Narnia

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be.

your affectionate Godfather,

C.S. Lewis

This weekend I entered the world of Narnia for the first time. I sat down and read the first book in the Chronicles. Apparently, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is actually the second book in the series. The first book, The Magician's Nephew, serves as a prelude to the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. It reminds me of the connection between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Narnia. It was a fun and fascinating adventure. One of the best things about the way that Lewis wrote his stories is that you are introduced to this dazzling, new world through the eyes of children. There is nothing that is more fun than the unending imagination of a child.

I absolutely love Lewis' words in the above dedication: "some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." Those words perfectly describe what I want my life to be right now. I want to be someone who brings God's Word to life for those around me. I want to rediscover that insane imagination that I found as a kid. I want to look at story through a different set of glasses than the ones I have been wearing.

I love being a father. I love being a youth pastor. If there is anything that can make me useful at these roles, it is figuring out how to unleash my imagination. Christianity shouldn't be boring and lifeless. It should be awe-inspiring. If I play any role in creating the picture of Christ for others, then I better take it seriously! In fact, every church leader should write "cultivate my creativity" near the top of their list of priorities.

Perhaps Christianity often looks boring because it's leaders are boring.

[Random thought] If you haven't seen it yet, rent Finding Neverland tonight. It's a great movie about imagination. [end random thought].

I would encourage you to pick up the Chronicles of Narnia this summer if you haven't read them before. If you need some motivation, go watch the trailer for the upcoming movie of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was just unveiled this weekend. It looks really good.