Well Worn Pages Book Club Podcast

5 Key Takeaways:

1) Reading Scripture itself can dismantle a skeptic.

2) God uses everything, including fiction, to draw us to Himself.

3) Slow down: the process is the point, and anyone can study the Bible for themselves.

4) Wisdom comes from time with God, not from age.

5) Even non-Christian books can point us back to Scripture.

Links and Mentions:

Mariel Davenport’s website — with links to her podcast, TEND Community, Bible studies, and more

James: Wisdom for a Vibrant Faith (TEND Your Soul Bible Study Series) — Mariel Davenport

Left Behind series — Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

God’s Smuggler - Brother Andrew

Surprised by Joy — C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters — C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia — C.S. Lewis

The Correspondent — Virginia Evans

*If you purchase books through the links above, you help support our ministry.

Scripture We Referenced:

Genesis 1:1

Genesis 50

Psalm 139

Closing Scripture - Jeremiah 6:16

5 Key Takeaways:

1) Read it backwards, and test it against Scripture: satire told from a demon's point of view (03:40 & 05:06)

2) The enemy is real, and he is already defeated. (11:40 & 12:33)

3) The danger is the slow fade, not the dramatic fall. (15:05 & 16:04)

4) Ordinary faithfulness matters. (17:03)

5) Abiding in Christ is our protection. (29:05)

Links and Mentions:

The Screwtape Letters — C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis

The Four Loves — C.S. Lewis

Surprised by Joy — C.S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis -- A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet — Alister McGrath

The Practice of the Presence of God — Brother Lawrence

*If you purchase books through the links above, you help support our ministry.

Scripture We Referenced:

Ephesians 6:12

1 Peter 5:8

Mark 8:33 - Peter rebuked

Isaiah 46:9

Deuteronomy 4:9

Closing Scripture - Jeremiah 6:16

5 Key Takeaways:

1) We’re built to run on God: Lewis’s “human machine” analogy. (02:12)

2) Two tiers of the seven virtues. (05:30 and 23:37)

3) Faith and works are two blades of one pair of scissors. (25:00)

4) We need reminding more than instructing. (08:34)

5) Lewis is a starting point, not the final word. (09:47)

Links and Mentions:

* Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis

* The Four Loves — C.S. Lewis

* Episode 13 - The Four Loves Part 1

* Episode 14 - The Four Loves Part 2

* Episode 16 - Mere Christianity Part 1

* quote from Dr. Johnson (08:34) … “people need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” Attributed to Samuel Johnson in his periodical The Rambler, issue No. 2, published on March 24, 1750.

* The cardinal virtues (05:30) referenced are attributed to Aristotle and Greek philosophy.

*If you purchase books through the links above, you help support our ministry.

Scripture Referenced:

* Philippians 2:12–13

* Romans 12:2 (NLT)

* Mark 4 (parables)

* Closing Scripture - Jeremiah 6:16

This week’s episode looks at the first part of Lewis’ classic work: Mere Christianity.

When Christy and I (Lori) finished this book we both had some questions.

We wondered what Lewis meant by “losing the Christ life,” how baptism, belief, and Holy Communion fit together, and why he referenced evolution the way he did.

We are quick to state that we are not C.S. Lewis scholars. We’re two women who love the Lord and reading good books. And many times we’re working through a classic for the first time.

But our questions are also part of the gift, because they lead us back to Scripture—to search out the truth of God’s Word. And that’s a win.

Mark Your Calendars!

You are invited to gather with us onThursday・October 29, 2026・7-8PM (Central Time)

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet via Zoom to talk about the books we’ve read and the Scriptures they point us back to.

It’s free to attend, but you must register ahead of time to keep it pleasant for all.

Watch for an email with more details and your link to register.Then pull up a chair and join the conversation.

What would you add to the conversation? Let us know.

5 Key Takeaways

* C.S. Lewis Never Meant to Be an Apologist

When the BBC needed a layman to talk about faith during World War II, they selected a former atheist who understood exactly what stood between ordinary people and God. Those radio talks became Mere Christianity.

