About Me

I believe education is learning—over and over—the gift of wonder. Both outside and inside the classroom, I aim to help others see the world for the wild, wonderful, strange thing that it is.  Researching the role of the imagination means I get to continually enter new worlds, see with new eyes, and discover new ways of thinking. I love learning not only about literature, but about art, architecture, and ancient history; about virtues and vices; about myths and medieval monks.

 

My book, Becoming by Beholding, considers the role of the imagination in spiritual and character formation. How do we become the person we are called to become?  How do we align our emotions with our beliefs? How might beauty help persuade the heart to do what we ought to do?

 

I also study Irish literature and art, especially novels about the Troubles, and received a Fulbright Award to Northern Ireland. I have written for publications such as Smithsonian Magazine, Christianity Today, Plough, Christian Century, Christ and Pop Culture, Christian Scholar’s Review, International Journal for Christianity and Education, and Renascence.

 

Fun facts: I've seen bears battle wolves in Yellowstone; I live out of a van every summer at Lake Michigan; I know how to drive a semi-truck and shear a sheep; and I have visited five continents, twenty countries, and 45 states.