Growing With My Garden

In a letter dated Feb. 26, 1936, to his close friend Arthur Greeves, C. S. Lewis writes: I have just read what I think a really great book, “The Place of the Lion” by Charles Williams.  It is based on the Platonic theory of the other world in which the archetypes of all earthly qualities exist: and in the novel, owing to a bit of machinery which doesn’t matter, these archetypes start sucking our world back.  The lion of strength appears in the world & the strength starts going out of houses and things into him.  The archetypal butterfly (enormous) appears and all the butterflies of the world fly back into him.   But man continues and ought to be able to rule all these forces: and there is one man in the book who does, and the story ends with him as a second Adam ‘naming the beasts’ and establishing dominion over them. It is not only a most exciting fantasy, but a deeply religious and (unobtrusively) a profoundly learned book.  The reading of it has been a good preparation f

 Dear Friends,                                                                                                  Alas, the Christmas season has come around again.  We are thankful to say Dorothy and I are in good health for our 88 years and have comfortable living conditions in our retirement center.  Due to Covid-19, the rules insisting upon the isolation for everyone here are very strict, but in our old age we are fairly content to stay put (and take long naps!).  One of the remarkable aspects of the truly Christian life is that one can know joy and peace in all circumstances.  We are living during difficult times the world over, and our hearts ache for all who are suffering.  One may think of the many Biblical warnings concerning the coming tribulation.  To have faith is to know that all events and disasters beckon people to turn to Him; people  without Him are indeed bereft.  But at this Christmas let us catch a fresh vision of our God as a God of unlimited love.  Christ came

  The text shows us Falconer’s activities among the poor and care worn in the slum districts of London.  MacDonald himself had a large concern for the poor, and as Robert explains his  philosophy to a would-be helper, we have a good  paragraph summarizing MacDonald’s own: " I avoid all attempt at organization.  What I want is simply to be a friend of the poor. . . . I do not preach or set about to institute a program . . . I go where I am led. . . . The worst thing you can do is to attempt to save the needy to whom you are sent from the natural consequences of wrong, although you may sometimes help them out of them.  But it is right to do many things for them when you know them, which would not help if you did not. . . .  In my labour I am content to do the thing that lies next to me.  I await events."   The activities that follow illustrate how these principles work as they are practiced among the lower-class areas of London.  Falconer and Gordon rescue a young woman fro

 Do you have any desires as to what we should read next?  There are several other fine MacDonald novels, such as Malcolm or Donal Grant, I would enjoy reading with you.  Or what about Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, a novel of Williams, or some of Chesterton's essays?  Please let me know.  I enjoy doing this only if I have fellow readers.

Robert returns after spending four years in Europe, having acquired a good grasp of the essence of the ideal Christian life: “. . . doing righteously, loving mercy, and walking humbly,” trusting God.   Dr Anderson suggests Robert attend medical classes for a couple years, while Shagar goes to India in the army and matures into a gentleman there.  They then go to London together, where they meet Shagar’s mother, who says she has seen Robert’s father. Robert searches for him through London, becoming well-acquainted with the poorer sections of the city, and ministers to the people, always looking for his father.  Dr. Anderson, who is dying, recalls him to London, wills to him all his means, then passes away. Robert visits his grannie in Rothieden, and in an extended conversation with her he explains to her the errors in her theological thinking in a loving way that convinces her.  The conversation contained in Chapter 47 is a splendid summary of MacDonald’s own convictions and theol

These chapters show the working of Providence in Robert’s life, slowly making him to become the model of the ideal Christian.  Dr Anderson plays an important role as he takes an ongoing interest in Robert, Ericson,  and Shargar. He decides  to will his money to Robert after his demise, and provides for Shargar-- rightly called George Moray--to be enrolled in grammar school, where he does very well.    When Ericson is better, he and Robert go to visit the Lindsays, and there they meet Lindsay’s daughter Mysie.  Mysie is described as naive, imaginative, and vulnerable.  Later, the Baron of Rothie calls, and Mysie is much impressed by his outer appearance, but fails to perceive his real being. At the end of the school session, Robert and Ericson return to Rothieden, making their way through a storm, catching a ride on a coach, meeting Miss St. John, and spending a night in an abandoned home.    Back in Rothieden, Robert has a series of experiences, each of which providentially h

