About

With a somewhat cryptic title, I'm sure some people are no doubt wondering who we are and what we stand for (I'm using the "royal we," of course; at this point there's only a "me," but I'm working on recruiting our very own merry band of blogging brothers, trust me). "Tending Embers," to me, invokes the warmth and subtle goldenness of sitting at a hearth, prodding the sparks of a waning fire, with a cup of tea in one hand and a good book in the other.  The name comes from the Andrew Peterson song "Shine Your Light On Me," in which he explores the idea of other people being conduits of God's light, and that bright, inexplicable glow that can only be described as Deep Magic.

I saw the Servants of the Secret Fire were gathered there-

The Embers of the Ages like a living prayer

All at once I saw the shadows flee

Shine your light on me 

Be a light unto my path, and a lamp unto my feet.

(Ten extra points if you can spot the Lord of the Rings reference)

The blog itself was inspired by Andrew Peterson's site, The Rabbit Room, which is written by far more brilliant and experienced people than this one, and I highly suggest it to anyone and everyone who loves beauty and song. His blog was in turn inspired by the Inklings, a famous literary club consisting of greats such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield. They would gather every week, share stories they were working on, and discuss anything from philosophy to fantasy, the Middle Ages, faith, imagination, life, and the art of good old fashioned storytelling. Through this, they formed lifelong friendships and honed the skills of their craft; classics such as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings were first read to and critiqued by the other Inklings before they were ever considered for publishing.

 

 

So I suppose this is an experiment, on a different (and more American) scale, to recreate an Inkling-esque environment and nurture the embers within us by viewing faith and life through the lens of imagination, fantasy, creativity, and wonder. This is a blog for people that long for the marriage of glorifying God and creating beautiful and skillfully-made art, and revel in that holy goldenness of art crafted by Servants of the Secret Fire- artists such as Tolkien, Lewis, Flannery O'Connor, Wendell Berry, Andrew Peterson, and the like. Such a love for excellence and beauty is naturally accompanied by the desire to glorify God in not only a beautiful way, but to the best of your ability, so there will always be opportunities for friends to encourage one another in the development of their craft, offering constructive feedback just as the Inklings did. 

 

 

Of course, submissions (Essays, poetry, quotes, favorite Bible verses, short stories, paintings, doodles, photographs, songs, book reviews, and anything else you can think of) are always welcome, but the publishing of every submission can't be guaranteed. However, I'll try to work with you and even help edit your work to get it to it's absolute best. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!

~Affectionately,

Silmaril Neisley 

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one." -C.S. Lewis