Tag Archives: Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message
Angels to Guard You Wherever You Go
“It seemed to her that the waves nodded strangely. She took her red shoes, her dearest possession, and threw them both into the river; but they fell close to the shore, and the little wavelets brought them back to the land to her. It seemed as if the river would not take from her the […]
Save It for Those Who Listen
“I am used to better things,” said the Beetle. “Do you call this place pretty? Why there is not even a dung heap.” The beetle, in Hans Christian Andersen’s story by that name, may be an example of what Scripture calls an arrogant cynic (Proverbs 9:7-12, The Message version). Not only did the beetle believe […]
Sing for Joy
-The Nightingale Then the Nightingale sang, and so enchantingly that the tears came into the Emperor’s eyes and ran down over his cheeks. The Nightingale sang a second time, and still more sweetly, and the song went straight to the heart. The Emperor was so well pleased that he said the Nightingale should have his […]
Fairy Tale Lives
Hans Christian Andersen said, “Every person’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” Why do we love fairy tales? Is it the conflict between good and evil, the drama, and endless possibilities? Or is it the happy ending that we so enjoy? God created us with free will and an array of unique talents. We […]
Leaning Toward Good
In fairy tales, there are good guys and bad guys. The roles are usually clear. We know who to cheer and who to fear. Life isn’t typically like this. The lines blur between good and evil. Good people make mistakes. They fail. Sometimes they do bad things. And bad people surprise us and do good […]
Fairy Tales and Miracles
Fairy tales are the stuff dreams are made of, and dreams do come true. So do miracles. The weak become strong, the small are the giants, and the ugly and down-trodden rise to the top. We see this in fairy tales such as with the Ugly Duckling that grows into a beautiful swan, tiny Thumbelina […]
The Good Guys Win
Fairy tales are filled with conflict. In most, a struggle ensues between good and evil, and good wins out in the end. We see this theme throughout Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. The innocent child reveals the naked truth about the arrogant emperor in The Emperor’s New Clothes. The spell of the evil goblin on little Kay in the Snow Queen […]
Appreciate the Little Things
“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.” Hans Christian Andersen
Let Go. Let God
“Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally–not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead.” This passage from 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 is paired with one from the story, Fortune’s Overshoes in the book, Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated […]
Pray Away Your Fear
“There she saw, seated in a circle on one of the largest tombstones, a group of hideous ghouls–horrid witches. They were taking off their rags as if about to bathe, but then they buried their long, gaunt fingers in the new graves, snatched the bodies out of them, and began to eat their flesh. Elisa […]
Mary K. Doyle 
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