Podcasts about puddleglum

In The Chronicles of Narnia, Puddleglum tells the underworld witch, "I'm on Aslan's side even if there is no Aslan. I'm going to live like a Narnian even if there isn't any Narnia." In this story C.S. Lewis is doing more than telling a children's fantasy, he is portraying what it means to "walk by faith."

This study will be taught by Jeff Patterson and will focus on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. The Silver Chair is a fantasy that children enjoy but that enrich the spiritual lives of Christians. In this chronicle, two children, Polly and Eustace, are sent on a journey to Narnia to rescue their friend, Prince Rilian, who has been captured by the Lady of the Green Kirtle who rules the Underland. Puddleglum, one of Lewis's most memorable characters, accompany Polly and Eustace on their quest. Throughout the course, we'll be connecting the thought of Lewis to the Bible.

This episode is one of what I call a ‘reset.' I regularly re-post older episodes like this one which was originally released in July of 2021. I think it is still relevant. One of the things I want to do with Greatheart's Table is to encourage pastors, as one friend put it, “to be comfortable […]

This study will be taught by Jeff Patterson and will focus on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. The Silver Chair is a fantasy that children enjoy but that enrich the spiritual lives of Christians. In this chronicle, two children, Polly and Eustace, are sent on a journey to Narnia to rescue their friend, Prince Rilian, who has been captured by the Lady of the Green Kirtle who rules the Underland. Puddleglum, one of Lewis's most memorable characters, accompany Polly and Eustace on their quest. Throughout the course, we'll be connecting the thought of Lewis to the Bible.

This study will be taught by Jeff Patterson and will focus on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. The Silver Chair is a fantasy that children enjoy but that enrich the spiritual lives of Christians. In this chronicle, two children, Polly and Eustace, are sent on a journey to Narnia to rescue their friend, Prince Rilian, who has been captured by the Lady of the Green Kirtle who rules the Underland. Puddleglum, one of Lewis's most memorable characters, accompany Polly and Eustace on their quest. Throughout the course, we'll be connecting the thought of Lewis to the Bible.

This study will be taught by Jeff Patterson and will focus on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. The Silver Chair is a fantasy that children enjoy but that enrich the spiritual lives of Christians. In this chronicle, two children, Polly and Eustace, are sent on a journey to Narnia to rescue their friend, Prince Rilian, who has been captured by the Lady of the Green Kirtle who rules the Underland. Puddleglum, one of Lewis's most memorable characters, accompany Polly and Eustace on their quest. Throughout the course, we'll be connecting the thought of Lewis to the Bible.

This study will be taught by Jeff Patterson and will focus on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. The Silver Chair is a fantasy that children enjoy but that enrich the spiritual lives of Christians. In this chronicle, two children, Polly and Eustace, are sent on a journey to Narnia to rescue their friend, Prince Rilian, who has been captured by the Lady of the Green Kirtle who rules the Underland. Puddleglum, one of Lewis's most memorable characters, accompany Polly and Eustace on their quest. Throughout the course, we'll be connecting the thought of Lewis to the Bible.

As C.S. Lewis told it, there's not just disenchantment happening about the history of the West and of Christendom, but an intentionally cast dark spell that blinds us to the glory and brightness that is our Christian heritage. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Joe Rigney about C.S. Lewis, the Silver Chair, and the insightful character, Puddleglum. We'll talk about fatherhood, Young Restless & Reformed, the Christian Nationalism movement, and what to expect from life in the negative world. Be sure to sign up at the King's Hall Patreon to get exclusive access to interviews with historians like Glenn Sunshine and to access the Deus Vault, a Patreon-exclusive podcast that goes deeper into the histories, mysteries, and heroes of Christendom.Alpine Gold Exchange Website: alpinegoldogden.comSet Up a Meeting: https://calendly.com/alpinegold/alpine-gold-consultation10 Ways to Make Money with Your MAXX-D Trailer.Buy your beef or pork box today from Salt and Strings Butchery. Use code "KINGS" to get $20 off your next order. Visit https://premierbodyarmor.com/kingshall and use promo code KINGSHALL for 10% off your order. Got questions? Reach out to customer service or send their President an email directly at alex@premierbodyarmor.com and speak to him yourself.Talk to Joe Garrisi about managing your wealth with Backwards Planning Financial.Squirrelly Joe's Coffee.Visit their website here to purchase your first bag!Share Coffee. Serve Humbly. Live faithfully.Contact Defined Benefit Partners at talk@definedbenefitpartners.com or call 830-339-9472. Set up a meeting now at:  https://calendly.com/familybankingnow/defined-benefit-pension-planning Defined Benefit Pension Planning: Business Owners Only - Chuck DeLadurantey - Private Family Banking. In our first meeting we will explore the way forward for you to leverage the tax benefits and the exit planning and succession planning advantages of our Defined Benefit Pension plans.Contact Private Family Banking Partner at banking@privatefamilybanking.com to set up a free private consultation and get started building wealth now and unto future generations. "For a free copy of a new book "Protect Your Money Now!  How to Build Multi-Generational Wealth Outside of Wall Street and Avoid the Coming Banking Meltdown" by Private Family Banking Partner, Chuck DeLadurantey,   go to www.protectyourmoneynow.net

If you're enjoying The Inklings Variety Hour, please leave us a five-star review on .  We'd also love to hear from you--email us at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com.   Chris' wife, Glencora, joins him to talk about chapters 3 and 4 of The Silver Chair. Among other things, we discuss: The Signs and Sudden Quizzes Muppet Silver Chair (not really a thing, but it should be) The Many Types of Narnians Knowledge, Experience, Recognition Meditation in a Toolshed The Nature of Wisdom? Chaucer's Parliament of Fowls and other ancient/medieval works referenced in Chapter 4...also Keats. Fetching green caps that say "Oui" Hopefully you'll enjoy this episode, which is slightly more lighthearted and relaxed than usual.  Also, happy birthday to Glencora! If not, I'll be back with Eric and Jonathan next week to talk about Puddleglum!   Next:  Poetry Thursday: "The Sparrow's Skull," by Ruth Pitter This Season: Shows on their way include: Interview with J.D. Peabody about The Inkwell Chronicles: Race to Krakatoa C.S. Lewis and World War I Interview with Connor Salter about Bill Gresham George MacDonald's "The Golden Key" Owen Barfield Perelandra Arthurian Torso And quite a bit more. Stay tuned and let me know what else you'd like to see.   Apologies for any sound problems on this one!  We were in the same room, and I am not a professional sound guy.

Please leave a five-star review of this podcast if you enjoy it.  We'd also love to hear from you--feel free to send us an email at inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com.   Welcome to Season Four!   Chris is joined by Eric Geddes and author Jonathan Geltner to discuss Chapters 1 and 2 of the fourth book in the Narniad (is that what we're calling that now?), The Silver Chair.  Among other things, we discuss: How we're all graduates of Experiment House now The school Experiment House was maybe sort of kind of based on The real means of getting into Narnia this time (is it the door or Aslan's breath?) Aslan's Country as Eden/The Terrestrial Paradise, and Pole and Scrubb's very literal Fall The role of the four signs and memory Knowledge, experience, and recognition The name of the book Silverchair (who were, as it turns out, fans of Narnia) Things we didn't discuss but I'd planned to: The Door in the Wall, a beautiful fairy-story by H.G. Wells Next: I'll be releasing brief recordings of poetry by the Inklings each Thursday. This coming Thursday, it'll be "Imram," by J.R.R. Tolkien. Next Week: My wife Glencora and I will discuss Chapters 3 and 4 of The Silver Chair. Never fear--we will get to Puddleglum the following week! This Season: Shows on their way include: Interview with J.D. Peabody about The Inkwell Chronicles: Race to Krakatoa C.S. Lewis and World War I Interview with Connor Salter about Bill Gresham (Joy's ex) and his most important novel-turned-movie, Nightmare Alley George MacDonald's "The Golden Key" At last: Owen Barfield! Arthurian Torso Perelandra And quite a bit more. Stay tuned, and feel free to let me know what else you'd like to see.

Hello, again! Welcome to Greatheart's Table, a place for pastors and others to hang out, talk, and reflect on ministry and life. I'm Randy Greenwald. My favorite Narnian character is Puddleglum, the marshwiggle. I'm so fond that it's a surprise that I didn't name this podcast “Puddleglum's Pad” or something like that. You can read […]

Joy Clarkson is the author of Aggressively Happy and host of the podcast, Speaking with Joy. She is the books editor for Plough Quarterly and a research associate in theology and literature at King's College London. Joy completed her PhD in theology at the University of St Andrews, where she researched how art can be a resource of hope and consolation. Her new book is You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, And Prayer. In this episode, Joy and I talk about the ways that figurative language shapes the way we think about the world and ourselves, and Joy tries to convince Jonathan that the distinction between simile and metaphor is meaningful. This episode is sponsored by Writing with Puddleglum, a six-week creative writing course by Jonathan Rogers. Find out more and register at TheHabit.co/Puddleglum. Class starts Tuesday, January 30.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Silver Chair x 1 Peter 1:3-6Your daily crossover of faith and fandom! Experience daily Biblical encouragement from nerdy Christian podcasters, bloggers and content creators. Join the Nerd of Godcast community at www.NOGSquad.com

Brian Brown is the founder and executive director of The Anselm Society, an organization dedicated to a renaissance of the Christian imagination. Along with Jane Scharl, Brian edited a collection of essays called Why We Create: Reflections on The Creator, The Creation, and Creating. In this episode, Brian and Jonathan Rogers talk about the Creation, bringing order out of disorder, and the distinctions between cultivating, naming, and subcreating. This episode is sponsored by Writing with Puddleglum, a six-week creative writing course by Jonathan Rogers. Find out more and register at TheHabit.co/Puddleglum. Class starts Tuesday, January 30.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to our breakdown of The Silver Chair - won't you come with me to place in a little town; the only way to get there is to go straight down (sorry, it had to be done). We discuss the author's ongoing disdain for women, the continuing Christian allegories, and the most depressive character in the whole series - Puddleglum. Grab your beverage of choice and settle in.

