Okay, I'm really embarrassed about this... but truth to tell, I only just remember that this blog was here! My life has been quite busy and exciting, I honestly forgot about the reading! Fortunately, I've read the book enough times that I'll just be able to pick up where you guys are, and hopefully start contributing to the blog extremely soon. =D
Later,
Sadie
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
5+6
I was supposed to type up my thoughts on three-six last week, but as I am obviously behind, I'm going to skip three and four. And then this week we are doing seven and eight, right? Or am I off? What are you guys doing?
One thing really stuck out to me in chapter five. Screwtape is talking about World War 2, and he says, "If we are not careful, we shall see thousands turning in this tribulation to the Enemy, while tens of thousands who do not go so far as that will nevertheless have their attention diverted from themselves to values and causes which they believe to be higher than the self." I thought this was really interesting. We always see war as a really bad, and terrible thing, and like Satan would really be rejoicing during a war. And yes it is a terrible thing, but I thought it was insightful that he mentioned that through the suffering of a war, so many people turn to Jesus, and ultimately that takes away the "joy" (if the devil ever has joy idk) the devil has in a war.
I think it's also really fun that this is more than just a spiritual-help book, or whatever. It's like a story and I can't wait to see what happens to the guy!! :)
One thing really stuck out to me in chapter five. Screwtape is talking about World War 2, and he says, "If we are not careful, we shall see thousands turning in this tribulation to the Enemy, while tens of thousands who do not go so far as that will nevertheless have their attention diverted from themselves to values and causes which they believe to be higher than the self." I thought this was really interesting. We always see war as a really bad, and terrible thing, and like Satan would really be rejoicing during a war. And yes it is a terrible thing, but I thought it was insightful that he mentioned that through the suffering of a war, so many people turn to Jesus, and ultimately that takes away the "joy" (if the devil ever has joy idk) the devil has in a war.
I think it's also really fun that this is more than just a spiritual-help book, or whatever. It's like a story and I can't wait to see what happens to the guy!! :)
Friday, March 19, 2010
Conviction
Wow, there's a lot in the next two chapters that I really, sadly, relate to. Like Wormwood mentions in chapter 3, I say things that aren't bad in and of themselves, but it's how I say it. So many times the way I've stated my words have been so harsh and unkind that I might as well have said something completely horrendous in my verbiage. It's incredible how this book gives a fresh perspective on how the spiritual realm can/does affect and view our lives. It sure does makes you think twice about things.
How Wormwood describes feelings in chapter 4 on prayer is something that I may be guilty of. Trying to make myself feel how I'm praying. I can see why that's so dangerous because of the focus change it does to you. Instead of focusing on the Lord and his promises, we focus on how we feel and start to base our prayers on that, which could even lead to getting mad at or blaming God because he hasn't made us feel right in our prayers. Sad indeed. It really opens your eyes to how patient, gracious, faithful, and loving our God is!
~Tiffany
How Wormwood describes feelings in chapter 4 on prayer is something that I may be guilty of. Trying to make myself feel how I'm praying. I can see why that's so dangerous because of the focus change it does to you. Instead of focusing on the Lord and his promises, we focus on how we feel and start to base our prayers on that, which could even lead to getting mad at or blaming God because he hasn't made us feel right in our prayers. Sad indeed. It really opens your eyes to how patient, gracious, faithful, and loving our God is!
~Tiffany
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Appearances
Hello,
First I'd like to thank Erica for inviting me read Screwtape Letters and participate in this study. So far I'm enjoying the story, and the Lord is convicting me of some of the ways I let Satan work in my life. I can't wait to see what else He has to teach me through this book.
For those of you who haven't met me, I'm Annie P. and I'm 17. I live in a small town in Nebraska, and I've been homeschooled for most of my life (I'm finishing up my junior year of high school). Okay, enough about me...
The Lord really impacted me with something I read in chapter 2. I found the section on page 12 about appearances quite convicting. In case you don't remember, Screwtape is telling Wormwood to use appearances to trip up his person and distract him from the Body of Christ. Instead of viewing the neighbors in his pew as brothers and sisters in Christ, Wormwood wants his person to see their imperfections.
