Quotes from “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”

UPDATE, 12/21/10:
We saw the movie last Friday. It was excellent.

Although there was a new story thread added in, it didn’t distract from Lewis’ original story.

What about paying extra to see it in 3D? Don’t. The movie itself was exciting enough without the minimal extras that 3D provided. It was beautifully produced and proved both entertaining and enlightening.

If you’re a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis (more Lewis works here), you’ve probably already seen the film adaptations of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and Prince Caspian (2008).

And are looking forward to seeing the The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to be released on December 10.

I re-read the book to prepare for it. Here are some of my favorite parts (emphases my own).

* Reepicheep: “...I expect to find Aslan’s own country. It is always from the east, across the sea, that the great Lion comes to us.” 
     “I say, that is an idea,” said Edmund in an awed voice.
     “But do you think,” said Lucy, “Aslan’s country would be that sort of country—I mean, the sort you could ever sail to?” 

* The pleasure (quite new to him) of being liked and, still more, of liking other people, was what kept Eustace from despair. For it was very dreary being a dragon.

* But it was not the size that mattered. They knew it was Aslan. And nobody ever saw how or where he went. They looked at one another like people waking from sleep.

* “Your Majesties all,” said Reepicheep, “hear me. It is folly to think of avoiding an invisible enemy by any amount of creeping and skulking. If these creatures mean to bring us to battle, be sure they will succeed. And whatever comes of it I’d sooner meet them face to face than be caught by the tail.”

* “Do you intend to show yourself to them?”
     “Nay,” said the Lion, with a little half-growl that meant (Lucy thought) the same as a laugh. “I should frighten them out of their senses. Many stars will grow old and come to take their rest in islands before your people are ripe for that.”

* “My son,” said the star, “it would be no use, even though you wished it, to sail for the World’s End with men unwilling or men deceived. That is not how great unenchantments are achieved. They must know where they go and why.”

* “What!” said Edmund. “Is there a way into Aslan’s country from our world too?”
     “There is a way into my country from all the worlds,” said the Lamb; but as he spoke his snowy white flushed into tawny gold and his size changed and he was Aslan himself, towering above them and scattering light from his mane.

* * *

Related:

• Stand on holy ground (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
• Try to feel afraid (The Last Battle)
• Imitation gods (The Last Battle)
• My Top 8 (or so) books of 2008 (The Chronicles of Narnia Series)

Chapter by Chapter Reviews

Cross He Bore, The: Meditations on the Sufferings of the Redeemer. Fredrick S. Leahy

Mere Christianity. C. S. Lewis

Real Christianity: Discerning True Faith from False Beliefs. William Wilberforce

Spectacular Sins: and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. John Piper

The Ending of "Mere Christianity"

This is it for Mere Christianity, for now. Quotes worth a second look from the last 5 chapters:

Rats in the Cellar
...Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly.

But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man: it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.

Like the Dentist
Our Lord is like the dentist. If you give Him an inch, He will take an ell. Dozens of people go to Him to be cured of some one particular sin which they are ashamed of... Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.

Ordinary Cottage or a Palace?
He is the inventor, we are only the machine. He is the painter, we are only the picture. How should we know what He means us to be like?

We may be content to remain what we call “ordinary people”: but He is determined to carry out a quite different plan. To shrink back from that plan is not humility; it is laziness and cowardice. To submit to it is not conceit or megalomania; it is obedience.

You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

Nice Doesn’t Cut It
We have been talking, in fact, as if Dick were all right; as if Christianity was something nasty people needed and nice ones could afford to do without; and as if niceness was all that God demanded. But this would be a fatal mistake. The truth is that in God’s eyes Dick Firkin needs “saving” every bit as much as Miss Bates. In one sense...niceness hardly comes into the question.

But we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might even be more difficult to save.

God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature.

New Men
Every now and then one meets them. Their very voices and faces are different from ours; stronger, quieter, happier, more radiant..They do not draw attention to themselves. You tend to think that you are being kind to them when they are really being kind to you. They love you more than other men do, but they need you less.

