Welcome Back to Middle-Earth for the Summer!

The whole building bridges thing seems to elude Thorin. And Herod.
And sometimes . . . . us.

As a summer break for me and, I hope, a fun treat for you, I'm going to spend some time here excerpting from my last book, Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World of Middle-earth. You may want to review part One of Chapter Two here.

Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World

by Jill Richardson

Chapter TWO

PRIDE GOETH BEFORE . . . A REALLY BAD DAY

(THORIN) part 2

1. What’s Herod doing at the start of the story? Why do you think he’s throwing this party? 

2. What do you think of his promise to Herodias? How did you guess it might end, even before you knew? What do you think made him promise something as crazy as anything she wanted? 

3. Why is he sorry for his promise? 

4. Why did he go against what he knew he should do? 

5. How do you think Herod defines a great king? How do you think God does?

Herod is dead drunk from too much birthday bubbly. He’s also drunk with power. See, he knows John’s “a good and holy man,” and his better self actually listens to John. But, his other self—the one who loves his power as king, delights in breaking laws he doesn’t like, and enjoys making extravagant promises only an idiot would keep—that is the self he lets win in the end.

Notice why he kills John--He was embarrassed to break his promise in front of his guests. OK, most people would be slightly embarrassed to have a human head show up on a serving platter at a birthday party. But not Herod. Herod has so much pride, he’ll kill an innocent man just so he doesn’t have to look bad in front of his friends. Maybe he shouldn’t have been focusing on trying to impress those friends by throwing some Donald Trump birthday bash complete with exotic dancing and lots of wine. How could his better self have kept this from happening?

Does Thorin act much like Herod? Does he sound like him? Not always--Thorin’s basically an OK guy, and he’ll help you out in a tough spot. But, when he has to choose between being generous to those who have helped him and “looking good” in front of his homedwarves, he picks the last one. T.O. knows what’s right, but no one is going to bully him into doing it. 

When the men and elves ask for a share of the treasure, he knows in his head they have a fair claim. He recognizes the need to live together peacefully for a long time after the dragon’s gone. He understands, intellectually, that negotiating would be a good idea. But he can’t give in, because he’s terrified of looking weak. He wants the feeling of superiority all his new wealth and position give him. No king gives away his treasure, right? He can’t back down--he’d rather they all die. And they might have.

Sometimes, backing down is the smart thing to do. There’s nothing wrong with having pride in things that have made you who you are. You can be, as the saying goes, “proud to be an American.” You can be proud of your Mexican heritage, or your African roots, or your Viking lineage. You can be proud to have godly parents who’ve taught you well and lived a great example.

But, what happens if you start acting like you deserve all that stuff? Really—did you do anything to earn your great hair, or brains, or salvation? When you start thinking that, it’s a quick trip to acting like only you deserve it—and everyone should know better than to try and get a share.

It’s tough for a guy to back down, and even tougher for him to admit he doesn’t deserve all he’s got. It’s way too scary to say, “Hey, I didn’t get myself here. I can’t stay here alone either--I need help.” But, if you never ditch your pride, you’re missing out on all the great things God wants to do through you, because you’re too focused on trying to prove what you can do by yourself.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Answer truthfully, now.

I think I’m really talented at: _________________________________________________________________________

Some of my natural gifts are (brains, looks, athleticism– c’mon, don’t be shy):

Some things I’m especially proud of are: __________________________________________________________________________

Think. Did you earn any of the things you listed above? (Get real. You did not deserve to be born with a straight-A brain or gorgeous baby blues. It was pure luck of the draw. You could’ve been born in Afghanistan you know.)

Did you earn some things by hard work or just keeping at it? Great! You can be proud of that. But did you do it by yourself? List ways other people helped you:

How can you show you appreciate help? What about God’s help?

WORDS TO REMEMBER

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.  (Philippians 2:3, 5-6)

________________________________

Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World is a devotional using twenty J.R.R. Tolkien characters. It looks at what makes those characters who they are, where Scripture talks about the same kinds of people, and what it all means to a young person today. Interactive application and fun side additions included!  

 If you would like to find the book for yourself or a teen/young adult you love, you can purchase it here:

Paper Copy

Kindle

Our Most Powerful Human Emotion is Gratitude

The strength of simple gratitude is an incredible feeling.

 

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name”—Psalm100:4 (NIV).

One of the things I like about technology is being able to stay connected with others. While I sometimes groan about our fast-paced world, I love keeping up with like-minded individuals through Facebook. On November 1, I noticed a 40-Day “thanks”-giving challenge. Each day in November, people began to post those things and people for which they are grateful. I joined the challenge and began posting daily.

