Narnia Reading Challenge - Your Links!

Thanks everyone for a wonderful experience during the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge. I'm still working my way through your links and enjoying finding out what you all did this past month in Narnia.

In order to make it easier for you all to bop about, I'm listing all of your links in this one blog post. Visit one or two (at least!) other posts and leave comments. After all, there is joy in learning from one another on this journey!

But enough talk - here are the links!

Amy at Hope is in the Word read Prince Caspian this time around.

Melinda at Wholesome Womanhood read The Horse and His Boy and Prince Caspian. She also shared her favorite quotes from each of the Narnia books.

Annette at Live, Learn, Love listened to Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the Focus on the Family Radio drama.)

Stephanie at Simple Things set and realized goals with her daughters in the land of Narnia (which included reading The Silver Chair.)

Janet from Across the Page watched The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe movie with her family and shared her reflections. She also shared about A Book of Narnians (which I now want!!) and The Land of Narnia. If you have kids, you'll want to check her posts out!

Mark from Random Ramblings from Sunny Southern California read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as well as The Horse and His Boy. (I thought he made an interesting comparison between the later title and the Book of Esther in the Bible.)

Ibeeeg shared about the music inspired by Narnia (which I am also a huge fan of, by the way!) She also wrote up a completely awesome post about her experience reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader this past month. She read it along with her daughter, EJ, who also shared her thoughts on the book. Great post!

Bekahcubed wrote some seriously awesome posts as well (and, I've noticed, has done a superb job of visiting around to see what all the rest of you had to share!) Despite the fact that she has her own challenge going to read every book in her library, she stops to re-read Narnia books with me. (Cool.) She wrote a review of Inside The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (I'm gonna have to buy that one!) Bekah has been reading The Cross of Christ, by John Stott and incorporated that into her Narnia challenge writing Unsatisfactory Satisfaction (pointing out one of Narnia's flaws?!) , The Cross Satisfied the Law? and Evaluating Trustworthiness in Narnia.

Welcome to Our Wonderland (aka Butterfly Wishes and Wonderland Dreams) and her kids read through four books which were adapted from the movie version. I was glad to see that she wrote about these. I read through the Susan book with Bookworm1 this past month but never got around to writing about it. You might want to check these out if you are interested in bringing your younger readers into Narnia. She also shared what her 9 year old read as well as what her four year old read. Lastly, she wrote a post about the movies they watched and games they played relating to Narnia. I LOVE the family interaction here!

Page Turner shared her reading summary which includes highlighting some of the Narnia picture books she found at her library. (Now I'm going to have to check my library!)

Lastly, Heidi at Reviews & Reflections posted her challenge update. I'm sincerely impressed that she read five out of the seven titles this past month! Hats off to you, Heidi and thanks for playing along!

All of these posts were interesting, each in their own way. Insightful, thought-provoking, FUN! You might not have time to visit every post, but do try to hit at least two. I'm certain you'll learn something and grow in your love of Narnia.

I hope you all enjoyed the challenge and we'll absolutely be back for it again next year!

Further Up and Further In!

The Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge - conclusion

Is it time? Already? Seriously, this month flew by and I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped (which is always the case.) That said, I worked my way 'further up and further in' than I had previously and so, ultimately, I am satisfied.

Here are my posts all in one tidy spot:

Book review of Domesticated Jesus, by Harry L. Kraus Jr.
Initial thoughts on Voyage of the Dawn Treader
List of Books About Narnia (1) and List 2
My thoughts about Reepicheep and some Reepicheep quotes. (I did have more to say about Reepicheep. And maybe I'll say it yet. However, when it got down to it, what I learned was too personal for me to want to post. Sometimes that's the way it happens and I don't consider this site a personal diary. Yet. ;)
My review of The World According to Narnia, by Jonathan Rogers

And now I'm curious to find out what all of you read and wrote about.

Because I am desperately afraid of losing links with a Mr. Linky, I refuse to use him for conclusions of challenges. (I frequently go back and read your old links and I've lost some thanks to Linky let-downs so no more!) Just leave your links in the comment section.

But! For each post you wrote up this month, leave a second comment. Because each post gives you one entry to win the following:




Companion To Narnia (2004 edition) and Narnia Chronology: From the Archives of the Last King (which is super cool and fun for younger kids to look at.)

