Author: Deacon Nick

Socratic Logic by Peter Kreeft

Teaching

For Teachers of Students Who Don’t Ask Questions

While reading Peter Kreeft’s book, Socratic Logic, I came across this anecdote that all teachers will appreciate: There is a story that Aristotle, after one of his lectures, was disappointed that his students had no questions afterwards, so he said, “My lecture was about levels of intelligence in the universe, and I distinguished three such levels: gods, men, and brutes.  Men are distinguished from both gods and brutes by questioning, for the gods know too much to ask questions and the brutes know too little.  So if you...

Abandonment to Divine Providence

Books and Reading

My Favorite Reads of 2009

In reverse order, here are the best 10 books I read this year: Quest for the Living God by Elizabeth Johnson – an intelligently written survey of where modern theology is heading, for good or ill; I can tell that one reading of this book is not enough His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik – great mixture of history and fantasy Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza – hard to believe a genocide like this took place in my lifetime; with all its tragedy, still an uplifting testament...

Healing the Culture by Robert Spitzer, SJ

Books and Reading

The Top 10 Books I Read in 2008

These are the best books I read this year: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz – Fantastic thriller Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick – Great for junior high students Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life by Fr. Robert Spitzer – Grow spiritually in the midst of a busy life What’s So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza – Explains Christianity to modern skeptics Praying the Word: An Introduction to Lectio Divina by Enzo Bianchi – Learn how to pray with the Bible using this small but powerful book...

American Flag

Prayer / Spirituality

Veteran’s Day Prayer

I just received this Veteran’s Day Prayer in an email from Autom and thought it was worth sharing: Dear Heavenly Father, In every age, You call certain persons to defend the human family from oppression, tyranny, and evil. Since our founding as a nation “conceived in liberty,” countless American men and women have stepped forward to defend our country and many others from aggressors, and to liberate those held captive. Today we revere all our veterans: those who rest in honored glory, those who still suffer from the...

Rosary in hands

Prayer / Spirituality

The Perpetual Web Rosary

Pray the rosary with others around the world via the Perpetual Web Rosary from Catholics United for Life. When you visit the page, start praying the rosary wherever the last person left off, then click the rosary as you finish each prayer. Your prayers are added to the prayers of others.

pencils

Humor / Teaching

Teaching Humor

This email has been making the rounds lately, and I enjoyed it so much I thought I’d share it: After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, “Let me see if I’ve got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids… correct their disruptive behavior observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on...

Large cross

Spirituality

19 Story Cross Dominates Landscape

Check out this huge cross in Groom, Texas. It was built by Steve Thomas and a group of 250 welders. Here are a few facts about the cross from this web page: It stands 19 stories tall. The arms stretch 110 ten feet across. It’s made of welded steel covered with steel sheeting. There are no guide wires or extra supports keeping it up. Be sure to see the full-page description of the cross, and the beautiful pictures of the cross at night.

The Knight

Book Review / Books and Reading

My Reaction to The Knight by Gene Wolfe

I finished Gene Wolfe’s The Knight today. My Wolfe gene must be missing, because I don’t get it. I understand that his books are often obscure on a first reading, and that this is just the first of a two-book series, but nothing in the book really moved me. Some of the scenes were beautifully written, and I liked the main character, Able of the High Heart, but the story left me flat. It just didn’t seem worth the effort. I thought I’d search the web for other...

Hobbiton

Books and Reading

Chronological Middle-earth Reading List

If you’ve ever wanted to read Tolkien’s Middle-earth writings in chronological order, you might want to check out my Chronological MiddleEarth Reading List. It’s available in pdf format. This reading list is a guide for those who want to read Tolkien’s works in the order in which they took place in Middle-earth, rather than in the order Tolkien originally wrote them. The reading order is NOT recommended for those who have never read any of Tolkien’s works before. The reader should have already read The Hobbit, The Lord...

Book and Fireplace

Books and Reading

More Quotes on the Glories of Reading

I’m a voracious reader. You have to read to survive. People who read for pleasure are wasting their time. Reading isn’t fun; it’s indispensable. –Woody Allen What better occupation, really, than to spend the evening at the fireside with a book, with the wind beating on the windows and the lamp burning bright?…Without moving, you walk through the countries you see in your mind’s eye; and your thoughts, caught up in the story, stop at the details or rush through the plot. You pretend you’re the characters and...