THE INKLINGS

FAITH (by Justin Wiggins)

Darren — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:28:24 +0000

: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.”-J.R.R.Tolkien

Lately I have been reading through Thomas Wolfe’s “Look Homeward Angel” and all through the book there is this sense of being lost in the universe and the gods are silent. I can only appreciate Wolfe’s view in it’s raw honesty. One cannot but be moved by the cry of his heart through his words. Every human being on this planet, whether they be of great faith or no, have felt this same thing. I remember a painful experience of my own a few years ago where I was really wrestling with a lot of existential questions and really stepped back from Christianity.Through the influence of C.S.Lewis,George Macdonald, other writers, and really good friends I eventually came back to accept Christ,but the journey to that is still fresh in my mind: the haunting feeling that what I had always thought was true was really just wishful thinking. It took that experience to get where I am now and have grown much in my faith. Faith is one of the most important virtues to the human race. We put faith in people,in our worldviews, in our cars when we drive, in airplanes, and many other things we use on a daily basis. Faith is not, as popurlarly believed, “what we know to be untrue.” Faith is based on reason, but not soley on reason alone. It requires that trust when something unexpected happens, when you find yourself in surprising circumstances-trust that we are not alone and that life is worth living. And don’t we all find ourselves in surprising circumstances all the time? Reading through The Lord of the Rings again has been a huge reminder of faith and it’s importance. What a poweful narrative filled with the triumph of beauty and hope over darkness and despair! J.R.R.Tolkien’s extrodinary work has again had a powerful effect on me and gained my appreciation of it much more. It was just such a sweet reminder also of no matter where you might be at in life, there is always hope and we are never alone.

Aiming at Heaven (by Miranda Kendrick)

Darren — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:16 +0000

"Be Still....and know."

Heaven is so majestic that our minds cannot even begin to comprehend its glory. And being on earth just complicates things. We can only see what is before us: the physical. Like right now I’m obviously looking at my laptop. It’s a part of this physical world, and has no connection with Heaven. When first reading this statement by Lewis I was astounded by its meaning.

If you are a Christian, you will go to Heaven when you pass from this world. Therefore, Heaven should be our constant goal. But we are on earth, and we have to constantly battle with what our eyes see in the physical; and if Christians aren’t careful we can easily be consumed with earth. This world can become a deadly trap if we do not first set our gaze on Heaven. God created earth, and without Him, it has no meaning. Some people would interpret this statement by saying that Lewis meant to constantly think about death and getting to go to Heaven. I completely disagree. Yes, when Christians die they go to Heaven; but what’s the purpose of Heaven if we do not see it before we go there. When I went to Washington D.C, I had seen pictures of the White House and the many memorials; but nothing compares to see it for yourself. This is how we are to view Heaven. We can only see pictures of the glory of Heaven, but nothing will compare to actually being there in the presence of your Creator. But if we do not even get pictures, then how will we ever now the real thing exists.

The dictionary defines aim as to strive- the act of aiming or directing anything at or toward a particular point or target.

So what is aiming at Heaven? It’s exactly that! Everything you do on Earth should be aimed at Heaven. Only those who aim at Heaven truly know what Heaven is. They have a vision. Right now I’m writing on a laptop, it has no meaning whatsoever; but when I’m aiming at Heaven the very thing I am doing becomes eternal: it becomes Heavenly. This is also called full filling His will. Heaven is not just some made up world that we dream of going to one day. It is meant to be discovered, treasured, and lived. The problem with so many Christians is that they are doing the very opposite. They dream of the day they die and go to Heaven but never first see it on Earth.

This is the whole purpose of what Lewis is trying to say. He is trying to tell us we need to have Heaven as our constant goal. Not to die and go there, but to actually have a piece of Heaven with you wherever you go. When you are aiming at Heaven you will not use the physical things of this world the same way. I believe Lewis knew this better than anyone. Besides, we have Narnia………..