  This week’s reading shows how the various experiences of  Robert’s life–both joyous and painful, all contribute to his spiritual becoming.  After his emotions are exhilarated by his entering Mary St. John’s room and receiving her instructions on the piano, they are  crushed by the horrifying discovery that his grannie had the passage to Mary’s room walled over, so that he no longer could  access those blissful sessions.  Both experiences contribute to his growth. Robert decides  to cast himself upon God in prayer–in his mind the God that his grannie serves..  But his agonizing seems in vain, and he says in his heart that he does not want God to love him if he does not love everybody.  (This is lifted directly from MacDonald’s own experience, for he as a child had made the same declaration.)  Despairing because God does not seem to him to be answering, he decides to visit Double Sandy. He finds the shoemaker suffering from a stroke.  Convinced he is dying, the shoemaker gives Ro

 Chapters 17 - 25 In this novel MacDonald is concerned with tracing Robert’s spiritual awakening and slow development as he grows towards maturity.  Foremost is the effect of music upon his sensibilities, as he risks all to retreat secretly to the abandoned factory of his ancestors, there to practice on his violin.  In the early chapters of this week’s reading.  Mary St. John’s benevolent actions  serve to nurture and encourage his development. Next in importance is the effect of nature upon him, arousing within a strong desire for something he knows not what, a desire that can find peace and satisfaction only in a proper relation to God.  At he close of chapter 18 an eloquent passage develops this theme, an important one in MacDonald’s thinking.  There are echoes of Wordsworth here: Strange as it may sound to those who have never thought of such things except in connection with Sundays and Bibles and churches and sermons, that which was now working in Falconer’s mind was the f

Betty and Grannie Falkner are utterly astounded to discover Shargar in the upstairs room while he dashes out to his own forsaken hovel.  When Robert is confronted by his grandmother for an explanation, Robert’s honesty together with self-confidence as he reveals the truth subdues her, and she is open to his finding Shagar and bringing him to their home. Mrs Faulkner, moved by Robert’s honesty and benevolence, not only allows Shargar to return to the garret but beckons a tailor and a shoemaker to outfit him in decent clothes.  Shargar finds the sudden change extremely difficult to become accustomed to, but his loyalty to Robert wins out, and he becomes a resident in the Faulkner home.     In Chapter Twelve, MacDonald shows at length the salutary effect that the music of the violin has upon both the shoemaker and Robert.  He concludes in the final paragraph: “Whatever it be that keeps the finer faculties of the mind awake, wonder alive, and the interest in life above mere eating

The first and last sentences of our novel strike the fatherhood theme: Robert’s quest for his father begins under the distorted view that his grannie holds of him, and ends with his discovery of  his true father.  MacDonald’s emphasis on the necessity  to discover the true nature of God, with all of the implications and doctrines that naturally follow, is central to all his writings, and our novel contains many passages that speak eloquently to the theme.   Novels that depict the main character as growing up and trying to find the   correct orientation to life are termed Bildungsroman by literary scholars, and Robert Faulkner is a fine example of this genre.  We see Robert as an orphan growing up under the auspices of a well-meaning but very strict grandmother who is possessed by a seriously incorrect understanding of the nature of God.  His mother died when he was very young, and his delinquent father has abandoned him.  His journey of growing up is one of finding his true father,

  Robert Falconer is one of George MacDonald’s early works, published in 1868.  In addition to its being a well-constructed and interesting story, it offers many valuable spiritual insights and it contains a fascinating amount of autobiographical material.  It is of course impossible to discern where accurate portraiture leaves off and fictionalization begins, but Robert in many ways seems a depiction of many of MacDonald’s own inner struggles and conclusions as he was growing up and becoming disillusioned with the stern Scottish Calvinism to which he was exposed in his youth.  Robert’s “grannie” also vividly reflects MacDonald’s own grandmother, and the town of Rothieden has many of the features of Huntly, MacDonald’s home town. Note: If you are buying a copy of the novel, purchase the Cullen edition.  In it the Scottish dialect has been nicely softened so that it is readily readable but yet retains the realistic air which is important for the tone. The chapter numbers below are

