How Spy x Family Helps My Marriage

By Jason Koop

Let’s get this out of the way, I grew up in a western Evangelical culture.  As such, I was exposed to a lot of the common tropes in the 90s and 00s.  And with the goggles of retrospection on, I can only now start to recognize the waters I was swimming in.

One thing that was abundantly clear:  Fantasy was not for “good, Christian adults”!  It was only something for kids/teens to grow out of once they got older and “more mature”.  A placeholder, not something to hold onto into adulthood – unless you were using it to teach something to children or young teens.

Fantasy… For Grown-Up Christians?

Why, the very idea that any credible adult could have any positive, growing experience from reading stories about a blue hedgehog that runs at super-sonic speeds, spandex and caped crusaders fighting outsized villainy, or a hero with an ancient sword who smashes pottery to find gems?

Preposterous!  Utterly ridiculous!  Up surd!  No, no, no, NO!!!  Real, mature Christian adults can only be instructed with self-help adjacent, study type books.  Everyone knows that!

Well… okay, but why?  Do we lose something as we get older and need everything spelled out for us in order for it to sink in?  And why is it that a freakish number of these “lessons” imparted through many of these “study group” books are ever so quickly forgotten and never fondly remembered?

This year, Karlissa and I are celebrating our tenth anniversary.  And I’m sure it would come as no great surprise to anyone to find out that we have clashed; and still do.  As someone who grew up in Western Evangelical culture – but never really knew the waters I was swimming in – I am surprised at how easily I came up with the expected steps when our relationship struggles.

·         Talk to a pastor/church elder

·         Read a Christian marriage book

·         Listen to Christian marriage “experts” – podcasts, YouTube videos, TikTok, FaceBook, etc.

None of these are particularly appealing to me for a variety of reasons.  Being an introvert. Finding most “Christian” marriage advice to be pretty shallow and mostly a band-aid solution.

But then, I came across something that not only grabbed my attention, but has begun to transform how I see not only my marriage, but my whole family.  Spy x Family.

Not Your Average Spy Story

Written and drawn by Tatsuya Endo, this ongoing manga debuted in 2019.  And, despite Endo having been in the manga game since the year 2000, this was his first work to be published in English.  The premise is as follows…

In a Cold War-esque setting, a spy – code named “Twilight” – is tasked with getting close to reclusive politician Donovan Desmond to hopefully prevent a nuclear war between rival nations Westalis and Ostania.  However, the only way to do so is through his son Damian, and the best way to do so is through the private school that Damian attends.

Therefore, Twilight is tasked with creating his own “family”.  In turn he adopts little girl Anya and marries Yor to be his daughter and wife, respectively.  However, he keeps them all in the dark that he is a spy on a mission. 

Unbeknownst to him, though, both Anya and Yor are keeping secrets from him as well.  Anya is a telepath, and Yor is an assassin.  And thus, all three are trying to play the part of a happy family while keeping significant secrets from each other.

Okay, I know this sounds completely ridiculous.  But really, I think it is all a front for addressing real family life and struggles.

Twilight (going by Loid Forger), is very much a dad.  Equal parts composed, family leader, overworked and worrying that he isn’t doing well as a husband or father – thus compromising his cover – and I find him so relatable.  He works hard, tries to make Anya study to do well in school, and constantly tries to affirm and encourage Yor as a wife, mother and person.

Yor is equal parts deadly competent and completely clueless.  On one hand, her strength, love and resolve enabled her to raise her brother (Yuri) when they were children and has made her into a pillar of comfort and safety to Anya.  On the other hand, her complete lack of cooking skills and social competence often leaves her on the wrong side of cultural expectations.

Anya is childishly naïve, yet somehow more in touch with things than either of her parents.  Because of her telepathy, she not only knows both of their secrets, but picks up on struggles that both try to keep hidden from her.  And yet, she is constantly afraid that if everyone knew each others’ secrets, it would destroy this family and the stability that she desperately needs.

And the story plays this out so superbly.  Amid all the espionage, assassinations, and classroom drama is a family that is trying to find out how to function as a unit, despite their differences and secrets they can’t/won’t tell each other.