During November, we celebrate a national day of thanksgiving, always the last Thursday of the month. This American holiday is a time to remember and give thanks for all of our blessings. For many, however, it’s the only day of the year they feel led to express their gratitude.

Did you know that one of humanity’s most powerful positive emotions is gratitude? 

Several years ago, psychologists started studying the science of giving thanks. What they discovered might surprise you. When you count your blessings, it makes you happier, even during difficult times. 

Psychology professor Michael McCullough has studied people who were asked to be thankful on a regular basis. “When you stop to count your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system.”

Research by McCullough and others has revealed that giving thanks is a powerful emotion, feeding on itself. McCullough says, “Psychologists used to underestimate the strength of simple gratitude. It does make people happier. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Another psychologist, Maryann Troiana, has her clients keep a gratitude journal. By listing daily what they are thankful for, it changes their attitude and outlook on life. 

Agreeing, psychology professor Robert Emmons says, “It is important to focus more on the people for whom you are grateful. By concentrating on what life would be like without the good things, especially people like our spouses, you begin to realize just how grateful you are.”

Grateful people “feel more alert, alive, interested and enthusiastic,” Emmons says. “They also feel more connected to others.” Emmons, who has written two books on the science of gratitude, often studies the effects of using a gratitude journal.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul writes, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”

Thank God no matter what happens?

 Thank God no matter what happens? Surely, Paul was joking. What if we lived each day in gratitude for what we do have? What if we recalled the ways He has taken care of us in the past? Instead of complaining about those things we lack, what if we began to take an inventory of our simple treasures and conveniences like 

• family
• friends
• food
• shelter
• electricity
• a vehicle
• our health 

The list would be endless if you stopped to write it down.

While we can be blindsided by life’s unexpected burdens, we can choose to give thanks in all circumstances. Each day should be a day of thanksgiving to God and a lifestyle among God's people. 

What are you thankful for today?

Please feel free to share your gratitude list below. Also, check out my blog and books at www.carolaround.com for more inspiration.

Express Gratitude

 

Do You Consistently Thank God for His Blessings?

Ten lepers were healed by Jesus, because they begged Him to. They said, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us” (Lk 17:13).  Their healing was a big deal because leprosy was a big deal in Israel.  The law required lepers to be kept in isolation due to the possibility of spreading to others.  They were considered unclean (Lev 13:45-46).  When a leper was cleansed from leprosy, he had to be officially declared clean by the priest before he could have any kind of contact with the rest of society.

Imagination cannot capture how excited these healed lepers must have been at the thought of being able to go back home and be part of their communities again.  In fact, in their excitement, they neglected to thank the One (Jesus) who had healed them. The only exception was a Samaritan (a foreigner).  He returned, praising God in a loud voice.  He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him (Lk 17:14).  Jesus’ response was, “Weren’t all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Lk 17:17-18)

The Samaritan might have returned because he realized that it was only by grace that he had been healed; after all, he was not a Jew and could have been turned away.  Jesus could have answered him the way He answered the Canaanite woman who had the demon-possessed daughter: “it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Mt 15:26), but He didn’t.  So the leper had a good reason to be overjoyed and thankful!  The Bible does not mention why the other nine did not return to give thanks, but could it be that they took things for granted?

Do we as God’s children take things for granted when we receive a blessing from Him?  Do we act like it is our right, and that God owes us something?  I think we sometimes do, but judging by the story of the lepers we can accurately conclude that God expects us to express appreciation and gratitude to Him for whatever He does for us.  He does not owe us anything, and is not obligated to do anything for us, but He does because He wants to.  The Bible says He longs to be good to us.  The least we can do is to be thankful. 

I believe we all do fail quite often in the area of thanksgiving.  Our gratitude should not only be for things we receive as answers to prayer, but also for all that He lovingly and willingly bestows on us.  I think sometimes we even forget to thank Him for answered prayers; what a shame, what ingratitude.  The Psalmist says, “I’ll bless the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips” (Ps 34:1).  In Psalm 103, he also shows us some of the things for which we need to be habitually thankful.  Let us continually thank Him for his forgiveness, healing, love, compassion, and satisfying our desires with good things.

Let us not act like spoilt, ungrateful children who think it is their parents’ duty to provide for them, and therefore show no appreciation.  Instead, let us express our heart-felt gratitude, and share our experience with others so that they will be encouraged. 

by Pearl Nsiah-Kumi,  RN, CRNC