The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis is perhaps my new favorite Narnia story. (Just remember that I say that after every Narnia story that I re-read.) I don't know how many times I've read this particular title personally, but it was my second time to read it aloud with the kids. It had more meaning for me this time around because a friend of mine is walking down a dark, hard road and it's been pressed upon me how important it is that we remember the truths of God's word, even when our eyes and minds are blurry and we're having a hard time focusing on Him. I wanted to read this story to the kids so that I could bring home the point to them that it's important to first memorize God's word and then always, always, always repeat those truths to yourself. In this way, I pray that even when my children find themselves in moments of doubt and disbelief, they will repeat the truths of scripture to themselves until they find themselves able to believe again.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of The Silver Chair, it picks up where The Voyage of the Dawn Treader leaves off, at least in our world. Roughly fifty Narnian years have passed since Eustace was there. Eustace and one of his school chums, Jill, are whisked into Narnia where they are tasked with finding King Caspian's missing son, Prince Rilian. Aslan gives the children four signs which they are to repeat to themselves and obey in order to find the lost prince. The two children are also given a companion for the journey, a Narnian Marsh-wiggle named Puddleglum. This is the story of their adventures in finding Rilian.

This is Jill's first visit to Narnia, of course, so everything about it is new and scary to her while Eustace has some amount of comfort due to familiarity. It is Jill who is given the signs by Aslan which she is to teach to both Eustace and Puddleglum. Right off the bat though she flubs the first sign. In fact, the children flub most of the signs which lead them on a series of misadventures which are both exciting and terrifying. In the end its Puddleglum who rises to the occasion, remembers the signs, and helps to make the mission a successful one. Jill and Eustace are still "rewarded" for their troubles, but some repentance is necessary as a result of forgetting and/or ignoring the instructions that Aslan had given them. The story ends triumphantly which is a joy and a comfort but there is sorrow along the way as the reader is forced to acknowledge "what might have been." Simultaneously, there is a relief in knowing that although we are prone to making big mistakes in life, Aslan can redeem each and every one of them and set all things to right.

As I say, I loved this story and I found it incredibly relevant for life and godliness. Life is hard. Period. It is hard for different people in different ways but anyone who ever stands up and makes the bold claim to believe in Jesus Christ is in for hardship. If you expect you'll get away without a struggle then you are misinformed at best and delusional at worst. (Blunt? Yes.) Jesus said we're to take up our cross and follow him. Do we think this means down a tulip lined path? If so, we desperately need to rethink things because this life is designed to teach us to be holy as He is holy. Is life ALL hardship and pain? No, I believe not. There are glorious days of peace and joy which we become more and more grateful with over time and with age. There is great joy in the Christian life but there is also struggle. It's easy to want to embrace the one and not to embrace the other but as Job asked his dear wife, are we only to accept good from the Lord and not evil? If you said, "Yes" then you need to understand that that is foolish talk. Yes, I'm pressing a point here but I think its an important one. If we condition ourselves only to accept good from the Lord and not evil, then we're only willing to accept a god of our own making, a created being which we have defined to be "good" according to our pleasures and fancies. That's not a good god. That's a weak one who exists for our pleasure and our bidding.

Life is hard, yes. But life is also full of JOY. During those moments it behooves us to camp out on the promises of God so that when the hard winds blow and the rain comes pouring down, we can "remember the signs" and repeat them to ourselves ad nauseum. And when we find our faith weak and we find ourselves struggling to believe in those promises? We repeat the signs to ourselves more loudly and pray, "Lord, help me in my unbelief!" Life, I think, is a battle to get to the higher ground again. Sometimes we enjoy so much peace it's hard to imagine that we shall ever meet a trouble. And then the trouble comes and it's hard to imagine that we ever were happy or that we can ever be happy again. Remember the signs. Repeat them. If God is not of our making, then we can trust His promises are true and that He will do all that He has said He will do. If He is not of our making then the journey is bearable. If we serve a god of our own making, then we are lost and there is no hope. Why? Because a created god can only be as strong as we are. This, we must acknowledge, is not very strong at all.

Remember the signs. Repeat them to yourself when you wake up in the morning, as you go about your day, as you go to sleep at night. Camp on the promises - and commit to believing in them even when you don't want to.

In this story, Eustance, Jill, Puddleglum and Rilian are making an attempt to escape from an evil witch-queen who is trying her best to confuse the party as to fact and fiction. She begins attempting to work a spell on the group, lighting a fire and playing soothing music to distract them from what they know is right. Puddleglum says:

". . . [Y]ou can play that fiddle till your fingers drop off, and you still won't make me forget Narnia; and the whole Overworld too. We'll never seen it again, I shouldn't wonder. You may have blotted it out and turned it dark like this, for all I know. Nothing more likely. But I know I was there once. I've seen the sky full of stars. I've seen the sun coming up out of the sea of a morning and sinking behind the mountains at night."

He knew he was being subjected to trickery and he vocalized his beliefs at exactly the right moment. Maybe his present situation wasn't what he hoped for, but Puddleglum wouldn't forget, no sir and no ma'am! Maybe he was being buried in magic but he would hold fast to the truths he knew. The witch continues to sweetly argue against him and truth, trying to subdue both him and the children. She continues to taunt and tease the group, strumming her music and sitting serenely by her fire. Creating an atmosphere that looks and seems relaxing, she tries to lure the Narnians into submission. Finally Puddleglum's head becomes clear enough that he realizes that there is magic in the fire and he determines to put it out -- with his foot! He sacrifices his own true comfort to destroy the false comforts and show the witch for what she truly is. With the following speech he rallies his countrymen to cling to truth.

"One word, Ma'am, he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things - trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's the funny thing when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentleman and he young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say."

Maybe those who don't believe in the God of the Bible are right; maybe He is just a figment of our imagination, a crutch for hurting souls. But if my only choice is the God of Scripture or a world without Him, I'll take my chances. I might spend the whole of my life "hunting for Overworld" but I believe in its existence and I'd rather press on in that goal than wallow in the dark lands, wondering if anything can believed at all.