Hey Bridgefans! It's time to step back through the wardrobe on this episode of the Bridge of Two Podcast as a new daughter of Eve, Jill Pole joins Eustace Scrubb on a mission to find a prince and save Narnia. We're excited to be in The Silver Chair by CS Lewis this episode talking about the characters of Jill and Eustace, the boundless magic in Aslan's breath, and a Marshwiggle named Puddleglum. See you on the Bridge!

The Book of Hebrews is a well-crafted “word of exhortation.” That's what the final chapter calls this book (13:22). For this author, a word of exhortation is a mixture of careful exposition of the Old Testament, as well as direct exhortations to the audience about how to live in light of what God has done in Christ. Thus far, we've seen exposition of Christ's supremacy over the angels, his rule over the cosmos as the perfect man, and his help for sinners as the son who suffers and dies for us. We've also received one direct exhortation: “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (2:1) As this sermon unfolds, we'll see these themes amplified, extended, and woven together. The author, as he develops his arguments, picks up themes, words, phrases, and uses them again, combining them in fresh ways to deepen our understanding of God and Christ and the new covenant, and to call us forward into obedience and faith. The present passage contains exposition and reflection on the Old Testament as well as introduces a key passage that will anchor the next two chapters. But the heart of this section is the exhortation in the first verse: “Consider Jesus.” In fact, if I were ever going to write a commentary or exposition of the book of Hebrews, I think I would call it “Consider Jesus.” That's the overarching theme of the book, from the opening verses “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” to the final chapters “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The author again and again wants us to consider Jesus, listen to Jesus, look to Jesus. But – and this is crucial – he wants us to consider Jesus in light of God's works in the past, as revealed in the Old Testament. When we consider Jesus, he intends for us to have a rich, full vision of what God has done in the past and what he's promised to do, so that we see Christ in his fullness and marvel at his works and his person. That's part of why we chose Hebrews after preaching Leviticus, so that with the Levitical system fresh in your minds, you'll be able to consider Jesus with new eyes.The first part of the verse is condensed and distilled from the previous chapters. He addresses his audience for the first time: “Therefore, holy brothers.” As Pastor Jonathan noted last week, Hebrews 2 identifies us as children of God (2:13-14) and as brothers (and sisters) of Jesus. “That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ‘I will tell of your name to my brothers;'” (2:11-12) And not just brothers, but “holy” brothers. This language comes from 2:11, “For he who sanctifies [makes holy] and those who are sanctified all have one source.” So he's picked up those elements and carries them forward.The same is true of the next phrase, “you who share in a heavenly calling.” What is this heavenly calling? Well, it's what he's mentioned in the previous chapters. God is “bringing many sons to glory” (2:10). He intends for man to be crowned with glory and honor (2:7, 9). He is subjecting the world to come to us (2:5). This is our heavenly calling. Going forward in the letter, this heavenly calling will be described in terms of “Sabbath rest,” and “the city is to come,” and “heavenly country,” and “the kingdom that cannot be shaken.” And this is a good opportunity to summarize and bring together a few items from the last few weeks, and connect them to what we saw in Leviticus. We want to sanctify our imaginations so that we can really consider Jesus. A few weeks ago Pastor Kenny noted that God created man with a heavenly destiny. In creating man, he made us a little lower than the angels for a little while. He used a staircase analogy to help make this clear. And here in this room, we have a staircase.Recall also that the tabernacle was built like a mobile mountain. To move in is the same as moving up. And again this room can help orient us. So imagine that behind me is the summit of the mountain, the top of the staircase, the holy of holies where God dwells. On this platform is the realm of the holy angels, and at the bottom of the stairs is where God places man–a little lower than the angels.Now God intends for man to ascend higher than the angels. They start lower, but are destined for higher. The plan is that the older/higher will serve the younger/lower. But man stumbles on the stairs. He falls and he can't get up. Now the way up the mountain is blocked by angels with flaming swords. We cannot ascend the hill of the Lord. And so, God the Son, leaves the throne (behind me) and descends, being made lower than the angels. He partakes of flesh and blood (2:14); he is made like his brothers in every respect (2:17). He shares our full humanity, willingly enduring suffering and death, so that we might share in his victory, so that we too might be crowned with glory and honor. That's the movement: Christ shares our flesh and blood, so that we might share his heavenly calling. In doing this, Jesus becomes our merciful and faithful high priest and deals with our sin, so that we can climb the stairs, ascend the holy hill, and enter the holy place. It's not angels that he helps to do this, but us. And therefore, to us, to Christ's holy brothers, to those who now share in his heavenly calling, the author of Hebrews gives a clear exhortation: “Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.” Christ is an apostle, because he was sent on a mission with a message. He is to bring many sons of glory through suffering and death, and declare to them a great salvation (2:4). The language of high priest reaches back to 2:17, and it points forward to the exposition to come in 4:14-5:9, and again in chapter 7. “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (4:14-16) But the word that the author keys in on now is the word “faithful” (2:17). And this word invites a comparison and contrast between Jesus and Moses. Why does this word lead to Moses? To understand, we need to turn back to Numbers 12. In Numbers 12:7, God says that Moses “is faithful in all my house” (quoted in 3:5). That's why the word “faithful” is here (4 times in 2, 5, 6), and why the word “house” (or household) is emphasized (7 times in 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The author wants us to “consider Jesus” in light of this section of the book of Numbers.The people have set out from Mount Sinai to pass through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. And they're already sick of manna, and they complain that they have no meat. So God sends them an abundance of quail, and a plague, as a discipline for their grumbling. And then Miriam and Aaron grumble against Moses, because he has married a non-Israelite. Numbers 12:2–9, “And they said, ‘Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.' And the three of them came out. And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And he said, ‘Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.” The point of this passage is that Moses is special; God doesn't just send him dreams and visions at a distance; he speaks to him face to face. And as a result of their complaint, Miriam is struck with leprosy for seven days and is only healed because of Moses's intercession. Now before we return to see the comparison and contrast with Jesus, I want to insert a parentheses about how this author wants us to read the Old Testament. The end of our passage today is Psalm 95, which is a reflection and meditation on this section from Numbers, specifically Numbers 13-14. We'll explore what the Author does with Psalm 95 in more detail in the coming weeks. For now, I want you to understand the way that he reads his Old Testament, because we need to learn to read the Old Testament this way.Here's the simple statement: The Author reads Moses through Prophetic Eyes. The Old Testament was divided into three basic divisions: Law/Torah, Prophets, and Writings (Psalms). The Torah is foundational for Israel, telling the story of creation and the fall, as well as God's promises to Abraham and his offspring, the deliverance from Egypt, and the giving of the law and the establishing of worship in the tabernacle. That's the foundation.The Prophets and the Writings, then, look back to those foundational events and see in them a pattern and a promise. The Torah, the Pentateuch, and the Law sets the pattern. And the Prophets and the Psalms take up the pattern and extend it into the future as a promise.We've already seen one example of this in Hebrews 2. God creates man and gives him dominion in Genesis 1-2. That's Moses, the Pentateuch. Then Psalm 8 celebrates man's dominion. And the Author of Hebrews reads Genesis through Psalm 8 and draws a conclusion: “At present, we don't see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus.”In the coming passage, the Author will read Numbers 13-14 and the promise of rest in the Promised Land, in light of Psalm 95 and the word “Today.” Later he'll draw attention to the Levitical priesthood, established in Leviticus, but then read it in light of Psalm 110 and another priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. And he'll draw the conclusion that the Levitical priesthood was insufficient; we need something more. The same will be true of the Old Covenant sacrifices (Leviticus) and the New Covenant promises (Jeremiah). Those promises testified that those sacrifices were insufficient. We need something more, something greater, something more excellent. So as a recommendation for next week, I recommend that you read the story of Israel in Numbers 13 and 14. They send the spies into the land, who come back with a report. Ten spies discourage them from entering because of giants and fortified cities, while Joshua and Caleb exhort them to go up and take it because God is with them and for them. But the people rebel and refuse, God threatens to wipe them all out, Moses intercedes based on God's character and name, God pardons them, but still brings consequences. “Then the LORD said, ‘I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.'” (Numbers 14:20-23) Back to Hebrews 3. Here we see a comparison and a contrast between Jesus and Moses in relation to God's house. And I think this comparison fits the pattern. Numbers 12:7 is clearly here. But 2 Samuel 7 is also on the table. The author quotes part of 2 Samuel 7 in chapter 1: “I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son.” But here's a larger section from God's words to David. “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2 Samuel 7:12–14) Note the language of house-building. David's son will build God a house. That's the connection to Numbers 12. Again, we are reading Moses through prophetic eyes, Numbers through the lens of 2 Samuel. So what's the comparison? Both Moses and Jesus are faithful to God. That's the similarity. Moses was faithful to the one who appointed him. So was Jesus. But then there's the contrast. Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses. Why? Because the builder of the house receives more honor than the house itself. Jesus isn't just part of the house. He's the builder of the house. That's the point of this proverbial saying: “Every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.” Jesus, the Son of God, is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature. So Moses is faithful in God's house, as a servant. The word for servant here is an unusual one. It's not used very often. In fact, the main person that is called this word is Moses. “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14:31) “So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord,” (Deuteronomy 34:5) “He sent Moses, his servant,and Aaron, whom he had chosen.” (Psalm 105:26) This is the most common term assigned to Moses. He is the servant of the Lord. And in particular, he is a servant who testifies to the things to come.In contrast, Christ is faithful over God's house, as a son (2 Samuel 7:14). And the son is greater than the servant, just as his name is more excellent than the ministering spirits that we call angels. And what is the house? We are. And this gets at the double character of the term “house.” “House” can refer to a physical structure (like the tabernacle or temple). But it also refers to “household,” as in the people. And Moses was a part of the people, as a servant. And Jesus is also a part of the people; he shares in flesh and blood and is our brother. But he's also over the people, over God's house. ApplicationSo what do we do with this passage today? Two things. First, we need to be God's house. We are his house, his household. And we should labor to build our own households into God's household. We do so, remembering that “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127). In other words, every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. God is calling each of us to be faithful in our house and in his house, to build our house and to build his house. And to do so in the strength that he supplies, since he is the true builder of all things. Here's a good prayer to come out of today's sermon. “Father, make me faithful like Moses in my house and in your house.” Husbands, pray that God would strengthen you to establish your house in the Lord. Wives, pray that, like the wise woman of Proverbs 14, God would empower you to build up your house and not tear it down. Kids, pray that you would be found faithful in your house. If you're unmarried, pray that God would prepare you to build your house, and even now to be faithful in God's house. We are his house, and we want to be found faithful.And how do we do this? What is one crucial element of being God's house? Holding fast our confidence and our boasting in hope. This is a call to perseverance, one of the main themes of the letter. In 3:14, we see an echo and amplification of this passage. “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” Sharing in Christ equals sharing in a heavenly calling. Holding fast our confidence equals holding our original confidence firm to the end. And this is not always easy. Beginning is sometimes easy. Finishing is often hard. In the original context of this letter, the temptation for this audience was to abandon Jesus and return to Judaism. That's the temptation. Go back to the sacrificial system, to the temple, to Levitical priesthood. Think about it this way: the background noise for the original audience was 2nd Temple Judaism. If they drifted, they drifted back to the sacrificial system. For these Christians, that felt more real than Christianity, than Jesus. That's why this letter was written. In our day, that's not our temptation. That's not our background noise. We're not tempted to drift into Judaism or animal sacrifice. But we are tempted to drift. We are tempted to loosen our grip, and our confidence and boldness diminishes. This Thursday, at The North Church, I'll be giving a free lecture called Puddleglum's Faith in which, with C.S. Lewis's help, I'll try to describe our modern background noise and the way that it can cause us to drift from Christ and put us under a spell. If you struggle with doubts about Christianity, or if you know someone who does, I want to extend a special invitation to you. I think it will be helpful to you. The lecture is free, but RSVPs are helpful, and you can find information at citieschurch.com/events. For now, I want to close with how we can be God's house by holding fast to our confidence. And that's by clinging to Jesus, considering Jesus. Which brings us to the Table.The word “consider” here means “contemplate, meditate, fix your attention on.” It's a word of focus. And the Author takes us to Psalm 95 and quotes the last few verses. I want us to focus on the first 7: “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!For the LORD is a great God,and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the depths of the earth;the heights of the mountains are his also.The sea is his, for he made it,and his hands formed the dry land.Oh come, let us worship and bow down;let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!For he is our God,and we are the people of his pasture,and the sheep of his hand.” The exhortation here is to worship, to bow down, to sing, and to make a joyful noise with gratitude to God. And then two truths about God are highlighted. In verse 3-5, he is a great God, a great King, the maker of heaven and earth. We ought to consider how vast his power and his might. He upholds the universe by the word of his power. Contemplate that greatness, extending to the heavens and the galaxies, and extending to the atoms and the molecules. Both the size of the cosmos and the detail are incomprehensible, and he made it and holds it. But then, second, he is “our God.” We are “his sheep.” He is our great Shepherd and he cares for us and watches over us and is concerned with our welfare. His attention is not exhausted by keeping the planets in orbit, or holding atoms and molecules together. He sees you and he knows you. And he is available to help you. This is the God who reveals himself in Jesus, and he does so at this Table.At this Table each week, we are invited to consider Jesus. In his suffering and death, and in his triumph and life. So come and welcome to Jesus Christ.

