Live Like Enoch

I'm back, with more thoughts on Lord of the Rings  and the theme of Frodo leaving the group. Last time we looked exclusively at The Fellowship of the Ring. This week, due to a surprising lack of instances, we'll be looking at The Two Towers and The Return of the King . The connections to sin and social distancing will have to wait until the next post though (so stay tuned!). Distance in The Two Towers The Two Towers contains almost no instances of Frodo leaving behind his companions. Which is interesting. We saw last time how ubiquitous the theme was in The Fellowship of the Ring  and so for it to suddenly drop off like that is shocking to say the least. What we can say, however, is that The Two Towers could be categorized as one long leaving behind of Frodo's companions. The first book in the volume focuses on Aragorn and Co. while the second book focuses on Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. Throughout the two, Frodo slowly gets farther and farther away from the Fellowship. With th...

This last week I have been thinking a lot about Lord of the Rings. It has long been my favorite story. No matter how many times I read it, I am perpetually drawn in by the thrilling narrative so intricately woven together. This week, in particular, what has been on my mind is the theme that runs throughout the books of Frodo separating himself from the group for, as he thinks of it, the greater good. Distance in The Fellowship of the Ring  The theme begins very early in the book. We already know that Bilbo is a somewhat reclusive hobbit, and it only makes sense that Frodo would share, to some degree, in that reclusivity. After Bilbo heads off to hang out with the elves, Frodo is left alone with the Ring. In chapter 2 we learn that "Frodo lived alone," and even though he was popular with the younger hobbits he often goes wandering by himself. Already, before Frodo knows the full and awful truth of the Ring, he is beginning to feel its weight and separate himself from the major...

"Christianity's not a religion, it's a relationship" is a favorite saying from the old senior pastor at my church. Now on a lexical level, we can all agree that the statement isn't true since "religion" simply means a particular system of faith and worship. But the point that the statement is driving at is true. Christianity is focused on having a relationship with Christ. But what is the relationship? We throw around relational terms when it comes to us and the Lord, but we don't often define the relationship. Well Jesus does, and it's quite simple really. We're his bride. He is our fiancé and we are his betrothed. In Ephesians 5 Paul tells us some remarkable things about marriage. He says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wr...

Recently, I came across this interesting quote in a 17th century book by an author named Thomas Shepard, he said,  "Men can be content to follow Christ, if they may carry something on their backs beside the cross . . ." [1].  400 years later, this still rings true, perhaps even more so in our day than in Shepard's (although there's really no way of knowing that). We try to mitigate and minimize Jesus' call to discipleship to the point of almost non-existence.  This isn't a new idea or a new problem for God's people. The Jewish Rabbis took immense care to add so many barriers to the enactment of Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (which calls for the execution of a "foolish son" who disobeys and dishonors his mother and father) that it was nearly impossible to carry it out according to the Rabbinic interpretation [2]. But God's call to obedience is absolute. Certainly we need good hermeneutics and a right understanding of what it means to obey Christ when h...

Just about everyone has heard that old quote that, "If I have seen farther than others it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." However, those of us that likely won't see much farther than others, and that don't make large strides in advancing the limits of human knowledge rarely acknowledge the weight of that truth in our own lives. For all of us, and especially us as Christians, that truth could not ring with more truth if it tried. We have been gifted with a great repository  of knowledge. Or rather, we have been entrusted  with it At the end of 1 Timothy, Paul makes this charge to Timothy, "guard the deposit entrusted to you" (1 Tim. 6:20). This raises the question though. What deposit? There are several possible (although not all entirely plausible) answers. 1. A literal deposit of money; Timothy was a banker. This probably isn't the case. I think we can all agree that I put this in as a joke. 2. The church at Ephesus. Here is a somew...

Those of y'all that know me know that I love reading more than most things. If you're looking for things to do during quarantine, here's a few books that I've really enjoyed and that I highly suggest. Obviously these can't be a substitute for reading Scripture, but a little extra-biblical reading on the side can be very helpful indeed. 1. Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves This little book by Reeves is an excellent exposition of why we, as Christians, should not just know about the doctrine of the Trinity, but love it (delight in it even). Reeves has been a youth pastor for a lot of his life and it shows in the accessibility of this book. This is a good, easy read about one of the distinctives of the Christian faith. https://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Trinity-Introduction-Christian-Faith-ebook/dp/B009G00GYU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=GZ378TEWUICR&dchild=1&keywords=delighting+in+the+trinity+michael+reeves&qid=1588361291&sprefix=delighting+in+the+%2C...