Joining the "Christian Greats Challenge" (Mama Squirrel's Reading List for 2019)

Carol at the blog Journey and Destination has set up a reading challenge for 2019, and several of my planned books fall into the categories she suggests. So I'm going to begin my new reading list with the challenge books, and then add the rest afterwards. 

1)  A Book on Early Church History (up to about 500 A.D) or a book written by a key figure who lived during that time, or a biography about that person. 

Part III: Christian Testament Since the Bible (re-reading)

Booth, M.

2)  A Book About a Prominent Christian Who Was Born Between 500 A.D & 1900 

(See #1)

3)  A Christian Allegory

The Inferno

Alighieri, Dante; a new translation by Ciaran Carson

The Characters in Pilgrim's Progress
Whyte, Alexander

4)  A Book on Apologetics 

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (in progress)

Willard, Dallas

The Gospel in a Pluralist Society

Newbigin, Lesslie

5)  A Philosophical Book by a Christian Author

Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians: Finding Authentic Faith in a Forgotten Age with C. S. Lewis

Armstrong, Chris R.

Formation of Character (Original Homeschooling #5)
Mason, Charlotte M.

6)   A Missionary Biography or A Biography of a Prominent Christian who lived [was born?] any time between 1500 A.D to 1950 A.D

Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation

Buechner, Frederick 

7)  A Seasonal Book

The Faces of Jesus: A Life Story

Buechner, Frederick 

8)  A Novel with a Christian Theme

Housekeeping
Robinson, Marilynne

Notes from Underground
Dostoevsky

9) A Good Old Detective or Mystery Novel

==

10)  A Substitute - choose a book in place of one of the above categories:

40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life: Living the 4:8 Principle (in progress)

Newberry, Tommy

Patches of Godlight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes

Karon, Jan

Friends for the Journey
Shaw, Luci, and Madeleine L'Engle

Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith

Shaw, Luci

Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song
Wren, Brian

Other Books to Read This Year
A note: My biggest mistake in planning is usually that I list books I don't own, or can't easily borrow. This year I'm sticking mostly to what's already on the shelf.

Tales from Ovid: 24 Passages from the Metamorphoses

Ovid, Ted Hughes (translator)

Do Not Say We Have Nothing
Thien, Madeleine

The Book Thief

Zusak, Markus

The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets who Teach
Behn, Robin

How to Read a Poem

Eagleton, Terry

How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry

Hirsch, Edward

The Faber Book Of Modern Verse

Roberts, Michael

Prayers from the Ark (re-read)

Carmen Bernos De Gasztold, Rumer Godden (translator)

Questions About Angels

Collins, Billy

Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception

Seife, Charles

Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies

Bonnett, Alastair

In Search of Scotland

Morton, H.V.

On Purpose: How We Create the Meaning of Life

Froese, Paul

Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy

Phillips, Christopher

Pooh and the Philosophers: In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-the-Pooh

Williams, John Tyerman

Read for Your Life: Literature as a Life Support System

Gold, Joseph

Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction (in progress)

Gutkind, Lee

A Reader’s Delight

Perrin, Noel

On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books

Prior, Karen Swallow

Community Conversations: Mobilizing the Ideas, Skills, and Passion of Community Organizations, Governments, Businesses, and People

Born, Paul

The Fundamentals of Workplace Learning: Understanding How People Learn in Working Life

Illeris, Knud

Work-Based Learning

Raelin, Joseph A.

Tools for Teaching
Davis, Barbara Gross

On Education (in progress)
Frye, Northrop
 
The Well-Crafted Argument: Across the Curriculum
White, Fred D.

Linked from the Challenge post at Journey and Destination.

Mama Squirrel's 2018 Reading List: What's done, what's not (Updated)

This felt like a good year for reading, although when I see the list written out, it doesn't look like so much. Only eight novels? Well, there were some others, but they were re-reads (listed separately). Three poetry books? I resolve to do better in 2019.

