We’ve been busy this New Year working on many projects over the last few weeks – fundraising for C.S. Lewis College, meeting with Hobby Lobby representatives, hosting our annual Twelfth Night event, and planning our fall C.S. Lewis Retreat.

Given all that is going on, we thought it was important to swim up to the surface, take a breath of fresh air, and fill you in on what is happening at C.S. Lewis College.

As a Founder, you should have received a letter in November letting you know about our December 31st deadline to raise an additional $5 million.

The good news is that we had a wonderful outpouring of support in the last few weeks of 2011. We were able to raise $600,000 by year’s end toward this goal, in addition to a previous $1.2 million gift from Hobby Lobby. This was an incredible blessing, but it was also short of our goal, particularly in regards to attracting gifts from donors who could give $1 million or more.

As announced by Dr. Mattson at our recent Twelfth Night event, this means a few things:

• We have lost our “sole beneficiary” status in regards to receiving the gift of the Northfield Campus from Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. Hobby Lobby is now seeking other potential recipients, possibly to share the campus with us.
• Nevertheless, we will, with God’s help, press on to raise the $10-15 million needed to be the sole recipient of the Northfield Campus.
• We are specifically seeking lead donors with the ability and desire to give gifts of $1 million or more.
• In any and all events, please be assured that we are totally committed to pressing on and founding C.S. Lewis College. If Hobby Lobby does gift the campus to another organization, and if, for one reason or another, collaboration with that organization should not prove mutually advantageous, the Foundation will, consistent with its long standing objective, continue to seek to establish C.S. Lewis College at another appropriate location, preferably in the Pioneer Valley.

After witnessing much evidence for it, we believe that He has led us to Northfield for the purpose of founding C.S. Lewis College. We know that while we must and will continue to do our part, the exact ways God’s purposes will be realized are completely in His control.

To this end, we ask that you pray for us as we strive to do our part in seeking His will and His provision. We cherish your continued support of C.S. Lewis College in whatever ways you have been called to do so.

How you can help

There are several ways that you can help!

1. Help us connect with a potential “Champion” who could make a “lead” gift. It should not come as a surprise to you that C.S. Lewis College needs a few people to step forward to make “lead” gifts – gifts from $100,000 to $1 million or more. If you are aware of someone for whom the making of such a gift might be a real blessing, for them as well as for the College, please let us know.
2. Become a C.S. Lewis College Founder, or if you are already a Founder, renew or increase your Founders commitment. We thank you so much for being part of the more than 600 people who have already become Founders!
3. Make a gift of any amount. Your gift will help provide vitally needed operating funds to continue our on-going work right now.
4. Get the word out about C.S. Lewis College! Host a “Founding the Future” event in your home, your church, or your organization. Use Facebook and Twitter, visit our blog, or start an e-mail chain among friends to point people to our College website: www.cslewiscollege.org. Or you can tell people about us in person.

The Foundation is striving earnestly to accomplish the fundraising that is necessary to open the College, but we will need you every step of the way.

Thank you for your support!

On December 10th, come join us in celebrating the true meaning of Christmas!

Featuring the Kids Choir of Amherst, this unique candlelight evening of carol singing and special music will take place in the historic setting of the beautiful Russell Sage Chapel on the Northfield Campus in Northfield, Massachusetts.

Where: Sage Chapel – Northfield Campus, Northfield, MA

When: December 10, 2011 at 5 p.m.

This event is part of the fifth annual “Special Day in Northfield: A Holiday Celebration,” featuring  musical performances, gift making and craft activities, demonstrations and shopping venues along the Main Street and back roads of Northfield, Mass. on Saturday, December 10, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Directions

No reservations are necessary, but please plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early for parking and seating.

Following Main Street north through town: Turn right on Moody St, left on Winchester, and, just past the Auditorium, enter the campus on the left. Please follow signs and signals from Parking Attendants.

It is very early when I am woken up by God.  Many times He has awakened me in the past at odd hours of the night or wee hours of the morning.  This morning is one of those times.  I look at the clock, its glowing numbers piercing the darkness of my bedroom, 2:27.  “I don’t know what it is you need to talk with me about at this hour God, but I’ll get up.”

Two hours passes quickly and I decide to make a pot of coffee rather than return to bed.  As the coffee brews I lift the blind and peer out the window into the darkness…no lightening of the sky just yet.  I wait for the coffee to be close enough to fully brewed to snag a cup and go outside.  I hadn’t planned to stay very long, just kind of testing the day as it were.  It is a bit chilly but not so cold, quite dark out still with just a hint of brightness to the eastern horizon.  The moon overhead appears to me to be crazy bright while the stars are losing their glow to the seeping in of the day.  I become engrossed in the moments and sit to watch as night and day collide before me.