Again, in order to win, simply leave a comment below. (I'll open this contest up to anyone.) But! If you participated in the challenge, each post you wrote up earns you an extra entry. So don't forget to leave a separate comment for each post.

This contest will be open through Friday, August 6th so please leave your links in the comment section sooner rather than later!

Lastly, I was extremely (extremely!) remiss in not selecting winners for the two copies of The Magician's Nephew that I offered up for grabs. The winners of these two copies are Welcome to Our Wonderland and Page Turner. (I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly. However, if you see this post before you see an e-mail - feel free to send me your mailing address and I"ll get these right out to you!)

I hope all of you enjoyed our foray in the world of Narnia and, of course, we'll be going back again next year. (I really enjoy doing this in the summer months, personally. But would anyone care for a move of this challenge to another season of the year? If so, let me know in the comments.)

The World According to Narnia, by Jonathan Rogers

The World According to Narnia: Christian Meaning in C. S. Lewis's Beloved Chronicles is one of the books about Narnia that I picked up at the library a few weeks back. I knew I definitely wanted to get to this one and so I read through it as quickly as possible - no doubt learning some good lessons along the way due to the speed at which I was plowing through it (ha). Nevertheless, I did finish it and I thought Jonathan Rogers had a lot of quality thoughts to share with his readers.

Definitely and absolutely written from a Christian perspective and to a Christian audience, Rogers draws from the tales biblical and moral lessons which the characters are learning, to encourage the readers to pursue God on their own.

In his introduction he argues that through Lewis' imagination as well as our own, Christianity becomes more true. Reason and imagination together, he argues, allows us to walk by faith. It's an interesting argument and one I haven't quite heard worded exactly this way before so I think I'm going to let him speak for himself:

"Over and over again, the Narnia books demonstrate that imagination is more than just make-believe. Sometimes it takes imagination to see what's right in front of your face. It's the way we step outside ourselves, challenge our assumptions. Imagination, you might say, is just another word for open-mindedness.
But we must not make the mistake of thinking that Narnia represents the triumph of the imagination over reason. Rather, it presented the triumph of reason and good sense by way of imagination.
. . .
[In] a moment of real enlightenment for Peter and Susan [where they] had been unable to reason about the contradictions between Lucy's story and Edmund's because they were starting from the wrong set of presuppositions. As the provfessor makes clear, to say that a thing is unexpected or event unprecedented is not, logically speaking, the same thing as saying it's impossible or untrue.
The professor doesn't defy reason. Rather, he insists on a more rigorous logic than Peter and Susan had applied before. There are three logical possibilities, according to the professor: Lucy is lying, Lucy is insane, or Lucy is telling the truth. From a strictly logical point of view, the third possibility - that Lucy is telling the truth - seems at least as likely as the other two. And yet pure logic doesn't seem to be enough to justify such an unexpected conclusion. It takes a certain amount of imagination even to leave such a possibility on the table." (Introduction, The World According to Narnia)

Rogers goes on later in the book to talk about how Lewis argues that the enemy of faith isn't reason, but emotion and imagination. Kick those two in gear and I think Lewis is making a point that you need a little imagination, (and a good dose of reason!) to live by faith. Rogers points out that the character of Susan allows changing moods to determine whether or not she believes in Aslan in the story Prince Caspian. Her desire to sleep overrules her desire to follow the lion. She listens to her fears and doubts and doesn't trust that Aslan will take care of the children or of Narnia. Rogers says this:

"In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argues that the real enemy of faith isn't reason, but emotion and imagination. Even if our beliefs are based on sound evidence, that doesn't mean we will always believe them - or always act as if we believe them. When we stop believing, it's usually because of changing moods, not a reassessment of the evidence. A child learning to swim knows the water will hold him up. It is irrational fear that makes him lose faith in his own buoyancy and sink. Faith is "the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, inspite of your changing moods." (Chapter 2, Prince Caspian, Myth Becomes Fact)

Rogers visits the Chronicles of Narnia book by book drawing lessons from each title. This review could become fairly long if I quoted from all of the passages I marked. Suffice it to say, I thought that The World According to Narnia was quite thought-provoking and interesting. I would be delighted to own a copy for our own home library and will, in fact, make a point of adding it to our collection as soon as possible.