All I know to pray is that when I next find myself "buried under the earth", looking for the promises of God to be true, I'll have a Puddleglum alongside me to lead me out of the witch's chambers and back into reality. Sometimes the grace of God looks suspiciously like a Marsh-wiggle; sometimes it smells like a burnt one.

This story is a good reminder to all of us that until we reach "Overworld" we must be bold to encourage one another in faith, love, and good works.

All of the above are the truths I want my kids to remember. These are the very things that will drive us back to scripture and back to Narnia time and time again.

With all that said, I dedicate the following song to my Marsh-wiggle friends. I love you and I need you.

So Spirit, come, put strength in every stride;
Give grace for every hurdle.
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old, still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls, and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in Glory.

Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge (2016) :: Conclusion

Yet again we've reached the end of another Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge which I hold each year here at Reading to Know during the month of July. If you missed this go around, fret not! There's always next year and I'll continue hosting until I weary of reading Narnia (i.e., never). There'll always be a second chance for you and yours with this challenge!

If you did read Narnia, or anything about C.S. Lewis, or experienced something related to Narnia and wrote up a blog post about it, now is the time to share it. You can leave a link to your blog post(s) in the comment section below.

As for what my family managed to accomplish within the month of July this year:

• We re-read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (linked to my review).
• We ate Turkish Delight (while reading).
• We re-watched this movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
• We made it 3/4 of the way through this children's biography about C.S. Lewis. (We shall finish it yet!)

I'm grateful for every little bit. Truthfully, if I didn't set aside a month specifically to focus on some aspect of Narnia, I don't know that I'd get to it. It's a series that I would be sorry not to immerse myself or my children in, so further up and further in we go!

Looking forward to hearing what journeys you might have had into Narnia this year if you "played along" with me!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

Another year, another Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge. This year I asked my kids which book from the series they'd like to read and they collectively voted to re-read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe so that's what we did.

I feel the story is well known enough that I don't really need to bother with a description of it so I'll skip straight to sharing our experiences this go around.

For starters, we ordered a box of Turkish Delight to be enjoyed every day during the reading. This is an annual treat for us and each of the children get a piece (or two) to enjoy each day. It's all very exciting and we enjoy it. If you've never had it, you've got to give it a try! There are multiple brands available on Amazon at fairly reasonable prices.

This is the third year that my oldest has listened to this particular story and he has it down pat for the most part. My second son also remembered a great deal of the story but despite the number of times we've referenced this book, my third born (age 5) didn't recall much of what happens in the book and I was therefore reminded of the importance to keep at this reading challenge, even if no one else ever joins in. This reading challenges gives us a reason the excuse to keep this series ever before us. They are worth reading over and over again and I'm glad to have a special month set aside for it.

This year's reading was also special because Bookworm5 is new to the family and she was given a Narnian name to match her siblings. (Four out of five of our kids are named after C.S. Lewis/Narnia in some form or fashion and so you can correctly ascertain that these books are sort of a big deal to me.) I didn't read this series until I was an adult but each year I re-read them I find that they have the incredible ability to drive certain scriptural truths home to me in fresh new ways. It should also be noted that the stories themselves are so imaginative it's easy to relax with them for the simple purpose of enjoyment.

During this particular reading I noted one thing, one sentence actually, that I wished to make note of and it's found in my favorite scene. Aslan has just returned to life after his sacrifice on the stone table. The girls, Lucy and Susan, have somewhat recovered from the shock of his death and have finished rejoicing with him in life. They ' no longer felt in the least tired or hungry or thirsty.' Aslan gives a loud, triumphant and terrible roar and then begins to focus on the business of gathering up an army of Narnians to join Peter in defeating the White Witch. With the girls by his side, Aslan says:

"We have a long journey to go. You must ride on me."
C.S. Lewis then says of 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 imagine instead the almost noiseless padding of the great paws. Then imagine instead of the black of grey or chestnut back of the horse the soft roughness of golden fur, and the mane flying back in the wind. And then imagine you are going about twice as fast as the fastest racehorse. But this is a mount that never grows tired. He rushes on and on, never missing his footing, never hesitating, threading his way with perfect skill between tree-trunks, jumping over bush and briar and the smaller streams, wading the larger, swimming the largest of all." (Chapter 15, Deeper Magic From the Dawn of Time)

Aslan, as most scholars will agree, is representative of Jesus Christ. In this book he appears as a fictional character with enough things in perfect comparison so that by knowing Aslan for a little in Narnia, we might know the Lord better here in our own world. I love how Lewis describes the power and the might that is Aslan in this passage.

". . . [T]his is a mount that never grows tired."

Aslan had just made the ultimate sacrifice and yet rose victoriously back to life as a result of a deeper magic which the White Witch did not know. Death defeated, life triumphant! Still, there was work to be done. Peter and Edmund, along with a host of other Narnians were in the thick of a raging battle against all that was evil in Narnia. Their valiant forces were surely weary. Aslan, resurrected, thinks of them and begins actively working to bring them relief (and ultimate victory) but in this midst of this he also does not ignore Susan and Lucy. He will not leave them behind at the Stone Table. It is clear that they must come with him but Aslan also knows that they do not have the strength to go on running and fighting this battle. They can't possibly hold up. So what does he do? He tells them to climb up on him and ride on his back. He will bear their weight and he will carry them the distance necessary so that they might participate in and know the victory for themselves. Wouldn't it be easier for him to leave them behind? Perhaps, though it wouldn't have fulfilled the prophesy now, would it have?

Friend, are you weary? Climb up. There is likely still a long journey to go but the Lord invites you to ride on His back, so to speak.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Creator of the ends of the earth does not grow weary.
He does not faint!
Wait on Him. He will renew your strength.
Isaiah 40:28-31

If you feel like you can't walk, and/or the distance from here to relief and victory is far too great -- RIDE! He invites you to do so.

I have this sculpture at the top of one of my bookcases. I've loved it because it represents my favorite scene from this book but this year it means a little more.

