Guide 1
After the Road had run down some way, and had left Bree-hill standing tall and brown behind, they came on a narrow track that led off towards the North. "This is where we leave the open road and take to cover," said Strider. "Not a short cut I hope," said Pippin. " Our last short cut through woods nearly ended in disaster." "Ah, but you had not got me with you then," laughed Strider. (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
If you are not pursuing a dangerous quest with your life, well then, you don’t need a Guide. If you haven’t found yourself in the middle of a ferocious war, then you won’t need a Captain. If you’ve settled in your heart to live as though this is a a fairly neutral world and you are simply going to live as best you can, then you can probably get by with the Christianity of tips and techniques. Maybe. I’ll give you about a fifty-fifty chance. But if you intend to live in the Story God is telling, if you want the life he offers, then you are going to need more than a handful of principles, however noble they may be. There are too many twists and turns in the road ahead, with too many ambushes waiting only God knows where, too much at stake. You cannot possibly prepare yourself for every situation. Narrow is the way, said Jesus. How shall we be sure to find it? We need God intimately, and we need Him desperately…
(John Eldredge, Waking the Dead)