There are quite a few adult education textbooks included, because that's what I spent a lot of time this year reading.

Best Books I Read in 2018

Funniest fiction: To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)
Connie Willis

Scariest fiction: The Thanatos Syndrome
Walker Percy

Most needed in today's world:  The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time
David L. Ulin

Most useful: Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done
Josh Davis

Runner-up for most useful: Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
Jeff Sutherland

A book Christians should read: A Mind for God
James Emery White

Runner-up for a book Christians should read: Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish
C. Christopher Smith

Most interesting devotional book: 40 days to a Joy-Filled Life
Tommy Newberry

Favourite simplicity book (and I read quite a few this year): Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff
Dana K. White

Runner-up for favourite simplicity book: Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
Fumio Sasaki


Books completed in 2018, including re-reads

Disclaimer: just because I read it doesn't mean I recommend it!

Novels and plays

The Archivist
Martha Cooley

Go Set a Watchman
Harper Lee

Home
Marilynne Robinson

To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)
Connie Willis

The Thanatos Syndrome
Walker Percy

Leota's Garden
Francine Rivers

Clock Dance
Anne Tyler

The Cocktail Party
T.S. Eliot

Farewell, Four Waters: One Aid Worker's Sudden Escape from Afghanistan. A Novel Based on True Events
Kate McCord

Poetry

This Great Unknowing: Last Poems
Denise Levertov

This Day: New and Collected Sabbath Poems 1979 - 2012
Wendell Berry

Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year
Malcolm Guite

Art books

Gathie Falk
Robin Laurence

The Tangled Garden: The Art of J. E. H. MacDonald
Paul Duval

Woldemar Neufeld's Canada: A Mennonite Artist in the Canadian Landscape 1925-1995 (re-read)
Laurence Neufeld

Faith and worldview

Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish
C. Christopher Smith

When Helping Hurts
Steve Corbett

Unpoverty: Rich Lessons from the Working Poor
Mark Lutz

A Mind for God
James Emery White

The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation
Rod Dreher

An Other Kingdom
Peter Block et al.

Getting Love Right (short paper)
Dallas Willard

Getting Stuff Done

Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done
Josh Davis

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
Jeff Sutherland

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Kerry Patterson

Make Peace With Anyone: Breakthrough Strategies to Quickly End Any Conflict, Feud, or Estrangement
David J. Lieberman

How to be creative: Rediscover your creativity and live the life you truly want
Liz Dean

Homekeeping and simplicity books

Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life
Peter Walsh

Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff
Dana K. White

Year of No Clutter
Eve O. Schaub

Mini-missions for Simplicity: small actions for massive change
Courtney Carver

Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More
Courtney Carver

A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough
Wayne Muller

The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story
Marie Kondo

Love the House You're In: 40 Ways to Improve Your Home and Change Your Life
Paige Rien

The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful
Myquillyn Smith

Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
Fumio Sasaki

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
Cait Flanders

Clothes and style books

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion
Elizabeth L. Cline

The Curated Wardrobe: A Stylist’s Secrets to Going Beyond the Basic Capsule Wardrobe to Effortless Personal Style
Rachel Nachmias

The Face of The Business: Develop Your Signature Style, Step Out from Behind the Curtain and Catapult Your Business on Video
Rachel Nachmias

The Color of Style
David Zyla

The Pocket Stylist
Kendall Farr

The Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men
Janie Bryant

Education, Charlotte Mason and Otherwise

Ourselves Book II (re-read)
Charlotte Mason

A Touch of the Infinite
Megan Elizabeth Hoyt

Know and Tell: The Art of Narration
Karen Glass

Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination
Vigen Guroian

The Purposes of Adult Education: An Introduction
Bruce Spencer

Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty
Elizabeth F. Barkley

Planning Instruction for Adult Learners
Patricia Cranton

Educating for a Change
Rick Arnold et al.

Designing Effective Instruction, 7th Edition
Gary R. Morrison et al.

