The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will soon be performed at the Bible Museum’s theater in Washington, D.C.
I went to The Horse and His Boy a couple of years ago. It was very well done. The theater is large and world-class. I recommend it!
Jesus The Great Philosopher
Jesus The Great Philosopher provides a helpful introduction to ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and the big philosophical domains they explored. The domains are what reality is (metaphysics), how we know what we know (epistemology), what is good (ethics), and how to order society for happiness (politics).
They sought to identify and show how to think and live to become happy and flourish.
Jonathan T. Pennington contends that while Christianity should certainly be viewed as a religion in that it deals with man’s relationship with God, it is also “a philosophy of happiness” (205).
The author shows that the Bible provides thick answers to metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and political questions, and intentionally so.
Moreover, ancient art and the Bible reveal that Jesus was not only considered to be the Messiah, the Son of God, the LORD, and the Savior, but also a philosopher. Pennington cites texts like John 10:10 and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) as evidence that Jesus was a philosopher of happiness.
The book explains the importance of emotions and relationships, examines ancient philosophical views that continue to affect Western civilization today, and discusses how Christianity provides emotional renewal and relational restoration between God and man, and between people. The author also helpfully discusses biblical disciplines like reflection and prayer.
The author believes that a lapse in serious reflection on ultimate philosophical questions and on the philosophy of Christianity has led to confusion about what’s necessary to think and live well.
The book is a page-turner and suitable for high school students, even if they are unfamiliar with Greek philosophy. Also, it’s a great introduction to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the primary philosophical questions, and the philosophy of the Bible.
Here are a few short videos from the author about the book.
May 2025 Armenia Tour
I am co-leading a tour with Chuck Holton to Armenia this spring. Armenia is a conservative, first-world country landlocked between Turkey to the west and Azerbaijan to the east. The capital, Yerevan, dates back 2,700 years. During the Greco-Roman age, Armenia fought to maintain independence from Persia and Rome, not always succeeding but building elite militaries and cultures. Xenophon, the great Greek General and philosopher, student of Socrates, and peer of Plato, led an army through the country and recorded his experiences.
Today, Armenia is a prosperous society with a thick culture. However, it needs friends and has turned to the West for support. Like the United States, Armenia has a Christian history. In A.D. 301, the king converted to Christianity. Armenia became the first nation to officially adopt Christianity due to the influence of Gregory the Illuminator, who spent many years in an Armenian dungeon. The dungeon remains under a monastery called Khor Virap near Mount Ararat.
The land surrounding the mountain served as the cradle of post-diluvian civilization, where Noah and his family lived and re-instituted society.
Descent of Noah from Ararat by Ivan Aivazovsky
In the 20th century, Armenia became a Soviet satellite country; this reality enormously influenced its culture, economics, and architecture. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Armenia gained independence.
Armenia is a window into the old world of Asia and Europe. The Silk Road crisscrosses the countryside and features ancient stone hotels. Other ancient landmarks, such as the Armenian Stonehenge, a massive mountain cave city, and old churches and fortresses, can be found on mountains and hills across the country.
Yerevan, the largest city, is an uncommonly safe, calm, and quiet modern metropolis. Near the central plaza, the Vernissage market offers Armenian handicrafts, like rugs, dolls, paintings, embroidery, chess boards, and old coins. It is worth a visit.
Armenia is an excellent place to vacation and explore: affordable, safe, first-world, calm, conservative, and enjoyable. The land is ancient and romantic and provides a window into ancient history and modern geopolitical challenges. The land of Armenia could have inspired the great C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia story world, and its beautiful land has inspired much virtue, art, and culture.
We will travel by bus through Yerevan, up the lush and picturesque north, and down to the mountainous southern tip. We will explore ancient places and enjoy Armenian food with Chuck Holton, a former Army Ranger, war correspondent, and world traveler.
Please let me know by the end of this month (January) if you want to join us. I look forward to meeting you there!
Top 10 Colleges Ranked for Opportunities
Top-ranked The Master’s University aerial view from Wikipedia. License CC BY 3.0. Unaltered image.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), from a survey of college students, found that several smaller private colleges and universities rank exceptionally well regarding career and learning opportunities. Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, The Master’s University, California Baptist University, Florida Institute of Technology, and Samford University are among the top ten ranked schools. Students rate them high for learning facilities and career-related opportunities that lead to jobs and other academic opportunities. Overall, students were impressed with the cross-department learning opportunities, career-focused learning, and return on investment.
