In his classic work The Republic, Plato uses the analogy of a shipmaster to illustrate some important points regarding leadership of a state. In order to properly steer a ship to its destination (in Plato’s day anyway), the shipmaster must … Continued
I get a spiritual high out of doing home construction and renovation. I know that sounds strange, but its true. Building and repairing things actually makes me feel closer to God. For many years, I didn’t know why carpentry had … Continued
I’m no horticulturalist, but there is one domain of fruit cultivation where I am quite competent: grapes. In our backyard we have a very large grapevine, which I’ve been lovingly tending for the last 13 years. And every September its … Continued
A passage in the book of Matthew really struck me recently. Specifically, Matthew 13:52. The context of the verse is Jesus’ speaking about the kingdom of heaven and how at the end of the age the righteous and wicked will … Continued
Thus far I have extolled the benefits of sports, but it would be remiss of me not to note a few caveats: First, athletic competition is not an end in itself. Notice that each of the benefits I mentioned underscore … Continued
In the first two installments of this series, I discussed how sports have aesthetic value and provide clear examples of excellence. In this post I want to highlight another significant way in which sports are valuable. 3. Athletic competition builds … Continued
In my previous post my alien friend challenged the notion that sports are inherently valuable. My actual view is not quite as extreme as that of this unrelenting extraterrestrial (who enlightened me on many other subjects, I should add). I … Continued
In picking up Ed Cyzewski’s new book Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life, I had many different expectations. Ed, Jim and I had exchanged several e-mails and I greatly appreciated Ed’s style and humor. I was looking forward … Continued