The Wisdom of Hobbits
Unearthing Our Humanity at 3 Bagshot Row
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Narrated by:
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Lincoln Gillett
About this listen
The works of J.R.R. Tolkien are some of literature's most beloved. For decades, scholars, fans, and critics alike have been discussing and debating the professor's Legendarium—much ink has been spilled, many books bound, all offering their unique perspectives.
Add The Wisdom of Hobbits to that growing number.
In this hopeful yet at times poignant homage, Matthew J. Distefano focuses on everyone's favorite halfling friend: the Hobbit. A charming people, this Shire-based race has captivated, enthralled, and enchanted the hearts and minds of millions. Though not a religious society, the author argues that spiritual truths-love, kindness, generosity, hope, and compassion-can be found within their familiar yet still relevant and didactic tales.
So, come and enter a world of adventure and intrigue. Whether it is your first foray into Middle-earth or the Shire is your second home, allow Distefano to inspire you toward discovering your own inner Hobbit.
©2023 Matthew J. Distefano (P)2023 Matthew J. DistefanoListeners also enjoyed...
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- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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A Life Observed tells the inspiring story of Lewis' spiritual journey from cynical atheist to joyous Christian. Drawing on Lewis' autobiographical works, books by those who knew him personally, and his apologetic and fictional writing, this spiritual biography brings the beloved author’s story to life while shedding light on his best-known works.
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A beautifully written remembrance
- By Rob on 02-06-18
By: Devin Brown
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The Way of Serenity
- Finding Peace and Happiness in the Serenity Prayer
- By: Father Jonathan Morris
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Father Jonathan Morris has seen firsthand how our day-to-day lives are consumed with anxiety and stress as we focus on our failures and troubles while peace feels unattainable. When he rediscovered the Serenity Prayer, he realized that this little prayer can be a powerful road map for our spiritual journey toward God. As he began to share this prayer with others, he saw that living these simple lines became a source of profound peace and happiness.
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Great read!
- By Todd on 04-10-15
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The Spiritual Teachings of Seneca
- Ancient Philosophy for Modern Wisdom
- By: Mark Forstater, Victoria Radin
- Narrated by: David Troughton, Louisa Millwood Haig
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Abridged
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Seneca was dedicated to Stoicism, and in his essays and letters he explained the stoic position on many fundamental issues: pleasure and the problem of desire, happiness, and contentment; anger, fear, living in the present, how to think for yourself, anxiety and tranquillity, goodness, freedom, trusting the universe; courage, opportunity, cruelty and how to deal with it, friendship, love and trust, death and how to live, learning , chance and fate, time, aspirations, wisdom - and more.
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Odd presentation style
- By Mark on 08-03-08
By: Mark Forstater, and others
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Letters to My Son
- A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love
- By: Kent Nerburn
- Narrated by: Kent Nerburn
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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At once spiritual and practical, Letters to My Son has been beloved by listeners from all walks of life, including single mothers seeking guidance in raising a son, fathers looking to share a voice of clarity about life's most important issues, and young men wanting an intelligent, sensitive, and streetwise companion on the journey toward a worthy manhood. In this 20th anniversary edition, Kent Nerburn adds to his classic reflections.
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One of the best books I have ever read.
- By Amazon Customer on 07-08-18
By: Kent Nerburn
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Let Go
- Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship
- By: Casey Cole OFM
- Narrated by: Casey Cole OFM
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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"What must I do to gain eternal life?” The rich man who asked this of Jesus was told to sell all he had and give to the poor. But, more importantly, he was told, “Come, follow me!” Franciscan Casey Cole challenges us to let go of something more difficult than material wealth: expectations, anxiety, comfort, wounds, enemies, power - and our very selves. Speaking from both personal and pastoral experience, he outlines the stumbling blocks that turn us away from following Jesus as true disciples. The response to “What must I do?” is simple but not easy: Let go. Now.
