Matt is joined by pastor and author Will Vaus to discuss his latest book, My Journey with C.S. Lewis & Other Companions.
S7E11: “My Journey” (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
The idea is that Christians have fellowship; not only with other Christians who are alive on earth at the same time, with all those believers who have gone to Heaven before them. If this is so – and I believe it is – then one of those believers, one of those great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12 with whom I have had a deep sense of communion through the years, is C.S. Lewis.
Will Vaus, My Journey
Biographical Information
Will Vaus was born in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and grew up in La Jolla, California. He and his wife, Becky, have been married since 1988 and have three grown sons. His own father was Jim Vaus, former organized crime wiretapper who came to personal faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of Billy Graham in 1949.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of California at San Diego and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has served churches across the United States and is currently the Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Yarmouth on Cape Cod.
He is the President of Will Vaus Ministries and the author of fourteen books including: “The Man Who Received ‘A Severe Mercy’” which he discussed in Season 5 with Andrew, as well as the book we’ll be discussing today, My Journey with C.S. Lewis & Other Companions.
Guest Biographical Information
Chit-Chat
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Toast
- Matt was drinking Spindrift Sparkling Water
- His guest was drinking San Pellegrino
Discussion
01. “Overview”
Q. Can you provide us with a high-level overview of the different seasons of your spiritual journey?
I was born in the winter of 1898 in Belfast, the son of a solicitor and a clergyman’s daughter.
C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (Chapter One)
02. “Family Dynamics”
Q. You have an incredibly interesting family story. I haven’t read the book about your father but you are also the author of the book: My Father was a Ganster. Talk about your family dynamics and the early influence it had on you.
- My Father was a Gangster: The Jim Vaus Story by Will Vaus
- The Sting
03. “Walking Through the Valley”
Q. You mentioned your father’s life change had an impact on you, but right around this time, there was a lot of other negative events and stresses in your personal life. Can you talk about this period?
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
04. “Lewis’s Impact and Influence”
Q. When did Lewis first enter the picture for you?
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
05. “Following in His Footsteps”
Q. Let’s dive into the Ireland trip. What were some of your experiences of Ireland on this trip and how do they fit into the bigger context of your story?
- The Joyful Christian by C.S. Lewis
- Letters to an American Lady by C.S. Lewis
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
06. “England”
Q. Can you tell us about your trip to England?
07. “Conversing with Lewis’ Friends”
Q. What were some of the things that you remember and took away from your conversations with Lewis’ friends and colleagues?
- Letters of C.S. Lewis by C.S. Lewis (Edited by W.H. Lewis and Walter Hooper)
- The Consolation of Philosophy by Ancius Boethius
08. “Theological Understanding”
Q. What impact did the readings, trips, and conversations have on your understanding of Christian theology?
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
- Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C.S. Lewis by Will Vaus (Forward by Douglas Gresham)
- Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis
- Catholic Answers and the Counsel of Trent podcast
- S5E45 After Hours with Trent Horn “The Moral Argument”
09. “A Severe Mercy”
Q. What do you think is one of the best things about “A Severe Mercy”?
- A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
10. “Douglas and Merrie”
Q. Can you tell us more about your meeting and relationship with Douglass and Merrie, and how that impacted your life?
I know all about the despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious, provided self-offended petulance – annoyance at breaking records, impatience etc – doesn’t get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really outdo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tired children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels are put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cubboard. The only fatal thing is to loose one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us. It is the very sign of His presence.
C.S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis? (letter to a student, Vaus was quoting his book)
Wrap-Up
More Information
- WillVaus.com
- Will Vaus’ blog
- Will Vaus on Amazon
- My Journey by Will Vaus