Facilitating with Ease!: Core Skills for Facilitators, Team Leaders and Members, Managers, Consultants, and Trainers
Ingrid Bens

The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
Stephen D. Brookfield

Methods that Matter
Harvey Daniels & Marilyn Bizar

The Art Of Facilitation
Dale Hunter

Learning Group Leadership: An Experiential Approach
Jeffrey A. Kottler

How To Teach Adults
William A. Draves

Reading and writing books

Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction
Jon Franklin

The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time
David L. Ulin

How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing
Paul J. Silvia

Style: Toward Clarity and Grace
Joseph M. Williams

Sin Boldly!: Dr. Dave's Guide To Writing The College Paper
David R. Williams

Deep Writing
Eric Maisel

Miscellaneous books

Gift Wrapping with Textiles: Stylish Ideas from Japan
Chizuko Morita

How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip
Hitha Palepu

Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type
Isobel Briggs Myers

The Twelve Teas of Christmas
Emilie Barnes

The Greatest Gift
Ann Voskamp

Hallelujah: A Journey Through Advent with Handel's Messiah
Cindy Rollins

Favourite and nostalgic re-reads

A Light in the Window
Jan Karon

These High, Green Hills
Jan Karon

Out to Canaan
Jan Karon

To Be Where You Are
Jan Karon

The Wisdom of Narnia
C.S. Lewis

The Last Battle
C.S. Lewis

Leaf by Niggle
J.R.R. Tolkien

Not Under the Law
Grace Livingston Hill

Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple #13)
Agatha Christie

Miss Pinkerton
Mary Roberts Rinehart

Jerusalem Inn (Richard Jury, #5)
Martha Grimes

The Man With a Load of Mischief (Richard Jury, #1)
Martha Grimes

Clothe Your Spirit: Dressing for Self-Expression
Jennifer Robin

I Haven't a Thing to Wear!
Judith Keith

Books I'm trying to finish by the end of 2018

The Invention of Clouds

Richard Hamblyn
(Done!)

Power through Prayer
E.M. Bounds
(Done!)

12 Rules for Living
Jordan Peterson
(Done!)

Books I've started that will stretch through the new year

The Divine Conspiracy
Dallas Willard

Keep it Real
Lee Gutkind (ed.)

40 days to a Joy-Filled Life
Tommy Newberry

On Education
Northrop Frye

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 24 (Last One!)

The final three chapters of Ourselves Book II are titled Thanksgiving, Praise, and Faith in God. They carry one overall message: that we may consider ourselves to be smallandunimportantselves, without great talents or special knowledge; but as human beings, Personsouls, we share both the opportunity and the duty to know, love, and serve our heavenly Father.

"There are poets to whom it is given to utter some vital word, painters who present us with 'The Light of the World,' or, like the Russian painter, Ivan Kramskoi, with a vision of Christ seated in the wilderness. Such as these praise God, we know, but they are few and far between. 
"So, too, do honest, simple souls who bear affliction willingly, or who live their appointed lives with the sense that they are appointed. All of these ways of giving praise we recognise and bow before; but the duty would seem to pass us by as incompetent persons. We are not angels, we carry no harps. But the duty of praise is not for occasional or rare seasons; it waits at our doors every day"  (pp. 194-195).

"We know no more about the Creation than we do about the Incarnation, no more about the forgiveness of sins than about the resurrection of the body. All is mystery, being what the heart of man could not conceive of unless it had been revealed...Where we err is in supposing that mystery is confined to our religion, that everything else is obvious and open to our understanding. Whereas the great things of life, birth, death, hope, love, patriotism, why a leaf is green, and why a bird is clothed in feathers––all such things as these are mysteries; and it is only as we can receive that which we cannot understand, and can discern the truth of that which we cannot prove, and can distinguish between a luminous mystery and a bewildering superstition, that we are able to live the full life for which we were made" (pp. 200-201).

* * * * * * * * *   * * * * * * * * *   * * * * * * * * *
Thank you for sharing this journey! Wishing you all a very happy Christmas.