[Others' thoughts from Book IV of “Mere Christianity”]

And the greatest sin is... (Thoughts from "Mere Christianity")

Lewis’s title for chapter 8 reveals his seriousness toward the vice of pride: “The Great Sin”. He says pride “is the complete anti-God state of mind.” In comparison, all other sins are “mere fleabites.” Why? Perhaps because pride keeps us from knowing God. And can there be a worse fate than not knowing God?

Why else is pride so bad? It not only creates enmity between God and me, but also between you and me. To enjoy pleasure in my pride, I must rank myself higher than you—in looks or intelligence or works or power, etc. I have to be better. Doesn’t do much for a friendship, huh? Lewis says pride, at its very core, is competitive. Comparisons are what feed pride and keep it alive.

We see this competitiveness among professional sports players' salaries. It's not satisfying enough to make millions of dollars; they want to make millions + 1 more than everybody else. Not because they lack the money to do the things they want, but because they “wish to be richer than some other rich man.” So as they demand more dollars, we "normal" folk stand aghast.

But we do the same thing, just in smaller denominations. Who wants to make less than their co-worker, even if we’re already overpaid? It’s not just that we want; we want more. We compare; that’s how pride works.

In contrast, humility does not compare one against the other, but focuses on only one: the other. Lewis describes a humble man as a “cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.”

This chapter ends with an answer. What is the first step to acquiring humility? Realize that you are proud.

“If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.” Ouch.

[Others' thoughts from Book III of “Mere Christianity”]

Chew only or Swallow and digest?

...Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence: on the contrary, He told us to be not only “as harmless as doves,” but also “as wise as serpents.” He wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting trim.

...“Be good, sweet maid, and don’t forget that this involves being as clever as you can.” ...If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all.

~ C. S. Lewis
MERE CHRISTIANITY
Book III, Chapter 2

I’m a scanner. I admit it. When it comes to reading anything outside of books, I’m a highlights’ reader. Like chewing on a bad piece of hard bubblegum, I can feed on a multi-paragraph on-line article in about 5 seconds, just enough time to squeeze out the sugary flavor, then spit it back out. Only if there’s something particularly relevant or entertaining or sequential do I take the time to swallow and digest. Otherwise, I’m zoning in on key words and moving on, baby.

Perhaps my reading style is imitative of the modern American Christian. We’re spread so thin in this ministry and that; we juggle so many relationships that we give proper time to none; we multi-task while listening to the Sunday sermon as we’re jotting down plans for the Bible study that night and transcribing a passage to memorize later in the week. Granted, all good things, each one, but whatever happened to attending to the “one best thing” that Jesus chastised Martha about?

We’re one Google-click away from discovering a little bit about everything. But do we have more than a Wikipedia-sized knowledge about anything? The Christian religion isn’t designed for the wimpy or the lazy. It’s requires depth and devotion. Any leader that says he wants your whole being, not just your 8-5 workday best, but your whole heart, mind, soul, spirit, is insinuating there’s some serious business ahead, and you better live prepared for it.

How can we motivate ourselves to sit down at the dinner table feast instead of settling for sampling tidbits at the mall’s food court when the latter is so handy and the former can seem so time-consuming?

Perhaps by slowing down enough to concentrate on only one thing at a time. Turn off the TV and give our undivided attention to the husband at dinner. Discard the frivolous catalogs so we can focus on the one serious magazine article. Build enough margin into our lives so that when the unexpected TRUE need calls us, we’re fresh and available to throw in our all.

Jesus never expected his disciples to pursue a PhD in theology, but he did say they needed to deny everything but him. That’s some serious focus. Do we have enough attention span and self-discipline left to do it?

[Others' thoughts from Book III of “Mere Christianity”]

Who you are today matters forever

There are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only 70 years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever.

