What would you say if I told you that your life was perfect? You’d probably say something like: “You don’t know my life.” I know, I know. That’s what I’d probably say, too. But really, think about it. Where does this knee-jerk response come from? What ideas undergird our common denial? Let’s do a thought experiment and examine our presuppositions together. I’ll go first…
Your Life is Perfect Read More »
by CenterForLit Staff This post contains affiliate links. CenterForLit will make a small profit from your purchases on Bookshop.org at
Favorite Staff Reads of 2024 Read More »
by Missy Andrews Some of us love poetry all our lives. Others write it all of theirs. Edward Estling Cummings
Gateway Stories to the Classics: “enormous SMALLNESS” Read More »
Those who visit the Andrews’ family library may find themselves somewhat disappointed. Few first-edition, signed copies of the great works of the Western canon grace our shelves. Though our bookshelves burgeon with classics, our books bespeak a different kind of collection. Many were gathered painstakingly by treasure hunting at used bookstores, thrift stores, and garage sales. Some were gifts from friends and family. Others were acquired through liquidation sales at public libraries. Tattered and torn, the Andrews Library houses books our family has discovered, shared, read, and re-read through the changing years and seasons of our lives…
Books Without Covers: Stories My Kids Loved to Pieces Read More »
When I was engaged in my homeschooling efforts, I thought I had that wholeheartedness part down. I pushed and strove and worked diligently. But whether I did this “as to the Lord and not to please men,” well, that varied from day to day, from moment to moment. And in those moments when the fear of man drove me, the homeschooling project became a snare, an idol that threatened to devour me and my children…
Finding Energy for the Work of Education Read More »
It’s back-to-school time and emotions are running high. I can almost hear the air crackling with energy. Some of us are excited at the thought of another year of books and bouquets of sharpened pencils. Crisp fall days, sharp minds, early mornings, and familiar routines beckon and promise order, productivity, and progress. Others will admit to being a bit anxious, filled with a nagging fear that this year might look just like last year – a failure, that is…
The Gospel for Homeschool Parents and Teachers Read More »
I’m thinking about you homeschool moms this week and remembering my own years in the trenches with my kiddos. So, I dug out some old journals from my 25 years of homeschooling to remember what filled my thoughts and heart in those Septembers past…
A Prayer for Moms on the Cusp of a New Homeschool Year Read More »
When young Carter Jones opens his door at 7:15 one morning, he never expects to find an English butler. Enter Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, a gentleman’s gentleman from England, whose master, Carter’s grandfather, willed him to the family upon his death. When Carter’s mother, stating the obvious, suggests a dearth of gentlemen upon the premises, the butler merely eyes Carter, retorting, “Perhaps not yet…”
Review: Pay Attention, Carter Jones Read More »
I was recently troubled by a conversation that occurred in a book club I attend. We’d read The Five Wounds, a contemporary novel by Kirstin Valdez Quade about a dysfunctional, multi-generational Hispanic family. A participant expressed doubt about his ability to read Quade’s novel with proper understanding and “sensitivity,” because he doesn’t share the author’s heritage or gender…
The Wound of Individuality and the Literary Experience Read More »
National Book Award finalist Eugene Yelchin offers a poignant satirical portrait of his childhood in his 2021 autobiography, The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain. With humor and sensitivity, he describes his experiences growing up in Cold War Russia…
Uncommon Talent: A Review of “The Genius Under the Table” Read More »
