Tag Archives: vocation

A Quick Note on the Death of Dreams and Private Career College Corruption

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Most readers of A Pilgrim In Narnia will not know that I spent a number of years working as a Researcher and Writer for the Prince Edward Island Government, especially in areas of Higher Education, advanced learning, career training, workforce … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday | Tagged higher education, Prince Edward Island, private training schools, public policy, Regent College, Signum University, University, University of Prince Edward Island, vocation | 3 Comments

The Gift (and Curse) of Asher Lev

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gift of Asher Lev is a lovely, evocative book. It is my first time reading the sequel to My Name is Asher Lev, which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged art, Chaim Potok, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Fyodor Dostoevsky, holocaust, Jane Austen, Judaism, My Name is Asher Lev, New York City, Shoah, The Gift of Asher Lev, Theology of Culture, vocation | 19 Comments

What the Middle Ages and my 11-Year-Old Can Teach us About Diversity

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Each year my son and I camp on Prince Edward Island’s heavenly north shore. On one of our hike days we scramble down the red clay rocks to the white sand beaches, hopping over huddles of dry moss as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged antisemitism, Charlottetown, Dante, diversity, farming, History, How the Irish Saved Civilization, immigration, medieval, Monasticism, Monty Python, Paradiso, PEI, Prince Edward Island, refugee crisis, The Divine Comedy, Thomas Cahill, University, vocation | 25 Comments

“Capes and Classes Optional” Guest Blog by Adam Mattern (Signum Series)

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Brenton Dickieson

Adam Mattern works as a mild-mannered data analyst for a large networking company and is currently studying at Signum University for a M.A. in Language & Literature (concentration in Classical, Medieval & Renaissance Literature). He has love of pop geek-culture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Guest Blogs | Tagged C.S. Lewis, film adaptation, film criticism, MASH, Millennials, myth, Mythgard Academy, Richard Donner, Signum University, Stranger Things, Superman, The Four Loves, vocation, worldview | 1 Comment

C.S. Lewis’ Advice to Students When Everything Seems in Ruins

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

I was tempted to call this blog, “How to Keep from Being a Bore, an Ass, or a Villain.” You’ll see why very soon. It’s no secret that we live in disillusioning times. We are raising a generation with messages … Continue reading →

Posted in Lewis Biography, News & Links | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Cecil Harwood, Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, dealing with disappointment, failure, higher education, Inklings, letters, Letters to Children, Millennials, owen barfield, Oxford, spiritual theology, vocation | 30 Comments

Matthew Dickerson’s “The Rood and the Torc”: A Winter Tale

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Brenton Dickieson

When I walk into a bookstore and scan the shelves, I am inevitably met with dozens of book jackets featuring Amish women in bent grass landscapes, or mysterious looking Elizabethan courtiers ready to be betrayed (or to do the betraying), … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged Beowulf, C.S. Lewis, Frederick Buechner, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Matthew Dickerson, medieval, Old English, Rood, theology, Theology of Culture, vocation | 15 Comments

The Tangled Path Before Us: A Review of Matthew Dickerson’s “The Rood and the Torc”

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

When I walk into a bookstore and scan the historical fiction section, I am inevitably met with dozens of book jackets featuring Amish women in bent grass landscapes or mysterious looking Elizabethan courtiers ready to be betrayed (or to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged Beowulf, C.S. Lewis, Frederick Buechner, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, literature, Matthew Dickerson, medieval, Old English, The Mind and the Machine, The Rood and the Torc, theology, Theology of Culture, vocation | 7 Comments

You’re Not Special, Despite What The Lego Movie Tells You

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Brenton Dickieson

It’s become a bit of a running joke among the youth and young adults I work with. Before speaking once, I was introduced like this: “This is Brenton Dickieson, and he’s going to tell us all why we aren’t special.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged C.S. Lewis, destiny, Dr. Phil, Dr. Spock, faerie, Fictional Universes, film, Hollywood, Lego, Morgan Freeman, self-esteem, technology, The Lego Movie, The Princess Bride, vocation | 11 Comments

“Exegesis of the Soul” A Reflective Response to Frederick Buechner’s Memoirs

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

C.S. Lewis was part of a WWII-era literary group called the Inklings that included authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Roger Lancelyn Green. Among those that I might consider “Honourary Inklings,” Frederick Buechner has, for me, pride of place. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged Autobiography, Bebb, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Frederick Buechner, Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, Memoir, Spiritual Autobiography, spiritual memoir, Telling Secrets, The Book of Bebb, vocation, writing | 31 Comments

Irrigating Deserts: C.S. Lewis on Education by Joel D. Heck

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. The right defense against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments.” C.S. Lewis, “Men Without Chests,” Abolition of Man One of the reasons that … Continue reading →