The Chronicles of Narnia Pt. 1

I just finished reading the entire Narnia series over the past month and I enjoyed the series immensely. I would definitely have to recommend the series to anyone. I am going to review several aspects of the series and therefore split my posts up on the topic. I read over 1500 pages in one month, so it had to be good.

This series was written over a period of many years by C. S. Lewis. This series is undoubtedly written for children and Lewis was inspired by one. A young girl named Lucy actually stayed with the professor during the air raids of World War II. The imagination of this girl and Lewis's desire for a good story got this series going. Now you have to be wondering why on earth a grown man would read such a story. It all started back in 4th grade when a teacher sparked an interest in me. I read them over 15 years ago and enjoyed them thoroughly. I forgot many of the details and upon hearing a second movie was coming out, I decided to reread the series.


They carry a Christian theme throughout that has been the cause of some controversy. And given the knowledge of Lewis's other books, this is quite and obvious idea. There are many other themes though that may trouble strict traditional Christians. Many themes from various mythologies are incorporated on top of the Christian base. I will expand more on these themes in a subsequent blog.

There are 2 suggested orders to read the books, the order of publication or the fictional chronology. I prefer the following chronological order:

• The Magician's Nephew
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• The Horse and His Boy
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Last Battle

For my money, The Horse and His Boy was the most enjoyable read while The Silver Chair was the most tedious.

Ode to Fred

I am sad to see that Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race before my local primary. He had a lot to offer that I don't hear or see from other candidates. Just like him, I can't endorse anyone else right now. But here is a quote from a recent speech he made that shows what we are losing in this race.

That means remembering the fundamental, conservative principles that have unified us for over two centuries.

What are those principles?

-First, the role of the federal government is limited to the powers given to it in the Constitution
-Second, a dollar belongs in the pocket of the person who earns it, unless the government has a compelling reason why it can use it better
-Third, we don't spend money we don't have, or borrow money that our children and grandchildren will have to pay back
-And the best way to avoid war is to be stronger than our enemies. But if we’re caught in a fight, we need to win it because not doing so makes us much more likely to be attacked in the future
-Also the federal judiciary is supposed to decide cases, not set social policy -- and bad social policy at that
-And the bigger the government gets, the less competent it is to run our lives.

I hope that we can find a candidate who will stand up for these principles.

Amazing Grace

Rating: 4 out of 5

Two things really make this movie worth seeing, the original story and the supporting cast. Being in the Bible Belt, this movie was advertised as a film about the Christian song Amazing Grace. This movie was different than what I expected. It was a movie about the English slave trade and how William Wilberforce fought to end it. I did not time it this way, but it was an excellent film to consider on Martin Luther King Jr. day.

The story itself has many great struggles in it. The struggle of looking the other way for economic prosperity or doing the right thing. The struggles of the late 1700s about whether the people's voice could be heard in government. The amount of loyalty and integrity that you keep throughout your life. This movie is rated PG but I was frankly surprised by that rating afterwards. It does not just tackle the issue of slavery, but it shows you the cruel reality that many people chose to ignore. They even use the N word (although it is obviously given a very negative tone). The shear force of the true story elevates this movie immediately into high regard in my book. This is a history story that I have never heard until now, and it is one that more people should hear.

The supporting cast on this movie was superb. The main actor Ioan Gruffudd (somehow pronounced YAn Griffith) probably wasn't as appealing to me because of how he had be true to Wilberforce. The ones that really stuck out to me were Albert Finney (John Newton), Benedict Cumberbatch (William Pitt), and Michael Gambon (Lord Fox). If you are familiar with the Harry Potter movies, Gambon has been portraying Dumbledore and is quite an excellent speaker. A side item that I noticed was how well the film broke people down from their public selves to their real true inner core. One way that it accomplished that was by constantly showing how different people looked when they were not wearing the fashionable wigs from the period.


The main detractor for me on this film was the way in which they told the story. The first half of the movie is constantly moving back and forth from the present(1797) to years prior. Everyone looks relatively the same so at certain points you are confused at whether or not you are watching a memory. Overall, the historical story and superb acting win out on this movie.

An Alternative Choice

This week has been a hard week for Dallas. Our Cowboys, who we hoped in the summer would make the playoffs, did not win the Super Bowl. In fact, they didn't even win a single playoff game. For most of my life, football has been 3rd on list of sports to follow. For professional teams it always was ordered Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, and then the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Stars made a brief run up the charts in 99 and 2000, but that was short lived. This year I got caught up in Cowboys mania and they hopped over the disappointing Mavericks. Now though, they are back down to their normal third.

I say all of that to set up the fact that I did not watch the playoff game last Sunday. In fact, I didn't listen to much of it. Now most of the city was enthralled with the game. I was in fact curious. However, it was the weekend and my wife was craving my attention. This is a dilemma for men everywhere, and one that I think we too often choose incorrectly. I decided for one day, to give up my sports and spend time with her. I could have done this bitterly and with many snide comments, but I think I kept them to a minimum. Our afternoon involved the oh so exciting grocery shopping and other errands. In between shops I caught snippets of the game. While we were driving to get some chips and salsa for dinner, I decided to turn off the radio for a bit and just drive. We drove in silence for probably 10 minutes holding hands and it was pleasant to say the least. When I got to the restaurant and the nostril-clearing salsa, I saw on the television that the Cowboys were about to throw away the game in the 4th quarter. On my way back to the car I had an epiphany that I was so glad that I had not stressed about the game, but rather enjoyed so much just sitting in silence with her. Coincidentally, the next morning I flipped to I John and read chapter 2 verses 15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

I think for once I chose the right thing, and I am really happy that it was the Cowboys and not the Rangers in the playoffs. I needed a warm up round.

Overdoing It

The NBA has outdone itself again. They are going to replay the last 51.9 seconds of a Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks game. The scoring table said Shaquille O'Neal had fouled out with 6 fouls at this point when in fact it was only his 5th. This is the first time since 1982 that the NBA has replayed a game.

This has to be one of the weirdest decisions that David Stern has made. I think this is in response to the whole referee fiasco of last year. The game must be fair and determined by play only! Now if you have ever played sports, then I know that you have been involved in bad calls. You either correct them immediately or you more likely just move on. These calls usually tend to balance out over the long run. The thing that you do not do is continue on and then weeks later redo part of the game. This is unheard of by me. Basketball more than almost any other current sport is all about momentum. Teams constantly go on a 12 point run and then give up a 12 point run. It's all about the energy and emotions and being in the groove. So abstracting out a minute portion of the game to replay at a different time makes no sense whatsoever. I know the boys in Vegas are going to love this scenario.

Bad call commish...