The road of life is long and filled with sorrows, sadness and challenges. But my ride is strong and does not faint or grow weary. Remember this, friend. Remember! You aren't being left behind in some remote place where you will be forgotten. The Lord invites you to come with Him, to participate in and to enjoy His victory.

For the glory of the Lord, RIDE!

Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge (2016)

It's time. I'm here to kick off the seventh annual Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge! Whether I go this alone or with a group, I'm still reading Narnia with my kids (and to myself) during the month of July.



I look forward to this reading challenge every year. I know that I'm not alone in saying that if it wasn't arranged on the calendar, I might not get back to these books. For me, Narnia is an important enough series for me to want to read at least one title every year. When I started this challenge, I read the books for myself, out of love. Now I read them aloud to and with my kids, also out of love. I want them to have a reading heritage which is chalk full of Narnia.

Whether you are engaging with these stories alone or with others, I hope you are joining in out of love for these stories. Or, perhaps, you are using this challenge to enter the world of Narnia for the first time and, if that be the case, then fantastic! I hope you enjoy your stay.

As for the details, know that I like to keep things remarkably simple.

First, this challenge lasts for the entirety of July. You have one entire month to revel in the individual stories in The Chronicles of Narnia. You can watch the movies (if you can stomach them), listen to audio books/dramatizations, or read books about Narnia or C.S. Lewis. I give you full permission (should you need it from me).

As you proceed through this challenge, write up various posts about what you have read, sharing your thoughts and impressions of the stories. On Friday, July 29th we will conclude the challenge and, at that time, I will invite you to share your posts with us.

If you are participating in this, please leave a comment below stating as much, and then feel free to add my Reading Challenge badge to your own post or blog sidebar with the following code:

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C.S. Lewis's Grave

The other day I shared with you all our visit to The Kilns. After we finished up at the house, our family walked over to Holy Trinity Church in Oxford to see where C.S. Lewis was buried. We weren't sure exactly where the grave was so we walked around for a bit before a care taker kindly pointed it out. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful, peaceful, wonderful cemetery. I'd like to let the pictures and C.S. Lewis himself do whatever talking needs to be done.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
― C.S. Lewis

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
― C.S. Lewis

“God can't give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing.”
― C.S. Lewis

“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
― C.S. Lewis

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”
― C.S. Lewis

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” C.S. Lewis

Visiting The Kilns (The Home of C.S. Lewis)

On our recent trip to England, one of the things we did as a family was arrange to take a tour at The Kilns, C.S. Lewis's home in Oxford. Being that four of five of our children (catch that?) are named after either C.S. Lewis or his characters, it was a meaningful stop for all of us.

Tours must be arranged in advance of your arrival to England as the Kilns is still a place of residence for scholars in and visiting the community. We were so grateful to be given an appointment to come and see his home when in country.

You can bet that I took pictures to share with my fellow Lewis fans!

The home was originally purchased by Lewis, his brother Warnie, Mrs. Moore and her daughter, Maureen. They all contributed financially to the purchase and they all lived there together.

There is, of course, some speculation as to the nature of Mrs. Moore's relationship to or with Lewis. No one can say with any certainty whether or not there was a romantic attachment of any sort between them. Some speculate that there was, especially based on the fact that Mrs. Moore's bedroom was located right next to Lewis'. What I did not know though was that the door between the bedrooms was kept locked and, eventually, Lewis lost the key.

See the staircase outside the house in the above picture? That's the outside staircase that Lewis had put in to give him his own private entrance and exit to his bedroom. When Mrs. Moore was moved out of the house (in the 1930's) her bedroom became Lewis's study. As Lewis had lost the key, he would go down the staircase outside the house, walk in through the front door, go up the inside staircase and into his study to work. When he married Joy Davidman she became annoyed at his habits of walking outside to go inside when all he had to do was open the door between their bedroom and his study. She asked him why he did it. He explained, "I lost the key." She had a locksmith at the house that same afternoon.

When we entered inside the house for our appointed tour, we were taken into Lewis's library/study along with the other tour guests. Introductions were made and we listened to a great little talk on the life of Lewis from our guide, who is a Lewis's scholar and affectionado. He was quite well up on Lewis and his life, happily explained the history of the house to us, and generally made us to feel welcome.

The view from this window has changed since Lewis's time. The C.S. Lewis foundation owns the land which the house stands on, (more or less), and it is set in what is now a quiet but packed neighborhood of homes. However, the pond that Lewis loved has been preserved and is situated next to The Kilns. You can walk through a Community Nature Reserve around the pond and imagine things as they might used to have been as best you can.

Below is a picture of said pond. This picture taken from a spot near to an old stone bench that Lewis built. He and Tolkien used to come down to the pond, sit on the bench, and talk. (I didn't know that when I was standing next to the bench, hence there is no picture of it. Sigh.)

To get back to the view from the window though, apparently there were a series of little ponds scattered about on the land in Lewis' time. These little ponds are thought to be the inspiration for the pools of water in The Magician's Nephew.

From the library we were taken into the dining room where Joy and Jack (as he was generally called) used to play Scrabble with each other. They were only limited in words as to any dictionary in the entire house, in any language. Apparently they had some very spirited games between them and it can well be imagined that Lewis liked a mind that could challenge his own.

Warnie's typewriter is displayed in the dining room as well. Lewis preferred not to use a type writer but wrote all of his manuscripts out completely by hand. Because - wow.

Next we came into the kitchen which I have to note contained a picture of Lewis's gardener, the inspiration for the character of Puddleglum. The kitchen, like the rest of the house, was a labor of love to restore to its "original look" during the time when Lewis lived there. Apparently the floor had been covered up with tile or linoleum or cement (I forget! Several layers of something!) and Douglas Gresham kept insisting there was red tile beneath. Many men working many hours worked to uncover it and restore the kitchen to proper order.

It should here be noted that none of the furniture in the home is original to Lewis. After his death, Warnie lived at the house until the 1970's. Upon Warnie's death, the house passed to Maureen Moore (who was married by then). Maureen sold the house which became someone else's private residence until some Lewis fans from America began searching for his house, found it, and purchased it. Over a period of time, the home was restored by Americans who would come over and "vacation with a purpose" - taking turns applying their various skills to restore the house. (How 'bout them Americans, eh? Heh.)

