• January 17th, 2012
    07:26 PM ET

    Showing Love and Hospitality

    By Roxanne Packham, author of Inspired Design

    Before we are inspired about how to show love to others, we must first ask why? 

    Quite simply it is because in Romans 12:10 and 13 we are told to be devoted to one another in brotherly love, to honor one another above ourselves.  We are also told to share with God’s people who are in need and to Practice Hospitality. Notice the vocabulary: practice, not perfect.

    In America, as a culture and as individuals, we are suffering in part because popular media gears everything to perfection. We are bombarded with messages that if we aren’t the very best at something, we just shouldn’t bother. We compare ourselves to others, rather than knowing our worth in God’s eyes.

    I suffer from insecurity and wonder if I can be creative enough to inspire.  Are my tips original? Are the photographs beautiful enough? Are my suggestions too simple for some, but too fancy for another?  The problem: my thoughts revolve completely around me. My creativity, my skills, my ability.  This is not about me but about God’s purpose for me. I suddenly realize the bigger picture; I can’t do it, but I can through Christ who strengthens me.          

    This dance in my mind between my preciousness in His sight and the enemy’s interjections has slowed me down at times, but God showed me this dance is the very reason for us to love others; to encourage each other. Because we are human we suffer from doubt, insecurity, and rejection of one sort or another.  We are God’s tool to encourage others. God uses us as His hands to love others, but make no mistake it is His power, His grace and the Holy Spirit that do the real work, not ours.

    God’s path of creativity in me began with a family history of silversmithing eight generations back, a degree from USC, design school in Paris, then design school in Los Angeles. Call them spiritual or otherwise, but they were the gifts God saw fit to give to me. Who am I to argue with my Creator? They are unique and I celebrate them. What are your magnificent and unique gifts that you can use to inspire others? 

    I do not want the gifts received as a blessing from God to “turn into spiritual dry rot,” as Ann Voscamp suggests in her book One Thousand Gifts, as the manna did when it was hoarded in Exodus 16:20. I want to use my blessings.

    Inadequacies and all, imperfections and all: I want to inspire others to Practice Hospitality and to LOVE others.

    Creative Ways to Encourage Others on Valentine’s Day

    KIND WORDS

    A handwritten note with quotes, scriptures and words of encouragement is a wonderful thing to find in the mailbox.

    Leave a sticky note on your child/husband’s pillow or be bold and write your note on the bathroom mirror or car window in red lipstick saying “I love you”.

    Even an email just to say “thank you for your hard work, you bless me” can make a person’s day. A cute poem, scripture or old photograph will remind them they are remembered.

    If someone has lost a loved one, kind words of some way that loved one inspired you to do something better will let them know that their loved one’s legacy is living on.

    AN INVITATION, TIME

    Take some time out of your days to meet someone for coffee, lunch, a long walk, or even just leave a phone message with a sweet sentiment. If you have more time, take a picnic basket to their home. Set up a lunch, tea or coffee, with all your tea cups and a candle. It is a lovely surprise! Just rinse when you finish and pack back up so they don’t even have to do dishes. They will have a lovely memory of a special time.

    THOUGHTFUL GESTURE

    Hang flowers on the front door handle, leave a pretty tiny package in the mailbox with a beautiful red bow, or cookies delivered to the front door. Create a breakfast plate for your child that says you are special . This is especially significant if your child has struggled with something recently.

    A BEAUTIFUL DINNER 

    Of course this takes more time, but try for a beautiful table setting complete with candles, fresh greens or flowers and a lovely menu either handwritten or printed out on your computer. (Visit Roxanne’s Pinterest account, via the Inspired Design blog, for darling printouts, including gift tags, and much more.) Don’t concentrate on the gourmet or complicated quality of the meal: remember it is about relationship and encouragement!

    VALENTINE’S DINNER

    A beautiful table for Valentine’s simply consists of reds, pinks and perhaps some purple. (Although it could be beautiful in all white too.) Of course, it has to have some hearts and some colorful candles. Leave kind words of some sort on each place setting. Every Valentine’s table should have its share of sparkle, of course!

