Matt Jones' Random Acts of Verbiage

Erin made me aware of the new Chronicles of Narnia movie trailer. Go. Watch. Now. It looks like they are doing an awesome job - especially awesome that WETA Workshop is involved. I hope they do C.S. Lewis proud!

A while back I was introduced to makepovertyhistory.org by Glenn (he may not know it though!). Makepovertyhistory.org is an organization in the UK that is strving to do what their name suggests, one person at a time. I have been trying to find the US couterpart to them and realized that one.org is it. I also didn’t realize that one.org has also been running tv ads with celebrities telling you to go to their site and sign their “declaration”. Now I don’t really care for celebs promoting causes because I find it hard to take many of them seriously. Bono is one celeb that I respect because he seems to walk the walk and not just talk the talk so thankfully he is at least a good support for the cause - Brad Pitt just doesn’t do it for me. Of course there are others that are supporting the cause (like World Vision), but that really isn’t the point. The point is that one.org is a good cause and worth looking into to get involved and hopefully start making a difference.

ONE by ONE, we can help them help themselves.

I think that is a pretty good goal. Check it out. (Thanks to Dan and Michelle for sending an email and reminding me about the project!)

Shalom

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - In Theaters Now!

This year on Christmas my mom and Bob came up to Seattle, it was nice to have them up but a strange change from our usual Christmas festivities. While here we decided to go see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis in general and of the Chronicles of Naria in particular (you can see some of my reviews here). I have enjoyed the modern films; they are fun and exciting and have captured much of the story of Narnia. That being said, they definitely lack some of the finer theological points that Lewis infused in his writings. Prince Caspian was definitely not as good as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which did include more of the theological underpinnings like Christ’s sacrifice, the conquering of death, and the destruction of the temple…) so I wasn’t expecting much from Dawn Treader but a fun movie. I was pleasantly surprised. While there was some that was taken out ( for example, one specific point at the end – I don’t want to spoil anything, but I can comment on that if you are curious), I was happy to see two of my favorite scenes done very well. It turned out to be a very good Christmas movie to see. You should go see it. Oh, a PS: the kid who played Eustace was brilliant.

Here is my original review of The Dawn Treader. (The review and the following quote have spoilers!) One of the most stirring moments for me is when Eustace is changed from a dragon back into a boy by Aslan:

The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart…. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off…. Then he caught hold of me… and threw me into the water…. After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me… in new clothes.

Brings me to tears just reading it, every time (and it was very moving in the film). That is transformation. It hurts and it cuts deep. But it is done by the one who isn’t quite safe:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.

Ok, that’s from LWW, but still fits.

Here are my Narnia series book reviews:

• The Magician’s Nephew
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• The Horse and His Boy
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Last Battle

I forgot to write about this when I finished it so I figured I should get it out there before I forget all together. This is the seventh, and final, post in my series of reflections on C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series: The Last Battle. (See the bottom of this post for links to my blog posts on the other books of the series.)

I won’t comment too much on the capstone of Clive’s masterpiece because I will leave the mystery to you! A false Aslan has infiltrated Narnia and has (with some “coaching”) set to cause problem for the good Narnian creatures. Eustace and Jill return to help the faithful, led by king Tirian and the Unicorn Jewel, restore order to Narnia. Instead of restoring order to the chaos, Aslan returns to bring forth a New Narnia.

As the children enter the New Narnia and are trying to figure out where they are and where to go, a phrase that captures what to do as well as what the Christian life is all about is given: “Further in and higher up!” (“and though they did not understand him, the words somehow set them tingling all over.”) Darrell Johnson used a similar phrase in a sermon on Psalm 95 in class a few weeks ago. This is our call. Grow, mature, delve deeper in to the faith.

The Narnia that the Pevensies (and friends) knew, was not the real Narnia. Lord Digory (aka the Magician that was there at the beginning) explains:

That had a beginning and and end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which has always been here and always will be here… you need not mourn over Narnia, Lucy [as it had been destroyed]. All of the old Narnia that mattered, all the dear creatures, have been drawn into the real Narnia through the Door. And of course it is different; as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as waking life is from a dream.

