Life and religion. . .

'Life and religion are one, or neither is anything. The same God who is in us. . .also is all about us-inside, the Spirit; outside the [Bible] and the two are ever trying to meet in us.'

'One of my greatest difficulties in considering to think of religion was that I thought I should have to give up my beautiful thoughts and my love for the things God had made. I find that. . .God is the God of the beautiful, [Christianity] the love of the Beautiful, and Heaven the House of the Beautiful-nature is tenfold brighter in the sun of righteousness, and my love of nature is more intense since I became a Christian.'

He wrote this poem after four of his eleven children went Home to Heaven:

But thou art making me, I thank thee, sire.
What thou hast done and doest thou know'st well,
And I will help thee; gently in thy fire
I will lie burning; on thy potter's wheel
I will whirl patient, though my brain should reel.
Thy grace shall be enough the grief to quell,
And growing strength perfect through weakness dire.

~George MacDonald

Recommended reading:
At the Back of the North Wind
Phantastes
Lilith
I think it is best to read them in that order as well. They become more complex and I think it eases you in this way.
ENJOY!

Book list Numerus Three

Out of town but still wanted to get a list out. It is kind of a cop-out list but hey, I am hanging with my sisters so I am not going to spend all day on the computer. . .

Top ten fantasy novels

1. Phantastes by George MacDonald
2. Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Great Divorce by Jack Lewis
4. The Two Towers by Tolkien
5. Lilith by MacDonald
6. The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
7. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
9. The Hobbit by Tolkien
10. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Okay, I kind of broke the rules here but I had to.