As I wait, I begin to see fog slowly creep along the soccer field basin.  Subtle changes begin to take place.  The mist fills in the fields and begins to push up the hill towards the roadway.  The lamps that light the walkway lined with sugar maples now appear softened behind their misty veil.   I look to my right and notice this fog is beginning to flow towards the Auditorium enveloping me on both sides as a chill brushes against my skin.  My heart begins to quicken as I am sure I will be overtaken.  I lift my gaze overhead, the moon still shines brightly.

Just as suddenly as the fog swept in, I notice it begin to recede.  The lamplight now sparkling crisply, then the roadway revealing her sharp curves, soon the field begins to come into view.  The night sky is still very dark off to the west as the crimson hues of the rising sun begin to lick the high dark clouds in the east with the taste of morning.

I stood and walked towards the fields as they emptied, marveling at the beauty of the fog.  Just a few short days ago I walked to the Cottage cloaked in thick fog.  It is this memory that is with me as the field begins to fill once again.  I think, surely I will be covered this time.  I wanted to move but instead remained firm, standing, waiting, watching.  Just as before, the fog crept closer.  I watched as the grass began to disappear before me.  Despite the constant movement of this body of fog, it seemed to stop its movement towards the spot where I now stood.  It was as if there were an invisible force field it could not penetrate.  I could see the perfect line drawn out, fog all around, brightly shimmering moon overhead.  I watch the ebb and flow of this misty tide for nearly an hour.   It is perfectly silent and I am undisturbed but for the thoughts in my mind.  Three times this fog would roll in and out, never did it cover me.

Struggles, fears, illness, hurts, uncertainty all attempt to cover us, obscure our view of our Lord, our Shepherd.  Many things He allows into our lives with an attempt at drawing us near to Him, pulling us closer still, growing us in our faith and reliance on Him.  No matter what situations we find ourselves up against…He is enough…always.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” ~ Lamentations 3:24

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About the Author

Margie Donaldson enjoys nature and loves the way God communicates with her intimately and uniquely through His beautiful creation.  She began journaling about these intimate encounters with God shortly after moving to begin a new work as the Innkeeper at Moore Cottage, the Inn located on the campus of the future C.S. Lewis College.

Margie and Eric, her husband of nearly 20 years, along with their two teenaged boys, Zachary and Cody, devote their days in service to Christ in Northfield, MA.

Here is the description that she posted on Dr. Ordway’s blog:

Margie Donaldson enjoys nature and loves the way God communicates with her intimately and uniquely through His beautiful creation.  She began journaling about these intimate encounters with God shortly after moving to begin a new work as the Innkeeper at Moore Cottage, the Inn located on the campus of the future C.S. Lewis College.

Margie and Eric, her husband of nearly 20 years, along with their two teenaged boys, Zachary and Cody, devote their days in service to Christ in Northfield, MA.

We will now be posting these reflections on Northfield on our blog as she writes them. For your immediate pleasure, we’ve included several of Margie’s entries from throughout last winter.  We hope you enjoy!

Knocking and Seeking

March 1, 2011

The sky this morning is a bright, clear blue and the air has a bite to it, the ground still very much snow covered and frozen.  The streets are very icy and each noisy step I take towards the Cottage announces my presence.  I am noticing signs of spring on this the first day of March despite being in the midst of a very cold and snowy winter.  There have been robin sightings, the buds on the trees are slowly starting to swell, and the sugar maples have been tapped and the buckets hung!  Along the roadside, coming from a tree with many dead branches I hear a loud rapping sound.  It is the pileated woodpecker! No, it was not his eerie call that drew my attention to him this day but rather his persistent knocking on that tree hunting for food.   As I drew near to him, attempting to grab his photo, he flew off swooping through the air down the street to land on another tree further down the lane.  I continued along on my journey once again drawing near to him, this time minding my business and not attempting a photo shoot, once again he flew off to land several trees away.  It was as if he were showing me the way to the Cottage.  We played this game for a short time until he apparently found a tree to good to leave!  What a find!  This reminds me of myself somewhat.  The past year has been one spent with much time focused on knocking and seeking from one “tree” to the next.  God has lead me along to this place where I find myself walking to “work” as the innkeeper of Moore Cottage on the site of the future C.S. Lewis College!  Alas, my tree that is too good to leave!!