Lessons Learned

Now, how has this helped me in my marriage and family life?  This all seems a little too outlandish, you might say, to be even remotely helpful.  However, in this story I have been shown things that stick with me much more than simply being told “do this/do that”.  Lessons like:

·         What sticks with the child is family experiences much more than nice toys/presents

·         While adults aren’t culturally allowed to ask for affirmation, they still need it

·         While we are individuals, we are at our best when we sacrifice for others

·         Miscommunication happens, but it needs to be worked through

·         Raising a healthy child is much more involved than simply checking of a list of needs

And these are all told through entertaining and wildly unrealistic stories that ensure that the lessons will likely linger with me that much longer.

Maybe all of this means that I am not a proper, mature, Christian adult.  But I would like to think that stories like Spy x Family that can teach us something, perhaps in an unexpected way, that will then stay with us much longer than a lecture or spiritualized self-help book.

Fantasy Review: Rewriting Adam by Connie Mae Inglis

Review by Karlissa J

What distance would you travel to finally find a sense of home?

Rewriting Adam by Connie Mae Inglis is the story of a man named Ethan, and how his recent divorce sends him on a quest of soul-searching in Thailand. He doesn’t know how to begin or what to do with himself, but a providential encounter with Janus, and archaeologist, puts him on a path towards facing a ghost, rethinking his past, and setting foot in an alternate, Edenic realm.

From my first read, I was enamoured by the vivid depictions of Thailand and Myanmar. Before the Eden-realm comes into play, we follow Ethan – a Canadian – as he experiences these countries and their cultural differences. When Eden does come into the story, it holds surprises of its own. And there are layers to this novel that stand out the more I’ve read it.

Rewriting Adam generally does a good job of balancing elements of drama, horror, and enchantment. What I would say upon my third reading is that the drama can, in moments, feel overplayed; and the horror aspects could have been more intense and introduced earlier in the novel, considering the important role they play in Ethan’s journey. However, that may be more of my personal preference.

If you expect a fantasy novel to instantly throw you into another world and upon a hero’s quest, the fantastical elements will seem to be introduced too late in the novel. But if you are a lover of sci-fi and fantasy who enjoys stories with more unorthodox pacing, this is a narratively unique and spiritually thoughtful journey worth taking.

Nerding Out on C.S. Lewis

By Karlissa J

Clive Staples Lewis: many Christians have read at least a few of his books, we quote him without hesitation, and we value his writings for leading so many skeptics to accept Christianity. But how much do you actually know about “Jack,” as he preferred to be called?

In researching for To Narnia and Beyond, I discovered so much I hadn’t known or even expected. I collected books, read much, and then strived to select highlights for the Lewis chapters in To Narnia and Beyond.

But maybe you want more! Maybe you’re thinking: “I’m a nerd too, and I want to understand C.S. Lewis better!” If that’s the case, this blog post is for you: here are four books I recommend for nerdy readers wanting to learn more about Lewis!

Book One: GEORGE MACDONALD by C.S. Lewis

Let’s start with a book that Lewis wrote himself! In these 365 quotes from George MacDonald selected by C. S. Lewis, it becomes clearer how MacDonald influenced Lewis' spiritual beliefs. For me, it accomplished Lewis' stated goal: "to spread his [MacDonald's] religious teaching".

MacDonald's teachings in this book focus on subjects like nature, possessions, our relationship with Christ, and obedience to God.

I found it worth having a physical copy to write notes in: there are many insightful reflections worth recalling and meditating on.

Book Two: IMAGES OF SALVATION IN THE FICTION OF C.S. LEWIS by Clyde S. Kilby

A short, helpful aid to contemplating Lewis' fiction. Contains a brief overview of each of Lewis' novels (handy, since I have not read The Pilgrim's Regress and have no intention to), followed by several spiritual themes that can be drawn from the novel's story and characters.

Book Three: THE MEDIEVAL MIND OF C.S. LEWIS by Jason M. Baxter

Baxter invites us into some of C. S. Lewis' philosophies and creative choices by revealing the inspiration behind them: quotes and ideas from Lewis' favourite medieval books are paired with instances when Lewis modeled his writing after them. I felt drawn in to the 'magic' of these classics, as Baxter's writing style is very contemplative and welcoming.

Book Four: PLANET NARNIA by Michael Ward

Ward explores how ancient and Medieval astrology - particularly the concept of seven planetary personalities - shows up repeatedly throughout Lewis' writing. The core thesis is built around the Chronicles of Narnia, but there is plenty here diving into the Space Trilogy and Lewis' academic works and poetry as well.

