Sunday, September 21, 2008

A short update and brief recommendations.


How easy it is to make and decorate blogs then forget about them. Apologies to those of you who may have been checking in. Our second year in China is beginning quite well. We have a nice living arrangement, workable schedules and lots of opportunities for travel. The week after next we'll be heading for Japan.

I've been reading volume II of The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis and have enjoyed them thoroughly. This edition seems comprehensive and is nicely bound. Especially nice are the helpful footnotes, which bring the letters to life. The footnotes explain inside jokes and quote from letters/books Lewis references. Every author Lewis writes about is meticulously cited. This is fortunate, because the letters partially function as a long recommended reading list.

Speaking of Lewis, every week I've been reading my 5th grade students sections from George MacDonald's fairy tale, The Wise Woman. MacDonald's writings had a huge impact on Lewis. Lewis said what he liked in MacDonald's writings before he knew what to call it was a sense of holiness in them. I'll write more on MacDonald, but please consider reading this story some time.

There you have it---I've recommended two authors without even scratching the surface of what makes them so great. I'll have to elaborate later. Let it suffice to say that I think every Christian should at least attempt to read the Wise Woman so that it can become the universally known and cherished classic it deserves to be.

More to come.

Monday, July 28, 2008


Yesterday, July 28th, my wife and I were received into the Orthodox Church at St. Michael's in Louisville, KY. It was a deeply moving experience. Thanks to all friends who attended (it was very important to us to have each of you with us). Almost all of you took 2 hr. trips to Louisville---we'll be praying for you and missing you all throughout our year in China.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

A trickle of information steadily seeps through the cracks


Dear friends,
I'm hoping to use this blog to write about my second year teaching in China. My wife and I hope that this will give a window into our lives and help us to keep in touch with you. If anyone else stumbles onto this site, welcome!-- perhaps our posts will give some insight into teaching in Asia. For spiritual seekers, I'll be posting many of my thoughts from an Orthodox Christian perspective. We'll write more here soon.

-the K's (Kevin and Kaylen)