Catchy, huh? Our first day in England was not story book, but more like the opening of a Dickens novel. As with many flights, we arrived early in the morning and bused to Oxford about an hour from Heathrow airport. We got off a few blocks from the guest house we had booked. It was drizzling and being 8:30 am we were about the only people in sight as though we had been dropped into another time and place both beautiful and eerie. We walked…and walked in the rain until arriving at the guest house…the one that looked so quaint on the internet. I’ll spare you the gruesome details, but my quickest description would be a cross between a gross youth hostel and a fraternity basement just condemned by the health department! My eyes met Mary’s - and it was not the rush of romance. With jet lag beginning to set in – we called the C.S. Lewis Institute office and took a taxi to St Catherine’s college to check out the dormitory option. No. Too expensive considering the location and atmosphere we needed to rescue the trip. A very helpful man steered us to a hotel that had one room left (Oxford graduation week). And things began to rapidly improve. A good night’s sleep has great healing affect.
Here’s a picture of the alley leading to the 17th century Bath Hotel. We have to move twice to be able to stay here but each room is so unique and despite being over a garden tavern – it’s quite nice and the English students don’t stay up all night it seems.
We won’t see the sun too much this week but Oxford is amazing and the Institute is all I could have hoped for. The opening night was a service in St. Mary’s Church, where John Wesley preached many sermons and Thomas Cranmer wrote much of the Book of Common Prayer.
The main meetings are at another of the colleges’ churches, St. Aldates. I had seen this one on the internet. It is an ancient church but has been redone inside with pews removed and turned sideways. I was struck deeply with the similarities to our possible expansion design and was able to visualize the way things could work were we to re-visit the buildout. St. Aldates is obviously alive and reaching the city. They have ALPHA of course, and what they call “Pastorates” or medium sized community groups that supplement small groups; a vibrant prayer ministry that connects with some city-wide ventures and a student pastor “planting” a new kind of church amid the Oxford student population. The Senior pastor (Rector’s ) name is rather unfortunately, Charlie Cleverly. But then who am I to poke fun at names!
…David Lyle Jeffrey, a scholar from Baylor. Jeffrey was amazing but I had to muster every brain cell to stay with him intellectually, like reading a deep book and you need to re-read the page three times. He elaborated a Lewis theme that the love of beauty in art, literature and nature points to the longing for the source of the beauty
A late addition to the speakers was Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life). He spoke right after Jeffrey. Warren was unashamedly simple (not simplistic) and preached on “The Good, The True, and the Beautiful – To What Purpose?” He preached the book, I knew his jokes, but God moved in all of us. One exciting story. The PDL has been translated into 52 languages already and is now the best selling book in the world – even beyond Harry Potter! The President of Rwanda (remember the genocide and war between the Tutsis and Hutus?) is a Christian and read the book and invited Rick to come and speak to Parliament, church and business leaders. They held a huge Reconciliation meeting in the national stadium with testimonies of families that were living side by side whose relatives had slaughtered one another in prior years. Reaching people with the Gospel is world changing. Jesus really IS the hope of the world!. One challenge he gave was that it takes an UNSELFISH Church to grow. Rather than asking “How big should our church get?” we should be asking, “Should anyone around us be left out?”
I’m having a little trouble with internet access at times I can break free but will add more later.
By the way, the book stores are everywhere! My friend, Peter Blackwell told me about Blackwell’s Bookstore (no relation I guess) – 5 floors. But they close at 6 pm. “Why?” I asked in mild frustration. “People can shop on Saturday and want to be home at night perhaps” was the gracious rebuke. Maybe we hyper, 24 hour stimulation Americans need to learn some things!
Love to the Family!
Lyle and Mary.
