
Living in Skin
reflections on being human
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pancake Day

Thursday, November 18, 2010
Grass and Glory

As the solid people came nearer still I noticed that they were moving with order and determination as though each of them had marked his man in our shadowy company. "There are going to be affecting scenes," I said to myself. "Perhaps it would not be right to look on." With that, I sidled away on some vague pretext of doing a little exploring. A grove of huge cedars to my right seemed attractive and I entered it. Walking proved difficult. The grass, hard as diamonds to my unsubstantial feet, made me feel as if I were walking on wrinkled rock, and I suffered pains like those of the mermaid in Hans Andersen. A bird ran across in front of me and I envied it. It belonged to that country and was as real as the grass. It could bend the stalks and spatter itself with the dew. - C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, p. 23.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
What's Your Problem?
Christ is more of an artist than the artists;
He works in the living spirit and the living flesh,
he makes men instead of statues. - Vincent Van Gogh
This quote from Van Gogh expresses the idea that inspired this blog. Several years ago I became profoundly convinced that my greatest problem, my biggest obstacle in life was not my humanity. To be human is not a man or woman's greatest problem; our greatest problem is trying to live independently of God. This propensity to live apart from God is what theologians call sin. Sin, then, properly defined, is our greatest problem, not our humanity. In fact, sin makes us less than human. In the Christian gospel, God has acted in Jesus Christ to rescue us from sin and to restore our humanity.
In the coming weeks, I plan to reflect further on this theme. But the blog will not be limited to biblical and theological reflections on humanity. I intend to reflect on all things related to our humanity, not as an expert on the business of living as a human, but as one waking up and discovering again that we were created to live - to live in skin.
Monday, March 30, 2009
First Things First
When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased. - C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis
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