Inside Out is a movie about memories in the mind of a girl named Riley. Continue reading
A Movie About Memories
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Forgotten Treasures
But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.
― C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism
Of all the children’s picture books we have read or reviewed for our yearly Best of the Best, none stands out more dearly to me this time of the year than a tale about a family in the early 20th century in the American Wild West. They settled in one of the most desolate regions of the West, the open, wind-swept prairies of Wyoming, and the story opens with their yearly ritual at the onset of winter: saying goodbye to their community schoolhouse, buying gobs of paper and pencils at the town store, and raiding the local library for pounds of books to last them through the isolating months ahead of closed roads and home-bound activity. Continue reading
Best of the Best 2015
Drum roll please… The results are in for the 2015 Best of the Best in all the respective media categories. Please see below and also the archives for previous years. Happy viewing and reading everyone, and as always, we would love to know what you think in the comment section below. Continue reading
The Feast of Faith
One of the most awkward moments in my life happened the first time I visited an Orthodox Church. I came armed with my trusty notebook containing all the biblical questions I was prepared to hurl at anyone who might ask. From my infancy, I had known the Holy Scriptures which were intended to make me wise unto salvation; at that point in my life, however, they served more to puff up my ego. I thought I was prepared for any question about my faith, to give a defense in the form of words. What I was NOT prepared for was an argument in the form of images, a faith in the form of a divine feast, and a challenger in the form and substance of a little child. While I stood through the beautifully festive service with my notebook of interrogations, a wordless boy of not more than three next to me gazed upward in silent wonder at an icon of a saint. I put away my notebook and realized quickly that this babe was getting something that I was missing: wonder in the face of something or rather Someone much larger than my feeble intellect. Continue reading
Christmas Kitsch
Okay, I will admit it. I am a sucker for Christmas decoration in whatever form it takes. I am one of those crazy papas that likes to drive around the neighborhood with his children on Christmas Eve looking at everyone else’s Christmas Kitsch. Below is something I found online: a church which seems to share my enthusiasm for the rich diversity of this season. St. Andrew’s in Ayer, MA is currently host to 450 nativity scenes from around the world. Enjoy the press release, and watch their video below. Happy Christmas and joyous preparation for the upcoming feast of our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem!
Acquainted With Grief
November 15/28, 2015
Commencement of Advent & the Nativity Fast
That most wonderful time of the year is again upon us, but what truly makes it sparkle with wonder? As millions of refugees worldwide flee their homelands looking for a place to lay their heads, it is important for us to remember the humble and destitute circumstances chosen by the Lord of Glory for His first Advent into the world. For this reason and many others pertaining to our salvation, the Church has designed these several weeks leading up to our Lord’s Nativity in human flesh to be a time of fasting and increased prayer. But in the rush to hunt down gifts for every person on the planet and attend every holiday party offered, it is easy to forget our eternal destiny and the place where true life can be found. So where can a weary shopper go, besides church, to pray more, shop less, and truly wonder at the condescension of our God? Continue reading
My Trip to the Hospital
My papa rushed me to the hospital because I had a breathing problem.
I was anxious and scared because it was my first time.
The doctors helped me recover.
The Charity of Charles Dickens
Just finished Dicken’s Great Expectations with our older girls as an evening read aloud, a project which has lasted two years for us. It is hard to have patience in our age of soundbites with an author who was paid by the word and often seemed to multiply characters needlessly. But any reader who has spent time with his tomes and become acquainted with his universe of characters knows the power they have of teaching charity and a host of other virtues to hearts grown cold with indifference and self-centeredness.
Continue readingThe Mysterious Writing and the Selfish King
Belshazzar palace was close to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had a son named Belshazzar. When Belshazzar became King God was angry at Belshazzar for being so selfish that he forgot about God. God sent Daniel to help Belshazzar understand God’s message. By those rivers a wondrous thing was about to happen.
God sent a message to the king. A mysterious hand wrote a cryptic message on a wall. The king called for his super-wise men, but they could not understand the language that it was written in. Belshazzar started shaking head to toe in fear. The queen announced, “I know a man who is very wise and whom your father trusted.” He sent for Daniel who interpreted the writing, “God is angry at you for worshiping false gods.”
That very evening, a king named Darius of the Medes took over the kingdom of Babylon. He captured the city of Babylon while Belshazzar died horrifically.
Making Fun of Evil
October 31, 2015
Eve of All Saints (Western Calendar)
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. (I Kings 18:27-29)
There is a long and venerable tradition of mocking evil in the Church. The Prophet Elijah taunted the devotees of the false god Baal and revealed this demon’s utter powerlessness. The righteous maiden Justina fouled the plans of the arch-sorcerer Cyprian and made light of his demonic powers to seduce her into an unlawful and sinful union. And the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ, mocked death itself and eventually defeated death by deceiving the deceiver with his outward weakness and humility. Continue reading
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