As we've seen, the book of Hebrews opens with a contrast – in the past God spoke to us by the prophets; now he has spoken by his Son. The contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the main theme of the book of Hebrews. It runs throughout and the superiority of the New Covenant is highlighted at every point. Today's passage continues the contrast between the angels and the Son, which the author began in verse 4. Chapter 1 moves back and forth between Son and angels, showing how the Scriptures have always expressed the supremacy of the Son. So I want to begin by giving a brief overview of angels, because you can't understand Christ's supremacy without some biblical baseline. Then we'll look at the Son and what Hebrews finds in the psalms about Christ. And then we'll close with a few words of application. Brief Overview of AngelsAngels are personal spirits of great power and might. They are immortal and invisible (Luke 20:35-36; Colossians 1:16). They neither marry, nor multiply by procreation. They don't have flesh and bone as men and beasts do, though they do manifest themselves in visible and bodily form at times. They are not omnipresent or omniscient. When the angel Michael appears to Daniel, he tells him that he was sent from God, but was held up along the way by the prince of Persia. And 1 Peter tells us that there are things into which angels long to look.When angels appear in Scripture, the most common human response is awe and fear. Even the holiest men fall on their faces and are tempted to worship them. Angels are personal; they aren't merely forces or powers. They communicate and act. They are moral beings; some spirits obey God, whereas others have rebelled against him. Evil spirits are at war with God and with men; they are able to influence and oppress people, both physically and psychologically. The Bible alludes to various kinds of spiritual beings that we typically classify under the category of “angels.” There are the cherubim, which are essentially throne guardians; they first appear in Genesis 3 and guard the way to the tree of life. Images of cherubim appear in the tabernacle and temple, and over the ark of the covenant. When prophets see visions of the heavenly throne room, the cherubim are represented as possessing characteristics of certain beasts: lion, eagle, leopard, and so forth. There are also the seraphim, the burning ones, who appear in Isaiah 6, winged spirits who surround God's throne. Paul mentions spiritual powers and classifies them as “thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, principalities” and so forth (in Colossians 1 and Ephesians 6). Some Christian theologians have attempted to delineate the different orders and ranks of angels, and while there may be some truth to these, the details are speculative. At least two angels are named in Scripture – Michael and Gabriel.The word “angel” itself simply means “one who is sent.” Throughout the Bible, we see these spiritual beings performing various tasks as God's representative. We frequently see them worshiping God, as with the cherubim and seraphim pronouncing “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty,” or the heavenly choir at Christ's birth, or the angelic hosts in the book of Revelation. They often act as God's messengers, bringing word to his prophets. The Bible speaks of essentially a heavenly council or court, in which angels (and at times the prophets) assemble to receive orders from God himself. Angels are agents of judgment, as at Passover, when the angel of death executes judgment on Egypt, or in the book of Revelation. Some of their titles (dominions, thrones, rulers) imply that they have some sort of governing authority in the cosmos, ruling and reigning over aspects of God's creation (including men). They are frequently linked to the stars; the phrase “heavenly host” sometimes refers to the stars in the sky, or to the angelic armies of heaven.But perhaps one of their most important functions, at least according to the New Testament authors, is that angels were the mediators of God's law in the Old Testament. In Galatians, Paul says that God put the law in place “through angels.” In Hebrews 2, the law is described as “the message declared by angels.”So to summarize, the Bible teaches us that the cosmos is inhabited by innumerable spiritual beings, some good, and some evil, who have great power and might and interact and influence history and human affairs. Faithful angels are God's agents, gladly fulfilling his purposes; fallen angels, though in rebellion, are ultimately under God's control and fulfill God's purposes despite their hostility to God and man. In other words, there is an entire spiritual world operating behind the scenes of what we visibly see all the time. Think of Elisha's words to his servant when the armies of Syria surrounded the city and the servant was dismayed. Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes, and he saw that the enemy army was itself surrounded by an angelic army, complete with horses and chariots. Just a Metaphor?When we come to our passage in Hebrews, we hear the author quote Psalm 104: “He makes his angels winds,and his ministers a flame of fire.” God's word about angels contrasts with his words about the Son (1:8-13). And the author is really keying in on a few words from this passage, which show up again in 1:14. The phrase “ministering spirits” is drawn from this quotation. “Minister” and “ministering” are obviously related. The other connection is difficult to see in English, because our translators translate the word “pneumata” as “winds” in v.7 and “spirits” in v.14. But it is the same word. God makes his angels to be spirits and ministers (ministering spirits) who are sent out to serve for our sake. But perhaps he's doing more than this. In its original context, Psalm 104 is clearly talking about wind and fire; the previous verses note that God covers himself with light as with a garment, he makes the clouds his chariot, and he rides on the wings of the wind. And then he says, “he makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire.” As modern people, our tendency at this point is to regard this as “just a metaphor.” Angels are like wind, because they are invisible, or because the wind is ephemeral; it comes and goes. And God's ministers are like fire, in that fire burns up and then disappears. And this contrasts with the Son in the next verse whose throne is forever and ever. And I think there is something to that contrast.But we ought to be slow to reduce things to being “just a metaphor.” That whole modern way of framing reality is inherently myopic and narrow. We live in an age of scientific reductionism, in which material, physical causes are regarded as the only real causes. The entire modern world reinforces this reduction. It constantly catechizes us into what some philosophers aptly call “nothing-buttery.” A star is “nothing but” a ball of flaming gas. You are “nothing but” a sack of protoplasm. Love is “nothing but” a chemical reaction in the brain. So I simply want to raise the question for you: What if this isn't merely a metaphor? What if he really does “make his angels winds”? The book of Jonah says that God hurled a storm at Jonah when he fled from his mission. What if the storm had a name, like Gabriel or Michael? We name hurricanes. What if God does too? What if he really does make his angels winds?“But Joe, we know how hurricanes are formed: warm ocean air rises into clouds, creating areas of low-pressure, which causes more air to rush in and then rise and cool, which leads to rain, which creates more warm ocean air and more low pressure, until the air really begins to rush in and swirl. It's science, not angels.”But why would those be mutually exclusive? You have a spirit, an invisible aspect to your being that makes use of the chemicals in your brain in its activities. The spiritual and the physical don't cancel each other out. Might not winds, clouds, and fire have something similar underneath? What if the regularities that we observe in nature, are not owing to impersonal laws, but owing to the fact that holy angels are really, really obedient?There's more to be said about this modern tendency. On February 23, I'll be giving a lecture at The North Church (formerly Bethlehem's North Campus) as a part of Bethlehem College and Seminary's Spring Lecture Series on Puddleglum's Faith: Breaking the Dark Enchantments of the Modern World. We'll include more information about that in the weekly email.Of the SonBack to Hebrews. The main contrast he's drawing is between angels who are “made” and who “serve” and the Son who has an eternal throne, and who laid the foundation of the earth, and whose years have no end. Angels are creatures; they are made. The Son is not. To make this contrast, the author draws from Psalm 45 and Psalm 102 and claims that these passages are talking about the Son. How can he do that? How is he reading his Old Testament. Let's look closely at Psalm 45.Psalm 45 is clearly a royal psalm. “I address my verses to the king.” "You are the most handsome of the sons of men;grace is poured upon your lips;therefore God has blessed you forever.Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,in your splendor and majesty!In your majesty ride out victoriouslyfor the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!Your arrows are sharpin the heart of the king's enemies;the peoples fall under you." (Ps. 45:2-5) Later, the psalm celebrates the marriage of the king to the queen. “At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.” And then she is exhorted to leave her father's house and fully be joined to the king who desires her beauty.This is clearly a human king. But then, in the middle of the passage (v. 7-8), we have this oddity: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.Therefore God, your God, has anointed youwith the oil of gladness beyond your companions;" So someone is addressed as “God,” and then that person is said to have a “God” “Therefore, God, your God” has anointed you. So this human king, most handsome of the sons of men, with a queen in her beauty, is said to be God and have a God, who anoints him with the oil of gladness.Some might call this Messianic hyperbole. The Bible uses this exalted language to describe Israel's king and to express Israel's hopes for a future king who will restore the house of David. This is just hyperbole, nothing but hyperbole.We see the same sort of thing in Isaiah 9, the famous Christmas passage. Isaiah 9:6–7, “For to us a child is born,to us a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder,” Clearly, this is a human son, a child. In verse 7, we're told that the zeal of the Lord of hosts will establish the throne of David. So this is a child in the Davidic line. And what will his name be called? “and his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and of peacethere will be no end,on the throne of David and over his kingdom,to establish it and to uphold itwith justice and with righteousnessfrom this time forth and forevermore.The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” Just Hyperbole? Nothing but messianic exaggeration? Perhaps. Until the hyperbole becomes reality. When Jesus arrives, we clearly see that passages like Psalm 45 and Isaiah 9 (and like Deuteronomy 32 which David Mathis explored last week) are not merely hyperbole. There is a human king, a son of man, born to a woman. And this son of Man is truly the eternal Son, the one who laid the foundations of the earth in the beginning, whose throne is forever and ever, and whose years will have no end. This is what the Old Testament has been saying all along, and why Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and scribes for not getting it. Or consider the final quotation from Psalm 110. “And to which of the angels has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'?” Jesus himself appealed to this passage to stump the Pharisees in Matthew 22. Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,“‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at my right hand,until I put your enemies under your feet”'?If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” Note the argument. David wrote the Psalm. And David says that “the Lord” (Yahweh) says to “my Lord” (Messiah) “Sit at my right hand.” The Messiah is both David's son and David's lord. He is David's descendant, and David's superior. Just as we must not reduce winds to physical causes, we must not reduce the Messiah to his human origins. The Old Testament promises, and the New Testament verifies and confirms, that the Messiah is a man, and more than a man, more even than an angel. The things that God says about the Messiah could not be said of any creature–human or angelic. Christ is supreme over the angels.ApplicationWhere do we go with this truth? Next week Pastor Kenny will unpack the conclusion that the author draws in 2:1 (note the word “therefore”). And then the following week, we'll discuss the relationship between Christ and the angels in 2:5-9. And for that, let me just plant a little seed for your reflection. Last week Pastor David noted that the Bible gives us an order of being: God, angels, man, beasts. Humans reign over animals (Genesis 1, Psalm 8), and angels are over humans. Angels, it seems, reign over the nations of men and influence the course of human history. God gives the law through angels (Hebrews 2:2; Galatians 3). And this makes sense. Angels are beings of great power and might; they see the face of God, and act as his agents. Man is made “lower than the angels.”But then we have 1:14, which says that angels are sent out to serve for our sake. So at one level, angels are above us; in another, they are below us. How do we make sense of both of those claims? Ponder that over the next few weeks.For now, let me note a few ways that we can be encouraged by this chapter.First, recognize the place of angels in God's works. Modern people need reminders that there is more in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our reductionistic philosophies. Our earthly problems feel so big; reminding ourselves of the invisible supernatural realm, and the battles and praises taking place there, can help to recalibrate us. I don't mean that you should become obsessed with angels (or demons). But I do mean that it is good and right for you to welcome and seek the service of God's ministering spirits. When I put my kids to bed, I regularly pray that God would send his mighty angels in flames of fire to guard my house and my children. And you might say, “Joe, why don't you just ask God to guard your house and your kids himself? Why bring angels into it?” Because I don't want to be holier than God. I don't want to be more spiritual than Jesus. The Bible tells us that God will command his angels concerning his people so that we don't strike our foot against the stone. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and deliver them. The psalmist praises God for the activity of faithful angels and seek to praise God with the angels:Psalm 103:20–21, “Bless the LORD, O you his angels,you mighty ones who do his word,obeying the voice of his word!Bless the LORD, all his hosts,his ministers, who do his will!” Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, as he prayed in agony, was strengthened by the appearance of an angel. Later in Hebrews, the author says that we should show hospitality, because some people have entertained angels unaware.So recognizing and acknowledging the role of angels is a real part of the biblical vision of reality. And so we want to keep both truths in view: angels are real; Jesus is better. Second, let the loves and hates of Jesus shape your own. Of the Son he says, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” There are things that Jesus loves, and things that Jesus hates. He has embedded knowledge of right and wrong in our consciences and then expressed them clearly in the Bible. And yet, we're sinners, and we suppress the truth, and exchange the truth for a lie. Human beings know God's decree and practice the opposite and celebrate our sin. And so it takes gracious effort to cultivate your loves and your hates. And I stress both, because the passage stresses both. We are pressed on every side to emphasize what God loves, and not what God hates. But there are things that Jesus hates.Earlier this week at Bethlehem College and Seminary Chapel, we sang an arrangement of Psalm 125. Psalm 125:1–3, “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,which cannot be moved, but abides forever.As the mountains surround Jerusalem,so the LORD surrounds his people,from this time forth and forevermore.For the scepter of wickedness shall not reston the land allotted to the righteous,lest the righteous stretch outtheir hands to do wrong.Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,and to those who are upright in their hearts!” Christ's scepter is a scepter of righteousness (Hebrews 1:8). Here there is the scepter of wickedness. And one of the dangers of living beneath a wicked scepter, under wicked rulers is that ungodly law shapes even the righteous so that they stretch out their hands to do wrong. This is one of the reasons why law matters – it shapes our views of what is good and evil. And we live under wicked rulers. Just this week the Minnesota legislature is considering bills that will expand abortion access for any reason up until birth, remove waiting periods and parental consent, and deny medical care to children who survive abortions. They've also queued up bills that would enable the state to seize custody of children from parents should they deny “gender affirming care” to their minor son or daughter, that would outlaw efforts by counselors to help minors and vulnerable adults as they wrestle with their sexuality, and that would mandate that schools teach children about the “spectrum” of sexuality. These are wicked laws, established by the scepter of wickedness. But we live under Christ's scepter of righteousness. We trust in the Lord, and seek to calibrate our loves and hates by the loves and hates of Christ. And from that faith and upright heart, we seek the face of God; we ask him to do good to us, and then through us to our city, state, and nation. We ask the Lord to act to establish justice for the weakest and most vulnerable members of society, for his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Third, and finally, because Christ perfectly and completely loved righteousness and hated wickedness, therefore God anointed him with the oil of gladness beyond his companions. According to Acts 10, the oil of gladness here is the Holy Spirit, who descended upon Jesus and empowered him for his ministry. And then, Christ pours out that same oil of gladness upon us, anointing his people with his Spirit at Pentecost. In the face of the great evils we face – both in the culture and in our own midst and hearts – the joy of Jesus anchors us in his rule and reign.The TableThis brings us to the table. Here, we marvel that Jesus doesn't change. His throne is forever and ever. He laid the foundations of the earth in the beginning. He made the heavens, and he will outlast them. He will bring history and this creation to its close. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And he is seated now, as God brings everything into subjection to him. God makes his angels winds; he makes Christ's enemies his footstool. We eat this meal because Christ is seated at the right hand of Majesty.

