Hello all! Well, another day went by without a book review. Sorry! Maybe next week! :-) (our Internet was down for awhile. My brother was busy installing a "router" and didn't have time to finish before leaving for work. Despite this temporary inconvenience, the results are worth it!)
Anyway, so, since I still seemed to be swamped with other things, I thought I'd take the time to give you some family trivia. :-)
21 years ago today we moved into our present house! That's right, I've been living in the same place since I was a little over two years old, and my sister was only a few months old. :-) (no, I don't remember the apartment we used to be in at all, in case you wondered :-) )
Anyway, I just thought I'd share that bit of trivia with you.
On another note, today is "Reformation Day" I thought I'd give you two links to read more about it if you are interested.
http://thereformeddoug.blogspot.com/
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/10/bedrock-of-reformation.html
Have a great weekend!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life--Donald Whitney Part 2
Hello all! Here is part 2 of Spiritual Disciplines, I'm covering chapter 2 today. I will probably do a portion of the Voice of the Martyr's book in my next post. :-) Be sure to read the previous posts on Spiritual Disciplines, before reading this one!
Title: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Author: Donald S. Whitney
Published: 1991 by NavPress
Background Information: Donald Whitney is the associate professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminar in Kansas City Missouri. He is the best-selling author of Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, and How Can I be Sure I'm a Christian? (all that was taken from the back the book)
Since 2005, Don Whitney has been Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, for ten years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. (all of that was taken from the website mentioned below) You can learn more about Donald Whitney and his resources at: http://biblicalspirituality.org/
Spiritual Disciplines, Chapter 2, entitled "Bible Intake (Part1)...For the Purpose of Godliness" (all bold emphasis is my own)
In chapter two, the author starts out by telling us about a mission trip he took to East Africa in 1989. He tells us how he's been overseas enough to know that: "many customs I have come to identify with Christianity will clash at some points with the culture of our hosts." (p. 27) However, he writes about this particular experience how he was unprepared for how the professing Christians acted there. He writes: "Theological understanding was a scarce as water, the disease of doctrinal error as common as malaria." (p. 27) The reason for this, we learn, is that no one had a Bible! He writes: "not the pastor, not a deacon, no one. The pastor had only half-a-dozen sermons, all half-baked over the coals of a few Bible-story recollections. Every sixth week came the sermon." (p. 27) Occasionally a missionary came and presented some Scripture. The author and the others who were on the mission trip all pitched in to purchase Bibles and they led Bible studies.
He then writes: "Most of us shake our heads in pity at such sad conditions. It's hard to imagine that many of us have more Bibles in our homes than entire churches have in some Third-World situations. But it's one thing to be unfamiliar with Scripture when you don't own a Bible; it's another thing when you have a bookshelf full." (p. 28)
He goes on to tell us that "No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God's Word" (p. 28). He writes some more about the importance of Bible intake and then says: "My pastoral experience bears witness to the validity of surveys that frequently reveal that great numbers of professing Christians know little more about the Bible than Third-World Christians who possess not even a shred of Scripture." (p. 28)
He again writes how Bible intake is the most important discipline, and he says that it is also the most "broad." He then writes: "Let's examine the "colleges," or subdisciplines, of Bible intake, proceeding from the least to the most difficult (p. 29).
The easiest discipline he writes, is hearing God's Word. He quotes Luke 11: 38 and Romans 10:17 to emphasize this. He says that: "There are other ways we may discipline ourselves to hear God's Word in addition to the most important way, which is hearing it preached as part of a local church ministry. (I say this realizing that some do not have the opportunity to hear God's Word through the ministry of a local church.)" (p. 30)
He suggests other ways to hear God's word is through radio and tapes. (or using the Internet, downloading ipod sermons, mp3, etc. This book was written in the early 1990s, so there are many other ways to be able to "hear God's Word" today than there were then)
He continues on writing about how it is important to for us to hear God's Word, and says: "If someone says, " I don't need to go to church to worship God; I can worship Him on the golf course or at the lake just as well, if not better than in church," we may agree that God can be worshipped there. But the ongoing worship of God cannot be separated from the Word of God. We are to discipline ourselves to go and hear the Word of God." (p. 30-31) He then writes briefly about how we should "prepare" ourselves to hear the Word of God. He gives a good example of this, he writes:
"For a while a congregation of Korean Christians used our church building for their midweek service. I was impressed by the way they entered the worship center. Whether they were first to arrive or came in after the service had already started, they immediately bowed in prayer for several moments before arranging their belongings, unbuttoning their coat, or acknowledging the presence of anyone else. This served as an effective reminder to their own hearts and to everyone else of their main purpose for that time." (p. 31)
He concludes this section by saying: "So hearing the Word of God is not merely passive listening, it is a Discipline to be cultivated." (p. 31)
His second section of Bible Intake deals with Bible Reading. He starts out by emphasizing the importance of reading the Bible. He writes: "How often should we read it? British preacher John Blanchard, in his book How to Enjoy Your Bible, writes,
Surely we only have to be realistic and honest with ourselves to know how regularly we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we face problems, temptation, and pressure? Every day! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance and greater encouragement? Every day! To catch all these felt needs up into an even greater issue, how often to we need to see God's face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know his power? The answer to all these questions is the same: every day! As the American evangelist D.L. Moody put it, "A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God's boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it." " (p. 33)
Don Whitney then gives us three practical suggestions for Bible reading.
1. Find the time (he then gives us several examples of how the Bible can be read in a year and ways to do that. If you are interested in the details of what he said, email me, and I'll post them) He suggests to do your Bible reading the same time every day, and not just before you go to bed. That way, you will be able to retain more and he says "you probably do very little evil in your sleep." (p. 34) :-)
2. Find a Bible-reading plan. He gives suggestions of finding a plan at a Christian bookstore, ask your local church for a plan, and he says that "reading three chapters every day and five on Sundays will take you through the Bible in a year's time." (p. 34) He also gives some more suggestions, and again, if you want the details, email me. :-)
3. "Find at least one word, phrase, or verse to meditate on each time you read." (p. 34) He will get more into meditation in another chapter, but he does say that "you may close your Bible and not be able to remember a single thing you've read. And if that happens your Bible reading is not likely to change you." (p. 34)
He also gives another great example from a book called The Wonder of the Word of God, by an evangelist, Robert L. Sumner.
In this book, a man's face was badly damaged by an explosion, he lost his eyesight and the use of his hands. This man had just become a Christian and was disappointed that he could no longer read the Bible. "Then he heard about a lady in England who read braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in braille. But he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them." (p. 35) This man was able to read the Bible with his tongue! When the book "The Wonder of the Word of God" was written, this man had read the Bible through four times!
Don Whitney concludes: "If he can do that, can you discipline yourself to read the Bible?" (p. 35)
His third part in Bible intake deals with, studying God's Word. He uses Ezra, Paul, and the Bereans as examples of who studied the Word of God. He tells us if "Paul needed it, surely you and and I need it and should discipline ourselves to do it." (p. 36) He then says:
"Then why don't we? Why do so many Christians neglect the study of God's Word? R. C. Sproul said it painfully well: "Here then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy."" (p. 36)
Whitney then tells us that the main difference between Bible reading and Bible study "is simply a pencil and a piece of paper." (p. 37) He gives some suggestions to write down observations, record questions that come to your mind, look up cross-references, find key words and look them up in a concordance, outline chapters and books. He concludes:
"Don't let a feeling of inadequacy keep you from the delight of learning the Bible on your own." (p. 37)
He ends the chapter with a few more applications, he asks two questions:
"If your growth in Godliness were measured by the quality of your Bible intake, what would be the result?" (p. 37)
and is final application question is:
"What is one thing you can do to improve your intake of God's Word?" (p. 38)
He concludes with a quote from a booklet called "Reading the Bible, by a Welsh pastor, named Geoffrey Thomas.
"Do not expect to master the Bible in a day, or a month, or a year. Rather expect often to be puzzled by it's contents. It is not all equally clear. Great men of God often feel like absolute novices when they read the Word. The apostle Peter said that there were some things hard to understand in the epistles of Paul (2 Peter 3:16). I am glad he wrote those words because I have felt that often. So do not expect always to get an emotional charge or a feeling of quiet peace when you read the Bible. By the grace of God you may expect that to be a frequent experience, but often you will get no emotional response at all. Let the Word break over you heart and mind again and again as the years go by, and imperceptibly there will come great changes in your attitude and outlook and conduct. You will probably be the last to recognize these. Often you will feel very, very, small, because increasingly the God of the Bible will become to you wonderfully great. So go on reading it until you can read no longer, and then you will not need the Bible any more, because when your eyes close for the last time in death, and never again read the Word of God in Scripture you will open them to the Word of God in the flesh, that same Jesus of the Bible whom you have known for so long, standing before you to take you for ever to His eternal home." (p. 39)
Hope you enjoyed this second portion! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, or how you apply some of the things he wrote about. Have a great day!
Title: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Author: Donald S. Whitney
Published: 1991 by NavPress
Background Information: Donald Whitney is the associate professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminar in Kansas City Missouri. He is the best-selling author of Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, and How Can I be Sure I'm a Christian? (all that was taken from the back the book)
Since 2005, Don Whitney has been Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, for ten years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. (all of that was taken from the website mentioned below) You can learn more about Donald Whitney and his resources at: http://biblicalspirituality.org/
Spiritual Disciplines, Chapter 2, entitled "Bible Intake (Part1)...For the Purpose of Godliness" (all bold emphasis is my own)
In chapter two, the author starts out by telling us about a mission trip he took to East Africa in 1989. He tells us how he's been overseas enough to know that: "many customs I have come to identify with Christianity will clash at some points with the culture of our hosts." (p. 27) However, he writes about this particular experience how he was unprepared for how the professing Christians acted there. He writes: "Theological understanding was a scarce as water, the disease of doctrinal error as common as malaria." (p. 27) The reason for this, we learn, is that no one had a Bible! He writes: "not the pastor, not a deacon, no one. The pastor had only half-a-dozen sermons, all half-baked over the coals of a few Bible-story recollections. Every sixth week came the sermon." (p. 27) Occasionally a missionary came and presented some Scripture. The author and the others who were on the mission trip all pitched in to purchase Bibles and they led Bible studies.
He then writes: "Most of us shake our heads in pity at such sad conditions. It's hard to imagine that many of us have more Bibles in our homes than entire churches have in some Third-World situations. But it's one thing to be unfamiliar with Scripture when you don't own a Bible; it's another thing when you have a bookshelf full." (p. 28)
He goes on to tell us that "No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God's Word" (p. 28). He writes some more about the importance of Bible intake and then says: "My pastoral experience bears witness to the validity of surveys that frequently reveal that great numbers of professing Christians know little more about the Bible than Third-World Christians who possess not even a shred of Scripture." (p. 28)
He again writes how Bible intake is the most important discipline, and he says that it is also the most "broad." He then writes: "Let's examine the "colleges," or subdisciplines, of Bible intake, proceeding from the least to the most difficult (p. 29).
The easiest discipline he writes, is hearing God's Word. He quotes Luke 11: 38 and Romans 10:17 to emphasize this. He says that: "There are other ways we may discipline ourselves to hear God's Word in addition to the most important way, which is hearing it preached as part of a local church ministry. (I say this realizing that some do not have the opportunity to hear God's Word through the ministry of a local church.)" (p. 30)
He suggests other ways to hear God's word is through radio and tapes. (or using the Internet, downloading ipod sermons, mp3, etc. This book was written in the early 1990s, so there are many other ways to be able to "hear God's Word" today than there were then)
He continues on writing about how it is important to for us to hear God's Word, and says: "If someone says, " I don't need to go to church to worship God; I can worship Him on the golf course or at the lake just as well, if not better than in church," we may agree that God can be worshipped there. But the ongoing worship of God cannot be separated from the Word of God. We are to discipline ourselves to go and hear the Word of God." (p. 30-31) He then writes briefly about how we should "prepare" ourselves to hear the Word of God. He gives a good example of this, he writes:
"For a while a congregation of Korean Christians used our church building for their midweek service. I was impressed by the way they entered the worship center. Whether they were first to arrive or came in after the service had already started, they immediately bowed in prayer for several moments before arranging their belongings, unbuttoning their coat, or acknowledging the presence of anyone else. This served as an effective reminder to their own hearts and to everyone else of their main purpose for that time." (p. 31)
He concludes this section by saying: "So hearing the Word of God is not merely passive listening, it is a Discipline to be cultivated." (p. 31)
His second section of Bible Intake deals with Bible Reading. He starts out by emphasizing the importance of reading the Bible. He writes: "How often should we read it? British preacher John Blanchard, in his book How to Enjoy Your Bible, writes,
Surely we only have to be realistic and honest with ourselves to know how regularly we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we face problems, temptation, and pressure? Every day! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance and greater encouragement? Every day! To catch all these felt needs up into an even greater issue, how often to we need to see God's face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know his power? The answer to all these questions is the same: every day! As the American evangelist D.L. Moody put it, "A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God's boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it." " (p. 33)
Don Whitney then gives us three practical suggestions for Bible reading.
1. Find the time (he then gives us several examples of how the Bible can be read in a year and ways to do that. If you are interested in the details of what he said, email me, and I'll post them) He suggests to do your Bible reading the same time every day, and not just before you go to bed. That way, you will be able to retain more and he says "you probably do very little evil in your sleep." (p. 34) :-)
2. Find a Bible-reading plan. He gives suggestions of finding a plan at a Christian bookstore, ask your local church for a plan, and he says that "reading three chapters every day and five on Sundays will take you through the Bible in a year's time." (p. 34) He also gives some more suggestions, and again, if you want the details, email me. :-)
3. "Find at least one word, phrase, or verse to meditate on each time you read." (p. 34) He will get more into meditation in another chapter, but he does say that "you may close your Bible and not be able to remember a single thing you've read. And if that happens your Bible reading is not likely to change you." (p. 34)
He also gives another great example from a book called The Wonder of the Word of God, by an evangelist, Robert L. Sumner.
In this book, a man's face was badly damaged by an explosion, he lost his eyesight and the use of his hands. This man had just become a Christian and was disappointed that he could no longer read the Bible. "Then he heard about a lady in England who read braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in braille. But he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them." (p. 35) This man was able to read the Bible with his tongue! When the book "The Wonder of the Word of God" was written, this man had read the Bible through four times!
Don Whitney concludes: "If he can do that, can you discipline yourself to read the Bible?" (p. 35)
His third part in Bible intake deals with, studying God's Word. He uses Ezra, Paul, and the Bereans as examples of who studied the Word of God. He tells us if "Paul needed it, surely you and and I need it and should discipline ourselves to do it." (p. 36) He then says:
"Then why don't we? Why do so many Christians neglect the study of God's Word? R. C. Sproul said it painfully well: "Here then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy."" (p. 36)
Whitney then tells us that the main difference between Bible reading and Bible study "is simply a pencil and a piece of paper." (p. 37) He gives some suggestions to write down observations, record questions that come to your mind, look up cross-references, find key words and look them up in a concordance, outline chapters and books. He concludes:
"Don't let a feeling of inadequacy keep you from the delight of learning the Bible on your own." (p. 37)
He ends the chapter with a few more applications, he asks two questions:
"If your growth in Godliness were measured by the quality of your Bible intake, what would be the result?" (p. 37)
and is final application question is:
"What is one thing you can do to improve your intake of God's Word?" (p. 38)
He concludes with a quote from a booklet called "Reading the Bible, by a Welsh pastor, named Geoffrey Thomas.