There are a lot of Christians out there that think that reading fiction is a less than godly practice. I disagree and think Rogers and Lewis would argue against them as well. Imagination is a gift that God has given to His people. Clearly God has an imagination and through His son He chose to teach us through stories (/parables.) We who are made in His image are gifted with the same imaginative tendencies and ability to tell stories. I think Lewis told marvelous stories, such that we can know Christ better in our own world for them.

I'm definitely glad to have made the time for The World According to Narnia and recommend it to you for it's ability to make one wrestle with their own beliefs. As we say - further up, and further in!

This Week in Words - Reepicheep (2)

This Week in Words is a meme now hosted by Barbara H. at Stray Thoughts. I thought I'd chime in this week with some of my favorite Reepicheep quotes (from Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis.)

Reepicheep, while looking for Eustace who has inconvenienced the group by disappearing without notice, displays honor, loyalty and respect for Eustace's position:

"And a good riddance if he has, I says," muttered Rhince.

"Master Rhince," said Reepicheep, "you never spoke a word that became you less. The creature is no friend of mine but he is of the Queen's blood, and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honor to find him and avenge him if he is dead." (Chapter 6, The Adventures of Eustace)

That's a good thought on gossip too, if you think about it.

Two quotes re: Reepicheep's bravery:

"But what manner of use would it be ploughing through that blackness?" asked Drinian.

"Use?" replied Reepichee. "Use, Captain? If by use you mean filling our bellies or our purses, I confess it would be no use at all. So far as I know we did not set sail to look for things useful but to seek honor and adventures. And here is as great an adventure as I ever heard of, and here, if we turn back, no little impeachment of all our honors." (Chapter 12, The Dark Island)

****

In the darkness, the crew hears a voice and it is Reepicheep who responds.

"Who calls?" it [Reepicheep] piped. "If you are a foe we do not fear you, and if you are a friend your enemies shall be taught the fear of us." (Chapter 12, The Dark Island)

To learn more of why I like Reepicheep so much, you can visit my post about Reepicheep and children from earlier today.

Reepicheep (1)

In re-reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I fell in love with Reepicheep. Sure, he was an amusing little bugger in the movie Prince Caspian, but I didn't pay mind to him in a serious capacity. However, the glaring beauty of his tiny little character overwhelmed me in Voyage. I'm probably the most excited to see the movie to see Reepicheep play his noble roll on film. And yes - I will cry. Hard. (I cry every time I watch the movies. The deep truths of the film are very impacting. Don't watch them with me if you fear tears.)

Reepicheep is a character who deeply impacted my faith and understanding of certain scriptures this time around. I'll share more about what I learned from him later this week, but I wanted to share how I introduced him to my son.

It's great that the animals talk in Narnia and that some are indeed as small as a mouse. Fierce and noble, yes. But kindly to look upon. C.S. Lewis apparently had a fondness for mice and never set traps, preferring to watch them stick their little noses out of holes and run around his rooms. I can't say I identify with that, but I do like the idea that such a small creature can be so valued and admired. On that note . . .

. . . I had picked up a copy of Prince Caspian: The Tail of Reepicheep which is a children's picture book based on the movie version of Prince Caspian. (Normally I dislike adaptations of any sort for kids. I make an exception for Narnia because I'm so eager to take my children into this magical land!) When the Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie comes out, you can rest assured I will be picking up every picture book I can find based on the film! And I want to find a little miniature Reepicheep (or two, or three or four!) to put on my desk and around my house to remind me of the type of character I am focused on building in myself and my children - fearless, brave and true to the King. There is so much to admire in this "little mouse."

To introduce my son to this noble mouse of Narnia, we read the above picture book and watched the following video clip, courtesy of Youtube (so that he'd know that Reepicheep is a warrior mouse):



And we listened to the lullaby that Reepicheep had sung over him when he was just a wee mouse:



This is the verse that comes to mind when I think of Reepicheep and so it's the one we've memorized this month:

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

In order to help us memorize the verse, we listened to this song from Seeds Family Worship:



I know that Reepicheep isn't exactly young, but he is small, giving him the appearance of an innocent. Isn't that exactly how we view children? We are frequently surprised by how much they see, hear and know and have taken to heart.

