Doing the Next Thing

Desiring God has a great post up about C.S. Lewis and how " Narnia helps us live better here ." Perfect timing for some transforming thoughts going on inside my head and within our family - what we've been calling our "Hobbit Revolution." Not the blissfully ignorant, always cheery Hobbits of The Shire that know nothing of the evils of the world beyond their borders. But Hobbits like Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippin - the ones who went on a great adventure, suffered terrible evils, grew stronger (and taller ;) in ways they didn't know they could, and returned to the beloved Shire with a deeper understanding of its simple joys and sweet fellowship. Longing for the Grey Havens, but whole-heartedly enjoying the good things this life has to offer in the meantime. We are like those Hobbits - the walking wounded who know our citizenship is in Heaven. Yet we also know that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father ( James 1:17 ) and that there is muc...

I'm still sort of on a blogging hiatus; I just came across a wonderful quote by George MacDonald that I thought fits well with the season of life I'm in (and the theme of my blog , LOL!) "Bethink thee of something that thou oughtest to do, and go to do it, if it be but the sweeping of a room, or the preparing of a meal, or a visit to a friend. Heed not thy feelings. Do thy work." (quoted in George MacDonald: An Anthology, C.S. Lewis, ed.)

I am not nearly skilled or eloquent enough to offer a serious critical review of anything, but here is a laywoman's attempt. A very dear friend recently suggested I read C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. I can't believe I had never discovered it before. It is a grown-up book -- a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. A sublime work that shows how well good ole "Jack" really mastered the art of a novel. As a story, it was entertaining and captivating. At first, I just took it at face-value, enjoying the tale. But when I finished the book, thoughts of it stayed with me for days. I found myself meditating on certain passages and themes. Lewis finds a way to tell a pagan myth while illuminating such Christian ideas as the gulf between believers and unbelievers, the even bigger gulf between God and sinners, and the glories and joys of just knowing God. I really can't say more, both because I'm not a literary critic and because the impression the novel lef...