"Do not expect to master the Bible in a day, or a month, or a year. Rather expect often to be puzzled by it's contents. It is not all equally clear. Great men of God often feel like absolute novices when they read the Word. The apostle Peter said that there were some things hard to understand in the epistles of Paul (2 Peter 3:16). I am glad he wrote those words because I have felt that often. So do not expect always to get an emotional charge or a feeling of quiet peace when you read the Bible. By the grace of God you may expect that to be a frequent experience, but often you will get no emotional response at all. Let the Word break over you heart and mind again and again as the years go by, and imperceptibly there will come great changes in your attitude and outlook and conduct. You will probably be the last to recognize these. Often you will feel very, very, small, because increasingly the God of the Bible will become to you wonderfully great. So go on reading it until you can read no longer, and then you will not need the Bible any more, because when your eyes close for the last time in death, and never again read the Word of God in Scripture you will open them to the Word of God in the flesh, that same Jesus of the Bible whom you have known for so long, standing before you to take you for ever to His eternal home." (p. 39)
Hope you enjoyed this second portion! Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, or how you apply some of the things he wrote about. Have a great day!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Discussion Questions on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
I'd love to hear from those of you who have read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Or, if you haven't read it, let me know your thoughts on the review. Here are a few questions to get you thinking.
Do you have a favorite part or quote in the book?
Who is your favorite character, and why?
What do you like or dislike about the book?
Do you disagree with anything in there?
What do you think of talking animals and the whole "fantasy" idea? Does it weird you out? Or do you enjoy reading things like that? Explain your reasoning. :-)
What stands out to you that seems like the book was written in the 1950s and not in recent years? Did any of the English terminology confuse you?
Do you like the writing style of the book?
Do you see any Biblical analogies in the book? (not perfect ones of course, but maybe one or two that seem familiar)
How would you compare the 2005 movie with the book? Or the 2005 movie with the old British movie? Give me some of the pros and cons of both. :-) (or the cartoon version too!)
Were there any differences that I didn't mention from the movie vs. the book, that you noticed or would like to point out?
Do you dislike any of the changes that were made in the 2005 movie, if so which ones, and why? If you didn't mind the changes, explain your reasoning.
Do you think movie producers today, take too much liberty in changing books into movies?
If you've read the book, when was the first time you read it? If you read the book when you were "young" and then re-read it when you were "older," what are some of the things that you forgot, or stood out to you more the second time you read it?
Any other thoughts or comments?
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have a great day!
Do you have a favorite part or quote in the book?
Who is your favorite character, and why?
What do you like or dislike about the book?
Do you disagree with anything in there?
What do you think of talking animals and the whole "fantasy" idea? Does it weird you out? Or do you enjoy reading things like that? Explain your reasoning. :-)
What stands out to you that seems like the book was written in the 1950s and not in recent years? Did any of the English terminology confuse you?
Do you like the writing style of the book?
Do you see any Biblical analogies in the book? (not perfect ones of course, but maybe one or two that seem familiar)
How would you compare the 2005 movie with the book? Or the 2005 movie with the old British movie? Give me some of the pros and cons of both. :-) (or the cartoon version too!)
Were there any differences that I didn't mention from the movie vs. the book, that you noticed or would like to point out?
Do you dislike any of the changes that were made in the 2005 movie, if so which ones, and why? If you didn't mind the changes, explain your reasoning.
Do you think movie producers today, take too much liberty in changing books into movies?
If you've read the book, when was the first time you read it? If you read the book when you were "young" and then re-read it when you were "older," what are some of the things that you forgot, or stood out to you more the second time you read it?
Any other thoughts or comments?
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have a great day!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Poll Results--10/18/08--10/25/08
Hello all! Thanks again for participating in my last poll! Oh, and by the way, I never vote on my own polls, in case you wondered. :-) Here are the results... :-)
Continuing on with Narnia Polls...
Okay! Here are a few more Narnia Polls. I will post more polls about the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I actually review it. In the meantime...
Trivia: Have you ever tried Turkish Delight? (yes, it is a real dessert)
Total of 5 votes
Yes!....................................................0 votes (0%)
No!.......................................................4 votes (80%)
I had it, and it was terrible!.................1 vote (20%)
I had it, and I loved it!...........................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! Well, I'm not surprised that most of you have never tried Turkish Delight. Mom bought it once from the grocery store. (my sister Sarah voted that it was terrible :-)) I honestly can't remember if I tried it. :-) Sarah, Mom, and I think Josh, all tried it. Sarah and Mom thought it was so horrible, that I think I wasn't brave enough to taste it. :-) (we won't go into the dramatic details of what Sarah did) It was a rose flavored Turkish Delight. If I remember correctly, they declared it to taste like soap or lotion, something horrible. :-) So, if you ever want to try it...I recommend you go with a different flavor other than rose!
Which of the following Narnia movie productions have you seen?
You were able to pick more than one on this poll, and there were a total of 5 voters
The most recent ones...................................................5 votes (100%)
The old British ones......................................................4 votes (80%)
Some random cartoon one they had ages ago..............3 votes (60%)
None of them.................................................................0 votes (0%)
Wow! I'm impressed that 3 of you have seen the cartoon one! I could barely remember if they really made one or not. :-) I believe I've seen all of the productions. (not that I remember them all that well) :-)
Which of the Narnia movie productions did you like best?
Total of 5 votes
The most recent ones.............................................3 votes (60%)
The old British ones....................................................1 votes (20%)
Some random cartoon one they had ages ago..............1 votes (20%)
I've never seen any of them............................................0 votes (0%)
All the productions are terrible!.....................................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! I'm not surprised that the most recent movie productions won! :-) I am surprised someone liked the cartoon so well though. :-)
Comparing the new & old movie productions, would you say:
Total of 3 votes
The new productions are better and "way cooler"
with all the graphics, better actors, etc................................2 votes (66%)
The old British films are better because
they stayed closer to the books (i.e. were more accurate).........1 vote (33%)
Narnia is timeless, any production is good!.................................0 votes (0%)
Interesting, this is sort of hard question, so I'm glad I didn't have to vote on it. :-) I would probably have voted for "Narnia is timeless, any production is good!" I will have to re-watch the old movies again though, to actually have an accurate vote. :-) When I re-watch them, I'll let you know what I think. :-)
Thanks again for participating! Have a great week and look for more polls soon!
Continuing on with Narnia Polls...
Okay! Here are a few more Narnia Polls. I will post more polls about the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I actually review it. In the meantime...
Trivia: Have you ever tried Turkish Delight? (yes, it is a real dessert)
Total of 5 votes
Yes!....................................................0 votes (0%)
No!.......................................................4 votes (80%)
I had it, and it was terrible!.................1 vote (20%)
I had it, and I loved it!...........................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! Well, I'm not surprised that most of you have never tried Turkish Delight. Mom bought it once from the grocery store. (my sister Sarah voted that it was terrible :-)) I honestly can't remember if I tried it. :-) Sarah, Mom, and I think Josh, all tried it. Sarah and Mom thought it was so horrible, that I think I wasn't brave enough to taste it. :-) (we won't go into the dramatic details of what Sarah did) It was a rose flavored Turkish Delight. If I remember correctly, they declared it to taste like soap or lotion, something horrible. :-) So, if you ever want to try it...I recommend you go with a different flavor other than rose!
Which of the following Narnia movie productions have you seen?
You were able to pick more than one on this poll, and there were a total of 5 voters
The most recent ones...................................................5 votes (100%)
The old British ones......................................................4 votes (80%)
Some random cartoon one they had ages ago..............3 votes (60%)
None of them.................................................................0 votes (0%)
Wow! I'm impressed that 3 of you have seen the cartoon one! I could barely remember if they really made one or not. :-) I believe I've seen all of the productions. (not that I remember them all that well) :-)
Which of the Narnia movie productions did you like best?
Total of 5 votes
The most recent ones.............................................3 votes (60%)
The old British ones....................................................1 votes (20%)
Some random cartoon one they had ages ago..............1 votes (20%)
I've never seen any of them............................................0 votes (0%)
All the productions are terrible!.....................................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! I'm not surprised that the most recent movie productions won! :-) I am surprised someone liked the cartoon so well though. :-)
Comparing the new & old movie productions, would you say:
Total of 3 votes
The new productions are better and "way cooler"
with all the graphics, better actors, etc................................2 votes (66%)
The old British films are better because
they stayed closer to the books (i.e. were more accurate).........1 vote (33%)
Narnia is timeless, any production is good!.................................0 votes (0%)
Interesting, this is sort of hard question, so I'm glad I didn't have to vote on it. :-) I would probably have voted for "Narnia is timeless, any production is good!" I will have to re-watch the old movies again though, to actually have an accurate vote. :-) When I re-watch them, I'll let you know what I think. :-)
Thanks again for participating! Have a great week and look for more polls soon!
Friday, October 24, 2008
2005 Lion, Witch, & Wardrobe movie vs. the book
Hello! I'm excited about showing you some of the differences between the book and the movie! However, at the same time, I don't exactly know the best way to go about it, since I've never done any movie vs. book comparison before. :-) So, before I get started, let me give you a little history... :-) My family and I went to see the movie on, December 19, 2005. I had just finished one of the busiest/craziest times in my life, and it was quite a treat to be able to go and see this after weeks of hectic rushing around. :-) As a general rule, we don't go to movie theaters very often, primarily because they are expensive, secondly, there is usually not a lot of stuff out there that is worth seeing, and thirdly, we would just assume wait until it comes out on dvd. :-) So, we only go out about twice a year as a family, maybe more if my sister and I decide to do a splurging/sister treat thing. :-) (come to think of it, the last time I went to a movie was to see Prince Caspian in May, while we were on our family vacation...)
Anyway, I was very excited about Narnia coming out, I've mentioned before how I've loved Narnia for a long time, so knowing it was coming out, I was eagerly waiting for the time we could go see it. :-) I was not disappointed in the movie either, it probably rates as one of my all time favorite movies I've seen in the theatres. :-)
Although there are several places where the movie is different from the book, I feel that over all they did an excellent job with and managed to capture the essence of the story. Of course, I am also very critical when movies come out based on my favorite books. So, while I enjoy the movie a lot. I do wish they had left some things out and put different stuff in. Example, while the movie uses some of C.S. Lewis wording from the book, I wish they had put more of the exact dialogue from the book into the movie. I love how some of the characters talk to each other, and I wish more of that was included. However, maybe some allowances must be made for 21st century viewers, who perhaps, don't appreciate the language of the 1950s. :-) One other thing, I always pictured Susan and Peter a little younger than how they are portrayed in the movie. The book never says how old they are, so I guess it's up to the reader to decide. :-)
I do think they did an excellent job portraying Aslan's death though, probably one of the more powerful scenes in the book, and I think they did a great job capturing that in the movie. Okay, so, let's see, here we go, I am going to start doing the "real" comparisons now! :-) One other thing, I won't be pointing out all of the differences, just most or a lot, if I did them all, this post would never end! If you really want to know all the differences, you can watch and read it for yourself. :-) Actually, it might be a good school project for some of you. :-)
First of all the movie starts out a lot different from the book. In the book, we just learn that the children were "sent away from London during the war because of air-raids." (p. 1) In the beginning of the movie, they go into about 20-30 minutes of "extra" detail. showing airplanes, and the children and their mother rushing to get into a bomb shelter. However, I think it was good that they did this, I'm sure when the book was written the statement, "sent away from London during the war because of air-raids" meant a whole lot more to the readers in the 1950s than it does to readers today. So, actually portraying the intensity of that time in the film, helps readers/viewers better understand it. However, what I don't like is how Peter and Edmund begin having arguments so soon, in fact, the entire movie portrays the children as much more argumentative and angry than what actually happens in the book, in my opinion at least. :-) (and we never see the mother mentioned at all, no sad goodbyes, etc...all that was added. :-) )
I do love how they have some music from the 1940s when the kids start to play hide and go seek. I think it's the Andrew's Sisters, but I'm not positive, I thought it was another great way to incorporate the time era. :-)
There are several differences on how they actually have the children get into Narnia, example, they make it seem like Lucy originally started the game of hide and go seek, however, that wasn't the original intent of the book, but it works well for the movie. Then when she comes out and runs into the Professor, that is different, in the book, Peter and Susan go to the Professor on purpose out of concern, not because he "made them." (oh yeah, and it's really too bad they didn't have Edmund pretending to blow his nose to hide his laughter, that might be in the old movie, but I don't remember)
There is also an added emphasis of "family" in the movie that is not in the book, Peter seems weighed down with the responsibility of taking care of his siblings, the Professor informs them that "they are family, try acting like one." Also, once they are in Narnia, there are several episodes of talking about their "Mum" and how at certain points Peter and Susan think they should go back. If you remember, most of the time while in Narnia, the characters have a tendency to forget about their "old" lives and just enjoy the time while they are there. So, I'm not sure the movie really needed to add that, but in general, it seems to
work well.
Then there is Lucy meeting Mr. Tumnus, they did a good job of getting the "gist" of it, but I still wish they had included more exact dialogue, after all, it's hilarious to read! :-) The part in the movie where Aslan roars in the fire at Mr. Tumnus house is added, but I think it was a good addition. :-)
Let's see, oh yes, the part where they break the window and all hide in the closet, was added, but probably that was a good addition too, since it might have been confusing to try to explain the "tours" of the house. Also, they make the scene with Peter yelling at Edmund for lying to them, more intense than what it was in the book.
Another minor detail, I believe they changed the main "police wolf" name than what was in the book. We also have Susan much more "logical" and nervous in the movie, than how she is portrayed in the book. You always get the impression in the movie that she wants to go home, and with the exception of one part in the book, you never get that impression from reading.
I thought they did a good job with the beavers though, very funny. :-) However, the whole intense scene where the wolves chase the children and beavers from the house and go into the tunnel, all of this was added. After all, in the book, as soon as the realize Edmund is gone, they immediately start packing to head to the Stone Table, there is no going after Edmund and no "run for your lives the wolves are right on top of us" feeling in the book. :-) Also, Mr. Fox was added, but I like him, so I won't complain about that. :-) Then, when Edmund is in "prison" at the Witch's house and finds Mr. Tumnus in prison too, all of that is added, the whole conversation with the bread etc.
When Father Christmas gives the children their gifts, first of all the beavers got gifts too, which is left out in the movie, and secondly, they have Lucy get her gifts first and in reality, Peter is given his first. Actually, this seems to happen frequently in the book, Lucy is given things first but in the book, it is always Peter who is given them first. Also, when Father Christmas gives the girl's their gifts, he emphasizes the fact that they are not to fight in battle. This doesn't come across as much in the movie. (I suspect our "feministic" society/culture had something to do with the lack of emphasis there) Also, the whole "river scene" where the children and beavers are running on the frozen ice, all that is much more intense and added from what is actually in the book.
