George MacDonald & Lent
Never wait for fitter time or place to talk to Him. To wait till thou go to church or to thy closet is to make Him wait. He will listen as thou walkest.
~ George Mac Donald quoted from “George MacDonald” by C.S. Lewis, originally taken from “Unspoken Sermons”
“To him who obeys, and thus opens the door of his heart to receive the eternal gift, God gives the Spirit of His Son, the Spirit of Himself, to be in him, and lead him to the understanding of all truth…The true disciple shall thus always know what he ought to do, though not necessarily what another out to do.”
~ George Mac Donald quoted from “George MacDonald” by C.S. Lewis, originally taken from “Unspoken Sermons”
“All things are God’s, not as being in His power - that of course - but as coming from Him. The darkness itself becomes light around Him when we think that verily He hath created the darkness, for there could have been no darkness but for the light.”
~ George Mac Donald quoted from “George MacDonald” by C.S. Lewis, originally taken from “Unspoken Sermons”
I write this in the middle of a blizzard listening to Dungeon Synth.
Today is the first day of Lent. This year I have given up TV and movies for 40 days. It’s day one and all day I could feel the pull in the back of my brain to watch something once work ended. That affirms my decision. I can do this. I plan to spend my time attending to music experimentation and reading. Yes, my long lost reading….and blogging.
It took me a year, but I finally finished George MacDonald by C. S. Lewis. It is a collection of MacDonald’s quotes that Lewis compiled into a book - quotes that stood out to him and influenced Lewis greatly. MacDonald was a huge influence on Lewis’ writings. MacDonald is considered the founding father of fantasy, but no one knows who he is. While living in England last year (more on that in the coming months), I started to collect many of George’s books to read. Starting with C.S. Lewis’ compilation, was a wonderful introduction to what is to come. Yes, It took me a year, but MacDonald’s writing is like a fine wine. You have to saver it and meditate on his words. So deep.
I read several of George MacDonald’s books when I was a child and teen - Phantastes: A Faerie Romance, The Princess & the Goblin, The Princess & Curdie, and Lilith: a Romance. But just in the last few years this novelist, lecturer, clergyman, professor, and poet caught my eye again and I discovered there is so much more to him than I thought. I look forward to reading ALL his writings, no matter how long it takes me, starting during this season of Lent. I also look forward to getting to know the man himself. I will probably be reading a biography about him next before diving into his first published writings.
Last Spring in York, UK sipping an amazing London Fog and diving into “George MacDonald” by C. S. Lewis. Location: Gatehouse Coffee, York
“Let me, if I may, be ever welcomed to my room in winter by a glowing hearth, in summer by a case of flowers; if I may not, let me think how nice they would be, and bury myself in my work. I do not think that the road to contentment lies in despising what we have not got. Let us acknowledge all good, all delight that the world holds, and be content without it.”
~ George Mac Donald quoted from “George MacDonald” by C.S. Lewis, originally taken from “Annals of a Quote Neighborhood”, Chapter 11.
“…a man must go into himself, be a convict, and scrub the floor of his cell.”
~ George Mac Donald quoted from “George MacDonald” by C.S. Lewis, originally taken from “Sir Gibbie”, Chapter 40
Blessings to you during this season,
Joannah
“It is only in Him that the soul has room. In knowing Him is life and its gladness. The secret of your own heart you can never know; but you can know Him who knows its secret. ”