    Visit Roxanne Packham’s blog at  www.InspiredDesignPublications.blogspot.com for more pictures and Inspired Design ideas for Valentine’s Day.

  • January 12th, 2012
    01:14 PM ET

    Common English Bible Broadens Its Appeal

    As 2012 dawns, the new Bible translation Common English Bible is establishing itself on multiple websites, celebrating its second consecutive month as a best seller, creating a growing buzz among bloggers, and is twice considered by journalists as being one of the top religion stories of 2011.

    BibleGateway.com, the highest ranked (according to Alexa) website in the world for Bible search activity, is now featuring the Common English Bible (Twitter @CommonEngBible) in its Verse of the Day free email subscription. And Patheos.com, the international online hub for faith communities, is now featuring the Common English Bible as its Daily Verse, appearing on its LibraryBible Resources page, Evangelical Portal, and Progressive Christian Portal.

    The free-to-search text of the Common English Bible, including the Apocrypha, is available online at the translation’s website, Bible Gateway, and YouVersion. A Bible Passage Lookup widget is also available for placement on personal websites.

    The Common English Bible is on the January CBABible Translation Best Seller list (based on actual unit sales in Christian retail stores in the United States through Dec. 3, 2011). Its debut on the list in December came after being in stores just less than three months.

    More than 150 international bloggers are currently participating in the three-month long “Thank You-Come Again-I Promise” blog tour (from November 2011 through January 2012). The tour’s Twitter hashtag is #CEBtour. The complete tour schedule, and information about joining the tour, is available at CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/blogtour.

    And the completion of the Common English Bible after four years of translation work was named one of the top 10 religion stories of 2011 as decided by leading international religion journalists in the 30th annual ReligionNewswriters Association survey and by editors of the Associated Baptist Press.

    “There’s a reason the Common English Bible is receiving such a positive and popular reception,” says Paul Franklin, PhD, associate publisher. “It’s probably the most literal Bible translation, built on common ground with academic rigor and denomination neutrality, which clearly communicates ancient sacred text in understandable 21st century English.”

    The Common English Bible is a collaboration of 120 Bible scholars and editors, 77 reading group leaders, and more than 500 average readers from around the world. The translators – from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities – represent such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others.

    The Common English Bible is written in contemporary idiom at the same reading level as the newspaper USA TODAY—using language that’s comfortable and accessible for today’s English readers. More than half-a-million copies of the Bible are already in print, including an edition with the Apocrypha. The Common English Bible is available for purchase online and in 20 digital formats. A Reference Bible edition and a Daily Companion devotional edition are now also available. Additionally, in 2012, Church/Pew Bibles, Gift and Award Bibles, Large Print Bibles, and Children’s Bible editions will be in stores, joining the existing Thinline Bibles, Compact Thin Bibles, and Pocket-Size Bibles, bringing the total variety of Common English Bible stock-keeping units (SKUs) to more than 40.

    Visit CommonEnglishBible.com to see comparison translations, learn about the translators, get free downloads, and more.

    The Common English Bible is sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (USA) (Westminster John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing, Inc.), United Church of Christ (The Pilgrim Press), and The United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).

  • January 12th, 2012
    12:42 PM ET

    Your New Year's ANTI-Resolution

    3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work and What You Should Do Instead if You Want to Succeed in 2012

    By B.C. Fleming

    Author and Speaker

    In the military we are results oriented, period! And there is no excuse for not producing results. Nobody wants to be known as "that guy" who can't be counted on. I know very few, if any, successful people who take New Year’s resolutions seriously (and I’m blessed to know quite a few, actually). A great number of people who are successful at what they do are successful because they are results-focused and results-oriented, they don’t make excuses for failure, they are go-getters and stubborn in their commitment to not give up and stick with it and they don’t stake the success of their careers or personal lives on short-lived, “feel-good” marketing gimmicks that reappear once a year every January (not to sound harsh, but let’s be honest).

