Zondervan Blog

Chuck Colson's Call to Christians

 

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Our longtime partner and friend Charles Colson passed away on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the age of 80.

Chuck lived what he preached: repentance and complete life transformation, made possible by the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though we can be happy he's with the Lord now, we miss him. We are praying for his friends and family.

We wanted to share the following message from Chuck with you. You can also watch Chuck's message.

-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Blog

 

What's desperately needed today is a call to action ... to Christians to get serious about their faith, that is "given once for all and entrusted to the saints," as Jude teaches. [The call to action about our faith] is to understand it, so that you can live it. And it is to understand it so that you can defend it. Where does it begin? It begins with repentance. There has never been a powerful move of God anywhere where the people of God didn't first repent. We've got to repent of our sins of being enculturated, encapsulated, seduced by the culture in which we live. Break free like the church is doing in the Third World, and live the true gospel. Ask forgiveness, seek God's favor, turn away and change... On your knees, pray. And then work with your pastor and the people in the churches and encourage them, pray for one another. Build those bonds of unity so that the world will see the love and the hope of the great proposal which [the Church] has to offer. God bless you. -Chuck Colson

Watch the video message from Charles Colson.
View Colson images & videos on Pinterest.

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared for information purposes only. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;"><em>This Earth Day excerpt is from</em> <a title="Learn More about the Group Bible Study" href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310324850&amp;cm_mmc=ZT-_-Blog-Feb12-_-Blog-_-Serve+God+Save+Planet" target="_blank">Serving God, Saving the Planet</a><em style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">, the group Bible study by Dr. Matthew Sleeth. </em></p>
<table style="border: 0px;" width="90%" align="center">
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<p><img src="https://zondervan.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54fc7cbdb88340120a61485d4970b-800wi" alt="" /></p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">An old-fashioned [incandescent] lightbulb uses about ten percent of its energy to make light. What happens to the other ninety percent? It just makes heat... hot air.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">I often feel like our lives are like that, like these really inefficient bulbs. There's lots of energy going in ... but there's a really small percentage of the energy going into us that's accomplishing what we were called to do in the first place.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">By contrast, an energy-efficient bulb uses about ninety percent of the energy going in to make light. It's light that extinguishes darkness, it's visible light, light we can <em>do something</em> by.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">As a result we don't have to [mine coal] so much, and we don't have to tear mountains down. Less mercury ends up in fish, fewer kids get asthma. A company or an individual who gets involved in efficiency frees up resources for things like feeding the hungry and caring for the sick. It's a way of being a good steward. So, yes - changing your lightbulbs is a way of loving God and your neighbor.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">It seems to me that Jesus is a "big picture" kind of guy... If we choose to follow Christ, we become new people -- with new priorities. Our behaviors change, not just the lightbulbs. When our hearts are changed, our actions follow...</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">Jesus Christ came into this world to <em>save</em> the world, not to condemn it, and that's the good news. Falling in love with light is a pivotal part of this love story.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">Jesus, the light of the world, is calling you and me to become children of light. So, my prayer is that you let the light of Jesus sweep over you and remove all the darkness in your life. Then and only then can we become a light to the world... And it will be good.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;"><span>Want to hear more from Matthew on serving God and saving the planet? </span><em>&nbsp;</em><a title="Watch the video &quot;Serving God, Saving the Planet&quot; Session 1" href="http://zndr.vn/JdX9Is" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;"><a title="Watch the video &quot;Serving God, Saving the Planet&quot; Session 1" href="http://zndr.vn/JdX9Is" target="_blank"><br />Watch the video</a> of Session 1 on YouTube.</p>
<p style="font-size: 13px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">- Adam Forrest, Zondervan</p>
<p style="font-size: 11px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font-size: 11px; font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif;">(<span>This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared for information purposes only. To receive new  Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, <a title="Subscribe to the blog" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/feedburner/zondervanblog?cm_mmc=ZT-_-Blog-Feb12-_-Blog-_-Subscribe+to+Zondervan+Blog" target="_blank">subscribe to Zondervan Blog</a>.)</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Celebrating Easter with Kids: Recommended Books, Activities, and Sweepstakes

 

The Easter story can be heavy stuff to teach our young ones! That's why Ruthie Spaans, a member of our Zonderkidz team, shares these recommendations for Easter books, free activities, and a limited-time sweepstakes. (Enter the Beginner's Bible Easter Sweepstakes by March 26, 2012.)