This got me thinking. As humans why do we get so caught up in outward appearances? Well the simple answer is because we are human. But as Christians we need to focus on a person's heart more so than what they look like on the outside. The Holy Spirit can't work through us until we learn to disregard outward appearances. I'm not saying that the outside doesn't matter (because it does: it reflects what's in a person's heart), but we can't let our opinion of them be ruled by what they look like.
I'm finding that the enemy uses outward appearances to trip me up quite often. As hard as this is to admit, I'm finding that I'm guilty of judging people in our church based primarily on what they look like on the outside or how they act. This is exactly what Screwtape was trying to get Wormwood to do. I don't want to let the enemy have victory in this area of my life anymore. I want to see the heart of these people in my church.
"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1st Samuel 16:7
First I'd like to thank Erica for inviting me read Screwtape Letters and participate in this study. So far I'm enjoying the story, and the Lord is convicting me of some of the ways I let Satan work in my life. I can't wait to see what else He has to teach me through this book.
For those of you who haven't met me, I'm Annie P. and I'm 17. I live in a small town in Nebraska, and I've been homeschooled for most of my life (I'm finishing up my junior year of high school). Okay, enough about me...
The Lord really impacted me with something I read in chapter 2. I found the section on page 12 about appearances quite convicting. In case you don't remember, Screwtape is telling Wormwood to use appearances to trip up his person and distract him from the Body of Christ. Instead of viewing the neighbors in his pew as brothers and sisters in Christ, Wormwood wants his person to see their imperfections.
This got me thinking. As humans why do we get so caught up in outward appearances? Well the simple answer is because we are human. But as Christians we need to focus on a person's heart more so than what they look like on the outside. The Holy Spirit can't work through us until we learn to disregard outward appearances. I'm not saying that the outside doesn't matter (because it does: it reflects what's in a person's heart), but we can't let our opinion of them be ruled by what they look like.
I'm finding that the enemy uses outward appearances to trip me up quite often. As hard as this is to admit, I'm finding that I'm guilty of judging people in our church based primarily on what they look like on the outside or how they act. This is exactly what Screwtape was trying to get Wormwood to do. I don't want to let the enemy have victory in this area of my life anymore. I want to see the heart of these people in my church.
"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1st Samuel 16:7
"Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that as he is Christ's, even so are we Christs." 2 Corinthians 10:7
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Chapter 1 & 2
So now it's my turn to give you some random thoughts... :)
1st Chpater:
One of the things that really stood out to me was the fact that one of the demons' tactics was to make words and ideas seem ambiguous and obscure. That way, the person does not think of the meaning behind the ideas or words and is able to believe in many different things without coming to an actual conclusion of what he really believes or is saying. I was also made aware of how important logic and argument (in the good sense) really is! God created those things and they all point to Him! So when people start connecting that logic with the Creator, that's when it becomes the 'dangerous' thing. And so another tactic that Screwtape and the others like to use are what I would call the more-important-distractions. Things that seem more important to us at the moment than discovering the truth. And that's exactly how Screwtape gets one of his persons to continue to be an Atheist. Instead of letting him dwell on thoughts that could lead him to the Enemy, Screwtape distracts him by putting into his head that going to get lunch is more important and the actual 'real life' things like that than thinking about truth (or even ideas that would lead to truth). And so Screwtape's person continues to be an Atheist and has a dreadfully fatal end (in the fullest sense of the word!)
2nd Chapter:
In the second chapter, you find that Wormwood's person had actually, horrors of all horrors, become a Christian! But what's interesting, is that Screwtape doesn't really seem to find that too much of a problem. Of course, he chides his nephew for letting it happen, but it's as if he rather likes that Wormwood's person has become a Christian, because of all the things that are in their favor to get him back. Especially since he's such a 'young' Christian and has all these particular ideas of how Christianity should be, and of course the Church (not the spiritual one, mind you) helps greatly in spreading these ideas.