Planet Narnia is at times quite technical, and one-quarter of the book is notes, bibliography, and indexes. This is the volume for nitty-gritty details, while Jason M. Baxter's The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis provides a more easy-reading introduction to the general topic of Medieval thinking and Medieval astrology/astronomy in Lewis' writing.

Is Art Subjective?

By Jason Koop

“Art is subjective”. 

That’s a line most of us have heard, in one form or another, in our lifetime.  Put that line into a Google search, and you will get many people’s (and AI’s) take on it. 

My thoughts on that line have run the gamut from “What does that even mean?” to “That’s your excuse for defending something that is just bad” to me using it to defend my own preferences.

For the sake of this post, I’m not coming at the line “art is subjective” from the perspective that there is no “good” or “bad” art, because “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. And I’m not saying I can convince you that some piece of art is “good” or “bad” because of how it grades on a specific formula.  I’m going to approach the line “Art is subjective” from the mindset that a piece of art can mean different things to different people at different times.

Basically, to appropriate Shrek’s greatest line:  Art is like onions.

What brought this on is two videos I saw on YouTube that discussed two franchises/series I have some definite thoughts about.  The first was The Dark Underlying Theme of IDW Sonic by Sonic Theory, and the other was The Chronicles of Narnia: The Black Sheep of 2000’s Fantasy by The Thrifty Typewriter.

In The Dark Underlying Theme of IDW Sonic, Sonic Theory argues that a major theme in the IDW Sonic comic books is free will. And I must say, having read the comics I didn’t make that connection, but then again, you’re talking about the guy who didn’t know Hamlet was contemplating suicide when he says “to be or not to be”, so… there’s that.  Sonic Theory has a point.  The theme of free will isn’t slammed in the audience’s face in a way that you cannot miss it, but now having had it pointed out, I can’t stop seeing it.  I honestly want to do a deep dive on that theme using all the characters (yes, I’m a Sonic nerd, where have you been?).

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Black Sheep of 2000’s Fantasy looks at the three theatrical movies that came out in 2005, 2008 and 2010 (The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and how they fit into the fantasy saturation that really kicked off in the 2000s.  Comparing the films to the contemporaries of their time gives the review an interesting angle.  While I don’t really agree with The Thrifty Typewriter’s takes, frankly it has more to do with the fact that I have at least a basic grasp of the spiritual tones of the stories and he doesn’t.  His perspective is drawn from taking into account the media landscape the movies were being released into.

These two seemingly unrelated things do in fact share a common thread I’d like to tug on.  They showcase how an underrated determiner of what the audience’s takeaway(s) of a story/character is the individual’s perspective.  My main takeaways from the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW comics are the themes of friendship and teamwork.  I tend to see The Chronicles of Narnia movies by comparing them to the books and the Christian themes that C.S. Lewis tried to get across. But these YouTube reviewers saw different things, probably based on their own perspectives and life experiences.

“Art is subjective”.  I used to balk at the very idea of it.  If you had a differing take on a book/movie/video game, well then you were just wrong.  And if you were to imply that there were multiple different themes that could be taken from said media, depending on how you approached it, well that was just plain silly.  The themes are the themes, and they are plainly universal, regardless of your perspective.

But now… I wonder if the themes one takes away from a piece of art are indeed subjective, because of our human flaws and brokenness.  Perhaps we are incapable of perfectly getting across themes and stories, which then leaves cracks where the audience can fill in with their own personal life experience and theology.

And by God’s grace, He makes it so that imperfect stories told by imperfect humans can have a richness of meaning.  Maybe even beyond what the creator intended.

Sleep in Peace (story and preview)

By Karlissa J

Davy Jones started awake. A chilly, palpable darkness surrounded the merchild, his belly resting against soft mud.

He wasn’t afraid of the dark or the cold. He breathed through it. He lived in it. And yet something had unsettled him. “Uncle Jor’mun Gand?” Davy Jones whispered.

Silence.

“Uncle?”

“I heard you,” His uncle’s smooth voice floated from the darkness. “I told you not to wake me. What do you want?”

“Can… can I um… can I come sleep beside you?”

A pause. “Fine.”