Miranda Joy Kendrick is a senior in high school and was “born in a small town” (thank you, Mr. Mellencamp) in the grand state of Tennessee. She lives with her brother Holt (14) and her little sister Emma (12). Her mother has home schooled Miranda giving her a passion to read, write and talk about history and literature. Miranda is the founder of the Jr. Inklings and very passionate about the writings and legacy of C. S. Lewis. She acknowledges that she is “led by God” in order to find a college where she can excel at what she loves most: History & Literature. In the coming days, Miranda plans on writing more essays as her new Inklings group takes flight.

Reflections on Experience (by Justin Wiggins)

Darren — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:05:53 +0000

: Jack Lewis ‘striking’ a poise.

Over some coffee in the early morning hours I was talking with a friend about the significance of each tiny moment. It is an incredble thing to reflect on:just the richness of experience and how this decision leads you down the path you are on. Often on this path things seem to get really foggy and we really feel stuck. I know those moments of dread and confusion and anger. I was really moved when I was reading through Frederick Buechner’s memoir and he described an experience of his when he was just parked in front of a market in Vermont and just full of anxiety and depressed. Then he noticed a car with the license plate that said “Trust.” That honesty I so much resonated with. I think back to the opening night of the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part 2. Every single person in that room listened to the story visually as it unfolded. We were all held under the wonderful spell of each moment. I absolutely love it when I hear someone’s own story of powerful moments. I do each time I pick up a favorite book, or look into someone’s eyes intently as they are speaking, or put on my favorite music. You do this too. We all yearn for this and cannot seem to get enough of it. Today I could not get enough of a fan made video for Coldplay’s song called “Fix You.” It just had this powerful scene of this girl running and dancing after she had been dealing with some serious issues in her life. She was rejoicing in that moment. I want to dance like that all the days of my life. You see there is this passionate longing inside each one of us to truly experience this life to it’s fullest,to soak up all the beauty we can. This beauty we are given through these moments is a gift from God, a gift that can easily bring tears to my eyes as I am sure it can to your own.And they are the sweetest tears.

I grew up in a small town called Deep Run North Carolina and had a Christian upbringing. After I graduated from high school and began college I had a season where I really struggled with agnosticism. Though I was grateful to have the background I do, I still had many questions and saw a lot of fundamentalism going on within the Church which made me resent Christianity even more. Eventually through the chaos and the struggle with ideas and the existential questions we all face I came to a point where I truly found the person of Christ and understood that faith and reason are not separate things. Today I am making my way through Community College and hoping to study literature and theology: whatever God would have me do. I still have my agnostic days though.

The Writings of C. S. Lewis Changed My Life (by Glenn Kilpatrick)

Darren — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:54:11 +0000

A Room with a View: What Lewis saw out his window as he wrote his many books.

: I was raised in the big city of Atlanta. My parents moved there when I was 2 years old. Dad got a job at General Motors. We went to church every Sunday at the Doraville Presbetarian Church. As a child, I was aware of all the fantastic stories in the Bible. My two younger brothers and I went to Sunday school and had a great time. After high school, I went to MTSU in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on a scholarship. I was even involved in the Campus Crusade for Life ministries at college. After college, I moved back to Atlanta, and began life. I got a job and an apartment. I got a Mustang. I had bills to pay. Life happens. The excitement of knowing Jesus and God faded into a childhood memory. I got married, had two beautiful girls. More pressure. Then bad things started to happen. We could not “keep up with the Jones’s” as they say. I was not making enough money to pay the bills. My wife decided that she could do better elsewhere, and took the girls away. I was depressed. I could not do anything about it! The job went away, and I got another, then another. How could I have let this happen? What was I doing wrong? Life was tough, then you pay taxes, and then you die, right? There has to be a way out of all this mess.

