Oh, hello there. Do you notice anything, say... different about this site?

My first reaction when I saw today's post: "An art piece?? Seriously?!"

I'm not really an artist. And while I appreciate artists, I'm not really that into art.

So I've been thinking all day about WHAT to post.

And then it hit me. The only art I really like is Narnia concept art.

I don't read as much as I used to, but I say once a bookworm, always a bookworm. Being the bookworm that I am, I've read a TON of books, and as I was trying to figure out what book to write about today, I realized that there are few books that really truly impact me. There are good books that I read that I will remember as being good. But as I think back over them, nothing really sticks out in my mind about them. Don't get me wrong, there are books that I loved while I was reading them, but none of them have really stuck with me as something I need to read over and over again. I realized that's because they have high standards to look up to.

This is literally a tunnel of books. I want one.

No matter how long you've been reading my blog, there is something you need to know.
I am an utterly devoted fan of many, many things.



I'm a True Narnian."Courage, dear heart."
This goes deeper than just a fandom, I think. It all started when my dad read the books to me. I was probably five or six, and the magic of the stories enthralled me from the very beginning. After that, there was no turning back. I love the books and the movies both equally and differently, and I am a huge admirer of Jack Lewis. He's one of the people that I CANNOT WAIT to meet in heaven, and one of my inspirations.
Aslan has always had a special place in my heart. He has shown me the meaning of true sacrifice; a vivid picture of grace; and the beauty of who Jesus really is. The Chronicles of Narnia have shown me that here, Aslan has another name, and I must learn to know him by it.
Actually, my blog title is from the Chronicles of Narnia - the Last Battle, to be exact.
"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!" - Jewel the Unicorn in the Last Battle, chapter 15
This blog is about my life, as I go further up and further in, exploring my life and the life to come.


"I'm not being funny, but..."
I'm a Hoodie.
It's the new craze sweeping the nation - Robin Hood, the new TV show by BBC. The legend of olde is now back to captivate all audiences, no matter what their age!
Do you think I make a good narrarator? ;)
Okay, so, seriously... the BBC Robin Hood show rocks. That said, it bombed due to several changes the writers decided to make that should NOT have been made. Despite this, like it or not, I am still a fan.

It all started a year and a half or two years ago when my Pip got hooked on this new TV show called Robin Hood. She told me all about it, and I thought it looked like a great show. Nevertheless,for one reason or another, it was still took a couple months before I watched the first episode on July 27th, 2009 (I remember the date because that's when Pip & Ebee came to visit). Sadly, Ebee's computer shut down three-quarters of the way through, and we didn't get to watch the end. (Talk about a cliffhanger.)

Believe it or not, it wasn't until a year later that I finally got the urge to watch the first episode again. And after that, there was no going back. I was hooded... er, hooked. I got my brother into it as well, and together we spent the summer watching Seasons 1 & 2 (my personal favorites). Season 3 is something I prefer to block out of my memory, but 6 months and two fanfics later, I am still a Hoodie.

I enjoy the show because it satisfies my inner fantasy geek in bite-sized portions, yet is much longer and more interesting than a movie. Clear as mud? I thought so.




I'm a Hobbit.
If hobbits aren't real, then what am I?

Amin mela "Lord" en' i' "Rings".
Apparently, according to an internet translator, that's Elvish for "I love Lord of the Rings." And it's true.
I've always known about the Lord of the Rings movies, but I wasn't allowed to watch them for a long time. That is, until last year or so. My dad told my brother and I that if we read the books, he'd let us watch the movies.
The race was on.
It took us a while (I mean, come on, those books are huge!). I went through periods where I'd soak in the books and couldn't get enough of them... aaand periods where I didn't want to go anywhere near them at all. I still love those manuscripts and I'm thinking about reading them again. Every time we finished a book, we'd watch the movie.
We ended up getting to Return of the King at the same time, and that's when competition ensued. I remember clearly when my brother challenged me to a duel. I accepted, and for one Saturday all we did was read. We read as much as we possibly could, and then we got to the end. Well, my dad decided to read the last chapter aloud to the both of us, and we crossed the finish line together. ;)
I'm really glad I read the books before the movies. It made it totally worth it, and I probably wouldn't have ever read the books if I didn't have the movies as motivation.
My favorite characters are probably the hobbits - especially Samwise Gamgee. He's the one whom I'm most like in personality (and maybe height too), and in fact, many people call me Sam. My Pip nicknamed me that, and it just kind of stuck. She's most like Pippin of course. ;)
I also really like Aragorn. Someday I'll write an epic character like him...someday.


