Man flu.. Although this time it may be real flu

Well guys, today I almost gave in and came very close to calling a sick day. I have been battling with flu for the last 5 days and have barely had the energy or ability to get out of bed. I will be the first to admit that I am not the best patient and I am a particularly grumpy person when ill, but luckily I don't usually get ill very often so it balances out in the end at least that is what I tell my family. Because I have not been feeling great trawling the net and looking for things to write on has not really happened at all. Saying that though I did come across a fantastic twitter feed this weekend which is @CSLewisDaily, the name pretty much sums up what it is, everyday there is a different C S Lewis quote posted.

I have never been a particular fan of C S Lewis, in fact when I was a kid I tried to read the Chronicles of Narnia and found them a bit dry and boring. However recently at the insistence and recommendation from a friend I have been giving his work a chance and reading through various books and stories he wrote. I have come to have a lot of respect for this man and the way he manages to articulate my beliefs and experiences of Christianity in to a elegant and concise way.

One interesting quote that I came across when reading this feed I have shared bellow;

When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him.

          CSLewis

The reason why I like this quote so much is because it is something that I can attest to with much experience. As someone who is actively trying to improve my life in every way, rebuilding from a past of being everything I shouldn't have been I can relate to this quote. Regularly I find that I am catching myself thinking things or about to do things I used to do in the past but are incompatible with my Christian life. The more I grow in my faith the more I realise that there is an innate sinful nature in us all and it is something that we always need to be watchful for. Although we do all have this sinful nature that is a part of us we do not need to be controlled by it or be a slave to it. When we know it exists and is there then we are in a much better place to protect ourselves from it.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Today I went to see a film with 3 friends who I have not seen in a while. After spending the day having some good laughs with some great people and catching up with friends the film was a good way to wrap up the day.

Personally, to a number of my friends disgust, I have never read the Narnia series of books. I have seen all three films now, but know next to nothing about the stories or themes that run through them. But one of the friends I went to see the film with is a huge fan of C. S. Lewis. and was desperate to see the new film. The first I heard of the film was when she mentioned it online the other week, having watched the first two films it interested me enough to google it and watch the trailer.

While watching this film it seemed to me almost impossible to miss the Christian overtones of the story and the deep meanings of some of the scenes and lines. It was amazing to sit and think about how many millions of people will watch this film and hear the same lines and see the same scenes portrayed which have huge Christian significance.

But I do have one worry about the film though. I have seen the two films that precede this film and I can not personally remember thinking while watching them, wow what a powerful Christian message. Is it that I only saw the parts of the film that alluded to my faith because I am now a Christian and attuned to these things, or is it that Dawn Treader passes the message on better. I intend to re watch the first two films to see if watching them as a Christian gives a different experience to what I remember of them last time.

I think that I may have the potential to be converted in to a C. S. Lewis fan by my friends, as I have enjoyed all 3 films and the one or two works by him that I have read, but it remains to be seen. I will keep you updated on how this goes in the future if I ever get to the bottom of the stack of books I have to read already. Also keep an eye out as I will probably post something about the story and meaning of the Dawn Treader once I have time to think about the film and do a small amount of background research in to the story and C. S. Lewis.