“Opportunity Is Missed Because It Is Dressed in Overalls and Looks Like Work”—anon.
Peripeteia: A reversal of circumstances
Anagnorisis: A critical discovery
Want to hear the worst advice in the world? Let Mike Rowe present it to you.
Continue reading
If you ever wanted to take a glimpse into my classroom, I can tell you that it does not entirely look like this.
“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” -Kurt Vonnegut
I started at the beginning of my teaching career, based on my belief that students need exposure to the world of language outside of instruction and assessment. I got the idea from Billy Collins, who implemented a “poem-a-day” program in various public schools that involved a reading of a poem a day, without any required instructional connection whatsoever. Mere exposure for the sake of it being something in our language.
Continue reading
You see, this is sometimes a parenting blog, and as a parent, I am therefore an expert.
Continue reading
Let’s settle it for all time. When considering whether you should record a cover of another artist’s song for your new single or album, there is a list of principles to follow.
The criteria for when to cover a song:
“Call me old -fashioned.” You don’t hear that phrase very often, or maybe you don’t hear that phrase any more. I guess it’s just…old-fashioned. It sounds like a quaint little phrase some, not necessarily an older someone, will use as a way of expressing their values, values that are usually long-held by their family, the region, or the culture at large, but may be disappearing in the current age.
Continue reading
Why English Majors Make Lousy Fundamentalists
Why English Majors Make Lousy Fundamentalists
This is just an interesting read. The more I learn about literature and language, the more skeptical I am of a strictly “fundamentalist” approach to all scripture, and yet the more understanding I am of why fundies see things the way they do. Of course, the word “fundamentalist” conjures a range of labels, but most of them indicate to me a view of the Bible that attempts to honor it, but falls short of embracing its totality. Like a fundy, I totally believe 2 Tim. 3:16 to be true. But I’m going to understand it in a different way. And even fundies disagree over interpreting the passages, so “taking everything literally” doesn’t solve all problems of interpretation and doctrine. After all, Jesus didn’t literally produce wool from his body, swing on a hinge, or grow vines. So when he says he is the lamb, the door, or the vine, he is no doubt being symbolic. And although a fundy knows this is metaphor, this understanding is an important basis for how all else can be metaphor.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this readers—especially the converse. How can/how have “English majors” and other types misapprehended the scriptures?
Saturday I took my son for his first haircut. His first professional haircut. Before then my wife would lay him on her knee as he slept and comb out his hair, trimming the ends of it onto a towel in the dim light.
Continue reading
Anti-War, Anti-State Christian Leaders
Anti-War, Anti-State Christian Leaders
A look into the history of the Restoration Movement, “Campbellism” wave, and how historically the mainstream Churches of Christ ceased to preach against war in the wake of persecution from the government.
CALEB COY 