Andrew Marin is sure to ruffle some evangelical feathers with Love is an Orientation. This book asks – and tries to answer – some very tough questions about the contentious relationship between the evangelical church and the LGBT community. In it, Marin takes exception to the “love the sinner, hate the sin” mentality that has shaped much of the Christian thinking around homosexuality, seeking instead for a way to “elevate the dialogue” between the two communities beyond its current state of animosity.

Marin’s concern for ministry in the gay community began during his college years, when three of his closest friends came out to him within three months. He was stunned, not knowing how to deal with the fact that three people he cared deeply about were suddenly in a category of person he’d been taught to condemn.

Over the years that followed, Marin spent a lot of time listening to gay people. Not preaching at, listening to. And before anyone jumps to conclusions, no, he is not a theological liberal trying to prove that God promotes homosexuality. His concerned is with how to build a bridge between evangelicals and the gay community, because he thinks that what we’ve been doing doesn’t seem to be working. Love is an Orientation distills a lot of what he has learned through years of dialogue and through leading Bible studies for people in the LGBT community. Basically, it’s about loving people when love is risky and when they might well not love you back. It’s from the heart, thoughtful, and groundbreaking. Read it with an open mind. I loved it!

Q&A With Andrew Marin

I love the book but as I was reading I kept wondering, why is this not common sense? Why does the church struggle with this so much?

A big part of the reason is that divisiveness has clouded the culture war. When that happens, common sense doesn’t come to mind. Sometimes, someone needs to come into the conversation with a new perspective. I spent eight and a half years of my life looking at this issue and trying to figure out how to reconcile myself with it. What I found is that culture, the world, and both the gay and Christian communities were all waiting for someone or something to let them know that they each have a part in the conversation. Outside all the debate, there needs to be another medium of conversation, and we, the Christian community, need to be the ones who own this.

There is mainstream secular culture, and there is mainstream evangelical culture, and secular culture always points to evangelical culture as being close-minded bad guys. What the secular culture sees is the Glenn Becks and the Jerry Falwells arguing back, and it’s a fight. What we need to do as a Christian community is step into humility and elevate the conversation to reclaim the simple things that we believe about loving others. What I’ve learned is that all areas of my life are working toward biblical reconciliation with others.

In the book you talk a great deal about elevating the conversation with the gay community. Can you talk a little bit about what that means?

Well, first of all sexuality is an infinite continuum. Infinite meaning it goes on and on, and continuum meaning it starts at the far left and moves to the far right. Each individual’s personal beliefs, behaviors, and ideas about sexuality fall somewhere on that continuum, and that’s where we get our identity. Ultimately, all of this is about changing the conversation while still holding on to what we believe. But we need to find a new starting point with broader kingdom principles, as a broader, holistic community. And that is uncomfortable. We need to get to a point where we are OK living in that tension.

One of the problems with the church is that we are often having a conversation about the gay community without including them. So how do we maintain who we are but actually bring them into a conversation about spiritual things? Humility is difficult because it’s not satisfying, and on top of that, we don’t really know what it looks like to live with our enemies. Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” What we’re taught to do is live at peace with our enemies and, in turn, have our enemies live at peace with us. When we’re able to do that, reconciliation happens. That’s the embodiment of Christ. Jesus came into the earth not as the prince everybody thought he would come as, but as a humble baby born in a barn. We think of his death on the cross as reconciliation between us and God, which is true and critically important. But we miss that his life up to that point was about showing us how to reconcile us human to human.

Is building bridges between the church and the gay community difficult?

It shouldn’t be. It’s something we’ve done a million times before all over the world with other groups. We’ve had this humble, service-oriented type approach to inner cities and foreign missions. It’s all been done before. We have to get past being resistant to serving this community. The lesson of Jonah 4 is about how to be in an authentic community with your enemies. In that passage we see what God’s compassion is like for those enemies. That’s our model, not what we see on Fox News or in the mainstream evangelical culture movement. Our example is God.

What role do you think the church should play in engaging with the LGBT community?

Andrew Marin is the author of Love is an Orientation and the President and Founder of The Marin Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to build bridges between the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) and religious communities through scientific research and biblical and social education. The foundations unique approach partners with both religious and GLBT organizations striving to make a sustainable, structural difference for the Kingdom in today’s socially driven secular and religious cultures. The foundation is also conducting the largest national scientific research study ever done in the GLBT community regarding spirituality and religion.

Follow Andrew on Facebook, Twitter, and his blog and pick up his book on Amazon.com

Reading Serena Woods’ Grace is for Sinners is similar to what I imagine it would be like to be a priest in the confessional, listening to someone not only confess their sin, but pour out their hurt, their fear, and their frustration — all the inner secrets we so often camouflage behind the masks we wear. In telling her story, Serena turns a searchlight not only on her actions but on her heart. The result is a compelling and emotional read.

Serena tells how she first came to Christ, how she lived what appeared to be a spotless Christian life for nine years, and how she finally came undone in the aftermath of an extramarital affair which led to her being driven out of her church. Along the way, she wrestles with how to pick up the pieces of a broken life and tackles some sticky issues of church discipline, questioning how we ought to act toward a brother or sister who has fallen and making the case for grace rather than condemnation. She doesn’t offer easy answers, probably because there are none. But she does tell vividly and painfully what it was like for her.

