Category Archives: Oyan

[Note: This is the first of several blogs presenting ideas I shared at the 2012 OYAN Summer  Writing Workshop in a talk titled “Of Mice and Miracles”] We are now living under the tyranny of America’s only home-grown philosophy, pragmatism. The … Continue reading →

In the best adventures there is a delicate dance of freedom and providence. But often we are tempted to see God like a father dancing with a daughter whose feet can’t touch the ground. The little girl is swept up … Continue reading →

The best adventures treat characters as free moral agents faced with real decisions. In The Lord of Rings, the most successful adventure story of the 20th century, the plot hinges on the choices of the characters. The whole council of … Continue reading →

Another key ingredient of adventure is having to work within limitations. In many instances, the greater the limitations, the greater the adventure. Chesterton asserts that Robinson Crusoe owes its eternal vivacity “to the fact that it celebrates the poetry of … Continue reading →

Introduction: Two Boxes As a boy, I kept adventure and God in two separate boxes. I was passionately devoted to adventure: Zorro, Robin Hood, Tarzan, Lone Ranger, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, Jules Verne’s novels. In my adventure box I also had long … Continue reading →