His Beauty Amidst Our Pain

March 4, 2011

Walking to the Cottage this morning I notice that the skies are not quite as vivid but rather slightly overcast and the temperature is a bitter zero!  It is a splendid day for a walk if you are a polar bear!  Along my trek this morning I am noticing yet more signs of spring.  I have been hearing the quiet chirping of a flock of birds.  It was as if they were in polite conversation with each other. Not like some flocks of birds which tend to be loud and squawking, these birds were more subdued and refined.  As I cannot see to the tops of the trees to find these conversing birds I walk wondering, as a few days earlier, what kind of birds they are.  Then a bird catches my eye, he’s beautiful, a sharp brilliant blue with tinges of rosy red on his breast, it’s a bluebird!  This bird landed on the edge of the copper lined roof of the Auditorium and proceeded to bathe in what must have been a slight gathering of water that had collected from the melted snow further up on the roof.  I wonder had the skies been as bright as in recent days if his coloring would have caught my eye as it had today.  I watch as I walk, which is always a gamble as I had stepped in a pothole and turned my ankle watching birds while walking just last week, I notice there are several birds flitting about all around him.  I come to realize that these are bluebirds as well! My brightly colored male then takes to flight and lands in the tree where the flock of politely conversing birds are…THEY ARE BLUEBIRDS!  It’s all making sense to me now, the pieces of the picture are coming together.  I love bluebirds, they remind me of my late grandfather who loved them as well.  Every time I see one I think on him and his special, gentle way.  He spoke softly and kindly from the tenderness of his heart.  When he passed I was over a thousand miles away from him and had to say goodbye over the telephone. When I received word of his passing I went outside to find a moment of solitude to pray.  As I was talking to God I saw, for the very first time, a bluebird.  I believe to this day that God sent that bluebird and that He speaks to me through the very nature He created.  I knew that I was not alone, that the pain in my heart was being tended to, that there is beauty to be found always in all circumstances no matter how ugly or painful they may be.  On my first walk upon this campus during early spring of 2009, Eric and I were walking towards the Auditorium.  We were in awe of God.  We were in His presence.  We were in the midst of some ugly and painful circumstances amongst the beauty of God’s creation wondering…why?  Seemingly out of nowhere, flying right in front of us to land upon the radiant red bricks of a sunbathed Auditorium, a bluebird!  We were not alone, the pain in our hearts was being tended to, there is beauty to be found…always!

The Vinedresser

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Today has been a difficult day so far and it’s still very early.  On my way to the Cottage this morning the air is quite brisk, the skies overcast but with areas of sun streaming through.  I have seen grass!! We have had some warm and rainy days of late that have melted away so much of the deep snow cover we had here in Northfield.  Although excited about spring, happy to “work” in the Cottage, I find myself fighting my thought patterns as they shift from the peace of God to my own self-centered thoughts around this difficult situation with which I am currently struggling.  I know it is a matter of my will versus God’s will and yet my thoughts keep landing upon the issue causing me much distress.

As I walk I try to turn my thoughts to other things such as kindling!  I am making a mental note of all the great spots that Eric can gather kindling around the campus.  Perfect kindling, in my mind, are the dead branches that have fallen from the tree.  These small branches, strewn about the yard are great for getting a fire going.  As I think about these little branches a verse is brought to mind.  John 15:1-2

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

This gets me to wondering about the pruning process we go through with God our “Vinedresser”.  Any branch in us that ‘does not bear fruit’ He prunes it away. This phrase catches my thoughts, ‘does not bear fruit’.  Not always does this mean that this non-fruit bearing vine is like perfect kindling, already dried out and dead!  If that were the case they would fall away hardly without notice or care.

Many of the branches God has pruned in my life are living branches.  The one I feel Him cutting today is very much alive.  So, I suppose this branch, although very much a part of me, is not bearing fruit.  This means the precious Fruit of the Spirit He speaks to us about in Galatians; love…joy…peace…patience…kindness…goodness…faithfulness…gentleness…and…self-control are not hanging from this branch in my spirit.  Those people in my life that walk up to this particular branch would not be able to find any of that Sweet Fruit!  They would not find love upon this branch in my spirit?  They would not find joy upon this branch? I continue to go down the list in my mind of all the fruit they will not find and the original hurt I felt over the pruning of this branch begins to fade.

My will wanted to keep this branch, my Vinedresser  told me that it had to go!  My selfish nature wanted to resist, protest even, its removal and I did until He gently turned my attention to the branch.  He showed me that branch up close and the rot that grew there upon it.  If the branch stays, the rot spreads.  If the branch goes, the Fruit spreads.  Putting it like that makes the best decision much more appealing!

I know that God knows what is best for me in this life.  That the struggles He leads me into, He will lead me through.  Although I have a much better understanding and appreciation as well as deep gratitude for why God is removing that branch, I understand that it will still bring struggle and suffering.  My Vinedresser will burn that branch and soon the fruit that springs forth upon the existing branches of my spirit will bring love, joy, peace, patience…not just to those around me who approach those branches but to me as well as the Fruit that is born comes only from Him!  It is to bless others as well as me!  I desire Lord to abide in You and for You to abide in me!  Thank You God for the Sweet Fruit that You allow to grow in our Spirits.  And Lord I thank You for Your desire to grow this Fruit in our Spirits, and that You, Lord, prune and care for those branches!!