This old world has gone to pot! The times are getting harder and harder. How could there be a “God” who would allow such bad things to happen? Have you ever heard these types of things being said? That’s exactly what I used to think. How could a good God allow such disaster and a general turn for the worse? If there is a God, why does he not stop this downward roller coaster which human society is on? It was much easier to just say, all this religious stuff is just made up by man, there is no truth in any of it! We are just dust in the wind. When we die, we go back to dust, just like everything else. I don’t have time for all the hype and silly religious ways, I have to go to work, and try to be a surviver in this mess. After all, if people are going to continue to make bad decisions, this world is going to continue to get worse, and eventually destroy itself. There is not anything I can do but go along for the hopeless ride.

I was talking to a good friend and neighbor, Mr. Elrod about this very thing, when he gave me the book Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis. He told me it was a “thinking man’s book” and said it was made for folks like me who would analyze things before making decisions. That aroused my interest and I began to read it.
C.S. Lewis – “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it?”

Have you ever seen those cartoons that show someone about to decide what to do? There is this little devil on one shoulder telling you one thing, and a little angel on the other shoulder telling you to do the opposite thing. I can remember Yosemitie Sam, Sylvester the Cat and Bugs Bunny cartoons on TV with these moments of truth. Perhaps you have seen similar cartoons with these situations. Being brought up as a child, we learned from our parents that the little angel is right, and the little devil is wrong. Ever wonder why we were taught this? Someone had to think of this stuff for the cartoons. Perhaps they just know that there is always a right and wrong? Perhaps you yourself have had similar crossroads, where a decision had to be made? At various times in my life, I have had tough decisions to make. Most people do. It seems that more bad decisions were being made, rather than good ones. If I was going to make the world a better place, not to mention making myself better, I needed to be able to understand which decisions to make.

Have you ever wondered where right and wrong came from? C.S Lewis does a good job of explaining right and wrong in his book Mere Christianity. He states that this is the “Moral Law” we all know and deal with every day. C.S.. Lewis argues that Moral Law is not merely instinct, where one would act because of hunger, self-preservation or natural herding tendencies. It is not a learned behavior, where parents and teachers and society in general thought this up because they liked it. It is not a physical Law like the law of gravity or other scientific laws, they are just observations of the way things act. It is the idea of what we ought to do. Moral Law is an awareness of right and wrong. If you will, it is the ‘Spirit’ of truth, goodness, honesty, and purity, and loveliness.
These are the things we think about when we decide what is right and wrong.

C.S. Lewis – “People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, “If you keep a lot of rules I’ll reward you, and if you don’t I’ll do the other thing.” I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself.”

Every decision changes your future, small or big, bad or good. Morality is the realization that we have to choose from the two opposing ideas, good or bad. It’s the choice, not the right or wrong. We cannot choose to have a rock fall away from gravity. We cannot choose what people like or dislike.. There is only one law with which we have the ability to choose, right or wrong, or the Moral Law. Of all the laws of science, physics and nature, morality is something that we have inside us directing our decisions. This quest to determine the difference between good decisions and bad ones, was leading me to a deeper understanding of myself, and a realization that there was something bigger than myself, and something bigger than all of us.
There was a ‘Spirit’ inside me, letting me know what the right decision ought to be, not that I always acted the right way, but nevertheless, it was there. It is there in all of us.

Do you know that it is wrong to steal? Of course you do. How about this, if you saw another person in need, what would you do? One might feel the need to help out. Another might fear for getting hurt and run. As a human being, down deep inside, that little angel is telling you to help out your fellow man. Whether you help or not, it’s your choice, but you just know what the right thing ought to be. That knowing, the thought of helping, is not from you, but it’s in you. So we have now a right, a wrong, and this third thing of a ‘power’ of knowing the difference. Have you ever had someone tell you that he doesn’t believe in right or wrong? He will be the first one to complain when a wrong is done to him. He will also be the first one to make excuses for a wrong he has done to you. That should tell you that the moral law really does exist, he just denies it.