Sally leaves a frosty boat and travels to Gloucestershire to meet her friend and fellow author Alice Jolly. They talk about Alice's epic experimental novel, Mary Ann Sate, Imbecile, which is written in rolling free verse and recounts the life of an elderly maidservant in the Stroud Valley of the 19th century.  They listen to clips from an extraordinary dramatisation of the book, and discuss spiritual autobiography, Christina Rossetti, the Psalms, and how the marginalised and dispossessed can find a posthumous voice in literature. Further Reading Sally's friend Alice Jolly has won the V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize and the PEN/Ackerley Prize. Her novel Mary Ann Sate, Imbecile was runner up for The Rathbones Folio Prize  and longlisted for The Ondaatje Prize. She was awarded an O. Henry Award in 2021. You can find her books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Alice-Jolly/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AAlice+Jolly The dramatization of Mary Ann Sate, Imbecile was created by the Red Dog Theatre Company, Jude Emmet, Kate Abraham and Simon Turner. You can find it here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4lD6TzgomEztr9b8sU1CnY https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Mary-Ann-Sate-Imbecile-Audiobook/B0B4TW92RL The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797/98 and published in Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems co-written with William Wordsworth; a revolutionary work considered to signal the beginning of British Romantic literature. This long poem recounts the experiences of a sailor who, in one of the most famous tales in literature, brings a curse upon himself and his shipmates when he kills an albatross. At the beginning of the poem, the mariner stops a guest on his way to a wedding, insisting that his story must be heard. You can find the poem here, in a revised edition published in 1834: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834 Christina Rossetti was a 19th century English writer of romantic, devotional and children's poems, celebrated for the deceptive simplicity of her lyrical language.  She was sister to the artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and part of the circle which formed around the artistic movement known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Some of her best-known poems can be found here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/christina-rossetti Puddleglum appears in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by the Oxford writer C.S. Lewis; he's a principal character in The Silver Chair and is mentioned briefly at the end of The Last Battle.  Puddleglum is a "Marsh-wiggle"; they live in wigwams close to the river. Lewis claimed he based the character on his gardener. The producer of the podcast is Andrew Smith: https://www.fleetingyearfilms.com The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding If you would like to support this podcast and help pay for its expenses, please visit - https://gofund.me/d5bef397 Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.  

