Ralf Roletschek; online at wikipedia.org
This past summer, my 10 year-old son made a significant breakthrough in his piano playing. All last year, I watched him practice as though practicing was just one more task on his “to do” list before breakfast. He marched through 20 minutes of practicing just as he marched through “make my bed,” “feed the dog,” and “pack my snack.” Where was the joy, the appreciation of beauty, the sense of accomplishment? Masterpieces from Bach to Bizet were reduced to equal footing with readied backpacks and signed permission slips. The tasks were accomplished. And music was nowhere to be heard. Continue reading
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The blizzard today in New England gave our own family the chance to read one of our favorite picture books by 
I have a friend and fellow graduate of a one-time missionary school held in an Orthodox Monastery in California. This friend reminded me of an old movie list that he has recently decided to resurrect for the salvation of his own soul and those of his immediate circle in memory of the former Abbot who authored the list, Fr. Herman Podmoshensky. I offer the list here in memory of the same Abbot, whose love and selfless devotion birthed in so many of us the need to feed our own souls along with our spirits.
Drum roll please… The results are in for the 2016 Best of the Best in all the respective media categories. Please see below and also 
“I’m a Christian, so I don’t go to parties,” said a person to me recently. There was a time in my life I would have accepted such a judgment about parties without qualification. The theology behind the idea of 
Monday, November 15/28, 2016
Like Mendicant Monks... 