Vessels of God’s Love

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The beauty of ‘the ridge’ called me out of the house for my morning walk much earlier than usual today so I thought on God while walking a couple of laps around campus.  It was as if a light mist had frozen in a shimmering gossamer layer lightly coating each tiny branch.  Every needle of the usually wispy white pine trees appeared stiff, cold, and unmoving.

God has really been trying to teach me about His love for me.  Not just that He loves me but also about how I do or do not receive that love He so freely desires to pour out over me.  One of my struggles is that I get caught up in a seemingly endless whirlwind of thoughts due to the spoken word.  This ‘word’ can be a short blip spoken by a stranger or part of a lengthy conversation with a loved one.  It could be regarding themselves, me, or no one at all.  Much of the time these are just “words” that are meant to be harmless and somehow they get lodged in my mind and my own thoughts race.  Most of the time I find myself boarding a negative train of thought that desires to bring me on a ride of torture.

The Scriptures tell us many things about our thoughts.  They urge us to “set our minds on things above.” (Colossians 3:2).  We are given more explicit instructions in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  And we even pray the wisdom found in the Psalms that our words and meditations be acceptable in the sight of the Lord (Psalm 19:14) and that our mouths would speak wisdom and the meditations of our hearts would be understanding (Psalm 49:3).

I find myself making a connection between my thoughts and receiving God’s love.  The very reason we are created is to worship our God.  When we are thinking on lovely, honorable, just, pure, praiseworthy things we are worshiping Him for every good and perfect thing comes from above!! This is a fight that we must choose to battle!  Our thoughts must be taken captive!!

My mind, when it is caught in the cycle of thinking on things of this world stays, like the ridge, frozen in this world not receiving the love God desires to pour out.  This love He longs to pour out over me is not just for me, it is for those around me.  We are vessels of God’s love.  If we have a frozen layer atop, we can neither receive nor pour out that precious love of God.  We, like the needles of the pines, are then stiff, cold, and unmoving.

Ugly is in the Eye of the Beholder

Thursday, March 10, 2011

I was not going to journal today.  Today just feels like an ugly day.  On my walk this morning I am feeling the weight of the dense cloud cover over me as I look upon the ugliness that is a winter fading into spring.  The cool mist hits me in the face as I turn the corner and head towards Gould and Meany.  I remember my journal entry a few days back when I speak about how God always reveals beauty amidst the ugly.  I am walking ‘round and ‘round the campus and all I am seeing is the ugly.  I have that thick grey cloud cover blocking what I know are beautiful, bright blue skies and sunshine.  The receding snow banks which reveal more and more dark clumps of dirt as the melting of each snowflake allows for the grain of sand it once held to collide in an ugly blob in what once was a clean, white drift of snow.  Even my ears are assaulted with the ugly when a tractor trailer barreling down Main Street in front of the campus applies his ‘jake break’ and fills the air with its distinctive loud rapid-fire noise!

Just as the interruption of the diesel engine is fading I hear a cardinal heralding in spring with his new song.  This is not ugly!  My attention is now shifting towards listening for other sounds of spring.  Not yet do I hear the chickadees shifting from singing out their own name to their welcoming of spring by singing ‘fee-bee’ nor do I hear that happy ‘cheer-up cheerio’ of the robin just yet.

As I am making my second trip around campus walking just past the daycare and approaching both the power plant and Marquand my gaze is focused off to my right, into the woods, where there stands a lone lamppost surrounded by the trees.  To me it seems very Narnia-esque as it stands out there, glowing its yellow hues, in the middle of the wood.  I look at this lamp in wonder nearly every time I pass it because it just seems so mysterious to me.  Then my attentions shift to the small, dilapidated, faded out red outbuilding situated in that corner of campus.  The door has even fallen into the building due to rotting.  I haven’t any idea what this building may have been used for in the past but it surely had a purpose other than what purpose it holds today.  I couldn’t help but to laugh out loud when my eye catches a small, two foot white pine tree straight out of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’.  I know, what is strange about a small white pine tree growing in the woods?…well, nothing…but one growing on the roof of a small building, now that is funny!  It is even positioned almost dead center of the roof right in the front as if it were planted there intentionally. Laughter amidst ugly.  Birdsong amidst ugly. Growth amidst ugly.

I love how patient God is with us.  He has been teaching me about finding beauty amidst the ugly, His love through my pain.  Today started out quite ugly but, how would we recognize beauty if it were not for ugly?