~ C. S. Lewis
MERE CHRISTIANITY
Book III, Chapter 1

And I am going to live forever; I’ve been promised. So it does matter who I am today. And I best be concerned about it.

I attended Lauren and Nate’s wedding last Saturday. The bride and groom were obviously giddy to be marrying, and rightly so. Nothing but smiles and laughs.

But we older adults intermingled our joy with a few tears, and not just happy ones. We could foresee a little further down the road—times the happy couple will get so angry at each other that they’ll say such rude things unimaginable on this wedding day; times when they’ll worry themselves crazy over a sick child in the middle of the night; times when they’ll be so torn about whether to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas at his family or hers. Little things and big things. We know. We’ve been there.

And we foresee times of immense joy, too, those special joys that only married partners can give to each other.

We take the long view. We’ve lived it and we know it’s ahead for them, too.

So the vows the loving couple made to each other on Saturday need to be undergirded with determination and commitment and selflessness because they have much to go through ahead. Those character traits are things worth bothering about not only to catch a spouse, but to keep one—through the first year of marriage, into the next 55, and those very qualities will shape who they are individually into eternity.

Patience, kindness, trust, perseverance, forgiveness. Young or old, don't we all need to continue nurturing these in ourselves? Not only for our spouses, but because we have a very, very long time ahead to live with us. Let's make it as pleasant an experience as possible.

Is my religion right? (& other thoughts from “Mere Christianity”)

Lewis would be scolded today for intolerance: “...being a Christian does mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong. As in arithmetic—there is only one right answer to a sum, and all other answers are wrong....” (Ch 1)

Society says don’t think in terms of “I’m right; you’re wrong,” unless, of course, it’s about being right or wrong. Then it’s okay. Anything less is not tolerated. Huh?

This is also very un-PC in our age: “...as if “religion” were something God invented, and not His statement to us of certain quite unalterable facts about His own nature.” (Ch 2)

Lewis points to Truth that exists outside of our thoughts. Truth just is. Whether we believe it or not, or acknowledge it or not, it is. He is.

In Ch 3, he made me consider how absurd it must have seemed when Jesus forgave people that weren’t necessarily apologizing to him. It would be like me telling my husband, “I forgive you for arguing with a co-worker today.” If I’m not the offended party, why should *I* forgive? It would be haughty.

But with Jesus, all hurts toward others ARE hurts toward him. “This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin.” While this can’t be used as proof that he is deity, it shows he at least thought he was.

Why punish a criminal? To hurt the perpetrator because of the pain they caused another? Or, to exact retribution for the debt they created? In Ch 4, Lewis says Jesus’ substitutionary punishment for us is the latter reason. Who paid the ultimate price for our crimes? Jesus.

“What possible point could there be in punishing an innocent person instead? None at all that I can see, if you are thinking of punishment in the police-court sense. On the other hand, if you think of a debt, there is plenty of point in a person who has some assets paying it on behalf of someone who has not.”

[Others' thoughts from Book II of “Mere Christianity”]

My Top 8 (or so) Books of 2008

# 8: On culture—“The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” by Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
Why?
Gladwell’s use of real-life examples made me a believer in the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. And made me subconsciously categorize people I know as Connectors, Mavens, or Salesmen.



# 7: On writing (or anything you enjoy, really)—“Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott (1994)
Why?
When Anne was a child, her father explained to her 10-yr-old brother how to write a seemingly overwhelming report on 50 birds: one bird at a time. Good advice. Her book inspired me to write for the sheer joy of writing; that’s reason enough. She quotes the coach in Cool Runnings to his team desperate to win an Olympic medal: “If you’re not enough before the gold medal, you won’t be enough with it.”


# 6: On sports—“Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life” by Tony Dungy (2007)
Why?
What a nice guy. Full of faith and character. Dungy: “I’m not doing anything extraordinary. I’m just trying to do the ordinary things—as directed by God—well.” Go, Tony.