  At the conclusion of a lengthy description of an intense battle with the Calormenes, Jill, Eustace, and Tirian are all finally captured and thrown into the stable into the presence of the horrible figure of Tash. Then the threatening Tash suddenly disappears and the seven Kings and Queens of Narnia appear: Peter, Jill, Eustace, Lucy, Edmund, Polly, and Diggory, all figures who have had prominent roles in the prior Narnia Chronicles.  Susan, we are told, is not present because she has dismissed Narnia as mere child’s play and has pursued a life of worldliness.  The episode in which Lucy and King Tirian confront the dwarfs is an excellent illustration of the principle that all people see according to their natures:  good natures tend to see a good world, and evil natures see an evil world.  In spite of the astounding fact that Aslan himself appears to them, in their complete self-centeredness,  they vehemently misinterpret his presence as so much “Humbug.”  Aslan explains: “You see

As the story continues, Tirian and his party free Jewel, and then with Jill’s daring they are able to free the donkey Puzzle.  The group then sets out to confront the dwarfs. The dwarfs typify skepticism, entirely self-dependent, completely denying supernatural reality.  Their counterpart is present in so much of present-day attitudes.  They boast: “We’re on our own now.  No more Aslan, no more Kings, no more silly stories about other worlds. . . .”  One of them, Poggin, is the exception, joining with Tirian and his cohorts.  Certainly one of the main impressions  the Chronicles of Narnia make upon readers is the need to oppose evil in all its forms.  It is depicted as very powerful and very deceitful, fooling a great many. The group sees a grotesque appearance of Tash–who embodies evil and the spirit of anti-Christ--as he passes by on his way to Narnia.  Then Farsight the eagle appears with the startling news that Cair Paravel is now “filled with dead Narnians and living Calorm

  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published in 1950, after which six other stories followed detailing as many returns to and adventures in Narnia for the four Pervensie children, now kings and queens.  The Last Battle, the final one, was published in 1956.  It ends with a sense of final triumph and pure joy that, to me, has no rival in literature. Certainly one of the effects of reading the Narnia tales is to instill within one a strong sense of repugnance for evil and the subtle ways it works to ensare a person.  That purpose is especially apparent in The Last Battle. There are as well several characteristics pointing to the end of an age. The first chapter does an excellent job of setting the tone of the tale.  Shift the ape is a master of deceit, and Puzzle the donkey eptomizes innocence and naivate.  Note how the reader is instilled with both fascination and disgust with Shift’s clever manipulation of Puzzle, and both wonder and sympathy for Puzzle.   The chapters

LLW, 13 - end Our reading begins with Edmund.  Central to Lewis’s intentions in writing this fantasy is to instill within a child an awe at the nature of Christ’s crucifixion and of the revolting nature of the evil that prompted it, and that’s the main concern of this section.  The reader cannot but be both disgusted with Edmund for his treachery but also feel pity for him in the utter disillusionment that he experiences from giving his allegiance to the White Witch. Because of the prophecy that four kings shall rule from Cair Paravel, the witch is determined to kill the Pervensie children, but while Edmund is being prepared for slaughter he is suddenly rescued by a party of creatures that Aslan sent.  Aslan then meets privately with Edmund.  We read: “There is no need to tell you (and no one ever heard) what Aslan was saying, but it was conversation which Edmund never forgot)” After which, Edmund meets with each of his siblings to say he was sorry. WHY DOES LEWIS HANDLE THIS PIVOT