Let's see, what else. :-) How Edmund is taken away by the good Narnia animals is different from the book, they leave out the fact that the Witch turned herself and her cohorts invisible, by looking like a tree stump.
Aslan admonishing Peter to "clean his sword" is in the movie, but it does not portray the sense of shame and embarrassment Peter feels at his neglect of this duty, you feel his embarrassment more when you read the book. Again, I don't know if this has something to do with 21st viewers and the fact that it might not carry the same weight it did in the 1950s. Aslo, another thought on Peter, the movie constantly gives you the impression that he is insecure, can't imagine leading a battle, doesn't want to, all the conversations/taunts he gets from the wolf, etc. You never get this idea from the book. In fact, they completely leave out the part where Aslan gives Peter battle instructions. Again, maybe they did this for the benefit of viewers today, and we could relate to his struggle better. I'm not sure. :-) However, even though it works well for the movie, part of me wishes they didn't portray Peter like that, but, oh well. :-)
Also, in the book Edmund apologizes to his siblings, but you don't hear him actually say that in the movie. Also, the scene where the children are "practicing" with their swords, etc. isn't in the book, but it's a good addition. :-)
When the White Witch comes to demand Edmund back, the movie doesn't quite portray her the same way the book does. In the book she can barely look Aslan in the eye, and when she is done, she runs for her life, doesn't "sit" down in her chair. They also added several lines for the Witch that you don't find in the book.
Again, I do think they did a great job with portraying Aslan's death, I do wish they had included the "romp" the girls have with him in the book though. That's fun. I think the old one did that, but I can't remember. :-) Also, the strange, "whispering tree things" aren't in the book. They also leave out some of the fun scenes/conversations Aslan has when he changes all the stone animals back to life.
Okay, now for the battle scene. Right, ahem, well first of all, let me preface any further statements by the fact that I am not the kind of person who likes big, huge, dramatic battle scenes. :-) (one reason I don't care for the Lord of the Rings movies) So be forewarned! The battle, in the movie is portrayed as huge, I mean really, the book only has 4-6 pages maximum dedicated to the details of the battle! But, movie viewers these days like intense and dramatic battle scenes, so... :-)
Anyway, I was very excited about Narnia coming out, I've mentioned before how I've loved Narnia for a long time, so knowing it was coming out, I was eagerly waiting for the time we could go see it. :-) I was not disappointed in the movie either, it probably rates as one of my all time favorite movies I've seen in the theatres. :-)
Although there are several places where the movie is different from the book, I feel that over all they did an excellent job with and managed to capture the essence of the story. Of course, I am also very critical when movies come out based on my favorite books. So, while I enjoy the movie a lot. I do wish they had left some things out and put different stuff in. Example, while the movie uses some of C.S. Lewis wording from the book, I wish they had put more of the exact dialogue from the book into the movie. I love how some of the characters talk to each other, and I wish more of that was included. However, maybe some allowances must be made for 21st century viewers, who perhaps, don't appreciate the language of the 1950s. :-) One other thing, I always pictured Susan and Peter a little younger than how they are portrayed in the movie. The book never says how old they are, so I guess it's up to the reader to decide. :-)
I do think they did an excellent job portraying Aslan's death though, probably one of the more powerful scenes in the book, and I think they did a great job capturing that in the movie. Okay, so, let's see, here we go, I am going to start doing the "real" comparisons now! :-) One other thing, I won't be pointing out all of the differences, just most or a lot, if I did them all, this post would never end! If you really want to know all the differences, you can watch and read it for yourself. :-) Actually, it might be a good school project for some of you. :-)
First of all the movie starts out a lot different from the book. In the book, we just learn that the children were "sent away from London during the war because of air-raids." (p. 1) In the beginning of the movie, they go into about 20-30 minutes of "extra" detail. showing airplanes, and the children and their mother rushing to get into a bomb shelter. However, I think it was good that they did this, I'm sure when the book was written the statement, "sent away from London during the war because of air-raids" meant a whole lot more to the readers in the 1950s than it does to readers today. So, actually portraying the intensity of that time in the film, helps readers/viewers better understand it. However, what I don't like is how Peter and Edmund begin having arguments so soon, in fact, the entire movie portrays the children as much more argumentative and angry than what actually happens in the book, in my opinion at least. :-) (and we never see the mother mentioned at all, no sad goodbyes, etc...all that was added. :-) )
I do love how they have some music from the 1940s when the kids start to play hide and go seek. I think it's the Andrew's Sisters, but I'm not positive, I thought it was another great way to incorporate the time era. :-)
There are several differences on how they actually have the children get into Narnia, example, they make it seem like Lucy originally started the game of hide and go seek, however, that wasn't the original intent of the book, but it works well for the movie. Then when she comes out and runs into the Professor, that is different, in the book, Peter and Susan go to the Professor on purpose out of concern, not because he "made them." (oh yeah, and it's really too bad they didn't have Edmund pretending to blow his nose to hide his laughter, that might be in the old movie, but I don't remember)
There is also an added emphasis of "family" in the movie that is not in the book, Peter seems weighed down with the responsibility of taking care of his siblings, the Professor informs them that "they are family, try acting like one." Also, once they are in Narnia, there are several episodes of talking about their "Mum" and how at certain points Peter and Susan think they should go back. If you remember, most of the time while in Narnia, the characters have a tendency to forget about their "old" lives and just enjoy the time while they are there. So, I'm not sure the movie really needed to add that, but in general, it seems to
work well.Then there is Lucy meeting Mr. Tumnus, they did a good job of getting the "gist" of it, but I still wish they had included more exact dialogue, after all, it's hilarious to read! :-) The part in the movie where Aslan roars in the fire at Mr. Tumnus house is added, but I think it was a good addition. :-)
Let's see, oh yes, the part where they break the window and all hide in the closet, was added, but probably that was a good addition too, since it might have been confusing to try to explain the "tours" of the house. Also, they make the scene with Peter yelling at Edmund for lying to them, more intense than what it was in the book.
Another minor detail, I believe they changed the main "police wolf" name than what was in the book. We also have Susan much more "logical" and nervous in the movie, than how she is portrayed in the book. You always get the impression in the movie that she wants to go home, and with the exception of one part in the book, you never get that impression from reading.
I thought they did a good job with the beavers though, very funny. :-) However, the whole intense scene where the wolves chase the children and beavers from the house and go into the tunnel, all of this was added. After all, in the book, as soon as the realize Edmund is gone, they immediately start packing to head to the Stone Table, there is no going after Edmund and no "run for your lives the wolves are right on top of us" feeling in the book. :-) Also, Mr. Fox was added, but I like him, so I won't complain about that. :-) Then, when Edmund is in "prison" at the Witch's house and finds Mr. Tumnus in prison too, all of that is added, the whole conversation with the bread etc.
When Father Christmas gives the children their gifts, first of all the beavers got gifts too, which is left out in the movie, and secondly, they have Lucy get her gifts first and in reality, Peter is given his first. Actually, this seems to happen frequently in the book, Lucy is given things first but in the book, it is always Peter who is given them first. Also, when Father Christmas gives the girl's their gifts, he emphasizes the fact that they are not to fight in battle. This doesn't come across as much in the movie. (I suspect our "feministic" society/culture had something to do with the lack of emphasis there) Also, the whole "river scene" where the children and beavers are running on the frozen ice, all that is much more intense and added from what is actually in the book.
Let's see, what else. :-) How Edmund is taken away by the good Narnia animals is different from the book, they leave out the fact that the Witch turned herself and her cohorts invisible, by looking like a tree stump.
Aslan admonishing Peter to "clean his sword" is in the movie, but it does not portray the sense of shame and embarrassment Peter feels at his neglect of this duty, you feel his embarrassment more when you read the book. Again, I don't know if this has something to do with 21st viewers and the fact that it might not carry the same weight it did in the 1950s. Aslo, another thought on Peter, the movie constantly gives you the impression that he is insecure, can't imagine leading a battle, doesn't want to, all the conversations/taunts he gets from the wolf, etc. You never get this idea from the book. In fact, they completely leave out the part where Aslan gives Peter battle instructions. Again, maybe they did this for the benefit of viewers today, and we could relate to his struggle better. I'm not sure. :-) However, even though it works well for the movie, part of me wishes they didn't portray Peter like that, but, oh well. :-)
Also, in the book Edmund apologizes to his siblings, but you don't hear him actually say that in the movie. Also, the scene where the children are "practicing" with their swords, etc. isn't in the book, but it's a good addition. :-)
When the White Witch comes to demand Edmund back, the movie doesn't quite portray her the same way the book does. In the book she can barely look Aslan in the eye, and when she is done, she runs for her life, doesn't "sit" down in her chair. They also added several lines for the Witch that you don't find in the book.
Again, I do think they did a great job with portraying Aslan's death, I do wish they had included the "romp" the girls have with him in the book though. That's fun. I think the old one did that, but I can't remember. :-) Also, the strange, "whispering tree things" aren't in the book. They also leave out some of the fun scenes/conversations Aslan has when he changes all the stone animals back to life.
Okay, now for the battle scene. Right, ahem, well first of all, let me preface any further statements by the fact that I am not the kind of person who likes big, huge, dramatic battle scenes. :-) (one reason I don't care for the Lord of the Rings movies) So be forewarned! The battle, in the movie is portrayed as huge, I mean really, the book only has 4-6 pages maximum dedicated to the details of the battle! But, movie viewers these days like intense and dramatic battle scenes, so... :-)
One general/character in the movie tells Peter before the battle: "Numbers do not win a battle" and Peter replies: "No, but they help." :-) I enjoy that, even though it's not in the book. Oh, and Peter NEVER tells Edmund to leave the battle, in fact, they leave out the part where Peter is praising Edmund's courage to Aslan.
Also, the movie also doesn't have Aslan telling Lucy to stop helping Edmund and start helping the others that are wounded. That is a pretty significant part of the book, and it's sort of annoying how they made it seem like she thought of it herself.
At the end of the movie they have Mr. Tumnus telling Lucy that Aslan is not a "Tame Lion" in the book, it is Mr. Beaver telling all four of the children that.
Then the movie leaves out the hilarious dialogue of when the children are older and hunting for the white stag! But then again, half the viewers today would probably find it weird. :-) They still get the point across in the movie though.
Finally, when they all tumble out of the closet, rather than giving the children a chance to explain what happens to the Professor, the Professor walks in and they talk then. I also wish they had allowed the Professor to quote directly his last lines from the book, I think they're good. :-)
Also, the movie also doesn't have Aslan telling Lucy to stop helping Edmund and start helping the others that are wounded. That is a pretty significant part of the book, and it's sort of annoying how they made it seem like she thought of it herself.
At the end of the movie they have Mr. Tumnus telling Lucy that Aslan is not a "Tame Lion" in the book, it is Mr. Beaver telling all four of the children that.
Then the movie leaves out the hilarious dialogue of when the children are older and hunting for the white stag! But then again, half the viewers today would probably find it weird. :-) They still get the point across in the movie though.
Finally, when they all tumble out of the closet, rather than giving the children a chance to explain what happens to the Professor, the Professor walks in and they talk then. I also wish they had allowed the Professor to quote directly his last lines from the book, I think they're good. :-)
Anyway, so there are a few differences from the movie version with the book! Hope you enjoyed and were surprised by them! :-) Again, even though I mention a lot of the changes they made, I still like the movie. Overall it's good, just not exactly like the book. However, it has been said:
"Never judge a book by its movie." ~J.W. Eagan
A good thing to keep in mind while watching movie productions of books! :-) Have a great day and look for discussion questions soon!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Lion, The Witch, & the Wardrobe--C.S. Lewis Part 3
Hello all! Here is the part 3! It will cover chapters 13-17. I will be watching the movie tonight and hopefully doing some comparisons tomorrow! (if I have time)
Title: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published: Originally published in 1950, it has been re-printed many times over the years. The particular copies I am reviewing are the same ones Dad read to us over the years, they are pretty old and falling apart! :-) (My brother Andrew has a newer copy with all the books in one collected version, however, I am still reading the old ones. :-) ) Anyway, this particular copy is printed from Collier Books sometime in the 1970s.
Background Information: See other posts on C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...
Chapter 13, we find Edmund exhausted from walking. The Witch and the Dwarf discuss the situation and wonder if only having three of the four thrones would work and not fulfill the prophecy. The Dwarf wonders if it would make a difference now that he (Aslan) is in Narnia. The Dwarf and Witch also begin talking about how they "had better do what we have to do at once." (p. 131) Just then the wolf that had escaped from the good Narnia animals comes running up and tells them that the other wolf was killed. She also gives the wolf instructions to gather all the rest of her evil helpers. (evil helpers, is my terminology by the way :-) )
The Witch and the Dwarf begin to make preparations to kill Edmund! Before they can though, the other Narnia animals come to the rescue! However, the Witch and the Dwarf seem to have disappeared before the animals could capture them. After the Narnia animals leave, we learn that the Witch had made it appear that she and the Dwarf were a tree stump.
The next day, the other children learn that Edmund has been rescued. Aslan has had a talk with Edmund and tells the others: "there is no need to talk to him about what is past." (p. 136) Edmund apologizes to his siblings and they accept his apologies.
Soon we learn that the Witch's Dwarf has come to ask permission for the "Queen" to talk to Aslan. The Witch then comes and informs Aslan that he has a traitor in his midst. She reminds Aslan that "all traitors belong to her" and declares that Edmund's blood is her property. (Mr. Beaver also has some humorous comments he adds during the course of these conversations :-) ) Aslan agrees with what the Witch is saying is true and the two of them go off alone to discuss it further. Finally Aslan calls everyone back and tells them that the mattered is settled, but he doesn't go into details. Before the Witch leaves she asks: "But how do I know this promise will be kept?" (p. 141). Aslan's response is to roar at her and she runs for her life. :-)
Chapter 14--After the Witch leaves, Aslan tells everyone they must leave the Stone Table area and go to a different spot. During their journey Aslan gives Peter instructions for the upcoming battle. For the last part of the journey, Susan and Lucy are with Aslan the most and notice that he seems very sad. The evening is a somber one, as everyone notices Aslan's serious demeanor. That night, Susan and Lucy are unable to sleep and they end up getting up and following Aslan. We soon learn that Aslan is heading back to the Stone Table, and when he finds Susan and Lucy are following him, he agrees that they can come, because he would like the company. (with the stipulation, that they must leave when he tells them to)
The three of them finally reach the Stone Table, and Aslan tells the girls to go and not let themselves be seen. They walk away, but stay hidden to see what happens next. Soon the Witch and all of her evil helpers are there and begin taunting Aslan. Through the next couple of pages, we learn how they shave his mane, mock him so more, muzzle him, tie him up, kick and spit on him, and eventually kill him. Just before the Witch kills him she says:
"And now, who has won? Fool, did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor? Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well? And who will take him out of my hand then? Understand that you have given me Narnia forever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved his. In that knowledge, despair and die." (p. 152) (Susan and Lucy close their eyes when the actual killing occurs)
Chapter 15--The Witch and her followers leave, and with many tears Susan and Lucy go over to Aslan's body, they take the muzzle off, and then they notice a bunch of mice all over Aslan! The girls are horrified and first and then they realize the mice are chewing off the cords that are tied around Aslan! By morning, the girls finally start to leave and as they are heading back they hear a loud cracking noise. The girls nervously head back and when they get there the Stone Table is broken in two pieces and Aslan's body is gone! The girls at first think the Witch has taken Aslan's body. However, they are surprised to hear his voice and realize he is still alive! (and he's not a ghost either :-) ) The girls are delighted to see Aslan again and they talk for a little bit, trying to figure out how he can still be alive, he explains and concludes with how the Witch didn't know the whole story and that: "She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death would start working backwards." (p. 160)
Aslan and the girls have a fun "romp" where they get to chase him. After playing around some, Aslan has them get on his back and they make the journey to the Witch's house. The book has this to say about their ride on Aslan's back: "That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia. Have you ever had a gallop on a horse? Think of that; and then take away the heavy noise of the hoofs and the jingle of the harness and image instead the almost noiseless padding of the great paws." (p. 161-162) (the description goes on longer, but you get the idea) They finally arrive at the Witch's house and see all the statues.
