Narnia

Didn't do anything much today. Supposed to meet my friend from Brunei for lunch but he didn't turn up. Ended up eating oats instead. As I didn't sleep well, I went back to sleep after the surfing the net for a while. Was woken up by my neighbours as they were screaming and shouting along the corridor. Well, it was about 10 minutes to dinner, so I just got out of bed. Ate dessert at the dining hall, which I just gulped down.

Went over to Northland shopping center to catch a movie. Before that, we had to do some exercise. All the doors were locked and we had no way to get in. After walking for about 10 minutes or so, we arrived at the main entrance and managed to get inside the building. Bought tickets and we were looking for the seat numbers on it and discovered that it was free seating. We went into the cinema 15 minutes early so that we could get the best seats and when we went in, we were the only ones inside. When the movie started, the cinema was rather crowded and I was rather surprised as I thought that no one would watch movies on a weekday and because of many other factors.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was a very nice show and you should go watch it. I teared almost towards the end of the movie as it was very touching and to me, it was very powerful, how God helps and the way He works in our life.

Some truths from the movie:

1. Just because others don't believe or doubt, that should not stop us from going to Him.
2. Don't forget that it was Aslan who defeated the white witch. In this battle, you may plan wisely and bravely, but we all need Aslan's help. The battle is His (Translate Aslan as Christ).
3. It takes faith to see Aslan.
4. The more we grow in our faith, the more Aslan grows bigger.

Return to Narnia
Get Ready for Prince Caspian
May 13, 2008

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.

This week, Hollywood is bringing the second book of C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia to the silver screen. And whether you are a parent introducing your kids to Narnia for the first time, or looking for an excuse to recapture the magical wonder of your own childhood, it is a good time to dust off a copy of Prince Caspian. While you will not find the spiritual lessons in Prince Caspian quite as obvious as those you remember from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you will find plenty of profound truths about the Christian faith-delivered in a way that only the master, C. S. Lewis, could do.

The saga of Prince Caspian unfolds in a world hundreds of years removed from the Narnia of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In this age into which the Pevensie children are suddenly thrust, the evil King Miraz reigns and only a remnant of people actually believe those childish stories of Aslan, the Stone Table, and a time when animals talked.

Like Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, we enter a world of skepticism that is very much like our own. Let's just say that the best-selling books in Miraz's kingdom could easily have been titled The Aslan Delusion and Aslan Is Not Great. Like our children, young Caspian grows up in an age when most people say, "Who actually believes in Aslan nowadays?"

As in the previous stories of Narnia, a cosmic battle between good and evil continues to rage. But unlike the direct head-to-head conflict between Aslan and the White Witch, the conflict in Prince Caspian is being waged between the followers of the opposing powers. On this cosmic stage, individual faith is tested. Will Prince Caspian believe in the stories of Narnia? Will Lucy follow what she believes to be Aslan?

Here is something with which Christians today can certainly relate. It is one thing to be among the first witnesses who exult in the risen Christ. It is quite another to act out of faith when the stories of His witnesses are so many centuries removed from our world. As Jesus told doubting Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). This is our world, and this is the world of Caspian, as well.

In this tale, as much as we learn about faith and doubt, there is also much to learn about the nature of Jesus. As Leland Ryken and Marjorie Mead put in the newly released, A Reader's Guide to Caspian, what Aslan is like is the "primary theological question of Prince Caspian." And in it we find several answers that apply to our own Christian walk.

After not seeing Aslan for a long time, when the children are finally reunited, Lewis tells us that the children "felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid, and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad."

I do not have time to share all the riches to be gleaned from reading or re-reading Prince Caspian. So whether it is for your own spiritual growth or that of your children's, or simply being prepared to talk about the deeper spiritual themes with a friend, use the impending release of the film as a reason to return to Narnia. I promise, you will be glad you did.

This commentary first aired on April 7, 2008.

Have a good night people. And if you've not watched the movie, go catch it before the run ends.

Cheers!