I'm a Trekkie.
Okay, so blame my Dad for this one. He was the one who played Star Trek: The Next Generation for me when I was but a wee lass. It wasn't until I got to be an older, more experienced Starfleet officer that I actually began to appreciate the aliens with strange heads.
All kidding aside, I do love this show - The Next Generation in particular. However, I still do love what I've heard about and the few episodes I've seen of The Original Series.
I just love how these shows explore the human condition, and how the characters, despite being futuristic, are not that much different than ourselves.
My favorite character is Data, followed up by Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher, and Will Riker, and Deanna Troi, oh, and Worf!
Okay, okay... I love them all. :P


I'm a Dekkie.
Black.
Red.
White.
No, I'm not just naming random colors. I'm naming books. Ted Dekker books to be exact!
I read Black last year, and it was my first Dekker book I've ever read. I haven't read all his books, but I really love the way he incorporates fantasy and "adrenaline-laced plots" together to create one epic novel.
I'd probably say I like his Circle Trilogy best, and my favorite out of those would have to be Black or Red. The analogies in Red are beautifully heartbreaking. Thus, I cried.
I definitely liked the books Showdown, Sinner, & Saint, although not as much as The Circle Trilogy.
I also did get Chosen for Christmas, which I'm looking forward to reading again. Another book I really liked of his was Blink of an Eye, which probably is a close second to the Circle Trilogy.
I have both Pip AND my dad to thank for getting me hooked on Ted Dekker. ;) Now I find myself picking up on his writing style and using it in my novels sometimes.
Thanks, Ted Dekker. You are inspiring.

Finis... sorta. ;)

Edmund is one of the characters in Narnia that I find the most dynamic. He's such an amazing picture of how all of us need grace and someone to save us. C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors and he never fails to surprise me - I can always think of something new and incredibly genius that he put into his books that I've never seen before.

Anyway, I had a major inspiration kick this week and made some graphics using lyrics from some of my favorite songs that remind me of Edmund. These blends are some of my favorites that I've ever made, and I wanted to share them, along with the song lyrics. (If you're reading this from the mailing list, you'll have to go to my blog to view them.)



{Stop right there. That's exactly where I lost it.
See that line. Well I never should have crossed it.
Stop right there. Well I never should have said
That it's the very moment that
I wish that I could take back.

I'm sorry for the person I became.
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I'm ready to be sure I never become that way again
'cause who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been.
- Who I Am Hates Who I've Been, Relient K}

"I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia." —C.S. Lewis

I have been thinking about this quote lately, and how it can be applied to us as Christians. Thoughts, anyone?

