Growing up I had a drug problem. I was drug out of bed to go to school every weekday. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to church every Sunday morning. I was drug back on Sunday nights. I was even drug to Wednesday night Bible classes. I was drug … Continue reading My Drug Problem

(Note: This is a lesson I first gave to my son, Jaden, on his 16th birthday. I have since given it to my sons, Isaiah and Isaac, on their 16th birthday as well.) Edwaert Collier Vanitas "Still Life with Books and Manuscripts and a Skull" 1663  The phrase memento mori is a Latin expression that … Continue reading Memento Mori

In Bushido: The Soul of Japan (1900), Inazo Nitobe explains that the life of the Samurai revolves around duty, often understood as an unwavering loyalty to one’s master: "The life of the Samurai is based on duty, which includes unquestioning loyalty to one’s master. If necessary, the Samurai was expected to give his life without … Continue reading Spiritual Bushido: Duty/Loyalty

(Note: This was a lesson I gave to my son, Joseph, on the occasion of his 10th birthday) Sometimes, tigers come to tea. The Tiger Who Came to Tea was written and illustrated by Judith Kerr. In this book, a mother and her daughter are sitting down to tea when there is a knock on … Continue reading A Tiger Comes To Tea