A Hobbit Devotional
A Hobbit Devotionalis perfect for daily reading. It's not planned out in a calendar/agenda format, but it has 60 short chapters. At about five pages each, one chapter each day will fit great into even your busy schedule. Another pro: Even if you haven't readThe Hobbitin a while, you don't have to worry about losing your way in the devotional. The author refreshes you on the story as he goes along, so you don't need to flip throughThe Hobbit.  My overall impression: It's a wonderful little book for any age. And perfect for getting ready for the newHobbitmovie!! --Brandi M - Bound 2 Astound 2012-07-13A Hobbit Devotional centers around the book The Hobbit, although since all books take place in Middle-Earth, you could still enjoy it if you've only read Lord of The Rings. The book is broken down into 60 chapters (so I guess you could use it as a two month devotional) and is a book best enjoyed slowly. There are also quite a few references to the Lord of The Rings trilogy, so if you haven't read it, you may find them spoilers. Each chapter uses on point of the plot in The Hobbit, draws out the moral lesson from it and shows the reader what the Bible has to say about it. There are as many references to the Bible as there are to The Hobbit, which means that the author isn't just blindly drawing out moral lessons. And as a conclusion, the author shows how this particular lesson can be applied in our lives. The chapters are all fairly short (a few pages long), which makes them good devotional material. Since The Hobbit is about quests and adventures, there is a lot devoted to stepping out in faith, and stepping beyond your comfort zone. I think that this book distills the moral lessons found in The Hobbit very well and shows how it can be applied to our everyday life. There's not much else I have to say except that I highly recommend this book. Especially for fans of Middle Earth (and Bilbo!). Personally, I'd like to see this book being used in a Sunday School class (with a book discussion of The Hobbit going on at the same time). --Eustacia Tan - Into the book 2012-07-12I think Strauss has taken the devotional application much further than what Tolkien probably had in mind, but the real strength of Strauss's project is his spotlighting Tolkien's deep moral vision. Even though The Hobbit can be read as a fun adventure story, Christian, moral themes abound. I especially like Strauss's point that unlike many fantasy stories, The Hobbit portrays magic not as a pagan power or spells and incantations, but as natural powers given by God.Fans of The Hobbit will enjoy thinking about the lessons Strauss brings out from the adventures of Bilbo, Gandalf, and others in Middle Earth. --Paul Mastin - Reading Glutton Blog 2012-09-04