Reepicheep had a song sung over him by a Dryad when he was very young though which became the heart beat of his personal mission aboard the Dawn Treader. What was spoken over him had great impact, causing his heart to desire Aslan's country above all else. His focus was sure throughout the whole book. I'm reminded of Proverbs, chapters 3 and 4 but primarily these verses from Chapter 3:

My son, do not forget my teaching,
and let your heart keep my commands
because they will add length of days, years of life
and wholeness to you.
Do not allow mercy and truth to leave you.
Fasten them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will find favor and good sense
in the eyes of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight. (vs. 1-6)

Checking the Proverbs (Concordia Commentary) Steinmann notes that to "keep watch" or to watch over means "to be vigilant about preserving" the word of the Lord that was taught early on. There is a direct benefit to holding tight to truth and applying it to one's life. These are action words: Keep. Guard. Protect. Preserve. Faith is not a lazy man's game. Reepicheep embodies that truth.

Looking at Reepicheep I see the lesson that he held on to a prophesy that was said over him from the time he was young. He held fast to these words telling him where Aslan's country was and he pursued Aslan's country with his whole little mouse heart. He never wavered in his dedication or focus and repeated the prophesy to himself and to others in order that he would not be distracted from his ultimate goal.

I'm not trying to twist scripture here, but use a story in a character to teach my sons scriptural principals. Hang on to truth, little sons. Guard it well. Pursue the mission and the purpose that God has over your lives. Be fierce and brave and stand against lies from the enemy. Know in your hearts that God is God and seek His country. That's what I want my children to hear and to see and it starts with their father and me. We have to speak truth consistently over their lives. We must guard and protect again untruths and speak words of life to them. No small task.

There is a lesson in Reepicheep for young children and the parents of them! And there are lessons for old children too. I'll share what I learned (painful though it was) within the week.

Where sky and water meet
Where the waves grow sweet
Doubt not, Reepicheep
To find all you seek
There is the utter East.

Books About Narnia (2)

Yesterday I shared some books about Narnia for you to use as resources, should you be feeling so inclined to learn more about the man, the faith or the stories behind Narnia. Here are a few others that I found at the library:

# 7 - Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles (Smart Pop series)



Absolutely not a book I would recommend but it's out there so here it is for you to be aware of, if nothing else. (Actually, it would be a curious sort of read if I wanted to devote the brain cells - which I do not.)

This book wants to find the secular in Narnia. Is there Universalism in Lewis's theology? It takes a post-modern approach to explaining why Christianity should be experienced or felt rather than studied or interpreted. It suggests that Lewis's religion failed him when it came to his view on animals.

Frankly, if you read anything by Lewis, I can't see how you can separate his Christian faith from Narnia. It's just intricately woven into the tales.

I DO find it kind of interesting though that the secular wants to claim these stories. It's kind of a nice change of pace, in some ways. Most of the time I see Christians trying to take what is secular instead of Christian and twist it for their own giggly purposes. I'd much rather the original work be written and presented from a Christian worldview in such a way that it's "terrible beauty and devastating brilliance" (quoting the back of this book) is appealing to the secular and is of such a high quality that non-Christians sit up and take notice.

THIS, my friends, is how Christian authors today SHOULD be writing. They should be pursuing the very best and putting pen to paper to create "devastating brilliance", such that it draws people to it. It's leaps and bounds better than (essentially) stealing from the culture because we couldn't come up with something original on our own.

In a way, I guess I could take Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles as something of a compliment. Or encouragement that Christians can write well (and mostly just choose not to.)

Ok, that's way more than I meant to say....

Moving on.

#8 - Into the Wardrobe: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles



Looks to be a basic overview and look into the Wardrobe and the Narnia series. This book is written by David C. Downing who, according to the book flap, is a "leading C.S. Lewis expert, award-winning author, and professor of English at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania." He has written many articles about Lewis that have appeared in Christianity Today. If you're interested, you can read this Q&A With Downing about Into the Wardrobe.

#9 - The World According to Narnia: Christian Meaning in C. S. Lewis's Beloved Chronicles



From the back cover: "Readers will be captivated by the masterful way Rogers shows how the story lines and characters from Narnia Sing with biblical truth. The particular magic of The Chronicles of Narnia is their ability to awaken the reader to the imaginative possibilities that have been in the Gospel all along."