 

For Christians around the world, the Easter season marks the foundation of our faith. Easter is when we celebrates the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus — heavy stuff to teach to little ones!

 

That's why our Zonderkidz team is always searching for new ways to teach Christ's message to your kids. Our goal is simple: to encourage you to spend time with your child, and with God. We pore through parenting blogs, investigate the latest trends, and hang on every word when others share how they're teaching matters beyond ABC's and etiquette, delving into the deeper things of our faith.

 

Fun Books that Go Deep

If you are looking to teach your preschoolers the deeper messages of the resurrection in fun yet inspirational ways, we recommend the Beginner's Bible resources. The Very First Easter, The Beginner's Bible Book of Prayers, Jesus Saves the World (an I Can Read book), and The Beginner's Bible Deluxe Edition are wonderful tools to help you introduce the Easter story, with traditional art, fun characters, and even audio narration!

 

Inspirational & Fun Activities

Some parents like to use food or crafts as the theme. Others look for the latest technology, such as apps, to tell the Easter story in a way that today's generation of kids accept without question. Still others combine traditional holiday activities with a theological twist to illustrate the story.

I encourage you to visit TheBeginnersBible.com and The Beginner's Bible Facebook page for weekly devotions, coloring pages, stickers, and other teaching resources. We even have an animated Easter video on YouTube for you to enjoy!

 

As a special treat, we encourage you to enter The Beginner's Bible Easter Sweepstakes on Facebook, for your chance to win a set of some of the newest products in The Beginner's Bible lineup.

 

Enter the Beginner's Bible Easter Sweepstakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wish you a blessed Easter season, and pray each day for our parents and children's ministries that work hard to bring Christ's message to kids!

- Ruthie Spaans, Zonderkidz

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

Hi Creativity, Meet Ministry... (The UNTITLED Blaine Hogan Interview)

 

Blaine Hogan's UNTITLED: Thoughts on the Creative Process is a declaration of war against the blank page.   

Learn More

 

In this interview with long-time creator Blaine (Creative Director at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL) you will get a taste of his insights on attacking the blank page, executing vision, getting more out of contemplation, and as Blaine writes, "creating beauty from the inside out."

 

Full disclosure: Blaine's UNTITLED eBook isn't published by Zondervan, but I believe you creators (writers, pastors, teachers, worship leaders, and artists of all stripes) will be encouraged and empowered by Blaine's perspective. I look forward to hearing your comments! -AF

 

ZBLOG: In UNTITLED you ask, "Is there anything in my work I love so much I would eat it?" That's my first question: What are you hungry for?

 

Blaine Hogan

BLAINE: Movement. Heart movement. In myself first and then in an audience. I'm starving for and always on the lookout for something that I find deeply moving. As I continue to explore this discipline of the creative process, I find that the more I can discipline myself to being open and to exploring various corners of things, the chances for finding things in this vein dramatically increase. And when I find something that moves me, I want to eat it. I want to internalize it, through the lens of my own story — then I want to figure out the best way to tell it.

 

ZBLOG: You support artistic "fringe exploration" and "rebellion," but you also observe, "sometimes artists get so carried away with their rebellion they begin to wage war with their own center of gravity." What is your center of gravity? And how do you recommend other artists stay centered?

BLAINE: Put simply, the continually refining work of Christ in my life. I grew up Catholic so I find myself repeating the Lord's Prayer throughout the day without even knowing it. For me this has always been centering. Contemplation is another thing I use to stay centered. Probably everyone reading this works in a fast paced environment, and the opportunity for silence and meditation I imagine is rare. However, if we aren't quiet, I'm not sure we can stay centered. When we stop we recognize our breath — something we didn't "work" to do. It just happens. This is the cosmic mystery of Christ within us. We center ourselves when we stop.

 

ZBLOG: A good number of people I know, both non-Christians and Christians, believe that creative thinking and doctrinal thinking are at loggerheads. Do you see a tension between the artist's work and the theologian's? Or can Michaelangelo and Martin Luther sit at the same table?

 

March 3, 2012 Only: Get Karen Kingsbury’s "Bailey Flanigan" eBooks 70% Off

 

(Update on March 4, 2012 - The Kindle Daily Deal for Bailey Flanigan eBooks is now closed. Thank you to everyone who joined us in congratulating @karenkingsbury yesterday, and everyone else who participated! -Adam Forrest, Zondervan)

We're excited for novelist Karen Kingsbury because Amazon.com hand-picked her Bailey Flanigan series as a Kindle Daily Deal! 

