Popcorn, Elves, and the Almighty. So, I was just trying to have a chill movie night. I hit play on The Lord of the Rings ... you know, for the epic battles and hobbit vibes... and guess who shows up on the couch next to me? Yeah. God. Turns out, He’s a huge fan. But somewhere between Frodo leaving the Shire and Aragorn drawing his sword in slow-mo, things got... deep. Suddenly, we weren’t just watching a movie. We were talking about courage. Sacrifice. Evil that looks tempting. Light that never gives up. And (plot twist) how Tolkien might’ve slipped some eternal truths into the script without anyone noticing (except God, of course). If you’ve ever felt like Middle-earth speaks to something more , something real , you’re not imagining it. Come sit down, press play, and see The Lord of the Rings like you’ve never seen it before: with popcorn in one hand and the Creator of the universe in the other. You in? I know what you are thinking. Tolkien did not write allegories. He hated allegories. What is the matter with you, trying to shove all this religion into his story? Hold off. I don't claim Tolkien intended any of this. That's not the point I'm making. This is a simple tale of God horning his way onto my couch, taking up more than his fair share of space, and interrupting me every five seconds as he points out things he wants me to learn. God can be obnoxious. God can be persistent. I have a feeling when Tolkien was writing his little tale, and when Peter Jackson (hereafter called "P.J.") was editing it all together, God was sitting over their shoulders, nudging them, pointing, and saying, "Oh, wait, put me in this part... this is good." He is annoying like that. So wipe that judgmental scowl off your face and kick back with the extended versions of The Lord of the Rings films. Familiarity with them is necessary, not optional, unless you like being totally lost. Each chapter in this book corresponds with a chapter in the extended films. If you have not seen them yet, go buy them. I will wait. God is about to irritate and inspire you, and give you a kick in the seat of the pants wherever you need it. If he doesn't make you mad by the end, he's not doing his job (and he always does his job). After this, you'll never look at Middle-earth the same way again. At least, I didn't. Charity Bishop is a female INTP - funny, quirky, analytical, a little sentimental, and occasionally forgetful, with an offbeat sense of humor, a tendency to like sci-fi, and a storehouse of knowledge about "useless trivia." She gets fixated on learning things, and obsesses over them until she knows everything there is to know about them, then looks for something new to learn. She gets bored with "same-ness," but is good at impartiality and seeing both sides in an argument. In fact, she's likely to argue both sides for the sheer fun of it. She grew up in the church and was saved at a young age, but re-evaluated and re-dedicated her life to Christ three years ago. Since then, God has encouraged her to trust Him with her life and future - which sometimes is an uphill battle for a stubborn girl. As she struggles with understanding His ways along with her characters, He gently reveals the answers. He's her co-author, both in the stories she tells and in her very own story. Her day job is a magazine editor, and her hobbies (other than writing books) include over-analyzing everything she comes into contact with, vigorously defending various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes against perceived injustices, irritating her friends with theological musings, and MBTI typing fictional characters.