Part of the reason for their high marks is their smaller class sizes and focused attention on each student. They also focus on student career outcomes and customer service.
Recommendation:
I recommend a liberal arts education (a.k.a, a mastery of the great books), but this must be gained over a lifetime. I also recommend writing a life plan and ensuring college is necessary for achieving one’s goals. Goals could include personal growth, and college can be a spiritually, intellectually, and socially enriching experience. So, if a family decides that a college education is best, it pays to find one with a track record of equipping students with marketable skills, career opportunities, and character.
The WSJ highly rates The Master’s University in California for character development. That is not something to take lightly. Winston Churchill famously said, “Character is destiny.”
You can learn more by clicking the following links.
https://www.jmacarthurtrust.org/people/wsj
https://www.masters.edu
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a short and memorable book. The main character, Ebeneezer Scrooge, is a miser, dislikes people, and hates Christmas. The story begins in earnest, in the most haunting scene, when his old and dead business partner, Jacob Marley, appears on Christmas Eve and warns him of a “ponderous chain” awaiting him.
Subsequently, Scrooge is visited by three spirits: the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. His future is in grave danger.
The most significant scenes are Jacob Marley’s ghostly appearance and warning and the Spirit of Christmas Past, who reveals events and lessons from Scrooge’s early life that went unheeded. In this episode, Scrooge is confronted with a great man, his old boss, who kept Christmas well.
Dickens, one of the greatest storytellers, is known for his character development. His brief sketch of Fezziwig, Scrooge’s former boss, is insightful and makes one consider the importance of gracefully serving people.
Christmas is a great time to read this story, and it is an easy introduction to Dickens.
Film versions abound. The 1970 musical Scrooge, starring Albert Finney and Alec Guinness, is entertaining. However, the most famous and probably the best movie features Alastair Sim.
Finally, whether or not you decide to read the book or encourage your kid to do so, I recommend the article Dining with Scrooge. It highlights crucial lessons about service and celebrating Christmas.
Hidden Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my yearly favorites. In the story, Charlie Brown is down and unsure why. He can’t seem to get in the Christmas spirit. Eventually, Linus shares the meaning of Christmas by reciting the familiar passage about the angels appearing to shepherds and announcing the birth of Christ, the incarnation of the God-man.
Christmas is a time of gift-giving and family, yet many miss the surprising truth behind the holiday. Timothy Keller, the late New York Times bestselling author and pastor, carefully explains the meaning of the classic biblical texts that are part of American Christmas lore.
As a pastor in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York City, he spent decades studying the meaning of the Christmas story, distilling it into a short book.
I recommend the book to high school students. Understanding the Christmas story is crucial for comprehending the Bible, and even history and Western Civilization.
Keller reveals why the stories of Mary (the mother of Jesus), Joseph, the shepherds, King Herod, and Simeon matter today. The Christmas story reveals that hostility and fear have been overcome and that lasting peace and joy can be received and enjoyed.
Hidden Christmas is a short book and a meaningful Christmas gift.
Observing a Funeral and Taking Stock of Life
A colleague of mine died the day before Thanksgiving. I am grateful that my last conversation was friendly and meaningful, but I wish I could have had one more talk. The funeral was sad and hopeful.
He lived a full life: a pilot during the Vietnam War, a Navy officer, an industry man, a pastor, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather. He studied the Bible extensively and worked to help others understand it.
The officiant read from a Bible text that has given millions of people hope for thousands of years and is often read at military funerals.
I wouldn’t say I like going to funerals, but they are hidden opportunities.
- A funeral is an opportunity for the family and friends of the deceased to learn how their loved one impacted others
- A funeral is an opportunity to take stock of one’s own life.
James Hagerty, an obituary writer for the Wall Street Journal, described the questions he sought to answer when writing a death notice. He would investigate what the deceased tried to do, why, and how it worked out. These questions are worth thinking about before one dies.
High school kids should write a life plan using the obituary questions above. A plan includes some idea of what one is trying to do. For this, a good place to start is your funeral. What do you want others to say about you when you die? What do you want to be known for?
