I started reading the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis a few days ago. It's a bit difficult to read through and takes more time to digest because everything is switched (e.g. "The Enemy" is God and the main character is a demon). However, I'm glad that it's forcing me to slow down and think about what I read. Too often I just chug through a book and as long as I get the main idea I'm good so this reading and thinking combination is working out well. Anyways, there's a section in Chapter 8 that I just kept reading over and over again. Now remember, this is in the form of a letter written by a demon named, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood.
"To decide what the best use of it is, you must ask what the Enemy wants to make of it, and then do the opposite. Now it may surprise you to learn that in His efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else. The reason is this. To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk abotu His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself -- creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in; He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct.....
It is during the trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best... He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles (p. 38-39, 40)"
C.S. Lewis is just brilliant. He words things so well! I think his ability to write from the perspective of a demon to his little minion demon gives me such great insight into our weaknesses as humans. I tend to see dry spouts in my faith as the worst times when God feels so distant, as though his distance is a bad thing. Just like those last few lines say, "He wants us to learn to walk (by faith) and must therefore take away His hand." It's like a parent watching their child learn how to walk. The child will never learn if the parent never lets go.... It's in the troughs or the valleys that God lets us "test our legs" in a sense and practice living and walking by faith. His letting go for a bit forces us to test our faith and walk because He wants us to learn. Even if we stumble, He is pleased! Stumbling means we are trying! It means we are attempting to move forward and grow and make progress to becoming more like Him! I may feel like a failure when I stumble, but He is pleased, and He is even more pleased when I cry out to him in the trough, in the dry valley. How encouraging that "the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best"!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Narnia
Yesterday I went to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader with my three brothers. After I got over the price of the 3-D movie ticket in Big Rapids (outrageous! and the seats aren't even comfortable!), we got settled in with our sweet glasses on. We were late, surprise, surprise, so we got there just in time for the film to begin. I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire Chronicles or Narnia book series and look forward to each movie version. No matter how many times I read or how many times I watch, I can't get over C.S. Lewis' parallels to Jesus Christ.
For example, somewhere in the middle of the movie, the Pevensie's cousin Eustace is turned into a dragon because he gave over to the temptation of gold and treasure. No matter how hard he tries, he could not change himself back until near the end when he met Aslan. In the scene, Eustace was wounded, tired, and weak after a long battle. He was lying in on a sand bar in the middle of the sea when Aslan appeared. Eustace tried to rise but slumped down into the sand, that is, until Aslan began to gently claw at the sand. With each swipe of his paw in the sand, a red, flaming scratch appeared on Eustace's body. Eustace the dragon rose up (in what looks like pain) and lifted off the ground and turned into a burning ball of light. Finally, he was set back down on dry land at Aslan's stone table as a boy once again. The best part was Eustace's description of how he was changed back into a boy. He tells his cousins that no matter how hard he tried, he could not change himself. He was powerless to do anything to make the slightest change. Until Aslan showed up and did the changing. Eustace said that the change from dragon to boy hurt, but in a good way, "like a thorn being pulled from a foot," type of hurt. How true is this of our Christian walk? Sometimes our sins and temptations overtake us and we turn in to dragons of sorts. Trapped. We know we need to make changes and get rid of sin: so we try and try and try and try and try on our own strength. But no matter how much we try, we can't. We get discouraged because we're trying HARD, but nothing happens then we get disappointed in ourselves. We're stuck in our sin until Christ comes and sets us free. What glorious news! Even though it may be a bit painful, we are changed. That little bit of pain of changing forms is a good kind of pain. A pain that tells us we are being made new and becoming more sanctified as we submit to Christ's authority as the one who can change us. Praise God that we need a power outside of ourselves to save us! Only He can change us, just like Aslan was the only one who could change Eustace.
Christmas is so close. I'm so thankful for God sending his son Jesus so that I can be changed. Constantly. It's not like it's a one time deal then it's done. We are a people with a sinful nature; I am a person with a sinful nature and occasionally I find myself struggling to change myself, to rid myself of sin and temptation; but I can't. It's not until I'm under Jesus' gentle claws that any transformation takes place.
For example, somewhere in the middle of the movie, the Pevensie's cousin Eustace is turned into a dragon because he gave over to the temptation of gold and treasure. No matter how hard he tries, he could not change himself back until near the end when he met Aslan. In the scene, Eustace was wounded, tired, and weak after a long battle. He was lying in on a sand bar in the middle of the sea when Aslan appeared. Eustace tried to rise but slumped down into the sand, that is, until Aslan began to gently claw at the sand. With each swipe of his paw in the sand, a red, flaming scratch appeared on Eustace's body. Eustace the dragon rose up (in what looks like pain) and lifted off the ground and turned into a burning ball of light. Finally, he was set back down on dry land at Aslan's stone table as a boy once again. The best part was Eustace's description of how he was changed back into a boy. He tells his cousins that no matter how hard he tried, he could not change himself. He was powerless to do anything to make the slightest change. Until Aslan showed up and did the changing. Eustace said that the change from dragon to boy hurt, but in a good way, "like a thorn being pulled from a foot," type of hurt. How true is this of our Christian walk? Sometimes our sins and temptations overtake us and we turn in to dragons of sorts. Trapped. We know we need to make changes and get rid of sin: so we try and try and try and try and try on our own strength. But no matter how much we try, we can't. We get discouraged because we're trying HARD, but nothing happens then we get disappointed in ourselves. We're stuck in our sin until Christ comes and sets us free. What glorious news! Even though it may be a bit painful, we are changed. That little bit of pain of changing forms is a good kind of pain. A pain that tells us we are being made new and becoming more sanctified as we submit to Christ's authority as the one who can change us. Praise God that we need a power outside of ourselves to save us! Only He can change us, just like Aslan was the only one who could change Eustace.
