Mere Christianity...

excerpts from a foreword by Kathleen Norris to "Mere Christianity" by the great, brilliant C.S. Lewis, a man who was in love with the imagination. He gives some powerful insights here...it certainly has transformed my world-view for good.
-------------------------------------------------

The "mere" Christianity of C.S. Lewis is not a philosophy or even a theology that may be considered, argued, and put away in a book on a shelf. It is a way of life, one that challenges us always to remember, as Lewis once stated that "there are no ordinary people...it is IMMORTALS whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit." Once we tune ourselves to this reality, Lewis believes, we open ourselves to imaginatively transform our lives in such a way that evil diminishes and good prevails. It is what Christ asked of us in taking on our humanity, sanctifying our flesh, and asking us in turn to reveal God to one another.

The Christianity Lewis espouses is humane, but not easy; it asks us to recognize that the great religious struggle is not fought on a spectacular battleground, but within the ordinary human heart, when every morning we awake and feel the pressures of the day crowding in on us, and WE MUST DECIDE WHAT SORT OF IMMORTALS WE WISH TO BE.

Meditation

To friends who are miles away on some other part of the world....you are missed and remembered fondly. Although lyrically it is a tad bit too romantic and doesn't exactly say what i wish to say...but musically...bossa nova music is so apt, because of its sense of nostalgia, yearning, longing, bitter-sweet sentimentality. (the brazilians call it "Saudade")

I hope you all fly back soon!!

By Antonio Carlos Jobim- Norman Gimbel
---------------------------------------------------
In my loneliness, When you're gone and I'm all by myself, And I need your caress
I just think of you, And the thought of you holding me near,
Makes my loneliness soon disappear
Though you're far away, I have only to close my eyes, And you are back to stay
I just close my eyes, And the sadness that missing you brings
Soon is gone and this heart of mine sings

Yes I love you so, And that for me is all I need to know
I will wait for you, Til the sun falls from out of the sky, For what else can I do
I will wait for you meditating, How sweet life will be, When you come back to me

As I walked out one evening...

I wrote this after walking home one beautiful evening....i always treasure that short little stroll, and the wonderful discoveries/ observations it brings. This particular evening, I was listening to some breezy bossa nova tunes, and in that relaxed, peaceful state of mind.....i started to appreciate afresh the small little things around me. To put it simply...."God is all around us" (did u catch the corny "Love Actually" reference? haha!).

I think we can experience that wonder everyday, if we choose to open our eyes, and find pockets of stillness within a busy day, to give thanks to our beautiful creator. This 'philosophy' is really influenced partly by Tolkien (who argued for a need to maintain a sense of wonder in the cold rationality of a modern world), the poetry i read, and partly by this movie "Next Stop Wonderland".

There is a breath-takingly reflective moment (for me at least) in that movie, where the lead character shares the importance of contemplating a beautiful thought everyday....and that helps to keep us going for the rest of the day. I love that....

I hv a little treasure store of such precious moments, and shall continue to hold them dear with a delicious sense of wonder....some examples include
1) dropping my jaw in absolute delight when i passed by the Singapore Polo Club on my bus ride home....and saw a horse galloping by!!! (there's something abt horses that thrills me to death...and plus, you don't get to see them often here in Singapore)
2) spotting a pair of eagles soaring in the sky majestically, during an outing at sentosa (EAGLES!!! Not the bird park type. real wild ones....)
3) watching a Sting dvd which showed his malibu beach hse....n how u can see dolphins swimming in the ocean, literally from his bkyard!

and there are many more....n their essence hv inspired the little poem below.
It's not exactly the most eloquent or poetic articulations you'll find around.....but I hope it does encourage more of you, to make this little philosophy, part of your daily life.

Go on....contemplate one beautiful thought everyday! n it could be something as simple as the beauty of a delicate blade of grass....:) You'll be surprised by what it can do for you.

-----------------------------------------------------------

In the balmy breeze by the sea
In the splendourous shower of starlight
In the hush stillness of a wooded forest

In the proud bloom of a wild flower
In the warm sunshine that kisses our skin
In the wind that whispers in our ear

In the melody that arrests my heart
In the smiles of loved ones
In this space betwen you and I....

It doesn't take a poet
To spell out for you and I
That He has blanketed us in His love
and glory....