Outline:The Feminine and LunaJill and the Woman at the WellThe Witch's WitchcraftFairy and MythThe Beginning of the End of the UnderworldThe Harrowing of HadesThe Lesson LearnedThe Kingly BlessingThe Resurrection of the DeadThe Great Witches of Education and Politics Saint Athanasius ChurchContra Mundum SwaggerFeller of Trees Blog (Transcript)Video Version 

Let's begin with some observations about context, structure, and theme. First, where was this psalm written? In a cave. When? When David fled from King Saul. Which time? David hid in a cave from King Saul multiple times (1 Sam 22, 23, 24, 25). The most likely candidate is immediately after David left Gath; in fact, that may be why this psalm is located here; 1 Samuel 21 describes David's time in Gath (when he likely wrote Psalm 56). And then 1 Samuel 22 begins this way: "David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men." So, the first thing to note is that this psalm was written from a cave, when David is fleeing from the king that he has faithfully served. StructureSecond, what's the structure of the psalm? It's structured like a chiasm. A chiasm is a literary structure that's kind of like steps up a mountain. The first corresponds to the last, the second to the second-to-last, and so on. I've heard Pastor Jonathan describe it like a hamburger, with the bun, then veggies, then cheese, and meat in the middle. So let's briefly identify those connections. A (Bun; 57:1): A plea for mercy as David seeks refuge in God.B (Veggies; 57:2-3): David's cry for help to the sovereign God, with confidence that God will send out his steadfast love and faithfulness from heaven. C (Cheese; 57:4): A description of David's enemies. They are lions and fiery beasts. Their teeth and tongue are their main weapons. In other words, David's enemies do violence with their words. This refers to Saul and the evil counselors that he has surrounded himself with, men who slander David and feed Saul's jealousy, likely out of their own jealousy.D (Meat; 57:5): A call for God to be exalted above the heavens and for his glory to extend to the whole earth.C' (Cheese; 57:6): A description of David's enemies. David's enemies seek to entrap and ensnare him. They plot against him, but become entangled in their own nets, falling into their own pits. B' (Veggies; 57:7-10): David's response to God's deliverance: a steadfast heart, gratitude, and song. Whereas in B, God sent his steadfast love and faithfulness from heaven, in B', David sings of God's steadfast love and faithfulness which reaches to the heavens.A' (Bun/Meat; 57:11): A repetition of 57:5, with a call for God's exaltation above the heavens, and for his glory to fill the whole earth. So the psalm begins with a plea for mercy, and then both the middle and the end celebrate God's exaltation and glory. In between, David expresses confidence in God's steadfast love and faithfulness, in the face of enemies who plot and wound with words. HeavensThird, a repeated theme in the psalm is the heavens. God will send from heaven and save me (v. 3) Be exalted, O God, above the heavens (v. 5) For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds (v. 10) Be exalted, O God, above the heavens (v. 11) In the Bible, heaven or heavens can refer to one of two realities. On the one hand, it can refer to the physical heavens, including the sky and space. The heavens are above us, from horizon to horizon, and the stars are set in the heavens, and the clouds move across the face of the heavens. On the other hand, the heavens can refer to the place where God and the angels dwell. This place is normally invisible to us, but at various times, God pulls back the veil separating his dwelling place from our normal reality, and reveals heavenly realities to the prophets (think about the book of Revelation).We see both in this psalm. God sends “from heaven” (where he dwells) in order to save us. And his steadfast love reaches to the heavens, and his faithfulness to the clouds (physical heavens). The connection between these two, I believe, goes all the way back to Genesis 1.Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void and darkness was over the face of the deep.” I believe this is describing the creation of the heavens (God's creation palace, where he dwells), and then the story zooms in on the earth, which at this point has no structure or inhabitants. The six days of creation are about God forming and filling the earth. But the heaven of heavens is made, all at once and complete, in Genesis 1:1. Then after turning on the lights in Day 1, on Day 2, God places an expanse between the waters above and the waters below. This expanse includes the sky and outer space. It basically stretches from our atmosphere to the end of the cosmos. The sun, moon, and stars are all set in this expanse. But what's significant is that God names the expanse “heavens,” after the heavens that he created in Genesis 1:1. In other words, the physical heavens are named after the heavenly heavens. And these physical heavens represent and point to the heaven of heavens. The physical heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). This includes the sun as it moves across the sky with triumphant joy, the moon as it waxes and wanes and gives light to the night, the stars as they shine brilliantly as jewels set in the heavens. It includes clouds filled with rain and the rumble of thunder and fantastic lightning storms like we had last night.These are the heavens that the James Webb telescope has been sending images of, astounding us with colorful galaxies, star formation, and swirling nebulae. These are the heavens that amaze our soul as we think about standing in one place and moving outward in any direction, and traveling for trillions and trillions of miles, for billions of lightyears, and never coming to the end of it. Though we can do the math and repeat the numbers, our imaginations falter at such distance. We cannot fathom heavens of such depth and distance. And this too is an image of God.Because don't miss what David says in this psalm. Our God is exalted above the heavens. The heavens are so deep, and they land on our imaginations with such weight and gravity. They make us to feel that we are adrift on an infinite sea, running on into the horizon with no conceivable shore. We are surrounded by roads leading in all directions but ultimately leading nowhere. The heavens are so nearly infinite, so majestic and massive in their depth and distance that they give to our minds a likeness of the Abyss of God's very own being, into which if a creature drop down his thoughts for ever, he shall hear no echo return to him. That's what the word unfathomable means. As great as the heavens are, God himself is greater, and therefore, be exalted, O God, above the heavens. The Heavens and the CaveAnd now I want to bring these together. David is writing this psalm in a cave. And caves can be good. When a storm of destruction passes by, it is good to seek refuge from the storm in a cave. But a cave is not a castle. It's not a palace. And so David's presence in a cave is not good. He is not where he expected to be. The youngest son of Jesse, handsome, zealous, and full of courage. He is the slayer of lions and bears. He is David the Giant-killer, anointed by the Lord's prophet to be king over God's people. He is David the musician, invited into the king's house to soothe the mind of the king. He is David, the covenant brother of the crown prince. And now he's an outlaw, on the run, pretending to be out of his mind to protect himself from enemy kings, surrounded by the dregs of Israel – the distressed, the debtors, and the embittered. This is not what he expected. He's in a cave, and the walls are closing in. He's in a cave, and he remembers the heavens.He's in a cave, and he sings to the God who is exalted above the heavens.Let's think more about the juxtaposition of the cave and the heavens. Plato, in the Republic, records Socrates' allegory of the cave. He says that human beings are basically prisoners, deep in a dark cave. We are chained with our backs to a wall, looking at the far wall. Behind us, up toward the mouth of the cave, there is a fire. Between the fire and the wall behind us are people carrying items, which cast their shadows on the wall in front of us. We spend our lives fixated on the shadows, competing for the shadows, arguing and fighting and even dying for the shadows. For Plato, the philosopher – the lover of wisdom – is the one with the courage and fortitude to escape from the bondage and to turn around and climb out of the cave, out past the figures casting the shadow, past the fire at the mouth of the cave, out, out into the open air, looking up…at the heavens, at the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. The philosopher is the one who turns from the shadows of this world and seeks the true glory and majesty of goodness, truth, and beauty. For Plato, the heavens are a fitting image of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, the ultimate Ideas and Forms that lie behind created reality. Or consider another story about caves and the heavens. In Lewis's The Silver Chair, the fourth Chronicle of Narnia, Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb are sent on a quest, with Puddleglum the Marshwiggle, to find the lost Prince Rilian. Their journey takes them to the land of the giants, where they are chased into a cave, and fall down a crack, down, down, down deep underground, where they are captured by gnomes, who constantly say, “Many sink down, but few return to the sunlit