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 23

(Book studied: Ourselves Book II, Part III)

Chapters III, "The Knowledge of God," and IV, "Prayer," are full of Christmas gifts for us to unwrap.

"A little plant of moss, the bareness of a tree in winter, may, as we have seen, awake us to the knowledge; or, dealings of strange intimacy with our own hearts, visitings of repentance and love, sweet answers to poor and selfish prayers, tokens of friendship that we can never tell, but most surely perceive, are all steps in this chief knowledge." (p. 184)

Are we longing to know God better, but we think the Bible is too hard to read, or we've been told it's full of errors? "But, as the friend listens to the voice, pores over the written word of his friend, so the lover of God searches the Bible for the fuller knowledge he craves...he believes that in these is to be found, and nowhere but in these, a revealed knowledge of God...a revelation of God which satisfies and directs every aspiration of the Soul of man." (pp. 184-186, italics hers). All for us: the gift of the Word.

"We cry in fear, and hope is spoken to us; in penitence, and we breathe peace; in sympathy, and we expand in love. These are the answers of our 'Almighty Lover' to the dull, uncertain movements of our poor hearts." (p. 188)

Do we need to know that we are heard and understood? God responds to both "felt prayers" and habitual, disciplined meditation and petitioning. All for us:  the gift of prayer.

"But the seeking must be of single purpose; we must not be bent upon finding what we take for dross, whether in the Bible, in the ordering of the world, or in that of our own lives. Our search must be for the grains of gold, and, as we amass these, we shall live and walk in the continual intimacy of the divine Love, the constant worship of the divine Beauty, in the liberty of those whom the Truth makes free." (p. 187)

Are we lonely because most people are "too far off" for us, and connecting is difficult for whatever reason? We are offered true intimacy with one who will not desert us. "'This is eternal life,' said our Lord, 'to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent'; and this knowledge, this exalted intimacy, is open to us all, on one condition only––if we choose" (p. 183). All for us: the gift of a restored relationship with God. As one of our little children put it: "God and sinners recon-smiled."

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 22

"How is the Soul of a man to be satisfied? Crowned kings have thrown up dominion because they want that which is greater than kingdoms...There is no satisfaction for the Soul of a man, save one, because the things about him are finite, measurable, incomplete; and his reach is beyond his grasp; he has an urgent, incessant, irrepressible need of the infinite." (Ourselves Book II, p. 175)

Charlotte Mason asks a hard question for "religious" people: when we say that that empty space inside us cannot be satisfied outside of relationship with God, are we referring only to a one-time prayer of salvation? Or do we have more to give, and more to gain? She obviously believes so:

"We have within us an infinite capacity for love, loyalty, and service; but we are deterred, checked on every hand, by limitations in the objects of our love and service. It is only to our God that we can give the whole, and only from Him can we get the love we exact; a love which is like the air, an element to live in, out of which we gasp and perish." (p. 176)

Mason offers a few thoughts on coming to faith, and warnings for complacent Christians. (We might say this is her version of the Parable of the Sower.) She previously told us to be "alert," and now she warns us not to be "inert." Spiritual sluggishness can happen to any soul. She also warns against "such preoccupation of Mind or Heart as leaves no room for the dominating and engrossing thought of God" (pp. 178-179). Do we need God? Do we want God? Is there room for Him in our hearts?

 "Let us hold fast our loyalty, knowing that this, of making with our Will deliberate choice of God, is the only offering we can make Him; knowing, too, for our comfort, that involuntary aversion is not sin, and only gives us occasion for choice; but, when we choose to turn away, our sin does not put us without the limits of mercy, but it is immeasurably great" (p. 181).

The third danger to the soul is aversion. We are fallen human beings. We struggle with a desire for sin that pushes us away from all that is good (Romans 7:15-17). But celebrate with this thought: God gave us free will.

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 21

Chapter XI is the last chapter on the subject of the Will. (The last few posts will focus on the Soul.)