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Truly a good listen
- By Anonymous User on 12-23-22
By: Casey Cole OFM
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Letters to a Young Poet
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke, Stephen Mitchell - translator
- Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Ranier Maria Rilke challenges you, "...to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answers." Rilke's ability to combine the sensual and the spiritual into an inspired vision of the art of living is brought to vivid life in his letters. Through his eyes, the everyday difficulties of love, sex, solitude, sadness, and doubt are seen as the archetypal elements of the drama called life.
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Priceless Recordings of Intense Feeling
- By David on 10-08-04
By: Rainer Maria Rilke, and others
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Original Goodness
- A Commentary on the Beatitudes
- By: Eknath Easwaran
- Narrated by: Paul Bazely
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Uncover the core of goodness within. Love, compassion, meaning, hope, and freedom from fear are not qualities we need to acquire. We simply need to uncover what we already have. "Original goodness" is Eknath Easwaran’s phrase for this spark of divinity hidden in every one of us, regardless of our personal liabilities or past mistakes. Commenting on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, Easwaran shows how this spark of divinity can energize our lives - beginning with a simple method of meditation that gradually removes the conditioning that hides our native goodness.
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life changing
- By Andrew F. on 07-07-20
By: Eknath Easwaran
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To Be Told
- God Invites You to Coauthor Your Future
- By: Dan B. Allender PhD
- Narrated by: William Sarris
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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God wants to reveal himself through your story. Discover how he has written your life so far and how he is leading you into the rest of your story. Everyone wants clearer guidance from God on what to do with their future. In this insightful book, therapist and Professor Dan Allender shows you how to listen to the stories of your life and identify the themes that God has written there.
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Thought Provoking and Inspiring
- By michelle deuz on 04-10-21
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The Sin of Certainty
- Why God Desires Our Trust More than Our "Correct" Beliefs
- By: Peter Enns
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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With compelling and often humorous stories from his own life, Bible scholar Peter Enns offers a fresh look at how Christian life truly works, answering questions that cannot be addressed by the idealized traditional doctrine of "once for all delivered to the saints".
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Title may mislead the actual content
- By Adam Shields on 05-26-16
By: Peter Enns
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Desire
- The Journey We Must Take to Find the Life God Offers
- By: John Eldredge
- Narrated by: Kelly Ryan Dolan
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Sometimes it seems we just can't get what we want. Circumstances thwart our best-laid plans. We struggle to live a heartfelt life. Worst of all, says Eldredge, the modern church mistakenly teaches its people to kill desire (calling it sin) and replace it with duty or obligation (calling it sanctification).
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Nothing Less Than Life-Changing
- By Randall on 09-28-04
By: John Eldredge
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The Three Marriages
- Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship
- By: David Whyte
- Narrated by: David Whyte
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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According to Whyte, we humans are involved not just with one marriage with a significant other. We also have made secret vows to our work and unspoken vows to an inner, constantly developing self. Whyte's thesis is that to separate these marriages in order to balance them is to destroy the fabric of happiness itself; that in each of these marriages, will, effort, and hard work are overused, overrated, and in many ways self-defeating.
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RARE SELF-HELP BOOK THAT ACTUALLY HELPS
- By Elizabeth on 03-05-09
By: David Whyte
What listeners say about The Wisdom of Hobbits
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rebecca
- 04-11-23
Excellent narrator
Lovely little book that inspired me to drive to the local garden center and buy seedlings for my garden. It's about hobbits, who love gardens and anything that grows and it encourages the listener to cultivate their life in community and to grow.
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- Greg
- 05-16-23
Great as an intro to Tolkien, and also for Tolkien nerds.
I have to recommend Matthew Distefano's book, The Wisdom of Hobbits. The author takes you through Hobbiton and Bywater, all the way to Mordor (there, and back again) in a way that delights the ear and challenges the mind. This is a book on philosophy without being too heady, and spirituality without being too preachy. Matthew has great insight into the characters, history, and legendarium of Middle Earth. He strikes a balance that will appeal to Tolkien nerds and those new to this genre. Though it is a quick listen, I'm glad I spent my month's Audible membership on it, because I'll listen again and again. I'm glad I waited for the Audible edition. Lincoln Gilette is an amazing narrator whose voice variation made the book even more enjoyable.
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