{"id":3964,"date":"2012-10-16T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2012-10-16T16:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/?p=3964"},"modified":"2013-01-28T15:51:19","modified_gmt":"2013-01-28T23:51:19","slug":"c-s-lewis-foundation-a-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/c-s-lewis-foundation-a-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"C.S. Lewis Foundation: A Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our friend Nan Rinella (who also has very graciously served as a long term volunteer and staff member\/event director for our Texas events) recently wrote us a letter about some of her experiences with the C.S. Lewis Foundation and past C.S. Lewis Retreats. She said it would be fine to share with you after she turned it into a post. If you’d like to read more by Nan, you can also visit Nan\u2019s personal blog that recounts her experiences with writing and gives tips for writers at NanRinella.com<\/a><\/em>
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\"\"<\/strong>\u201cWhy do you volunteer for a foundation that worships C.S. Lewis?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The man\u2019s eyes bored right through me, searching to expose my idolatry. I smiled right back.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t worship at the feet of this famous writer. We honor his legacy and devotion to the God who brought him such joy. Lewis poured himself out as the Spirit filled him, and that influence is still touching lives today.<\/p>\n

This is not a C.S. Lewis fan club, no dead writer\u2019s society. Lewis introduced souls to God though logic and imagination. His writing appealed to the scholar, the man in the street, the child, and the child in man and woman.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t read Lewis instead <\/em>of the Bible; we read his work to increase our knowledge and expand our imagination. We don\u2019t study Lewis\u2019s works instead<\/em> of Scripture; we study to develop our understanding. We don\u2019t quote Lewis instead <\/em>of memorizing Biblical verses; we just relish sharing his inspired words.<\/p>\n

\"\"A Man to Emulate<\/strong><\/p>\n

One doesn\u2019t stop at just studying Lewis\u2019s work. Instead, one learns from his life\u2014so mirrored in his stories and scholarly writings.<\/p>\n

A simple man, a humble man, generous to a fault, Jack\u2014as he was wont to be called by his friends\u2014was human above all things. The student, soldier, don, atheist, poet, and bachelor, finally gave in to the Hound of Heaven, becoming the Christian writer, radio broadcaster, friend, host, lover, husband, professor, and debater we\u2019ve come to know through his works.<\/p>\n

A Hobbit in Narnia – How I was introduced to the C.S. Lewis Foundation
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I must confess, as a rabid fan of the LOTR, I was a frequent visitor to www.theonering.com<\/a> . Scrolling down the site in early 2004, I spied C.S. Lewis Summer Conference, San Diego, The Fantastic Worlds of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien<\/em>. Reading some of the scholarly tomes by the speakers suggested this hobbit was out of her league. My college-aged son thought I was going to a \u201cTrekkie\u201d convention and asked if I was dressing as a hobbit. I finally read all seven of the Chronicles of Narnia and ventured forth to San Diego \u201cin fear and trembling\u201d\u2014a hobbit in Narnia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, we don\u2019t worship the man. But we are<\/em> inspired, influenced, encouraged, and motivated by the legacy of his life and writings. My introduction to the C.S. Lewis Foundation and the succeeding involvement has literally changed my life. My faith has grown through friendships with people I\u2019ve come to know through the foundation and the events:<\/p>\n