This book tells a story about a sovereign God who is still God even in the midst of our own failures. Having experienced her own guilt and rejection by others, she reminds us that “we are not the worst thing we have done, and until we are dead, our story is incomplete.”

Keep reading and leave a comment to win a copy of Grace is for Sinners.

Q&A with Serena Woods

What does Grace mean to you?

Grace is the absolute covering of the flesh and blood part of me. Grace is so much more than what I think we understand it to be. For me grace has been Him loving me in spite of me, in spite of everything I’ve ever done. God has shown His grace to me when He favored me even with all I have done. Really, grace is hope.

Why do you think that grace is so misunderstood?

For some people in the church grace has become a novelty. It’s a word that is often overused. Not just overused but horribly misunderstood. Because it’s been overused, the power has been sucked out of it. Grace is incredibly powerful. It’s why I have legs to stand on and am not crippled by my past. We have a brand new day because of Grace.

During your experience, what did you learn about God’s grace?

Before, when I was being the best little church mouse that I could be, I thought that sin permanently damaged your relationship with God. I thought that this was especially true for people who do the “big” sins. I hate that Christians have decided that some sins are worse than others, but we have, and we tend to view sexual sins as the worst kinds. Anyway, I thought that these sins were evidence that you weren’t a Christian. I was shocked that I was still able to sin. I’ve spent a long time dealing with these issues and have had to come to terms with undoing all of the beliefs that I held before. Everything I believed about sin wasn’t true. I had to relearn everything. In that process of relearning God opened my eyes to a new understanding of the scripture. I knew what my sin said about me and I knew what I thought about me. What I needed to learn and to know is what God thought of me. He had not left me. Isaiah 54:10 says, “For even if the mountains walk away and the hills fall to pieces, my love won’t walk away from you, my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.” That’s grace. He uses the worst parts of ourselves to complete us.

What did you learn about how people extend grace?

When you sin and you hurt people, or when someone’s image is hurt by the sin of someone else, they need to separate themselves from the sin – from the person- in order to protect themselves from from the hurt or the image damage. Their reaction says, “I don’t know who you are.” They feel that they have to disassociate themselves from you. People, or the church, have a hard time answering one simple question: How do I forgive and restore you with out looking like I’m condoning what you do?

That was my experience when I confessed my sin. People in my church couldn’t believe what I had done and separated themselves from me. But, there was one person who heard my story and knew that I wasn’t a horrible person. She knew me and she knew my heart. She knew that I must be dying inside because of what I had done and she sought me out. That’s the kind of grace we need to show each other in the church.

Why was it important for you to tell this story?

Revelation 12:11 says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” Satan, our accuser, spends day and night doing nothing but accusing people of their own sin. This verse says that the only two things powerful enough to defeat him are the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony. Satan can’t do anything about the crucifixion, but he will do whatever he can to keep our mouths shut so we can not share our testimony. But grace is the happy ending. Grace is restoration. There are few things worse than what I did, and I believe that if God can still love me and give me purpose in my failure, I can’t keep quite about that. I can give hope.

What would you say to other women in a similar situation?

There is no way for you to mess up your plan or your purpose. No matter what. We don’t learn from playing it safe, we learn when we take risks. To take those risks you need Jesus, and that dependence on Him is beautiful. For me that risk is telling my story. I feel called to try and reach the people who don’t belong in a world that doesn’t acknowledge Jesus, but aren’t welcome in a world that does. Where in the world are they to go? These people need to hear that they can have faith in his grace and believe that they have a purpose even when they feel they are unclean. I hope that by me sharing my story, and you sharing your story, we can help the church realize that God’s grace is sufficient for all of us.

The [fun]Fact Sheet

What is the one bit of parenting advice you wish you would have had before you had kids?

Just go with it! You’ll mess them up no matter what, then they’ll surpass you in every way – in spite of you, and you can still take the credit.

If you could be on any TV reality show what would it be?

I don’t watch a ton of TV, but I saw ‘The Surreal Life’ with Tammy Faye, Ron Jeremy and Vanilla Ice. I would go on that one. I’d room with Tammy Faye, befriend Ron, smoke cigars with the CHIPS guy and learn some slick dance moves from Yo! Vanilla.

In your opinion, what is the greatest modern invention?

Well, second to the Snuggie (A blanket with sleeves!) is the iPhone. Pretty soon they’ll have an app to filter my blood through. I sleep with it under my pillow, I talk to it when I’m scared and tell it all my secrets.

What living person would you most want to have coffee with?

Brennan Manning, without question. I have specific things I want to ask him. If you see him will you let him know I’m looking for him? Tell him I’ll pay.

What is your life verse?

Easy: Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon. Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But, I’ve prayed for you, Simon, that your faith won’t fail and, when you come back, strengthen your brothers.

Leave a comment to win a copy of Grace is for Sinners. Winner will be announced on Saturday’s post.

You can learn more about Serena on her blog (where you can also buy the book), on Facebook, and on Twitter. You can also read all of the Grace Week guest posts here.

P.S. Serena, I am so honored to call you a friend. I love you and love your heart. Thanks for continuing to challange me, encourage me, and make me laugh. Everyone else – buy the book!

Jason Boyett’s books were recommended to me by a friend who knows that I find the snarky and sarcastic hysterical. That said, I wasn’t convinced that I would want to read what sounded like mini-reference books. When I saw the cover art I figured anything that resembles The Urban Dictionary (the greatest reference book of all time) must be worth a read. I was right.

