Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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3 New Books on Evangelism
Last Friday, a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses came to our door. Unlike an ambush on Christmas morning a few years back, I saw them coming. I answered the door and the guy introduced himself and his wife, and then starting talking about comfort and read me 2 Cor. 1:3-4. I mentioned that Ali has these…
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Why Are We Raising Support?
In a perfect world, I would have a full-time job in some type of vocational ministry. It’s what I know I am called to do, and it’s what I spent 8 years in school for. And that’s not just my opinion, it’s Dallas Theological Seminary’s as well. But, we don’t currently live in a perfect…
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The Well-Educated Mind: Autobiography and Memoir
Last week, I posted a list of novels from Susan Wise Bauer’s The Well-Educated Mind. The next section in her book covers autobiography and memoir, which is a bit more complicated than you might think. After giving a brief overview of the history of criticism of the genre, Bauer guides readers through the grammar, logic, and…
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Our Target in College Ministry
Yesterday, I reflected on what it might look like to do college ministry different. In case you’re wondering, yes, I’m ripping off Apple by using an adjective when you “should” use an adverb (my views on grammar are somewhat philosophically radical). After answering why and how, it’s time for what. As in, “what should the…
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What If We Did College Ministry Different?
This is a question I’ve been thinking about for over 10 years. Ever since we’ve been in Florida, I’ve been involved with a college ministry at UCF called SHIFT. I’ve also been a high school teacher at a small private school about 20 minutes away. As far as teaching, I’ve taught 3 classes now from…
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The Well-Educated Mind: Novels
Now that it’s officially summer reading season, I thought I’d give you more of a rundown on the lists in The Well-Educated Mind. You may vaguely remember the overview I gave of the opening section. If not, here it is again. Chapter 5 is “The Story of People: Reading through History with the Novel.” Bauer…
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Car Repairs and The Providence of God
On Sunday, I dropped my car off for a much needed oil change. Since it’s on high-mileage now (just under 250,000), I try to space them out as much as possible (within the guidelines). This is tricky because as the car has aged it has acquired a taste for oil. I can’t actually make it…
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3 Books by Andy Crouch You Should Read
One of the most helpful books I read last month was Andy Crouch’s The Tech-Wise Family. It’s a short read, but offers valuable insights into the role technology plays in your life. I found much the same to be true of Crouch’s previous book, Strong and Weak, but as it pertains to leadership. At a…
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Update on Summer, Life, and College Ministry
While the last day of school was May 25th, it feels like summer only really started this week. We did have our end of the year teacher workday last Tuesday, so this is the first week without any school obligations. Although, I am not without a bit of prep and planning to do for the…
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2017 Reading Challenge: May Update
Well, school’s out for summer, so I’m gonna start blogging again. About the only thing I consistently did through the spring was update you on reading, so let’s pick back up with that. I read 17 books in May, which brings the year up to 67. Because of a line I read in a book…
Got any book recommendations?