A Lifetime of Love for Lewis
Although I claimed to be a Christian at a young age, and was absolutely convinced of both a spiritual element to life and the undeniable existence of good and evil, I was plagued by doubt as a teenager. Even with strong believers in my family — whom I adored — many of my questions were not acknowledged, much less fully answered. Then I read Mere Christianity in my mid-twenties and felt such relief. I had loved The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as a child, and had no idea the same author — C.S. Lewis — could answer so many of my questions.1
Fortunately, in my twenties I also attended Bible study and a fantastic church where the pastor’s clear teaching helped me grow spiritually. My childhood faith was shallow and insecure, but in my twenties I learned that I was a beloved daughter of the One True King. My confidence that God’s Word was the lamp unto my feet wasn’t just an Amy Grant tune, it was my most basic belief. It was by God’s grace alone that I had such a faith, because on November 6, 1999 — when I was still just twenty-seven and married to Will for just shy of four years — my dad had a heart attack and died on a plane coming to see me. If I hadn’t had a strong faith, I can’t imagine how my world would’ve unraveled. Again it was C.S. Lewis who helped me understand that it was normal that my “grief felt so like fear.”2
In my early thirties I was introduced to the C.S. Lewis Institute (CSLI), a ministry in the DC area where we lived. Will and I applied to do the Fellows Program, an intense, year-long discipleship program. When we wrapped up that life-changing year, Will finished his Army obligation and we moved to Florida. Eighteen months later we bounced back to Northern Virginia. Will enrolled in University of Virginia’s MBA program and I did Year Two of the CSLI’s Fellows Program.3 I was again blessed by what I studied and the relationships that I made. Yesterday I met my Year Two mentor for lunch in Palm Beach. Although I have not seen her in more than seven years, it was like we’d caught up last week. My relationship with her has such a strong foundation in Christ that time isn’t even an issue.
In November 2022 I was elected to the Board of the C.S. Lewis Institute. I am humbled by the honor and am excited to do what I can to further God’s kingdom through this wonderful ministry.
This is the mission of the Institute:
In the legacy of C. S. Lewis, we develop wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ who will articulate, defend, share, and live their faith in personal and public life.
CSLI’s website has a wealth of resources for all ages — podcasts, video recordings, articles, ready-made discipleship resources. It is definitely worth checking out. If there is a Fellows Program in your city, I would love to talk to you about how impactful it was for me. The deadline for applications is May 1.
On Friday night, CSLI is hosting its annual fundraising event in McLean, Virginia. Attending in person would be wonderful, but I intend to watch from Florida with some friends. You can livestream the event as well. It will showcase a little bit about CSLI and its programs, but you really do not want to miss the testimony that will be shared. It’s truly incredible and I know you will be blessed to hear it.
The Gospel of Matthew closes with these words of Jesus:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Digging Deeper:
Has your life been impacted by intentional discipleship? What kind of program has been most impactful in terms of helping you to grow spiritually?
Are you called to disciple others?
Not to imply that I do not still have questions — they will never all be answered here on earth. However, reading Mere Christianity did help me reason through some of my biggest doubts. I felt like Lewis addressed my primary objections and stumbling blocks.
A Grief Observed.
As I reflect on these busy days, I am filled with gratitude for all the help I received from friends and family. With three young boys (ages 6, 4 and 1) who were in involved in all kinds of sports and activities, my husband with a demanding job and in an MBA program, I could never have done the Fellows Program or launched my blog Spur, which I did the same year as Year Two, without a lot of help. My mom visited often, friends helped with carpool and entertaining the boys, and I had the sweetest babysitters imaginable.