This one I do hope to read sometime this month.

#10 - The Way Into Narnia: A Reader's Guide



This book is written by Peter J. Schakel and takes the approach that Narnia should be read as a series of fairy tales. The back cover lists him as an "internationally respected student of C.S. Lewis's work" who has "written or edited" five previous books about Lewis. I like the way he has labeled his chapters with titles such as: "Magic and Meaning," "Freedom and Obedience" and "Endings and Beginnings." I'm definitely intrigued and am putting this on my "Read Before You Return it to the Library or You MAY Just Regret It" stack.

#11 - Further Up And Further in: Understanding C. S. Lewis's the Lion, the Witch, And the Wardrobe



True confessions: I decided I'd read this one for sure based on the title alone. It's designed to be used for "classrooms and casual discussion groups" which tells me that I'm probably not going to be a ginormous fan of it. I'm quite certain that there are better and more indepth books to read about Narnia, but again - it's the title and the cover art. Which just shows you what a good marketing team can do! (I confess it!)

Lastly, here's one from my own home book shelves:

#12 - Roar!: A Christian Family Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia



I bought a copy of this book last year after reading Amy's (at Hope is in the Word) review of Roar! which is a guide book for parents to use with their kids as they are working through the series. Awesome, AWESOME resource. Amy wrote up such a nice review that I really don't need to add to it. Click here to read her thoughts! Definitely check this one out though if you have kids and want to open up the world of Narnia with them. I'm excited to use this one with my children as they grow up! (Thanks, Amy, for the tip!)

Ok, folks! This was a nice little stack of Narnia books. If you can believe it - this seems to merely scrape the surface! There are so many more titles that I found online when looking up the cover art for the ones I brought home from my library.

If you have a good Narnia resource book that you haven't seen on this list, tell us about it!

In the meantime (I can't resist) -

Further up, and Further in!

;)

Books About Narnia (1)

I went to the library to get one book that I knew I wanted to read about Narnia this month. Janet from Across the Page and read and reviewed The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventure in Narnia and I was intrigued. So off I went to the library, intending to pick up only this title for the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge, but instead I came home with a whole stack of books about Narnia.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to read all of these. (In fact, I'm not!) I did think though that it would be fun to share the information with you so that you can pursue the books that capture your attention.

#1 - The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia



Author Laura Miller loved Narnia when she was a child. She doesn't appear to have liked Christianity much growing up and felt betrayed by this series of books she loved when she was young. She revisits Narnia as an adult, and points out things she feels are amiss in the life of it's creator, Lewis, and wrote a book to share her feelings. I'm fascinated! Janet wrote a great review of it and I'm purposing to get to this one before the Challenge is out!

#2 - C.S. Lewis & Narnia For Dummies



I'm gonna give you my best blank stare and as little commentary as possible on this one. It's headline states: "Discover the universal meaning and Christian symbolism behind the Chronicles of Narnia and other works by C.S. Lewis." This is "the fun and easy way to explore C.S. Lewis's life, works, and the world of Narnia." It is written by Richard Wagner who apparently also wrote Christianity for Dummies. Honestly, this book could be good or bad and I will never know it because I cannot get past the title or the series this book is a part of.

I dislike the word "Dummy."

#3 - The Magical Worlds of Narnia



You should know that this book was not "authorized, prepared, or approved" in any way by C.S. Lewis (PTE) Ltd. or any other individual connected to...well...just about anything. I also got a chuckle from the declaration that this is the "FIRST TIME IN PRINT!" for this book. It's authored by David Colbert who also wrote The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter and its purpose is to explore "the myths, legends, and history behind Lewis's beloved Narnia series." Honestly, if I had more time on my hands, I'd read this one out of curiosity sake.

From the section, "What is Deep Magic?" Colbert states:

"In Narnia, the important magic has nothing to do with wands or broomsticks. The powerful forces Lewis calls "Deep Magic" and "Deeper Magic" aren't related to obvious enchantments such as the wardrobe that opens into a snowy wood. Those terms refer to ideas at he core of Lewis's philosophy." (page 31)

#4 - Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe



Written by Devin Brown, this book answers questions such as:

1. Why does the wardrobe lead to Narnia only at specific moments?
2. Where the children modeled after any particular people in C.S. Lewis's life?