Douglas Gresham's bedroom, right off the kitchen:

After visiting half of the downstairs area, we were taken upstairs and straight into Lewis's study. Old and original Narnia manuscripts were found in the attic during the restoration process and so it is believed that he very well could have penned Narnia from this room.

And yes. It did give me chills. Happy ones.

Here is my son walking down the stairs after visiting the study. Note the narrow stairs. It's not a huge surprise to imagine that Lewis ran out of bookshelves to keep his books on when living in this house. There is just never enough room for good books! Wouldn't you all agree?

So what did Lewis do with his excess books? He stacked them all along both sides of this staircase! NOW imagine navigating these stairs!

Lastly, we were taken to see the room where Lewis died. It also served as the music room when Maureen lived in the home.

I suppose I could have felt a little sad standing there and I must confess a smidgen of sadness. However, when you think of the lasting impact this one man had as a result of faith in Christ and a willingness to use his gifts for the glory of God it's hard to feel sad. Mostly I stood in the room feeling celebratory.

Goodbye rooms are hard. But I can't help but think about the 'hello' which is coming.

I wasn't sure what entirely to expect in going to The Kilns but I found it the most memorable and meaningful stop on our trip to England. It was worth every minute we spent there.

Next July I'll host the seventh annual Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge here at Reading to Know. Understanding more of Lewis makes me excited to re-engage with Narnia yet again. These stories continue to speak of God and man to me in ways that no other works of fiction have ever managed to do. I'm so honored to have been able to visit his home and so grateful for the kind and generous people who continue to make tours such as these a possibility! Thank you!





Later this week I'll "take you" to the grave site where Lewis is buried which is an incredible place in its own right.

Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge : CONCLUSION (2015)

I always like the beginning of July because it signifies the start of the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge. I'm always sad at the end of the month because it signifies that my "official" time in Narnia is over. I do realize that I can read Narnia all year long, anytime I want. But for the sake of a thousand other books I want to read, I set aside July as the month to revel in the re-reads.

As usually, I didn't read as much as I'd have like to have done, but we still enjoyed our time in Narnia immensely.

The kids and I re-read both The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. (Both titles are linked to our reviews/thoughts.) Although there was a request to move along to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, that didn't happen simply because we ran out of time. (We're currently wrapped up in The Secret Garden.)

This is the first year that Bookworm1 read Narnia on his own. He read The Horse and His Boy by himself.

Aside from reading straight up Narnia, I pulled Knowing Aslan, a book about Narnia off my bookshelf and gave it a quick read. I didn't like it and you can't find out the reasons why by clicking over to THIS POST.

I'm really glad to say that on our upcoming trip to England, we have plans to visit The Kilns, C.S. Lewis' home in Oxford. Everyone in our family is super excited about that! Of course, we'll plan to share pictures and our experiences afterward. I suppose in some ways I don't consider our time in Narnia to be completed this year until we visit Lewis' home. (So we still have ample time to get to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader then, correct?)

Now! What about you?

Who read along and what did you read? I'm curious and anxious to know! If you have a blog post to share, now is the time to "link up" by leaving a comment in the comment section below. I'll be off to visit your posts as you share the links.

I hope you did get to spend a little bit of time in Narnia (or with Lewis in some capacity) this past month. I look forward to hearing all about it!

Further Up, Further In!

Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis

Upon finishing our last Narnia read, the kids asked if we could immediately launch into Prince Caspian, a request to which I will never say 'no'. When the kids ask for time in Narnia, they get it! Prince Caspian is not my top favorite of the Narnia stories so I don't know it quite so well. I often find myself saying, "Oh yeah! I had forgotten...." while reading.

I would like to note that Bookworm1 especially requested this title because he wanted to "hear about Reepicheep" again. I convinced him that we should read this one first and then move quickly on to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader so as to spend as much time with Reep as is possible this month. (My son, the boy after my own heart!)

Bookworm2 likes Prince Caspian because it has exciting battles. Actually, I had quite forgotten just how exciting these conflicts are. Two heads are sent rolling during the fighting and I was wondering how the Bookworm's were going to take that information. They didn't seem phased but it made me cautious about having them watch this film. I can't remember what the battle scenes are like in this movie adaptation (because this is also not an adaptation I care for a great deal). Does anyone out there remember? Reading about it is is one thing, visualizing it is another.

As I like to do when reading Narnia, I like to point out particular passages which stood out to me as being exceptionally moving and process my thoughts a bit. I'll do the same in this case.

The first passage that caught my eye is when Trufflehunter and Trumpkin are introducing Caspian to Old Narnia and are in process of drumming up an army to battle against Miraz. They are at the cave of the five Black Dwarfs who accept Caspian as king on the basis of the fact that he is against Miraz. However, they are concerned that they do not have enough power on their side in order to defeat Miraz.

"Shall we go farther up for you, up to the crags? There's an Ogre or two and a Hag that we could introduce you to up there."
"Certainly not," said Caspian.
"I should think not, indeed," said Trufflehunter. "We want none of that sort on our side."

(Chapter 6, The People That Lived in Hiding)

These few sentences pack quite the punch if you stop and ponder for a moment. I believe it to be very true that Christians in every age are prone to the same weakness: that of fear. Circumstances frequently have a tendency to look rather glum. It might be a political situation, or a personal relationship issue that we're dealing with, or some unnamed hurdle in our lives that we just can't seem to jump. Either which way we fear that we will not have the ability to make it through the difficulty without assistance.

This feeling of fear can actually be a good thing when and if it reminds us that our hope and only hope of real help is found in Christ Jesus. If fear turns us in His direction and causes us to cry out to Him to help us through our various trials and circumstances than, truly, all is well. The problems usually exist because we feel like we need assistance that we can see and touch. We so quickly forget that God has promised never to leave us or forsake us and that He will be our help in times of trouble. Bad circumstances that remind us of this are actually good circumstances. When the chips are down and your back is to the wall that's when God is standing at the ready to glorify His name in and through you.