lands.”Deep underground, in this massive cave, the three heroes find the lost prince and deliver him from an enchanted chair. But as they prepare to make their escape, the Emerald Witch, who had enchanted the prince, returns. Rilian declares that he is the true prince of Narnia and that he and his friends intend to return there. The Witch lights a fire of incense, begins to play enchanted music on her harp, and attempts to enchant all four of them again.The substance of the enchantment is this: the cave is all there is. There is no Narnia. There is no Overworld. Narnia is just a dream, just make-believe. The Witch, “There never was any world but mine.” And the children repeat, “There never was any world but yours.” Puddleglum wasn't finished fighting. And listen to what he emphasizes. “I don't know rightly what you all mean by a world,” he said, talking like a man who hasn't enough air. “But you can play that fiddle till your fingers drop off, and still you won't make me forget Narnia; and the whole Overworld too. We'll never see it again, I shouldn't wonder. You may have blotted it out and turned it dark like this, for all I know. Nothing more likely. But I know I was there once. I've seen the sky full of stars. I've seen the sun coming up out of the sea of a morning and sinking behind the mountains at night. And I've seen him up in the midday sky when I couldn't look at him for brightness.” - C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia Book 6) (pp. 176-177) Harper Collins, Inc. Kindle Edition. This speech has a rousing effect on the others. But the Witch isn't through. She questions the existence of the sun. When they tell her that the sun is like a large lamp that hangs in the sky, she laughs at them (“hangeth from what, my lord?” she says), and explains away the sun. The sun too is just a dream, copied from the lamp. The lamp is the real thing; the sun is just a tale. The enchantment is nearing its full effect and the four are almost asleep and under the spell.But then Jill fights through and says, “There's Aslan.” And the Witch goes to work. When they say Aslan is the great lion, she asks what a lion is. “Well, a lion is a little bit—only a little bit, mind you—like a huge cat—with a mane. At least, it's not like a horse's mane, you know, it's more like a judge's wig. And it's yellow. And terrifically strong.” The Witch shook her head. “I see,” she said, “that we should do no better with your lion, as you call it, than we did with your sun. You have seen lamps, and so you imagined a bigger and better lamp and called it the sun. You've seen cats, and now you want a bigger and better cat, and it's to be called a lion. Well, ‘tis a pretty make-believe, though, to say truth, it would suit you all better if you were younger. And look how you can put nothing into your make-believe without copying it from the real world, this world of mine, which is the only world. But even you children are too old for such play. As for you, my lord Prince, that art a man full grown, fie upon you! Are you not ashamed of such toys? Come, all of you. Put away these childish tricks. I have work for you all in the real world. There is no Narnia, no Overworld, no sky, no sun, no Aslan. And now, to bed all. And let us begin a wiser life tomorrow. But, first, to bed; to sleep; deep sleep, soft pillows, sleep without foolish dreams.” - C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia Book 6) (pp. 179-180). Harper Collins, Inc. Kindle Edition. You see what Lewis is doing with the Witch? The modern world is a cave, and we are in danger of falling under a dark enchantment. We are tempted to believe that the physical world is the only world, that the only things that are real are material things, measurable things, things that we can analyze with science and mathematics. Spiritual things – like the soul or God or heaven – are simply make-believe, projections of our desires that enable us to cope with the harshness of reality. We have earthly fathers, and we yearn for someone to protect us from the storms of destruction that threaten on every side, to deliver us from our enemies, from the lions that surround us and set a net for our steps. And so we project our earthly fathers into the sky, imagining a bigger and better father, and calling him God. So how does Lewis resolve it? As the enchantment takes hold, Puddleglum, in a brave act of defiance, puts his foot in the fire of incense, filling the room with the foul smell of burnt Marshwiggle. The pain gives him a moment of perfect clarity, and he says: “One word, Ma'am,” he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. “One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things—trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.” - C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia Book 6) (pp. 181-182). Harper Collins, Inc. Kindle Edition. This is Puddleglum's steadfast, defiant faith. He remembers in the dark what he knew in the light. He has eternity in his heart, a longing for something more than the cave can supply. And he knows that, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” And so he stands by the play-world, the spiritual world, the heavenly world. He's on Aslan's side, come hell or high water. And this connects Puddleglum to Psalm 57. In the cave, David remembers the heavens. He remembers that the sun rises every day, and that the stars come out every night. They are faithful, firm, and steadfast, and they are images of the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. And in meditating on God's steadfast love, which is great to the heavens, and his faithfulness which is mighty to the clouds, David himself becomes steadfast. He sees the purposes of God in the heavens, in the storms that bring the rains that falls to water the thirsty ground. And he knows that God has purposes for him too. Those purposes include storms of destruction passing by. But God is his refuge in the midst of those storms, sheltering him from that destruction, and from the enemies that prowl around. That's why David says, “My heart is steadfast, O God. My heart is steadfast.” Listen to the way Psalm 112 describes the blessing on the righteous man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in his commands, the man who is on Aslan's side and seeks to live like a Narnian: He is not afraid of bad news;his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.(Psalm 112:7–8) The man who trusts in the Lord is steadfast, firm, immovable, established, prepared, faithful, strong, and resilient, because he meditates on the God who is firm, immovable, established, strong, and full of steadfast love and faithfulness.Three EncouragementsLet me close with three encouragements for you. Some of you are in a cave, and you feel like the walls are closing in. This is not the life you expected. There are storms of destruction passing by. Maybe you have adversaries and opponents who are seeking to tear you down. What does Psalm 57 say to you?First, the last few weeks Pastor Jonathan and Pastor Kenny have said, “Preach the gospel to yourself.” I want to add to that. Don't just preach; sing. Sing the gospel to yourself. In the cave, in the darkness, sing of God's faithfulness until the sun comes up. Wake the dawn with your singing. Second, get out of your head. Don't get lost in the maze of your own mind. Don't lean on your own understanding. Look to the heavens. Look to the birds. Consider God's purposes. Consider God's cosmic purposes, as he reveals himself in the infinitude of space, the majesty of the heavens, and the steadfastness of the sun. He is exalted above the heavens. Consider God's global purposes, as his glory covers the whole earth. Give thanks to him among the peoples and praise him among the nations. One of the best ways to break out of the cave is to meditate on the greatness of God's purposes in the world.Consider God's personal purposes, his purposes for you. The greatness of the cosmos and the glory of his mission among the nations is to give you a vision of his absolute greatness. The vastness of the universe blows our minds; it stretches them to the breaking point. And these are just the fringes of his ways. The cosmos does not stretch God. He's not overwhelmed by it. And he has infinite attention for every aspect of it. All of him is everywhere, and he has purposes for everything, including you. He is the God who fulfills his purpose for you.Third, so remember him. Look to him. Cry out to him. He is God Most High, sovereign, governing all things, including storms of destruction. He is protective, hiding you in the shadow of his wings. He is faithful and steadfast, full of covenant love, which fills his cosmos from one corner to the other. The TableWhich brings us to the Table. Psalm 57 begins with a plea: “Be merciful to me, O God” and ends with a song of triumph: “Be exalted, O God.” Our God exalts himself in showing mercy to us. He is the Most High and the Most Merciful. He magnifies himself in his condescension to us. And that's what this Table is. Here the Most High God, out of his abundance of steadfast love and faithfulness, reminds us of his great humiliation, when he made himself nothing and took the form of a servant. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. But his humiliation was his triumph, and God exalted him and gave him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in the heavens, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Most High, Most Merciful, in the person of Jesus, here at this Table.Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.

