tolkienian christianity

So, as a groomsman in my friend Ken's wedding, I was given a gift of a couple books. To me this was a great thing, seeing as I seem to be following in the footsteps of my friend Paul in devouring books lately. One of the books I received was The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth by Ralph C. Woods. While almost none of the storyline for Lord of the Rings lines up perfectly with Christianity, many facets exist within its pages that scream the Christian life. In all honesty, one only needs to look deeper at the dynamics of the Fellowship to see some of the most vibrant examples of true Christian life. While I would recommend it to anyone who likes Lord of the Rings, I would caution that if you've only seen the movies then you will be quite lost while reading this book since it deals with the actual Tolkien books (Lord of the Rings trilogy and other related works, i.e. Silmarillion, History of Middle-Earth, etc.). I could go on in my overview and semi-review of the book, but to be honest I am not quite finished and I'd rather not get much further into the contents since I didn't write the book... but I will leave this for a vague, open-ended summary:

Doesn't a friendship so deep that they would risk their lives for each other, not just for the benefit of the greater good that must be accomplished but also for their deep respect and love for one another, sound like quite the model of a kingdom attitude?

quick and uninspired for today

One would think that after a weekend encompassing Star Wars and a birthday that I would be brimming with things to say. However, that is decidedly not the case, at least for the moment anyway.

Took in Episode 3 on Saturday with some friends, and I must say that it was everything I hoped it would be. I would add my additional plug that says - see it in a digital theater, none of this traditional film foolery. The extremely crisp images and full digital THX surround sound (the kind that shakes the theater during explosions and whatnot) makes the experience complete. I will go see the movie again, and while I had thought perhaps I would go to a regular theater the second time around, I might forgo that and head for the digital again so as not to ruin my perceptions. I will now await the release of Episode 3 on DVD so that I can watch it over and over, and have my own Star Wars marathons spanning all 6 movies.

As for the birthday, another year, a little older. I try not to let it phase me, since though I see myself edging ever closer to 30 and feeling the effects of my youth dwindling, those who are in their 30's edging closer to 40 see me as young. Age and aging is a relative thing, you are always too old or too young, "from a certain point of view."

I suppose the gloomy weather that we've been having could be part of my lack of vibrant, inspired thought. Closing in on the end of May and having only hit the 70's for a short stretch back in April is kind of a depressing thought. Not to mention the constant bombardment of rain, hopefully June will turn out to be a sunnier, warmer month. While I do consider myself a bit of a cold weather person, I do enjoy a beautiful, warm, sunny day - it's usually those oppressively hot, humid days that get to me. Well, back to the daily grind, maybe something will happen to brighten my day a bit.

jesus christ, bringing balance to the force

Being in the throws of Star Wars fandom heaven... here's a neat, thought-provoking article from Andrew Jones.

Anakin as Christ-figure
Enjoy!

And tomorrow I am finally going to see Episode III, I have been waiting not-so-patiently. Going for the full experience, a few friends, a fully digital theater... it will be awesome!

when you get it, you get it

Sounds like people out at the Pepperdine Lectures are getting some really useful information. This is a really great reflection/overview of one of the sessions lead by Jack Reese.

why some of our children are leaving

Check it out...

valuable question relayed and revisited

Recently a few questions were relayed to me that come from someone re-evaluating their faith and searching for better answers. One of the questions that struck me as something we don't often think about, but I know I have asked myself in the past, was - how do you know that God is listening when you pray? I remember asking myself this very question, and honestly until now I don't know that ever found an answer. Being that prayer, in my mind, is such a personal thing it is a really tough question to answer. It's not like email, there is no "mailer-daemon: email not accepted for delivery" telling you that God isn't listening, and you can't request an electronic receipt to let you know it got there okay. I really had to stop and think for a moment before I could really come up with some spiritual answers that didn't come out sounding trivial.

First off, I truly believe that prayer is a matter of trust, love, and faith. You trust that Jesus wouldn't tell us that we should pray if God wasn't always listening. By personally communicating to Him your worries, joys, struggles, and good news you show your love for God. As for your prayers, you have faith that God is listening, smiling when you share your joys, and tending to your needs and concerns. But as it has been said by many people, we have to trust in the wisdom of God to answer our prayers as He sees fit, not necessarily as we might wish.

On a less abstract note however, I do feel there is a way we can know that God is listening. I know I am not alone in feeling that taking my burdens in prayer to God, my load feels a little lighter. There is a calming, soothing, inner peace that comes from always bringing God into that inner place of your heart where you carry the best and worst of things. Sharing these kinds of things with friends can ease your mind, since you can at least talk about what is going on in your life. But to truly feel at peace in your heart and confident in your journey, I find that confiding in God both the good and bad is the only way to go. Although, there are times when that inner peace isn't immediate, probably more often than not. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, and with time you can often look back on key events in your life and see God at work - which I guess prayer also requires patience now that I think about it.

As for the person who asked the question, I only hope and pray that God will help them find the answers they are looking for, whether they ask for my help or not.... but I will be there to bounce thoughts off regardless.