I’m currently reading a book called Bandersnatch, about the writing collaboration between JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and other writers that called themselves “Inklings.” I am astounded to think that we might never have had the gift of Lord of the Rings, were it not for C.S. Lewis’s encouragement to his friend “Tollers.”

A few quotes from the trilogy (which, if you haven’t read yet, you really should do so):

There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid hobbit, waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow.
JRR Tolkien, Fellowship of the Rings

As someone who has often had a very timid heart, I find this fabulously encouraging.

Indeed, in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord, more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all who still oppose him.
(same)

“The counsel of Gandolf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself, or for others,” said Aragorn. “There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end is dark.”
JRR Tolkien, The Two Towers

“Work of the enemy!” said Gandolf. “Such deeds he loves: friend at war with friend; loyalty divided in confusion of hearts.
JRR Tolkien, The Return of the King

There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end, the shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach.
(Same)

Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea, comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-Earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.
(same)

Of course, those quotes are just a pittance compared to the full breadth of the book. Go and read it.

I’ll probably delete this in the morning, but not all deletions are an evil.

Gluttony! I can’t say I’ve ever heard a sermon on gluttony, but there’s plenty in the Bible about it. I struggle with self-control when it comes to eating, so it’s an area where I need a great deal of prayer and encouragement. We all have our thorn in the flesh, right? It keeps us humble and directs our gaze to the Lord.

Here are a couple quotes I wrote in my Commonplace Book to keep them at hand.

Gluttony is the fool’s impulse to say “again, again,” when it is not time for “again.” …gluttony is not a problem of excessive pleasure. It’s a problem of pleasure that never reaches its fulfillment. …The God who gave limits to the tides has also given limits to our stomachs. …We can eat with thanksgiving and get the full spectrum of what a meal has to offer, or we can dive our heads into a shallow bowl of pleasure, demanding repetition.
Tilly Dillehay, from the book Broken Bread

…if you have goals of developing self-control – a spiritual end – through spiritual and physical means, then fasting may be one way to approach that. Part of self-control is knowing what it feels like to tell our bodies no when we are used to telling them yes.
Tilly Dillehay, from the same book.

Those are some meaty quotes! I’ve given you quite a bit to chew on (sorry for all the food references – I can’t seem to help it).

Here’s one last quote from my book that will put hope in your heart and a spring in your step.

The LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11

I’ll probably delete this in the morning unless I’m busy doing something else, which frequently happens. In fact, if you were to fact check all this deleting that I talk about…

The fan is moving air quietly around, I hear the sound of the fountain in the front yard, my guitar sits looking accusingly at me, and there is just enough heat and humidity to make me feel a little soggy. It’s altogether possible that you don’t care about those descriptive elements of this moment, but I’d rather imagine that you do.

Look for crosses,
and while it is fair weather,
mend the sails of the ship.
Samuel Rutherford

Enjoy fair weather; be prepared for foul.

In active obedience, we worship God by doing what pleases God, but by passive obedience, we do as well worship God by being pleased with what God does.
Jeremiah Burroughs

In other words, in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Strike from us the empty words of the sons of disobedience, and open our ears and hearts to receive humbly the word of Your wisdom. Amen.
Prayer for Illumination

We pray that corporately at our church sometimes before the reading of God’s word and hearing the sermon.

The secret of joy is Christ in me –
not me in a different set of circumstances.
Elisabeth Elliot

Thank you for the reminder, dear Elisabeth.

Beauty is a gratuitous gift of the creator God;
it finds its source and its purpose in God’s character.
God, out of his gratuitous love,
created a world he did not need
because he is an artist.

You need only step outside your house into the world that God made to see the artistry of the creator. Beauty is not an accident.

This soggy bloggy will disappear tomoggy. In the morning.