Christmas is so close. I'm so thankful for God sending his son Jesus so that I can be changed. Constantly. It's not like it's a one time deal then it's done. We are a people with a sinful nature; I am a person with a sinful nature and occasionally I find myself struggling to change myself, to rid myself of sin and temptation; but I can't. It's not until I'm under Jesus' gentle claws that any transformation takes place.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Two Christmases
After two family Christmases, two days in a row, I'm pooped. And I don't want to eat another thing! :)
Yesterday was Cook Christmas, hosted by my in-laws here in Big Rapids. What a spread of desserts! And today was Thorne Christmas hosted by my cousin and his wife/family in Charlotte. After much eating, talking, eating, talking, playing farkle, eating, talking... I'm ready to be done with that cycle. Ha ha. We really loved every minute of being with our extended families. We love them so much and feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who care about us. Both sets of grandparents are getting up there in age (late 80s and early 90s) and it's great to be able to spend time with them every chance we can. I wish I had a camera or notepad every time either of my grandparents gets to telling stories because I want to record them for future generations. Their lives were so cool! Grandpa Cook came from Poland and sailed the Great Lakes; Grandpa Thorne lied about his age to sign up for the Navy in WWII. My Thorne grandparents got my parents a huge binder filled with family history and genealogy. The information in there is amazing and goes all the way back to before the 1800s to our Norwegian ancestors. I'm getting some great ideas for baby names someday in the future. Families are really pretty incredible things.
Only two days of school left until Christmas break... I can't wait!
Yesterday was Cook Christmas, hosted by my in-laws here in Big Rapids. What a spread of desserts! And today was Thorne Christmas hosted by my cousin and his wife/family in Charlotte. After much eating, talking, eating, talking, playing farkle, eating, talking... I'm ready to be done with that cycle. Ha ha. We really loved every minute of being with our extended families. We love them so much and feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who care about us. Both sets of grandparents are getting up there in age (late 80s and early 90s) and it's great to be able to spend time with them every chance we can. I wish I had a camera or notepad every time either of my grandparents gets to telling stories because I want to record them for future generations. Their lives were so cool! Grandpa Cook came from Poland and sailed the Great Lakes; Grandpa Thorne lied about his age to sign up for the Navy in WWII. My Thorne grandparents got my parents a huge binder filled with family history and genealogy. The information in there is amazing and goes all the way back to before the 1800s to our Norwegian ancestors. I'm getting some great ideas for baby names someday in the future. Families are really pretty incredible things.
Only two days of school left until Christmas break... I can't wait!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Snow Day & Christmas Cookies
It seems like snow days are the only days I write on here. Well, actually, I don't really ever write on here.... anyways... It's extremely cold outside today and pretty much all of Michigan had a snow day. I'm snug at home with a big fire going in the fireplace, baking cookies, reading, and uploading some new photos to facebook.
Here's a peak at what we woke up to yesterday... and the reason for our snow day today:
On a lighter note, here's one of the kinds of cookies I made. They're called Buried Cherry Cookies from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I got in college. If you've got an hour to spare, these things are delicious! I love chocolate and Zach loves fruit so this was a great combination of the two.
BURIED CHERRY COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces*** do not substitute imitation chocolate pieces for semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (or low-fat sweetened condensed milk)
Step 1: Prep the cherries and make the dough
Drain cherries, reserving 4 tsps of the juice. Halve any large cherries.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. The dough will be dark and sticky.
Step 2: Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each ball. Place cherry in each center.
Step 3: Make the frosting
For the frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over LOW HEAT until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 tsp cherry juice. (use more juice to make a thinner frosting). Spoon 1 tsp of frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover.
Step 4: Bake
Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cook on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer to wire rack and let cool.
Nutrition Info: 97 cal, 4g fat, 13mg chol, 56mg sodium, 14g carb, 0g fiber, 1g protein
Here's a peak at what we woke up to yesterday... and the reason for our snow day today:
On a lighter note, here's one of the kinds of cookies I made. They're called Buried Cherry Cookies from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I got in college. If you've got an hour to spare, these things are delicious! I love chocolate and Zach loves fruit so this was a great combination of the two.
BURIED CHERRY COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces*** do not substitute imitation chocolate pieces for semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (or low-fat sweetened condensed milk)
Step 1: Prep the cherries and make the dough
Drain cherries, reserving 4 tsps of the juice. Halve any large cherries.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. The dough will be dark and sticky.
Step 2: Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each ball. Place cherry in each center.
Step 3: Make the frosting
For the frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over LOW HEAT until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 tsp cherry juice. (use more juice to make a thinner frosting). Spoon 1 tsp of frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover.
Step 4: Bake
Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cook on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer to wire rack and let cool.
Nutrition Info: 97 cal, 4g fat, 13mg chol, 56mg sodium, 14g carb, 0g fiber, 1g protein
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