I noticed that this book is on Janet's (Across the Page) nightstand so if you'd like to learn more about it, check in with her!

Devin also authored Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia and so I'm betting on us seeing a title for Voyage within the next year. Published by Baker Books, one commenter states that they can "hardly imagine a more thorough going, encyclopedic treatment of the first of the Narnia Chronicles" and while that may the base, the best and most respected Narnia encyclopedia that others have heralded is probably....

#5 - Companion to Narnia, Revised Edition: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia



I wrote a tiny little blurb about this one back in 2008 and it's one that I'm referencing for Voyage this time around. It is extremely comprehensive in detailing all of the particulars about Narnia - places, people, creatures, myths, etc., etc. I highly recommend this one for the home library of any Narnia fan.

Lastly, for this post there was:

#6 - Narnia Beckons: C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - and Beyond



This book has the weirdest illustrations ever, I have to say. They look like pencil drawings and Aslan looks part Ape. I don't think that's the illustrators intention but it's really ...odd. Part anime part...something.

This book is a collection of essays about Lewis and the Narnia series with lots of pictures included. (I liked the pictures.) There are essays on Lewis and his friends, Lewis's Defense of the Transcendent Incarnate, the talking beasts in Narnia, and Lewis's Last Interview (1963) which was a fun read.

I liked this one answer to the following question:

Q: "What is your opinion of the kind of writing being done within the Christian Church today?"

A: "A great deal of what is being published by writers in the religious tradition is a scandal and is actually turning people away from the church. The liberal writers who are continually accommodating and whittling down the truth of the gospel are responsible. I cannot understand how a man can appear in print claiming to disbelieve everything that he presupposes when he puts on the surplice. I feel it is a form of prostitution."

I'm chuckling and groaning simultaneously and have a few authors in mind who I'm sure Lewis would have a thing or two to say something about.

Stepping up on the soapbox....

Wouldn't it be nice if you could pick up a book from a Christian publishing house and know that the book will hold to the tenants of the Christian faith? Sadly, that's not so. Not that we should ever cease being vigilant in discerning truth from untruth and examining books in the light of scripture, mind you. But it would be satisfying to know that publishers did the same thing.

....stepping quickly down off the soapbox because I'm feeling tempted to name names.

At any rate, here are some Narnia resources for your acknowledgment or consideration. Stay tuned because I'll be sharing the rest of the library stack with you later this week!

Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Part I

I read Voyage of the Dawn Treader before the start of this challenge and with any luck at all, I'll be able to make it through at least one more time before the month is out! I also started listening to the full cast radio drama of the same title which was put out by Focus on the Family (and several of you have mentioned.)

I'm enjoying hearing the story come to life, as well as reading it. Admittedly though I'm getting more out of the read than the listen. I'm NOT an audio learner and tend to avoid books on tape as a result. It's too hard to keep track of the finer points of the story, I find, but if I read and then write down what I read, I'm more apt to review it. That explained, I sat down with Voyage and a notepad and went to town!

First of all, I revisited my earlier review of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. (Does anyone else hate reading their old reviews as much as I despise reading mine?) And I was wrong about how many times Aslan makes an appearance in the form of a lion in this particular book. He appears more than once in that form.

For some reason, when I first wrote that review, I seemed to see Aslan as playing a very small role in this particular story, and therefore it wasn't necessarily my favorite in the series. However, after re-reading it this time and making more meticulous notes about my thoughts on various parts of the book, my view has changed tremendously. Aslan is all over this story - in every nook and cranny! Therefore I would have to say that Voyage is probably rivaling for the top spot in my favorites of the series. (I've always preferred The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - in part because of how visible Aslan is and how inspiring I find the tale.)

Now, as I've said, I'm reading Voyage alongside the Book of Proverbs because as I was reading this story this time I also began to see all sorts of lessons that can be tied up into the wisdom book of scripture. I'm using Concordia's Proverb's Commentary, by Andrew E. Steinmann (if you click on the link, you can view my initial thoughts on that.)

A lot of the Proverbs that initially jumped out at me were ones that discussed relationship issues between the characters, and I find easy application to my own life among them - some of which I'll talk about and some of which I will not (which is kind of unfortunate because I think the ones with deeply personal applications are the most interesting. However, this is a book blog and not entirely a personal testimonial site. Maybe someday, eh? ha!)

