Lessons on joy, friendship, dedication, sacrifice, and more will appeal to Hobbit fans, parents, teachers, librarians, graduates—and anyone looking for a creative way to explore timeless life lessons and important values of faith. Millions of fans worldwide have been attracted to The Hobbit for its unique combination of high adventure and profound truths. Tapping the excitement around the highly-anticipated Hobbit movie trilogy, Tolkien-scholar, Devin Brown, now presents a fast-paced and easy-to-follow presentation of timeless spiritual messages to help navigate your journey. Peppered with illustrations throughout, Hobbit Lessons offers troll-sized portions of relevance and regular nuggets of good Hobbit sense. The result is a collection of tangible bites of wisdom that are not only deeply moving but also great fun. The wisdom of J. R. R. Tolkien—for the hobbit in each of us. Devin Brown is a Lilly Scholar and a Professor of English at Asbury University where he teaches a class on Lewis and Tolkien. He is the author of The Christian World of the Hobbit and Hobbit Lessons , both published by Abingdon Press. He has spoken at Lewis and Tolkien conferences in the UK and the U.S. Devin has published numerous essays on Lewis and Tolkien, including those written for CSLewis.com, ChristianityToday.com, SamaritansPurse.org, and BeliefNet.com. Devin earned a PhD at the University of South Carolina and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky. HOBBIT LESSONS A Map for Life's Unexpected Journeys By Devin Brown Abingdon Press Copyright © 2013 Devin Brown All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-7602-1 Contents A LETTER TO READERS........................................................1PROLOGUE A Story of Long Ago..............................................5CHAPTER 1 When Adventure Comes Knocking, Let It In (Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner)...........................................................13CHAPTER 2 Have Your Friends' Backs (Someone Has Yours)....................35CHAPTER 3 Be Fond of Waistcoats, Pocket Handkerchiefs, and Even Arkenstones (Just Don't Let Them Become Too Precious)......................61CHAPTER 4 Remember Not All That Is Gold Glitters (In Fact, Life's Real Treasures Are Quite Ordinary Looking)......................................85CHAPTER 5 Recognize You Are Only a Little Fellow in a Wide World (But Still an Important Part of a Larger Story).................................103EPILOGUE Find the Enchantment All Around You (Even If You Are Not a Wizard)....................................................................125 CHAPTER 1 WHEN ADVENTURE COMES KNOCKING,LET IT IN (Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner) * * * I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.— The Hobbit, Chapter One Adventures come in many forms, but they alwaysmean something new for us. And what isnew is always somewhat mysterious. Sometimes wecan see adventures coming down the road to us longbefore they arrive—the adventure of starting highschool or going off to college, the adventure of a newjob, the adventures of becoming engaged and gettingmarried, the adventure of becoming a parent. But sometimes adventures appear with no warning,when we least expect them. In the opening pagesof The Hobbit , adventure seems to be the last thingon Bilbo Baggins's mind. As Bilbo stepped out his front door after breakfastto take in the glorious day, the sun was shining,the birds were singing, and the grass was growing.Stretching out on the seat by his door, he lit his pipeand sent a perfectly round smoke ring rising lazily upinto the blue sky above him. He had no idea that adventure was about to comeknocking. Adventures in books and movies are loads of fun.As we read about someone else's adventures or watchthem unfold on the silver screen, we are ushered intoa world of excitement without ever having to leaveour comfortable armchair. But who of us really wantsan adventure in our own life? We may say we do. Wemay even think we do. But look at how we typicallyreact when something interrupts our regular routineor requires us to do more than we normally do orbe more than we normally are. On a day when weare running late, just the printer running out of inkor forgetting that we needed to get gas can bring usclose to a meltdown. A morning when we can't findour homework, our keys, our phone, or our whateveris more than enough drama for us. So while we might like to think of ourselves as theadventurous type, truth be told, like Bilbo, most of usprefer to have our lives be quite predictable, to haveeverything completely under control, and to know exactlywhere whatever it is we are looking for is at alltimes. Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner "Adventures?" replies Bilbo to Gandalf, who hasshown up on his doorstep looking for someone tojoin thirteen dwarves on a quest to take back theirtreasure from the ferocious dragon who currently hasit. "Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Makeyou l