book #8: the screwtape letters

C.S. Lewis is simply too fascinating and fun to ignore.  i hardly qualify as an expert on the great author and apologist, but i have been delighted for years by his beautiful way of capturing deep thought in simple words and pictures.  he eloquently and masterfully places complex philosophical ideas on the bottom shelf where they are attainable, practical and easily transferable to everyday conversation without laboring the mind to the point of boredom.  and it's often his starting point that sets him apart from other theologians.

like asking the question, i wonder what the demons talk about amongst themselves?

so instead of a rigorous and academic work on spiritual warfare The Screwtape Letters offers a refreshing, observant, and at times, eerie look into the mystery of the supernatural world.  it's a unique and unspoken plot that you follow as one demon (screwtape) writes letters to his nephew demon (wormwood) who's out on assignment and seems to need advice (whether wormwood would ever admit it or not)...a fascinating concept.  but i'd have to agree with lewis that it's probably a good thing the book didn't go on any longer than it did.  it was startlingly insightful but began to feel oppressive as i (unfortunately all-too-easily) twisted my brain to think like the enemy.  here's how lewis described writing this work:

"though i had never written anything more easily, i never wrote with less enjoyment.  the ease came, no doubt, from the fact that the device of diabolical letters, once you have thought of it, exploits itself spontaneously...though it was easy to twist one's mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long.  the strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp.  the work into which i had to project myself while spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch.  every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded.  it almost smothered me before i was done.  it would have smothered my readers if i had prolonged it."


there's also the caution to not place too much emphasis on the work of the devil.  as in all disciplines, the process of learning from screwtape comes in the balance.  don't neglect or underemphasize spiritual warfare, but do not swing to the opposite extreme and get carried away in demonic activity.

i would say the most enlightening aspect of this work was the frightening reminder of the subtle attack of the enemy.  "indeed the safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts..."  and it has taught me to be all the more vigilant in renewing my mind in His Word (Eph. 4:22-24) and daily putting on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) so that i can stand against the schemes of the devil.

the enemy is cunning.  but my God is greater!  and "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence" (2 Pet. 1:3).

The Contemporvant Service - What Can We Learn?

The Contemporvant Service - What Can We Learn?

definitely worth checking out...for a good chuckle and heart check!

a cigarette butt's a sweet sight!

no, i'm serious, it is!

walking out the doors of our church, i looked and saw a cigarette butt.  and it made me smile.  an assessment of the evidence seems to point to our celebrate recovery ministry that meets on tuesday nights, a ministry that incorporates scheduled "smoke breaks" as i understand it.

and i love it.

it means people are coming to lay their lives out for our church to see.  it means they're coming to hear the Truth.  it means their coming to Jesus.  and it means that He is working!

in fact, this sunday we're going to hear a testimony from a brother who's just become a believer...has kept his life clean from drugs for a couple months, heard the gospel through the CR ministry, trusted in Christ, invited everyone he could to come witness his baptism (in the creek in the pouring rain), has voraciously pursued getting involved at church, wants to grow, and is an incurably contagious follower of Christ!  love it!  (just heard this morning that his mom trusted in Christ for salvation last night!!)

so i hope we see many more cigarette butt's in front of our doors.

in fact, i'm gonna pray for it.  i don't want to butt against what God's doing!  Lord Jesus, keep drawing people to Yourself!

books #6 & 7: "the lost city of z" and "sherlock holmes and the hound of the baskervilles"

so, by the insistance of my wife i'm going to include The Lost City of Z in my list of 100 books by 2020...already reviewed it here.  i guess it's worth including...this reading list will most likely include a eclectic plethora of topics and genres....so why not!  now on to the next...

Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles was an instant favorite of mine as a child...well, at least the illustrated classics for kids version was!

ah...the illustrated classics for kids!  i'm indebted to whoever decided to make all these classics available to young readers, because i believe they were instrumental in developing my love for reading as well as giving me a broad layout of the land of classical literature (to which i'll also credit the old PBS show: wishbone!)  i remember first reading this particular book on family vacation, nestled into my captains seat in the back of our minivan.  it was my first encounter with sherlock, a hero who has evidently never lost his intrigue in my mind.  

i'll admit that i most likely felt inspired to revisit this old story after watching the recent hollywood adaption of sherlock, but, although i still thoroughly enjoyed the movie, i had to admit they've strayed pretty far from sir conan doyle's actual character.  baskervilles reveals the little nuances that makes sherlock one of the most beloved heroes in classic literature, but it also focuses a great deal on his counterpart, dr. watson.  there is a large section of the book where the reader is to believe that sherlock is completely absent and therefore must depend on dr. watson's point of view and assessment of the facts and circumstances.

it was interesting to me to see how the solving of the mystery removed all semblance of the supernatural. what made this particular mystery so intriguing at the start (the supposed presence of a supernatural hound) was tidily resolved by the collection of facts that could easily be explained scientifically (this twist was also present in the latest movie).  i can't help but assume that this was rooted in modern thinking (that everything could be explained by scientific fact using the scientific method), which played a huge role in liberal theology (the dismissal of the supernatural...and particularly the resurrection...because of the insistence that the scientific method was capable of explaining all life and phenomena).  so i enjoyed the mystery and the resolution, but couldn't help feeling that it was meant to numb my belief in the existence of miracles and the supernatural.

then again...in reading The Lost City of Z, david grann linked col. percy fawcett to sir arthur conan doyle, and even suggested that conan doyle, along with fawcett, delved into the occult.  i have not studied the life of sir arthur conan doyle, but it would be interesting to see if he was truly inundated by modern thought or if he had an unusual fascination with the supernatural.

at any rate, if you're looking for a classic mystery thriller...look no further!  head over to your local library and pick up your copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles, and maybe you too will find a new hero!

"deekoo deesus"

i was filled with joy last night as we were preparing to put jolie to bed.  we've been trying to stay disciplined in reading from her Bible before all the other rituals that go into the nightly routine, and the time that we spend looking through the beginner's Bible from zondervan has been a huge blessing to me.  we have many picture Bibles to choose from, but this one has become my favorite because of the huge emphasis on Jesus...lots of stories and parables that allow us to talk about Him over and over as we seek to impress on our little girl how much mommy & daddy love Jesus.  i also really appreciate that this version does not shy away from the cross, but handles it tastefully and allows us the opportunity to begin teaching our soon-to-be 2 year old the gospel!
so last night, she immediately started saying "deesus", as she handed me her Bible and crawled up on the couch to listen intently.  then we typically spend some time looking at pictures of pharaoh in the OT (due to her fascination with the song, "pharaoh, pharaoh...", to which she's also picking up the motions), and then we hit the NT and "deesus" is everywhere!  almost immediately after the manger she started saying, "coss"...which thrilled my heart to see her remembering, getting caught up in the drama, and wanting to read the account of his death on the cross as we moved joyfully into the resurrection!
then for the first time last night...jolie prayed!
we always pray together as a family before meals and before bed, and we've asked her on multiple occasions if she would like to pray, but she's always refused and differed to mommy or daddy.  but last night, after reading through the account of the Jesus' life and excitedly talking about Him, she willingly repeated a simple prayer.
"deekoo deesus"
(thank you Jesus)
that was it.  she didn't even finish with "amen" (which she often injects in the middle of daddy's lengthier prayers).  it was simple.  and yes, we spoon fed her the phrase.  but it was beautiful.  and it filled my heart with joy!
Lord, instill a love for Christ in the heart of my little girl.  Raise her up to know and love you, and use her for your glory!