    1. New Year’s resolutions are meant to be broken. They don’t work because nobody keeps them. People make their resolutions with the intention of receiving some sort of pleasure or reward and expect it to happen almost instantaneously. When it doesn’t come fast enough they give up. But I can tell you from personal experience that the desire to avoid imminent pain or discomfort will move more people in a given direction faster than any other force, even the promise of pleasure or reward. Most people, when it comes to their resolutions, focus only on what they want to happen. But you will take more consistent action when you have the daunting thoughts of the things you don’t want to happen in the forefront of your mind accompanying those things you do want.

    2. New Year’s resolutions do more damage than good because people don’t know how to properly set and actually achieve goals. Most people are half-hearted in their commitments to their New Year’s resolutions because they want the result without the work. Then they feel like failures when they choose to give up in a month or two because they’ve decided that what they thought they wanted isn’t worth the effort. Again, they beat themselves down mentally and feel like failures because they gave up and it’s back to square one.

    3. People despise change. People instinctively try to avoid change instead of embracing it. People like their comfort zones and New Year’s resolutions require people to get out of those comfort zones and to stay out of them. Pursuing and reaching a New Year’s resolution typically involves a moderate to major change in a person’s daily lifestyle. Doing something different takes time to develop into a habit—roughly 3 weeks according to some experts. Drastic, sudden changes in personal lifestyle typically won’t last for any extended period of time because most people simply don’t want whatever it is they said they wanted badly enough.

    B.C. Fleming

    B.C. FLEMING’S SOLUTION TO YOUR ANTI-NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION:

    1. Make a list of 3 things you absolutely DO NOT want to have happen in your life this year (in the “resolution areas” as I call them—areas you’re looking to improve in). Underneath that list of things you don’t want to happen, make a sub-list of 3 simple, practical things you are going to do every single day in order to avoid having those things happen. At the end of the paper, write one short, simple phrase stating your ultimate goal or desire in doing these things—and be specific (seeing your end result written down is KEY)—and then write down a specific date as a deadline.

    2. Make 3-5 copies of this short, simple list.

    3. Tape these on your mirror, next to your toilet, in your car, on your refrigerator, on the backside of your front door—anywhere you will be forced to run into them and look at them on a daily basis. Then do the activities listed which will ultimately lead you to your goal. Success here is in keeping it simple and doable. 

    4. Stay consistent! Truth is, if you want something badly enough and are willing to do whatever it takes and stick with it, you’ll get it.

    Remember… At the end of the day you have nobody to blame and your success is your own fault!

    *To INSTANTLY download a FREE copy of “Fleming’s Ridiculously Simple Plan for Achieving Your Goals,” simply go to www.BlownUpGuy.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the yellow button that says “GOALS!”

    B.C. Fleming is available for speaking engagements. For more  information contact,  Helen Cook - hcook@tbbmedia.com - 800-927-0517 x110.

  • January 05th, 2012
    07:24 PM ET

    Reasons for Hope: In the Mosaic of Your Life

    Reasons for Hope In the Mosaic of Your Life by Carl Kerby

    God uses our brokenness to create something beautiful; Carl Kerby shares his mosaic.

    Life is not always picture-perfect, and sometimes it is difficult to see God’s plan or purpose—especially during difficult times. Reasons for Hope: In the Mosaic of Your Life, by sought-after speaker Carl Kerby, researches the many aspects of faith that will encourage everyone looking for hope in today’s troubling times. With humor and passion, Carl answers questions about suffering, evolution, relativism, faith and more, strengthening his readers and equipping them to offer true hope to a broken world.

    “In a mosaic, the artist arranges pieces of cut or broken stones or tiles to create a decorative pattern. We may struggle to grasp the overall design of a mosaic when we’re looking at the individual pieces up close, because what we see looks like a piece of junk, broken and useless. But when we step back far enough to view the entire mosaic, we get a new perspective, and we see the intricate beauty of the finished masterpiece. That enables us to grasp the original intent of the artist,” explains Carl Kerby. Reasons for Hope chronicles Carl’s rocky start as the son of a professional wrestler and takes readers from his difficult teen years and his military career to his stressful responsibility as an air-traffic controller at one of the nation’s busiest airports and ultimately to his ministry calling as a speaker. Carl reveals how God has created a beautiful mosaic from the broken pieces of his life, held together by the saving grace of the cross of Jesus Christ. As readers join in Carl’s journey, they will come to understand how the bigger picture of their own lives reveals a unique and beautiful mosaic.

