Gandalf, Friend of the Shire

The second ability applies only to casting spells. It does not, for example, change when you may activate abilities that can be activated "only as a sorcery."

If the creature you choose as your Ring-bearer was already your Ring-bearer, that still counts as choosing that creature as your Ring-bearer for the purpose of abilities that trigger "whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer" or abilities that care about which creature was chosen as your Ring-bearer.