Today [March 3] only, the first three volumes in the Bailey Flanigan series (Leaving, Learning, and Longing) are 70% off, just $2.99 apiece. Since the special will disappear when the clock strikes midnight, we recommend you take advantage of the deal right now! [The Kindle Daily Deal is no longer related to Karen Kingsbury]

Find the Bailey Flanigan eBooks in the Kindle Store

  

If you use a Nook or iPad...

Find the Bailey Flanigan eBooks here:

Barnes and Noble Learn More
iTunes Store Learn More
Christianbook.com Learn More

 

About the Bailey Flanigan Series

The latest series of novels from Karen Kingsbury begins with Bailey Flanigan leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. Featuring members of the popular Baxter family, this series will present the much-anticipated finale of the Bailey Flanigan & Cody Coleman story. 

 

Leaving (Volume 1)
Bailey's won an audition for a Broadway musical in New York City, and she's determined to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! But is she really ready to leave family and friends for the loneliness of the big city? And what of Cody? With him in Indianapolis, the distance, new friends and circumstances begin to reveal cracks in their relationship. Buy for Kindle

 

Learning (Volume 2)
While Bailey grows closer to her dream of being an actress and dancer in New York, Cody becomes immersed in the lives of the high school football team he is coaching. Neither Bailey nor Cody feel complete without the chance to share their dreams with one other, but can distance truly make the heart grow fonder? Or will Cody turn to others, especially when tragedy strikes? Buy for Kindle

 

Longing (Volume 3)
After a long and lonely silence from Cody Coleman, Bailey Flanigan becomes closer to her one-time Hollywood co-star, Brandon Paul. Nights on the town in New York City and long talks on the balcony of Brandon's Malibu Beach home make Bailey dizzy with new feelings and cause her to wonder if her days with Cody are over forever. Buy for Kindle

 

 

About Karen Kingsbury

New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist, with over 20 million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction™ has produced multiple bestsellers, including Leaving, Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women's groups. Find out more about Karen, her books, and her appearance schedule at www.KarenKingsbury.com and visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorKarenKingsbury

 

More to Come for the Baxter Family Characters
Loving (Bailey Flanigan Series, Volume 4) hits stores on March 27. In the fourth and final book of the series, Bailey is planning a wedding. But is she marrying the right man? (This volume is available for pre-order, but it's not included in the Kindle Daily Deal or Gold Box New Deal.)

Coming Home: A Story of Unending Love and Eternal Promise hits stores June 26, 2012. As the Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, the unthinkable happens. Coming Home — a stand-alone novel — can serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion to the saga of the Baxter Family.

Find the Bailey Flanigan eBooks in the Kindle Store

Reader Favorites from February: Top 9 Blog Posts + other Posts of Note

 

Top 9 Posts from February

Ranked by reader traffic and feedback.

1. Remembering Jan Berenstain The original illustrator of the Berenstain Bears books, Jan Berenstein, has passed away. We share our personal memories of her.

2. Mothers: How You Could Get Published in the New NIV Mom's Devotional Bible This contest for moms who write is still open, but only until March 15, 2012!

3. How to Overcome Your Fear of Fasting If you've ever had interest in fasting but feel a little intimidated, I highly recommend this piece. An original guest post by author and nutrition expert Kristen Feola (@kristenfeola).

4. Four Simple Prayer Starters for a Stronger Marriage via Gary Thomas (@GaryLThomas). Prayers about getting more out of your marriage. Excerpt from Sacred Marriage DVD Group Study.

5. Tough Love: Jesus and 1 Corinthians 13 See what happens when we trade out the word "love" for "Jesus" in 1 Corinthians: "Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast..." A fascinating excerpt via Craig Blomberg's NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians.

6. A Prayer Against Anger from Common Prayer Pocket Edition. Useful!

7. Spirit-filled Living vs. Just "Trying Harder" Jim Cymbala (@jimcymbala) reveals the important contrast between relying on ourselves and depending on the Spirit. Which do you do? Excerpt from his new book Spirit Rising.

8. When the Answer to Prayer is Bigger than Our Brain via Mark Batterson (@MarkBatterson). "The same God who hovered over the chaos at the beginning of time is hovering over your life, and you never know when His answer will reenter the atmosphere of your life..."