Is this ‘power’ inside you, or ‘Spirit’ in you starting to sound familiar? If you have ever read the Bible, It should. It’s God! REVELATION, yes there IS a true God! Yes, He has given us the ability to choose. We knew what we ought to do from the beginning, He made us that way. God has given us the ability to think like himself. We were made in His image, Genesis 1:27. Do you want friends that want to be with you because they love you and choose to be with you, or friends who are just with you because you forced them to be that way? If you decided that you want friends to be with you because they made that choice themselves, you know where that came from, God! He did not create a place where everyone acts like machines, and he can pull the strings where and when He chooses. He created a place where we can choose to love Him and get to know Him. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 30:15 “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;”, 30:19 “therefore choose life”
..

Everyone deals with the issues of morality, the pressure is always there, God is the answer. He provides a way for us to be forgiven of all our wrong doing. God’s wants for us to be more like Him, and get to know Him.
He wants us to choose the right way, so He gave us the ability to know what the right way ought to be. We can rest confidentially on His word to make the right decisions. They may not all be easy, and we may not choose them all the time, but He is always inside us pointing to the right way.

So, in my quest for finding out how to make good decisions, I found that there was really a God. A God of Promise, a God of justice and a God of forgiveness. Reading Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis was a life changing event for me. I let God forgive me and became a Christian. It has been the best decision I have ever made. I believe that God placed C.S Lewis’s book in my hands through my good friend and neighbor Mr. Elrod. I believe that God gave C.S. Lewis the ability to take his radio programs and write them down in a book called Mere Christianity. He has a unique style of simplicity and reasoning that reaches people like me. People who have to analyze and think about things instead of just believing what others say.

SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE (by Darren Scott Jacobs)

Darren — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:10:27 +0000

: Addison’s Walk – Oxford

In 1985, after watching Norman Stone’s masterpiece SHADOWLANDS, I became fascinated with the real-life couple portrayed in the film: Clive Staples Lewis & Joy Davidman Gresham – - ‘Jack & Joy’. At this time I had never read anything by C. S. Lewis. The film captured my imagination and reinforced my recent spiritual commitment by its honest and candid depiction of a tortured man who having lost his wife to cancer must now either embrace the Faith he had long defended…or discard it “as an ancient relic of dubious authenticity” (to quote one of the better lines in the 1993 Richard Attenborough version of the same story with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger). The point is, I simply could not get past the weight of the story and soon I was reading everything Jack Lewis had written and finding not only profound wisdom in his voice, but a friend & comrade as I began to walk the Path of Faith…

Twenty five years later, I’m greatly indebted to his refreshing, honest, compelling ‘voice’ carried through his books and captured in many genres of writing including myth, fantasy, apologetics, attractive fiction, literary criticism, children’s stories, science fiction, Medieval studies, devotional treatises and even Satire portraying the inner-workings of the demonic realm.

From my many Inklings discussion groups over nearly a quarter of a century to the 2009 C. S. Lewis Society tour I was privileged enough to participate as a guest speaker, to optioning a script about the Life and Legacy of C. S. Lewis with our Creative Consultant Douglas Gresham (watch ShadowLands) inviting me to his villa in Malta to revise, expand and CRAFT the very best screenplay about his stepfather’s life…it has been quite a ride. In 1985, I didn’t see this coming.

Besides ‘Jack’s Life – The C. S. Lewis Story’, I’m now working on another script. I’m no longer somewhere in the middle wondering where I’m going, now I’m moving towards the end of my days. And although I’ve greatly enjoyed this blog (it’s my creative blanket, warm and reassuring) I need to let it go…head out the door…and let someone else step up…because I haven’t for quite some time. A good man has to know his limitations. I’ve met mine.

My first essay was about a tornado which blasted through Vancouver and hopped-jumped-skipped over my house as I prepared for the first meeting of the Imago Dei Inklings. Those were good days and good memories; it all has been so.

But for now, I turn the mic over to JUSTIN WIGGINS and MIRANDA KENDRICK… proficient writers with much to say. And I’m thankful and very pleased they both have agreed to keep THE INKLINGS blog moving forward. I still believe the blog is in its infancy and connection with other writers is somewhere in the middle…yet on the horizon.

