Don't Mess with Colbert's Tolkien Knowledge

Before Viewing "The Hobbit"...

David Mathis:

At long last, Bilbo Baggins is back. Whether you’re fanatic enough to dress up for the midnight showing, or patiently awaiting a weekend outing, or even content to meander into a theater after the crowds die down, here’s some advice for how to make the most of your experience of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Read the rest.

Tolkien and C.S. Lewis fans may still want to get this eBook before it goes up in price.

Real Providence, Real Hope

We are almost finished reading The Hobbit to our kids for the first time. Can't wait to dive into the Lord of the Rings next! I appreciated this post from Dane Ortlund.

Dane Ortlund:

My favorite two passages in one of my favorite books, The Hobbit.

The first is as Bilbo Baggins goes down the tunnel in the Lonely Mountain, approaching the dragon Smaug.

It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait. (p. 193)

The second is at the end of the story, when Balin and Gandalf come and visit Bilbo. Bilbo remarks that the prophecies appear to be coming true.

“Of course!” said Gandalf. “And why should they not prove true? Surely you don’t disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!” (last page of book)

I am reminded that there is a real battle, a real journey, a real Smaug, a real demise of Smaug, a real Home, a real prophecy, a real fulfillment of prophecy, a real role in that fulfillment. Real providence; real hope.

Rivendell and the Power of the Gospel

Guest Post by Dan Cruver

One of my favorite scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring (the book, not the movie) takes place in the land of Rivendell after Hobbits Frodo and Sam almost lost their lives at the hands of those seeking to capture the ring of power and before they continued their dangerous journey to the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the ring. J.R.R. Tolkien writes:

Such was the virtue of the land of Rivendell that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds. The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song (287).

The good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is of such a quality that the past, present, or imagined future, “good or ill, are not forgotten, but cease to have any power over the present.” We could write pages of application on this. If we are prone to worry about tomorrow, we need the gospel. If we tend to fear people or circumstances, we need the gospel. If we are paralyzed by regret or plagued by guilt, we need the gospel. Only the gospel can free us from these things.