C.S. Lewis was a famous, well-known author and apologist whose insight and wisdom still impacts the world today. He was most known for writing The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity. He was born as Clive Staples Lewis on November 29, 1898, in Strandtown, which is a suburb of the city of Belfast in Ireland. He lived with his father Albert, his mother Flora, his brother Warren, or “Warnie”, and five servants.
C.S. Lewis detested his birth name, and when he was four he nicknamed himself Jack, or “Jacksie”. It is unknown why he chose his name, except for the fact that he owned a dog, Jack, who was run over by a car. He refused to be called anything else. He also nicknamed his brother Warren “Warnie”, and they both went by those names for the rest of their lives.
Jack spent most of his time indoors, mostly because his parents wanted to shield him from diseases & sicknesses. Jack did not mind though—he spent much of his time reading and writing stories. Jack’s parents were avid readers and would spend their evenings reading for hours. They passed on their love of reading to Jack. Jack especially enjoyed E. Nesbit’s books, which were about normal children getting into magical situations, and Beatrix Potter’s books about talking animals. He also enjoyed tales of adventure and chivalry.
In his life Jack had several experiences that parallel to events in his series The Chronicles of Narnia, and quite a few of them occurred in his childhood. Jack was 7 years old when his family moved to a large house they nicknamed “Little Lea”. Little Lea had lots of nooks, crannies, passageways, and rooms. Jack had a very active imagination, so he had lots of fun exploring with Warnie. Later, in his book The Magician’s Nephew, Jack wrote about two children who had rather the same experience.
Jack had a nurse called Lizzie, who told him and Warnie tales and lore about leprechauns and ancient gods. Jack loved the stories, and his fascination with mythology and other mystical beings stayed with him the rest of his life. It played a prominent part when he wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, since the series features many mythological creatures.
Jack and Warnie used to sit together telling stories in the dark of a hand-carved wardrobe made by their grandfather. When he wrote his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four children entered a magical world through a wardrobe door.
Jack’s mother died when he was only 10 years old, in 1908. After this, Jack’s relationship with his father became distant and was never fully re-established. Because of this, Jack decided to leave home and join his brother Warnie at boarding school during his elementary years. Jack faced many changes during these years. As he grew older, he got into the bad habit of smoking, which he never quite stopped. He also became, in his own words, a “prig” (a stuck-up person) ¹. Eventually, he lost that mind-set, though it took time. Most of all, his atheism and overall dislike for God began to develop.
Although he enjoyed one or two of the boarding schools, his experiences at most of the other schools he attended were not good ones. At one particular school, he had a very cruel, brutal headmaster. Afterward, he developed a strong disliking for schools, and his wounds from those bad experiences never quite healed.
Believe it or not, Jack threatened to commit suicide if his father did not remove him from one particular boarding school. His father finally relented, and so Jack was homeschooled by his father’s former tutor during the rest of his high school years. His tutor was named William T. Kirkpatrick, but Jack called him “the Great Knock”. Jack lived and studied with Kirkpatrick in his village. It was a great atmosphere for him to study in. Jack received a fair amount of freedom in his studies, and Kirkpatrick only offered occasional assistance. Jack loved to read classical literature and learned the Greek, French, and Italian languages, just so he could read books in their original forms.
One unfortunate thing about Kirkpatrick was that he was an atheist, and Jack picked up on his beliefs. Otherwise, he was quite an advantage to Jack because of his intelligent, logical way of thinking. The years that Jack spent being tutored by Kirkpatrick influenced much of his future calling.


Jack’s weaknesses in his studies were math and science, and he had difficulty progressing in these areas. These struggles almost kept Jack from having academic and writing careers. His future would have been much duller if it hadn’t been for World War I.
Since Jack was Irish, he did not have to serve in WWI, and could have instead pursued his further education. But he felt obligated to enlist in the war. Before he did, though, he tried to be accepted into Oxford College. If he was accepted, he would be able to join the Officer’s Training Corps, and he’d be given a commission.
Jack took Oxford’s entrance exam in December of 1916 and received a scholarship from University College. To get into the school, however, he had to pass one more test called “Responsions.” Although Jack was very good in other subjects, he failed the Math part of the test two separate times.
Even though Jack didn’t pass Responsions, he was allowed to live on the Oxford campus and continue studying during his training at the O.T.C. He prepared to join the army and entered a cadet battalion in training to receive a commission. While all this was happening, Jack managed to form a close relationship with his roommate Edward Francis Courtnay “Paddy” Moore. They both promised that, if anything happened to either of them, the survivor of the two would take care of the other’s family.
Jack traveled to France in November, 1917, to serve in the war with the rank of second lieutenant. He stayed there during the winter, and dealt with trench fever, a disease transmitted by lice. In the spring of 1918, Jack’s good friend, Paddy Moore, was killed in action, and Jack also was seriously injured with shrapnel wounds. He was put in the hospital, and then transferred back to London. Before he completely recovered, the war ended and Jack was released from the army.
Now that the war was over, Jack decided to pursue his studies at Oxford once more. Jack’s service in the army opened a new doorway for his future and direction in life. Because Jack had been a soldier, he was excluded from taking Responsions, and therefore was now accepted into Oxford. If Jack hadn’t served in the army, he wouldn’t have received the education he needed to become such a great influence today.
Besides studying at Oxford, Jack kept his promise to his friend Paddy Moore, and began to care for Paddy’s mother, Jane Moore, and Paddy’s sister, Maureen. Mrs. Moore already had a close friendship with Jack. She had been there for him when Jack was recovering from his wounds from war, and acted as the mother Jack never really had.
Jack really thrived in the area of classical philosophy, and graduated with honors in that subject. He thought about getting a job as a schoolmaster, but instead decided to return to Oxford to get a Master’s degree in English Language and Literature, which he attained.


