The Good Life

It was a delight for me to talk today with Dr. John Cuddeback, a man who greatly influenced my thinking of what it means to be a good parent. Dr. Cuddeback is a philosophy professor at Christendom College and he has written an excellent book titled, The Intentional Household. He also developed free courses for fathers and mothers at his LifeCraft website. Our discussion today centers around The Intentional Household, where we discuss such topics as why we must be purposeful in parenting our children, why working together binds a family closer, and how leisure, properly understood, prepares children for living a good life. 

Books by Dr. John Cuddeback

• The Intentional Household
• True Friendship

LifeCraft (John and Sofia's Website) 

The Intentional Household Podcast (highly recommended!)

Today I read and elaborate on an article by the late Dr. Gary North titled, "The Little Things in Life." He wrote this in 1979 but it is as relevant today as when he wrote it. In it he talks about the often overlooked foundation for the cultural growth of the Medieval era (500 A.D. to 1500 A.D.): God's law. Although not perfect at all, it was a time of flourishing after the fall of the Roman Empire. Even though there was much illiteracy and doctrinal dispute, Dr. North points out that there was much cohesion when it came to the basic ethical standards of Scripture, and how families teaching those to their children gave rise to what we know as Christendom. I conclude with a few thoughts of how Christians can lay the foundation for Christian culture again today. 

• The Little Things of Life - Dr. Gary North
• Rented Virtue (article on the Quakers mentioned by Aaron Renn)

On this episode I spoke with Mr. Thomas Fickley and Fr. Mark Perkins, the founders of St. Dunstan's Academy in Virginia. St. Dunstan's is an Anglican boarding school for your men that started three years ago. They emphasize helping young men grow spiritually, intellectually, and physically through daily prayer, classical education, and the physical labor of working with their hands. 

We talked about the foundation of St. Dunstan's, why co-ed schools make learning difficult, the symbiotic relationship of the liberal arts with the common arts, and why learning is more than acquiring facts. 

St. Dunstan's Academy

Articles by Thomas Fickley and Fr. Perkins

• Boys to Men: Ushering Boys into Manhood
• Male Pattern Boldness
• Common Arts that Matter

My guest today is Ross Byrd, a writer, musician, surfing instructor. Recently he wrote a series of articles called "On Moving Mountains: Why Miracles are Not What We Think." It captured my imagination and I have been meditating on it for several weeks. It was a delight to talk with Ross about why moving mountains is more than a nice metaphor, why "cause-and-effect" is not as straightforward as we think, and the real reason why God was angry with Moses when he struck the rock rather than spoke to it. 

Ross's Writing

• On Moving Mountains - Part 1
• The Cosmic Middleman - Part 2
• In the House of Tom Bombadil - Part 3
• The Master Soil Tiller 

I've been looking forward to this interview for a long time. Dr. John Seel is a writer, entrepreneur, teacher, administrator, and cultural analyst. He is the son of a medical missionary whose life was changed at the age of eighteen by an short meeting with Dr. Francis Schaeffer. Later he worked with Os Guiness, James Davison Hunter, and quite a few others in the areas of cultural research. He has written books on leadership, discipleship, and manhood, and has his finger on the pulse of American religion culture. 

Today we discuss what it means that we are in a changing age and why leaders can't rely on 20th century models of leadership as their guide. We even got around to discussing AI and why Christians must not forgo our responsibilities to be good stewards of technology. 

Books (Be sure to check out the links - these books are not currently available on Amazon.)

• Liminal Leadership
• Aspirational Masculinity
• Network Power: The Science of Making a Difference

Articles

• The Garden, the Tower, the Temple, and the City
• The Game is Hearts, Not Spades
• A Change of Age
• Beyond the Culture of Nihilism

Hello! Today I welcome Glenn Sunshine from the Theology Pugcast to talk about re-enchanting our worldview. The word "re-enchantment" is prominent right now and there are many poor interpretations of what it means, but as Glenn points out, it has nothing to do with paganism or the occult. We discuss why our modern view of the world is insufficient and why simple practices like prayer, meditation on God's word and world, and paying close attention to the seasons of the year can help us regain a sense of the greatness and grandeur of God. 

• Glenn's Substack page
• Every Square Inch Ministries 
• Glenn's books

 

 

This is a brief message of gratitude for all of you who listen.

 

Book Recommendation

• Winter Fire - Ryan Whitaker Smith

Ryan Pugliese is a husband, father, and history teacher in New Jersey. Recently he wrote an article called "The Modern Home is Anti-Catechism" on his Substack site, Pugliese's Paideia. We had a great discussion on what makes a home, what influenced Ryan toward teaching history, and why busyness is a false religion. 

In our last lesson on the Torah, we look at the book of Deuteronomy, the final sermons of Moses to prepare Israel for entering the land. Moses reminds them of their past, their special calling from God, and the blessings and curses that come as a part of their covenant with Him. We even answer the question, "Which part of God's law still applies?" 

By the end of Leviticus, God had finished giving His ceremonial laws to His people. Now it was time for them to enter the Promised Land. Except they weren't ready. Instead they rebelled and had to face the consequences. The book of Numbers is the story of their rebellion and God's faithfulness in bringing them to maturity despite their sin.