'The Case for Aslan: Evidence for Jesus in the land of Narnia' examines how Lewis employed Christian apologetics throughout the fantasy writing of Narnia. Author David Marshall tells Justin Brierley how in The Silver Chair, Puddleglum proves himself to be a wise, if gloomy, thinker.   For 'The Case For Aslan': http://christthetao.blogspot.com/2022/08/aslan-is-loose.html   + Subscribe to The CS Lewis podcast: https://pod.link/1560959545 + For more shows, free ebook and newsletter visit our new website + For our Premier Unbelievable? Live events + Support the podcast from the USA + Support the podcast from UK and rest of the world

Join us in Vegas for our CSR Live From LVG! - Friday, Saturday & Sunday, October 21 – 23, 2022 | 5:00 pm to 7:oo pm Country Squire Radio – Jon David Cole & Beau York - Saturday, October 22nd! Details: Las Vegas International Pipe Show - The Premiere Show for Pipe Enthusiasts (vegaspipeshow.com) Pipe Question: (From Taylor) Love the show and love the Squire for all of its amazing blends. I'm a big Tolkien nerd, so when I first saw you guys had a Middle Earth series I lost my mind. I mention the ME series because I have started doing some home blending myself to create Southern Star, the third and mostly forgotten of the pipeweed of the South Farthing. My question is, do you have any good tips for a home blender? I note down everything I taste in a notebook, but if you have any other advice I would love to hear it. Warm regards, Taylor Freet Quick Fire Questions: John Coatney Confirmed Pipe SMokers of Fiction & Literature Edition Sherlock Holmes or Gandalf Haunted Bookshop (the book) or Billy Budd (the book) Trumpkin the dwarf or Puddleglum the Marshwiggle (Chronicles of Narnia) Listener Feedback: (From Davey J) hey fellas, hope you both had a good recharge in FL. sounds like you boys needed some much needed bro time. really hope you found it, take care and peace be with you both. (From Dragon Faerie) Super excited to try Rivendell and Second breakfast for the first time! As a female piper, I can't help but feel like I'm in Victorian times!

Tests of faith and faithfulness return in The Silver Chair, but this time our new heroes Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum must defy enchantments, false appearances, and their own expectations if they hope to fulfill the quest on which Aslan has sent them. I'm Rachelle Ferguson of Kittywham Productions, and Unknown Friends is my weekly book review podcast. Visit the Unknown Friends homepage at www.kittywhamproductions.com/podcast. To learn more about me and my work as a Christian playwright, explore my website at www.kittywhamproductions.com. Support the podcast and unlock bonus content: www.patreon.com/unknownfriends Get in touch with me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rachelle.ferguson Connect with me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kittywhamproductions Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a quick review, and share with your book-loving friends!

In this one, How to Serve Man is a cookbook! Who could've possibly seen this coming? Well, besides Puddleglum...

Thanks for the encouraging words many of you have sent my way. I write with pastors in view – so if you know any who might benefit from joining us here, do let them know. But I am discovering that many of you who have found the content thus far helpful are not pastors. I […]

In this one, I suppose we're starting the next leg of our journey. Ill-advised if you ask me. Too many legs and you'll just end up tripping into the mud, they say...

A Veeam user warns of what he felt is a confusing option in Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365. He says he likes the product, but that the first retention setting mentioned in the documentation (item-level retention) might not do what you think it does. He thinks everyone should use snapshot-level retention, which behaves more traditionally. We also discuss IBM Spectrum Protect (AKA TSM) a little bit, as they also use that product. Our guest is speaking on conditions of anonymity, so we gave him a fake name (Puddleglum) and altered his voice in the recording. (Want to talk about your environment, but don't want to use your name? We'd love to have you on and we'll keep you anonymous too!)

Rillian and Puddleglum and Glimfeather, oh my! The unique cast of giants, gnomes, knights, and witches sets The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis apart. Join Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing as they unpack the adventures of Eustace and Jill Pole in this fourth novel from The Chronicles of Narnia with Producer Aaron Hill. Follow along as the Downings unpack references to George MacDonald and Lilith, to Yahweh and Deuteronomy, to Hamlet and Ophelia, to Virgil and The Aeneid, and especially to the resurrection of the body from the New Testament.

Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum travel in darkness.  Your Lamp-post Links: Further Up & Further In: Understanding Narnia, by Joseph Pearce A plaster cast of an ant nest. Support us on Patreon or follow us into Narnia on our Twitter or Facebook pages. You can also email us at thenarniapodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at (406) 646-6733. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Stitcher Radio | Podcast Website | RSS Feed

Puddleglum makes himself known to loud and coughing children. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bower/support

Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum journey through a snowstorm to Harfang. Your Lamp-post Links: Support us on Patreon or follow us into Narnia on our Twitter or Facebook pages. You can also email us at thenarniapodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at (406) 646-6733. Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Podcast Website | YouTube | RSS Feed

Jill and Eustace meet Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle. Your Lamp-post Links: Here are the three different illustrations from Chapter 5. Map from The Silver Chair "Past Watchful Dragons," by Walter Hooper "Jack's Life," by Douglas Gresham "Keys to the Chronicles," by Marvin Hinton Support us on Patreon or follow us into Narnia on our Twitter or Facebook pages. You can also email us at thenarniapodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at (406) 646-6733. Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Podcast Website | YouTube | RSS Feed

Jill and Eustace learn more about Narnia's missing prince. Your Lamp-post Links: Illustration of Jill & Glimfeather Illustration of Puddleglum, Jill, & Eustace Support us on Patreon or follow us into Narnia on our Twitter or Facebook pages. You can also email us at thenarniapodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at (406) 646-6733. Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher Radio | Podcast Website | YouTube | RSS Feed

Ms. Puddleglum's Faith | Matthew 15:21-28 | September 2, 2020 | Dennis Sanders, preaching The woman at the center of this story believed Jesus could heal her daughter. It was a risky faith, like doing a trust fall ten feet up and blindfolded. We place our trust in God even when the future seems bleak.

Call-ins from Evil Jeff of Minions and Musings and Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Podcast. Milestone XP in Old School Essentials (episode, spreadsheet). Cultural touchstones; Judd on "knife fights in space." Sorcerers & Sellswords. Tiger and Del. Spikepit, Puddleglum, Innsmouth Look, Mike Myers' Canada. Polaris by Ben Lehman. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

“Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things — trees and grass and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it.” — Puddleglum, in The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

Thank you to everyone who helped us continue our Narnia series. Now, our heroes talk about The Silver Chair. The heroic optimism (yeah, optimism) of Puddleglum, claustrophobia in stories about caves, Neo-platonism, the dumbness of Pascal's wager as it related to C. S. Lewis, and more. Support us here! No, seriously, we could use your support these days. Thank you in advance!★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