There's a story in church history of two men named Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley who began preaching the Gospel - in English instead of Latin - to the people of England in the mid-1500's. They rejected the papacy and declared the the church was built on Jesus Christ alone. For this they were burned at the stake on October 16, 1955. As the flames began to grow higher the men were suffering greatly. Latimer died quickly but Ridley's body took awhile to burn. As Latimer was dying he said to Ridley:

"Be of good comfort, Mr. Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out."
Play the man, he says! The flames were hot. Death was the only option and they could only cry out to the Lord for death to come quickly. Note that neither Latimer or Ridley tried to deny the inevitable. They didn't seek help from evil sources. They did indeed "play the man" which, in their case, meant suffering a martyr's death. They died to self with a clean conscience of not having given in to "an easy out" to relieve them of their burden. Their backs were to the wall. There was no escape. They sought comfort in Christ which gave them the strength they needed to just make it to the end. Their names and their story are an encouragement to others, a candle was lit to save others who were wallowing in darkness. Their words and their attitude declared, "This looks bad! But God means for good. Let's trust Him for that good!" Could you do it? It would be a hard thing. But we each have our own trials that come along and question whether we will 'play the man' or seek out ogres and hags.

Their ogres and hags could have been escape for the Narnians, but at what ultimate cost? At various times and places my hags and ogres look different. I see an "easy out" or a "sure way" out of my troubles and I feel inclined to take it. But we must "have none of that sort" on our side as we run this good race which the Lord has put before us. Whether your struggle be with family, with friends, with the church, or whatever - when your back is to the wall, look up! Aslan does exist, though in this world we know Him by another name. Take courage in knowing that your outcome in Christ is secured!

Do right even when it looks to be hard. Play the man. Or, if you will, play the badger. They never forget the past and hold on to the promise of victory.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. Job 6:10

Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:9-10
The next passage which spoke courage to my heart was when the Pevensie children were talking about the magic that brought them back to Narnia. They were debating whether or not they really had any choice in coming or if magic had compelled them.

"But we want to be here, don't we?" said Lucy, "If Aslan wants us."

(Chapter 8, How They Left the Island)

Lucy just makes my heart sing, that's what! No matter what brought us to a certain place in our lives - shouldn't we want to be here? That is, if the Lord wants us here?

Life isn't all fun and games as we all know. (And if you don't know it then I question how you've been living your life.) It is hard and painful and we get bumped and bruised quite a bit as a result. There is nothing unusual about this and no one should be surprised or feel singled out for hardship.

But there is good news and here it is . . . are you ready for it? The pain has a purpose. The purpose? To drive us to Christ.

We don't always get to chose the circumstances in our lives but it is a good question to ask, "Shouldn't I want to be here? That is, if the Lord wants me here?"

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2

I want to be right here. Right now. In this time and in this place that God has placed me, surrounded by the people He surrounded me with. It isn't always easy, but I trust that whatever my God ordains is right.

Whate’er my God ordains is right:
His holy will abideth;
I will be still whate’er He doth;
And follow where He guideth;
He is my God; though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Knowing Aslan: An Encounter With the Lion of Narnia, by Thomas Williams

Whenever I see a book about Narnia I always pick it up and poke through it. If it looks like it could be evenly slightly promising, I'll purchase it and save it to read "sometime later." Knowing Aslan, by Thomas Williams was one such book. Actually to call it a book is somewhat stretching the truth. It's more like a 56 page tract that you'd leave in a bathroom somewhere, with hopes that someone who is interested in Narnia will pick it up.

I know that sounds a little harsh. That rather summarizes my feeling about this book though. It's not anything remarkably special; it's a dull but quick read with a strong attempt at sharing the Gospel message. (And the Gospel message is not meant to be dull!!!) In this book Williams is predictably trying to share the good news with a non-believer by explaining how Aslan represents God. The only problem is that the Aslan and the god which Williams presents to His readers is lacking teeth.

Williams explains how our human view of God is often so disturbing, wherein we picture a harsh God in the sky who is just waiting for us to do wrong so that He can punish us. Williams explains how Lewis wrote this story to show us how loving and kind God really is and how we should want to follow after Him because He is so joyful and friendly. Furthermore, Williams delivers his message as if talking to a 10 year old instead of to an adult which irked.

Basically I found Knowing Aslan a bit on the dribbly side. Williams and I clearly have a few theological differences, most chiefly in the area of free will and predestination. In saying that much, you can probably guess that I believe we were predestined before the beginning of time to be (or not be) children of God. At the same time I do not believe that that in any way removes our responsibility to go forth and preach the Gospel to all nations. In fact scriptures command that Christians go and spread the news of Who God Is to all of the world. I firmly believe that God works through His people to share Himself with others. Now, I do understand why some Christians like the use of tracts and I don't have any huge or hearty objection to this means of reaching people. It's just that I find tracts generally have a very watered down message, replete with a lot of begging and pleading for the hoped-for reader to dedicate their life to Christ. Knowing Aslan was no exception.

For example, this passage on the next-to-last page:

"Jesus loves you so much that he died for you, and he longs for a relationship with you. But you still have free will, and he will not force himself upon you. If you choose to remain apart from him, he will be heartbroken, but he will honor your choice."

I'm going to stop it there and explain that I agree that Jesus does love His people wholeheartedly. He is a very kind, merciful and gracious God, full of love and compassion. (How do I think this when I believe in predestination? These are age-old questions and long debates. I believe He is most gracious to save any of us. Yet He does. What a gift! What an incredible, beautiful gift!) He did absolutely die for our sins and if we will believe in Him we will not perish but have everlasting life. Up to this point, I have no glaring disagreements with the passage.

It isn't until we get to the sentence "he will honor your choice" that I begin to quibble. That sentence sounds so friendly, so very much like a discontented sigh at the most. But to reject God doesn't just leave us sighing and lounging about. To deny Christ and to walk away from Him leaves us in dire peril. If by "he will respect your choice" Williams means, "you will unfortunately receive what you deserve" then I agree. And I tremble for the person who does walk away as a result.