* C.S. Lewis Started Where You’d Least Expect: Not with the Bible

Before you can hand someone a Bible, they have to believe there’s a reason to open it. Lewis began with human experience and worked his way toward Scripture—the same road he walked in his own conversion.

* The Moral Law Argument

Lewis argued that everyone has a sense of “ought,” and no one keeps it perfectly, pointing to something higher than ourselves. It’s Romans 1:19–20 in the everyday: God has made himself obvious.

* “Lunatic, Liar, or Lord” Isn’t Quite What C.S. Lewis Wrote

A famous line from Mere Christianity isn’t in the book word for word, but is found within the full context of the chapter. Jesus didn’t leave us the option of calling him merely a “great moral teacher.”

* If a Book Sends You Back to Scripture, It’s a Win

You don’t have to agree with every word of a Christian classic to benefit from it. We wrestled with some of Lewis’s ideas and questioned others. But if a book drives you to open your Bible and study for yourself, that’s a win.

Books We Talked About

* Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis

* The Four Loves — C.S. Lewis

* C. S. Lewis -- A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet — Alister McGrath

* The Problem of Pain — C.S. Lewis

* Peace Child: An Unforgettable Christian Missionary’s Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century — Don Richardson

* A Severe Mercy — Sheldon Vanauken

*If you purchase books through the links above, you help support our ministry.

Scripture We Referenced

* God’s invisible qualities evident through His creation - Romans 1:19-20

* Abiding in Christ — John 15

* Centurion at the cross acknowledges the truth of Jesus’ identity - Mark 15:39

* Closing Scripture - Jeremiah 6:16

The Reading Room (Our New Paid Subscription)

**(currently under construction!)

Wouldn’t you love to visit this library? To sit at the table and talk about how these books have really meant something to you — to find community?

Well now you can! We’ve created the Reading Room just for that purpose—a community of living people (no bots allowed) who love books and love Scripture and want to talk about them both.

In this special space, you’ll get fun downloads, bonus episodes, and best of all, access to a live zoom book club meeting once every season.

Stay tuned for dates coming soon!

Happy Reading!

Christy & Lori

It’s a tale as old as time…a cautionary tale…of how we humans try our best to love…and fail.

I’m not talking about some long lost C. S. Lewis book.

It’s the Bible. Scripture is full of stories of affection, friendship, eros (thanks Song of Solomon), and woven in and out of every story from cover to cover is the sacrificial agape of our Heavenly Father for us.

This week’s episode looks at Lewis’ Four Loves, how we see them in other great books and in Scripture.

Have we left out something you think is important to add to the conversation? Let us know.

6 Key Takeaways

* C.S. Lewis breaks love into four kinds — and one of them might be the one you take most for granted.

* There’s a Shakespeare tragedy hiding inside this episode’s discussion of family love.

* We disagree with Lewis on one big point about romantic love — and we’re not sorry about it.

* The hardest of the four loves to spot in a book? We found it in a 160-year-old classic.

* Yes, we finally answer the “can men and women just be friends” question.

* Also in this episode: In case you haven’t heard, we’re opening the doors to something new for Well Worn Pages members.

Books We Talked About

* The Four Loves — C.S. Lewis (episode’s core text)

* Little Women — Louisa May Alcott

* King Lear — William Shakespeare

* The Hobbit — J.R.R. Tolkien

* Redeeming Love — Francine Rivers

* A Severe Mercy — Sheldon Vanauken

* Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis (future episode)

* A Tale of Two Cities — Charles Dickens

*If you purchase books through the links above, you help support our ministry.

Scripture We Referenced

* David & Jonathan’s friendship — 1 Samuel 23:15-18

* Paul & The Ephesian Church — Acts 20:17-38

* Love one another — 1 John 4:7

* Jesus endured the cross — Philippians 2

* Comfort each other through suffering — 1 Corinthians 1:5

Previous Episodes on Love

The Reading Room (Our New Paid Subscription)

**(currently under construction!)

Wouldn’t you love to visit this library? To sit at the table and talk about how these books have really meant something to you — to find community?

Well now you can! We’ve created the Reading Room just for that purpose. We want to create a community of living people (no bots allowed) who love books and love Scripture and want to talk about them both.

In this special space, you’ll get fun downloads, bonus episodes, and best of all, access to a live zoom book club meeting once every season.

Stay tuned for dates coming soon!

Happy Reading!

Christy & Lori

Why Love Isn’t Safe

A recent string of broken bones in our family has me thinking about protection. With the right gear, we can guard our physical bodies — seat belts, football pads, bike helmets. Knowledge helps too. Knowing how to fall, and what to do when we are hurt matters. And underneath it all is something even more basic: the instinct in every one of us to avoid pain.

But how do we protect our hearts?

The only way to avoid the pain of love and loss aside is to separate ourselves from life altogether. And as much as we want to escape the pain, giving our hearts away is exactly what we’re called to do.

God’s love for us was vulnerable and sacrificial long before it ever asked the same of us.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

— 1 John 4:9

We are called to love with that same selflessness. Love doesn’t guard itself. It gives, and gives, and gives again.

This is the risk C.S. Lewis says agape love demands — and it's the one Christ took first.

Where have you built a wall to keep from being hurt — and what would it look like to tear one brick loose this week?

Which of the four loves has God been growing in you lately?

Leave us a comment — and if this episode gave you something to think about, forward it to a friend who needs it too.

Want more conversations like this plus bonus content and live discussions? Join The Reading Room at wellwornpages.substack.com.

Today’s Book: The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis

6 Key Takeaways

* Eros is a good gift from God when kept within the bounds of marriage; outside those bounds it becomes destructive, like fire outside a fireplace.

* True Eros is more than physical attraction—it progresses from shared friendship into face-to-face admiration of the other person’s beauty and worth.

* Healthy Eros involves both need-love and gift-love: seeing and meeting a spouse’s needs while also giving of oneself.

* Agape is the highest form of love—selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial—perfectly displayed by Christ on the cross (Philippians 2).

* Real love requires risk; protective walls and limited liability prevent us from experiencing or giving true charity.

* Divine love does not erase the natural loves (storge, philia, eros); it transforms and elevates them into modes of charity.

Bible Verse References

* Philippians 2 — Christ’s humility and self-sacrifice as the model for agape love

* 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come.”

Mentioned In This Episode

* The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

* Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis

Previous Episode:

Part One of The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis

The Reading Room (our new paid subscription)

This season on Well Worn Pages Book Club, we’re introducing a new paid subscription option on Substack. We’re calling it The Reading Room.

Each season, you’ll receive:

* two bonus episodes

* a members-only newsletter

* access to a live Zoom gathering to meet other book club members and be part of a live discussion

* plus other fun content

We hope you’ll join us in the reading room.

Enjoying the Well Worn Pages Book Club Podcast? Help us continue producing great content as we read books that point us back to Scripture. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Love.

How many times have you used the word just today?

This morning, I (Christy) told my husband “I love you” before he left for work. Sent heart emojis to my kids. A friend cooked lunch for me, and I told her how much I loved the food. Then one of my favorite songs came on. I found myself saying how much I loved the song.

In all these experiences, I used the same word, but I definitely love my husband more than the amazing lunch I ate. So why the same word for so many different kinds of love? And how can I know which one is real?

The English language has flattened all of that into one overworked word, and I think that’s part of why love can feel so confusing to sort out in real life.

Breaking it down.

C. S. Lewis asked the same question in his book The Four Loves, breaking it down into four distinct kinds — affection, friendship, romantic love, and the self-giving love that only comes from God.

That’s what Lori and I wrestled with in this episode of Well Worn Pages Book Club.

If you enjoyed our conversation on affection and friendship? Join us in the Reading Room for two bonus episodes, member-only content, and a live Zoom discussion with fellow book club members. Subscribe or upgrade at wellwornpages.substack.com.

Today’s Book:

Interesting Links:

* Lewisiana.nl is a great site to help sort out the many literature references in Lewis’ work.

* Project Hail Mary - a great movie that illustrates friendship

6 Key Takeaways

* English has one word for love. Greek has many. Lewis’s whole project starts from the limits of our language — Storge, Philia, Eros, and Agape each describe a different relationship.

* Storge is the instinctual, comfortable love. It’s the “warm comfortableness” of family — able to sit in silence together and be content.

* Even good love can distort. Storge turns toxic when it keeps giving what the other person no longer wants or needs.

* Philia is built on “you see it too.” Friendship forms around a shared vision or goal.

* Friendship isn’t survival-necessary — but it’s what gives survival value. Lewis argues friendship is “unnecessary” like art or philosophy, yet it’s what makes life worth living.

* No love operates in isolation. All the types of love overlap — the same relationship can carry more than one kind of love at once.

Previous Episodes:

Get new episodes sent right to your inbox by becoming a subscriber.

The Reading Room (our new paid subscription)

This season on Well Worn Pages Book Club, we’re introducing a new paid subscription option on Substack. We’re calling it The Reading Room.

Each season, you’ll receive:

* two bonus episodes

* a members-only newsletter

* access to a live Zoom gathering to meet other book club members and be part of a live discussion

* plus other fun content

We hope you’ll join us in the reading room.

Well Worn Pages Book Club is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’ll never forget the day I (Christy) got saved. Sitting in a hard, plastic chair in the fourth-grade room at church, I heard the pastor ask if we knew what sin was. I was ten. Not exactly a hardened criminal. But that day, when he explained sin that separates us from God, everything changed.

For C. S. Lewis, it was a trip to the zoo. What was it for you?

Faith Reshapes Us

After that day, I measured everything against my new faith. I didn’t always get it right (and many days I still don’t). But over the years, the choices I’ve made have been shaped by my faith in Christ.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

That’s what we’ve seen in Lewis this week, too. The moment he chose to follow Christ, nothing stayed the same. His faith changed how he studied, what he wrote, and how he read the books he loved. It influenced his friendships and his conversations. His faith became the lens he kept looking through for the rest of his life. Everything took on new meaning.

That’s the mark of real change: it doesn’t stay contained in a single moment or locked in a memory from long ago. It spreads — into the books we pick up, the friends we keep, the words we choose to write.

If someone looked at your choices this week, would they see a faith that's still reshaping you?

UP NEXT:

The Four Loves

In this work Lewis examines four varieties of love, as approached from the Greek language. Lori and Christy look at the four types and talk about what Scripture has to say about each idea.

Previous Episodes:

Interesting Links:

The Official Website of C. S. Lewis by HarperCollins Publishers

The C. S. Lewis Foundation hosts retreats and webinars on the life and legacy of C. S. Lewis.

Alister McGrath’s Biography: C. S. Lewis — A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet

6 Key Takeaways:

* Lewis and his brother made a life-changing decision on the exact same day — without either one knowing.

* Reading old books can change how you see your own time.

* The Inklings started as a small, unglamorous writers’ group.

* Oxford never gave Lewis the recognition you’d expect.

* One of the most influential faith books of the century started as a radio show.

* Lewis’s marriage left a mark on everything he wrote afterward.

The Reading Room (our new paid subscription)

This season on Well Worn Pages Book Club, we’re introducing a new paid subscription option on Substack. We’re calling it The Reading Room.

Each season, you’ll receive:

* two bonus episodes

* a members-only newsletter

* access to a live Zoom gathering to meet other book club members and be part of a live discussion

* plus other fun content

We hope you’ll join us in the reading room.

we’ve made it to C.S. Lewis

When I (Lori) think of classic Christian books, I think first of C.S. Lewis. And today on the podcast, Christy and I dive into the life of Lewis from childhood through his conversion to Christianity as we discuss his 1955 classic book, Surprised by Joy.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe to Well Worn Pages Book Club for free to receive new posts and support our work.

I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstair indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes, and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also, of endless books.—C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

the love of books

I love books. My grandmother would say I “come by it rightly.” My mother was a school librarian. And my father, unable to be physically active most of his life due to a genetic illness, devoured books in many different genres.

Some of my fondest family memories involve books: Saturday treks into the “big city” to visit the Fort Worth Public Library; helping mom re-shelve books in the library after school; and climbing into my grandmother’s lap as she read and I waited my turn to “read” the next word depicted by a picture.

Even catalogs were books of a different sort. The Sears & Roebuck “Wish Book” wasn’t only for making Christmas lists. Entire families of paper dolls along with elegant outfits and all the accessories my sister and I could dream of came to life out of that catalog.

In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis describes his own childhood surrounded by a vast library of books. Listen to today’s episode (Episode 11) of the Well Worn Pages Book Club podcast to hear how God patiently used not only books, but also obstacles to faith, along with a longing for the elusive joy, to draw this most reluctant convert to faith in Christ.

Share your own “what drew you to God” story in the comments.

season 2 book list

I want be sure you have the book list for Season 2—a season of C.S. Lewis!Click the affiliate links below to get your copies today.

* Surprised by Joy

* The Four Loves

* Mere Christianity

* The Screwtape Letters

All links above are paid affiliate links. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases—at no extra cost to you!

Enjoying the book club? Leave a comment, share this episode with a friend, and subscribe at wellwornpages.substack.com to join the community.

And don’t miss next week’s episode as we continue the life of C.S. Lewis.

episode summary

Season 2, Episode 11: Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis

* Lori and Christy discuss C.S. Lewis’s Surprised by Joy, his account of the books, people, and quiet longings that led him from atheism to faith in Christ

* How Lewis’s childhood — surrounded by books, especially mythology and philosophy — shaped his imagination and became one of the tools God used to draw him to Himself

* The obstacles Lewis had to overcome: intellectual pride, an aversion to authority, and false assumptions about Christianity and Christians

* Lewis’s lifelong pursuit of “joy” — an elusive longing he couldn’t name until he recognized it as a longing for God

* Christy and Lori connect that longing back to God’s Word through Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Romans 1:20

* God’s patience with Lewis, “the most reluctant convert,” and what that reveals about His patience with us

* Personal reflections on the books and family memories that shaped Lori and Christy’s own faith

* Honest critiques of Lewis’s dense, literary style and heavy use of references

* A closer look at the emotions the book stirred up

Featured Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 1:20, Jeremiah 6:16

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to Well Worn Pages Book Club to receive new posts and support our work.

🎉 Yippee! 🎉

We’ve been in the virtual studio (though technically 800 miles apart) for a few weeks recording and preparing for today’s release of Season 2 of Well Worn Pages Podcast—and it’s finally here!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe to Well Worn Pages Book Club for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Lessons learned

In today’s episode (Episode 10), one thing Christy and I (Lori) discuss is all we’ve learned from our first season hosting the podcast—and we learned a lot. So we’re doing a couple of things differently this year based on lessons learned plus the great feedback from you, our wonderful audience. (See, we do listen!)

(1) Add video

This season we’re adding video to the podcast, so if you want to find us on YouTube or check out video podcasts on other platforms, you now can! (Prefer audio only? It’s still there—no changes needed.)

If you can’t tell, we are excited about this because video allows us to connect with you (our audience) in a more authentic way. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

(2) Ditch the script

This season we’re also striving for a more conversational mix, and would love your continued feedback on this. A common comment from Season 1 was that it sounded “scripted.” Well, that’s because it was! 🤦‍♀️

This season, we’re throwing out the script. So be prepared for some rabbit trails! Most of the time they’re worthwhile trails, but sometimes not so much. Thank goodness for the ability to edit! Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments.

How to Read a Book

Another topic we discuss in today’s episode is how we read. Don’t miss this conversation including Christy’s summary of the four reading levels as defined by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren from their classic book: How To Read A Book (paid link). My favorite quote from the entire episode is Christy’s statement regarding the analytical reading level:

I honestly think this [analytical reading] is what every English teacher in America wants their students to do with their books when they read.

~Christy Miller Bell

Although it may not sound profound at first, I’m sure I heard a few hearty “amens” from the English teachers out there!

In case you missed it…

In case you missed last week’s newsletter, I wanted be sure you have the book list for Season 2 (below), which is a season of C.S. Lewis!

Click the affiliate links below to get your copies today!

WWP SEASON 2 BOOK LIST

* Surprised by Joy

* The Four Loves

* Mere Christianity

* The Screwtape Letters

All links above are paid affiliate links. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases—at no extra cost to you!

And don’t miss next week’s episode as we dive into Lewis’ life and Surprised by Joy!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to Well Worn Pages Book Club to receive new posts and support our work.