Francis Chan - Balance Beam

What if we were honest?

As a pastor, part of my job is to listen. Lately, I've listened to a lot of people whose issues would be less stressful if they could be honest in their relationships. Honesty is one of the core character traits of peaceful living. Being honest with God and others is one of the foundational principles of the Christian life. If we could all practice honesty, I think the quality of our lives would dramatically improve.

Look at the guy in the picture. Would you be more likely to drop a dollar in his can if his sign said, "Will Work For Food" knowing in the back of your mind that the guy just wanted beer money? When I saw this picture, my first impression was that I would probably respond in two ways.

1. I would give him some money. (If I had any in my wallet. I rarely carry cash these days. I wonder when homeless people will be able to receive credit or debit cards?)

2. I would give him more money than usual. Just for being honest, I would probably drop a $5 or $10 in his can instead of a dollar or loose change. I don't advocate Budweiser or any alcoholic beverages and I know I shouldn't enable an alcoholic but something about his honesty causes me to want to reward him.

I remember hearing Rob Bell teach on honesty a few years ago. It truly is one of the fundamental traits that will make our relationships more enjoyable. When we pussyfoot around issues and other people's feelings, we create more complexity in our relationships, more secrets whispered about others when they aren't around, more barriers between our friends and coworkers, and more relationship "triangles" that often end up in hurt feelings and lost confidence.

What if we were honest? How would that change things? How would it change you?

YouTube's Greatest Hits in 4 Minutes

If God is Good - Book Review

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

A Classic Rock Song - Uniquely Done

Ben Rector - Free from TK McKamy on Vimeo.

You Were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next.

Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by a direct intervention from God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.”

In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a “Delivery Guy” from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose, and spiritual growth.

You Were Born for This will change how readers see their world, and what they expect God can do through them to meet real needs. They will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today—and I expect to!”

See video here:

http://bit.ly/wGT7l

Stephen Colbert and His Joy Machine

For some reason, we began receiving Rolling Stone magazine about a year ago. I've enjoyed looking through it and reading it each month. It helps me keep up with what's going on in the music industry as well as reading what those on the left-side of the political spectrum are thinking. RS is unapologetically a liberal thinking magazine. Each month features several jabs and punches at conservative Americans.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when I read this month's cover story about Stephen Colbert. Colbert, the host of The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 11:30 EST), grew up in Charleston, SC. He is a faithful attender of his Catholic Church and unafraid to say that he not only believes in God but loves Him and His Church. To be honest, I was shocked to read not just that Colbert was a God-fearing, church attending man, but also that Rolling Stone didn't attack or seem to mind his beliefs. For that, I am grateful to the writers and editors of RS.

Colbert's father and two older brothers were killed in a plane crash in Charlotte, NC, when he was a child. Obviously, this is a tough way for a young man to grow up. He admits that he struggled with his belief in God and his faith when he was in college. It wasn't until a Gideon gave him a copy of the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs after he graduated college when he regained his faith. Colbert says, "I took one (New Testament) and opened it right away to Matthew, Chapter 5, which is the opening of the Sermon on the Mount. That whole chapter is essentially about not worrying. I didn't read it - it spoke to me, and it was an effortless absorption of the idea. Nothing came to me in a thunderbolt, but I thought to myself, 'I'd be dumb not to re-examine this.'"

Colbert continues to talk a little about suffering and how we should be grateful for our suffering. He also includes a nice thought on having fun at work. He calls his show "The Joy Machine." He strives to have fun with his show because, if not, it just becomes a machine. And if he's not careful, he will soon get caught up in the gears of the machine. (The Church can be like that. We can sometimes get caught up in the machinery of the Church and lose our joy.)

It's quite a remarkable piece.

If you've never watched his show, he is pretty funny and really silly. The Colbert you see on TV is nothing but an act. In fact, he said that he makes sure that his guests understand that he is playing a character that is an idiot and willfully ignorant about them and their causes.

