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.

——————————————————————————–

Inklings & Intentness (the only “I” word I could find for passion)

A Passion for Books, By Terry Glaspey: Editor Harvest House

Book Review by Nan Rinella

Terry Glaspey is having an affair-with books. He has a passion for them.

“I came late to a love for books,” Glaspey writes. As a child, he was addicted to TV but it left him empty. What was missing was a sense of wonder that could best be met by books. This love, when it came, came with a passion.

They say that the most precious things are found in the smallest of boxes. This wee tome is a grand treasure in a tiny package-a sprinkling of gems from the Great Books. I savored every moment of my read. It was like indulging in a box of gourmet chocolates, tasting each morsel, letting it melt in my mouth, and wanting more.

I can only describe this book in terms of feasting on it-not devouring but relishing. Like a rich chocolate (can you tell I’m a chocoholic?) mousse sprinkled with luscious nuts and dried fruits, and presented like a work of art. It’s a beautiful gift book artfully designed with prints, portraits, and chuck full of delicious quotes from the greats.

C.S. Lewis: “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which in not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”

Glaspey refutes computers doing away with printed volumes. He cannot imagine climbing into bed with a computer or languishing in the tub with one. This is my type of person. I was very careful not to let his book fall into my bath.

Tags: A Passion for Books, Camp Allen, Nan Rinella, Southwest Regional Retreat, Terry Glaspey

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.

—————————————————————————–

Dear Friends:

This is the thirteenth message in the series on fretting and worry. It is easy to forget the grace that has brought us through. Remembering is an antidote to fretting.

Do you ever have moments of reflection when you realize your puzzle is missing a few pieces? Maybe it’s the relationship that hasn’t lived up to expectations. How about the income that can’t meet the debt? Perhaps your spirit is willing and optimistic, but your body fails the demand you place on it. Then again, you may have committed every resource of intellect, emotion, physical strength, and spiritual knowledge only to find you lack what it takes to meet your goal. You may have many more blanks on your test sheet than answers and you are reduced to chewing on your pencil, paralyzed by fear of the unknown.

What do you remember in those moments of reflection?

Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish, prayed over them, broke them and fed a crowd of more than 5,000 with twelve baskets of bread and fish left over (Mk. 6:30-44). Later, he took seven loaves and a few fish, blessed them, and fed a crowd of more than 4,000 with seven baskets left over (Mk. 8:1-10).

The Pharisees saw it all and argue with him about it. “Show us a sign from heaven,” they say, to test him.

“Nothing doing,” Jesus replies with a sigh. “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation” (Mk. 8:12).

The Son of Man has nothing to prove. He gets into a boat with his disciples and sails away.

What do you remember when you can’t see Jesus on the horizon?

There are thirteen hungry men in the boat this day and they have one loaf of bread among them. The disciples were responsible for packing up the left-overs of the miracle meals–nineteen baskets full. They have already forgotten the bounty of the miracle meal. (Mk. 8:14).

Meanwhile, Jesus’ mind is on the relentlessly obtuse Pharisees. There is no faith, no wonder at the mystery of life and love with them. They answer every question, address every issue with a rule or a penumbra of a rule. Instead of faith, they live by guilt and spread it to everyone they can. There is no practical difference between a religion of legalism and a bondage to superstition. Either way, the grip on the soul is terror–terror that you’ll do the wrong thing; terror that you will say the wrong words: terror that you will take your cue from the wrong event; terror that you won’t measure up to the rest; terror that you won’t know what you are supposed to know. Trying to please God by rule-keeping is to enter the spelling bee as a dyslexic.

What do you remember when there are more rules than you can keep?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: A Word of Grace, Kent Hansen, worry

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.

—————————————————————————–

Dear Friends:

This is the twelfth message in a series on worry and fretting. The message for 9/28/09 was erroneously labeled the tenth message in the series. There was no message for October 5 due to travel.

This week’s message is about what is most disconcerting to a fretter–unexpected and unwanted change.

. . .

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like change. It generally costs too much in people and things that are dear to me.

There is no gambler in me. To risk the known for the unknown does not seem wise to me.

The hard effort that I expend to order my affairs is devalued by the vagaries of accident, illness, storm, flood, rebellion, crime, war, and, yes, growth.

I went to the beach most summer days as a boy. It was great to play in the great blue-green waves of the Pacific. I never spent much time building sand-castles, however,  because those same waves would turn them to grainy gruel at the next tide. What was the point?

Perhaps this looking for the permanent led me into a career in the law. The ordering of responsibility and obligation in a business transaction appeals to me. “The party of the first part will do this and that and the party of the second part will pay this much when that happens and if it doesn’t work our the matter will be resolved by the process set forth herein.” A place for everything and everything in its place.neatly initialed. A good contract keeps the peace.

A good lawyer can’t control everything and, oh, does this ever tick us off! We like to blame God if something unexpected blows the deal after we put it together. We call such occurrences “acts of God” because we like to think God’s the only one big enough to override and “wash out” our best laid plans. We reduce uncontrollable change to a “boilerplate” excuse: “The client’s failure to perform its obligations will be excused for wars, riots, insurrections, labor strife, strikes, transportation delays and acts of God.”

Here is a legal definition of “act of God.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: A Word of Grace, Kent Hansen, worry

Press release from Focus on the Family
**********************************

Colorado Springs, CO – The Devil is back in time for Halloween in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, an audio production from Peabody-award-winning Focus on the Family Radio Theatre®. The full-cast dramatization of the diabolical classic debuted worldwide today.

Hosted by C.S. Lewis’ stepson, Douglas Gresham, and starring Andy Serkis (Gollum, Lord of the Rings) as the voice of Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters was recorded in London by world-class actors with an original score and motion picture quality sound design, and includes a “making of” DVD that features footage from C.S. Lewis’ home, church and other frequented locations. Also included are a bonus CD of ten original songs and a collector’s booklet.

The Screwtape story centers around correspondence shared between Screwtape, a senior demon, and Wormwood, his apprentice, as Screwtape mentors Wormwood in the skills necessary to entrap, dominate and torture humans. Most of the 31 letters lead into dramatic scenes set either in Hell or World War II-era London. In writing this masterpiece, Lewis re-imagined Hell as a gruesome bureaucracy with demons laboring in a vast enterprise. Avoiding their own painful torment, as well as a desire for control, is what drives demons to persecute their “patients.”

Anticipation for the release of Screwtape has been building among audio enthusiasts as well as Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis fans. An entire website was built to support the production’s debut, providing downloadable ringtones, avatars and wallpaper. Guests can follow conversations between Screwtape and Wormwood on Twitter, and utilize available social media to join in the discussion. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Andy Serkis, Audio, C.S. Lewis, Douglas Gresham, Focus on the Family, The Screwtape Letters