    Using his dynamic and infectious passion, Carl reveals God’s hand throughout his life, from childhood to adulthood, from unbelief to belief. No matter what the circumstances, God gathers up the broken pieces of life and forms them into something beautiful, all according to His purpose and plan. Carl’s story will not only give reasons for hope but will also encourage readers to share their only true hope, Jesus Christ. Readers will walk away knowing that the broken pieces of their lives are used by God to make beautiful and useful vessels for His work.

    About the Author: Carl Kerby is president and founder of Reasons for Hope (rforh.com), founded in 2011 as a response to a calling from God to proclaim the authority and authenticity of the Bible. He was previously a founding board member at Answers in Genesis for ten years and served there for over fifteen years. Before that he worked as an air-traffic controller at O’Hare International Airport. Kerby’s love for Jesus fuels a passion to engage the minds and hearts of youth and adults so that they can know the truth of God’s Word. He is a sought-after speaker both in the United States and abroad. Yet his most cherished accomplishment is his 29-year marriage to his wife, Masami, and his roles as father to his children, Alisa and Carl, Jr., and as grandfather to Trey.

    Reasons for Hope: In the Mosaic of Your Life by Carl Kerby

    Genesis Publishing Group/December 15, 2011

    ISBN: 978-1933591094/208 pages/paperback/$14.99

    To learn more about Reasons for Hope* contact: 800-552-HOPE (4673)

    info@rforh.com | www.rforh.com

  • January 04th, 2012
    07:20 PM ET

    God's Will or a Preacher's Blunder?

    The Accidental Bride

    In her latest novel, author Denise Hunter explores the flaw in seeking favor with others

    Thomas Nelson
    The Accidental Bridge by Denise Hunter

    Do the opinions of those around us really matter? Should we live our lives based on what others might think? If so, at what cost? In her latest novel, The Accidental Bride (Thomas Nelson), award-winning author Denise Hunter explores these questions as she deftly leads her readers to discover the One whose favor should always be sought.  

    Shay Brandenberger has built her entire life on the shifting sands of what others think. Constantly seeking the approval of others, she has struggled through a rocky childhood, a failed marriage and single parenthood. Now it looks like she’s losing the ranch that has been in her family for three generations, a surefire way to mark her as a failure in the eyes of the community. When Travis McCoy, the high school sweetheart who very publicly broke her heart fifteen years before, returns to Moose Creek, she is less than pleased. Not only does his re-appearance dredge up a deluge of painful memories, it also reminds everyone in town that it was he who left her, not the other way around. To make matters worse, Shay and Travis are unwittingly paired to play bride and groom in the annual Founder’s Day wedding re-enactment where, much to her chagrin, she discovers he still has the power to take her breath away. 

    After years of successfully following the rodeo circuit, Travis’s one regret in life is having hurt Shay so badly. He’s determined to make the past up to her, so when, through a series of flukes, the marriage ceremony is “accidentally” made official, he seizes the opportunity to make things right. But can Shay let go of her pride and stop worrying about what others think long enough to let him? Or will she remain convinced their accidental marriage is just one more mark against her in the eyes of her neighbors?

    Skillfully creating a love story that beautifully reflects God’s grace, Hunter uses the pages of The Accidental Bride (the second release in the Big Sky Series) to bring to light preoccupation with caring what others think. Using complex characters, an enticing backdrop and an almost palpable range of emotion and conflict, Hunter draws her readers to a new awareness of how much more simple life becomes when we aim to please God instead of man.

    Author Bio: Denise Hunter is the award-winning author of eighteen romance novels, including The Convenient Groom, Surrender Bay, Driftwood Lane and the first book in the Big Sky Series, A Cowboy’s Touch. Struck by the brevity of life following her grandfather’s passing, Denise began writing in 1996. As a young stay-at-home mom she used the brief time while her children were napping each day to pursue her dream of being a writer. Two years later her first novel was published. She then continued her naptime writing schedule to complete four more novels. Today she encourages other young mothers to pursue their writing dreams, pointing out that writing only one page a day for a year will result in a completed manuscript. Since beginning her career, Hunter’s work has earned her the Holt Medallion Award, the Reader’s Choice Award and the Foreword Book of the Year Award. She has also been a RITA finalist. Hunter lives in Indiana with her husband and their three teenaged sons. Along with writing and spending time with her family, she enjoys reading, traveling and playing drums for her church’s worship team.