How do you feel about living in a commonplace respectability which never errs? Doesn't that sound like a good thing?

"Deliver us from lazy imitation," says Charlotte Mason.

How about having an aim to do well, to get on and prosper?

"He that saveth his life shall lose it."

Why did Christ pronounce "woes against the respectable classes?" Because they were so tied up with their own well-being that they could not get free to follow Him. Those who had less reason to be pleased with themselves had more open ears.

"This much we discern––that, in the man of good-will, the Will is absolutely free; that, in fact, there can be no will but a free will."

To live under the rule of Will, with the object of serving the One who loves us, is true freedom.  "Our Wills are ours to make them Thine," quotes Charlotte Mason, and they are the best gift we can offer Him.

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 20: Watch that back door

"The real act is the thought." ~~ Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason begins Chapter X with a summary of The Will, and we badly need one after several very packed chapters. 

1. The Will acts upon ideas.

2. Ideas are presented to the mind in many ways--by books, talk, and spiritual influences.

3. "To let ourselves be moved by a mere suggestion is an allowance and not of will."

4. "An act of will is not the act of a single power of Mansoul, but an impulse that gathers force from Reason, Conscience, Affection."

5. "Having come to a head by degrees, its operations also are regular and successive, going through the stages of intention, purpose, resolution." 

 6. "When we are called upon for acts of will about small matters, such as going here or there, buying this or that, we simply fall back upon the principles or the opinions which Will has slowly accumulated for our guidance."

7. "We know that what we do or say matters less than what we will; for the Will is the man, and it is out of many acts of willing that our character, our personality, comes forth."

Remember this thought from Day 11?

"Last weekend we were driving through a nearby town that was built on a flood-prone river. "The houses up on the hill are the ones to own," someone commented. "The ones down by the river...well, you take your chances." So does building our spiritual house on a hill keep us immune from floods and temptations? It probably can't hurt! But nothing (nobody) is immune to attack, and in Chapter XVIII, "Temptation," Charlotte Mason acknowledges that there are forces outside of ourselves that search out our weak spots, and try to prevent us from keeping what she calls a trusty spirit."

Anybody who's made resolutions that last less than a week knows how that works. If there are cookies tied up with string in a box on the shelf, Frog and Toad are going to climb up and eat them. We say that we know ourselves too well, that we've tried to get ourselves into shape, and that we're just being honest when we say that our bad character traits are just who we are. It would be nice to live on the hill, out of the reach of floods, but we know how close our own house is to the river. 

Now follow closely here, because a Charlotte Mason "Wow, I Never Thought of That" idea is about to unfold. 

Situation: you have a bad temper. Usual way of dealing with it: you work on your temper, but you keep losing your temper, and worrying about how you lost your temper, and think about how you're not going to lose it next time. You wear a string around your finger or write little reminders to yourself. But then somebody pushes your buttons, and you blow up, and you're very sorry, and you're sure that next time you'll be able to handle things better, but then off you go again. Is there a better way? 

"The place to keep watch at, is, not the way of our particular sin, but that very narrow way, that little portal, where ideas present themselves for examination. Our falls are invariably due to the sudden presentation of ideas opposed to those which judgment and conscience, the porters at the gate, have already accepted. These foreign ideas get in with a rush. We know how that just man, Othello, was instantly submerged by the idea of jealousy which Iago cunningly presented. We know of a thousand times in our own lives when some lawless idea has forced an entrance, secured Reason as its advocate, thrown a sop to Conscience, and carried us headlong into some vain or violent course." (pp. 166-167) 

(Side note: did you notice how Mason snuck in that bit of Shakespeare? Remember how the first few chapters were packed so full of literary allusions, reminding us that Story is a prime way to educate the Conscience? This is just another example.)