Runner-up: “Inside the Helmet: Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior” by Michael Strahan (2007)
Why?
Um, not because Strahan is such a nice guy. But because what I learned from the inside-view of pro football was radically different than what I expected. And before it was over, I liked Strahan anyway. I’m glad he finally got a Super Bowl ring before retiring. Go, Giants.

# 5: About the Bible—“Word of God in English: Criteria for Excellence in Bible Translation” by Leland Ryken (2002)
Why?
It was good enough for a repeat read. And again strengthened my belief that, even if you think I can’t understand it, still give me the closest words the Biblical authors used rather than a dumbed-down interpretation. Word choice mattered then; it matters now. Contains a nice listing of Fallacies about Translations (such as, “Readability is the ultimate goal of translation”) as well as Fallacies about Bible Readers (i.e., “Readers, not authors, determine meaning.”)

Runner-up: “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” by Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart (1981)
Why?
The intentionally clever use of the word “Its” in the title is reason enough for a top pick, but this classic reframed the different Biblical book genres for me in a fresh way. (And gave me a great new pattern for praying the Psalms.)
“Although not its primary intent, the Law shows us how impossible it is to please God on our own. ...When we read the Old Testament law, we ought to be humbled to appreciate how unworthy we are to belong to God. We ought to be moved to praise and thanksgiving that he provided for us a way to be accepted in his sight apart from humanly fulfilling the Old Testament law!”

# 4: On Technology—“Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML” by Elisabeth Freeman (2006)
Why?
The pictorial format of this book made learning HTML easy and addicting. Enough to convince me to use it as curriculum for a high school credit in our school.

Runner-up: “The Non-Designer’s Web Book: An Easy Guide to Creating, Designing, and Posting Your Own Web Site” by Robin Williams & John Tollett (2006)
Why?
Full of little details that make big differences on-line. Does it live up to Williams’ “The Non-Designer’s Design Book”, which I love? It’s close.

# 3: On Attitudes—“Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success” by John Maxwell (2000)
Why?
It’s John Maxwell.
Also, “The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset” by John Maxwell.
5 Attitude Obstacles: 1. Discouragement. 2. Change. 3. Problems. 4. Fear. 5. Failure.



# 2: Fiction—“The Shack” by William P. Young (2007)
Why?
It challenged my thinking on the Trinity, and it attempted to answer head-on why bad things happen to good people. A brave undertaking.
“These are the results of your choices and every choice matters, even the hidden ones.”
“It is true that relationships are a whole lot messier than rules, but rules will never give you answers to the deep questions of the heart and they will never love you.”

Runner-up: “The Chronicles of Narnia series” by C. S. Lewis.
Why?
An enchanting way to be enlightened.
"The Horse and His Boy"
Shasta’s heart fainted at these words for he felt he had no strength left. And he writhed inside at what seemed the cruelty and unfairness of the demand. He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.
"The Silver Chair"
“And the lesson of it all is, your Highness,” said the oldest Dwarf, “that those Northern witches always mean the same thing, but in every age they have a different plan for getting it.”

# 1: On faith—“Future Grace” by John Piper (1995)
Why?
Because I still don’t quite get it. It will require a second, third reading. It’s the simple gospel in a nutshell, but parsed into a daily struggle, faith-in-action, real-life context to help narrow down the root of our sin...a practical, often disguised, unbelief in God. Say it ain't so.
Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction. “He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst!” Therefore eternal life is not given to people who merely think that Jesus is the Son of God. It is given to people who drink from Jesus as the Son of God. “The water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

He is also the bread of life, and those who feed on him for nourishment and satisfaction live by him. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:51). The point of these images of drinking and eating is to make clear the essence of faith. It is more than believing that there is such a thing as water and food; and it is more than believing that Jesus is life-giving water and food. Faith is coming to Jesus and drinking the water and eating the food so that we find our hearts satisfied in him.