Walking A Clear Path

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Yesterday’s journal entry left me feeling low.  After writing it I did not even bother to send it off.  Rather than feeling as if it had the natural flow of a river, it felt jumbled and disjointed as a collection of several tributaries leading to their own individual destinations.  Well, it may not have been totally the journal entries fault that my mood was dark.

As I set out to walk around the campus this morning, the skies cloaked in thick grey cloud cover, my spirit was weighty and grey as well.  The snappy, frigid air blew strong into my face making my eyes water and my ears ache.  It seemed as I walked that the cloud cover always stayed over me.  I would look out over across the river to the hills beyond to see them bathed in sunlight as I myself stood under that heavy mass of clouds.  I began to ponder yesterday’s reflections along with my mood that felt a lot like today’s clouds blanketing me and blocking me from that warm and precious sunlight!

I am now rounding the corner by Margaret Olivia Music Hall and breaking away towards Main Street!  The sidewalks along the front of the campus have been blocked with snow leaving them impassable…not today!  They are finally clear and I can now make my way easily around the entire campus! The Duley House from across the street beckons so I cross Main and venture around back to peek in the windows.  I smile as I peer into the basement and my gaze catches dead branches of some sort of vine that had at one time grown up inside the house.  I have a good feeling here.  I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and I am moved to pray.  After a brief time of prayer, I am called back across the street to continue my walk.  As I reach the sidewalk I hear birdsong.  A bluebird has landed in the sugar maple and is singing…to me.  My first feeling is that it would be so awesome if that were Larry!!  So, I act as if I know it is him and cheerfully send him greetings of a good morning!  He sings back and then takes to flight with his mate to land in the next tree.  My mind drifts to thinking about God’s love and how He shares Himself with us.  Then, to my response.

I am making my way around the Birthplace and call out a ‘good morning’ to a fellow walker across the street and she the same back to me.  There is nothing more as we are heading in opposite directions and are on opposite sides of the intersection.  I am now heading down Winchester and once again, off to my left, I catch a pair of bluebirds in flight who eventually land on the chain link enclosure around Dwight and Emma’s burial site.  I feel a beckoning once again.  My first thought is about my shoe choice and the path I will have to travel to make it from the clear sidewalk through the muck on up to Round Top.  Ahh, yesterday’s entry…

I walk a bit further up the sidewalk remembering there was a bit of a path left by someone who had gone out to a nearby tree to tend to the hanging sap buckets.  I spot it and set out to make my way towards the bird God sent to lure me up the hill.  Right as I take my first few snowy steps something on the ground catches my eye.  It’s a broken shard of mirror about a half an inch wide by about two inches long, I pick it up.  Directly beyond that, a small shred of birch bark lying curled in the snow.  I pick that up too and hold them in my hand.  I am trying to make my way along this path that is not so much of a path but rather a collection of several disjointed indents within the snow.

After reaching the sugar maple I break off to blaze my own trail the rest of the way.  Feeling led by that tiny piece of birch bark, I aim for the birch trees.  When I arrive I take a deep breath and pull the broken mirror out of my pocket.  “Okay God, I am here and I am listening.” As I open my hand the first thing I see in the broken mirror is a glimpse of me, but what catches my eye is the blue sky above my head!  I immediately look up!  All around me are those quickly moving clouds, those thick grey clouds, but directly overhead…blue sky!  I look down now at the birch I am leaning against.  At first glance it would seem to be three separate trees however they are all growing together from one base!  I am embraced by a breeze as I stand and reflect upon the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each separate and distinct, but all One.

It is far too easy to allow ourselves to be dragged down by choices we are faced with making throughout the day.  It is far too easy to burn through hours contemplating possible outcomes.  What if…?  This morning I didn’t have on the proper footwear to embark on a trek across the snow leaving behind a perfectly clear sidewalk…but I went anyway.  I couldn’t have a full conversation with the only person I came in contact with on my walk…but I called out a greeting anyway.  We are almost never fully equipped for the journey’s Jesus calls us on and that’s just the point.  If we have all we need before we head out we will stick to the cleared sidewalk, not having to trust God for all He seeks to bless us with.

“He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” 1 John 2:17, this is the inscription on the headstone of Mr. Dwight Lyman Moody.

The Gift of Encouragement

Monday, March 14, 2011

It has been a week that I have been keeping to campus for my walks.  The sidewalks, nearly all cleared and passable, in combination with the roadways through campus make for a nice meandering walk.  This weekend I witnessed many signs of spring.  There were the robins I saw foraging for food on the ground.  The red winged black bird I heard singing from the willow tree wearing its golden mustard veil down by Perry Pond.  And there were the Canada Geese flying overhead in that familiar V shape honking as they passed.