9. Why Not Risk? A Risk Analysis Tool + Case Study Ben Carson shares his method for making risky decisions, then applies the method to a case from his own life: Should he share his Christian faith in the workplace?

More Posts of Note

1. Discover WHO You are and WHOSE You Are A recap of Kary Oberbrunner's livechat on how to find your identity and purpose in Christ. I especially like Kary's "Secret Name" Test, which I recommend you check out in the post.

2. On Ash Wednesday - Remembering We're Dust A rich contemplative piece from Walt Wangerin, Jr.'s Lent devotional book, Reliving the Passion.

3. Pursuing a Manhood that's Honest, Strong, and ... Weak? Author Wes Yoder on the essential ingredients of manhood. (They may not be what you think.)

4. God is With You, and He Doesn't Quit Feel like you're facing an impossible challenge? Find out how God was faithful to his people in helping Nehemiah rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Excerpt from Kristen Feola's (@kristenfeola) book The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast.

 

Remembering Jan Berenstain

 

In remembrance of Jan Berenstain, 26 July 1923 – 24 February 2012.

It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Jan Berenstain. Her obvious love of family and life, children and reading ... all are reflected in the artwork she has created for so many books over the years.

After working with Mike and Jan Berenstain for three years as an editor for the Berenstain Bears Living Lights series, I was finally able to meet Jan face-to-face this past fall. When I met Jan I was struck almost immediately by her vitality. Though petite in stature, Jan had a spirit and a smile as big as Mama Bear's! I was pulled into her circle just as easily as most of us Berenstain Bear fans have been pulled into the Bear family and their stories and lessons. Listening to her relate memories of the early Berenstain Bear books and the story of the Bears and their development, and then later having the opportunity to watch as she painted a current project for the Living Lights series, I remember thinking that I was watching a children's literature icon hard at work. Blessed with a marvelous sense of humor and artistic talent, Jan has brought to life characters that have become friends, family members, and favorite teachers for many of us readers over the past 50 years.

 

This is how I am going to remember Jan ... a big smile and a hug, with paints smudging her fingertips ... thinking in that sharp mind about the next action-filled, colorful scene on the next spread of the next book ...

- Mary Hassinger, Acquisitions Editor, Zonderkidz

 

It has been a childhood dream and an adult privilege for me to work with Jan and Mike Berenstain over the years. I remember the first birthday card sent to Jan from our team and her response, "I love this year's signed birthday card. Thanks! I'm beginning to understand why readers enjoy getting their books signed — it's great!" Jan was a kid at heart. She will always be that bubbly person to me. The world is a better place because of Jan Berenstain.

- Annette Bourland, Publisher, Zonderkidz

Image: Jan & Stan Berenstain, via www.harpercollins.com.

Re:Word Weekly - 2/24/12

 

Re:Word is a weekly roundup of stories on faith, relationships, and the creative life.

  

1. How Big Is Your BUT? - Watch Lysa TerKeurst's webcast on overcoming excuses.  (via @LysaTerKeurst)

 

2. On Writing The Perfect Ending - Sue Brower (Executive Editor at Zondervan) shares proven wisdom for making your romance, women's lit, or suspense story go out with bang. (via @acfwTweets).

 

3.  The Cost of Not Failing - The engrossing story of would-be comedy star Duke Fightmaster leads Ed Czyewski to observe, "When we refuse to fail, we rob ourselves of important lessons ... and prevent ourselves from taking important steps forward." (via @TheHighCalling).

 

4. Four Ways to Be a Better Friend by Ann Voskamp (@annvoskamp).

 

5. What about Purgatory? asks author and scholar Scot McKnight... (@scotmcknight)

 

The poet Dante presents his poem "Purgatorio" to the city of Florence.

 

6. Five Ways to Spice Things Up with Your Spouse by author Sheila Wray Gregoire (@sheilagregoire)

 

7. 19 tips for authors (and aspiring authors) by Seth Godin. If you're not familiar with Godin, he's an incredibly entrepreneurial (and busy) thinker, writer, and marketer -- so I'm not surprised his first love is for self-publishing. We disagree on a few points about publishing (i.e., Tip #7), but even when Godin isn't right he's worth considering. Here are two of my favorites from the list:

The best time to start promoting your book is three years before it comes out. Three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you'll need later.