Stay tuned…

Darren Scott Jacobs

THE JOURNEY (by Justin Wiggins)

Darren — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:03:43 +0000

“The best thing you can do for your fellow, next to rousing his conscience, is — not to give him things to think about, but to wake things up that are in him; or say, to make him think things for himself." (George Macdonald)

It was one of those delicious Summer days with a pleasant breeze. I was on the pier,looking out on the vast expanse of sea out toward the horizon. It had a beginning.It was formed from the thought of the good creator God himself. Like the sea, we each also had our beginnings. Without our consent we were brought into this world. I found the world rather dull, and not very exciting although there were good things here. But that was before I discovered that this life is a journey. For so long I had been just going through the motions. There were experiences which I guess I would say roused me to a higher level of consciousness in some sense,but it was not an awakening. But then there came a time when I was first introduced to literature through a friend of mine. Through his influence I began to give these writers a shot. And little by little, year by year, I began too experience this trancsendence in Art. It was like everything began to shine in a completely different light. Indeed, I began having my first ascetic experiences. I was in C.S.Lewis’s words, “Surprised by Joy.” This longing I found in Nature, in classical music, in literature, in film, in conversations with people. My journey was indeed begun. I found life to be a story written by the hand of God. And my how many surprises awaited me! I was shocked by these experiences. Just the writers I’ve read,the people I have come across and made friends with, the meaningful conversations, the pain,the fear, the joy and love-all still bewilders me! It seemed as if all this was meant to happen, and of course I believe it was supposed to happen this way and no other. Yes, I still find myself very terrified at times how life will turn out or what next adventure awaits me, but I’ve learned to not be so anxious. I’ve learned to live the virtue of faith out. It is a very humbling thing. It admits the limits of human logic, and understands that goodness is always coming to us, even when we so miserably fail to see it as I have done to many times.

Tonight the word “journey” means something so much more meaingful than it did before for some reason. I think it has something to do with one of the most recent book I’ve read. When I finished it last night I was just moved in a profound way. I felt like it was the book I just needed to read at this particular time in my life. The hero of George Macdonald’s novel titled “The Poet’s Homecoming” went on a journey and back again. He had to learn home was home by certain painful,but yet humbling and rich experiences. I cannot express into words just how much George Macdonald’s powerful works have meant to me and had such an effect. He has made me embrace this journey called life in a much more meaningful way. And I thank him so much for it.

AMAZING JOY (by Miranda Kendrick)

Darren — Sat, 14 May 2011 23:02:22 +0000

Miranda Kendrick

Looking back on life(what I have lived so far), I realize that certain events have defined my life. I remember the joyful moments the most like: going camping with my family or playing outside with my brother and sister for long hours of the day. This Joy that we experience leads us to something bigger than ourselves. A knowing that was birthed in us since creation for a purpose beyond our comprehension. To show us our destiny, written by the Author of the universe.

One moment that has defined my life was my introduction to C.S. Lewis. I can still vividly remember sitting beside my mother, with my brother and sister, as she read from the Chronicles of Narnia. We begged my mother to read just one more chapter. Our hearts were filled with Joy as we learned of this magical land named Narnia. I fell in love with Lewis, and declared him my favorite author from then on. As I became older, I was faced with that same longing of Joy in my life. I began to pursue Lewis once again, and what I found was life changing. Something awoke in me that had lain dormant for too long. A burning passion for truth was rekindled in me like never before. I suddenly had this love for History, Literature, and what they could teach me about Christ; and how to apply His name to everything in this world.

C.S. Lewis defines these moments of Joy as a longing for something deeper. That is most definitely the case with me. I became desperate for Truth. I wanted to know who Christ was, not the idea of Him. These feelings of Joy I had experienced were His callings on my life—a calling to a deeper part of Him. “Joy is serious business of Heaven,” Lewis once said. In this respect, God is the giver of Joy. He uses Joy to show His love for us. When we walk outside on a beautiful fall day, feel the crisp wind on our face, and see the colorful leaves on the fall trees; a overwhelming feeling of Joy overtakes our being, and we know, there has to be something more. Something awakes in us, and we feel a purpose on this Earth.