I once read some interesting facts about these migrating geese and their habits.  Flying in that V shape makes them more successful by sharing the workload amongst the group.  The further back the goose, the lighter its workload, as the geese in the front provide lift for those behind them.  The honking that we hear isn’t just random bird noise.  The geese in the back are honking encouragements to the lead goose urging him to keep going!  When the lead goose gets tired he can fall to the back of the formation where the load is the lightest and recover.  If that isn’t enough, no goose is left alone.  If a goose is feeling ill or struggling and leaves the formation to land, two other geese will accompany it to protect him until he is well once again and can rejoin the flock.

God sends me encouragements.  I can find it in my Bible by reading His words.  I can find it during prayer by listening for His voice and receiving His love.  I can take encouragement that this long, snowy winter is almost passed from the sounds of the red winged black bird.  I can take encouragement from a friendly wave from a neighbor or a kind word from a friend.  The interesting thing that strikes me in this is that encouragement doesn’t need to just be given, it must also be received.  The goose in the lead has a flight that is 70% harder if he flies alone!  The goose that leaves the group loses his protection if he chases away or rejects the other two geese that leave the flock to support him.  I need not only to pass along encouragement, I need also to receive it!

Obedience or Outcome?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

It is a dark, cold, and rainy morning.  The temperature when I woke up was only 34 and the rain was mixed with sleet.  I think I will be taking an afternoon walk today.

After discussing yesterday’s entry an interesting theme has emerged.  That is the question we often ask ourselves prior to making decisions.  We want to know if we will succeed or fail.  Will this venture bring victory or defeat?  The problem with that?  Who is it that you are allowing to determine if a venture was a victorious one or one that brought defeat?

I was speaking about D. L. Moody while walking the campus and posed this situation to a friend.  I wonder if he would have bothered to build all of this if he knew that one day it was going to lay empty.  What if that familiar movie line, “build it and they will come” were followed by, “and then they will all leave.” Would he have gone through with it all if he knew that perhaps in the world’s eyes, it would appear to have been a failure?  Her answer was one based on what has been reported to be his character, his faith would have propelled him forward and it would not have mattered.

Our choices need to be all about obedience, not outcome!  If we believe that God is calling us to something and we decide to base our choice to follow on the world’s standards of success and failure, then we are ultimately running the risk of being disobedient.  There is almost always more to the story.  The legacy of Moody is still being carried on.  God is still very much at work here in Northfield.   We know that He doesn’t start something to leave it unfinished.   Philippians 1:6 tells us that “He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion”.  This completion is “at the day of Jesus Christ.”  All of what we are doing here, now, in these moments of our lives, are all unfinished works and should not be considered for judgment as victories or defeats but rather, a step in obedience towards the glorification of our God and the ultimate completion of His divine plan!

He is Great and Awesome

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The fog lay low across the land but, above that fog, were the radiant sunshine and blue skies.  The roadways were coated with a thin layer of black ice making walking this morning a bit interesting.

“His Divine Plan” is the phrase that pops into my mind as I walk around a still partially frozen Perry Pond surrounded by a collection of busy birds.  I hear honking overhead and look up to find that it is one goose, alone, and he seems to be a little panicked.

I continue around the pond appearing to others as though I am talking to myself but I am in fact speaking to God.  He has inspired much prayer in me this morning and it is amazing!  Prayer has this way of filling, lifting, supporting, providing rest and peace and the list goes on and on.

I continue on up allowing God to direct my path and head towards Sage Chapel.  I walk towards the doorway He calls me to and there, on the ground, is a small section of pvc pipe.  This is weird God, but yes, I will pick it up.  It’s litter anyway so, if nothing else, I have cleaned up litter!

As I turn to head out I come to a crossroads.  I can either head up the hill towards Gould Hall or I can walk across the grass along the path of the steam pipes which have assisted in the melting of the snow.  I feel it’s the grassy route heading out towards the flag pole that the Holy Spirit is calling me to walk…so…I do.  Just as I head out that way, doubt creeps in and I begin to wonder if I’m going the right way.  “Maybe I should turn around and go the other path.”  Had I done so, I would have missed what I was about to witness, flying overhead were Canada Geese, two this time.  The goose in the rear was flying with greater speed to join the other, both honking.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a third flies in and joins up with the other two and immediately the sound of the honking changes!  It is now not a panicked cluster of noise but rather the gentle sound of encouragement.  It was a beautiful sight!

Remember, if one goose leaves the flock, two others are to follow with it to protect and care for it until it can return.

We are all formed for a purpose.  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;” Each one of us MUST not allow ourselves to be pulled off of the purpose intended by God.  If we are not functioning in the way He desires then we are no different than that crazy honking goose flustered in fear.  God did not give us a spirit of fear but one of power, love and self-control.  Fear, like cancer, is designed to kill.  If misplaced, fear can and will, kill each one of the fruits of the Spirit.

“Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.” ~1 Samuel 12:24

“Do not be afraid of them.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” ~Nehemiah 4:14

If I had allowed that doubt to pull me off of the grassy path and back up onto the sidewalk I would have been going in the opposite direction.  The geese would have been coming together behind me and I would have missed it!  God is so good.  Remember the pvc pipe?  I felt it in my pocket when the doubt hit.  He knew I would wonder, perhaps He knew I would turn around and miss what He wanted to show me so, He asked me to pick up that pvc pipe and put it in my pocket so that when I doubted my path I would feel it and think…Ahh, pipe! I am on the right path!

We are to serve Him faithfully with ALL our heart and consider the great things He has done.  Remember the Lord, He is great and awesome!!

Books in Dolben Library, Northfield Campus. Copyright Holly Ordway

Now that we have the new college site and blog up and running, we wanted to take time to make a special announcement regarding a generous gift we received earlier this year from Dr. John Gustafson.

Dr. Gustafson donated a total of 2,632 books to the C.S. Lewis College Foundation. The books cover several subjects, primarily including art, history, literature, science, and theology.

This contribution from his personal library will be of very great value to establishing the library of C.S. Lewis College, which is being founded by the C.S. Lewis Foundation in Northfield, Massachusetts.

We give a warm and humble “thank you!” to Dr. Gustafson for his generosity.

Few sights are finer than the view from the veranda of Moore Cottage. Vistas of the Pioneer Valley, and a ridge of mountains far in the distance.

“Thousands of mountains,” my five-year-old son likes to say, and we try to count them.

The gift that my wife and I promised we would give ourselves before leaving D.L. Moody’s Northfield, where Moore Cottage lies, was to sit in the wicker chairs of its veranda on a quiet Sunday morning with no one else there—to look out and let the peace of the place be ours.

And so we did during this visit in late August. It was hazy and warm, and we were grateful for a place in the shade, graced by the breeze that always seems to be there. Our five-year-old, Sam, though active in the ways that boys are for most of the morning, did as we did for a few moments. We sat and listened.

There is a music in the whisper of the wind—something that can be heard and felt. It is a lovely thing.

But this day, another something was to be ours. For on the wings of the wind, an unexpected gift was borne along. Without any warning, we were gently startled by the sound church bells. “Did you hear that?” we all said at once.

Faintly at first, but then more strongly—it must have been a trick of the wind—the melody of a hymn came through. A few notes more, and I knew it for a familiar friend. I spoke its words aloud:

Faith of our fathers, living still…

Then I heard my little son’s voice. “That’s nice,” he said—in a way that let me know he really meant it—though he’d never heard the hymn before and didn’t know its words.

But something of the moment, and the unexpected gift we’d just been given spoke to him—of that I’m sure.

We lingered a little longer on the veranda, but then we knew it was time to go. We decided to walk the pathway that skirts the base of the hill called Round Top—where, for more than a century, D.L. and Emma Moody have had a place of rest beneath the mantle of God’s sky.

Just before we got to Round Top, we heard the strains of a new hymn taken up by the bells of the church nearby.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done…

“How wonderful,” I thought, “that words God gave Fanny Crosby should find us here, this morning, carried on the wind.” It was she who so loved this place, and wrote many hymns here during Northfield Summer Conferences more than 100 years ago.

I don’t know that I’ve ever felt God’s presence so closely as I did then. And the reason was this: those who cherish the dream of C.S. Lewis College making its home in this place know as well that there is a daunting initial phase of fund raising underway. Sometimes, it seems a very big task.

I, like so many friends and colleagues, have been much in prayer for this. And it is only natural that we at times wonder if this task will be met in the ways that we hope.

I had been thinking such thoughts when we settled down on the veranda of Moore Cottage for the few moments we were there. By the time we reached the pathway at Round Top, having received the unexpected gifts we’d been given, I knew of a certainty that God was, and is, with us. The faith of our fathers is living still. And like D.L., Emma Moody, and all the bright company of saints who have come before us, God can move in our historical moment. With them, we too will have cause to say: To God be the glory, great things He hath done.

Holly Ordway

What should I do on my summer vacation? For this college professor, the answer this year was easy: combine service, fellowship, worship, and fun by spending two weeks in Northfield, Massachusetts, at the future C.S. Lewis College site, participating in the C.S. Lewis Foundation’s Vacation with a Purpose!

