What If the Hard Part Isn’t Mine?

My Bible reading plan fell apart last year, somewhere around Solomon’s temple, because life got in the way and attention wandered. And that’s okay. What if the hard part of reading Scripture isn’t maintaining perfect consistency or mastering ancient languages? What if the transforming, sustaining, wisdom-building work isn’t mine to carry at all? What ifContinue reading "What If the Hard Part Isn’t Mine?"

Lessons from Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” – Word on Fire

While researching my literary anniversary piece on J. R. R. Tolkien's "Leaf by Niggle," I came across an essay that thoughtfully explores the spiritual shape of the story. The author describes it as "probably the closest thing in Tolkien's corpus to an autobiographical allegory," a claim that feels earned the longer you consider the tale.Continue reading "Lessons from Tolkien’s “Leaf by Niggle” – Word on Fire"

Leaf by Niggle: The Work We Leave Unfinished

When the flame was kindled on January 3, 1892, a mind was born that would illuminate not just Middle-earth but the quiet corners of imagination itself. J. R. R. Tolkien’s life was marked by a devotion to language, story, and the natural world—a devotion most intimately visible in one of his smallest, yet most curious,Continue reading "Leaf by Niggle: The Work We Leave Unfinished"

This is a Song for Someone

This is New Year's Eve, a time to celebrate endings and beginnings, but my heart's just not in it. Maybe yours isn't either. If you're one of them, or if someone close to you is, maybe this piece will land like a small reminder that the light is still there. I know a handful ofContinue reading "This is a Song for Someone"

The Companion That Deepens The Lord of the Rings

Sometimes the best guides don't lead you away from a story. They lead you deeper in. The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (2005) Twenty years ago, on December 27, 2005, Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull gave readers something rare: a companion that doesn't explain the magic away but reveals the care behind it. TheContinue reading "The Companion That Deepens The Lord of the Rings"