Some musings...

As I sit in the kitchen, waiting for my cookies to get out of the oven, I'm struck by how much I've learned up here in Berkeley over the last two weeks. It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed, and that soon I'll be driving back down to Took Hall and starting work. (hopefully)

We've talked about so much, but I think my favourite discussions so far have been Magician's Nephew (with Lewis "On Stories) and Phantastes by George MacDonald. Yes, I'm partial to the Faerie Stories. Some really interesting talks on magic (good or bad), love, life, why read Faerie Stories, how we should view reality, death, and morality.

Today, we had an interesting discussion on a lot of stuff, but the two that stood out to me were 1. how Faerie Stories remind us we live in two worlds (physical and spiritual), and we need to interact/live as such, and 2. why death isn't a bad thing...or shouldn't be feared. It actually reminded me quite a bit of LOTR and Peter Pan, ironically enough. Just the idea of dying being an adventure, and definitely not the end. As Peter Pan put it so aptly, "To die would be an awefully big adventure". I think that sums up how MacDonald views death. More of just another step in the journey of our souls.


Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it.
(Pippin listens hopefully, as the sounds of the battle around them fade.)
Pippin: What, Gandalf? See what?
Gandalf: White shores, and beyond. A far green country under a swift sunrise.
Pippin: Well, that isn't so bad.
Gandalf: No. No, it isn't.

i think that sums it up quite nicely.

Another quote I found interesting was in Phantastes. He writes,

"Afterwards I learned, that the best way to manage some kinds of painful thoughts, is to dare them to do their worst, to let them lie and gnaw at your heart till they are tired, and you find you still have a residue of life they cannot kill."

This is an interesting thought for me, dealing with some painful thoughts/memories. I'm not sure if I agree with it, as of yet. It seems some memories could seriously hurt that residue of life...interesting either way.

So much for my rambling. I'll leave you with a few verses from Colossians which we've been reading everyday for the last two weeks.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

~Colossians 4:2-6~