Tuesday, January 24th

I must say, I am very glad I saw the movie Shadowlands in class today (Dad, you'd love it). I don't think I've seen such a wonderful movie in a long time. What's more: it's true.

I think after watching this movie I have gained such a deeper level of respect for Lewis than I thought possible. But not only for Lewis: for any person who has suffered the death of a loved one. I, myself, have not had to deal with this...but I will, sooner or later.

Some questions were raised to me while watching this (a few which were asked by Lewis himself):

Why love, if we know we'll lose?

Do we love in order to know we're not alone?

Why do humans have to die unnaturally?

How does God choose who should die in such a way?

I can understand how God can use death to stir the people who are left to deal with it...but what about the ones who go through it? I can understand, even, how it could stir those going through it for a long period of time (like cancer, for example), but what about those who die quickly (in a car accident, let's say). How would that benefit them? Especially if they are not saved? I understand that God can use pain as a tool, but in cases with sudden death, how would that be to the benefit of the dead?

The only thing I could think of was that God sees everything as a whole. I'm not saying He wishes that any should die..but He does wish that as many could come to Him as possible. Perhaps (now don't be offended...this is simply my pondering)...perhaps God sees that through one death, there is the potential for ten people to come to Christ. Though He would mourn the one death, perhaps He uses it for His greater purpose?

Please, I need your thoughts on this.

Noelle

Monday, January 23rd

The presentations were wonderful today! I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed coloring outside the lines . I did not have favorites, but the ones that really impressed on me were the "Childlike Faith" one, and the one on "Death and Hell". Actually, I suppose they all impressed on me (really, they did! I'm not just saying that)...these two just stuck out.

However, I don't really want to talk about individual presentations. I want to post a quote that I found while working on my presentation (on the humor of Lewis) that I rather enjoyed:

Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable.

Lewis, you've done it again: made me appreciate your style of writing, that is.

Read the quote again.

Doesn't it make you chuckle?

But it's so true...

Noelle

Friday, January 20th

"The Inner Ring" was an enjoyable piece by Lewis, though not quite as profound, I thought, as his other works. It's not that he didn't say anything inspiring...more so, it's that what he did say was quite obvious to me already: people will do anything in order to be accepted. I don't really have much to say about the essay, actually.

I guess I will mention one thing that stood out to me in the section from Screwtape Letters:

(Screwtape writing to Wormwood)
"Sooner or later, however, the real nature of his new friends must become clear to him, and then your tactics must depend on the patient's intelligence. If he is a big enough fool you can get him to realise the character of the friends only while they are absent; their presence can be made to sweep away all criticism."

I suppose I've come to this trap many times...and still struggle with: befriending people and telling myself "I'm not sure about them", but then quickly "sweeping away all criticism" when I'm around them...I rationalize, I excuse, I say "I was being too hard on them."

Perhaps I wasn't.

Noelle

Wednesday, January 18th

C.S. Lewis strikes again! I loved this essay on "Three Ways of Writing for Children". That may be because I love kids, and anyone that can show plenty of respect for young ones has my respect.

I though it interesting what Adriana said in class about Lewis...how he didn't really have any experience with children. I thought that rather peculiar because of how well Lewis seemed to handle kids. Isn't that funny? It seems that those who have plenty of experience with children don't know how to handle it, and those who don't...do! However, that is only in some cases.

Anyways, I'm diverging from my point. About the essay..

I just loved how Lewis seemed to define the word childish. Why, it almost seemed that he was saying to be "grown-up" (in the terms of our culture) is to be childish. What was it...oh yes:

"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

Don't you just love that quote!? I don't know...maybe I'm getting to excited. But just think about how much this defies our culture's idea of "maturity" or "adulthood". In this world, we believe that in order to be grown-up, you have to want it, and you have to strive from it, and put any glimpse of childhood behind you. Not so! says Lewis. In order to be grown up, you must not be afraid to be like a child.

Remember when Christ said this?

Noelle