Archive for August, 2009

31
Aug

A Word of Grace - August 31, 2009

   Posted by: cslewisfoundation    in A Word of Grace, Devotional

Please note that the content and viewpoints of Mr. Hansen are his own and are not necessarily those of the C.S. Lewis Foundation.  We have not edited his writing in any substantial way and have permission from him to post his content.

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Dear Friends:

This is the eighth in a series of messages on fretting and worry. Thank you for all the responses. Clearly these are problems that most of us grapple with in one way or another. God is gracious and is quite willing to grapple with us.

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, Chapter 9

We turn now to a common problem of fretting–bargaining with God for the result that we want which generally speaking is the coincidence of his will with ours.

Jacob’s ambition and impatient pursuit of his destiny broke his most intimate relationships and drove him to a dark and empty place. There he lay in a hard and unyielding position because he couldn’t see any more to go on. In that night, God sent Jacob a dream of connection and blessing:

“‘Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’”Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place–and I did not know it!’And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen.28:10-17).

The morning light with its promise of a new day and improved security brought back the old spirit of selfishness. It was just so hard to give up on his way even when God told him that he would give him everything. Why trust God when you can do it for yourself? Doesn’t the Lord help them who help themselves? GRACE? Who needs grace when you are young, quick, and clever? So Jacob played the angles and bargained with God on the terms and conditions of his future even after God promised him unconditional love and grace. Read the rest of this entry »

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27
Aug

Special Performance of The Screwtape Letters Near San Francisco

   Posted by: cslewisfoundation    in Devotional, General

The C.S. Lewis Society of California

cordially invites you to a special performance of

With a special post-show conversation with
Actor Max McLean and Director Jeffrey Fiske

Starring
Max McLean as His Abysmal Sublimity Screwtape
With Karen Eleanor Wight as Toadpipe, Screwtape’s personal secretary

Adapted for the Stage by
Jeffrey Fiske and Max McLean

Directed by Jeffrey Fiske

C. S. Lewis’s brilliant, bestselling novel, The Screwtape Letters, explores the theme of spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view. This funny, provocative and wickedly witty theatrical adaptation-critically acclaimed in New York; standing room only at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C.; and called the “most successful show in the history of the Chicago Mercury Theater” by the Chicago Tribune-will change the way you think about the problems in your everyday life.

WHEN:

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Performance: 8:00 p.m.
(Includes show plus special post-show program with Actor Max McLean and Director Jeffrey Fiske.)

WHERE:

Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94596-4299
(Easy, plentiful parking in Locust Street Garage)
Map and directions here. Read the rest of this entry »

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26
Aug

Book of Joy Davidman Gresham’s Letters Released

   Posted by: cslewisfoundation    in Books and Film

Our friend and CSLF event alumnus and faculty member, Don King, recently released his newest book, Out of My Bone: The Letters of Joy Davidman. The book, edited by King, is a collection of the letters of Joy Davidman Gresham, covering her early years as a poet to her later years as wife of C.S. Lewis (though none of her letters to Lewis are reprinted in the book, as Lewis tended to throw away letters he received).

For more information on the book, click the links below:

Washington Times review

Amazon.com book listing (buy the book through this link and the C.S. Lewis Foundation receives a percentage of the sale as a donation)

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25
Aug

A Word of Grace - August 25, 2009

   Posted by: KentHansen    in A Word of Grace, Devotional

Please note that the content and viewpoints of Mr. Hansen are his own and are not necessarily those of the C.S. Lewis Foundation.  We have not edited his writing in any substantial way and have permission from him to post his content.

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Dear Friends:

This is the seventh message in a series on fretting and worry. It will be Tuesday by the time you receive this. I’m sorry. It was done by Sunday night, but I still had some work to do. I hope this blesses you.

When in danger or in doubt,
run in circles,
scream and shout!

Children’s folk rhyme

#

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907

My friend, Ed, attended a service in one of the largest Protestant churches in Southern California. The preacher told the congregation that “A Christian should never be afraid,” no “ifs” or “buts” about it. Ed says, “I wanted to jump up and shout, “But we are afraid. Tell us how not to be afraid.”

Ed raises an excellent point that has stirred in me with everyone of these messages. It is hard not to be afraid, not to fret or worry about the uncertainties of the future, and not to be anxious about how things will turn out. Life is difficult, full of ambiguities and there is definitely pain involved in living. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

In response to the harsh vagaries of our existence in a broken world, the three most frequent character traits taught by principle or example in the New Testament are love, humility, and trust in God, in that order. All three traits are highly relevant to our subject of what it takes to follow God’s instruction not to worry or fret. Read the rest of this entry »

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20
Aug

Inklings and Inspiration

   Posted by: Nan Rinella    in Events, Regional Retreats, Southwest Regional Retreat

Note: the following blog post is a repost from our 2009 Southwest Regional Retreat Writers Workshop blog page. Click here for the main 2009 C.S. Lewis Southwest Regional Retreat page.

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Please excuse the pause in this blog. I’ve been on holiday, and, of all places, to The Kilns. Yes, C.S. Lewis’s home just outside Oxbridge, England. What a thrill and what a blessing the visit was.

I went as a participant of the Summer Seminars-in-Residence for the August 1-7 session. The Kilns was bought and restored by the C.S. Lewis Foundation. See “Programs” on this site for more information. If you are interested in my tales of The Kilns, click here to view the main C.S. Lewis Foundation Blog.  I wrote one post on-site and will continue with The Kilns Chronicles soon.

Meanwhile, “back at the ranch,” the plans go forward to our Texas retreat and writers workshop coming up just about two months from now. There is so much to share about this one-of-a-kind workshop. Keep visiting this blog for more.

Inklings & Inspiration


THE COMPANY THEY KEEP: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community by Dr. Diana Pavlac Glyer was the inspiration for this writers workshop. Lewis, Tolkien, and the other men who made up the Inklings were all writers. In her book, Diana tells their fascinating story-of the influence they had on each other, their lives and their work. So, it was a natural fit to include a focus on writing at this retreat.

I believe that it’s fairly common for writers - when we discover authors whose words sink right to the heart, settle into the soul, and stimulate the mind - to devour their every work and learn all we can about them. Of course, meeting them in person is a special treat. But for those no longer in this world, second best is learning from those who knew or studied them. Diana has thrown open the wardrobe door and invited us Read the rest of this entry »

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