Chapter 16--Once at the Witch's house, Aslan begins "breathing" on all of the statues and they come back to life! To learn more about all the exciting details you can read the book or the movie does a good job of "describing" it too. Lucy is thrilled to see Mr. Tumnus again and we get to meet the Gian Rumblebuffin. (who is a friendly giant) After some discussion, Aslan, the girls and all the newly restored Narnia animals run to help the others in the battle.
The girls see Peter and Edmund fighting, along with all the Witch's evil helpers, and Peter and the Witch are in a pretty intense fight. The girls get off Aslan's back and Alan gets into the battle and kills the Witch! (and some of the other evil creatures as well) Peter and his army all cheer as the battle comes to an end. :-)
Chapter 17--The battle ends and Peter and Aslan shake "hands" and Peter tells Aslan about how Edmund helped to get the Witch's wand broken, which helped turn the battle in their favor. However, in the course of all the fighting, Edmund has been wounded, and Aslan reminds Lucy about her Christmas gift, the bottle with the special "cordial" in it. She gives some to Edmund and is waiting to see what happens when Aslan tells her to help others, Lucy wants to wait, and Aslan asks her: "Must more people must die for Edmund?" (p. 177) Lucy apologizes and begins helping the others. When she finishes, Edmund is back to normal and "looking better than she had seen him look--oh, for ages; in fact ever since his first term at that horrid school which was where he had begun to go wrong." (p. 177)
Lucy also whispers to Susan at one point, wondering if Edmund knows what Aslan did for him, Susan says "of course not" and tells Lucy that they shouldn't tell Edmund. The next few pages go on a little more, and we learn how the four children are crowned Kings and Queens at Cair Paravel and at one point, Aslan leaves. The children finally notice he is gone and Mr. Beaver tells them Aslan will come and go and that "He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion." (p. 180)
The story is close to then end now, we learn about how the children grow up and continue their reign as Kings and Queens and that they "governed Narnia well and long and happy was their reign." (p. 180) Peter becomes known as "King Peter the Magnificent" Susan as Queen Susan the Gentle" Edmund as "King Edmund the Just" and Lucy as "Queen Lucy the Valiant" (p. 181) We also learn that the children live in great joy and if they ever thought of their old life, it was more like a dream. One day, years, later, Mr. Tumnus comes and tells the Kings and Queens about a White Stag, this White Stag gives you wishes if you catch him, so they decide to "hunt" for it. We also learn that since the children are older, and Kings and Queens they talk differently now. :-) It's quite fun to read it. :-)
As they are searching for the White Stag, the four of them notice "a tree of iron" or "a pillar of iron with a lantern set on the top" (p. 184) (meaning the lamp post) They discuss the strangeness of seeing this in the woods and how it seems somehow familiar. They decide to go past the lamp-post and see what the can find. Soon they find themselves in a bunch of trees and then just after that they find themselves surrounded by coats!
Then the four of them come tumbling out of the closet and find themselves back where they started in the Spare Room! And barely any time has passed! (they weren't caught by Mrs. Macready by the way) I will add the last several paragraphs from the book, so you can read how it ends:
"And that would have been the very end of the story if it hadn't been that they felt they really must explain to the Professor why four of the coats out of his wardrobe were missing. And the Professor, who was a very remarkable man, didn't tell them not to be silly or not to tell lies, but believed the whole story. "No," he said, "I don't think it will be any good trying to go back through the wardrobe door to get the coats. You won't get into Narnia again by that route. Nor would the coats be much use by now if you did! Eh? What's that? Yes, of course you'll get back into Narnia again some day. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you re not looking for it. And don't talk too much about it even among yourselves. And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves. What's that? How will you know? Oh, you'll know all right. Odd things, they say--even their looks--will let the secret out. Keep your eyes open. Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?"
And that is the very end of the adventures of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures in Narnia." (p. 185-186)
Hope you enjoyed it! Tomorrow there will hopefully be discussion questions too! Have a great day!
Title: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published: Originally published in 1950, it has been re-printed many times over the years. The particular copies I am reviewing are the same ones Dad read to us over the years, they are pretty old and falling apart! :-) (My brother Andrew has a newer copy with all the books in one collected version, however, I am still reading the old ones. :-) ) Anyway, this particular copy is printed from Collier Books sometime in the 1970s.
Background Information: See other posts on C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...
Chapter 13, we find Edmund exhausted from walking. The Witch and the Dwarf discuss the situation and wonder if only having three of the four thrones would work and not fulfill the prophecy. The Dwarf wonders if it would make a difference now that he (Aslan) is in Narnia. The Dwarf and Witch also begin talking about how they "had better do what we have to do at once." (p. 131) Just then the wolf that had escaped from the good Narnia animals comes running up and tells them that the other wolf was killed. She also gives the wolf instructions to gather all the rest of her evil helpers. (evil helpers, is my terminology by the way :-) )
The Witch and the Dwarf begin to make preparations to kill Edmund! Before they can though, the other Narnia animals come to the rescue! However, the Witch and the Dwarf seem to have disappeared before the animals could capture them. After the Narnia animals leave, we learn that the Witch had made it appear that she and the Dwarf were a tree stump.
The next day, the other children learn that Edmund has been rescued. Aslan has had a talk with Edmund and tells the others: "there is no need to talk to him about what is past." (p. 136) Edmund apologizes to his siblings and they accept his apologies.
Soon we learn that the Witch's Dwarf has come to ask permission for the "Queen" to talk to Aslan. The Witch then comes and informs Aslan that he has a traitor in his midst. She reminds Aslan that "all traitors belong to her" and declares that Edmund's blood is her property. (Mr. Beaver also has some humorous comments he adds during the course of these conversations :-) ) Aslan agrees with what the Witch is saying is true and the two of them go off alone to discuss it further. Finally Aslan calls everyone back and tells them that the mattered is settled, but he doesn't go into details. Before the Witch leaves she asks: "But how do I know this promise will be kept?" (p. 141). Aslan's response is to roar at her and she runs for her life. :-)
Chapter 14--After the Witch leaves, Aslan tells everyone they must leave the Stone Table area and go to a different spot. During their journey Aslan gives Peter instructions for the upcoming battle. For the last part of the journey, Susan and Lucy are with Aslan the most and notice that he seems very sad. The evening is a somber one, as everyone notices Aslan's serious demeanor. That night, Susan and Lucy are unable to sleep and they end up getting up and following Aslan. We soon learn that Aslan is heading back to the Stone Table, and when he finds Susan and Lucy are following him, he agrees that they can come, because he would like the company. (with the stipulation, that they must leave when he tells them to)
The three of them finally reach the Stone Table, and Aslan tells the girls to go and not let themselves be seen. They walk away, but stay hidden to see what happens next. Soon the Witch and all of her evil helpers are there and begin taunting Aslan. Through the next couple of pages, we learn how they shave his mane, mock him so more, muzzle him, tie him up, kick and spit on him, and eventually kill him. Just before the Witch kills him she says:
"And now, who has won? Fool, did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor? Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well? And who will take him out of my hand then? Understand that you have given me Narnia forever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved his. In that knowledge, despair and die." (p. 152) (Susan and Lucy close their eyes when the actual killing occurs)
Chapter 15--The Witch and her followers leave, and with many tears Susan and Lucy go over to Aslan's body, they take the muzzle off, and then they notice a bunch of mice all over Aslan! The girls are horrified and first and then they realize the mice are chewing off the cords that are tied around Aslan! By morning, the girls finally start to leave and as they are heading back they hear a loud cracking noise. The girls nervously head back and when they get there the Stone Table is broken in two pieces and Aslan's body is gone! The girls at first think the Witch has taken Aslan's body. However, they are surprised to hear his voice and realize he is still alive! (and he's not a ghost either :-) ) The girls are delighted to see Aslan again and they talk for a little bit, trying to figure out how he can still be alive, he explains and concludes with how the Witch didn't know the whole story and that: "She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death would start working backwards." (p. 160)
Aslan and the girls have a fun "romp" where they get to chase him. After playing around some, Aslan has them get on his back and they make the journey to the Witch's house. The book has this to say about their ride on Aslan's back: "That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia. Have you ever had a gallop on a horse? Think of that; and then take away the heavy noise of the hoofs and the jingle of the harness and image instead the almost noiseless padding of the great paws." (p. 161-162) (the description goes on longer, but you get the idea) They finally arrive at the Witch's house and see all the statues.
Chapter 16--Once at the Witch's house, Aslan begins "breathing" on all of the statues and they come back to life! To learn more about all the exciting details you can read the book or the movie does a good job of "describing" it too. Lucy is thrilled to see Mr. Tumnus again and we get to meet the Gian Rumblebuffin. (who is a friendly giant) After some discussion, Aslan, the girls and all the newly restored Narnia animals run to help the others in the battle.
The girls see Peter and Edmund fighting, along with all the Witch's evil helpers, and Peter and the Witch are in a pretty intense fight. The girls get off Aslan's back and Alan gets into the battle and kills the Witch! (and some of the other evil creatures as well) Peter and his army all cheer as the battle comes to an end. :-)
Chapter 17--The battle ends and Peter and Aslan shake "hands" and Peter tells Aslan about how Edmund helped to get the Witch's wand broken, which helped turn the battle in their favor. However, in the course of all the fighting, Edmund has been wounded, and Aslan reminds Lucy about her Christmas gift, the bottle with the special "cordial" in it. She gives some to Edmund and is waiting to see what happens when Aslan tells her to help others, Lucy wants to wait, and Aslan asks her: "Must more people must die for Edmund?" (p. 177) Lucy apologizes and begins helping the others. When she finishes, Edmund is back to normal and "looking better than she had seen him look--oh, for ages; in fact ever since his first term at that horrid school which was where he had begun to go wrong." (p. 177)
Lucy also whispers to Susan at one point, wondering if Edmund knows what Aslan did for him, Susan says "of course not" and tells Lucy that they shouldn't tell Edmund. The next few pages go on a little more, and we learn how the four children are crowned Kings and Queens at Cair Paravel and at one point, Aslan leaves. The children finally notice he is gone and Mr. Beaver tells them Aslan will come and go and that "He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion." (p. 180)
The story is close to then end now, we learn about how the children grow up and continue their reign as Kings and Queens and that they "governed Narnia well and long and happy was their reign." (p. 180) Peter becomes known as "King Peter the Magnificent" Susan as Queen Susan the Gentle" Edmund as "King Edmund the Just" and Lucy as "Queen Lucy the Valiant" (p. 181) We also learn that the children live in great joy and if they ever thought of their old life, it was more like a dream. One day, years, later, Mr. Tumnus comes and tells the Kings and Queens about a White Stag, this White Stag gives you wishes if you catch him, so they decide to "hunt" for it. We also learn that since the children are older, and Kings and Queens they talk differently now. :-) It's quite fun to read it. :-)
As they are searching for the White Stag, the four of them notice "a tree of iron" or "a pillar of iron with a lantern set on the top" (p. 184) (meaning the lamp post) They discuss the strangeness of seeing this in the woods and how it seems somehow familiar. They decide to go past the lamp-post and see what the can find. Soon they find themselves in a bunch of trees and then just after that they find themselves surrounded by coats!
Then the four of them come tumbling out of the closet and find themselves back where they started in the Spare Room! And barely any time has passed! (they weren't caught by Mrs. Macready by the way) I will add the last several paragraphs from the book, so you can read how it ends:
"And that would have been the very end of the story if it hadn't been that they felt they really must explain to the Professor why four of the coats out of his wardrobe were missing. And the Professor, who was a very remarkable man, didn't tell them not to be silly or not to tell lies, but believed the whole story. "No," he said, "I don't think it will be any good trying to go back through the wardrobe door to get the coats. You won't get into Narnia again by that route. Nor would the coats be much use by now if you did! Eh? What's that? Yes, of course you'll get back into Narnia again some day. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia. But don't go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don't try to get there at all. It'll happen when you re not looking for it. And don't talk too much about it even among yourselves. And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves. What's that? How will you know? Oh, you'll know all right. Odd things, they say--even their looks--will let the secret out. Keep your eyes open. Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?"
And that is the very end of the adventures of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures in Narnia." (p. 185-186)
Hope you enjoyed it! Tomorrow there will hopefully be discussion questions too! Have a great day!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Lion, The Witch, & the Wardrobe--C.S. Lewis Part 2
Hello again! I had hoped to finish the book today, but I've decided I need to do a third part. Today covers chapters 6-12. I also had forgotten that Queen Jadis, from the "Magician's Nephew" is the same person as the White Witch in this book! You can read an interesting article from the "Into the Wardrobe" site here: http://cslewis.drzeus.net/papers/lionwitchallegory.html
The article is entitled "The Lion, the Witch and the Allegory: An Analysis of Selected Narnia Chronicles" I didn't read the whole thing, but what I read was pretty interesting.
Title: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published: Originally published in 1950, it has been re-printed many times over the years. The particular copies I am reviewing are the same ones Dad read to us over the years, they are pretty old and falling apart! :-) (My brother Andrew has a newer copy with all the books in one collected version, however, I am still reading the old ones. :-) ) Anyway, this particular copy is printed from Collier Books sometime in the 1970s.
Background Information: See other posts on C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...
The four children are cramped inside the wardrobe, and after some shoving they realize they are in a forest--with snow! Peter apologizes to Lucy for not believing her and after some debate they borrow four of the coats from the wardrobe and Lucy says: "We can pretend we are Arctic explorers." Peter replies: "This is going to be exciting enough without pretending" (p. 52). :-) Edmund accidentally says something that gives himself away and Peter realizes that Edmund had been there before, and had made it sound like Lucy was making the whole thing up. Peter is pretty upset, and calls Edmund a "beast" and leaves it at that. Peter lets Lucy lead the way and they set off to see Mr. Tumnus. However, when they arrive they find the house a disaster and a note from one of the Queen's Wolves saying that Mr. Tumnus has been arrested for: "harbouring spies and fraternising with Humans." (p. 55) (meaning, Lucy)
Susan thinks that they should go back, and Lucy insists that they can't and they have to help Mr. Tumnus. Edmund doesn't think they can do much, and Peter still being angry with Edmund, tells Edmund to be quiet. Eventually they decide they should look for Mr. Tumnus and they notice a robin, (note, robins=spring, and remember it is "always winter and never Christmas" in Narnia) the Robin seems to want the children to follow them, and so they do.