 LWW 7 - 12 One very basic difference between prose writing and imaginative writing is that the former strives for clear, direct, and precise statement, whereas the latter seeks to work by indirection.  I very much like Emily Dickinson’s poem that makes the point: Tell all the truth But tell it slant Success in circuit lies. Like lightning to children eased By explanation kind, The truth must dazzle gradually, Or all the world be blind. Imaginative writing appeals strongly to the senses, and one of the means by which the LWW achieves the effects that it does is by vivid descriptive images that appeal not  only to sight, but to sound and taste, smell and feeling. The scene in the beavers’ home as they prepare and partake of a meal is an excellent example of this range of appeal.  LWW is an excellent example of such indirection and its profound effectiveness.  Lewis obviously wants to instill within his readers very positive attitudes towards the g

  In recounting his own spiritual odyssey, Lewis tells how he was strongly driven by a sensation of desire which, in his autobiography, he terms joy and sometimes uses the German term Sehnsucht.  It is a yearning for something more, something which occasional experiences arouse, but which no experience in this world fully satisfies.  It is a yearning which can only be satisfied by a union with God.  One of the primary effects of reading LWW is to arouse and nourish  in the reader that longing.  As you read, note in how many ways images have this effect.  Lewis presents Narnia (which suggests the realm of the imagination, or something more?) to be a very attractive and inviting realm, but also one fraught with great peril. It is a place of moral values shaped by Christian truths which require careful attention.  The amiable faun right away identifies Lucy as a daughter of Eve and, of course, this suggests her fallen condition. He kindly invites her to his home for a delicious tea by

  There is a fascinating paradox involved when one considers the nature of the Narnia Chronicles.  As one reads, one can see a great many Christian truths and attitudes shadowed forth in the imagery.  But, in his essay “Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said,” Lewis sternly denies that he began with a listing of Christian truths, asked himself how he could communicate them to children, and proceeded to shape the Narnia stories accordingly.  Rather, he began with some images that compellingly presented themselves to his imagination and proceeded to let them shape their own stories in the realm of Faerie.  And he insists that he was not writing exclusively for children, but for adults as well; good fairy tales appeal to all ages.   But, as I say, a fascinating paradox is involved.  While Lewis insists he was not writing to communicate Christian truths, the Narnia stories are powerfully shaped by a Christian view of reality and convey an appreciable range of Christian

Aug 29: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Chapters 1 - 6 Sept 5: 7 - 12 12:13 - end 19: The Last Battle: Chapters 1 - 5 26: 6 - 10 October 3: 11- end I intend to make a post by August 29.  

   Paul Faber: Surgeon.  Chapters 48 - End. Our reading for his week begins with meticulous descriptions of the spiritual states of several of the characters, showing them at various stages according to their separate personalities and experiences.  Drake is shown sharing the intense inner doubts and struggles of his soul with Drew, struggles which show him growing in his spiritual life.  MacDonald affirms such struggles for the sincere Christian are inevitable.  Addressing God, MacDonald explains: If Thou wast One whom created mind could embrace, Thou wouldst be too small for those whom Thou hast made in Thine own image, the infinite creatures that seek their God, a Being to love and know infinitely.  For the created to know perfectly would be to be damned forever in the nutshell of the infinite. Thus, as a properly growing Christian, Drake quietly passes into eternity.   Faber, on the other hand, is just beginning his spiritual awakening, as he begins to see more clearly his ow

      Much of the reading for this week depicts people helping people and illustrates the role which helping others plays in spiritual growth, both in those who extend help, and those who receive it.  MacDonald explains that when the “love-heart” of a person is active in helping others, then “his mind is one with the mind of his Maker; God and man are one.” Polwarth meets Juliet on the grounds of the Drake properties and subtly attempts to be a help to her.  When torrential rains come, Juliet flees and finds shelter in the Polwarth’s gate house.  In their whole-hearted and gentle ministration to her needs she begins to experience peace of heart.  Houses throughout Glaston are flooded.  Wingfold and Helen use a boat to bring help to stranded people, as does Faber.  The Wingfolds do it happily; to Faber it is a difficult and arduous task.  Drake and Dorothy heartily take people into their home.  In a incident in which Amanda almost drowns but is rescued by Drake, Faber labors tirel

