Tag: C.S. Lewis

Of Solar Eclipses, A Story Weaver and Sunlight

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On August 21, 2017, much of the world focused on the total solar eclipse. Then Hurricane Harvey happened and the eclipse was, well, eclipsed. 

I’d like to take us back to the eclipse for at least a moment. 

Did you experience the darkness of totality? Or did you see it on TV? 

It begs the question, what would life be like without the light of the sun? 

Of course, this is a reality blind people experience, in a sense, every day. However, while they don’t see the sun’s light they still feel it.

One of the greatest story weavers of the 20th century, if not of modern times as a whole, was C.S. Lewis. This quote from him is rather enlightening on the topic of the sun,

“I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”[1}

Something to think about when we get up in the morning and see the sun shining. And perhaps it’s on purpose that the sun rises every twenty-four hours. After all, events seem to get eclipsed in our minds rather quickly, don’t they? 

[1} C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (New York: Macmillan, 1980), pg. 92; quoted in W. Gary Phillips, William E. Brown and John Stonestreet, Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview, 2nd ed. (Salem, Wis.: Sheffield, 2008), pg. 114. 

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4 Books for Dads and Kids to Read Together

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Looking back, some of the greatest influences on my life were the books my dad read to me. Those nighttime hours with their giggles, gasps and pleas of “Just a little more!” are also some of my most treasured memories. 

I know not everyone has a father who read aloud and that not all dads are readers. That’s why I hope a handful of suggested stories could inspire a few fathers, grandfathers, uncles and older brothers to tuck the little ones in or gather them close, turn on a mellow light and open the pages of an adventure. And, don’t forget, the kids could even read to the grown-ups!

Here are my “4 Books for Dads and Kids to Read Together”

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody – Hold onto your hats – your cowboy hats, that is! – as you head to Colorado with you51LPv60V6jL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_ng Ralph Moody and his family. Life is rough in the west at the beginning of the 20th century, but Ralph faces obstacles with admirable pluck. While your eyes might shimmer over the losses the Moody family faces in their new home, you will also laugh together at the wild adventures of hardworking Ralph. But be warned, you might just have to read the rest of the series to find out what happens…and you might end up with a bunkhouse full of little cowpokes on your hands!

 

The Chronicles o44280f Narnia by C.S. Lewis – Ok, yes, this is actually seven books instead of one, but they kind of go together…Could you find a better adventure to embark on together than exploring the land of Narnia? Along the way, you can all grow to appreciate the literary skill of one of England’s finest authors. a man who thought deep but cared enough about children to write well and understandably. Ponder the lessons and legacy of the series together. I have a clear memory of my dad pointing out a certain character to illustrate the kind of guy who would make a good date! 

Flight of the Fugitives (from the Trailblazer Series) by Dave and Neta Jackson – I picked this book as an example of the engaging historical fiction that c51BckAEa5bLan make for great shared story times. I haven’t read Flight of the Fugitives in quite some time, but I remember the story of missionary Gladys Aylward. This kind of book can introduce readers to people and places that would otherwise lie unknown. It can help us to better understand the world in which we live as we get to know people who have gone before us and cultures different from our own. Books like this can definitely lead to cries of “Just one more chapter! Please!”

13221561_1627566167563366_9125659327019340017_nThe Bible – Obvious? Perhaps. Yet – on the off chance it isn’t – I had to list this Book of Books. Not a book for bedtime to hold the attention of young ones? Well, you need not start with Lamentations! Try one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or a Psalm like Psalm 139. The Bible has been labeled “the Book our mothers read” (John Greenleaf Whittier). I hope it will also be the Book that our fathers (and grandfathers, uncles and older brothers) read with those they hold close to their hearts. 

Of course, there are so many other wonderful books out there. (Ideas for forthcoming posts a-brewing…) For now, may these four titles give you ideas. Imagine someday that a little one you read to might be looking back on lessons learned and times treasured like I am now. Happy reading! 

Your Turn: Did your parents read to you? What were some of the books you enjoyed most as a child? Or which books do you enjoy reading to children now? 

Timeless: Thoughts on Moving Forward Well in 2016

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Looming uncertainty. Unwanted pain. Doubting of truths once trusted. Struggling world economies. Promised but paling world peace.  Questions tumbling around in minds unsure where to look for answers.

Does that sound familiar? Well, I think it sounds like our time, but, interestingly enough, I’m discovering all of those statements could be said about England seventy-some years ago as it entered World War II. 

Perhaps we like to think our struggles are unique to us. Some of us might even like to feel sorry for ourselves. It seems sometimes Christians (of various backgrounds) especially like to think that the “badness” of their time is the worst it’s ever been because that might mean Jesus is going to come again soon and sweep His people into heaven – and away from pain, sorrow and loss – with Him.

While I think looking forward to the return of Christ is a wonderful (and good!) thing, for anyone who has studied history there’s a problem with thinking the timing is based on present problems: Life has been downright horrible time and again. If anyone had a right to think life couldn’t get any worse, it would be the people getting bombed in London or the people living in Germany during Hitler’s reign…and many thousands throughout the centuries before them. And did the world end? Apparently not.

The upside to there having been struggles in the past is that Christians can learn from how the Church faced those challenges. Take the religious branch of the BBC during WWII for example. They faced a question not unlike the church faces today.

How can the church meet a hurting people where they are and show that Christianity is for real life including all the pain?[1]

Enter Clive Staples Lewis or C.S. Lewis or even Jack as his friends would call him.

He was a man acquainted with pain, having lost his mother at a young age and having served in WWI. He had once been a skilled skeptic of Christianity but became one of its greatest advocates. And although he was a university professor, he managed to reach the British people via the “wireless” in a way that common people could appreciate even as they managed ration cards, hid in bomb shelters, wrestled with ideologies like nationalism and Communism and heard that their loved ones were never coming home.

But it didn’t all come easy to him.

In fact, his first attempt at speaking to a group of British soldiers on Christianity was decidedly disappointing.[2]

 However, thanks to some encouragement, he didn’t give up there. And from his labors grew a modern classic called Mere Christianity.

I haven’t finished the book C.S. Lewis & Mere Christianity: The Crisis That Created a Classic yet, but I have listened to the companion radio threatre drama C.S. at War, and I think there are several tips we can all gain from the life of C.S. Lewis. 

  1. He kept learning, even from his own failures. 
  2. He had the humility to let his radio talks be edited and revised. 
  3. He sought counsel. 
  4. He genuinely cared for people. 
  5. And it was the Lord Who made his efforts successful.

Maybe if we want to move forward well in 2016 – both looking forward to Christ’s return and living well in the meantime – we need to take some time to look backward. After all, on this earth, some things could very well be timeless.  

1 1Paul McCusker, C.S. Lewis & Mere Christianity: The Crisis That Created a Classic. Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, 2014), pgs. 30-31.

2Ibid., pg. 105.