Peter and Edmund have a discussion at one point and Edmund suggests that maybe the Robin is not on the right side, Peter disagrees because robins are "good birds in all the stories I've ever read. I'm sure a robin wouldn't be on the wrong side." Edmund says:
"If it comes to that, which is the right side? How do we know that the fauns are in the right and the Queen (yes, I know we've been told she's a witch) is in the wrong? We don't really know anything about either." (p. 59) They discuss it a little further, but still end up following the Robin. The Robin leads them to a beaver. After more discussion, the children follow the Beaver. Mr. Beaver tells them that "Aslan is on the move" and takes the children to his home and introduces them to Mrs. Beaver. Several humours discussions occur and the children stay for dinner. After dinner the conversation turns to how they can help Mr. Tumnus and about Aslan, and how Aslan is the one who can help Mr. Tumnus. The children are curious about Aslan and ask several questions, Mr. Beaver tells them about Aslan, and Edmund asks if the White Witch can turn him into stone, Mr. Beaver tells him no, and also tells them of a Narnia rhyme which says:
"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." (p. 74-75)
We learn that Aslan is a Lion and that "He is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the Sea" (p. 75) and that he doesn't come very often to Narnia. Susan and Lucy are a little alarmed when they find out Aslan is a lion and they ask if he is "safe." Mr. Beaver replies: " 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." (p. 76). We then learn that the children are going to meet him the next day at the Stone Table. We learn another rhyme in course of the conversation that says:
"When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done." (p. 75)
We learn that there are four thrones at Cair Paravel, and that they will be filled by two boys and two girls. We also learn more details about the Witch and her history. At one point, the children realize that Edmund is gone. At first they are alarmed and want to go find him, however, after some discussion with the Beavers, they realize Edmund must have already met the Witch, and has been deceived, and is going to her house now, to tell her about the meeting at the Stone Table. Soon, everyone is busy getting ready to leave and get away from the Witch before she find them.
Chapter 9--goes into detail about Edmund's journey to the White Witch's house. The book says: "You mustn't think that even now Edmund was quite so bad that he actually wanted his brother and sisters to be turned into stone. He did want Turkish Delight and to be a Prince (and later a King) and to pay Peter out for calling him a beast." (p.85) It goes on a little more, but you can read the book yourself to get all the details. :-) Anyway, he eventually gets to her house, and sees lots of stone animals, when he finally sees the Witch, she is very angry with him for not bringing his siblings.
Chapter 10--goes into more detail about the packing preparations of the Beavers and the other children, they eventually start on their journey to the Stone Table. On the way there, they meet Father Christmas and he tells them that "I've come at last." "She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last. Aslan is on the move. The Witch's magic is weakening." (p. 103) He then gives everyone presents, Mrs. Beaver gets a sewing machine, Mr. Beaver will find his dam/house all finished when he returns, and Peter gets a sword and a shield. Susan gets arrows and a horn (the horn is to use when she needs help, and Lucy gets a bottle (which is to use to help those who are injured/ill) and a dagger. Father Christmas tells the girls that their weapons (the arrows and the dagger) are to be used when they are in danger and he says: "for I do not mean you to fight in the battle." (p. 104)
Chapter 11--Edmund and the Queen continue on in their journey, and Edmund is having a miserable time. At one point they see some squirrels and other animals enjoying some dinner and having a party. The Queen demands to know where they got their items, and she is informed that Father Christmas gave it to them. In a rage, she turns the entire party to stone!
They continue on, and Edmund is upset with the Queen for turning the animals into stone. Soon, the sledge they are riding in, becomes impossible to ride, because of all the melting snow. Everyone has to get out now and walk. (Edmund has his hands tied up) The Queen's Dwarf at one point says: "This is no thaw" "This is spring. What are we to do? Your winter has been destroyed, I tell you! This is Aslan's doing." (p. 118) The Queen then tells the Dwarf and Edmund that if they mention Aslan's name again she will kill them!
Chapter 12--we learn that the children arrive at the Stone Table, and they meet Aslan. He talks to them some, and then takes Peter aside to tell him about how he will be the High King since he is the oldest. During this discussion, they hear Susan's horn, and run to see what is happening. Susan is being chased by one of the Queen's wolves and is up a tree, Peter gets his sword and kills the wolf. (this chapter is entitled "Peter's First Battle" by the way) Aslan then instructs the Narnia animals to go after a second wolf. Alsan then tells Peter he has forgotten to clean his sword, Peter cleans it, once it is cleaned, Aslan tells Peter to give him the sword and kneel. Aslan then strikes Peter with the flat blade of the sword and says:
"Rise up, Sir Peter Fenris-Bane. And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword."
Have a great day!
The article is entitled "The Lion, the Witch and the Allegory: An Analysis of Selected Narnia Chronicles" I didn't read the whole thing, but what I read was pretty interesting.
Title: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published: Originally published in 1950, it has been re-printed many times over the years. The particular copies I am reviewing are the same ones Dad read to us over the years, they are pretty old and falling apart! :-) (My brother Andrew has a newer copy with all the books in one collected version, however, I am still reading the old ones. :-) ) Anyway, this particular copy is printed from Collier Books sometime in the 1970s.
Background Information: See other posts on C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...
The four children are cramped inside the wardrobe, and after some shoving they realize they are in a forest--with snow! Peter apologizes to Lucy for not believing her and after some debate they borrow four of the coats from the wardrobe and Lucy says: "We can pretend we are Arctic explorers." Peter replies: "This is going to be exciting enough without pretending" (p. 52). :-) Edmund accidentally says something that gives himself away and Peter realizes that Edmund had been there before, and had made it sound like Lucy was making the whole thing up. Peter is pretty upset, and calls Edmund a "beast" and leaves it at that. Peter lets Lucy lead the way and they set off to see Mr. Tumnus. However, when they arrive they find the house a disaster and a note from one of the Queen's Wolves saying that Mr. Tumnus has been arrested for: "harbouring spies and fraternising with Humans." (p. 55) (meaning, Lucy)
Susan thinks that they should go back, and Lucy insists that they can't and they have to help Mr. Tumnus. Edmund doesn't think they can do much, and Peter still being angry with Edmund, tells Edmund to be quiet. Eventually they decide they should look for Mr. Tumnus and they notice a robin, (note, robins=spring, and remember it is "always winter and never Christmas" in Narnia) the Robin seems to want the children to follow them, and so they do.
Peter and Edmund have a discussion at one point and Edmund suggests that maybe the Robin is not on the right side, Peter disagrees because robins are "good birds in all the stories I've ever read. I'm sure a robin wouldn't be on the wrong side." Edmund says:
"If it comes to that, which is the right side? How do we know that the fauns are in the right and the Queen (yes, I know we've been told she's a witch) is in the wrong? We don't really know anything about either." (p. 59) They discuss it a little further, but still end up following the Robin. The Robin leads them to a beaver. After more discussion, the children follow the Beaver. Mr. Beaver tells them that "Aslan is on the move" and takes the children to his home and introduces them to Mrs. Beaver. Several humours discussions occur and the children stay for dinner. After dinner the conversation turns to how they can help Mr. Tumnus and about Aslan, and how Aslan is the one who can help Mr. Tumnus. The children are curious about Aslan and ask several questions, Mr. Beaver tells them about Aslan, and Edmund asks if the White Witch can turn him into stone, Mr. Beaver tells him no, and also tells them of a Narnia rhyme which says:
"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." (p. 74-75)
We learn that Aslan is a Lion and that "He is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the Sea" (p. 75) and that he doesn't come very often to Narnia. Susan and Lucy are a little alarmed when they find out Aslan is a lion and they ask if he is "safe." Mr. Beaver replies: " 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." (p. 76). We then learn that the children are going to meet him the next day at the Stone Table. We learn another rhyme in course of the conversation that says:
"When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done." (p. 75)
We learn that there are four thrones at Cair Paravel, and that they will be filled by two boys and two girls. We also learn more details about the Witch and her history. At one point, the children realize that Edmund is gone. At first they are alarmed and want to go find him, however, after some discussion with the Beavers, they realize Edmund must have already met the Witch, and has been deceived, and is going to her house now, to tell her about the meeting at the Stone Table. Soon, everyone is busy getting ready to leave and get away from the Witch before she find them.
Chapter 9--goes into detail about Edmund's journey to the White Witch's house. The book says: "You mustn't think that even now Edmund was quite so bad that he actually wanted his brother and sisters to be turned into stone. He did want Turkish Delight and to be a Prince (and later a King) and to pay Peter out for calling him a beast." (p.85) It goes on a little more, but you can read the book yourself to get all the details. :-) Anyway, he eventually gets to her house, and sees lots of stone animals, when he finally sees the Witch, she is very angry with him for not bringing his siblings.
Chapter 10--goes into more detail about the packing preparations of the Beavers and the other children, they eventually start on their journey to the Stone Table. On the way there, they meet Father Christmas and he tells them that "I've come at last." "She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last. Aslan is on the move. The Witch's magic is weakening." (p. 103) He then gives everyone presents, Mrs. Beaver gets a sewing machine, Mr. Beaver will find his dam/house all finished when he returns, and Peter gets a sword and a shield. Susan gets arrows and a horn (the horn is to use when she needs help, and Lucy gets a bottle (which is to use to help those who are injured/ill) and a dagger. Father Christmas tells the girls that their weapons (the arrows and the dagger) are to be used when they are in danger and he says: "for I do not mean you to fight in the battle." (p. 104)
Chapter 11--Edmund and the Queen continue on in their journey, and Edmund is having a miserable time. At one point they see some squirrels and other animals enjoying some dinner and having a party. The Queen demands to know where they got their items, and she is informed that Father Christmas gave it to them. In a rage, she turns the entire party to stone!
They continue on, and Edmund is upset with the Queen for turning the animals into stone. Soon, the sledge they are riding in, becomes impossible to ride, because of all the melting snow. Everyone has to get out now and walk. (Edmund has his hands tied up) The Queen's Dwarf at one point says: "This is no thaw" "This is spring. What are we to do? Your winter has been destroyed, I tell you! This is Aslan's doing." (p. 118) The Queen then tells the Dwarf and Edmund that if they mention Aslan's name again she will kill them!
Chapter 12--we learn that the children arrive at the Stone Table, and they meet Aslan. He talks to them some, and then takes Peter aside to tell him about how he will be the High King since he is the oldest. During this discussion, they hear Susan's horn, and run to see what is happening. Susan is being chased by one of the Queen's wolves and is up a tree, Peter gets his sword and kills the wolf. (this chapter is entitled "Peter's First Battle" by the way) Aslan then instructs the Narnia animals to go after a second wolf. Alsan then tells Peter he has forgotten to clean his sword, Peter cleans it, once it is cleaned, Aslan tells Peter to give him the sword and kneel. Aslan then strikes Peter with the flat blade of the sword and says:
"Rise up, Sir Peter Fenris-Bane. And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword."
Have a great day!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe--C.S. Lewis Part 1
Hello all! Here is the review on the next Narnia book! I had a hard time determining the best way to review this book. I believe it is probably the most well-known of all the Narnia books, and knowing that, it's hard to know how much detail to go into. :-) I still couldn't tell you if I like this book or the Magician's Nephew better. In some ways, I like the Magician's Nephew better, because it sort of gives you a history about some of the stuff in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. (such as the wardrobe, the professor, the lamp post....) However, at the same time, this is such a classic, that it's hard for me to decide. :-) After all, isn't it cool and fun to imagine going through a wardrobe and finding a new land, with talking animals? :-) Or, if you are the unimaginative type, you probably think it's weird and that I'm weird to think it's cool. :-) All that to say--I will be covering chapters 1-5 today.Title: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Published: Originally published in 1950, it has been re-printed many times over the years. The particular copies I am reviewing are the same ones Dad read to us over the years, they are pretty old and falling apart! :-) (My brother Andrew has a newer copy with all the books in one collected version, however, I am still reading the old ones. :-) ) Anyway, this particular copy is printed from Collier Books sometime in the 1970s.
Background Information: See other posts on C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...
All emphasis my own
The first page starts out...
"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready and three servants. (Their names were Ivy, Margaret, and Betty, but they do not come into the story much.) He himself was a very old man with shaggy white hair, which grew over most of his face as well as on his head, and they liked him almost at once; but on the first evening when he came out to meet them at the front door he was so odd-looking that Lucy (who was the youngest) was a little afraid of him, and Edmund (who was the next youngest) wanted to laugh and had to keep on pretending he was blowing his nose to hide it." (p. 1-2)
(I always loved the part about Edmund pretending to blow his nose to keep from laughing! )
The story progresses, and we learn more about the children. Peter is excited and says "This is going to be perfectly splendid. That old chap will let us do anything we like." (p. 2) Susan thinks "he's an old dear." Edmund is tired and irritable, and Lucy...tries to keep her siblings from squabbling. :-) The four of them decide they will go exploring the next day, unfortunately it is raining and they can't go outside. So, they end up exploring the house. Lucy stays behind at one point and decides to go into a wardrobe, which is located in a Spare Room.
The book makes the note that, she "leaving the door open, of course, because she knew that it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe." (p. 5) (this statement is made throughout the entire book)
As she is in there, she feels several coats, and keeps walking, suddenly she realize she does not feel the back of the wardrobe and notices that there is something "crunching" under her feet! She soon is outside and it is very cold and snowing! Lucy is a little scared but also excited and curious. She looks behind her and sees the open door, and decides that she can always go back if something goes wrong. She walks along, and sees, a lamp-post! She stares at it wondering why it is there, and then hears someone coming towards her. This "person" is only a little taller than herself and is carrying an umbrella. The book describes this character as:
"From the waist upwards he was like a man, but his legs were shaped like a goat's (the hair on them was glossy black) and instead of feet he had goat's hoofs. He also had a tail...." (p. 8). The description continues some more and then tells us that this creature is a Faun. The Faun is very surprised to see Lucy and after they say hello, he asks her:
"Excuse me--I don't want to be inquisitive--but should I be right in thinking that you are a Daughter of Eve?" (p.9). Lucy tells him that her name is Lucy. And he says: "But you are--forgive me--you are what they call a girl?" (p. 9) Lucy replies that of course she is a girl. :-) The faun then says: "You are in fact Human?" (p. 9). Lucy says yes and feels a little puzzled.
This "interesting" conversation continues on for awhile with the Faun, and we learn that the Faun's name is Tumnus, or as Lucy calls him, Mr. Tumnus. :-) Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy that she is in Narnia and wants to know how she got there. Lucy explains, and Mr. Tumnus, not having a clue what a "wardrobe" or what a "spare room" is moans about the fact that "if only I had worked harder at geography when I was a little Faun, I should no doubt know all about those strange countries. It is too late now." (p. 10) :-) Mr. Tumnus then invites her to "tea" so that she can tell him about the "bright city of War Drobe" (p. 11) Lucy is hesitant, but finally agrees, as long as it is a short visit.