If you find yourself at a magazine stand, you may want to pick up this copy of RS. With people like Kanye West and others on a constant ego trip on TV, it's refreshing to me to read about someone who understands that life is about more than themselves.

Wisdom for Obama from Dragnet

Coming Soon: Lord, Save Us From Your Followers

This looks interesting:

http://lordsaveusthemovie.com/

No Mo' Breakfast Song

How You Can Help

If you are a regular follower of my blog, Facebook page, or Twitter, you're probably absolutely sick and tired of my pitches for Laughing with Sarah. Believe me, it gets old to me too. But the sad truth of writing a book is that the author is the primary spokesman for his book. If the author doesn't sell it, it won't get sold. That is, of course, unless your name happens to be John Grisham or Joel Osteen or someone else with a huge platform from which to sell books.

It is a well-known fact in the publishing business that authors must sell their books. It is also a fact that it is one thing to write a book and it is another thing to sell a book. This is why the average book sells only 500 copies. Most authors enjoy the task of writing, but they despise the task of selling. With that said, I wanted to post something that will help sell a few more copies of Laughing with Sarah.

But here's why:

My church, TrueNorth Church, has a contract on 16 acres of land. We've been meeting in a high school for five years and we are ready to venture out and get our own space. In order to possess the land, we have entered a month-long campaign to raise the money for not only a downpayment but a considerable chunk of money toward this project. The We Unite Land Offering will be received on Sunday, September 20.

Between now and then, we have asked our church members to not only sacrifice but to use creative means to generate more income for themselves that they can pass on to TrueNorth. We have folks who are having yard sales, making quilts, selling jewelry, working overtime, etc. We reminded them of Deuteronomy 8:18 which tells us that God gives us the ability to produce wealth. Steve, our Lead Pastor, has challenged our people to use their creative abilities to generate this offering.

One of the ways that I can contribute is through book sales. So, here is my challenge for you. If we can get a viral campaign going for Laughing with Sarah, who knows how much income it could bring? I have pledged to give all September profits from the sales of LWS to TrueNorth's WE UNITE Land Offering. Of course, even after that, I will give at least a tithe on the profits in the future. If LWS sales really go through the roof, I will fund the whole project!! (Do you believe in miracles?)

So what can you do to help? Here are some ideas:

• Buy my book. (Seems obvious, huh?)
• Tell your friends, family, colleagues, etc. about it. Bring it up at lunch, over coffee, or other gatherings. But don't give your copy away. Ask them to buy it or buy one for them.
  
• Have a copy of LWS on your desk or in a prominent place where others can see it.
• Blog about it. Facebook about it. Twitter about it.
• Add a link to LaughingWithSarah.com to your blog, website, or Facebook page. Let your friends know.
• Start an email campaign. Send everyone in your address book a personal note endorsing LWS with a link to www.LaughingWithSarah.com or the direct link to Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, et. al.
  
• Help me accomplish "250 squared." What is that, you ask? If 250 people tell 250 people about LWS, the result is that 62,500 people will hear about LWS. 250 X 250 = 62,500. If you ask your 250 friends to pass the word on to 250 of their friends, that number becomes over 15 MILLION people.
• Go to Amazon.com and write a review. 5 stars would be nice - if you think it's deserved, of course.
• Give the book as a gift. Buy them for upcoming Christmas or birthday presents. Let me know if you want it signed.
• Ask for it at bookstores and request it at your local library.
• Become a reseller if you have a platform from which to sell. For example, you own a store, you teach seminars, or you host training classes.

If this seems self-serving, I apologize. But this is my way of helping contribute to the future of TNC.

One more thing to note, just in case you're wondering. My profits from the sales of LWS vary depending on the distributor. The minimum profit is a little less than $4 per book. When Amazon sells it, for example, I make $3.71. The most is about $9. So you can do the math to see how many people need to buy LWS in order to make this thing go crazy!

I would appreciate your help in any way. Thanks for reading all of this!!