In order for Jack to be able to support his new “family”, he decided to get a job as a don at Oxford College. A “don” is a teacher on a more personal level—like a tutor. Jack lectured and trained his students to defend their beliefs logically. Jack held this occupation for many years until shortly before his death.
Eventually, after living in many rental homes, Jack and the Moores decided to buy a house themselves, and Jack’s brother Warnie moved in with them. They called it “the Kilns”, and that was where Jack lived for the rest of his life.
Jack’s position at Oxford allowed him room for new relationships. He became friends with influential men like J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson. Eventually, these friendships collaborated into an informal literary group called the “Inklings”. Jack, along with several others, got together twice a week to discuss literary matters and read aloud works-in-the-making. Although the Inklings were originally a “literary group”, they also discussed much more. The Eagle and Child pub, where they often met, served as an environment where they could each improve their skills by feeding off each other’s logic and thinking. Friendship was very important to Jack.

The Inklings group was good for Jack in another way, though. As you remember, Jack had lost his faith many years before. He grew up in an average Christian home, but it was “all things dry and legalistic”¹ which Jack hated. When God supposedly didn’t answer his prayers for healing for his mother, he slowly drifted away. Over the years he went away from his original beliefs and became an all-out atheist.
Jack had previous experiences prompting him to become a Christian, but his believing friends and their influence on him gave him the final ‘push’ he needed. Some of the people that influenced him greatly were people he knew well, like J.R.R. Tolkien, and some were those he didn’t know, such as George MacDonald’s writing in his book Phantastes. He realized that nearly all his friends, whom he looked up to, definitely believed in God. At first Jack was reluctant to this change. But nevertheless, Jack felt God’s pull on his heart, and finally he accepted Christ while riding in the sidecar of Warnie’s motorcycle.
Jack began his writing career in the 1930’s. His new outlook on life affected his style of writing, and his books were much more successful than his books of poems published many years earlier. His first Christian novel, called A Pilgrim’s Regress, was published in 1933, and after that, others still followed. Some of his more popular books included: Allegory of Love, The Problem of Pain, Surprised by Joy, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
His only children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, consisted of seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle. They chronicle the magical country of Narnia from its beginning to end, and have become very popular across the world. Several experiences from his childhood & early years parallel into the series, as mentioned before. The series also illustrates instances in the Bible and everyday Christian life. Particularly, it reflects good triumphing over evil, and the sacrifices that the Lord makes for us. Many people have been changed by that series alone, and possibly even learned the truth of Christ.
Jack married Joy Davidman Gresham, an American single mother of two sons in 1956. Joy was the only woman Jack knew that was compatible with him and on the same level as he was intellectually. Shortly before they were married, they discovered that Joy had terminal bone cancer. She passed away four years later, and this was very devastating to Jack. As a result, he wrote the book A Grief Observed, which was a way for him to deal with his loss.
Jack lived the rest of his life in relative quiet. In 1961, Jack was diagnosed with inflammation of the kidneys, which became blood poisoning. He gradually became better, but fell ill in mid-July of 1963. He declined quickly and was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. On November 22, 1963, one week before his 65th birthday, Jack collapsed in his bedroom, and a mere few minutes later, he went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jack’s death was on the same day as President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, so it was almost entirely unnoticed by the press, which is the way he probably would have liked it. Jack was buried at Holy Trinity Church, in Headington, Oxford. He was missed by many, and to this day, Jack’s legacy lives on in many homes through his profound views, insightful writings, and overall example.