Mr. Tumnus and Lucy have a "wonderful tea" together and Mr. Tumnus plays a tune on a flute-like instrument. Lucy gets very sleepy during his playing, and then, later says she must go. Mr. Tumnus is suddenly very sad and upset, Lucy gives him her handkerchief, and tries to find out what is the matter. After much discussion, we learn that Mr. Tumnus was trying to lull Lucy to sleep and take her to the White Witch. He explains to Lucy that the Witch: "Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It's she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!" (p. 16) We also learn that he is supposed to bring a "Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve" to the Witch if he ever found one.
Lucy is horrified, and begs Mr. Tumnus not to take her to the White Witch. Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy, about how if he doesn't take her, the Witch will find out and turn him into a statue! However, Mr. Tumnus likes Lucy, and can't bring himself to take her to the Witch. He helps Lucy get back to the lamp-post and from there Lucy gets back to the wardrobe. Lucy and Tumnus leave on good terms and are still friends. Lucy gets back into the house and when she gets there she says: "I'm here. I've come back, I all right." (p. 19)
Her siblings are all confused by her statement, and think that she has been hiding for a game of hide and seek. However, we learn that she was not gone long at all. Lucy insists that she has been gone for hours, Edmund calls her "Batty!" and Susan thinks she is being silly and Peter thinks that "she's just making up a story for fun." (p. 21) Lucy keeps to her story and tells them where she has been. Not sure what to think, the siblings look inside the wardrobe too, but just see the back of it and think that Lucy is making the whole thing up.
The days go by, and the children continue on exploring and playing, however, Edmund continues being nasty about the whole "new country" thing and teases Lucy about it. One day, the four of them decide to play hide and seek, and Lucy goes into the wardrobe again. She does get back to Narnia! Edmund decides to go there to and is surprised to find himself there too! However, Lucy was ahead of him, and he can't find her, he thinks she is still mad and sulking somewhere. (she actually went back to Mr. Tumnus' house) While Edmund is standing there, the White Witch comes with her "sledge" and her reindeer and her Dwarf. She brings the sledge to a stop and asks Edmund what he is.
The Witch tells Edmund that she is the Queen of Narnia, and they have a lengthy discussion together. She finds out he has more siblings and that one of them has already come to Narnia! She also asks him what he would like to eat, and Edmund requests Turkish Delight. The "Queen" then gives him some "magical" Turkish Delight by pouring out some stuff from a bottle she has. Anyway, so they converse for while, and the Queen wants Edmund to bring his siblings back with him and come to her house. (she bribes Edmund with more Turkish Delight and that he will become a prince) Anyway, Edmund agrees, she gives him directions to her house and then leaves. Shortly after she is gone Lucy finds Edmund and is thrilled to see him.
Edmund wants to know where she has been, and Lucy explains, and also tells him about the White Witch, and how she has declared herself the Queen of Narnia. Edmund is doubtful and tells Lucy that she can't always trust Fauns. Anyway, the two of them head home through the Wardrobe, and Lucy is excited that Edmund now knows about Narnia and that Peter and Susan will believe her now.
When Edmund and Lucy return, they find Peter and Susan. Lucy excitedly tells them that Edmund has been to the "country through the wardrobe" too. Edmund who is feeling sick (from too much Turkish Delight) and irritated that Lucy was right, acts like he was just playing a game with her. Lucy is upset and leaves. Peter is disgusted with Edmund's behavior and they argue. Susan tells them to stop and they go find Lucy and talk with her. Lucy tells them:
"I don't care what you think, and I don't care what you say. You can tell the Professor or you can write to Mother, or you can do anything you like. I know I've met a Faun in there an--I wish I'd stay there and you are all beasts, beasts." (p. 42-43) (overall the evening is pretty unpleasant)
Peter and Susan begin to worry that Lucy may be out of her mind and in the morning they go to talk to the Professor. They tell the Professor about what Lucy has been saying, and he says:
"How do you know?" he asked, that your sister's story is not true?" (p. 43) Peter and Susan are shocked at this response and Susan tell shim that Edmund said they were pretending. The Professor replies:
"does your experience lead you to regard your brother or your sister as the more reliable? I mean, which is the more truthful?" (p. 44) Peter and Susan do admit that Lucy is more truthful, they then tell him that they are worried she might be "mad" (i.e. losing her mind, crazy). The Professor insists that she is fine and says:
"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know that she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious that she is no mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth." (p. 45)
The three of them converse some more, and the Professor basically tells them that there is the possibility of another world and that they should "all try minding our own business" (p. 47)
After the conversation Peter tells Edmund to stop bugging Lucy and things get better.
We learn that the house they are staying at sometimes has "tours" and visitors can look at the house. Mrs. Macready has instructed the children to stay away when they have company. One day, in a rush to avoid some visitors, the four children run into the Spare Room, and hide inside the Wardrobe.
More to follow in a day or two! Have a great day!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Poll Results--10/11/08--10/18/08
Thank you all for your participation on the last poll! It was interesting! Here were the questions and the results. (oh, and some commentary from me :-) )
Who is your favorite character in "The Magician's Nephew"?
This poll had a total of 7 votes:
Aslan...................................1 vote (14%)
Digory...................................1 vote (14%)
Polly...................................1 vote (14%)
Uncle Andrew...................2 votes (28%)
Queen Jadis......................0 votes (0%)
The Narnia Animals............1 vote (14%)
Someone else........................1 vote (14%)
Wow! A variety of opinions here! Hmmm, I'm not sure who my favorite character is, maybe Digory. :-) The real question is though, did the same person vote twice for Uncle Andrew?? Or are there really 2 people out there who like him the best? Strange! :-)
Which of the following have you read?
This poll was a multiple choice one, and there were a total of 7 voters.
(voters did have the following information before voting: Even if you've only read part of the series on the "which of these have you read" poll, you can still choose that series)
The Chronicles of Narnia........................3 votes (42%)
Lord of the Rings Series........................5 votes (71%)
Space Trilogy--C.S. Lewis........................0 votes (0%)
All of the above........................................0 votes (0%)
None of the above..............................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! More people have read Lord of the Rings versus Narnia! I've read both. I also have not read the Space Trilogy. Hmmm, maybe I should read that and review it sometime! Then all of us will learn something new! :-)
Which of the following series did you enjoy the most?
This poll had a total of 7 votes.
The Chronicles of Narnia........................3 votes (42%)
Lord of the Rings Series........................4 votes (57%)
Space Trilogy--C.S. Lewis........................0 votes (0%)
I hated them all........................................0 votes (0%)
I've never read any of them......................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! Almost a tie here, hmm, my readers all seem to enjoy Lord of the Rings more. Huh, I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that, I enjoy Narnia more! :-)
Thanks again and have a great week!
Who is your favorite character in "The Magician's Nephew"?
This poll had a total of 7 votes:
Aslan...................................1 vote (14%)
Digory...................................1 vote (14%)
Polly...................................1 vote (14%)
Uncle Andrew...................2 votes (28%)
Queen Jadis......................0 votes (0%)
The Narnia Animals............1 vote (14%)
Someone else........................1 vote (14%)
Wow! A variety of opinions here! Hmmm, I'm not sure who my favorite character is, maybe Digory. :-) The real question is though, did the same person vote twice for Uncle Andrew?? Or are there really 2 people out there who like him the best? Strange! :-)
Which of the following have you read?
This poll was a multiple choice one, and there were a total of 7 voters.
(voters did have the following information before voting: Even if you've only read part of the series on the "which of these have you read" poll, you can still choose that series)
The Chronicles of Narnia........................3 votes (42%)
Lord of the Rings Series........................5 votes (71%)
Space Trilogy--C.S. Lewis........................0 votes (0%)
All of the above........................................0 votes (0%)
None of the above..............................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! More people have read Lord of the Rings versus Narnia! I've read both. I also have not read the Space Trilogy. Hmmm, maybe I should read that and review it sometime! Then all of us will learn something new! :-)
Which of the following series did you enjoy the most?
This poll had a total of 7 votes.
The Chronicles of Narnia........................3 votes (42%)
Lord of the Rings Series........................4 votes (57%)
Space Trilogy--C.S. Lewis........................0 votes (0%)
I hated them all........................................0 votes (0%)
I've never read any of them......................0 votes (0%)
Interesting! Almost a tie here, hmm, my readers all seem to enjoy Lord of the Rings more. Huh, I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that, I enjoy Narnia more! :-)
Thanks again and have a great week!
Friday, October 17, 2008
The brief history of this blog & why it was started :-)
Hello all! I don’t feel like doing a book review today, but I did want to post something.
So, I thought, maybe I should tell you how I got the idea for this blog and why I started it.
Of course, you may also wonder, and rightly so, why I haven’t talked about this before. :-)
After all, it would be a logical first post. Anyway, despite the delay, I shall now give you a brief history (okay, maybe not so brief) about this blog, and myself. First, I must back up a couple of months…
In June, a new family started coming to our church, I began talking with the lady/mom/wife, or however you want to describe her. We exchanged emails and shortly after that she sent me one. At the end of her email was her blog address. Curious, I checked it out, and was intrigued. I knew a little bit about blogs before this, but to my recollection, I had never looked at any. So over the course of the summer I occasionally checked out her blog and she tried to persuade me to start one. :-)
(you can check her blog out here: http://dea-frommyhearttoyours.blogspot.com/)
I thought a blog sounded interesting, but way too time consuming, and I had absolutely no idea what I would talk about. (Unless it was a family blog and I gave updates on my family) So, I continued on with my daily routine throughout the summer.
Then in August, our church had a weekend youth/teen/singles/whatever, camp out/retreat. During this retreat we watched the dvd series of the Harris brothers entitled “Do Hard Things.” (This was the purpose of the retreat) If you are familiar with their story, you know that their blog basically started their ministry. Anyway, so that is the second part of the story.
Shortly after this retreat, a friend of my brothers and fellow church member also started his own blog. Which I also enjoy looking at, you can find his blog at the sidebar or follow this link:
http://thereformeddoug.blogspot.com/
Anyway, so all these people have blogs! I still think they are interesting, but after all, what on earth would I talk about, and who on earth would care what I have to say! :-)
However, at the end of August, I had two separate conversations with people about a book I was reading, I went into some detail about it etc. After these conversations I thought, “Hmm, I love to read, and I’ve read a variety of things, and I love talking about books, why not have a blog about books!” So with this thought in mind, I began making some quick, and impulsive decisions. I was going to start a blog, and it would be about books! I remembered the word bibliophile (my sister helped me discover this word when I was doing a college project) and thought it’d be the perfect name.
However, even though the primary purpose of my blog was to be about books, I wanted to give myself some leeway to talk about music, movies, or my family if I ever wanted to expand. Thus, the “and more” was added to the title.
So, that is a rather lengthy version of how I got started on this blog.
Now, moving on a little further. One of my reasons for starting the blog, was primarily to encourage others to read good books. You may notice that I have a lot of “Classic Christian” kind of literature up that I review. This is not all that I read, I do in fact enjoy Christian historical romance fiction. However, I don’t really want to encourage others to read that, I’d rather you read more “quality” books. That’s why you won’t be finding any reviews with those types of books. So, lest you think I am some perfect person who only reads “old-fashioned” books, it’s not true.
In fact in the course of the months of September and October I have so far, read approximately 32 books, and only 7, soon to be 8 of those books have made it to my blog for reviews. However, at the same time, I really do enjoy the “old fashioned” books, and think they are much more worthwhile than contemporary fiction.
Anyway, I say that to let you know that I enjoy a variety of books. One day, I may incorporate more “classic” literature as well for review. (i.e. Jane Austen, maybe Charles Dickens, or other such authors)
More reasons/purposes/trivia about the blog: I am generally assuming that the majority of my readers are on the “younger side” (with the exceptions of my “adult” friends from church and family members). This may be a little presumptuous of me, but that’s just my guess. I define “younger” as in teens to young adults/twenties, etc. As a result, my writing style is a little more directed to that age range, at least, I guess it is…maybe not. :-)
However, I also would like the blog to be useful to adults/parents as well. I hope it to be helpful in parents choosing books for their kids. I also would like the blog to be a place where interesting discussions about the books can happen. This hasn’t really happened yet, but hopefully in the future, readers will get a little more involved.
Anyway, hmm, I can’t quite decide if I should drag this out a little further and talk about my personal background with reading etc. Maybe I will do that tomorrow! :-)
So, I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about how this blog got started. Although the blog is time consuming and I am swamped with reading, I am enjoying it immensely!
Have a wonderful day!
So, I thought, maybe I should tell you how I got the idea for this blog and why I started it.
Of course, you may also wonder, and rightly so, why I haven’t talked about this before. :-)
After all, it would be a logical first post. Anyway, despite the delay, I shall now give you a brief history (okay, maybe not so brief) about this blog, and myself. First, I must back up a couple of months…
In June, a new family started coming to our church, I began talking with the lady/mom/wife, or however you want to describe her. We exchanged emails and shortly after that she sent me one. At the end of her email was her blog address. Curious, I checked it out, and was intrigued. I knew a little bit about blogs before this, but to my recollection, I had never looked at any. So over the course of the summer I occasionally checked out her blog and she tried to persuade me to start one. :-)
(you can check her blog out here: http://dea-frommyhearttoyours.blogspot.com/)
I thought a blog sounded interesting, but way too time consuming, and I had absolutely no idea what I would talk about. (Unless it was a family blog and I gave updates on my family) So, I continued on with my daily routine throughout the summer.
Then in August, our church had a weekend youth/teen/singles/whatever, camp out/retreat. During this retreat we watched the dvd series of the Harris brothers entitled “Do Hard Things.” (This was the purpose of the retreat) If you are familiar with their story, you know that their blog basically started their ministry. Anyway, so that is the second part of the story.
Shortly after this retreat, a friend of my brothers and fellow church member also started his own blog. Which I also enjoy looking at, you can find his blog at the sidebar or follow this link:
http://thereformeddoug.blogspot.com/
Anyway, so all these people have blogs! I still think they are interesting, but after all, what on earth would I talk about, and who on earth would care what I have to say! :-)
However, at the end of August, I had two separate conversations with people about a book I was reading, I went into some detail about it etc. After these conversations I thought, “Hmm, I love to read, and I’ve read a variety of things, and I love talking about books, why not have a blog about books!” So with this thought in mind, I began making some quick, and impulsive decisions. I was going to start a blog, and it would be about books! I remembered the word bibliophile (my sister helped me discover this word when I was doing a college project) and thought it’d be the perfect name.
However, even though the primary purpose of my blog was to be about books, I wanted to give myself some leeway to talk about music, movies, or my family if I ever wanted to expand. Thus, the “and more” was added to the title.
So, that is a rather lengthy version of how I got started on this blog.
Now, moving on a little further. One of my reasons for starting the blog, was primarily to encourage others to read good books. You may notice that I have a lot of “Classic Christian” kind of literature up that I review. This is not all that I read, I do in fact enjoy Christian historical romance fiction. However, I don’t really want to encourage others to read that, I’d rather you read more “quality” books. That’s why you won’t be finding any reviews with those types of books. So, lest you think I am some perfect person who only reads “old-fashioned” books, it’s not true.