If you survived high school on Cliff’s Notes, Boyett’s books are for you. His Pocket Guides to the Bible, Sainthood, and the Afterlife boil down reams of information into little volumes that may not actually fit in your pocket, but at least come close.

The Pocket Guide to Sainthood lists important saints, explains who’s patron of what and why, and even explains how saints become saints to begin with. As a former Catholic, I would of loved having this one to get me through all those years of Catechism – an appendix on the Pope would have been helpful too. The Pocket Guide to the Bible presents all the key people and events from the Bible in condensed form. It also offers an informative history of how the books of the Bible were canonized and a series of notes on translations of the Bible. The Pocket Guide to the Afterlife doesn’t stop with Christianity, it includes discussion of the afterlife beliefs of Islam, Mormonism, and other world religions.

Not only are the Pocket Guides informative, they’re entertaining. Boyett clearly doesn’t take himself to seriously, writing in a lighthearted style that makes these books easy to digest. Don’t be surprised if you are laughing while you learn.

So, it you’ve ever wondered when St. Boniface’s feast day is or if somebody has dropped the word “metempsychosis” and you wondered what it meant then the The Pocket Guides are for you.

Q&A With Jason Boyett

The “Pocket Guides” are accessible and informative. Who was your target audience for these books – church folks, non-believers, new believers? All of the above?

Yes — all of the above. My overall goal in writing the Pocket Guides is to educate and entertain all at once. For instance, I’ve found that believers — starting with me — are woefully ignorant of what’s in the Bible. We tend to be pretty familiar with the Psalms and the Gospels and a few of Paul’s letters, but ask any Christian to summarize the book of Amos and you’ll get a blank, horrified stare. For a people whose faith is built upon the Old and New Testaments, we don’t know them nearly as well as we should. But the same goes for non-believers, too. The Bible is undeniably the most influential book in Western culture, yet what we know about it, as individuals, is marked by these big, gaping educational holes. We just don’t know as much as we should. So I wanted to write a short book about the Bible that filled in some of those holes but in as painless and fun a way as possible.

Same goes with the subjects of sainthood and the afterlife, too.

What was your purpose in writing the “Pocket Guides”?

I guess I just answered that in the previous question. I think with these three subjects (along with the apocalypse, my previous Pocket Guide book), they are so huge and complex and unwieldy it can be intimidating to try to dig into them and become better educated about them. My hope with the Pocket Guide books is that I can break a big subject into enough small, enjoyable pieces that readers can get a decent overview without feeling like they’ve just endured a whole semester of History of Christianity 101.

You deal with spiritual subjects in a witty fashion in these books. What kind of feedback have you gotten about your approach?

It’s mixed. Either people absolutely love it or, um, they’re not entirely comfortable with humor being applied to the subject of religion. People take their faith very seriously — myself included — but I’m a firm believer that anything worth taking seriously is worth joking about. If we can’t do that, then what are we supposed to make fun of? Things that are meaningless to us? I think a lot of the time we can get far too pious and stiff-necked about our faith. Comedy is like a microscope, in which it allows us to look at something familiar, but from a different perspective. As Christians I think that’s highly valuable. Sometimes it’s helpful to look at ourselves and our beliefs from outside the bubble. This strengthens how we look at the important stuff and helps us see the strange stuff for what it is. You know, it really is pretty funny that Balaam gets into an argument with a talking donkey…and loses. Anyone who doesn’t see the humor in that is bewildering to me.

But mostly the feedback has been positive. People who are comfortable thinking about matters of faith within the context of humor have definitely let me know how much they’ve enjoyed the books, and how refreshing the approach is. I know of some churches who have bought Pocket Guide to the Bible in bulk and give it out to visitors or new members, as an introduction to the Bible. I love that.

The Pocket Guide to the Afterlife includes material on a variety of world religions. What inspired you to branch out beyond Christianity?

When it comes to what we think happens after death, the world’s history of religious ideas is so rich that I couldn’t bring myself to narrow it down to just Christianity. So many cultures had these incredibly imaginative, elaborate scenarios of the afterlife that parts of the book practically wrote themselves. The entertainment value is there already. For instance, the Viking paradise, Valhalla. It involves an eternity of woundless combat between warriors, after which they get drunk on mead, fall asleep, and then wake up the next morning for another round of battle. And one of the chambers in the Tenth Court of Diyu — the hell of Chinese mythology — is called the Chamber of Dismemberment by Sawing. Dismemberment by sawing! It’s intended for evil people who kidnap women and force them into prostitution. Who’s not fascinated by this stuff? It’s pefect for the Pocket Guide treatment.

These books contain a lot of information. What was it like doing all the research for the “Pocket Guides”? What did you learn?

That’s by far the hardest thing about writing these books. It’s not the actual writing, but the research that has to occur first. One of the surprises is that so many ancient cultures envisioned some sort of punishment-related afterlife for bad people. In other words, there are a lot of “hells” in world mythology. There’s Diyu (Chinese mythology), Tartarus (Greek mythology), Irkalla (Sumerian mythology), Niflheim (Norse mythology), Jahannam (Islam), Naraka (Hinduism), etc. But there’s not really a hell in the Jewish tradition. The ancient Hebrews believed that everyone who died — righteous or unrighteous — went to a netherworld called Sheol, commonly translated “the grave” in modern translations. That was pretty new to me, the idea that the Christian doctrine of hell hasn’t been around forever. Eventually, it developed out of Judaism a few centuries prior to Christ. But a realm of eternal punishment after death would have been a foreign concept to the patriarchs.