One of the things I love to do at the end of spending time in my garden is to make some tussie mussies.   Tussie mussies are also called nosegays or posies; they are small flower bouquets typically given as a gift. Mine are pretty small - with cuttings no longer than 6 inches. I like the charm of these little tussie mussies. They are super fun to drop off by someone's mailbox or simply to set down near the register of your favorite barista. They look perfect when placed on top of a book or added to the top of a gift-wrapped package.   Irene Deitsch wrote a book called Tussie Mussies a few years ago and she explained the etymology of the word tussie mussie - which I found quite helpful.   “A ‘tussie’ is a nosegay, which is a Middle English word for a small group of flowers held together in a little bouquet. 'Mussie’ refers to the moss that was moistened and put around the stems of the flowers to keep them from wilting. That’s why they’re called tussie-mussies.”         Brevities #OTD  Today is the anniversary of the death of Jeanne Baret who died on this day in 1807. Baret was the first woman to have circumnavigated the world as part of the expedition which was led by Louis Antoine de Bougainville.   Beret was able to join the expedition after posing as a valet to the expedition's naturalist: Philibert Commerçon.   Before the expedition, Baret had been employed as Commerçon's housekeeper. A few years later his wife died and Baret took over the management of the household in addition to having a personal relationship with Commerçon.   Commerçon had poor health and it was likely that he needed Baret to join him on the expedition because he needed her assistance.   Baret herself was actually a botanist herself and her own right.  When the ship stopped in Rio de Janeiro, an old leg injury prevented Commerçon from collecting specimens. Thus , it was Baret who ventured out into the tropics and returned with the lovely tropical vine that would be named to honor the expedition's commander: Bougainvillea.     #OTD  It’s the birthday of Frederick William Calcut Paxford who was born on this day in 1898.   Paxford was CS Lewis's gardener from 1930 until Lewis' death in 1963.   Paxford was the inspiration for Puddleglum; the marsh Weigle and the silver chair in the chronicles of Narnia where Puddleglum was described  as,   “an inwardly optimistic, outwardly pessimistic, dear, frustrating, shrewd countryman of immense integrity.“   Paxford and Lewis were the same age. However, Paxford had served during World War I, and he had been gassed as a soldier.    Nearly a decade after the war, Lewis bought his property in Oxfordshire called the Kilns. When Paxford was hired, he spent many years preparing the grounds. He leveled the lawn in front of the house. He set out flowers and a Rose arbor. He established both an orchard and a vegetable garden. and he  helped raise rabbits and chickens.   Lewis called Paxford, “our indispensable factotum” (A factotem is an employee who does all kinds of tasks.)   Meanwhile, Paxford always referred to Sinclair Lewis as "Mr. Jack". Here are a few of Paxford's memories about Lewis:   "Mr. Jack loved the trees and would not have a tree cut down or lopped.  When we had to take some [branches] to make a rose trellis, we had to get them when he was away for a few days and cover up the cuts with mud so that they would not be seen."   Paxford lived in a little private Bungalow in the garden and he stayed there for 33 years. When Lewis died, Paxford was only bequeathed 100 pounds. To which he replied, "Well, it won’t take me far, will it?"   #OTD   Today is the anniversary of the death of Candice Wheeler who died on this day in 1923. Candice Wheeler is often called "the mother of interior design". In addition to design, Wheeler loved gardening and she helped create the artist community of Onteora.   Onteora was known for its unique homes and gardens. In its prime, it was a summer colony teaming with artists set in New York’s Catskill Mountains.   Wheeler’s garden was known as Wildmuir. Wildmuir had wonderful lawn, specimen rhododendrons, laurels, and evergreen trees. In the 1920s, Wildmuir was updated by Harold Caparn, who designed the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.   Like Martha Stewart, Candice Wheeler was multitalented. Her publishing credits include a variety of books; from How to Make Rugsto Content in a Garden.   Content in a Gardenis partly an essay and partly a guide as to what can be grown in a small space. Wheeler wrote from her own experiences.  In a 1923 newspaper advertisement for the book, the reviewer wrote that Candice Wheeler and her daughter, Dora Wheeler Keith, "are thoroughly in sympathy with nature, of which the former writes as charmingly as the latter illustrates it."   And it was Candace Wheeler who said,   "One of the most perfect and unfailing joys of life is planting. It is the creative joy felt by God."       Unearthed Words Today, we honor the poetry of Wendell Erdman Barry, an American author whose extraordinary nature poetry grew out of his experiences as a farmer.    Barry is responsible for so many wonderful quotes and poems. It was difficult to pick just a few. Here are some of my favorites:   "Eating is an agricultural act." "Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup." “Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.”  “I don't believe that grief passes away. It has its time and place forever. More time is added to it; it becomes a story within a story. But grief and griever alike endure.”        Today's book recommendation: The Herb Garden Cookbook by Lucinda Hutson Southern Livingsaid this about Lucinda Hutson's book:   "Lucinda Hutson’s garden is something of a legend in Austin. An invitation from Lucinda, an authority on ethnic herbs and an accomplished cook, to sample a new dish or special punch in her flamboyant setting is a guaranteed fiesta. . . . And her gusto for entertaining and cooking is exemplified in her recipes [in] The Herb Garden Cookbook."   If you’ve ever wondered what to do with all the herbs growing in your garden, Hutson‘s book will be an inspiration for you.   This book was published back in 2003, but it is a classic. You can get used copies on Amazon using the link provided in today's show notes for under three dollars.     Today's Garden Chore Now is the time to start pansy seed for fall color to your beds and containers and window boxes.   Pansies can handle cooler temperatures. When your geraniums and begonias and other summer bloomers are starting to get leggy and spent, pansies are nice way to add a dash of color with their adorable little faces.   If you look closely at pansies, you’ll see that their petals are heart-shaped and they overlap. Despite their sweet faces, pansies are tough. They will survive a frost. They can bounce back from single-digit temperatures (which I think is incredible).    And remember, pansies love morning sun the best - they're not thrilled with hot afternoon sun. They're too cool for that.   Just a heads up: Pansy seed can be finicky and slow going, so check out some YouTube videos for germination tips to ensure success.     Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart   On this day in 1998, The Province out of Vancouver, British Columbia shared an article written by Peter Clough that caught my attention. The title was called Hydrangea Fest Yanked by Rootsand began with the sentence, "It’s a blooming shame."   Here’s what it said:   "Saturday was supposed to be the inaugural SurreyWhite Rock Hydrangea Blossom Festival.   For organizer Elaine Cramer, it was going to be the realization of a dream she's had for 15 years to bring a world-class floral parade to the Lower Mainland. Now it's not going to happen; not this year at least.   After months of planning, the parade has been cancelled. [...]   Elaine is no novice when it comes to hydrangeas. She actually studied them at university. Her garden's home to several varieties.   [Elaine] says Surrey was equally enthusiastic. In fact, she says, it was Mayor Doug McCallum who convinced her that the best route through Surrey was 152nd Street. So she was a little shocked two weeks ago when she sat down before the city's special-events committee to be told by chairwoman Council Judy Higginbotham that her permit had been denied.   She's been working with Surrey officials for more than a year and only now does she learn of the problem.   Elaine and her 30 volunteers plan to give away more than 10,000 hydrangea bushes between now and October with next year's parade in mind. That's if she can get a permit."     Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

We get some great insight into Jesus the Living Stone from two fictional stories.

Having defeated the Queen, the characters are now trapped in Underland. In these chapters, more themes emerge: (1) Evil seeks to destroy everything within its sway (We live in an age that wants equally to deny the existence of Evil or to appease or compromise with it, but Evil will not compromise); (2) When you are following Aslan, He will sometimes assure you of his presence in miraculous ways (The touching scene in which Rilian's old black shield miraculously transforms into gleaming silver with a bold red likeness of Aslan at its center is a beautiful example of how God sometimes works to miraculously show us His presence when we are seeking to follow Him); (3) Focus on Aslan leads to repentance and true identity (In an extremely poignant scene, Rilian leads the children and Puddleglum in worship, which as they draw close to Aslan convicts them of their sin, causes them to confess to one another, and to remove their masks as they worship Him); and (4) Freedom from slavery leads to speech, joy, and desire for one's homeland (Lewis beautifully depicts how slavery, whether it be to a sorceress, an addiction, or a false worldview, robs us of speech and joy and displaces us from our homeland).

The story reaches a dramatic climax in the Queen's castle, and Puddleglum gives a memorable speech. Themes in this chapter include: (1) Enchantment leads to slavery (That which enchants us can so alter our perceptions that we lose ourselves and our values to the object of our desires), (2) What is Reality—Plato's Allegory of the Cave--redux (The Witch presents one narrative of Reality, while the Prince, Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum argue for another and better narrative); (3) Pain can clarify Truth (The suffocating enchantment is breached by Puddleglum's heroic act of putting his foot into the fire, and with newfound clarity Puddleglum gives his rousing speech about Truth, through which Lewis expresses the ontological argument derived from Anselm and Descartes about a Reality bigger and better than what we can imagine); and (4) Evil wants to destroy and will brook no compromise (When Evil does not get its way, it will immediately seek to kill and destroy).

Mashing up inspiring characters.

The children and Puddleglum tread the perilous paths of the Dark Realm. More important themes emerge: (1) The vital role of encouraging fellowship (Only through bearing one another's burdens and encouraging one another are the children and Puddleglum able to continue); (2) Scripture and layers of meaning (As the children are tempted to disbelieve the Signs, Puddleglum encourages them to remember that Aslan as eternal speaks through the Signs with many layers of meaning); (3) What is reality—Plato's Allegory of the Cave (As the children and Puddleglum spend what seems to be an endless succession of days in the Dark Realm, their view of Reality begins to change and they begin to doubt the existence of Aslan and the world above); and (4) Trusting Aslan and the Signs (Even when filled with doubts and fears, the children and Puddleglum make the hard choice to believe and follow Aslan's Signs).

As the children stray from the Signs, disaster ensues. Important themes from these chapters include: (1) The reality of Evil and its seductive beauty (Our culture wants to say that there is no such thing as evil; however, the Biblical witness is clear that Evil is real and can masquerade as beauty); (2) Safety in wise counsel (Puddleglum's wise counsel literally saves the children's lives and stops the Quest from failing); (3) The danger of being wise in your own eyes (Jill exclaims "Bother the Signs!" She wants her own way, and she wants it now. There will be dreadful consequences from this over-inflated sense of self-worthiness and rejection of Aslan's way); (4) Comfort is often the enemy of the Quest--redux (The children's desire for comfort causes them not only to neglect the practices that will enable them to complete the Quest, but also to become totally derailed and preoccupied by things that have nothing whatsoever to do with the Quest); (5) The danger of naiveté in the face of Evil (Because they so desperately want what the Lady seems to be offering (warmth and comfort and respite), they let their guard down and trust her, to their peril,even though they have ample reason to be suspicious); (6) The slippery slope of neglecting the Signs: Compromise (When we neglect the Signs and compromise rather than fleeing temptation, we can end up in environments where doing the unimaginable not only becomes possible but seems normal); and (7) The importance of conviction and true repentance (Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum are truly and deeply convicted of their failure/sin and resolve to get back to the Quest: metanoia).

As the quest begins, the action heats up, and we explore more important themes: (1) Identity and Courage (Eustace models boldly standing up for what is right and true, even in circumstances where that could have been dangerous); (2)Sins (small and large) have consequences--redux (Jill and Eustace are deeply concerned because they have utterly and irretrievably blown it in terms of following the first of Aslan's signs because of their sinful choices); (3) Comfort is often the enemy of the Quest (Jill is so delighted with the comfort and luxury of the castle that she utterly forgets Aslan and the signs); and (4) To carry out Aslan's call, we often need people very different from us (Puddleglum is a creature very strange to the children's eyes, with green skin, unnatural height, a peculiar way of speaking, and a diet of unsavory things like eels. Yet, without working with Puddleglum, the Quest would be doomed to failure).

In honor of British Columbia Day, we listen to holiday songs by two bands from here in beautiful BC! "Christmas Day In the Sun" by Hot Hot Heat sounds like your typical California-obsessed garage rock despite its Canadian origins, while "Puddleglum" by Said the Whale is unmistakably a Vancouverite creation.

Prof. Camille Hallstrom | Professor of Theatre | Covenant College

Prof. Camille Hallstrom Professor of Theatre Covenant College Faculty Lecture Series

In this episode, Steve, Dr. Jayce, and Ben discuss The Silver Chair and its famous confrontation between the witch queen and Puddleglum, and the sci-fi and fantasy movies that reflect the idea of living in a world that is not reality. They also put on a couple dramatic presentations to …