Thanks for all the great comments last week! I'm even more excited to participate this week.
One of my new visitors, jen, posted this thought provoking C.S. Lewis quote that led me down a wormhole of adding all the C.S. Lewis books at my library to my hold list. That's gonna be an ugly day when they all show up at once.
This guest post over at Camp Patton on NFP made me think about pregnancy and birth control in a different light. I'm still light years from making that particular leap (and if I'm completely honest, I don't see myself being able to fully commit there), but it did present it in a way that makes spiritual sense to me. I've added it to the growing list of things peculating in my brain.
I read the first 3 or 4 chapters of Catholicism For Dummies
this week and I have to say, the Dummies books are really well done. I wish they were named something else though as I suspect the mere titles make people hesitate to pick them up. I can easily see myself reading them for a number of other subjects, but I can't see myself reading them at the gym.It is turning to spring here (usually we still have snow) and it's really easy to see the parallels to Easter with growth and life and all. It makes me wonder if I'm just looking for things to notice now.
As a first time participant in Lent, I'm finding parts of it harder than others. It hasn't been hard to give up candy, but I did inadvertently eat some in the form of a McFlurry. My husband thoughtfully bought me one and I didn't occur to me at all that it had candy in it until I had eaten half of it. I decided that it didn't count since I stopped when I realized it. Yesterday was my husband's birthday and while we had a (shocking!) offer of babysitting, we choose not to go out to dinner because he really wanted a big steak and it was Friday. I hope that babysitting offer comes again!
I didn't get this posted yesterday, it was a long week of illness in our family. Including my own, what exactly was the flu shot for, anyway?
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I agree about the "Dummies" titles. Ugh. And they're sooooo recognizable, with their yellow-and-black covers. I wish now that people realized that the series offers thoughtful, in-depth information on the chosen subject, the publishers would give the books a more sedate make over.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly did brand themselves well with the covers.
DeleteThe titles of the "Dummies" books and the "Idiot's Guide To..." both turn me off to the whole series of them. Although what parts I have read (in hiding of course ;)) have been great!
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday to your husband!
It really is a shame, isn't it? This one is full of interesting details, including many that my Catholic born husband didn't know.
Deletethis is going to sound strange but the works of c.s. lewis i think of most often when talking theology are the chronicles of narnia! i read them when i was 21 and starting seminary so they have a special place in my heart. (it was also a pre-req of my mother-in-law's for marrying my husband but that's another story.) they're also a simplistic way of dealing with christian topics like atonement, creation, and the end times.
ReplyDeleteI already have the Narnia books, but have only ever read TL,TW & TW. I was thinking of maybe reading them outloud to my sons, ages 4 & 7. I didn't get any of the symbolism at all when I read it the first time as a child.
DeleteI didn't get it either and the cartoon version scared me when I saw it at age 6. The movie version that came out a few years ago is FABULOUS. The sequel (Prince Caspian) disappointed me though because they didn't stay faithful to the book.
Delete#3- That was a really good post, and I hadn't seen it before. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the NFP post you linked to. I have written about my journey re: NFP a few times. I love reading other perspectives and I found that post very well-written and made an excellent point.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read of C.S. Lewis the more I want to read. His writings are so accessible but also make you think, enjoy! Also, I totally agree with number 4. I've heard so many people say that Catholicism for Dummies is a great book but I've yet to read it. I'll definitely be adding it to my list of books.
ReplyDeleteIf you end up with a whole stack of C.S. Lewis, I'd recommend starting with Mere Christianity; it might be the most relevant to you at the moment.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, I've quite unashamedly read several of the Dummies books on computers. Let's be honest, when it came to computers, I was a dummy. I was well into the edge of middle age (depending on where you define the "edge" LOL!) before they became household necessities. But I wasn't going to let my children get THAT far ahead of me. And the books were very helpful.
I like the way you're assembling books on your new interest--it's the way I operate too, when I want to start learning something new.