“I am trying to recover a respect for the life of the Spirit that is revealed in Jesus and the Scriptures in contrast to a life that is defined by consumption and achievement, competition and psychological profiling. I am trying to develop an imagination that is immersed in the operations of the Trinity so that I will not be constantly seduced into thinking that spirituality is a way of managing … [Read more...] about Aspiring Eugene
Quotations from My Betters
Heroes Are Old Fashioned And Kids Need Realism?
Kids don’t need cynical so-called “realism.” They know about evil and villains, let them know about heroics. Let them get a taste for hope. Kids need heroic, hopeful stories. … [Read more...] about Heroes Are Old Fashioned And Kids Need Realism?
“…He Had Rather Not Be Cured…”
"When Constantine the Emperor was told there was no means to cure his leprosy but by bathing his body in the blood of infants, he immediately answered, he had rather not be cured than use such a remedy." Thomas Brooks HT: George Grant … [Read more...] about “…He Had Rather Not Be Cured…”
Why Would You Read Anything Other Than the Bible?
Great answer from Gregory Wolfe at Sojourn: Bobby Gilles: How would you respond to Christians who say, “Why would I read or watch anything that isn’t true?” or “Why read anything but the Bible?” Gregory Wolfe: You want me to answer these questions in how many words? If the Bible is a closed feedback loop – read me but read nothing else – then sign me up for another religion. I think it’s saying … [Read more...] about Why Would You Read Anything Other Than the Bible?
On Love: I Have Never Not Needed To Hear This
“There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in … [Read more...] about On Love: I Have Never Not Needed To Hear This
St. Patrick’s Breastplate
What a wonderful prayer/confession/affirmation. The Lorica, or St. Patrick's Breastplate I arise today With a mighty power, Calling on the name of the Holy Trinity, Affirming His Threeness, Confessing His Oneness, Thanking my Creator, loving His Creation. I arise today Made strong by Christ's coming. Made strong by His Baptism. Made strong by His crucifixion, and resurrection, and … [Read more...] about St. Patrick’s Breastplate
Freedom = Breaking Laws?
"When you break the big laws, you do not get freedom; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws". G.K. Chesterton … [Read more...] about Freedom = Breaking Laws?
“Parents, Like the Earth Beneath Our Feet…”
"A child has little defense against the sight of a parent laid low. Parents, like the earth beneath our feet and the sun above our heads, are immutable objects, eternal and reliable. If one should fall, who might vouch the sun itself won't fall, burning, into the sea?" Rick Yancey, The Monstrumologist HT: My friend, Loren Eaton. … [Read more...] about “Parents, Like the Earth Beneath Our Feet…”
At Once An Ogre’s Castle and a Restful Cottage
"G.K. Chesterton once asserted that our world is simultaneously an ogre’s castle that must be stormed and a cottage where one might return after a long day’s labor. Life in this poor fallen world, he said, is both a battle and a refuge; it is at the same time a dangerous enterprise and a restful repose. In other words, he recognized that the world we live in, work in, and serve in is fraught with … [Read more...] about At Once An Ogre’s Castle and a Restful Cottage
Ugly Authors and Audiobooks
"For an author, Jerry Vale was rather nice looking. Most authors, as is widely known, resemble in appearance the more degraded types of fish, unless they look like birds, when they could pass as vultures and no questions asked." P.G. Wodehouse, Pigs Have Wings Note: Martin Jarvis reading this for the audiobook is better than whatever voice you could ever hear while reading on your own. Same goes … [Read more...] about Ugly Authors and Audiobooks
C.S. Lewis on G.K. Chesterton
"His humour was of the kind I like best – not 'jokes' imbedded in the page like currants in a cake, still less (what I cannot endure), a general tone of flippancy and jocularity, but the humour which is not in any way separable from the argument but is rather (as Aristotle would say) the 'bloom' on dialectic itself. The sword glitters not because the swordsman set out to make it glitter but … [Read more...] about C.S. Lewis on G.K. Chesterton
Who Needs a Movie Adaptation of a Novel?
This sums up my (snobby?) growing unease and almost-always disappointment with adaptations. “If you can read and have more imagination than a doorknob, what need do you have for a 'movie version' of a novel?” Wendell Berry HT: @TheRabbitRoom … [Read more...] about Who Needs a Movie Adaptation of a Novel?