There is considerable rhetoric in our reading for this week, contained in the conversations between Wingfold and Faber, and in Wingfold’s sermonizing. MacDonald fills his novels with his own convictions as to the nature of Christian truth and prescriptions for Christian living, but I don’t think any are as replete in these regards as this novel.  In all the authors I have read, I have not encountered any whose insights seem so penetratingly true (and I have greatly profited from the works of so many).  It is why I keep returning to his works.  Below is a sampling of quotations that strike me: “Truth is a very different thing from fact; it is the loving contact of the soul with spiritual fact, vital and potent . . . . Truth in the inward parts is a power, not an opinion. . . . Peace is for those who do the truth, not those who opine it.”   “But love is the first comforter, and where love and truth speak, the love will be felt where the truth is never perceived.  Love indeed is the

 .   One way to view this novel is to see it as a profound study in the centrality of love to life.  The first and second commandments affirm that the most important thing in life is to learn how properly to love God and others, and this may be seen as MacDonald’s primary purpose in writing this novel.  He gives his readers profound meditations on the nature of God’s love, and he proceeds to depict a variety of love relationships:  Wingfold  and Helen, Drake and his daughter, Faber and Juliet  All love relationships in this life are imperfect; the essence of heaven is that of perfect love, in which the redeemed community are perfectly bound together in love with God and with each other.  Scripture depicts it as marriage between Christ and his church.   The relationship between Drake and his daughter, strong as it is, illustrates some severe shortcomings.  Dorothy’s love for her father is admirable but inadequate because of her uncertainty as to the existence of a heavenly Father

In his writings MacDonald never misses an opportunity to underscore his deep convictions as to the nature of God, and Chapter 17, beginning with a portrait of Faber’s atheistic thinking, includes yet another excellent statement as to the nature of God that, sadly, so many theologians, who feel a need to have an abstract system of thought that excludes paradoxes, distort.  And his analysis of the atheist’s thinking is quite perceptive and helpful.   Juliet was raised under the tutelage of the type of narrow thinking MacDonald wants to expose and, when she opposes Faber’s common sense with it, it seems inadequate. When he pleads his love for her, she sternly rejects him; nevertheless, he persists, and she begins to capitulate. Chapter XVIII begins by observing that Bevis is growing spiritually under the teachings of Wingfold.  MacDonald observes that Christians grow through various phases, and the more they grow, they more they acquire a more accurate view of the true na

Our reading for this week begins with a lengthy description of Rev.Walter Drake, a retired minister of dissenting congregations. In England, the state church is Anglo-Catholic, and its members enjoy the higher social standing, but there are several protestant churches–Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, etc.–all of which were referred to with a certain social snobbery as “dissenters.” Drake is a dissenter, as was MacDonald, until he joined the Church of England in 1866. In his description and evaluation MacDonald speaks from his own experience. He began his career in the early 1850's as a minister of a Congregational Church in Arundel, a coastal town in southern England. His experience there was an unhappy one.       Also, MacDonald may well be drawing upon his own pastoral experiences when he presents and the effect of Wingfold’s sermons on his congregation. The Arundel congregation, so disturbed by the emphasis upon obedience to Christ’s commands that their pasto

In his novels George MacDonald is primarily concerned with leading his readers into a knowledge of the true nature of God and how he works in the lives of individual people.  He saw in his day an increasing neglect in the general public of these subjects, and he felt deeply that a proper understanding of, and a right response to, these issues was of vital importance for each reader, both for time and eternity.  In his day–long before the cinema and television–the novel was a widespread source of entertainment and, having a love of and a gift for telling stories, he strove to use it as a means of expressing these concerns and propagating his understanding of them.  Thus in Paul Faber: Surgeon, we have an array of personality types and our minds are focused on how God is working in the lives of each.  Various passages in our novel may seem like sermonizing, but they are among the most insightful that he wrote in his long career and extremely helpful in bringing us into a fuller under