These questions help one live a useful and productive life.
Finally, I recommend allowing a funeral to catalyze inquiry into religious matters, such as finding lasting order, peace, beauty, and happiness. (For serious thoughts about this, read a chapter a day of the Gospel of John, the fourth book in the New Testament.)
Attending a funeral can be instrumental for a high school kid, helping him or her think seriously about what to do.
Handel’s Messiah
Thousands attend the Washington National Cathedral and the Kennedy Center’s performances of Handel’s Messiah every December in Washington, DC. First performed in Dublin, Ireland, in 1741, the Messiah is one of the world’s most excellent and recognized musical performances. Technically an oratorio, it was written by Charles Jennens and set to music by George Frideric Handel, a compositional genius.
Most known for the Hallelujah Chorus and the beautiful Scripture texts of the Old and New Testaments, the theme is the Messiah’s (Anointed One, or Christ) life, death, and resurrection. I have listened about a dozen times and always walk away profoundly moved.
Handel’s Messiah allows young listeners to become more familiar with one of the Bible’s primary themes and the Bible’s story. While attending an in-person performance is a good idea, you can watch the Washington National Cathedral’s December 8th live stream performance for free. You can also purchase a recording; I recommend the 1985 performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
If you attend or listen to a performance, let me know on my Facebook page or at info@movingship.com.
The Iliad
A second reading of the Iliad in six months, this time in poetic form, deepened my appreciation of its majesty, significance, and point. The Iliad is Homer’s sweeping epic about the Trojan War, particularly the wrath of Achilles, the Greek hero and greatest warrior.
Many heroes play a role, the foremost of whom are Achilles and Hector, heroes of the Greek and Trojan armies. They are supported by the mighty Diomedes, Ajax, Odysseus, and Trojan Aeneas. Many fight for glory, each other, and, in Hector’s case, his city and family.
The war unfolds on a plain between the Greek ships and the city of Troy in modern-day Turkey. The heroes are fearsome. Diomedes is so mighty that he is surrounded by a “crowd of champions” (126), and he leads from the front (185), putting his life on the line. Ajax is a towering warrior general; he fights with a mighty shield and spear. In one scene, he protects the ships and fights against seemingly impossible odds, knowing all might be lost. One is made to feel the difficulty and his overwhelming bravery and leadership:
“…a blast of weapons pounded Ajax, so he could not stand firm. He was forced back by Trojan fighters and the will of Zeus. His shining helmet, pummeled by the blows, clanged horribly around his battered skull. The blades kept hammering the ornate plates. His left arm wearied of the constant effort of holding up his flashing shield. But still the Trojans could not knock down his defense, hard though they pressed him with their constant strikes. His breath was labored and a flood of sweat drenched his whole body, and he could not rest. Danger was everywhere, pain piled on pain.” (382-383)
While thrilling, the fighting scenes are not the epic’s most critical parts. The scenes surrounding the war display the consequences of vice and virtue. The king wronged Achilles, leading to the loss of many lives. Achilles’ pride and wrath are partly to blame. The entire war began with adultery and the theft of someone’s wife. One sees the importance of diplomacy, friendship, experience, skill, competence, communication, charisma, and exercising one’s talents amid need and in the fray.
As I reread the Iliad, I grew concerned that I was missing the point—the forest for the trees. Is Homer trying to tell us something applicable and essential for all time, vital for living a good life, and perhaps even an extraordinary one?
I was thrilled to hear about this First Things podcast. The speaker’s interpretation fits the story and its conclusion. He says the poem is a love epic and that Homer wants us to ponder the necessity of forgiveness and loving one’s enemies. That is indeed a vital point.
A high school student can easily read 15 pages a day and finish the epic reasonably quickly. He or she should pay attention to the dull parts, the difficulties endured, the self-sacrifices made, the love shown, and the epic’s end.
US Special Operations – Interview
Chuck Holton is a war correspondent and Army Ranger. He shares what an Army Ranger is, what training is like, and how to prepare for training and combat.
He also shares how military service benefited his career and character. Toward the end of the interview, he shares advice to young men considering special operations.
Please let me know what you think and subscribe!
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