In fact in the course of the months of September and October I have so far, read approximately 32 books, and only 7, soon to be 8 of those books have made it to my blog for reviews. However, at the same time, I really do enjoy the “old fashioned” books, and think they are much more worthwhile than contemporary fiction.
Anyway, I say that to let you know that I enjoy a variety of books. One day, I may incorporate more “classic” literature as well for review. (i.e. Jane Austen, maybe Charles Dickens, or other such authors)
More reasons/purposes/trivia about the blog: I am generally assuming that the majority of my readers are on the “younger side” (with the exceptions of my “adult” friends from church and family members). This may be a little presumptuous of me, but that’s just my guess. I define “younger” as in teens to young adults/twenties, etc. As a result, my writing style is a little more directed to that age range, at least, I guess it is…maybe not. :-)
However, I also would like the blog to be useful to adults/parents as well. I hope it to be helpful in parents choosing books for their kids. I also would like the blog to be a place where interesting discussions about the books can happen. This hasn’t really happened yet, but hopefully in the future, readers will get a little more involved.
Anyway, hmm, I can’t quite decide if I should drag this out a little further and talk about my personal background with reading etc. Maybe I will do that tomorrow! :-)
So, I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about how this blog got started. Although the blog is time consuming and I am swamped with reading, I am enjoying it immensely!
Have a wonderful day!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life--Donald Whitney Part 1
Hello all! Here is chapter 1 of the book! Hope you enjoy it!
Title: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Author: Donald S. Whitney
Published: 1991 by NavPress
Background Information: I learned a few new things, and thus a couple of corrections about Donald Whitney since yesterday. Since 2005, Don Whitney has been Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, for ten years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. He is the author of several books, some of which are: Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, and How Can I be Sure I'm a Christian?
You can learn more about Donald Whitney and his resources at: http://biblicalspirituality.org/
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life...
Emphasis is my own.
The book, Spiritual Disciplines, covers the following topics: The purpose of spiritual disciplines, Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, learning and perseverance in the disciplines.
The basis of the book is centered around I Timothy 4: 7--"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." (NASB)
Chapter 1, entitled "The Spiritual Disciplines....For the Purpose of Godliness"
Spiritual Disciplines according to Donald Whitney are: "Those personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by people of God since biblical times." (p. 17) (he covers the ones I just mentioned, Bible intake, worship, etc.)
Chapter 1 begins with the following quote:
"Ours is an undisciplined age. The old disciplines are breaking down...Above all, the discipline of divine grace is derided as legalism or is entirely unknown to a generation that is largely illiterate in the Scriptures. We need the rugged strength of Christian character that can come only from discipline.--V. Raymond Edman, "The Disciplines of Life" " (p. 15)
After the quote, Donald Whitney, begins his chapter by saying "Discipline without direction is drudgery." (p. 15) He then illustrates this point by giving an illustration about a six-year old boy who is taking music lessons. Every day after school this boy practices his music and watches his friends play across the street. Whitney goes on with the illustration, to have us imagine that this boy is later visited by an angel. (okay, that's a little weird in my opinion, but that's what he said!) So, this angel shows the boy, someone in Carnegie Hall, this guitar virtuoso is giving a beautiful concert, the boy is amazed by what he hears, the angel then tells him, that this virtuoso, will be him years later, but first he must practice. This boy now has a purpose in practicing!
Whitney goes on to use this illustration to point out that many believers feel the same way this boy does when it comes to practicing disciplines in the Christian life.
Whitney writes: "First we must understand what we shall become. It is said of God's elect in Romans 8: 29, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." God's eternal plan ensures that every Christian will ultimately conform to Christlikeness. We will be changed "when he appears" so that "we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). This is no vision; this is you, Christian, in a few years." (p. 16)
In the meantime, until Christ comes, he tells us, that we "aren't merely to wait for holiness, we're to pursue it." (p. 16)
He also says: "I will emphasize that Godliness is the goal of the Disciplines, and when we remember this, the Spiritual Disciplines become a delight instead of drudgery." (p. 17)
He then begins his section on how the Spiritual Disciplines are the means to godliness. He tells us which disciplines this book will cover, and reminds us that whatever the discipline is, the most important feature is, its purpose. He also says:
"Godly people are disciplined people. It has always been so. Call to mind some heroes of church history---Augustine, Marti Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Susanna Wesley, George Whitefield, Lady Huntingdon, Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, George Muller--they were all disciplined people" (p. 17)
He then writes that God uses three "...primary catalysts for changing us and conforming us to Christlikeness..." (p. 17)
One is people, this can include, friends, parents, family, church family, co-workers, enemies, etc.
Second is circumstances, this can include, he says, physical conditions, financial pressures, etc.
This is what he writes about the third one: "Then there is the catalyst of the Spiritual Disciplines. This catalyst differs from the first two in that when He uses the Disciplines, God works from the inside out. When He changes us through people and circumstances, the process work from the outside in." (p. 18) He then goes on some more about how we don't have much choice about people and circumstances, but we can decide whether or not we will read our Bible etc.
He writes some more about how we must view the Spiritual Disciplines as exercise and he uses two Bible stories to illustrate the point. (Luke 18:35-43 and Luke 19:1-10)
He then says: "Think of the Spiritual Disciplines as ways we can place ourselves in the path of God's grace and seek Him much as Bartimaeous and Zacchaeus placed themselves in Jesus' path and sought Him." (p. 19)
He writes some more and summarizing quickly, he talks about how God expects us to do the Spiritual Disciplines, the danger of neglecting them, the freedom in embracing the Spiritual Disciplines, and how there is an invitation to all Christians to enjoy the Spiritual Disciplines.
Okay, almost done here, I will leave you with two more thoughts/quotes from the book...
Whitney writes: "Consider the people who will work hard at learning to play an instrument, knowing that it takes years to acquire the skills, who will practice hard to lower their golf score or to improve their sports performance, knowing it takes years to become proficient..." He then goes on to give more examples and then says: "These same people will give up quickly when they find the Spiritual Disciplines don't come easily, as though becoming like Jesus was not supposed to take much effort." (p. 21)
He then concludes chapter 1 by saying:
"Discipline without direction is drudgery. But the Spiritual Disciplines are never drudgery as long as we practice them with the goal of Godliness in mind. If your picture of a disciplined Christian is one of a grim, tight-lipped, joyless half-robot, then you've missed the point. Jesus was the most discipline Man who ever lived and yet the most joyful and passionately alive. He is our Example of discipline. Let us follow Him to joy through the Spiritual Disciplines." (p. 24)
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! It's a great book, and very convicting! The next part deals with Bible Intake, I will cover that this week or next week. I haven't decided yet! :-)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this first part though!
Title: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Author: Donald S. Whitney
Published: 1991 by NavPress
Background Information: I learned a few new things, and thus a couple of corrections about Donald Whitney since yesterday. Since 2005, Don Whitney has been Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, for ten years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. He is the author of several books, some of which are: Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, and How Can I be Sure I'm a Christian?
You can learn more about Donald Whitney and his resources at: http://biblicalspirituality.org/
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life...
Emphasis is my own.
The book, Spiritual Disciplines, covers the following topics: The purpose of spiritual disciplines, Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, learning and perseverance in the disciplines.
The basis of the book is centered around I Timothy 4: 7--"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." (NASB)
Chapter 1, entitled "The Spiritual Disciplines....For the Purpose of Godliness"
Spiritual Disciplines according to Donald Whitney are: "Those personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by people of God since biblical times." (p. 17) (he covers the ones I just mentioned, Bible intake, worship, etc.)
Chapter 1 begins with the following quote:
"Ours is an undisciplined age. The old disciplines are breaking down...Above all, the discipline of divine grace is derided as legalism or is entirely unknown to a generation that is largely illiterate in the Scriptures. We need the rugged strength of Christian character that can come only from discipline.--V. Raymond Edman, "The Disciplines of Life" " (p. 15)
After the quote, Donald Whitney, begins his chapter by saying "Discipline without direction is drudgery." (p. 15) He then illustrates this point by giving an illustration about a six-year old boy who is taking music lessons. Every day after school this boy practices his music and watches his friends play across the street. Whitney goes on with the illustration, to have us imagine that this boy is later visited by an angel. (okay, that's a little weird in my opinion, but that's what he said!) So, this angel shows the boy, someone in Carnegie Hall, this guitar virtuoso is giving a beautiful concert, the boy is amazed by what he hears, the angel then tells him, that this virtuoso, will be him years later, but first he must practice. This boy now has a purpose in practicing!
Whitney goes on to use this illustration to point out that many believers feel the same way this boy does when it comes to practicing disciplines in the Christian life.
Whitney writes: "First we must understand what we shall become. It is said of God's elect in Romans 8: 29, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." God's eternal plan ensures that every Christian will ultimately conform to Christlikeness. We will be changed "when he appears" so that "we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). This is no vision; this is you, Christian, in a few years." (p. 16)
In the meantime, until Christ comes, he tells us, that we "aren't merely to wait for holiness, we're to pursue it." (p. 16)
He also says: "I will emphasize that Godliness is the goal of the Disciplines, and when we remember this, the Spiritual Disciplines become a delight instead of drudgery." (p. 17)
He then begins his section on how the Spiritual Disciplines are the means to godliness. He tells us which disciplines this book will cover, and reminds us that whatever the discipline is, the most important feature is, its purpose. He also says:
"Godly people are disciplined people. It has always been so. Call to mind some heroes of church history---Augustine, Marti Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Susanna Wesley, George Whitefield, Lady Huntingdon, Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, George Muller--they were all disciplined people" (p. 17)
He then writes that God uses three "...primary catalysts for changing us and conforming us to Christlikeness..." (p. 17)
One is people, this can include, friends, parents, family, church family, co-workers, enemies, etc.
Second is circumstances, this can include, he says, physical conditions, financial pressures, etc.
This is what he writes about the third one: "Then there is the catalyst of the Spiritual Disciplines. This catalyst differs from the first two in that when He uses the Disciplines, God works from the inside out. When He changes us through people and circumstances, the process work from the outside in." (p. 18) He then goes on some more about how we don't have much choice about people and circumstances, but we can decide whether or not we will read our Bible etc.
He writes some more about how we must view the Spiritual Disciplines as exercise and he uses two Bible stories to illustrate the point. (Luke 18:35-43 and Luke 19:1-10)
He then says: "Think of the Spiritual Disciplines as ways we can place ourselves in the path of God's grace and seek Him much as Bartimaeous and Zacchaeus placed themselves in Jesus' path and sought Him." (p. 19)
He writes some more and summarizing quickly, he talks about how God expects us to do the Spiritual Disciplines, the danger of neglecting them, the freedom in embracing the Spiritual Disciplines, and how there is an invitation to all Christians to enjoy the Spiritual Disciplines.
Okay, almost done here, I will leave you with two more thoughts/quotes from the book...
Whitney writes: "Consider the people who will work hard at learning to play an instrument, knowing that it takes years to acquire the skills, who will practice hard to lower their golf score or to improve their sports performance, knowing it takes years to become proficient..." He then goes on to give more examples and then says: "These same people will give up quickly when they find the Spiritual Disciplines don't come easily, as though becoming like Jesus was not supposed to take much effort." (p. 21)
He then concludes chapter 1 by saying:
"Discipline without direction is drudgery. But the Spiritual Disciplines are never drudgery as long as we practice them with the goal of Godliness in mind. If your picture of a disciplined Christian is one of a grim, tight-lipped, joyless half-robot, then you've missed the point. Jesus was the most discipline Man who ever lived and yet the most joyful and passionately alive. He is our Example of discipline. Let us follow Him to joy through the Spiritual Disciplines." (p. 24)
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! It's a great book, and very convicting! The next part deals with Bible Intake, I will cover that this week or next week. I haven't decided yet! :-)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this first part though!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life--Donald Whitney (Preview)
Hello all! Well, here is a partial review! I am still working on the next Narnia book, but in the mean time, I thought I'd do this as a "filler." :-) I got this book at the New Attitude conference I attended in May. (I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing about that... :-) )
Our Pastor, who took a group of us down there, and informed us that we all had to buy some books. :-) So, being the picky person that I am about how I spend my money, it took me awhile to determine what to get. I finally made a decision and one of the books I came away with was this one! I highly recommend it! I read it in June, and I'm looking forward to doing several posts about it! :-)
Title: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Author: Donald S. Whitney
Published: 1991 by NavPress
Background Information: Donald Whitney is the associate professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminar in Kansas City Missouri. He is the best-selling author of Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, and How Can I be Sure I'm a Christian? (all that was taken from the back the book)
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life...
Our Pastor, who took a group of us down there, and informed us that we all had to buy some books. :-) So, being the picky person that I am about how I spend my money, it took me awhile to determine what to get. I finally made a decision and one of the books I came away with was this one! I highly recommend it! I read it in June, and I'm looking forward to doing several posts about it! :-)
Title: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Author: Donald S. Whitney
Published: 1991 by NavPress
Background Information: Donald Whitney is the associate professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminar in Kansas City Missouri. He is the best-selling author of Simplify Your Spiritual Life, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, and How Can I be Sure I'm a Christian? (all that was taken from the back the book)
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life...
Emphasis is my own.
The foreword is written by J.I. Packer, he has several interesting things to say, and I'll just quote a few of them. His suggestion in reading the book is:
"....I can go on record as urging all Christians to read what Don Whitney has written; indeed, to read it three times over, with a month's interval (certainly not less, and ideally, I think, not more) between each reading. This will not only make the book sink in, but will also give you a realistic picture of your seriousness, or lack of it, as Jesus' disciple." (p. 9)
Packer writes some more and then concludes with:
"If then, as a Christian you want to be really real with your God, moving beyond the stage of playing games with yourself and Him, this book provides practical help." (p. 10)
In the Acknowledgments, Whitney thanks some contemporary people, but he also says:
"Thanks to the Puritans. Today they are often maligned by Christians and non Christians alike, who often know little or nothing about them. Our stereotyped perceptions of them reveal a lack of awareness of their profound contribution to spirituality and Godly living. They are spiritual giants on whose shoulders I stand. Thanks to Jonathan Edwards, C.H. Spurgeon, and Martyn Lloyd Jones. My life and ministry are immeasurably because of theirs." (p. 11)
I thought that was neat! :-)
Well, I was planning on reviewing chapter 1 today, but I think I will hold off for another day. Maybe tomorrow or another day this week! I won't be posting the whole book in consecutive order, but will be doing it sporadically for the most part.
Have a great day!
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Passion of Jesus Christ--John Piper
Hello all! Here is my review/summary of John Piper's book.
Title: The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die
Author: John Piper
Published: by Crossway Book in 2004
Background Information: John Piper is the Pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. He has written numerous books and you can listen and learn more about him by checking out his website at: http://www.desiringgod.org/
I am mostly familiar with John Piper through his sermon messages, I have read, I think, one other book by him besides this one. This book I'm reviewing has 122 pages, it would be a great book to supplement your daily devotions, use as a supplement to family devotions, or just to read. :-) The chapters are short, two pages, that answer the question of "Why Christ Suffered and Died."