I also learned that St. Joseph of Cupertino is the patron saint of both airline pilots AND mentally handicapped people, which is sort of disconcerting.

If you could be on any TV reality show which would it be?

Definitely the Amazing Race, which is one of my favorite shows and one I’ve actually applied for in the past. I think I could do pretty well on it, from handling the chaos and stress of travel to performing well in some of the challenges. I’ve also been told before that I’d be good at Survivor, but I’m not sure that’s a compliment. But if I had the opportunity? I’d totally agree to either of those — whether they were on TV or not.

What word or phrase to you most over use?

Probably brilliant. If I like something and I’m describing it via the written word, my go-to word is brilliant. I just searched for “brilliant” on my blog and got, like, 35 hits over the past year. That’s ridiculous. I never say it verbally, though, which is weird. It feels too British to speak it. It sounds like something an older Harry Potter would say.

Who is the most overrated super hero?

Batman. No contest. The only reason Batman is a superhero is because he can afford super gadgets. Everyone knows superheroes should become superheroes because of special abilities they possess –  due to being from another planet or having been bitten by a radioactive spider — not because they could afford the latest belt technology. Batman may look cooler than other superheroes, but he’s far less super.

What is your greatest achievement?

Wow. What an uncomfortable question to answer. How do you answer this with any kind of humility? You can’t, so I’m going to embrace my ego and toss my inhibitions aside for a moment. I’m torn between two potentially great achievements. One: my wife and I have two kids who are smart, polite, thoughtful, and beloved by most adults (at least so far). They are completely awesome. I think that’s a pretty great parenting achievement, but it’s one I can’t claim by myself. So I guess a better answer is Two: the fact that I have been able to get several books published. In today’s publishing culture, it’s so hard to get your foot in the door. There are so many writers who have better ideas and better talent than I have, yet struggle so much to get their work into the hands of agents or publishers. It’s a tough, tough market. That I was able to break into the industry a few years ago and have some modest success at it — at least, enough success that I can continue to write books — is indeed an achievement. It’s the product of good luck and fortuitous timing more than anything else, but it’s an achievement all the same, I guess.

What is your life verse?

I wouldn’t describe it as a “life verse,” but my favorite verse in the Bible is Luke 15:20, which occurs midway through the parable of the Prodigal Son: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

You can check Jason out on his blog, on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.

Want your own Pocket Guide? You can purchase them from Amazon here.

You can also leave a comment below and you will be entered to win one of the three books. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 21st.

Jesus Loves You The Review

Jesus Loves You, This I Know takes as its title a phrase that should have deep, soul-changing, heart-melting significance, but which instead has often become, in the words of the authors, “a trite, overused Christian cliche… a casual exchange in passing.” This is the problem authors Craig Gross and Jason Harper set out to tackle: the “hijacking” of the gospel message, the shift from a message of hope and love to a message of judgment and division.

Their way of reclaiming the meaning of that phrase is straightforward, if sometimes uncomfortable. They provide concrete examples out of personal experience to show how we can show the love of Jesus to those around us. Harper recounts his experiences as a cable company’s bill collector, going to the doors of those who can’t pay their bills. Gross discusses his surprisingly close relationship with the self-described “King of Porn,” Ron Jeremy. In both cases, Harper and Gross carry the love of Jesus outside the four walls of the church to those who need it desperately.

Above all, Jesus Loves You is a call to action — a call to every reader to follow in the footsteps of the authors, break out of our “holy huddles,” and go out to show Christ’s love to the world. If you don’t want to be convicted or challenged, avoid this book. If you’re looking for outside-the-box ways to impact your community for Jesus, read it and take it to heart.

Keep reading to learn about a special offer when you buy the book on Amazon THIS WEEK only.

A Conversation with Jason Harper

About a month ago I had the opportunity to talk Jason about Jesus Loves You. And this week I was able to spend some time with him while he was in town for the book tour (This photo was taken while Jason was in town).

NW: Jason, I loved the book. I loved the simple message and the personal stories that you and Craig shared in each of the chapters.

JH: Thank you. It was really important to Craig and I that we wrote a book that was really personal and about our experiences. We wanted readers to connect with the concept that Jesus not only loves them but also loves their neighbor who may not be anything like them.

NW: I was able to talk with Craig about the book and why he thought that the Jesus loves you message is such a difficult pill for the Church to swallow. What are your thoughts about that?

JH: That’s a really big question. One of the biggest obstacles that we face as a church is our pride. Pride can kill us spiritually just as fast, if not faster, than anything else can. Many people – not all people – but many people in the church are dishonest about living an authentic faith. What I mean is that they show up at church and try very hard to appear as if they have everything together. We’re too proud to admit that we have sins that we struggle with. When we have that kind of pride we become judgmental of other people’s sins. It’s like we want to cast others out in order to protect ourselves. That’s a dangerous game to play. We all need to realize that we all need grace and that Jesus loves everyone no matter who they are or what they have done.