Pay for an eidtor editor. Not just to fix the typos, but to actually make your ramblings into something that people will choose to read... One of the things traditional publishers used to do is provide really insightful, even brilliant editors... but alas, that doesn't happen very often.*

(*I can't speak for the personnel at other publishers, but my editor colleagues at Zondervan are insightful and even brilliant. // I tip my hat to Zondervan author @pastorbrady for bringing Godin's post to my attention.)

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(Disclosure: Some Re:Word stories are by Zondervan authors. Some are not. All regard words or the Word, and all are useful / enriching / or just flat-out interesting. Image attribution: Domenico Di Michelino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

Use These Outreach Books (5 Zondervan Authors Honored with Outreach 2012 Resources of the Year Awards)

 

The 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year were announced today in a press release from Outreach magazine, honoring twenty evangelism-themed resources from the last year. Five of these resources are by by Zondervan authors.

The Outreach Resources of the Year series celebrates of "the best outreach-oriented books and curricula," says the magazine, which selects titles in "areas such as evangelism, compassion and justice ministries, missional living and cross-cultural ministries." Here is the magazine's Editor, Brian Orme, on the goal of the series:

These resources deserve accolades, but Outreach Resources of the Year is about more than that... We strive to help churches share God's love, reach their communities and change the world. Drawing their attention to the best resources available each year is one way we do that.

 

We at Zondervan couldn't agree more with Orme. Of course we're thrilled for our authors when they receive awards — we love our authors, and it's exciting to see their excellent work honored by others. But the chief reason we celebrate today is this: we're blessed to work with authors who help people share God's love and transform the world.

 

Here's the scoop on these five award-winning Zondervan authors and their books:

USE THESE BOOKS: Five 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year

1. Evangelism
	The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scot McKnight (@scotmcknight) Evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation. This book makes a plea for us to recover the old gospel as that which is still new and still fresh. (From the synopsis) Read Excerpt Learn More about The King Jesus Gospel
2. Church & Culture
	Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James (@carolynezer) James unpacks three transformative themes in the Bible that raise the bar for women and calls them to join their brothers in advancing God's gracious kingdom on earth. (From the synopsis) Read Excerpt Learn more about Half the Church Visit James's Blog
3. Children's Outreach
	The Nature of God: Ocean Adventures Book & DVDs by Peter Schriemer (Follow @peterschriemer) With rich and age-appropriate content based on & supplementing the presentations of Peter Schriemer in the DVD collection Nature of God, readers learn more about God's creation of eco-systems, flora, and fauna specifically found in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. (From the synopsis) Learn More about Ocean Adventures Book Visit "The Nature of God" Page on Facebook
4. Youth Outreach
	Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Kara Powell (@kpowellfyi & @stickyfaith) Based on Fuller Youth Institute findings, this easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children's spiritual growth so that it will stick to them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. (From the synopsis) Learn More about Sticky Faith Visit the Sticky Faith Website
5. Small Group Curriculum
	Muslims, Christians, and Jesus DVD: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships by Carl Medearis (Follow @carlmedearis) Medearis, an international expert in the field of Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations, provides American Christians background info on Islam and tools for sharing Christ with their Muslim neighbors. (From the synopsis) Learn More about Muslims, Christians, & Jesus DVD

If you would like to send one of these authors congratulations on their achievement, leave your comment on Zondervan's EngagingChurch Blog. My coworker, Andrew Rogers, has graciously volunteered to forward everyone's messages to the authors!

The full list of 20 award winners are featured in the March/April 2012 issue of Outreach. Now we've covered five of Outreach's favorite books on evangelism. What's your favorite?

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan. Big tip of the hat to Andrew Rogers.

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives; the writer's opinions are his own, and are only intended for information purposes. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

Re:Word Weekly - 2/17/12

Re:Word is a weekly roundup of stories on faith, relationships, and creativity. Read on for generous portions of useful and interesting.

1. 16 Ways to Flirt with Your Husband - A great post in Sheila Wray Gregoire's (@sheilagregoire) series on 29 tips to great sex for married couples.

 

2. A close look at the reliability of the New Testament with the mighty Craig Blomberg. (Tip of the hat to @edstetzer and his blog www.edstetzer.com).

 

3. Getting Creative Things Done: How to Fit Hard Thinking into a Busy Schedule Blogger Cal Newport offers a system for doing creative work in our busy, to-do-list-laden schedules.