The problem is that, once a idea, moral or intellectual, has gotten inside, "neither Reason nor Conscience can be depended upon." The job of Reason and Conscience is to keep unworthy ideas out. Reason and Conscience are both the interrogators and the muscle at the door. Charlotte Mason calls them "the two janitors" (p. 167). But once those "bad boys" are inside, all bets are off.

Take a pro-active lesson from real-life high-security measures. Think airports. Think top security at the White House. Use your bank of cameras to zoom in on anyone driving up. Scrutinize them. Ask questions. Do they have their Principle Passports with them, or are those fake I.D. cards? It's not that we want to keep every idea out, just that we want to examine each one closely.

"We are all aware, more or less, that our moral Armageddon is to be fought against an army of insurgent ideas; but, perhaps, we are not all aware of the simple and effectual weapon put into our hands." (p. 168)

And do we fight them in the doorway through sheer willpower, after they're already halfway in? That's the hard way, and (as we know) it can be spectacularly unsuccessful. Here is the most radical piece of advice: if we see them coming in the distance, and our alarms are squawking "Intruder! Intruder!," we stop looking out the window at them. They lose our attention. We move on to more interesting arrivals. This is a win-win Way of the Will decision, for us, and for everybody around us (except for those offering the sorry-not-interested ideas).

When Christmas is a trigger

"Whenever life becomes so strenuous that we are off guard, then is our hour of danger. Ideas that make for vanity, petulance, or what not, assault us, and our safety lies in an ejaculation of prayer,––'O God, make speed to save us! O Lord, make haste to help us!' and then, quick as thought, we must turn our eyes away from the aggravating circumstance and think of something diverting or interesting.––the weather, and the fitting garments for it, are always at hand!" (p. 168)

A friend of AmblesideOnline recently wrote that people who are prone to depression during the holidays, and whose bad feelings can be quite justified by their particular set of circumstances, must nevertheless try to abstain from "scratching that sore place," if only for the sake of their loved ones. It's not that we don't face our emotions, or that we're being dishonest about grief. It's more that we see the flood coming, we acknowledge its presence out there, but we choose to act, for this moment, on a different idea. And determine to keep a trusty spirit.

(Think about it, anyway!)

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 19

A recent T.V. commercial shows a girl growing up and repeatedly hearing a song her father likes, "Ooh La La" by the band Faces. Finally she moves into a college dorm, and, feeling lonely, calls on her techie-device to "Play Dad's playlist."

In Ourselves Book II, Chapter IX on The Will, Charlotte Mason tells some stories of how certain people formed their characters and did the things that they did. What did they value, and what ideas did they pass on to others, even unconsciously? What were their lifetime playlists?

We come across a hero, a picture, an insect, a news story that makes us curious to know more, something we can make our own, something that extends our interest into related areas. We have been captured by an idea, but the capturing happens with intent on our side. And what does that have to do with the Will?

"The Will is, in fact, the instrument by which we appropriate the good, uplifting thought that comes our way; and it is as we seize upon such thought with intention, act upon it with purpose, struggle, with resolution, against obstacles, that we attain to character and usefulness in the world." (p. 164)

Mason's further challenge is the equivalent of this: do we want to be remembered mainly for devotion to a 1970's song? For a love of drugstore romance novels? A collection of ceramic teddy bears? A trophy from the church golf tournament? In the words of another song, "That don't impress me much." We recognize an idea that was worthwhile to begin with because it leads us into a place of magnanimity, help us see things in a bigger way, beyond ourselves.

"Wherefore, in books and men, let us look out for the best society, that which yields a bracing and wholesome influence. We all know the person for whose company we are the better, though the talk is only about fishing or embroidery." (p. 163)

But we aren't all going to earn a Pulitzer or a Nobel or a Caldecott. We can't all invent vaccines, write symphonies, or advise presidents. What if we are very ordinary, plain people, who go about our everyday work and maybe do listen to '70's rock or collect ceramic teddy bears? Listen, Charlotte Mason says: it's all about how you do it.

