Giving away 3 more copies of "Drops Like Stars" by Rob Bell
Surprise boys and girls! Zondervan publishing noticed our recent giveaway of Rob Bell's book, "Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering",

The Hopeful Fruit #1
As I looked over the apple tree in my backyard, considering the harvest cycle that was now coming to an end, there were a few apples that actually made it to fruit. Not all these apples, to be sure, were created equal. Most of them died off before they became edible. A few of them made it some time further, but then were attacked by squirrels realizing their demise at the hands of these neighborhood pests. There were exactly three that made it long enough to actually become part of our dinner one night recently. As I assess the hope-filled fruit dangling from the apple tree of the tradition of Churches of Christ, I see an equal disparity in the fruit. While each of the fruit I mention

The Apple Tree In My Backyard
My wife and I moved into our house on Main St. five years ago. Like all young married couples, we were excited about this major future-defining purchase that we had made (OK, major understatement). As we considered the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and squarefootage among other house-suitors, I was always drawn to the backyard. Growing up on a sprawling lot in the country surrounded by trees, I knew the metropolitan setting of suburbia was going to be a challenge for me. Sprawling country acreage was never within our financial means, so I settled for a big backyard, and our first house on Main St. has a nice big backyard where I spend as much time as I can. One of the mos

Top 5 Video Presentations from "The Nines" IMHO
A couple of weeks ago, Leadership Network put on a free online conference primarily for Ministers and ministry leaders. It was a somewhat schizophrenic and maddening experience as it jumped from good, thoughtful presentations to inane church-growth drivel passed off as "wisdom". Below, I'm embedding what I thought were the 5 best and most helpful presentations. Feel free to comment. I'd really like to see your reactions.(Sorry Driscoll fans...he doesn't make my cut...even though he went over the time limit with the clip from one of his sermons that he sent in.) If you'd like to see all of the presentations, they can be found

Lord Save Us Movie Find a Theater
Lord Save Us Movie Find a TheaterClick the above link to see if Dan Merchant's Film "Lord Save Us From Your Followers" is playing in a theater near you. If it is, you should definitely go see it. I can't say enough good things about this film.