As I write this, it is the beginning of Week 2 of VWAP (as we call it), and I already have more memories and amazing experiences than seems possible for a whole summer, let alone just one week. But that’s the way things roll at the C.S. Lewis Foundation…

First of all, the campus is beyond beautiful. I kept expecting the shock of amazement to wear off, and for the campus to turn from Cinderella’s coach into, if not a pumpkin, at least a more ordinary plot of land with buildings on it. Hah! Instead, the magical atmosphere has thickened and deepened, so even the most ordinary tasks are touched by a kind of grace.

From grassy Roundtop, to the quiet halls of Dolben Library, to the stunning westward views of Hibbard Dining Hall (to say nothing of Sage Chapel), the sense of sacredness in this place is palpable.

And it’s the kind of sacredness that reaches out, grabs you by the collar, and draws you in! Everyone feels it, and there is a sense of joyful fellowship here that is unmistakeable and unique. Little acts of love abound, like having your neighbor at dinner clear away your tray for you. Everyone has an interesting story to tell – and a desire to listen as well as speak that is so rare in this modern world. Moments of grace and prayer abound.

Dolben Library

The biggest grace of all is that we are part of a historic moment.
The C.S. Lewis College is going to be a light not just to Western Massachusetts but to the world… And we get to help make that happen.

Working side by side, with servant hearts, people from all over the US and all walks of life are making good things happen day by day. The Welcome Center is getting a complete makeover with new paint. The theater in Stone Hall is renovated and cleaned and with functioning air conditioning. The Dolben Library is getting organized and having its books catalogued.

And there’s much more going on – everywhere you look, the campus is getting revitalized, and we get to be a part of that endeavor! What a privilege!

The C.S. Lewis Foundation believes deeply in the integration of worship, art, ideas, and service to Christ, and they are very mindful to assure that all of us, volunteers and staff alike, are fed on every level – nourished physically by good food served lovingly, intellectually by lectures by top scholars, and spiritually by daily devotions… Not to mention aesthetically by the sheer beauty of the campus and the Northfield location.

We’ve been graced with many wonderful speakers sharing their gifts with us. As just one example, Dr Diana Glyer led us in a powerful morning devotion last week, drawing on imagery from her new book Clay in the Potter’s Hands to help us see how God intimately shapes our lives, and calling us to a ministry of mending. Later in the week we were blessed to see a performance of her play The Major and the Missionary, based on the real correspondence (which she discovered in her research for The Company They Keep, her Inklings study) between C.S. Lewis’ brother Warnie and Dr Blanche Biggs, a medical missionary. I had tears in my eyes at the end.

Bag End Cafe with Andrew Lazo

Andrew Lazo has worked his magic each night at the Bag End Cafe. This is the time at the end of the day when we all gather in the Merrill Keep common room, and people get up to share: reading a poem of their own composition or a favorite by another poet; singing a song; sharing a story; even putting on a puppet show!

But even that doesn’t do justice to Bag End, which is my (and others’) favorite part of the day. Andrew has a special gift of weaving together these disparate elements into a unique piece of performance art, of which we are all (audience and readers alike) participants.

Each night it seems like he finds the right words to help us see the deep meaning in the day’s work, make it truly our own, and celebrate the individual gifts that each one of us brings to the fellowship.

Joy is the common theme. Joy, and service… And a childlike spirit that gets into all our hearts. Perhaps the iconic moment for me at the C.S. Lewis College was one that happened last week after a group meditation at Roundtop.

We were all looking out at the sunset when our VWAP librarian Matthew Goddard suddenly, with a cry of joy, dashed forward, threw himself on the grass, and proceeded to roll down the hill. It’s a steep, smooth, softly grassy hill… And secretly I’d longed to roll down it like a little child.

Holly & Matthew Post Roll

Seeing the example of my fellow “serious academic,” I made a decision in a flash: I flung down my bag, ran over, and rolled down the hill.

It was very steep, I rolled VERY fast, and I was exceedingly dizzy when I got to the bottom…and I couldn’t stop smiling.

This is the C.S. Lewis College spirit. And I love it!

Holly Ordway

Olcott’s distinguished career has included positions as President and CEO of Burger King Corporation (Miami, FL), Treasurer and VP of Investor Relations with The Pillsbury Company (Minneapolis, MN), and Senior Investment Officer in the Financial Division of Aetna Life and Casualty (Hartford, CT).

He has also held numerous leadership positions in small entrepreneurial businesses, in conjunction with consulting assignments centered on business assessment and fundraising throughout the U.S. For the past six years he served as Administrator for Bethany Church, a large congregation in southern New Hampshire.

Charlie is looking forward to working with the Foundation on the establishment of the college, saying, “It is a privilege to join the intrepid C.S. Lewis team of experienced professionals in the timely launch of this robustly Christian liberal arts institution.”

For more information, see our recent press release. For a biography of Charles Olcott, see our Leadership page.