C. S. Lewis vs. Come Fly with Me--Kiter

C. S. Lewis was an Englishman. He was born in 1898 and died in 1965. His mother died when he was young and he and his brother were sent to boarding school. One of his teachers was quite sadistic and he suffered cruelly at the hands of both the teacher and larger boys.

The story of his growing up is detailed in "Surprised by Joy." His later life and marriage is recorded in "Through the Shadowlands."

He wrote diverse sorts of material. In addition to the biographical material already mentioned, he wrote "The Chronicles of Narnia," "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," "The Screwtape Letters," "The Great Divorce," "The Problem of Pain," "Till We Have Faces-A Myth Retold," and "Miracles" just to name a few.

As a young man he was an avowed atheist. He became a Christian when he was thirty.

He was a close friend and confidante of J. R. R. Tolkein and G. K. Chesterton. One of the most interesting ways I have been influenced by Lewis is that, in addition to the insight I have gained from reading his books, I have been introduced to the works of the writers who were his friends and those he admired. In addition to Tolkein and Chesterton, Thomas Merton has become a favorite.

One profound insight I gained from Lewis concerned prayer. A friend encouraged him when he wife was ill, saying, "Surely the prayers you have prayed will sway God in your situation."
Lewis replied, "The prayers don't change God, they change me." I have found this to be true in my life, too.