 

4. A Prayer for Your Home - A lovely poetic prayer by Ann Voskamp (@annvoskamp).

 

5. A challenge against passivity by author Michael Wittmer. This piece may be soon appear on ourdailyjourney.org, and it's thrilling to me when Wittmer posts his in-progress work to let readers "under the hood" with him. I learn something about faith and the writing process every time.

 

6. The 19th-century invention that annihilated time and space In 1844, the cutting edge of communications technology was the telegraph, and reports of its first success range from the charming to the near hysterical. My two favorite examples:

April 20, 1844
Mr. Morse said that, in conversing with the superintendent at the other end, he sometimes forgot himself, and was about to speak to him as though he were present, forgetting that he was talking with a man eleven or twelve miles distant.

May 31, 1844
Time and space has been completely annihilated.

 

The reactions seem positive, but their force reminds me of the equally strong criticism against new digital technology. For example, see Dr. Sherry Turkle's view that texting and cellphones are means to isolation. While I respect Turkle's point of view, the telegraph craze of 1844 is an amusing reminder that measuring the effects of technology is tricky business.

 

It's Just another piece to keep in mind as we consider ominous questions (such as this one, from Turkle: "people hide from telephone calls because they don't want the commitment of real-time talking... Who knows where it might lead?").

 

Morse's telegraph machine, aka the Annihilator of Time and Space.

7. A Statement from Christians Who are "Moving Beyond Evangelical" - Put two evangelicals in a room and you'll hear three opinions on what "evangelical" means.

Beyond the word itself, there's confusion about what the evangelical identity is about. If I understand author Frank Viola's post correctly, he finds the character of evangelicalism to be increasingly polemical,  "more about [political and doctrinal] issues than about Jesus Christ."

I don't know that I agree with Viola on all the points of the collective Confession he presents, but when it comes to differences of opinion, we agree with Augustine's rule of thumb:

"In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity."

Frank Viola blogs at frankviola.org, though this post is from Kurt Willems' Pangea Blog where Kurt wrote a related thought-provoking post, You Might be an Evangelical Reject If....

For further reading, check out Zondervan's Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism.

 

I'll end with a 2-part question.
Two strangers approach you.
The first asks you if you're a Christian. What do you say?
The second stranger asks if you're an evangelical. What do you say?

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(Disclosure: Some Re:Word stories are by Zondervan authors. Some are not. All regard words or the Word. Image attribution: 2006 Zubro (image by myself) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

Re:Word Weekly - 2/10/2012

 

Re:Word is our weekly roundup of stories for disciples who read, write, and create.

Top Stories from the Week

1. Feast your eyes on Visual Theology - The Books of the Bible. You'll find a free PDF download of the infographic in Tim Challies's post. (@challies is author of The Next Story)

 

Find and download other sizes.

2. The secret document that transformed China

"In 1978, the farmers in a small Chinese village called Xiaogang gathered in a mud hut to sign a secret contract. They thought it might get them executed. Instead, it wound up transforming China's economy in ways that are still reverberating today."

I hope Yen Jingchang is able to share more of his tale without endangering himself. His is the kind of story that makes me stop and cry out, Is there a biographer in the house? (via @brainpicker) 

3. "From Faith to Faithing" Is following Jesus more like a noun (faith) or a verb (faithing)? Kara Powell explores how the faithing view is more in line with the Apostle Peter's example. (via @kpowellfyi. Powell is author of Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids)

4. Sweet potato hash brown recipe - I didn't know fasting could taste this good... (via @kristenfeola, author of The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast)

5. Bloggers: "Is perfectionism stalling your productivity?" 5 encouragements for the blogger perfectionist by Darren Rowse (@problogger). Most intriguing tip: "Realize that an incomplete post will probably attract more comments." What do you think, have you seen success with an "incomplete" post on your blog? Leave a comment on this Re:Word post.

6. Did you see the "Sling Baby" Doritos ad from the Superbowl? Creator Sean Gaffney wrote a Q&A about the experience on his blog. (Gaffney has worked on Veggie Tales and is the author of Larry Boy and the Emperor of Envy. He's on Twitter at @gaffneyinkwell.)   

7. What a nebula sounds like - when it's slowed down 1.75 trillion times, anyway. "So you're telling me," says my coworker Rich Tatum, "that the crab nebula is like the porpoise of the universe?" (Link via planetarium educator @rickeyainsworth.)

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan

 

(Disclosure: Some Re:Word stories are by Zondervan authors. Some are not. All of the stories are useful, enriching, or just plain fascinating. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)