J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.
Peter, I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Mind Renewers 
Bro Jon,
I find it interesting that (to my understanding) the male lion does the roaring, while the females do most of the hunting. I watched a documentary on the african lion once that was showing the females waiting in ambush, while the male’s roaring was making the game run….right into the ambush. We have a Saviour, Comforter and Tactical Manual (the Word). And yet, we get tired, fearful, and find ourselves running scared…right into the Adversary’s ambushes. Satan is a powerful foe, not to be taken lightly. More often it seems his Roaring is designed to make us run scared to the World, or the flesh. Greater is He that is in the Believer than he that is in the World. God has not given us the spirit of fear…He has given us HIS Spirit. In the passage in Ephesians, we can have all the armor on, be ready and set for battle, and yet we still must choose to STAND. God has truly given us what we need, if only we would exercise our faith, put on our armor, and then Utilize the Power of the Spirit for Courage…To STAND.
Thanks, Patrick. You are 100% correct. The need to be vigilant about that “live dragon” in our neighbourhood doesn’t mean we fear him.
And on a more mundane note, I just started reading “The Hobbit” aloud to our kids last night. I had read it to them before, but now they are a bit older, and are getting some of the charm and wit that they had missed before. Very fun.
Very enjoyable story. And much common sense and insight into human nature and some of the ways evil works.
Though from all I know Tolkien wasn’t a believer, he was a thinker, and a keen observer, and he got a lot of things right. And he was a master storyteller who was able to present his observations in a great story, which makes them all the more memorable.
“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.” – Gandalf
I often think that this is a bit like the church in general. God is looking for servants to share His word, but it seems to be difficult attaining those who will (of which I am definitely guilty of)
Hi, Xander. Great fiction, to be great, has to be more than a good story. It has to have echoes of reality that remind us of real truths. Tolkien not only had that ability, but also the ability to find memorable words to express it.
Bilbo’s adventure was grueling, uncomfortable, scary, painful, dangerous, boring at times — and he wouldn’t have traded it away for anything, even though he didn’t really bring very much treasure back after all. He gained some things a lot more lasting than treasure.