Finding Satisfaction in God, not Tolkien

   I'm a bit of a Tolkien fanatic, to a point some would call obsessive. I've spent hours reading and learning the books. My head is full of useless but fascinating (to me at least) trivia, like the meaning of Galadriel and that Legolas isn't actually blond. I  love Middle-Earth, but I've never really know why. I do now.

   J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian. While he didn't write his books as allegories, Christian themes are clearly woven throughout them. Because of that I love them. I believe that's why they've not only survived but thrived over the years.

   The goodness draws us. How it conquers evil thrills us. Even unbelievers love them. In a world full to overflowing with wickedness,we long to see right defeat wrong. Tolkien's books fill that craving for a moment, leaving us hungry for more.

   So what do we do?

   Some may dive deeper into the books, thinking that will satisfy them. I'll admit I've done that, but it doesn't work.The satisfaction never last. The craving comes back every time. The books don't fill the longing.

   So what does?

   God. 

   God is the only One who can seal the hole and end the craving. That's how humans are made. It's part of who we are.Nothing else can satisfy us. No books, movies, or author. Only the Author who wrote the Book of Life and knows our part in the the Movie of Time can.

  Now when I long for a brave king who serves those around him, I don't read about Aragorn. I talk to the Real King who served all with His all, Jesus. I will always enjoy Tolkien's books, perhaps more than any other fiction, but I find satisfaction and fulfillment in God, as it was meant to be.

  

Two Book Recommmendations

I'm soooo sorry I've not posted in the last couple of weeks, but I'll try to make up for it now. As an avid reader and writer, books occupy a rather large portion of my time. Here are two of my favorites.

Radical by David Platt   A thought-provoking about how Christians are called to live. Biblically solid, it continually points back to Jesus' commission and then challenges us to really live our faith as Christ intended.It's available at Family Christian Bookstores. Fun fact: Mr. Platt is a native Georgian.

Cryptide  Hunters by Roland Smith   A well written adventure novel about twins, Grace and Marty, whose parents disappear in the Amazonian rain-forest. Their world turned upside down, they're sent to live with an uncle they didn't know they had.To Grace's dismay, and Marty's delight, their uncle, Travis Wolfe, seems obsessed with mysterious creatures called cryptides.  Available at Amazon and Thriftbooks.