Davy Jones swam up and over. He felt the rock that his uncle slept upon, then nosed his way to his uncle’s chest, curling beneath the larger merman’s arms. The child stretched out his own eel-like body. “Uncle?”

“Yes?”

“Um… I saw a glowing fish in the house.”

“A small one?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then don’t worry about it,” Jor’Mun Gand said absently. “All the food is stored away. And glowing fish are rarely scavengers anyways.”

The room fell back into quiet. Davy Jones could feel his uncle’s pulse. The merchild curled into a ball. “Uncle, I… I had a nightmare. I didn’t see anything, but I smelled something scary following me.”

His uncle shifted. “Tell me: what do you smell right now?”

Davy Jones’ little nose searched the water. His voice lifted cheerily, “I smell you.”

The two spent a moment tasting and smelling the chemical mixture of the water: the salt of the sea, the particles stirred by the current outside. Jor’mun Gand held his hand over Davy Jones’ heart, feeling the child’s rushing pulse.

He pulled his nephew closer. “Focus on the comforting smells. On me. On what’s really here. There are no monsters, no scary smells. Just us.”

Davy Jones took another couple sniffs to confirm his uncle’s words. Then, he set his head against the rock. The spiny dorsal fin trailing from his head to his back folded down.

No monsters, Davy Jones thought contentedly, curling his long claws into the rock beneath his hands and uncoiling his slimy, serpentine body. He yawned, exposing rows of mini daggers for teeth. No monsters – just us.

This short story is also the first chapter in Davy Jones’ Aquarium! Click here to find the book on Kobo or take a look at Karlissa J’s novels!

Four Approaches to Writing Christian Fantasy

By Karlissa J

“If a writer’s aim be logical conviction, he must spare no logical pains… where his object is to move by suggestion, to cause to imagine… If there be music in my reader, I would gladly wake it.” George MacDonald, “The Fantastic Imagination”

Many people debate over whether The Lord of the Rings should be called a “Christian” book series. Tolkien himself once said his books were religious, but different people have different standards for applying the label “Christian” to a work of art; and The Lord of the Rings is subtle in its use of spiritual themes.

For some readers, the subtlety leaves them more open to learning from the books, and the lessons go deeper. Other readers, however, walk away unsure whether they learned anything, and completely unaware of Tolkien’s Christian faith.

Contrast that with the style of George MacDonald. MacDonald was a preacher, and when he told stories he didn’t stop preaching. His fantasy books and fairytales were also deeply symbolic, so in addition to surface-level teachings there are layers to discover upon rereading.

For some (like Lewis) this makes MacDonald’s fantasies rich, exciting, and memorable. Tolkien, however, came to resent them as being too preachy; and some modern readers will find MacDonald’s florid narrative style and layered symbolism hard to make sense of.

L'Engle’s Time Quartet books are an odd mix of openly Christian and bizarrely unconventional. Some readers are deeply moved and drawn to Jesus by these stories, while other readers come away critiquing her beliefs as unorthodox.

And then there’s Lewis. His Cosmic Trilogy alone is all over the place, from only subtly Christian (Out of the Silent Planet) to deeply theological (Perelandra) to focused on critiquing a particular philosophy (That Hideous Strength). His preachiness varies accordingly.

Which is better: to openly declare a Christian message? To subtly explore a Christian worldview in a tale of good versus evil? To fill a story with much teaching and instruction?

I believe all have their place, because there are a myriad of readers in different stages of their walk with God, coming from a variety of backgrounds, ages, reading skills, and learning styles.

In response to a question about how to include Christian messages in a fantasy book, current fantasy author Wayne Thomas Batson had this to say:

“Your allegory will always be too obvious for some and not enough for others. The big thing is, always respect the story itself. If the message within the allegory is precious and valuable, but the story built around it is superficial, it will fail. Tell a fantastic and meaningful story; respect the genre and the reader, and any allegory within will be that much more powerful.” {See Note}

Each of these four classic authors – George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L’Engle – had a different way of telling a fantasy story. I encourage you to try reading a book from all of them! Find out which author or authors you enjoy most and learn from best.

NOTE: quote from GoodReads author page for Wayne Thomas Batson: https://www.goodreads.com/author/33508.Wayne_Thomas_Batson/questions (accessed August 27, 2024)

The Sheep and the Briars (a parable)

By Karlissa J

(This story was first published in the FellowScript InScribe Magazine, February 2025 issue)

Sheep may not be as stupid as we claim; yet there are things the Shepherd understands that sheep need help to figure out.