Runners-Up: “The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others” by Scot McKnight (2004)
Why?
Christians sometimes read the Bible too often to figure things out, for information. ... We can miss the mission: for Abba to love us and for us to love Abba. When we let Abba speak to us through the Bible, we come to know him (and not just about him), and our reading moves from communication from God to communion with God, from “information to formation”, from learning about love to learning to love.

“Spectacular Sins: and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ” by John Piper (2008)
Why?
What we need is to know the great things about God. Knowing great things about God will help make us ready not to collapse under cataclysmic conflict and personal catastrophe.

8 Things to Do with Evil:
1. Expect evil. 2. Endure evil. 3. Give thanks for the refining effect of evil that comes against you. 4. Hate evil. 5. Pray for escape from evil. 6. Expose evil. 7. Overcome evil with good. 8. Resist evil.

4 Things Never to Do with Evil:
1. Never despair that this evil world is out of God’s control. 2. Never give in to the sense that because of seemingly random evil, life is absurd and meaningless. 3. Never yield to the thought that God sins or is ever unjust or unrighteous in the way he governs the universe. 4. Never doubt that God is totally for you in Christ.

Good or Bad News First? (thoughts from "Mere Christianity")

Good news first? Or bad news?

Which do you usually choose? I grew up “bad news first”. Work first, then play; eat your vegetables, then you get dessert. It's worked well for me.

In Mere Christianity, Lewis points out that we can’t even understand the good news unless we first grasp the bad. He says three things to his readers/listeners in chapter 5, “We Have Cause to Be Uneasy.”

1. Progress may mean first going backwards to get off the wrong road so you can find the right.
2. There is “Somebody” else out there. We know that because: (1) we see the universe He has made. And (2) we each have a Moral Law that He put inside us.
3. Christianity doesn’t even make sense until you come face to face with the facts of your life.

Expounding on this last point, he writes:

Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need any forgiveness. ...When you know you are sick, you will listen to the doctor. When you have realized that our position is nearly desperate you will begin to understand what the Christians are talking about.

Do we get the bad news? Do we see our “desperate position”? Do we even know that we need bailing out?

Until we do, can we appreciate, or even accept, the Good News?

[Others' thoughts from Book I of “Mere Christianity”]

This room in this house (thoughts from "Mere Christianity")

Did you choose your denomination?
Or did it choose you?

C. S. Lewis equates our first steps into Christianity as being in a hallway. We don’t want to live there, but we wait there until we know which room (or “existing communion”) to enter.

Many come to Christ through the gateway of a denomination, perhaps that of their family or friend or co-worker. So they “feel certain almost at once which door they must knock at.” They are welcomed into the room and sit at the fire with others in genuine fellowship and discipleship.

But others, as Lewis puts it, “may find they have to wait in the hall for a considerable time...I do not know why there is this difference, but I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait. When you do get into your room you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping.”

What I’ve learned about the house: some of the walls are thin and allow communication between rooms; some doors stay wide open while others are tightly shut; some rooms are noisy whereas others are dark and quiet; some are sparsely decorated but others are ornate.

My room has the reputation as the workshop of the house. “Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun...We’ll work (we’ll work) till Jesus comes... I will labor every day in the vineyard of the Lord...” But sometimes a party breaks out even there, and we remember to enjoy the rest the Master has already provided us.

And sometimes I hear laughter and wander over into the playroom, or dress up to enter the formal living room, or crawl up in the attic and enjoy fellowship there. I discover family in every nook and cranny, and the Father knows us all.

My denomination? I think it chose me first. And then I chose to stay. Sometimes gratefully ; sometimes reluctantly. I admit I’d like to move the furniture around, bring in some new pieces, and throw out some old, but I know the room is in the right house, so I stay. Most of the people I love the most, and who love me, are already gathered in this room. Other lovely brothers and sisters live in nearby rooms, so we meet in the hallway and visit each other’s rooms when we can.

It’s home. And there’s no place like it.

