inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view.

Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5^th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God.

C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with deep and rich roots in the truth of God.

Here are a few quotes from Lewis that continue to grab my attention:

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”

“Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone you will presently come to love him.”

Let me stop right there and say a huge AMEN. For years I have seen people who are stuck on themselves change as they simply chose to act differently. By serving others we find purpose. By acting on what the Bible says our lives are changed. Love is a gift from God.

1 John 4:19 NLT

We love each other because he loved us first.

May our lives be marked by love. God loved us, and we love others. We come to understand that God loves us no matter what. For some people that is hard to grasp. Read on:

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

"The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self--all your wishes and precautions--to Christ." Mere Christianity

Hand yourself over to God. That is right but not easy. God is real. He loves us and continues to see our potential and His grace coming alive through our relationships. My prayer is that those closest to me will believe that the best is yet to come, and that they will allow God to live through them. I want that for me and for others. Believe it.

"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." Mere Christianity

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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