The Hobbit and Engaging on Mission
When I was a kid I had a cassette tape that came with a book of the Hobbit. It was part of the "See, Hear, and Read" series.
The baritone voice of the narrator came on saying, “This is the story of the Hobbit. You can read along in your book. You will know that it is time to turn the page when you hear the chime ring like this…”
It was based on a movie made by Rankin and Bass, the same duo who produced the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer claymation shows that became iconic with the holidays in the 60s.
What it did for me however, was to make the Hobbit part of my identity.
In fact, my book Reaching the Unreached relied heavily upon the connection to my psyche that the book created when it came to all things dangerous, scary, and adventurous.
What’s more adventurous than missions after all?
In my book, I constantly refer to Bilbo’s reluctance to engage on the mission he’s been entrusted with. People think of him more than they should. His title is larger than he can live up to. All the while, Gandalf believes in Him…much like Jesus believes in us.
After all, he’s made us righteous, called us partners, children, ambassadors and a great number of things that don’t quite seem to fit correctly, seeming more like Saul’s armor.
On Bookenstein I am joined by Brooks Hamon, NewBreed’s content director to discuss why you should read the Hobbit. Not only is it one of the classics, but it has much to teach us. Over the course of the Bookenstein series, we’ll give you a wide selection of books that you can use in your preaching or ministry to relate spiritual truths with people.
It’s not just spiritual or theology books that we need to learn from. Our hope is that you’ll begin to harvest and collect God’s truth wherever you find it. Anyone who can harness an eclectic scope of books will find them like an array of tools in a toolbox they can reach out to in order to minister to people more effectively.
Thanks to you and generous donors like you, we’re able to produce shows like this that will help you grow in fulfilling the great commission.