We all know we have a purpose, the same way we know there is a God; but as you probably know, God has been ignored, and so can our purpose. We were created for His purpose, yet we act as if we are here for our own purpose. Our mind cannot even imagine what His plans are for us. I suppose this is our problem—we have no imagination. The Author of the universe has a plan for you. A specially designed destiny for you to do His will on Earth. It’s not complicated. He has already written your story. You just have to read it.

HEROES (by Justin Wiggins)

Darren — Fri, 06 May 2011 00:23:15 +0000

: Justin Wiggins in the ‘Shire’

Growing up I loved the marvel comic characters, and indeed I still do. They are characters given special abilities for the purpose of fighting crime and administering justice. Why a movie such as The Dark Knight was so hugely popular was because it mirrored reality so well. Bruce Wayne loses the girl,finds himself at impossible odds against his enemy the joker,and is a flawed character like anyone else. The Batman we can relate to on many different levels. He becomes a hero for us, an icon who represents goodness in a fallen world. Each and every single one of us has these heroes in our lives who impact the way we think and make our decisions. They give us an affirmation that in a very dark world,hope still prevails. I think of my experiences in literature of the knight fighting his dragon. The Lord of the Rings has always and will be probably my favorite works of fiction ever. Frodo is given a task without his consent to destroy the one ring,and there is not much hope. At one point he almost despairs and ask why any of it happened in the first place,and the wise old Wizard Gandalf replies with, “So do all who live to see such times,but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” It’s one of those poignant passages which always stick out in your mind and stay in your heart,and when you find yourself in a difficult moment or circumstance, becomes more true. The choice is given to us whether we will choose to be the hero of our own stories or not. Will we run away from pain and suffering, or meet it head on with hope being our firefly in the dark? I have attempted to run away many times from my own self and throw in the white flag of surrender:the odds seem to overwhelming and things just look grim. Why keep on fighting when it just gets harder? Wouldn’t it be much more sane to just merely try and survive?

This kind of thinking will not do though.Yes,just as in the story things get hard and are far from easy.But it is apart of the journey. What makes an epic tale is hope when things look hopeless. The fellowship breaks, the shadow darkens the world, yet the sword is still taken up and courage is kindled. J.R.R.Tolkien talked about how these stories of myths and legends give us a wild violent beating of the heart,as if our hearts never seemed to beat in the first place. As I reflect on some of the pain my heroes have experienced and came out the stronger I am greatly comforted. George Macdonald knew what suffering was,and when he writes about it in his works I believe him and understand that he knew the cost of Love. Dear friend, always look to those heroes of yours who inspire you and just seem to wake you up; who write,sing, or say the things you cling to with all you have. We need our heroes. And as Madeleine L’Engle says, “In looking towards a hero, we are less restricted and curtailed in our own lives. A hero provides us with a point of reference.”

Justin’s Bio: I grew up in a small town called Deep Run North Carolina and had a Christian upbringing. After I graduated from high school and began college I had a season where I really struggled with agnosticism. Though I was grateful to have the background I do, I still had many questions and saw a lot of fundamentalism going on within the Church which made me resent Christianity even more. Eventually through the chaos and the struggle with ideas and the existential questions we all face I came to a point where I truly found the person of Christ and understood that faith and reason are not separate things. Today I am making my way through Community College and hoping to study literature and theology: whatever God would have me do. I still have my agnostic days though.