To get started, one point that jumps out at me right off the bat happens during a discussion between Eustace, Edmund and Lucy.

Eustace, if you aren't familiar with him, is Edmund and Lucy's cousin and pokes fun at their 'Narnia talk.' Eustace rejects the idea of Narnia, and pokes fun at his cousins with this "clever" little limerick:

"Some kids who played games about Narnia
Got gradually balmier and balmier - "
(Chapter 1, The Picture in the Bedroom)

Lucy hears what Eustace is saying and attempts to engage with him over it, and wants to offer some "reasoned" argument to his obnoxious claims. Edmund quickly sizes up the situation and advises Lucy against discussing Narnia with Eustace, saying, "His only longing is to be asked."

Which is frequently the way of the fool. Raise your hand if you are a Christian and you've been teased about some aspect of your faith. You probably don't have to think very hard to remember such a time. If you believe in God, then no doubt you've come up against someone who has waggled their eyebrows at you in some form or fashion because of either the things you believe or the way you act out your belief system. (If no one has ever done this to you - then I'd start asking yourself why not.)

Here we see Lucy - for many reasons wanting to reach out and try to reason with Eustace, whereas Edmund's insight into the situation causes him to realize that there is no talking about it at the moment. In fact, Edmund is right, for very soon after tossing out this clever limerick, in complete frustration with the Pevensie children, Eustace reaches for the painting of the ship up on the wall and tries to smash it. Edmund tells him not to be a fool. Eustace offers proof both with words and actions that he is, indeed, the fool. Narnia exists and it will come to him. It is happening whether he likes it or not!

Proverbs 26:4 says, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself."

Proverbs 26:5 says, "Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes."

So which is it? I turn to the commentary and read the following:

1. Proverbs 26:1-12 is all about fools so I started by reading these verses.

2. "These verses are probably the best-known pair of proverbs in the book and have received much attention from commentators. General agreement exists that these two proverbs speak of differing circumstances. The first states that, in general, it is foolish to engage in dialogue with fools (26:4). However, the second affirms that on some occasions a fool's words are so dangerous that they must be answered and refuted (26:5) or else he (and any others listening to him) will think that he has presented the truth. The same apparent contradiction exists in proverbs in the English language. Compare for example, "look before you leap" and "he who hesitates is lost." Each truism must be applied to the right situation." (page 525)

I've heard this interpretation before and acknowledge it as my own. In general I don't feel like a fool deserves a "logical, reasoned", etc. conversation. However, when something is presented as a truth that is dangerous for an individual or a group of individuals to believe, then I do believe that fact must meet fiction. In the case from Voyage above, Edmund recognized that it was useless to engage with Eustace over the existence of Narnia. The taunting and the teasing were something that Lucy and Edmund were called to bear. However, when Eustace tried to grasp hold of something and destroy it, Edmund stepped in. Truth collided with disbelief. Eustace cannot then argue with wet water.


Furthermore, once on board, Edmund and Lucy reacquaint themselves with old friends, Caspian and Reepicheep. Eustace, scowling and bitter, becomes haughtier by the minute. Caspian recognizes that his friends are feeling a little queasy, and offers them some spiced wine. This acts as a medicinal for Edmund and Lucy and their Narnian health is restored. Eustace, on the other hand, with grunts and moans discovers that the wine makes him sicker. Truth does that to the defiant.

Eustance lacks discernment. He rails against the truth that he is surrounded by! He foolishly declares his own righteousness on board Aslan's ship and in the midst of an Aslan-appointedapproved mission. So when he is given truth to heal him, all it does it make him more sick.

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14)

"Because the carnal mind is enmity with God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be." (Romans 8:7)

This is the state we find Eustace in. He makes fun of truth and is proclaimed a fool. He rejects truth and ends up being sent below deck to moan in agony over the rocking of the ship. He cannot comprehend truth and he despises it when it is served to him.

By contrast, Edmund and Lucy who have already committed to learning the ways of Aslan, drink the Narnian brew and feel better. It heals, restores, and invigorates them for the journey they find themselves committed to.

They are excited to be on this Voyage and to be back in Narnia. I have to say I am as equally glad as I can be - without actually being in Narnia for a physical fact.