"But no one need feel left out in the cold because his work seems to be for no greater a purpose than that of earning his living. That, too, is a great end, if he wills to do it with a single aim. He need not mourn that he has no influence; everyone has influence, not in the ratio of his opportunities, nor even of his exertions, but in that of his own personality. Mansoul is in truth a kingdom whose riches and opportunities are for whosoever will." (pp. 163-164, italics hers)

Shepherds. Wise men. Mary and Joseph. Simeon and Anna. All willing. All remembered.

The Intentional Thrifter: Clothes with character, and a book of characters

Half the fun of thrifting is finding things that are slightly different from either your own or everyone else's. But the real winners are the ones that mix well with what you already have. (In clothes, or anything else.)

Two recent clothes finds: a long plaid jacket that is as comfortable as an old flannel shirt.

A pair of tweed trousers. They're a mix of brown and grey, more on the brown side. I like them with the shoes I found earlier (photo below).

And a helpful book. This was originally titled Bunyan Characters--1st Series, and you can read it online here.

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 18

Part One

Here's a little challenge from Charlotte Mason.

Take some positive values like self-control, self-constraint, and self-denial. Really work at them, quite deliberately, until you have the moves down perfectly. Aim to behave in a way that would satisfy even Caroline Ingalls' strictest notions of ladylike restraint. Don't ask for anything, because people will like you much better if you let them have their way in things. Make sure you affirm yourself regularly, that you tell yourself how wonderful you are and, most importantly, how serene you are becoming. And make sure you keep practicing this so that you are happy with yourself and complacent about what a nice person and a great peacemaker you are.

If you have done this successfully, you have just become a very frightening sort of person. The experiment in self-denial has resulted in a severe case of self-absorption, and a deficiency in love. Here is the cure:

"Give the Will an object outside itself, and it will leap to service, even to that most difficult of all service, the control of the forces of Mansoul... It is not self-ordering, but an object outside of ourselves, leading to self-forgetfulness and a certain valiant rising of the will, to which we must look for a cure for the maladies that vex us." (Ourselves, pp. 154-155)

Moral of the story: don't be so busy worrying about how good you are becoming that you forget why you're doing it...or the One you're doing it for (p. 155).

Part Two

Apathy, masquerading as tolerance, has no place in the life of one governed by Will (p. 157). But how are we supposed to decide about anything, when there are so many possibilities, so many sides of things to consider? What if we always seem to have a lot of trouble making up our minds, so much that we're torn and anxious over big and small decisions? That's a warning sign that you've veered off the track, says Charlotte Mason. "The decisions of Will are always simple, because they have, for good or ill, an end in view outside of Self" (pp. 158-159). Of course choosing is hard work, but we are not left completely to ourselves. "As the wise parent sees that his children are invigorated by proper exercise, so we may venture to think that Providence strengthens the children of men by giving to each opportunities for effort, chiefly, perhaps, for this effort of decision" (p. 158). 

And Will, as we have seen, does not work in isolation.

"Throughout our lives, Will has been busy, taking counsel with Imagination, Reason, Conscience, Affection; and forming, by degrees, those great decisions on conduct which we call Principles, or those upon matters of thought which we call Opinions. The opinions and principles are at hand for little and great occasions. Our business is to see that we are not distracted by manifold little movements of Self. Then our decisions are prompt and final; we are not fretted by wondering if we have made a mistake, or, if we should have done better by deciding otherwise." 

What have you been given by God this Christmas? One gift, as we saw earlier, is our growing understanding of our full personhood, the inheritance of our Mansoul, to be used in the service of our Creator. Another gift comes in a thousand little pieces: the many opportunities we are given to strengthen the Will by making choices. Here's the only catch: if you use it for Self, it disappears. Use it for an object outside of yourself, and it will keep on giving.

Christmas C.M. Countdown, Day 17: Let's go Christmas Shopping with Charlotte Mason

What Shall We Buy?

In the previous posts about Will, we mentioned choosing between things and courses of action; but in Chapter IV (The Scope of Will), Charlotte Mason makes a finer distinction and says that the true function of the Will is to choose not between things themselves, but "between the ideas which these represent" (p. 147). 