[Others' thoughts from the Preface of “Mere Christianity”]

Curios

1. This might make you uncomfortable. When I think about God being God-centered, I wonder if he’s an egotist. If he’s all about love, wouldn’t he be more about us than about himself? Um, think again. (*1)

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2. Let’s read this one together! A C.S. Lewis fan? This is one of his best. (*2)

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3. So it really is all about me after all! Need a good laugh? These will do it. [It's short--1 ½ minutes.] Just don’t sing them on Sunday morning.

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4. And this will make you cry. Did you know Prentice Meador? Jeff and I heard him speak a few times in Nashville. He died unexpectedly a few days ago from a freak illness. (*4)

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5. This is who I wish would have run for president.

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(*1) This is not megalomania because, unlike our self-exaltation, God’s self-exaltation draws attention to what gives greatest and longest joy, namely, himself. When we exalt ourselves, we lure people away from the one thing that can satisfy their souls—the infinite beauty of God. When God exalts himself, he manifests the one thing that can satisfy our souls, namely, God.

~ John Piper

(*2) Our assigned reading for this week was nothing more than the Preface and Foreword, so you will not be far behind. Every week we will read a portion of the book and then return here on Thursdays to enjoy a little bit of discussion. It’s a good, easy way of making your way through some of the classics of the Christian faith.

~ Tim Challies

(*4) What I learned from Prentice last July 3 about revival: “We were taught ‘don’t play with fire’, but God often used experiences with fire.” “Revival never comes by accident.” “The ‘least’ in the kingdom often uses the strongest weapon—prayer.”

Sandwich Meat or Sizzling Steak, Pt 2

The fight of faith against lust is the fight to stay satisfied with God. ...Our chief enemy is the lie that says sin will make our future happier. Our chief weapon is the Truth that says God will make our future happier. And faith is the victory that overcomes the lie, because faith is satisfied with God.

Fight fire with fire. The fire of lust’s pleasures must be fought with the fire of God’s pleasures. If we try to fight the fire of lust with prohibitions and threats alone—even the terrible warnings of Jesus—we will fail. We must fight it with a massive promise of superior happiness.

We must swallow up the little flicker of lust’s pleasures in the conflagration of holy satisfaction. When we “make a covenant with our eyes,” like Job did (Job 31:1), our aim is not merely to avoid something erotic, but also to gain something excellent.

~ JOHN PIPER, Future Grace

My Daddy is better. He is stronger. He is richer. He is smarter. Why don’t I say these things more often when Satan is trying to tempt me with his puny little enticements, like...the temporary pleasure of complaining instead of the long-term pleasure of contentment...the temporary overindulgence of food instead of the permanent satisfaction in God’s plenty...the temporary gratification of a vengeful tongue instead of the lasting restitution of God’s justification. Oh, for clearer vision of who God is and what He offers me!

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

~ C. S. LEWIS

The men of this world are children. Offer a child an apple or a bank note, and he will doubtless choose the apple.

~ JOHN NEWTON

But you don't...

The Shack keeps getting flack. I read it last spring, but keep coming back to it because of the hoopla that continues to surround it. Yes, it has some theological problems. And yes, it has some redeeming qualities. Overall, it’s fiction. I take it as such.

I like this quote below from Papa...probably because it addresses a troubling paradox in my own heart that often plagues me—that while I KNOW that God is good both because he says so and because he has proven it to me a gazillion times, I continue to be amazed at my lack of trust in his future short-term goodness, evidenced by my worry. A seed of unbelief still remains somewhere in my soul; I want it weeded out so I can fully believe that God’s goodness is a trustworthy goodness. Even if he is “not a tame lion”, as C. S. Lewis so aptly describes him, he is always a good one.

The real underlying flaw in your life is that you don’t think that I am good. If you knew I was good and that everything—the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives—is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me. But you don’t.

~ WILLIAM P. YOUNG
The Shack

One of my favorite scriptures addresses my conundrum, that even amongst straight evil intent, even in that, God can and does bring about good. What, then, is there to worry about? I'll keep weeding...

