Rivendell is the Ideal (Our 1,000th Article)
Before we dive into Rivendell, Rambling Ever On, and the ideal that guides us, we want to say “Thank You.” Thank you, dear reader, for helping make Rambling Ever On what it is today. We are beyond blessed to have such a loyal and encouraging audience. Your willingness to follow us along whatever wild path our interests take us has transformed this small, fledgling website into what it is today. (A slightly bigger, less fledgling website.)
Today we recognize this is the anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien’s death. That matters because his writings have played a huge role in shaping the imaginations of all of our writers. Additionally, as this article marks our 1,000th article, we felt it was appropriate to do some self-reflection and perhaps let you peak behind the curtain into what drives us.
Rivendell
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth stories, there is a place called Rivendell. It is also called The Last Homely House East of the Sea, and Imladris in Elvish. But Rivendell is the name most fans of the movies or books know. Rivendell is a place of healing, peace, and rest for our heroes. It’s a sanctuary for weary travelers such as Frodo and his fellow Hobbits. It is where the Council of Elrond meets to discuss, debate, and decide the fate of the One Ring. It is a land of music, poetry, and tranquility.
Rivendell is a place of truth, beauty, and joy. And at the risk of sounding puffed up or suffering delusions of grandeur, Rivendell is exactly what we want Rambling Ever On to be. It is what we aspire to provide to our readers. When you visit our Last Homely Website, we want you to walk away feeling refreshed and at peace.
This is not to suggest we shy away from difficult topics. If you have spent any time reading our content you know we have dealt with plenty of those. As lovers of Truth, we would be derelict in our convictions if we avoided painful conversations. But it has ever been our goal to approach those conversations with grace and charity and not from a position of anger or cheap sensationalism. Trust us when we say our website could be much more popular if we chose the easy road of inflammatory takes and unnecessarily mean rhetoric. Our way might limit our reach, but it is better for our souls and our testimony. And it is better for our readers as well.
“For a while the hobbits continued to talk and think of the past journey and of the perils that lay ahead; but such was the virtue of the land of Rivendell that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds. The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Just as Frodo and Bilbo found rest and healing at Rivendell, we hope that we can provide something similar. Again, we do not have the skill of Elrond, but what little skill we have, we hope it produces even momentary glimpses of truth, beauty, and joy in your lives. We want Rambling Ever On to feel like the scene in The Lord of the Rings when Bilbo is found listening to the poetry and music of the Elves. As lovely and idyllic as the Shire is, Bilbo’s soul needed what only Rivendell could provide. Our hope is that in some small way, Rambling Ever On can be that place for our readers.
We truly believe that as Christians, we should strive for excellence and purposefulness. Our content, even when dealing with things that on the surface might feel frivolous or silly, should represent our faith and our worldview as clearly as possible. The God we serve and love deserves our best and it is our hope that we represent Him well in all we produce. We are the first to admit that we do not always hit the mark, but that will never stop us from trying.
When you visit Rambling Ever On, we want you to be challenged, encouraged, instructed, reminded, blessed, and uplifted. We are not, nor will we ever be in the business of rage-baiting. When so much of online culture is geared to make us angry, divided, or frustrated, we will always endeavor to be the antithesis of all of that. You may not agree with everything we write, but we trust that our sincere motivations will come shining through. Rivendell is the ideal. Beauty and Joy? Absolutely. Truth undergirding it all? Without a doubt.
So, again we say, Thank You. We want to always be a place you can visit and leave feeling a deeper love for Jesus, for your fellow man, and for this wonderful world our loving and gracious God has entrusted to us. Hold us to the Rivendell ideal
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Thanks for preserving a sliver of the online world for thoughtful discourse. I Appreciate y’all!
Thanks so much, Josh! Right back at you.
I am thankful – very much so – that there has been a Rambling Ever On (a Rivendell, as it were) for this senior season of my life. That balm, beauty, and blessing alone would make it beyond special to me personally.
But REO’s significance to its ever-growing audience also means that it is meaningful to Christ followers, to lovers of truth and beauty, and in some degree to everyone, everywhere.
Thank you all.