    The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

    Thomas Nelson/January 3, 2012/ISBN 978-1-59554-802-3/304 pages/trade paper/$15.99

    www.ThomasNelson.com  ~  www.DeniseHunterbooks.com

  • January 03rd, 2012
    06:47 PM ET

    How would you rate your life?

    TEN: How Would You Rate Your Life? by Terry A. Smith

    What Does It Take to Live a Fulfilled Life?

    The key to getting better at your life is helping others get better at theirs.

    Many of us dream of living a richer and more significant life—the kind of fulfilling life that, when rated on the scale of one to ten, would score a definitive ten. Inviting us to awaken to the TEN Life is the theme of a new book by Terry A. Smith, lead pastor of The Life Christian Church in West Orange, New Jersey. A gifted communicator, Terry is a national and international speaker with a passion for challenging and encouraging others, especially those who are completely unaware of their own unique power and potential.

    Based on the tenth verse of the tenth chapter in the Book of John, Ten: How Would You Rate Your Life? (Higher Life Development Services, Inc) is a guide to living the life God dreams for us. “We can only know life in all its fullness,” he explains, “if we live the life God dreams for us. And part of the TEN experience is to try to figure out what that means for each of us as individuals.” Smith’s easy-going style of writing, coupled with his broad scope of reference, makes the book appealing to any reader wanting to create a richer quality of life.

    But while the book does most certainly provide structured steps toward a more fulfilling life, itis far from being the typical “all about me” self-help book. Rather, it is an others-help book. Throughout its pages, Smith links our incredible potential for a superior life to the exponential power of leadership, exposing the bond between creating your own better life and helping others create better lives for themselves. No matter what our inclinations or natural giftings might be, Smith stresses that we all have the ability to lead ourselves and others to the best possible future.

    It was while endeavoring to cheer on his wife during her first ever marathon run, Smith explains in the book’s opening, that he began to realize that, even while we yearn for someone to witness our lives, we also have a driving need to be a supporting witness for others. And just as we want desperately to cheer on those we love, he believes God is also desperate to cheer us to a preferred future and be the ultimate witness to our lives. “And if God be for us,” he asks, “then how can we do anything but believe our best possible future is within our grasp?”

    Ten is about grasping God’s dream for our lives and then taking the necessary action to make that dream come true. Within the pages of Ten, Smith offers sound advice and gives the reader seven inspired steps specifically designed to lead to a better life:

    • Awaken: Wake up to God’s dreams for your life.
    • Discover: Learn how to discover your life’s calling.
    • Imagine: Learn how the discipline of imagination makes the future real.
    • Grow: Develop the life infrastructure necessary to sustain success.
    • Act: Take action to create your future.
    • Lead:Learn to lead yourself and others to the best possible future.
    • Go: Accept the call to get started living the life God dreams for you.

    Through application of these seven steps, Smith reveals how each of us can experience life in all its fullness, moving forward from wherever we are toward a TEN. In this way, we can create the best possible future for ourselves and those around us. We can achieve total fulfillment. We can take our lives all the way up the scale to TEN. All we need is the desire to do so.

    Ten: How Would You Rate Your Life?

    by Terry A. Smith

    Higher Life Development Services, Inc./January 2012

    ISBN: 978-1-935245-50-6/249 pages/hard cover/$24.95

    www.livingten.com/book

  • December 21st, 2011
    10:57 AM ET

    Dynamic Devotions Designed for Pre-Teens

    An interview with Ann-Margret Hovespian,author of Truth & Dare (One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls)and Jeremy Jones, author of Triple Dog Dare(One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys)

    Q: Truth & Dare and Triple Dog Dare devotions are two new books targeted to pre-teens 9-12. One books is for girls, the other for boys. What inspired each of you to write devotions for pre-teens?