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good...
~ Genesis 50:20

Try to feel afraid--can't happen

“This is absolutely crazy,” said Eustace to Edmund.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” said Lucy.

“Have you noticed one can’t feel afraid, even if one wants to? Try it.”

“By Jove, neither one can,” said Eustace after he had tried.

The Last Battle

In the closing chapter, C. S Lewis paints the “real” Narnia as so much more than the shadowlands Narnia, just as the real heaven, without physical encumbrances, is so much better than our shadowlands earth.

And impossible to feel fear? I love that thought about heaven. We will be in the constant, overwhelming presence of pure agape Love, which will abolish even all thoughts of fear.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
~ 1 John 4:18

Just the thought of no fear is a taste of heaven to me. I got another taste of heaven yesterday...because my surgery required fasting, Jeff chose to fast, too. The Lord knows how to reach us with His love in the most unique ways—I was touched.

Inside is bigger than outside

He looked round again and could hardly believe his eyes. There was the blue sky overhead, and grassy country spreading as far as he could see in every direction, and his new friends all round him laughing.

“It seems, then, said Tirian, smiling himself, “that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.”

“Yes,” said the Lord Digory. “Its inside is bigger than its outside.”

The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis

An apt description of living in God’s kingdom—its inside is bigger than its outside! What we see of this world with our eyes and comprehend with our other senses is NOT all there is. There is SO much more. And that more is what is permanent.

As a matter of fact, if I can see it, it won't last.

The spiritual world is the only one that is real and unfading. Lord, help me to continually “look round” with spiritual eyes, and be amazed at how big Your kingdom is...from the inside out.

"We look not to the things that are seen
but to the things that are unseen.
For the things that are seen are transient,
but the things that are unseen are eternal."
~ 2 Corinthians 4:18

A little truth with that lie, please

Jill looked at the King: his mouth was open and his face was full of horror. And then she understood the devilish cunning of the enemies’ plan. By mixing a little truth with it they had made their lie far stronger. What was the good, now, of telling the Beasts that an ass had been dressed up as a lion to deceive them? The Ape would only say, “That’s just what I’ve said.”

The Last Battle

C. S. Lewis had such insight into our fallen nature. We often fall quicker for a lie if it is subtly mixed with some truth. That small element of truth is the part we will cling to, allowing ourselves to ignore the false part, thus trapping ourselves into believing that it is all okay.

“Mercy! Mercy!” wailed the Beasts. “Spare us, Lord Shift, stand between us and Aslan, you must always go in and speak to him for us. We daren’t, we daren’t.”

The Last Battle

Reminds me of the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness and their fear of going before God on Mt. Sinai. They begged Moses to stand in the gap. And I don’t blame them...

For they could not endure the order that was given,
"If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."
Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said,
"I tremble with fear."
~ Hebrews 12:20, 21

But, praise God, we have Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and we need no one other than him to clear the path for us so we can go boldly to God to find mercy and grace. That's the full truth!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
~ Hebrews 4:16

Imitation gods

Summer ’08 To-Do List:
Finish reading the Narnia series.

I’m almost finished. Summer is almost over. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (© 1956) is most intriguing so far (I’m almost halfway).

“By heaven, you make me mad,” said Tirian. “Which of us said that was Aslan? That is the Ape's imitation of the real Aslan. Can't you understand?"

“And you’ve got a better imitation, I suppose!” said Griffle. “No thanks. We’ve been fooled once and we’re not going to be fooled again.” (p 90)

The world offers so many imitations of God. They often fool us. We worship for awhile at their feet, until we realize we’re wasting our time there. But the experience can taint us so much that we fail to recognize the true God when He appears.

“Tirian had never dreamed that one of the results of an Ape’s setting up a false Aslan would be to stop people from believing in the real one.”

God was so wise in establishing His first commandment:

“You shall have no other gods before me.”
~ Exodus 20:3

What imitation gods have I worshiped this summer?