A good friend of mine, Jamin Hubner, has inspired me to incorporate a new way of reading Scripture into my devotions. Typically in the past my chief constraining intentions when reading the Bible have been covering a certain portion of it within a certain time, or else opening myself up to meditate upon a it [...]
Tags: biblical philosophy, coherent theory, devotions, hubner, logical conclusions, Obligation, prophetic witness, reading scripture
I concluded the last essay by suggesting that everyone should take time out to ask themselves why they get up in the morning. Clearly this question only had tangential relevance to my main thesis in that essay, which had to do with Marcus Aurelius’s exemplary clarity in setting up an objective or ideal pattern for [...]
Tags: Death, divine providence, epicureans, marcus aurelius, material universe, meditations, moral agent, moral behavior, moral reasoning, moral vision, self analysis, stoic
I long ago discovered that a well-planned workspace is nearly as important as a well-organized mind. Someday, my plan is to build/buy a set of desk, bookshelves, and working tables that will perfectly conform to the ideal plan I have in my head. But until then I am limited to functioning within the workspaces I’ve [...]
Tags: bookshelf, bookshelves, clutter, dorm, file cabinet, file storage, inbox, psychological effect, storage location, workspace, workspaces
This is the second part of a series about Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. The series is introduced here.
One of the most popular articles on one of the most popular self-help websites is entitled How To Become An Early Riser. Steve Pavlina has gotten a lot of mileage from that article—and it’s not because he tapped a [...]
Tags: ants, bees, conviction, dawn, early riser, labour, marcus aurelius, meditations, moral principle, self help websites, spiders, steve pavlina, stoicism
This is the first part of a series about Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. The series is introduced here.
I first encountered Meditations in a film called The Corn Is Green. Katherine Hepburn plays an altruistic school-mistress who moves to the Welsh country-side to educate miner’s children. She discovers one young miner who turns out to be brilliant. [...]
Tags: central insight, corn is green, katherine hepburn, marcus aurelius, meditations, noble character, piety, progress in education, vote of thanks
The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote a fabulous book that we simply call Meditations.
Authorities tend to denigrate this book. Some have called it contradictory. The best that can often be managed in its favor is this: it’s the best representation we have of the basic tenets of Stoicism. And as everybody knows, “Stoicism” functions mainly [...]
Tags: bestseller list, emperor marcus aurelius, meditations, modern library, moral philosophy, moral reasoning, religious ideas, roman emperor marcus, stoics, tenets of stoicism, virtuous man
Things that improve with practice: concentration, geniality, memory, humility, confidence in public, steadiness in self-discipline, getting up with the alarm, putting in a full day’s work, loving, thinking, noticing, and every mental, physical, and emotional skill. The vital characteristic that sustains steady practice is patience.
What is patience? Patience is the firm place in the center, [...]
Tags: commitments, confidence, hopelessness, humility, patience, self discipline, Strategy
The Best Christian Serial Publications
By Robert Minto in Periodicals, ScholarshipBelow are my lists of the best and most important Christian Serial Publications. I update it as necessary—don’t hesitate to point out anything I’ve missed. My criteria for “best” and “most important” include competent writing, thoughtful engagement rather than mindless championing of single perspectives, and range of influence. I have marked my particular favorites with [...]
Tags: banner of truth, best christian periodicals, calvin theological journal, christian century, Christian perdiodicals, Christian Scholar, communio, magazines, mars hill, modern reformation, political commentary, quodlibet, scottish journal of theology, sojourners, studies in christian ethics, systematic theology, theology studies, westminster theological journal