I echo Doug Wilson's sentiments from What I Learned in Narnia in saying that this is a series of books that is worth reading many times over, all throughout life. I'm glad to have the yearly excuse to do so. It's good for the soul.

I'll stop there this time around and let this post serve as an explanation for where I'm headed on my own Voyage.

Happy to be back in Narnia,
Carrie

Domesticated Jesus, by Harry L. Kraus Jr.

When I saw the newly released title from P&R Publishing called Domesticated Jesus I knew this was a title I would want to read and talk about during the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge.

What is the basic premise of this book? That Christians today have stuffed God into their own personal boxes, essentially domesticating Him, making Him smaller than He really is. We have made God into something we think we can tolerate, and certainly someone we can approve of. We like our God to have pat answers and dole out spoons full of sugar. How many times have you heard the statement from people that "[My] God would never do _______" (insert something scary or potentially "bad" to complete the sentence.) We don't understand Him and so we simplify Him, hoping to get our minds around the greatness of God. In this we fail.

Kraus writes this book to cause Christians to realize that you cannot make small the Creator of the Universe. He is so much more than we "let" Him be in our world. Kraus addresses the sinful behaviors and attitudes that we engage with in trying to tame God. Kraus speaks of pride, distrust, complacency and addictions that would drive us either to ourselves or to other sources for salvation. Again, we are afraid of God being something bigger than what our human minds can understand. We are born with a sinful nature that wants to know more than God, which makes us no better than Adam and Eve (even though we like to think that were WE the ones in the garden of Eden, we would have never plucked from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.) We believe in our innate goodness, although we have none.

The characters in The Chronicles of Narnia frequently reference the fact that Aslan is not a tame lion. Not tame, but good.

So is God. We cannot tame Him. We shouldn't even try. To do so is laughable and prideful and that is Kraus's point in Domesticated Jesus. One person in particular is documented as having attempted to domesticate Jesus - as having tried to bring the God of the universe down to his level: Job. And what was God's response? "Who are you, Job?" Read Job 38-40 to read how God declared Himself to be larger than human wisdom and understanding. I re-read it when writing up this post and now I'm a more than a little concerned that I've demanded to know:

1. Why God has worked the way He has in my life;
2. Why He hasn't stepped in to fix situations that I think He should have fixed a long time ago;
3. Why He doesn't do what I say that He should do.

I've domesticated Him myself. I've doubted that He is big enough to handle my stresses. I've worried that He doesn't have the future of the world (and my life in particular) under control. I've winced when situations haven't gone the way that I said that they should have gone. And you know what? I bet you've done it to. In fact I know you have. (If you are human, and reading this post, then you have.)

Part of my goal in making an annual pilgrimage to Narnia is to remind myself how big God is. I need the constant reminder, as does Harry L. Kraus, Jr. (He admits it.) Every year I learn a little more but the more that I learn, the bigger God becomes.

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you're bigger.
“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” - C.S. Lewis (Prince Caspian)

He cannot be confined. Furthermore, He will not be confined. He doesn't fit inside my pocket. He is holy, divine, kind, loving, gracious and merciful, a holy terror, a miraculous wonder, brilliant beyond imagination, and sovereign over all. He does not owe me answers yet He calls me to Him to learn His ways. He is holy and therefore without sin. He does not make mistakes. He will deal with sin. He roars loudly and controls the wind and storms. He has birthed mountains and hung the stars in the sky. Who is like unto Him? Not I. Not I.

Yet for all of this, He allows us to approach Him. That is something that should fill us with awe and wonderment. He will not be contained. But we can know Him for who He really is. The call of Kraus's book isn't to give us permission to create gods in our own image. It is to know the God who IS for Who and What He is. Not what we think. But what is true.

That is also what Lewis does with the Narnia books. He reveals truths to us so that we can know the greatness, the wildness, if you will, of God. Kraus calls us to lay down wimpy Christianity with a feel-good message attached. Instead Kraus challenges you to hear the Word of the Lord and believe. The power of the Gospel is so much more effective than our own imaginations and the sighs of a sinful heart.

Definitely, I recommend Domesticated Jesus for anyone who needs a good shock to the system. And I recommend The Chronicles of Narnia for the truth that it offers that God is not tame that we could know Him. Rather, He invites us to celebrate the wild glory that belongs to Him.