In the old movie, A Man Without a Face, a young man is trying to get into a prestigious military academy. In order to do so, he must pass a rigorous entrance exam. He has previously failed the test, and is concerned that he will fail again. To ensure...
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On an autumn day in downtown Boston… I walk into the final, special exhibit in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It’s called Beyond Words: Italian Renaissance Books. Dim lamps and dark green walls surround glass cases with carefully lighted displays, showing a selection of books that have survived for over...
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I watched as the group of elementary-school-aged children skipped raucously into the sanctuary, each chattering to his or her neighbor as they plopped down on the maroon pews. I fiddled with my PowerPoint presentation as they filed in, trying to assure myself that there was no reason to worry....
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“Come, thou long expected Jesus….” These words of a favorite hymn sum up the season of Advent well. Indeed, the savior was VERY long awaited, was He not? For hundreds of years, the Jews had looked for Messiah. There was nothing they could do to hasten His coming but...
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What Child is this Who laid to rest On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, Come Peasant, King to own Him The King of Kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone Him. This,...
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Why is there so much singing at Christmas? From the beginning of Advent to the end of Christmas, singing dominates our experience of this season more than anything else. The general rule is that Christmas music doesn’t start until after Thanksgiving. But some people cannot even wait for that...
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As Christians recover classical Christian education, they are unearthing old treasures once the possession of every educated man. Some of these treasures are words and descriptions—terms like trivium and quadrivium, paideia and liberal arts. Of all these terms, “liberal arts” lays at the heart of what classical education is all about. So...
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A few weeks ago, Cultivating Classical Parents offered a webinar discussing ideas for tailoring the Challenge Guide. The first portion of that webinar discussed what “tailoring” is and how to apply it as a metaphor to the topic of education. Tailoring a Garment In brief, when a garment is...
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“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Psalms 37:7 When I read from the book of Psalms in the Bible, I feel like they slow me down. This is the reason why I have been reading them over the holiday season. Perhaps it’s because they are...
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My twenty-one-year-old son is refusing to walk. Before you get the wrong idea, let me back up and start over. It’s December, a time when we enjoy the happy strains of “Deck the Halls,” “O Holy Night,” “Pomp and Circumstance.” Or maybe that’s just me? You see, my son...
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At 3:00 p.m. I still had my PJs on. The door to my room was shut, candles were lit, quiet was instrumental music playing in the background while I enjoyed some time to do a few of my favorite things. I don’t normally indulge in rarities such as this, but...
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This is our last night in the nursery. Next year my daughter enters Challenge. But unlike Wendy, we aren’t distraught or anxious. While we both have a healthy respect for the rigors of the Challenge program, we are excited by our new adventure and we are already chatting over...
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