God's message of good news - that He would save sinners - is good because His wrath is terrible. He isn't just a God of love or just a God of justice. He is both. He demands justice and because of His great love He offers to save us from the wrath required as a result of our sins. This is hard news. It is the best news. It is the most awesome news you will ever hear and I felt like Williams was attempting to water it down with his "jolly god". I do think that Aslan is picture of Who God Is for he roars when he conquers and he growls when there is sin. Then - when sin and death are conquered (usually through bloody battle) - Aslan REJOICES! You have to know the heat of battle in order to understand the glorious victory. Don't remove the hard part so that we can "just get to the good stuff." The good is good because the bad is bad.

Yes, I do realize that this is a mere 56 pages worth of book and doesn't necessarily warrant a gigantic critique. Then again, if we let so many little pieces of bad theology in through the cracks we'll suffer from an even greater lack of understanding of who God is in His mighty fierceness and most excellent glory.

To really know Aslan you must understand and believe that he has sharp teeth.

A Believing Heart

Q. How are you righteous before God?
A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.

Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments, of never having kept any of them, and of still being inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without any merit of my own, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.

All I need to do is accept this gift with a believing heart.

(Heidelberg Catechism #60)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

The kids and I recently enjoyed another visit with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Narnia series is probably one of the only series of stories which my children not only ask to read over and over again (even when it is not the month of July) but that when we do read it, they ask for multiple chapters at a time. One or two chapters is never quite enough. Gladly, we all agree in our love for Narnia which makes reading about it a pleasurable experience for all. No other book series is so full of imagination, provocative thought, and/or registers such a deep range of emotions for me. Every time I enter into the land of Narnia I find myself challenged in some form or fashion. It's a marvelous series and one I am so happy to be able to share with my children. It makes me glad that they love it just as well as I do.

As we read along I inevitably find myself pausing over particular passages. Sometimes I have to stop reading as a result of becoming choked up. You might accuse me of being too engaged with the story and if that is a sin then I've definitely guilty. Narnia is a real place to me and I love its people well.

Every time I re-read it something new stands out to me. (The best books always surprise you with something new.) In our reading of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the following two passages jumped out at me:

1. Edmund has just met the White Witch and tasted her Turkish Delight. She is sending him back to his own world with the instruction to return with his siblings.

"Please, please," said Edmund suddenly, "please couldn't I have just one piece of Turkish Delight to eat on the way home?"

"No, no," said the Queen with a laugh, "you must wait till next time."

(Chapter 4, Turkish Delight)

Sin is so tempting. It is so "tasty", isn't it? We commit it because, in some form or fashion, we find it pleasurable. Edmund was engaging in a bout of pride with the Witch. He fancied himself more important than his siblings and worthy of the Queen's attention. But he didn't just want her attention - he wanted her position. He was filled with envy and greed for what she had: a castle, a land, the perceived right to rule the land. And then she had the ability to magically create Turkish Delight. A little taste of her dark magic food and he wanted everything that she possessed and more. He tasted just a little bit of untruth and found it satisfying. He wanted more. He wanted just one more sample of lies "to eat on the way home." Once we give into sin, tasting it and finding it momentarily delightful, we want more. Always more.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1: 14-15

Wouldn't think I'd fall for it
Wouldn't think I'd lie
But I think I'd do anything
For that tiny bit of pie

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16
2. The next passage that caught my eye was when the four children are all newly in Narnia and have discovered that Mr. Tumnus has been taking captive by the White Witch. They are standing in the woods trying to decide what to do when they spy Mr. Beaver who is trying to get the kids' attention. They can't quite make out who or what he is though.

"I saw it that time too," said Peter. "It's still there. it's just gone behind that big tree."
"What is it?" asked Lucy, trying very hard not to sound nervous.
"Whatever it is," said Peter, "it's dodging us. It's something that doesn't want to be seen."
"Let's go home," said Susan.

(Chapter 7, A Day with the Beavers)

Susan's attitude epitomizes one that is so prevalent in Christian circles these days. Are things getting hard? Getting dicey? Becoming difficult? Let's run away. Pretend it's not happening. Say nothing. Do nothing. Maybe it'll go away.

Susan's response is one of timidity and fear, not of courage and bravery. When the going gets even slightly hard there is sometimes a temptation to turn the other way and go home. We tend to want to get ourselves to some place safe. But where in scripture are we promised a life of safety and ease? On the contrary, we see countless examples in scriptures of people facing hard choices and decisions and being forced to cling to God, the hope of their salvation. When we face these challenging moments in life (which seem to be coming at Christians at a faster and faster pace these days) we aren't created or meant to turn around and flee.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Don't be a Susan in these times. Be a Peter! Be a Lucy! We have to do what's right even in the face of fear and/or opposition. We've been called to live a glorious life, not a timid one, hiding out in our "safe places." Live to the hilt whatever situation.

In the spring of 1519 a Spanish fleet set sail
Cortez told his sailors this mission must not fail
On the eastern shore of Mexico they landed with great dreams
But the hardships of the new world make them restless and weak
Quietly they whispered, "Let's sail back to the life we knew"
But the one who led them there was saying

Burn the ships, we're here to stay
There's no way we could go back
Now that we've come this far by faith
Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return
Our life is here
So let the ships burn

Burn the ships, Susan! Follow that Beaver!

Further up, further in.

Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge 2015

If you can believe it, it's time for the SIXTH annual Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge.

I look forward to this reading challenge every year. I know many of you feel the same in that if it wasn't arranged on the calendar you might not get back to these books. For me, Narnia is an important enough series for me to want to read at least one title every year. Now that my kids are old enough to track with the stories and engage with them, I'm making sure that they are included in this. I'd love for them to have a reading heritage which is chalk full of Narnia.

Admittedly, we did read ahead and we already have one book under our belt. We'll talk about that in a separate post. But for now, let's get down to the dirty details of how this challenge works, shall we?

First, this challenge lasts for the entirety of July. You have one entire month to revel in the individual stories in The Chronicles of Narnia. You can watch the movies (if you can stomach them), listen to audio books/dramatizations, or read books about Narnia or C.S. Lewis. I give you full permission (should you need it from me).