The Shepherd was instructing Well-Spoken Ram one day, telling him how he could help the other sheep.

Pointing to a row of briar bushes growing across the length of the pasture, the Shepherd explained: “Well-Spoken Ram, it is important that the sheep do not eat from these bushes. For just beyond them lies a pack of wolves, waiting for sheep to get too close. But the wolves will not pass to this side of the bushes.”

Peering between two briar bushes, Well-Spoken Ram glimpsed a dark figure, and a pair of sharp golden eyes locked onto his gaze. Well-Spoken Ram backed behind the Shepherd, trembling. “Are you sure they will not pass?”

Stroking him gently, the Shepherd repeated: “The wolves will not pass to this side of the bushes. But you must tell the other sheep not to eat from these briars.”

The ram did not know why the wolves would not cross the bushes. But he trusted his Shepherd’s word. “I can do that,” he agreed.

Well-Spoken Ram carried himself boldly, feeling very happy to be chosen by the Shepherd for this important job. He walked around the other sheep as they grazed throughout the pasture, and he bleated: “The Shepherd said with his own mouth: do not eat from the briar bushes! If you do, you will be devoured by wolves!”

Many sheep took this sage advice to heart, and steered clear of the briar bushes and the wolves beyond.

Among the meandering sheep was Loyal Lamb. Nibbling casually, mind absorbed in finding the softest patches of grass, Loyal Lamb tasted something strange on her tongue, something prickly but with juicy leaves.

“What is this?” She pulled back to examine a stick that had been lying within the grass. The lamb had never seen this type of stick.

But she recalled the warning of Well-Spoken Ram: never to eat from the briar bushes. With a shudder, she realized that the thorny branch in front of her might be from a briar bush!

“Oh no! Have I disobeyed the Shepherd, eating from a briar?” But she hadn’t been trying to; the branch had appeared in her path. Questions raced through her mind.

“Is it a briar branch, or something else? Does the Shepherd care if I eat from a branch, if I don’t eat from the bush itself? If it is a bad briar branch, will He forgive me for touching what I meant not to touch? Oh dear! I better go to Well-Spoken Ram for more answers!”

Well-Spoken Ram, meanwhile, had come to feel very proud of his position in directing the flock. Thus far, only the sheep that despised the Shepherd ignored his words, jeering at him as they tested out the briar bushes for themselves.

“Whatever befalls you,” he declared, “is on your own hooves!”

Then up came Loyal Lamb.

“Excuse me,” she bleated to Well-Spoken Ram. “I know I was told not to eat the briar, but I nibbled a branch in the grass, and it might have been a briar branch. Did I disobey the Shepherd’s words? What should I do?”

“You nibbled from a briar bush?!” Well-Spoken Ram snorted angrily. “Then of course you disobeyed the Shepherd! Oh, Loyal Lamb, are you one of the scoffers too? Do you not remember what the Shepherd said: if you eat of the briar the wolves will devour you?”

Loyal Lamb quaked. “I do not want to be devoured by wolves. I want to obey my Shepherd. But I’m afraid I may have eaten some briar – I do not know. Can you help me –”

At that the ram cried, “How dare you try to defend your actions?! Traitor! You do not obey the Shepherd!”

The sheep around heard his cry, and gathered towards Loyal Lamb, whispering, “A briar-eater? A briar-eater?”

Loyal Lamb trembled, and spoke haltingly, trying to explain; but her words were drowned as Well-Spoken Ram yelled loudly and clearly and persuasively: “The Shepherd said it, and we must obey! The lamb who ate from the briar bushes is doomed to face the wolves! Come, sheep: give the traitor over to her fate!”

And Well-Spoken Ram lowered his horns, charged at Loyal Lamb, and shoved her towards the briar row. The other sheep looked on, nodding and approving. “He is right about the Shepherd’s words.” “That lamb has clearly disobeyed the Shepherd.”

Beyond the briar bushes, the wolves awaited, eyes eager as the lamb was shoved, trembling and screaming, into their jaws.

“For all the law is fulfilled by this single piece of instruction: ‘You should love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you are biting and devouring one another, watch out! You might end up consumed by each other!”

Galatians 5:14-15 (author’s paraphrase)