"We must bring wide reading, reflection, conscience, and judgment to bear upon our opinions, if it be only an opinion concerning a novel or a sermon––upon our principles, if they affect only the ordering of our day." (p. 150)

To take it even further (Mason says), if we think we are just making a "regular" choice about something, let's say buying a Christmas present, we may actually be acting with Will, because we're choosing a principle, maybe, of "common sense and good taste," rather than ego and vanity, or even idolatry. Sometimes using the Will is easier than we think!  

"Once having arrived at principles of choice in such matters, the special occasions give very little trouble. A choice of will implies some previous action of judgment and conscience, some knowledge of the subject, and, generally, some exercise of taste and imagination. We do not choose a thing because we will to do so––that would be mere waywardness; but will acts upon information and reflection." (p. 149)

The key warning word seems to be "suggestion," whether it comes from the media, from what's offered as we browse (online or in a store), or by a salesperson. (See a previous post on this topic.) Those who have read Charlotte Mason's guides to education will recall her criticism of teachers who use "suggestion" as a subtle means of manipulating students. Again, this is a very fine line, because we know that even a tiny suggestion can be very potent, especially if it comes from a respected source. (Idolatry again?) When we can see a mistake about to be made, it is so, so hard to maintain "masterly inactivity" and not to interfere. 

Too complicated? Here's the short version according to Mason: if you're watching kids play, and if nobody's in immediate and serious danger of getting hurt, back off. If giving advice to friends means that you're stealing an opportunity for them to build their choosing muscles, keep quiet. And when it comes to your own choices, realize that you are dealing with ideas more than things, and try to choose based more on "information and reflection," and firm, clear principles, than spur-of-the-moment suggestions.

Shop Till We Drop...Where?

"Cheap 'Notions.'––The dishonest fallacy, that it is our business to get the best that is to be had at the lowest price, is another cause of infinite waste of time, money, and nervous energy. The haunting of sales, the ransacking of shop after shop, the sending for patterns here, there, and everywhere, and various other immoralities, would be avoided if we began with the deliberate will-choice of a guiding principle; that, for example, we are not in search of the best and the cheapest, but, of what answers our purpose at the price we can afford to pay.

"The mad hunt for the best, newest, most striking, and cheapest, is not confined to matters of dress and ornament, household use and decoration. We are apt to run after our opinions and ideas with the same restless uncertainty. Indeed, it is ideas we hunt all the time; even if we go to a sale with the dishonest and silly notion that we shall get such and such a thing––'a bargain,' that is, for less than its actual worth." (p. 149)

Charlotte Mason would seem to be very much in tune with current ideas of sustainable and well-considered shopping. As someone who lives next door to a discount store, I am well aware of the temptations of imported bargains and glitz. Even there, though, I try to think through what comes home. There is no reason to impulse-buy four t-shirts just because they're cheap; but they did have decent cloth handkerchiefs awhile ago, so I bought two packages. I don't buy Santa sweatshirts, but I did buy a solid-colour turtleneck sweater that looked like it would hold up through a reasonable number of washings. In a way, for me, shopping there is a good choice because it means I do not run to other stores looking for bargains. Still, I'm aware of even better alternatives, including fair trade, buying from a local maker, shopping used, or not buying anything new at all (re-using, different-using, up-cycling), and I try to choose those options when I can.

That sounds boring! I would rather live in Whoville at Christmas!

"The great decision open to us all, the great will act of a life, is whether we shall make our particular Mansoul available for service by means of knowledge, love, and endeavour. Then, the opportunities that come are not our affair, any more than it is the affair of the soldier whether he has sentry duty or is called to the attack." (p. 151)

So here's the thing...

If we're available, and not caught up with some other "really important" thing, the adventures will come.

And if we're paying attention, we won't miss hearing the angels.

(Here's a related post from a few years ago.)