As you proceed through this challenge, write up various posts about what you have read, sharing your thoughts and impressions of the stories. On Friday, July 31st we will conclude the challenge and, at that time, I will invite you to share your posts with us.

If you are participating in this, please leave a comment below stating as much, and then feel free to add my Reading Challenge badge to your own post or blog sidebar with the following code:

<a href="http://www.readingtoknow.com/2015/06/chronicles-of-narnia-reading-challenge.html"><img alt="Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge" border="0" src="http://www.bluecastlephoto.com/misc/chronicles-of-narnia.gif" /></a>

I really love the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge and I hope that you will read along. If you need some inspiration check out some of my previous posts on the topic:

• Reading The Silver Chair with Kids
• A list of posts from other readers about their experiences in Narnia.
• What I Learned in Narnia: Confessing Sin
• Narnia and Hope

I hope you will consider joining in and I hope to hear from you if you do!

To Narnia and the North!

Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge :: Conclusion

Ohhhhh, I almost don't want to post this. Let's pretend that we're still in July with plenty of time and excuses to spend the rest of our lives in Narnia. How 'bout that?


I hesitated to end this because I was going to try to stick in a few more posts sharing some of my thoughts from Narnia, but I realized I could do that at any time and it really is time to wrap it up.

Here is what I read:

Live Like a Narnian
The Horse and His Boy (Read with my kids)
The Last Battle (Read with my kids)

So here is the moment for YOU to share what YOU read and thought about your time in Narnia this past month.

Did you write up a blog post sharing of your experiences? Please link it in the comment section below.

You might have noticed that I didn't do any Narnia-themed giveaways this past month as I've done in past years. That is primarily because I planned to host a more significant blog anniversary giveaway. If you'd like to learn more about how you can win a $50 Amazon Gift Card then CLICK HERE. (It's simple, share a picture of you with your favorite book and post a link to the giveaway.)

In the meantime, I'm curious to hear your reflections on Narnia.

Until 2015.....

The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis

It was with some amount of dread that I began reading The Last Battle - the final book in the Narnia series - to my children. Bookworm1 was interested to dive on in because it was the only Narnian story that he had not heard. He was ready to listen because he didn't know what was going to happen, poor thing. Not even the title tipped him off.

In the first chapter of this book we meet Shift the Ape and Puzzle the Donkey. We get the idea that the Ape is a mischievous thing, but after all the build up over reading this title, Bookworm1 declared the story "boring." We moved along to chapter 2 and things got dicey when a couple of Calormene heads rolled. From that moment on, Bookworm1 was riveted as was Bookworm2 who loves reading about a good battle every now and again. If battles were what Bookworm2 wanted, battles were definitely what he was going to get. I can't believe Hollywood hasn't dipped their toes into this one! It has everything the modern audience wants: good guys, bad guys, not-so-sure guys, heads being lopped off and fantastic battle scenes between fantastic creatures. While it is perfect food for Hollywood though, I'm not so sure I would necessarily trust them to this!

The Last Battle has a lot of battles in it, as the title might suggest to you. It tells us of the last king of Narnia - King Tirian - who discovers the talking beast and earth men falling for a false Aslan. All of Narnia lives in fear and confusion as Shift the Ape spreads lies about Who Aslan is and what His demands are for His creatures. Shift teaches fear apart from love and places the Narnians under the heavy yoke of Calermene slavery. It is too much to bear and King Tirian is hopelessly - but bravely - fighting back with a little help from some old friends of Narnia.

Throughout this book, hope is battling against despair and I have to tell you that I was becoming extremely emotional as I waded through the chapters. When Narnians began fighting Narnians my day was just about ruined. Jonathan came home from work and I told him I was really quite upset due to the fact that the Narnian dwarfs had turned against Aslan in a very violent way. The kids were wondering why I was crying. (Yes. I was pathetic. But it was really horrible and all my dread of the book was staring me straight in the face. Oh, I hated it.) I told Bookworm1 that we were going to have to speed through to the end of the book so that I could just get the inevitable over with. The kids looked at me completely mystified displaying lopsided grins of curiosity as we read on.

Then. THEN! Narnia fell. Oh, friends. It was a dark day . . . but for Aslan! Somehow, someway Lewis wrote me into the depths of despair and then wrote me out of it with hope, delight and joy. Narnia came to a close but the kings and queens of Narnia then entered Aslan's country. I turned the pages (having forgotten myself how this all played out because I avoid this book as a general rule, not caring to feel it) and was greeted by my old friend Reepicheep. I paused to cry again. This time the kids were snickering at me as I wiped tears away telling them how happy this story was. Reep! He was alive and well and whole and so were all of our friends: the Beavers, Mr. Tumnus, Puddleglum and every Narnian character that we have ever known and loved (minus one, of course).

My heart could barely contain the joy. Why? Why was this story so impacting? Because since I first read this book I have tasted the bitterness of death in losing several beloved family members. The feelings of darkness, despair and loneliness can weight so heavily on one's heart and Lewis's writing brought the pain back up to the surface where I could feel and taste it again. Oh, how I hate sin and death. The darkness of death has to be walked through, yes, but not without a promise -

He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Death is a villain, but Christ is the Victor. The pain of losing those we love is so very great as to be overwhelming at times. The pain makes you short of breath and has you grasping for any signs of hope. Of course, there is hope in Christ. And the picture Lewis paints of death defeated - for me - is tremendously moving. Reepicheep stood at the gate welcoming everyone in. The Old friends and warriors of Narnia ran up to greet the kings and queens newly arrived. I wept thinking about how joyful a moment it will be when I see my loved ones once again. And though I love my life here on earth very well, Lewis made me feel and begin to know that this all pales in comparison to "Aslan's country." I wept for joy; I wept for hope restored; I wept for things I haven't previously understood and still do not fully understand. I wept because death really does lose its sting and Christ really does reign victorious.

