Past Watchful Dragons
Childlike Maturity
The other night around the dinner table I raised the question of comparison between Chesterton’s imagery of God’s “appetite for infancy” as expressed in “The Ethics of Elfland” in Orthodoxy, and the Bible’s clear teaching that maturity is the trajectory and goal for the believer, the church, and the world. How do those seemingly disparate ...
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Aslan Knows Best
In a letter to a young boy named Laurence, C.S. Lewis wrote: “Well, I can’t say that I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately got married and my wife is very, very ill. I am sure Aslan knows best and whether He leaves her with me or takes her to His own ...
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Off the Shelf: The Ale Boy’s Feast
The Auralia Thread comes to completion in Jeffrey Overstreet’s The Ale Boy’s Feast, resulting in a beautiful and intricate tapestry of life to be lived now, and life yet longed for. Through a host of characters and rich symbolism, Mr. Overstreet’s fantasy world once again provides greater insight into the world in which we live ...
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Rambling Review: Super 8
I had heard good things about the movie “Super 8,” but was determined to like it simply because Joel Courtney plays a leading role. Who is Joel Courtney? A kid from Moscow, ID who is a member at a sister church. I don’t know Joel personally, but the simple fact that people ...
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Off the Shelf: The Monster in the Hollows
The Monster in the Hollows is the third installment in Andrew Peterson’s “The Wingfeather Saga.” We are first introduced to Janner, Kalmar (a.k.a. Tink), and Leeli Igiby in the series opener, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. The brothers and sister live in the small town of Glipwood with their mother, Nia, ...
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What Sort of Tale?
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers, the following conversation takes place between Frodo and Sam while resting from their arduous climb up the stairs of Cirith Ungol. The simple eloquence, the way in which we are reminded that we have a place in God’s story of the world is profound....
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‘I don’t like anything here at ...
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Off the Shelf: Fiddler’s Green
I am finding these book recommendations/reviews more difficult to write. I simply want to say, “Read the book,” and for you to understand that I really mean it. As soon as I try to put into the words the things that I liked about the story, or the themes that especially stood out, it feels ...
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Off the Shelf: The Charlatan’s Boy
You will certainly laugh. You might possibly cry. And undoubtedly you will find The Charlatan’s Boy speaking to your own heart and life. Jonathan Rogers’ latest novel is a story that combines charm, humor and insight in such a way as to make a unique impression upon the reader. You almost get the sense ...
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Off the Shelf: The Fiddler’s Gun
This story is about life This story is about love. This story is about redemption. But I would imagine that this story is not quite like any story you have read before. Despite the familiar themes, they cut across one another in such a way so as to give the book a grainy texture that ...
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Off the Shelf: The Graveyard Book
Winner of the John Newbery Medal, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is a carefully spun yarn with a beautiful melancholy about it. The beginning is nothing short of chilling, and that chill lingers upon the reader throughout as the story of Nobody Owens is told. The setting of the book is primarily a graveyard, which ...
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