The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die...
His introduction is titled "The Christ, The Crucifixion, and the Concentration Camps." Main points/titles from the Introduction are: God Meant it for Good, What Does the Word Passion Mean?, How was the Passion of Jesus Unique? His Passion Was Vindicated by the Resurrection, and The Passion of Christ and the Passion of Auschwitz. He writes a few answers/paragraphs on each of those points.
I am including all 50 reasons, which are the titles for each of the chapters. Each chapter deals with each if the reasons in more depth. At the end, I will give a few quotes/points that I liked from reading it.
1. To Absorb the Wrath of God
2. To Please His Heavenly Father
3. To Learn Obedience and Be Perfected
4. To Achieve His Own Resurrection from the Dead
5. To Show the Wealth of God's Love and Grace for Sinners
6. To Show His Own Love for Us
7. To Cancel the Legal Demands of the Law Against Us
8. To Become a Ransom for Many
9. For the Forgiveness of Our Sins
10. To Provide the Basis for Our Justification
11. To Complete the Obedience That Becomes Our Righteousness
12. To Take Away Our Condemnation
13. To Abolish Circumcision and All Rituals as the Basis of Salvation
14. To Bring Us to Faith and Keep Us Faithful
15. To Make Us Holy, Blameless, and Perfect
16. To Give Us a Clear Conscience
17. To Obtain for Us All Things That Are Good for Us
18. To Heal Us from Moral and Physical Sickness
19. To Give Eternal Life to All Who Believe on Him
20. To Deliver Us from the Present Evil Age
21. To Reconcile Us to God
22. To Bring Us to God
23. So That We Might Belong to Him
24. To Give Us Confident Access to the Holiest Place
25. To Become for Us the Place Where We Meet God
26. To Bring the Old Testament Priesthood to an End and Become the Eternal High Priest
27. To Become a Sympathetic and Helpful Priest
28. To Free Us from the Futility of Our Ancestry
29. To Free us from the Slavery of Sin
30. That We Might Die to Sin and Live to Righteousness
31. So That We Would Die to the Law and Bear Fruit for God
32. To Enable Us to Live for Christ and Not Ourselves
33. To Make His Cross the Ground of All Our Boasting
34. To Enable Us to Live by Faith in Him
35. To Give Marriage Its Deepest Meaning
36. To Create a People Passionate for Good Works
37. To Call Us to Follow His Example of Lowliness and Costly Love
38. To Create a Band of Crucified Followers
39. To Free Us from Bondage to the Fear of Death
40. So That We would Be with Him Immediately After Death
41. To Secure Our Resurrection from the Dead
42. To Disarm the Rulers and Authorities
43. To Unleash the Power of God in the Gospel
44. To Destroy the Hostility Between Races
45. To Ransom People from Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation
46. To Gather All His Sheep from Around the World
47. To Rescue Us from Final Judgement
48. To Gain His Joy and Ours
49. So That He would Be Crowned with Glory and Honor
50. To Show That the Worst Evil Is Meant by God for Good
All emphasis below are my own.
In Chapter 16, dealing with the issue of conscience he writes:
"So here we are in the modern age--the age of science, Internet, organ transplants, instant messaging, cell phones--and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our conscience condemns us. We don't feel good enough to come to God. And no matter how distorted our consciences are, this much is true: We are not good enough to come to him."
At the end of the same chapter he writes:
"The only answer in these modern times, as in all other times, is the blood of Christ. When our conscience rises up and condemns us, where will we turn? We turn to Christ. We turn to the suffering and death of Christ--the blood of Christ. This is the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give the conscience relief in life and peace in death." (p. 51)
In chapter 20, dealing with " to deliver us from the present evil age" he writes:
"The resounding cry of freedom in the Bible is, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12: 2) In other words, be free! Don't be duped by the gurus of the age. They are here today and gone tomorrow. One enslaving fad follows another. Thirty years from now today's tattoos will not be marks of freedom, but indelible reminders of conformity." He also writes:
"Don't follow a defeated foe. Follow Christ. It is costly. You will be an exile is this age. But you will be free." (p. 59)
In chapter 33, he deals with "To make His Cross the Ground of All Our Boasting" he writes:
"We are not as Christ-centered and cross-cherishing as we should be, because we do not ponder the truth that everything good, and everything bad that God turns for good, was purchased by the sufferings of Christ." He concludes:
"Being dead to the world means that every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought evidence of Christ's love and an occasion of boasting in the cross. When our hearts run back along the beam of blessing to the source in the cross, then the worldliness of the blessing is dead, and Christ crucified is everything." (p. 85)
In chapter 42 when he writes about "To Disarm the Rulers and Authorities" he is referring to demonic powers, Satan, etc. in that chapter, not earthly governments. (just thought I should clarify that) At the end of the chapter he writes:
"Let us then turn away from the temptations of the devil. His promises are lies, and his power is stripped." (p 103).
And finally, in chapter 50 when he writes about "To show that the worst evil is meant by God for good" he says:
"But the most astonishing thing is that evil and suffering were Christ's appointed way of victory over evil and suffering. Every act of treachery and brutality against Jesus was sinful and evil. But God was in it." He concludes:
"Is not then the passion of Jesus Christ meant by God to show the world that there is no sin and no evil too great that God, in Christ, cannot bring from it everlasting righteousness and joy? The very suffering that we caused became the hope of our salvation."Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:24)" (p. 119)
Hope that was helpful to you! There was a lot more I could of pulled out, but I resisted the temptation to drag out the post! :-) I enjoyed the book a lot, and would recommend it to anyone. Any comments? Which of the chapter points stands out to you the most? Do you want me to discuss/pull any more quotes out of the book from any particular chapter?
Have a great day!
Title: The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die
Author: John Piper
Published: by Crossway Book in 2004
Background Information: John Piper is the Pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. He has written numerous books and you can listen and learn more about him by checking out his website at: http://www.desiringgod.org/
I am mostly familiar with John Piper through his sermon messages, I have read, I think, one other book by him besides this one. This book I'm reviewing has 122 pages, it would be a great book to supplement your daily devotions, use as a supplement to family devotions, or just to read. :-) The chapters are short, two pages, that answer the question of "Why Christ Suffered and Died."
The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die...
His introduction is titled "The Christ, The Crucifixion, and the Concentration Camps." Main points/titles from the Introduction are: God Meant it for Good, What Does the Word Passion Mean?, How was the Passion of Jesus Unique? His Passion Was Vindicated by the Resurrection, and The Passion of Christ and the Passion of Auschwitz. He writes a few answers/paragraphs on each of those points.
I am including all 50 reasons, which are the titles for each of the chapters. Each chapter deals with each if the reasons in more depth. At the end, I will give a few quotes/points that I liked from reading it.
1. To Absorb the Wrath of God
2. To Please His Heavenly Father
3. To Learn Obedience and Be Perfected
4. To Achieve His Own Resurrection from the Dead
5. To Show the Wealth of God's Love and Grace for Sinners
6. To Show His Own Love for Us
7. To Cancel the Legal Demands of the Law Against Us
8. To Become a Ransom for Many
9. For the Forgiveness of Our Sins
10. To Provide the Basis for Our Justification
11. To Complete the Obedience That Becomes Our Righteousness
12. To Take Away Our Condemnation
13. To Abolish Circumcision and All Rituals as the Basis of Salvation
14. To Bring Us to Faith and Keep Us Faithful
15. To Make Us Holy, Blameless, and Perfect
16. To Give Us a Clear Conscience
17. To Obtain for Us All Things That Are Good for Us
18. To Heal Us from Moral and Physical Sickness
19. To Give Eternal Life to All Who Believe on Him
20. To Deliver Us from the Present Evil Age
21. To Reconcile Us to God
22. To Bring Us to God
23. So That We Might Belong to Him
24. To Give Us Confident Access to the Holiest Place
25. To Become for Us the Place Where We Meet God
26. To Bring the Old Testament Priesthood to an End and Become the Eternal High Priest
27. To Become a Sympathetic and Helpful Priest
28. To Free Us from the Futility of Our Ancestry
29. To Free us from the Slavery of Sin
30. That We Might Die to Sin and Live to Righteousness
31. So That We Would Die to the Law and Bear Fruit for God
32. To Enable Us to Live for Christ and Not Ourselves
33. To Make His Cross the Ground of All Our Boasting
34. To Enable Us to Live by Faith in Him
35. To Give Marriage Its Deepest Meaning
36. To Create a People Passionate for Good Works
37. To Call Us to Follow His Example of Lowliness and Costly Love
38. To Create a Band of Crucified Followers
39. To Free Us from Bondage to the Fear of Death
40. So That We would Be with Him Immediately After Death
41. To Secure Our Resurrection from the Dead
42. To Disarm the Rulers and Authorities
43. To Unleash the Power of God in the Gospel
44. To Destroy the Hostility Between Races
45. To Ransom People from Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation
46. To Gather All His Sheep from Around the World
47. To Rescue Us from Final Judgement
48. To Gain His Joy and Ours
49. So That He would Be Crowned with Glory and Honor
50. To Show That the Worst Evil Is Meant by God for Good
All emphasis below are my own.
In Chapter 16, dealing with the issue of conscience he writes:
"So here we are in the modern age--the age of science, Internet, organ transplants, instant messaging, cell phones--and our problem is fundamentally the same as always: Our conscience condemns us. We don't feel good enough to come to God. And no matter how distorted our consciences are, this much is true: We are not good enough to come to him."
At the end of the same chapter he writes:
"The only answer in these modern times, as in all other times, is the blood of Christ. When our conscience rises up and condemns us, where will we turn? We turn to Christ. We turn to the suffering and death of Christ--the blood of Christ. This is the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give the conscience relief in life and peace in death." (p. 51)
In chapter 20, dealing with " to deliver us from the present evil age" he writes:
"The resounding cry of freedom in the Bible is, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12: 2) In other words, be free! Don't be duped by the gurus of the age. They are here today and gone tomorrow. One enslaving fad follows another. Thirty years from now today's tattoos will not be marks of freedom, but indelible reminders of conformity." He also writes:
"Don't follow a defeated foe. Follow Christ. It is costly. You will be an exile is this age. But you will be free." (p. 59)
In chapter 33, he deals with "To make His Cross the Ground of All Our Boasting" he writes:
"We are not as Christ-centered and cross-cherishing as we should be, because we do not ponder the truth that everything good, and everything bad that God turns for good, was purchased by the sufferings of Christ." He concludes:
"Being dead to the world means that every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought evidence of Christ's love and an occasion of boasting in the cross. When our hearts run back along the beam of blessing to the source in the cross, then the worldliness of the blessing is dead, and Christ crucified is everything." (p. 85)
In chapter 42 when he writes about "To Disarm the Rulers and Authorities" he is referring to demonic powers, Satan, etc. in that chapter, not earthly governments. (just thought I should clarify that) At the end of the chapter he writes:
"Let us then turn away from the temptations of the devil. His promises are lies, and his power is stripped." (p 103).
And finally, in chapter 50 when he writes about "To show that the worst evil is meant by God for good" he says:
"But the most astonishing thing is that evil and suffering were Christ's appointed way of victory over evil and suffering. Every act of treachery and brutality against Jesus was sinful and evil. But God was in it." He concludes:
"Is not then the passion of Jesus Christ meant by God to show the world that there is no sin and no evil too great that God, in Christ, cannot bring from it everlasting righteousness and joy? The very suffering that we caused became the hope of our salvation."Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:24)" (p. 119)
Hope that was helpful to you! There was a lot more I could of pulled out, but I resisted the temptation to drag out the post! :-) I enjoyed the book a lot, and would recommend it to anyone. Any comments? Which of the chapter points stands out to you the most? Do you want me to discuss/pull any more quotes out of the book from any particular chapter?
Have a great day!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Discussion Questions on The Magician's Nephew
I'd love to hear from those of you who have read "The Magician's Nephew" Or, if you haven't read it, let me know your thoughts on the review. Here are a few questions and thoughts of my own to get you started!
Do you have a favorite part or quote in the book?
Who is your favorite character, and why?
What do you like or dislike about the book?
Do you disagree with anything in there?
What do you think of talking animals and the whole "fantasy" idea? Does it weird you out? Or do you enjoy reading things like that? Explain your reasoning. :-)
What do you think of Digory and Polly playing on their own, with very little adult supervision? Did this strike you as odd, or since it's a book, and characters always do "strange" things, did it seem normal?
What stands out to you that seems like the book was written in the 1950s and not in recent years? Did any of the English terminology confuse you?
Do you like the writing style of the book?
What do you think of Queen Jadis and Uncle Andrew? Does their behavior bother you? What specifically bothers you about them, and why?
What do you think of Digory's statement: "Girls never want know anything but gossip and rot about people getting engaged" (p 50.) Do you think there is any truth to that? If so, how should you fix it? :-)
What do you think of Queen Jadis's view of her "leadership" (so to speak)? "I was the Queen. They were all my people. What else were they there for but to do my will." (p.61)
When I re-read the book, I wondered, if C.S. Lewis thought of World War II at all. Remember, WWII had ended several years before the book was written.
Do you think Lewis had any of the evil leaders in mind when he was writing about Jadis?
(just some new rambling thoughts of my own I thought I'd throw out for you to consider) :-)
Do you leaders today think that about people? ("What else were they there for but to do my will")
Do you see any Biblical analogies in the book? (not perfect ones of course, but maybe one or two that seem familiar)
Any other thoughts or comments?
Well, I have a lot more discussion questions that usual, hope it gets you thinking! I'd love to hear what you have to say!
Do you have a favorite part or quote in the book?
Who is your favorite character, and why?
What do you like or dislike about the book?
Do you disagree with anything in there?
What do you think of talking animals and the whole "fantasy" idea? Does it weird you out? Or do you enjoy reading things like that? Explain your reasoning. :-)
What do you think of Digory and Polly playing on their own, with very little adult supervision? Did this strike you as odd, or since it's a book, and characters always do "strange" things, did it seem normal?
What stands out to you that seems like the book was written in the 1950s and not in recent years? Did any of the English terminology confuse you?
Do you like the writing style of the book?
What do you think of Queen Jadis and Uncle Andrew? Does their behavior bother you? What specifically bothers you about them, and why?
What do you think of Digory's statement: "Girls never want know anything but gossip and rot about people getting engaged" (p 50.) Do you think there is any truth to that? If so, how should you fix it? :-)
What do you think of Queen Jadis's view of her "leadership" (so to speak)? "I was the Queen. They were all my people. What else were they there for but to do my will." (p.61)
When I re-read the book, I wondered, if C.S. Lewis thought of World War II at all. Remember, WWII had ended several years before the book was written.
Do you think Lewis had any of the evil leaders in mind when he was writing about Jadis?
(just some new rambling thoughts of my own I thought I'd throw out for you to consider) :-)
Do you leaders today think that about people? ("What else were they there for but to do my will")
Do you see any Biblical analogies in the book? (not perfect ones of course, but maybe one or two that seem familiar)
Any other thoughts or comments?
Well, I have a lot more discussion questions that usual, hope it gets you thinking! I'd love to hear what you have to say!
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