NW: One of my biggest frustration is when I see Christians assign a point scale or rating system to sin as if some sins are worse then others. Do you see that often?

JH: All the time! Somewhere along the way we decided that some sins are worse than others. But, God doesn’t think that way. I don’t know if you’ve seen this but it seems like the sexual sins are the ones that people typically put at the top of that scale. We have Divorce Care groups in the church but things like addiction to pornography or homosexuality get placed at the top of the scale. They are viewed as the ultimate sin and we need to change that perception. This really hit home for me several years ago. At that time I really struggled with my weight and would preach from the pulpit about this kind of stuff without even thinking to look at my self. In the book we have a chapter titled Jesus Loves the Glutton. At that time I didn’t even realize how serious gluttony is or that I should repent of it. I don’t think i realized it because it hadn’t been placed very high on that manufactured point scale.

NW: My favorite chapter in the book is Jesus Loves the Disconnected. I loved reading about your time as the cable guy and your experience with Willie the Wino. In that example you went out into the world to meet people who needed to experience the love of Jesus yet you remained connected to a faith community so you could care for those you met. It was the perfect balance. For me it represented exactly what the church should be doing.

JW: In the book I describe how a woman at an event told me I would never understand how difficult it was for her because I worked in a church and surrounded myself with church people. Her comment suck with me and I decided to take a part time job in the collections department of a cable television company. My job was to drive out to people’s homes and disconnect their cable if they didn’t pay. That’s when I met Willie. The relationship that I was able to develop with him is an example of the kinds of relationship building outreaches we should be doing.

NW: What is the one thing that you hope readers will take away from this book?

JH: One thing? Well, first of all, Craig and I really tried to write a book that anyone could read. We didn’t want to write a book that was exclusively for churched people. That said, we hope that readers find that this book is something that they can share with both their Christian and non-Christian friends. I would hope that those who read this book and call themselves Christians will hear that Jesus loves them and that Jesus loves others no matter who they are or what they have done. I would hope that non-Christians would get the same message: Jesus loves you…this I know.

To learn more about the book check out the site here. To learn more about Jason you can check out his website, Twitter feed, or Facebook page.

Want a great deal on the book? Buy the book on Amazon THIS WEEK and get the following special promotion:

Here is what you will receive for buying the book this week:

1. A PDF of The Gutter by Craig Gross (all hard copies have been sold out), a $10 value

2. 3 FREE Audiobooks! Craig’s last books FREE.  The Gutter, Questions You Can’t Ask Your Mama and Starving Jesus, a $35 value

3. The song Jesus Loves Me, MP3 (written to coincide with the book by Aaron Keyes and Ben Smith)

So for $12.23, you’re getting a value of over $60!

Also, if you buy Jesus Loves You at Amazon this week, you will be entered to win one of three grand prizes.

1. A free trip to Las Vegas
2. A $100 credit in the XXXchurch online store
3. A free trip to the Atlanta Pride stop on the Jesus Loves You tour

Purchase the book on Amazon here. Then get your freebies and to be entered to win one of the grand prizes by writing down the order number, and filling out the form here: http://bit.ly/188YT6

Jesus Loves You, This I Know The Review

Jesus Loves You, This I Know takes as its title a phrase that should have deep, soul-changing, heart-melting significance, but which instead has often become, in the words of the authors, “a trite, overused Christian cliche… a casual exchange in passing.” This is the problem authors Craig Gross and Jason Harper set out to tackle: the “hijacking” of the gospel message, the shift from a message of hope and love to a message of judgment and division.

Their way of reclaiming the meaning of that phrase is straightforward, if sometimes uncomfortable. They provide concrete examples out of personal experience to show how we can show the love of Jesus to those around us. Harper recounts his experiences as a cable company’s bill collector, going to the doors of those who can’t pay their bills. Gross discusses his surprisingly close relationship with the self-described “King of Porn,” Ron Jeremy. In both cases, Harper and Gross carry the love of Jesus outside the four walls of the church to those who need it desperately.

Above all, Jesus Loves You is a call to action — a call to every reader to follow in the footsteps of the authors, break out of our “holy huddles,” and go out to show Christ’s love to the world. If you don’t want to be convicted or challenged, avoid this book. If you’re looking for outside-the-box ways to impact your community for Jesus, read it and take it to heart.

As a young pastor in Southern California, Craig Gross began to notice a recurring theme among those he cared for – a struggle with pornography. Boldly and courageously, he decided to address the root of the problem, so he went to the porn industry to ask some questions. This passion led him to start XXXchurch.com, a website devoted to telling the truth about porn.

Within days of his initial journey to the porn industry, some people in the church began to condemn Craig’s efforts as immoral and ineffective. At the same time, many others affirmed him, opening their hardened and often broken hearts to a relevant and authentic Gospel they hadn’t seen coming from mainstream religion.

The XXXchurch website mixes the seedy with the sacred in an effort to raise the often taboo subject of pornography as a problem that needed to be dealt with. In the seven years since it began, XXXchurch.com has had over 70 million visitors to the website and almost a half of million people using X3watch Accountability Software. Craig has been featured in GQ magazine,”Good Morning America,” Newsweek, CNN, LA Times, Nightline and The New York Times, and his ministry is the subject of an award winning documentary and a new reality TV documentary.