Isn't it amazing the perspectives this book gives you?? Wow! I can't wait to read more! This is certainly an exciting adventure for sure!
~Tiffany
1st Chpater:
One of the things that really stood out to me was the fact that one of the demons' tactics was to make words and ideas seem ambiguous and obscure. That way, the person does not think of the meaning behind the ideas or words and is able to believe in many different things without coming to an actual conclusion of what he really believes or is saying. I was also made aware of how important logic and argument (in the good sense) really is! God created those things and they all point to Him! So when people start connecting that logic with the Creator, that's when it becomes the 'dangerous' thing. And so another tactic that Screwtape and the others like to use are what I would call the more-important-distractions. Things that seem more important to us at the moment than discovering the truth. And that's exactly how Screwtape gets one of his persons to continue to be an Atheist. Instead of letting him dwell on thoughts that could lead him to the Enemy, Screwtape distracts him by putting into his head that going to get lunch is more important and the actual 'real life' things like that than thinking about truth (or even ideas that would lead to truth). And so Screwtape's person continues to be an Atheist and has a dreadfully fatal end (in the fullest sense of the word!)
2nd Chapter:
In the second chapter, you find that Wormwood's person had actually, horrors of all horrors, become a Christian! But what's interesting, is that Screwtape doesn't really seem to find that too much of a problem. Of course, he chides his nephew for letting it happen, but it's as if he rather likes that Wormwood's person has become a Christian, because of all the things that are in their favor to get him back. Especially since he's such a 'young' Christian and has all these particular ideas of how Christianity should be, and of course the Church (not the spiritual one, mind you) helps greatly in spreading these ideas.
Isn't it amazing the perspectives this book gives you?? Wow! I can't wait to read more! This is certainly an exciting adventure for sure!
~Tiffany
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thoughts on chap. 1&2
Wow. I've only read two chapters and I'm already hooked! I will try really hard not to race ahead!
There were two things in the first two chapters that especially stuck out to me. One was this sentence: "Never having been a human (Oh that abominable advantage of the Enemy's!), you don't realize how enslaved they are to the pressure of the ordinary." It's not really the sentence itself that stuck out to me, but instead what is in the parenthesis. Think about that! It is exasperatingly frustrating to the devil that God has such an advantage over him - he has been a human! He understand how we work! I just think that the way that is structured - a devil being frustrated about God understanding the human view - is really neat.
The other thing that stuck out to me was when Screwtape was talking about the people in the church. He was telling Wormwood to make sure the guy kept focus on the congregation's outward appearance, without ever thinking about how mighty they might be in God's kingdom. That kinda struck me...cause that's the way I look at a lot of people at church. I don't see their heart or their relationship with God...I just see their fatness or their ugly clothes or whatever it is, and I judge. So that part was really good for me to read!
Oh, and one more bit I really liked: "I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy." Wow. I love that description of the Church!
(btw I think it is kinda cool that the book is dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkein. :)
There were two things in the first two chapters that especially stuck out to me. One was this sentence: "Never having been a human (Oh that abominable advantage of the Enemy's!), you don't realize how enslaved they are to the pressure of the ordinary." It's not really the sentence itself that stuck out to me, but instead what is in the parenthesis. Think about that! It is exasperatingly frustrating to the devil that God has such an advantage over him - he has been a human! He understand how we work! I just think that the way that is structured - a devil being frustrated about God understanding the human view - is really neat.
The other thing that stuck out to me was when Screwtape was talking about the people in the church. He was telling Wormwood to make sure the guy kept focus on the congregation's outward appearance, without ever thinking about how mighty they might be in God's kingdom. That kinda struck me...cause that's the way I look at a lot of people at church. I don't see their heart or their relationship with God...I just see their fatness or their ugly clothes or whatever it is, and I judge. So that part was really good for me to read!
Oh, and one more bit I really liked: "I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy." Wow. I love that description of the Church!
(btw I think it is kinda cool that the book is dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkein. :)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
New Book!
Yes! We are beginning The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis. Starting on Monday, we'll be reading two chapters a week. Post your thoughts!
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