Good stuff! The old world is not lost but restored to what it is supposed to be.

If you have not read them yet, go read the Chronicles they are quick reads that are very well worth it. And I guess I am somewhat behind, but Andrew Adamson has been given the go-ahead to make Prince Caspian!! How awesome is that? The next installment is slated to come out in 2007. AND The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 2-disc Special Edition is out today! And my birthday just happens to be coming up in May…

…now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

My blog posts on The Chronicles of Narnia series:

Yes, I am preaching next week. Yes, I have a book review due next week. Yes, I will be gone this weekend for Erin’s graduation. Does that mean I can’t read a book of my own choosing? I think not!

This is my sixth post in my read through Clive’s Narnia series. (Other posts: Magician’s Nephew, Lion, Witch, Wardrobe, Horse and Boy, Caspian, and Dawn Treader.)

In this adventure, Friend of Narnia Eustace brings along a new companion, Jill, to help save King Caspian’s son, Prince Rilian, from the wild north. One of the more odd, yet enduring, characters in this story is Puddleglum. His dry pessimism can be weighty, but his faith and strength saved the day. The evil witch attempts to take control of our heroes and convince them Aslan does not exist, Puddleglum’s faith in Aslan brings them all out of her control.

The story is a fun adventure that takes us into the land of giants and the underworld of the strange Earthmen. It is a quick and enjoyable read that furthers the Chronicles. The pure faith in this story makes for an interesting contrast with the beginning of the final story, The Last Battle, as the Narnian creatures are willing to believe an imposter who performs evil deeds could possibly be Aslan.

I want to point out something Aslan says early in the story:

You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you.

Wheter you recognize it or not, you have been called.

My blog posts on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician�s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle.

The other week I continued my read through Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (See the bottom of this post to my blog posts on all the books of the series).

This is another lovely story from the land of Narnia. This time Lucy and Edmund, along with their cousin Eustace, take an adventrue over the sea with King Caspian. One of the cool things in this book is the transformation of Eustace from a pompus little boy to a courageous friend to Narnia. This book also brings a lovely end to Reepicheep as he sails off into the great East and the Land of Aslan. The Dawn Treader takes many adventures out at sea and meets up with various lands and peoples.

As per usual, there are many great moments that Lewis shares. I want to highlight three.

Read more…

Last night I finished the fourth in the Chronicles of Narnia series: Prince Caspian (see the bottom of this post for links to my blog posts on the other books in the series).

The story takes place some hundreds (even thousands) of years after LWW, at least in Narnia. The Pevensies have aged a year when they are pulled back to Narnia with the call of Susan’s horn to help out Prince Caspian regain control of the land for Old Narnia and cast out the wicked Telmarines who (centuries ago) had gone to war and kicked out those of Old Narnia. The two Kings and two Queens of Old come with the aid of Aslan and wake up many creatures that had been sleeping for ages to win the battle at take back Narnia for those who would rule justly.

I enjoyed the scene before Aslan returns:

Lucy woke out of the deepest sleep you can imagine, with the feeling that the voice she liked best in the world had be calling her name.

Wouldn’t that be a lovely way to wake?

I love the character Reepicheep because (I think like Gimli from LOTR) he thinks he is much larger than he actually is (being a mouse and all). When his tail is cut off in battle his followers offer to do the same to show their love of their commander, Aslan decides to step in:

“Ah!” roared Aslan. “You have conquered me. You have great hearts. Not for the sake of your dignity, Reepicheep, but for the love that is between you and your people, and still more for the kindness your people showed me long ago when you ate away the cords that bound me on the Stone Table, you shall have your tail again.”

After it is affirmed that he is from the same line as the wicked Telmarines, King Caspian talks with Aslan:

“I was wishing that I came of a more honorable lineage.”

“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,” said Aslan. “And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”

More profound words from Jack!

Next up will be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but I think I will be taking a break from Narnia to read the second of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series: The Drawing of the Three. Almost Christmas! Whoo hoo!

-Matt Jones

My blog posts on The Chronicles of Narnia series: