From Across the Ancient Waters (56 page)

Native Californian Michael Phillips is one of the most versatile, prolific, and beloved Christian novelists of our time. To those unfamiliar with his work, the question, “What kind of books does Michael Phillips write?” has no easy answer.

He began his writing career in 1977 with nonfiction. Since that time he has authored more than twenty nonfiction books, most notably dealing with the nature and character of God and the fatherhood of God.

After turning to the writing of novels in the mid-1980s, Phillips has penned some sixty fiction titles of great variety. His works are read and loved by pastors, priests, and the laity, by prison inmates and college presidents, by men and women, young and old, elementary school children and graduate students alike. The enormous breadth of his faithful audience is testimony that his writings are universal in their appeal. He has likely written
something
to suit nearly every literary taste. Most of his series have been bestsellers in the Christian market. If you have not discovered his writings, you have years of enjoyment ahead of you!

Michael Phillips is also a coauthor. Nearly all his fourteen books in collaboration with friend Judith Pella have also been bestsellers.

Phillips’s name is often linked to that of his spiritual and literary mentor, Victorian Scotsman George MacDonald. For those unfamiliar with the name, the books of George MacDonald were instrumental in leading C. S. Lewis out of atheism into Christianity. Lewis emphasized that George MacDonald was the most significant impetus in his own spiritual pilgrimage. MacDonald’s writings can thus be seen as the spiritual soil out of which the faith of C. S. Lewis emerged. MacDonald’s novels, fantasies, and fairy tales provided the imaginative foundation for Lewis’s later writings, including the
Chronicles of Narnia
.

In spite of C. S. Lewis’s frequent mention of his influence, Mac-Donald’s name in the late twentieth century drifted into obscurity and his books became unavailable.

Fortunately, in the 1970s Michael Phillips, like C. S. Lewis before him, discovered the writings of MacDonald. A new generation of readers soon grew thankful for that discovery! For Phillips made it his life’s work and passion to bring to public attention the literary and spiritual links between MacDonald and Lewis. To do so, Phillips set about preparing and releasing updated and edited editions of MacDonald’s works. Phillips is most widely known as George MacDonald’s redactor, publisher, and biographer, and the man whose vision and editorial expertise brought MacDonald back from obscurity when his name was nearly forgotten.

Phillips’s efforts ignited the MacDonald renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s, an awakening that continues to this day. In addition to his redacted MacDonald titles, Phillips’s publishing efforts in producing full-length facsimile editions spawned renewed interest in MacDonald’s original work. Phillips is recognized, not only as the man responsible for the widespread renewal of MacDonald’s influence, but as the world’s foremost purveyor of MacDonald’s message, with particular insight into MacDonald’s heart and spiritual vision.

Michael Phillips and his wife, Judy, his lifelong partner in all aspects of his writing, bookselling, and publishing, divide their time between homes in California and Scotland, where they are working to heighten awareness of Scotland’s own George MacDonald.

Both Phillipses love to hear from their readers. Though they receive mail from all over the world, they read and try to respond to every letter. You may learn more about Michael Phillips and his writings, as well as how to contact him and Judy and obtain their books, from the website:
FatherOfTheInklings.com
. You can also write to them at: P.O. Box 7003, Eureka, CA 95502.

Find an era and a Michael Phillips series that is to your taste! Most titles are available through local bookstores, from Christian Books, Amazon, or AbeBooks, or from
FatherOfTheInklings.com
. And these aren’t all! For more titles by Michael Phillips, including his thought-provoking nonfiction writings on the nature of God, his Bible expositions, his acclaimed
Introductions to the Books of the Bible
, as well as available George MacDonald titles, go to
FatherOfTheInklings.com
.

19th-C
ENTURY
S
COTLAND
, with Judith Pella

The Stonewycke Trilogy (1985–1986):

The Heather Hills of Stonewycke

Flight from Stonewycke

The Lady of Stonewycke

The Stonewycke Legacy (1987–1988):

A Stranger at Stonewycke

Shadows over Stonewycke

Treasure of Stonewycke

The Highland Collection (1987):

Jamie MacLeod, Highland Lass

Robbie Taggart, Highland Sailor

C
ALIFORNIA
G
OLD
R
USH

The Journals of Corrie Belle Hollister (1990–1997):

My Father’s World
, with Judith Pella

Daughter of Grace
, with Judith Pella

On the Trail of the Truth

A Place in the Sun

Sea to Shining Sea

Into the Long Dark Night

Land of the Brave and the Free

Grayfox

A Home for the Heart

The Braxtons of Miracle Springs

A New Beginning

19th-C
ENTURY
R
USSIA
, with Judith Pella

The Russians (1991–1992):

The Crown and the Crucible

A House Divided

Travail and Triumph

W
ORLD
W
AR
II & C
OLD
W
AR
G
ERMANY

The Secret of the Rose (1993–1995):

The Eleventh Hour

A Rose Remembered

Escape to Freedom

Dawn of Liberty

W
ESTERN
A
MERICAN
P
RAIRIE

Mercy and Eagleflight (1996–1997):

Mercy and Eagleflight

A Dangerous Love

S
PIRITUAL
F
ANTASY (1998)

The Garden at the Edge of Beyond

C
ONTEMPORARY
T
HRILLER

The Livingstone Chronicles (1997–2000):

Rift in Time

Hidden in Time

W
ORLD
W
AR
I E
NGLAND

The Secrets of Heathersleigh Hall (1998–2000):

Wild Grows the Heather in Devon

Wayward Winds

Heathersleigh Homecoming

A New Dawn over Devon

A
NCIENT
E
PIC
S
COTLAND

Caledonia (1999–2000):

Legend of the Celtic Stone

An Ancient Strife

C
ONTEMPORARY
D
RAMA

The Destiny Chronicles (2002):

Destiny Junction

King’s Crossroads

A
MERICAN
C
IVIL
W
AR

Shenandoah Sisters (2002–2004):

Angels Watching over Me

A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton

The Color of Your Skin Ain’t the Color of Your Heart

Together Is All We Need

Carolina Cousins (2005–2007):

A Perilous Proposal

A Soldier’s Lady

Never Too Late

Miss Katie’s Rosewood

American Dreams (2005–2008):

Dream of Freedom

Dream of Life

Dream of Love

S
COTTISH
D
RAMA (2011)

Angel Harp

Heather Song

19th-C
ENTURY
W
ALES

The Green Hills of Snowdonia (2012):

From Across the Ancient Waters

The Treasure of the Celtic Triangle

1. In
   chapter 7
   , in discussing the village of Llanfyniog, it was said that its religion “tended to see God as an Almighty magician and shaman, rather than as the loving Creator-Father of humankind.” What did you think of this description of a Christianity which mingled remnants of paganism with the Christian Gospel? Have you encountered hints of the same thing in any of the churches you have been part of?
   

2. Nearly all of us have experienced family stresses not unlike what occurs in
   chapter 9
   between Percy and his parents. Share a similar experience from your life—either as a parent or as a teen. How was it handled, and what was the end result? Many relational conflicts in families never do get satisfactorily resolved. What ongoing stresses are you attempting to come to terms with in your family?
   

3. Tell about an experience when you were aware of nature first “speaking” to you in new ways.
   

4. By
   chapter 25
   , nature has begun to get more deeply into Percy’s soul than he ever anticipated. God speaks to every human heart by unique means. Nature is one of those ways. What are others? What have been your experiences in detecting God’s voice and presence in new ways, whether through nature or other manifestations of His Being? What have been those “unique means” in your life?
   

5. What is your response to the spiritual inclinations of Kyvwlch Gwarthegydd and Hollin Radnor in
   chapter 28
   ?
   

6. Respond to Vicar Edward Drummond’s sermon on prodigality and reconciliation in
   chapters 29
   –
   33
   , both literarily and spiritually. Do you like this kind of thought-provoking spiritual content in a novel? Were you challenged to make right any relationships in your own life? Have you wondered, with Edward and Mary, about the role of the prodigal’s parents in the parable, what they were doing and thinking while their son was away? Have you been in such a position yourself?
   

7. What arrows of prayer were you challenged to send to God for your own loved ones after reading
   chapter 33
   ?
   

8. Why is it, do you suppose, that young people in our day are not counseled, instructed, exhorted, and challenged to make their relationships with their parents right according to the pattern of
   chapter 50
   , and instead think it is enough to drift lazily back into speaking terms but little more? Why is today’s church so lethargic about urging true repentance and homegoing? Why do today’s counselors, even Christian counselors, invariably blame the parents for most problems, and do not confront young people with the scriptural imperative simply to humble themselves and repent?
   

9. Read between the lines of
   chapter 68
   and interpret what you think is going on in Percy’s thoughts.
   

10. As Percy describes the inner workings of his relationship with his father to Florilyn in
    chapter 69
    , what are your reactions? Many might read this and think That is pretty idealistic … or That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard … or That sounds wonderful. What do you think?
    

11. Has Percy made a sound decision (
    chapters 74
    –
    76
    )? He is facing an extremely difficult and delicate set of circumstances. When you were in similar situations, how did you arrive at clarity? Whom did you seek for counsel? If Percy had asked for your counsel in his predicament, what would have been your response?
    

12. What would you have said to Roderick Westbrooke in
    chapter 81
    that Percy did not say?