The kids, of course, didn't see this as clearly as I did. However, I had them in rapt attention as I struggled to keep my voice steady while reading the last two chapters. At the end, Bookworm2 declared that we should "read it again!" as a "Bible story book!" and Lewis' plan to write a "great supposal" which would introduce children to concepts in Christianity met with instant success in our household. I smiled some more as I wiped away a few additional tears, unashamedly. I think it is important to let your kids see you weep in despair and also for joy. Tears are just another way of sharing truth with others if we'll consent to let them fall without trying to hide or wipe them away. Life is a battle but the victory is already won. I hope my kids know this every day that they are alive. I pray they will always be moving further up and further in alongside me. This life - as depicted in part in a magical world called Narnia - is the greatest adventure.

"But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis

This is only my third time reading The Horse and His Boy, the last time being in 2008! The reason for this is that I have long held to the belief that this story is my least favorite in the Narnia series. However, I am reading through the series with my kids and this was the next title up. With a groan (truly) I pulled it from the shelves and braced myself to re-read it. And oh how glad I am that I did! This time, the story spoke loudly to me.

I am grinning at myself over my about-face when it comes to this book. As I said, the last time I read this book was in 2008. Life presented one of its hardest challenges to us in 2009 (worst year ever) and although many of the issues have resolved themselves since that time, 2009 will always be impressed upon our memories as being used by God to shake us up and shake us out of some bad situations and some bad attitudes. Enter: The Horse and His Boy.

This title is all about challenges and how God uses things, people, and situations (which might look awful to us) to bring about good. He uses the "bad" in our lives to change us and to make us into the people He wants us to be and that is what all of the characters in this particular Narnian story happen to learn.

The premise, if you are unfamiliar with it, is as follows:

Fourteen years into the Pevansies' reign as kings and queens in Narnia, in the southern land of Calormen, a boy named Shasta lives with an old fisherman whom he believes to be his father. Shasta and his "father" take in a nobleman (a Tarkaan) for a night's stay and in eavesdropping on a conversation between the fisherman and Tarkaan, Shasta discovers that the fisherman is not really his father. Shasta discovers two additional things: 1. the nobleman's horse is a talking Narnian horse; and 2. Shasta himself is of northern descent. The horse, Bree, and Shasta agree to run away together, "To Narnia and the north!" Along the way they meet up with the high-spirited Aravis and her talking horse, Hwin. The four join forces and commit to traveling to Narnia together. To get there, they must cross a huge dessert and high mountains. The foursome also must outrun their enemies and give warning to Archenland and Narnia of an impending attack by the Calormens. It is quite the adventure story, full of difficulties which must be overcome.

The book starts out quite slow though, with Lewis trying to incorporate archaic language. There is (in my ever so humble estimation) an overuse of the words "thee" and "thou" which I could do without. The vocabulary was a bit confusing and I think the first few chapters of the story rather flew over the heads of my kids. I honestly don't know that they got anything out of the first part of the book. All the while, I was regretting the read and wishing that I was entering the wardrobe again instead of crossing the desert. But a book series is a book series and you can't skip parts or you'll miss important things. So we pressed on!

When we'd reached the middle of the book things started to pick up for all of us. Lewis fell into his "usual" Narnia writing style and began using words and language patterns which make sense to our modern ears. That allowed us all to begin engaging with the story a bit more. By the end of the book I found myself in a flood of tears, just as I usually do when I'm in Narnia. I realized that I loved this book just as much as the others. I might even appreciate it more than some of the others in the series for the message which combines struggle and hope for the victory.

Here are some passages which I marked as being particularly meaningful to me:

Shasta and Bree are conversing and Bree fails to show verbal honor to the leader of the Calormen.

"I say," put in Shasta in a rather shocked voice, "oughtn't you to say 'May he live forever'?"
"Why?" asked the Horse. "I'm a free Narnian. And why should I talk slaves' and fools' talk? I don't want him to live forever, and I know he's not going to live forever whether I want him to or not. And I can see you're from the free north too. No more of this southern jargon between you and me!"

This passage from the Bible popped into my head:

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:17-25

When we become Christians, we are to "put off" the old man and his sinful ways and habits. Our actions should change and so should our speech. Why should we talk foolish talk? We are to be made holy, as He is holy. (Lev. 20:26)

Switching to a different subject entirely, there is a different passage which talks about how Hwin and Bree were running to stay ahead of the enemy. Bree was slacking off and being lazy about pushing himself to keep on keeping on. Lewis writes of Bree's condition:

". . . [I]f Bree had had a Tarkaan on his back at that moment to make him go on, he would have found that he was good for several hours hard going. But one of the worst results of being a slave and being forced to do things is that when there is no-one to force you any more you find you have almost lost the power of forcing yourself."

I made mental note to apply this idea of training a person to disciple themselves (as opposed to training them to obey you always) to parenting. You, as a parent, have an obligation to train your child to be a disciplined, hard working sort. However, you can't and shouldn't have to stand by for their entire lives making sure they keep getting out of bed in the morning, keep putting their feet on the floor and keep committing to do right. We, as parents, don't want to raise slaves. I want free-thinkers who are self-disciplined and ready to throw themselves joyfully into whatever God has for them. This passage was a good reminder to me to focus on teaching my kids to self-manage and do right whether I am looking their direction or not.

Lastly (for this post), Aslan appears to the horses. They do not know who he is, but Hwin, the gentle mare, approaches Aslan and says to him:

“Please,' she said, 'You're so beautiful. You may eat me if you like. I'd rather be eaten by you than fed by anyone else.”

Every time I read that my heart swells and I'm not yet sure how to put my thoughts and feelings into words. All I know to say is, "My sentiments exactly." Whether I live or die, I am the Lord's. In rich or in want, I am the Lord's. Everything I have is His and He can eat me if He wants. Every year of my life could be a repeat of 2009 and I would still be the Lord's. He has never left me or forsaken me. He has changed me with lion claw scratches on my back, but He did it for my good. I can run a little faster now, thanks to those scratches. Any scars are alright. They are His motivating gift to me.

To put that another way, I'm most definitely for Aslan, even if there isn't any Aslan.

But there is!