The website offers free accountability software, as well as practical and spiritual solutions to pornography issues. The site also features weekly updates and continuing information about pornography and its wide-reaching effects. Craig has written six books including his latest book, Jesus Loves You…This I Know.

Craig lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife of ten years Jeanette and their two children Nolan and Elise.

You can find Craig on his website or follow him on FaceBook or Twitter.

Learn more about XXXChurch website, Twitter, or FaceBook. Learn more about Jesus Loves You here and the book tour here. Interested in using this book for your sermon series or small group? Find all kinds of resource materials here and video/mini-movies here.

Leave a comment to win a copy of Jesus Loves You. Read my post “A Conversation with Craig Gross” for a second chance to win. Winner will be announced August 30th.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Craig Gross, author and founder of XXXChurch.com, about his new book Jesus Loves You…This I know.

NW: First of all, I love the book. I love the challenge to go and be the Church. The examples you and Jason give are inspiring.

CG: Thanks. We hope that it blesses and motivates. If it does that, then we’ve done what we set out to do.

NW: At the beginning of the book you give us an important reminder that “it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, Jesus loves you.” Why do you think that this simple truth is such a hard pill for some people in the Church to swallow?

CG: Well, sometimes it seems opposite of all the teachings in the Church. A lot of people in the Church, and I’m not saying everyone, have a “we’re right and you’re wrong” mentality, or the idea that we have the answers and that we don’t want to share that with anyone on the outside. When that happens, it becomes an inclusive nature. Our ministry at XXXChurch isn’t like that. We want to put a new face on this Christianity thing and send the message that people on the “outside” are always welcome. A division is created whenever there are two opposing sides. Look at politics and the Republicans and Democrats. In those cases, it becomes all about how we are different and all the ways we disagree. It’s always been that way. In fact it’s not very different from Jesus’ day. He had the Pharisees and the teachers of the law opposing him. Jesus was not a figurehead of the Church in his time. He was the opposite. That’s why people were drawn to him.

NW: I agree with what you’re saying about some people treating the Church as an inclusive or exclusive group. I love how you refer to that in the book as gathering in “Holy Huddles.” If we want to change that, how do we break out of the huddle?

CG: Christians have too many opponents. We need to stop talking about stuff and go do it. It’s easier to talk than to go and do what you talk about. Christians are the first to offer up what they have – if it’s going on inside of the church. We’ll be the first to show up on Sunday night and Wednesday night and in our small group, but we need to be the first to go into the inner city or to do similar things. The things that we talk about as a church sound great on paper, but not everybody wants to put it into practice. The most incredible things happen when you break out and just do it. Friendships develop that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

NW: What do you think keeps us from doing this, fear?

CG: Yes, absolutely. Fear. We can’t wait for things to fall into our laps. We have to go out and pursue this stuff. There’s always a risk when you try something or reach out to people who are hurting. When we started our outreach to the brothels in Las Vegas, we didn’t know what we were doing. My pastor was in town from LA, and I told him about a woman working there. All I knew was her first name. He told me that we needed to go and see if we could find her. When we were driving out there I was scared to death, but I’m glad we didn’t wait around because she would have never come to find us.

NW: I know that some people in the Church question some of your methods. Things like the brothel outreach and the porn conventions bring out the naysayers. What do you say to your critics?

CG: Well, I guess first of all I say that I haven’t changed much. The only thing that’s changed about me is my hair. My message has never changed. Sometimes what happens is people go out and they have this fire to deliver this message, and over time it gets watered down. For me and for our ministry, if anything it’s gotten more bold. It’s hard for critics to argue with that consistent message. We’ve been playing this game for several years, and we haven’t changed the way we play.

NW: In the book you write that you’ve been a “target of organized religion but embraced by the porn industry.” How do you deal with that?

CG: For some, it can be tough to stay in this ministry. Let’s face it, we’ll never get invited to the cool parties, because we talk about porn and sex and addiction. The media opportunities for the ministry have been amazing. It’s given us a chance to take our message to the world. We know that what we are doing is important and that if we weren’t doing it, who would? I have developed so many friendships with people in the sex industry who deserve to hear that Jesus loves them. If people can’t deal with that, I don’t know what to tell them.

NW: Why did you write this book? Why did you think it was important?

CG: The inspiration for this book actually came when I was sitting in an airport and I noticed two books at the bookstore. One was some best seller by Joel Osteen and the other was Max Lucado’s 360. I sat there looking at them trying to figure out why they were such big sellers. Then it came to me that the reason that those sell is because the message is really easy to digest. It’s simple, while my message has been viewed by many as complicated or controversial. When you take away the things that we talk about with sex and addiction and porn, the truth is that ours is a simple message too. I wanted to write this book to edge away from controversy and get back to a basic concept, something that even my children know so well they sing about it.

NW: The book talks about how Christians peddle an imitation Jesus and how “Jesus loves you” has become a Christian cliche. How do we reclaim that?

CG: It certainly needs a facelift. Through the years we’ve hijacked it and twisted it up. We need to do a lot less talking and more living it. I like to think that XXXChurch has played a small role in changing that perception.

NW: Your kids, Nolan and Elise, travel a lot with you. As they’re growing up and watching this, what impact do you hope seeing your work has on them?

CG: That dad believes his message 100%. And that he has something that’s better, that there’s no one that we should write off, and that the work that we do isn’t just about porn or sex or addiction, it’s about delivering the Jesus loves you message.