Reflections from the Lamp-Post: The Inklings (By Justin Wiggins)

Darren — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:47:47 +0000

: Justin Wiggins

Many surprises come to us in our lives which are quite shocking. It can change one’s whole approach to life. Such is my story. It all began when I was first introduced to the writer C.S.Lewis. I was absolutely enchanted by The Chronicles of Narnia. From that point I began to read some of his other writings which were very difficult at first to even attempt to read. Those few years I grew more intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually than I had ever before. Here was this brilliant Oxford professor giving this simple small town guy a love for theology, philosophy, literature and other forms of art, allowing me to find a sense of wonder at the world, and speaking to me right where I was whether it was in “Surprised by Joy” or “That Hideous Strength.” Another great thing he did for me was lead me to other brilliant writers like J.R.R.Tolkien, G.K.Chesterton, George Macdonald and Charles Williams. Tolkien blew me away with his epic masterpiece “The Lord of the Rings.” I was exposed to the high chivalric romance. No one quite wrote a quest story as Tolkien did. The man spent so much of his life and time into creating the world of Middle earth which began with his Silmarillion. Needless to say, I was delighted to find out he was good friends with both Charles Williams and C.S.Lewis, who called themselves the Inklings. They met on certain days in a pub in Oxford to read aloud stories, smoke pipes, drink good beer, talk theology and exchange good jokes. Whenever I go and enjoy good conversation over a beer with a friend at the nearest pub or restaurant I am always reminded of The Inklings and just how much their works have meant to my life, and continue to still. I have days where I am just in a mood of nostalgia for their writings. It is such an intense longing such as Lewis described in Surprised by Joy. I poured over these words of this, “Joy is distinct not only from pleasure in general but even from aesthetic pleasure. It must have the stab, the pang, the inconsolable longing.” Indeed those are the words I live by, and the longing for the beautiful and the true led me to Jesus Christ.

C. S. Lewis Society Announces Tour of England – June, 2011

Darren — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 17:40:41 +0000

: C. S. Lewis Society Tour – June, 2009

The C. S. Lewis Society is delighted to present “From Oxford to Cambridge: C. S. Lewis – Apologist, Author and Friend,” a nine-day educational tour of England. With its main focus on Oxford and Cambridge, the trip has been designed to touch minds and hearts–to inform and transform. By tracing the remarkable spread of the gospel in Great Britain and beyond—and C.S. Lewis’s unique role in that advance—we seek to inspire a vision of what God can do yet again, facing today’s challenges.

The tour will include visits to Salisbury Cathedral, colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, the Kilns (Lewis’s home for 30 years), the Eagle and Child Pub and The Trout Inn, where Lewis gathered with his Christian soul mates, the Inklings.

Lewis Scholar Terry Glaspey is the tour’s keynote speaker. Terry is the author of more than ten books, including Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis, 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer, and The Book Lover’s Guide to Great Reading, as well as a contributor to books such as The Lion and the Land of Narnia. Terry has an M.A. in Modern European History from the University of Oregon, and is a passionate student of art, theology, and literature. He speaks frequently on such topics as C.S. Lewis, the Inklings, the relationship between art and faith, prayer and spirituality, and the mechanics of good writing.

Screenwriter Darren Scott Jacobs (C. S. Lewis – The Movie) will also share his insight and stories of co-writing what he envisions to be the definitive film about Lewis’ life. Darren is also a contributing author to the book The Lion and the Land of Narnia. Darren and his wife GayLynn will be your tour hosts.

A comfortable, air-conditioned tour bus will carry us from start to finish, and all lodging, ground transportation, daily breakfasts, and entrance fees to all tour events are covered.

This tour is limited to 25 people and will fill up soon. It is also important to note that one must be able to walk at the pace of a tour guide at least several miles in locations such as Cambridge, where walking tours are the best way to see the city and colleges. Our bus will carry us to any location that we otherwise desire.

Also, a valid passport is required that does not expire within six months AFTER the date of travel.

If you are interested in joining us and receiving details concerning the price, please contact either coordinator: Darren Scott Jacobs at oxfordspires@msn.com or GayLynn Jacobs at GayLynn10@msn.com. Both are working closely with Sue Bisby of JAC Travel Ltd. to insure that all reservations and entrance fees are secure and confirmed and that all arrangements are done professionally to give you the highest quality tour possible.

Hoping you can join us for this memorable time,

Darren and GayLynn Jacobs – Northwest Coordinators / C. S. Lewis Society