"Language is not the lowborn, gawky servant of thought and feeling; it is need, thought, feeling, and perception itself. The shape of sentences, the song in its syllables, the rhythm of its movement, is the movement of the imagination." ~William H. Gass (HT: Write at Home)
"The great thing is to be always reading but not to get bored - treat it not like work, more as a vice! Your book bill ought to be your biggest extravagance." ~C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table and Other Reminiscences
:: “…without literature pure theology cannot endure…” @ Story Warren
:: 3 Questions With Gregory Wolfe @ 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 the opposite: read me faithfully and you will be equipped to read everything. If scripture doesn’t send you out into the world with curiosity and compassion, then it’s not from God. Also, since scripture itself warns us about reading the “letter” while missing the “spirit,” we have a perfect rationale for the truth that can be found in “fiction.” Great fiction enables us to encounter the spirit (which is truth) through artfully arranged letters."
:: This is your brain on Jane Austen, and Stanford researchers are taking notes @ Stanford
"In an innovative interdisciplinary study, neurobiological experts, radiologists and humanities scholars are working together to explore the relationship between reading, attention and distraction – by reading Jane Austen."
:: **OREGON FRIENDS!** Andrew Kern (of CiRCE Institute) is coming to Eugene in a couple weeks and speaking all day along with Tim McIntosh of Guttenberg College. I’d love to see you there! Let me know if you’re planning to attend so that I can say hello! (They will also be in Seattle the day before.)
“Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing; and we must bear in mind that growth, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education.” ~Charlotte M. Mason
:: I shared the trailer for the documentary The Address by Ken Burns over a week ago. A friend was asking how she could access the documentary, and I wanted to mention here also that it is currently available on both Netflix and Amazon streaming!
And then I came across this fabulous article:
:: Four score and seven reasons memorization is important @ WORLD Magazine. [I hope you can read it. I was able to read the whole article when I first clicked on it, but now it says I must be a member.]
:: Self Education @ Journey and Destination
"I believe that pure thinking will do more to educate a man than any other activity he can engage in. To afford sympathetic entertainment to abstract ideas, to let one idea beget another, and that another, till the mind teems with them; to compare one idea with others, to weigh, to consider, evaluate, approve, reject, correct, refine; to join thought with thought like an architect till a noble edifice has been created within the mind..." ~Tozer
:: Why Kids Should Learn Cursive (and Math Facts and Word Roots) @ TIME
:: It’s Columbus Day. Let’s talk about geography (and Ebola). @ The Washington Post
"Students usually come to college knowing American geography well, but few have ever been required to memorize a map of Africa. We require that students memorize the map because, when studying African politics, it essential that our students know where events happened and how they relate to one another."
Speaking of geography, how about:
:: States by Capital Quiz @ Mental Floss
:: The Greatest Paper Map of the United States You’ll Ever See—Made by one guy in Oregon. @ Slate [6,000 hours. That’s serious passion.]
:: Undefended: Best Films For Children Age 5 to 8 @ Film Fisher
Some of our own favorites:
- The Black Stallion
- Misty [of Chincoteague]
- The Sound of Music
- Mary Poppins
- Nanny McPhee
- The Secret of Kells
- Babe [should be first on the list]
- Nim's Island
What’s on your favorite children’s movies list?
Speaking of movies:
:: Looking Closer at Left Behind – The Movie! by Jeffrey Overstreet @ Patheos
And art:
:: Virtuoso has grand plan to soothe the city streets @ The Age. Read. This. Story.
:: Lecrae: 'Christians Have Prostituted Art to Give Answers' @ The Atlantic
"We’ve limited Christianity to salvation and sanctification," he said. "Christianity is the truth about everything. If you say you have a Christian worldview, that means you see the world through that lens—not just how people get saved and what to stay away from."
:: Many of us are a little bit crazy, and hardly anyone is perfectly normal by Sally Clarkson. [LOVE]
Speaking of personalities:
:: Free Personality Test (Myers-Briggs). I scored ISFJ. As usual.
“The ISFJ personality type is quite unique, as many of their qualities defy the definition of their individual traits. Though possessing the Feeling (F) trait, ISFJs have excellent analytical abilities; though Introverted (I), they have well-developed people skills and robust social relationships; and though they are a Judging (J) type, ISFJs are often receptive to change and new ideas.”
Well, I’m not sure about the change and new ideas, but the rest sounds flattering good to me. I’ve had people tell me (particularly after meeting me in a place where I’m comfortable) that they would have never guessed that I was an introvert. (Hint: I talk. A lot.) I’ve also had people assume that I’m an extrovert and my husband is an introvert—even when the opposite is true. (Hint: He’s not much of a small-talk kind of guy). And I do think my concrete-sequential nature (the S and J) balances out my strong emotions (the F). I’d also like to think that my husband’s polar opposite personality (ENTP) helps us be a balanced couple, but sometimes it’s not quite so glamorous as all that. [ha!]
And speaking of a little bit crazy:
Levi [as he comes through the front door dressed in black from head to toe]: "I'm dark and mysterious, unlike a polar bear who is white and mysterious."
:: Top 15 Things Your Middle School Kid Wishes You Knew @ Huffington Post. [Read this one, too.]
[Ignore Lola’s added signature.] Leif gave me a love note I will cherish forever: a grammar quiz. He marked the present participle and the past participle, but who can guess the third? [grin] [It’s a good thing he can be so adorable sometimes, because he makes wild pendulum swings to the obstinate side of things. Like at the mock swim meet last weekend when he was given the choice of diving off the blocks or starting in the water. He wanted to dive off the edge. So he hid under the bleachers and refused to swim any of his races. Fun stuff.]
Thank you for linking to my post. Loved the piano video. It made me cry and I needed a good weep :)
ReplyDelete