NW: The book tour doesn’t look like a conventional book tour. Why did you and Jason decide to do it the way that you are?

CG: Seriously, I looked at the publisher’s plan for the book tour and was completely bored by it. It was all the same stuff that you always see: put an ad in Relevant, get on Christian radio. That hasn’t sold us a bunch of books in the past, and I wasn’t excited by it. So we made a deal with them to split the marketing money down the middle, and they would use their half on ad copy and all that other stuff, and we would use our half any way we wanted. Jason and I and a couple of the guys were sitting around the office one day just kicking around the idea of “what can we do.” We wanted it to have a huge impact and to be lots of fun. So we started thinking about all the chapters in the book and how we could do something around each chapter. It would be great if we went on this tour and sold a ton of books, but with the things we’re going to be doing on the tour, that becomes so much less than what we’re doing. The impact of it goes beyond the books.

Double your chances to win a copy of the book Jesus Loves You by leaving another comment here. Winner will be selected on August 30th.

The “noticer” in Andy Andrews’ novel of the same title is an old man of indeterminate ethnicity, known to the narrator as “Jones,” to the local Hispanic population as “Garcia,” and to the Asians as “Chen.” He appears and disappears at unpredictable yet opportune times, dispensing wisdom and genuine concern to those in need. In the course of the novel, Jones rescues the narrator from living under a pier and sets him on the track to a successful career, saves a poorly communicating couple’s failing marriage, and changes the heart of a dishonest contractor, among other good deeds. The trick to Jones’ work in each case is that he brings a much needed change in perspective that motivates the other characters to positive action.

Andrews’ Og Mandino-style narrative-with-a-moral manages to get the message behind the story across without sounding preachy, and he makes the character of Jones (or Garcia or Chen) likable and intriguing enough to sustain the reader’s interest in what he has to say. Perhaps most important to Christian readers is Jones’ role as described by the title: he notices. He sees people who are in trouble and engages with them. How many of us have paid attention to the young man under the pier or the corner-cutting businessman long enough to serve them?

Keep reading to find out how you can win a copy of The Noticer.

Photo by Peter Nash

Q&A with Andy Andrews

The Noticer is largely about impacting your life by changing your perspective. What are a few simple things that people can do to change their perspective when facing difficult situations?

Reading biographies of people who have achieved success in any field will hugely impact one’s perspective.  I always find that the great success stories always deal with long periods of searching, rejection, and outright failure.  These are stories I need in order to happily Persist Without Exception!

In the book, the character named Jones has the ability to see through people’s problems to their solutions. Have you ever had a Jones in your life?

Yep…Jones!  The first chapter of The Noticer is true!

Sometimes it’s difficult for people to see through their own problems or difficulties.  We often need a Jones type person to help find opportunities or solutions. How important is it for us to be Jones to others in our lives?

It is always important to gain perspective about our lives….especially the challenges.  That is why it is so important that we NOTICE other people around us with whom we can talk, encourage, and offer stories and examples that bring perspective into their lives.

After writing this book you started The Noticer Project. What is it and how can people get involved?

www.TheNoticerProject.com is a web site that exists for us to go and write a paragraph or two about someone in our lives who has made a difference.  There, we can publicly recognize a teacher, parent, sibling, friend, or acquaintance whose action at some point in our lives was crucial.  This website was created with the function to take that person’s email address and notify them that YOU HAVE BEEN NOTICED!!  It takes them by link back to the site where they can see the words of praise and recognition posted for everyone to read.  The idea and the site have gone viral and people all over the world are taking advantage of it.  It is free to use and so awesome for people who often don’t know the difference they have made!

Andy Andrews [fun]Fact Sheet

You have spoken to hundreds or groups and organizations. Who has been the most influential speaker you have ever heard?

There have been many!  Right now, I am enjoying and being impacted by an author and speaker named Andy Stanley.

Your speaking engagements have taken you around the would. What is the one thing you can’t travel without?

My “noisemaker” sleep machine!  It sounds like a fan, drowns out hallway or city noises.  Of course, I use it at home, too!  The whole family does!

What is your greatest achievement?

With my wife Polly, I have to say my greatest achievement would be Austin (9) and Adam (7).  I am grateful for every minute with them!

What is the next goal that you hope to accomplish?

I’d like to be a part of returning America to a more civil discourse.  I am not an “us or them” kind of person.  I believe “we” can accomplish a lot but only together.  There is a way to allow principled decision making to turn our country in the direction of greatness for all.  But we must learn what many of our grandparents knew…one can disagree without being disagreeable.  We can be friendly without being friends.  We can argue and make points with respect for dissenting opinion.  When this is done properly, everyone is ultimately “okay” with the outcome, because all voices have been heard, all sides respectfully considered. And many more times often than not, the outcome is the right and true, principled decision.

Who is your favorite author of fiction?

Right now, I love the espionage novels of Charles McCarry

What is the one word or phrase that you most overuse?

You’d have to ask my wife.  I’m sure she would know!

What is your life verse?

“For I have not put in you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2nd Timothy 1:7

Hot Links

Follow Andy Andrews on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or YouTube.

Purchase The Noticer or any of Andy’s other books through his website.

Enter to win a copy of The Noticer by leaving a comment. Winner will be randomly selected on August 26th.