    Ann-Margret: I've always had a special place in my heart for outreach to preteen girls and I think that devotionals are a great way to connect with God's Word. I believe God really inspired me to combine my passions and talents in a way that could touch the hearts of girls.

    Daily devotions are crucial in the spiritual development of young girls because Scripture and prayer are the best ways to connect with God. Many Christian girls are involved in youth groups or listen to Christian music or watch Christian movies but sometimes those things can distract us – even adults – from personal study of Scripture and quiet time with God. FULL POST

  • December 20th, 2011
    10:35 AM ET

    Common English Bible Is a Bestselling Translation in Record Time

    NASHVILLE, TN – The new Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) is #10 on the CBA Bible Translation Best Seller list for the month of December. Since the list is based on actual unit sales in Christian retail stores in the United States through Oct. 29, 2011, the Common English Bible (Twitter @CommonEngBible – http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible) achieved this status after being in stores less than three months.

    "We're delighted the Common English Bible is receiving such early overwhelming support and acceptance," says Paul Franklin, PhD, associate publisher. "We see this as confirming our decision to create an academically rigorous yet naturally understandable translation for 21st century English readers; a translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that's built on common ground."

    The best seller achievement comes at the same time the completion of the Common English Bible after four years of translation work was named one of the top 10 religion stories of 2011 as decided by leading religion journalists in the 30th annual Religion Newswriters Association survey (http://www.rna.org/news/79176/2011-Top-10-Religion-Stories-of-the-Year.htm). FULL POST

  • December 20th, 2011
    10:29 AM ET

    MissioLife: Reading the Bible Together

    Post from Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed

    Watch a video of Scot McKnight discussing MissioLife: http://vimeo.com/25748187

    Not long ago I posted about MissioLife, and called attention to this new church digital resource — yes, that's the wave of how more and more Christians and churches will be reading the Bible and doing group studies — as a tool for leading us from Bible knowledge to intimacy with God.

    Today I'd like to comment on another major dimension of the MissioLife resource: it is a tool that encourages an entire church to read the (whole) Bible together. The three images above – breathe, image, rhythms — are symbols in MissioLife for adults, youth, and children. Each has its own age-sensitive approach to Bible reading and formation. But the three dovetail into one church formation approach.

    Here's the genius of MissioLife: it is a full integrative approach to church formation. Notice those words: full (whole Bible, whole Story, holistic salvation), integrative (adults, youth and children, and not scattered study groups doing what they want), church formation (not just individuals doing their own things, not just groups doing their thing, but the whole church doing Bible study and praxis in such a way that a "church" is formed). FULL POST

  • December 19th, 2011
    03:48 PM ET

    MissioLife: From Literacy to Intimacy

    Post from Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed

     Watch a video of Scot McKnight discussing MissioLife.

    Please click here if you would like to sign-up to receive a preview kit of MissioLife with sample lessons and DVD.

    If you haven't already heard about MissioLife, this is your introduction. Chris Folmsbee, along with a team of leaders who care about spiritual formation and local church and children and young adults and adult small groups — for both the individual and for the local church, have now developed MissioLife as a new digital small group/church resource. It is designed to lead each person and local churches from non-Bible readers to Bible literacy. But the genius of MissioLife does not stop at literacy, or knowledge of what the Bible says. No, MissioLife leads from literacy to intimacy with God and to intimacy with others and to intimacy with the world.

    You can download, free of charge, some modules from the link in this paragraph to see just how solid, creative, and practical MissioLife is. This is a big project: each year of the MissioLife resource has six 6-week downloaded modules, and it is best for Sunday School classes and especially small groups. Each year takes us from Story to living the Story in our world in practical ways, both as individuals and as groups. Year One is about The God of Life, the Story of God's Redeeming Shalom. I've been through it; I love it. (There will be four years in the MissioLife resource.)What we have in MissioLife is a Bible Story approach to small groups, spiritual formation, and how the Christian lives today. FULL POST

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A blog about books, news and other forms of Christian media matter important to the faith community.
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  • Tina Jacobson established The B&B Media Group, a full-service publicity, media and consulting firm, in 1987.