Bibliography

1. Wagner, Richard. C.S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies
Indianapolis, IN. Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2005

2. Gresham, Douglas. Jack’s Life
Nashville TN. Broadman & Holman Publishers. 2005.

3. Wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.S._Lewis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Gresham

4. Sibley, Brian. The Land of Narnia
New York, NY. Harper Collins Children’s books, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. 1989.

All citations are marked with the number of the book that the quote was taken from.

**** This entry contains spoilers about the movie Prince Caspian. I would not recommend reading this before you've seen the movie.****

Today, Prince Caspian officially arrives in theaters!!! (in America, at least.)

I received tickets last month for my birthday. So, earlier today, my brother, dad, and I attended the earliest morning showing of Prince Caspian. I was so excited! Yesterday I was going crazy knowing that around the same time tomorrow, I'd be at the theater!

I slept rather late, so when it was time to go we were pretty rushed. I just had time to put on my cape that my grandma made me for my birthday. It is a beautiful strawberry-red color, and so pretty! It's very Narnian, too. Hopefully I can post pictures soon. Anyway, I loved wearing it to the theater! I felt just like I was Lucy or Susan.

The drive to the theater felt like a long time. But, though I didn't know it then, the wait was definitely worth it.

If I had to pick one word to describe the movie, it would be AWESOME!! Although we were worried about how the movie turned out, I think we really underestimated the production team & Douglas Gresham. They did a wonderful job making everything flow together. It is especially incredible how well they made things work, because of how hard the plot must have been to adapt.

That to say, there were some down sides to the movie. Caspian & Susan do kiss; and there is some rivalry between Peter & Caspian. However, it is not as bad as we made it out to be. The Caspian/Peter rivalry shows how Peter has reacted to coming back to Narnia after hundreds of years. And although I do not particularly like the kiss, it is not *so* bad since it reflects Susan of the way she'll become in the Last Battle. The fact that Susan is the one that initiates the kiss is of some comfort. In the theater it was a bit hard for me to differentiate what was going on, because there are many scenes filmed in the dark.

It was definitely a LOT more intense than LWW. There is a ton of action; it almost never stops. There is also a scene where a hag, a were-wolf, and the White Witch appear, which was a bit frightening. There is a long battle at the end, as well. I would not recommend the movie for younger children.

The characters were quite memorable. I loved Reepicheep, although his voice wasn't *quite* what I would have picked. He was valiant and chivalrous, and funny. Trumpkin, Trufflehunter, Nikabrik, and all the rest were created beautifully. I must say I was mad at Peter more than once because of his pride issue, but overall he still proved to be loyal to Aslan in the end. Susan was more grown up than the last movie. She had a different attitude... she wasn't as cautious as she was in LWW. Edmund was definitely more of a hero in this movie. He came from being a bother to his siblings to helping them. Caspian was well cast; he pulled off the role well, although he was older than he was in the book. Miraz.... Can you say evil?! It's hard to believe that Sergio Castellitto is really a kind-hearted man; he pulled off being a villain so well. Dr. Cornelius was good, but not exactly how I'd pictured him. Queen Prunaprismia was good also, but I wish she'd had had red hair like in the book. And that brings us to Aslan.... He was bigger and better! His eyes showed such compassion and love. When the DVD comes out I am going to make a new template that features Aslan.

The movie has its quirks like all movies do, but Prince Caspian is a wonderful movie that I really enjoyed. I believe it sticks true to the spirit of Narnia and C.S. Lewis's original intentions. I definitely will be seeing this movie again, and I encourage you to see it too.