At once poignant and hysterically funny, Matthew Paul Turner’s Churched chronicles his childhood in a strictly fundamentalist church — the kind of church where the pastor dictates from the pulpit what kind of haircut is appropriate. Whether it’s watching the Sunday School teacher set fire to Barbie to show the kids what Hell is like or throwing the horribly satanic Sound of Music soundtrack onto a bonfire, Turner manages to set down his experiences with the extreme fringe of legalism frankly, but without resorting to wholesale church-bashing. 

At a deeper level, Churched is about what it looks like when a group of sincere and well-meaning believers set themselves apart from the world rather than ministering to it. Turner’s childhood church is a world unto itself, with its own exclusive cultural (as opposed to Biblical) norms and plenty of judgment to go around for those who aren’t clued into those norms. The more ludicrous shennanigans that go on might draw a laugh, but when Turner contrasts them with brief glimpses of the love of Christ, such as his father’s warm conversation with a local barber who smokes (gasp) and cusses (double gasp), the whole situation is revealed as tragic. 

Since it’s narrated from the perspective of a child, Churched also raises some questions about how we raise our kids in the faith. Since kids tend to see the world through the lens of an old western — the kind where humanity is neatly divided into good guys and bad guys, each distinguishable by the color of their hats — they can take the slightest bit of legalism and run with it. By his own account, Turner ran with it right through high school, and Churched might make you rethink how you share with your kids who Jesus was and what he came to do. 

Keep reading to find out how you can win a copy of Churched.

Q&A with Matthew Paul Turner

What led to you feeling like now was the right time to write Churched?

To be honest, I really didn’t think about the timing of it all. A good story transcends time. It just so happens that many of the themes from 30 years ago, such as fear, trust, hope, and judgement, work today too. And when seen through the eyes up a child, those themes become even stronger.

The experiences you write about in Churched come primarily from your conservative fundamentalist background. How do you think the evangelical church today practices some of these legalistic or judgmental practices?

Well, when I was a kid it was far more visible. Today, it’s not as noticeable. It’s subtle, which can be more dangerous. It’s in our dealings with people on issues of sexuality, whether somebody votes the “Christian” way or believes in the “Christian” formula. I think it happens relationally, too. Pastors have become “stars” and “CEOs” rather than being shepherds and servants. They desire for the people in their churches to serve, but they aren’t “serving” themselves. We’re legalistic about spiritual topics like holiness, prayer, small groups, and when church leadership is “dealing” with somebody’s “sins.” It’s no wonder we look so foolish from the world’s perspective; it’s because many of us are foolish. Not everybody, now. But a portion of us are pretty sick looking.

As a mom I was very taken by your experiences as a small child being brought up in a fundamentalist church and the performance expectations associated with that. For you, as a new father, how (or will) these experiences have an impact on the way you raise your son in a church community?

Yes. Very much so. It’s something I think about every single day, and Elias is only a year old. I wonder what I will teach him to be true, what I will allow him to find out on his own, and what I will protect him from. My hope is that I will always tell him the story of God in a hopeful manner, but that I present it and live it in such a way that it’s not just a story we hear and memorize, but that it’s a story we go out and live. And I want him to know that no matter what happens in life, whether he turns out to be a normal, everyday American kid or he takes roads that lead him to one of the extremes — good or bad — that there’s always a place for him in the kingdom of God. Grace doesn’t simply advertise “no limits,” there are no limits to somebody engaging God’s story — black, white, gay, straight, American, international, etc., we were all made to be a part this story that God is writing. I hope I can at least be a “true” billboard in Elias’s life.

Despite the serious undertones, Churched is a hysterical read. So, I have to ask did you really compete in a soul winning contest for the coveted prize of a pack of Sea Monkeys? At the time, did you realize that Sea Monkeys were a crap prize?

I really wanted the Sea Monkeys. I didn’t know what they were, but they talked about them like they were really cool pets. And yes, I did compete in contests to win souls. On many occasions. In various ways. My church was all about numbers: souls, attendance, baptisms, etc.

Matthew Paul Turner [fun]Fact Sheet

If you could be on any TV game show which would it be?

I’d want to be on the one where the contestants scream, “No WHAMMIES! No WHAMMIES!” I loved the little Whammie Devil when I was kid. I was afraid of him. And the Newlywed Game was fun too.

What is the most overrated super power?

United States? That’s not what you meant, right? Captain America. What did he do? He did have a nice shield. But seriously, his costume was ugly.

What word or phrase do you most over use?

“That’s fun,” or “That might be fun,” or “That sounds fun.”

What do you consider the greatest modern invention?

The lowercase i. I mean, Apple has changed the way we do life. I so wish I could be called iMatthew. Wouldn’t that be hot?! So cool.

If you could change only one thing in the world what would it be?

I’d offer every person in the world the ability to love themselves.

What’s your life verse?

Right now it’s Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Because that’s what I’m learning — to not fear or to base life on fear. I’ve spent far too much time being afraid.

Hot Links

Follow Matthew Paul Turner on Twitter, Facebook, or his blog, Jesus Needs New PR.

Purchase Churched and check out Turner’s other books (I highly recommend Relearning Jesus).

Enter to win a copy of Churched by leaving a comment. Winner will be randomly selected on August 10th.

“Relevance” has become a buzzword in Christian circles. So much so that its definition has become a bit fuzzy. In The Fine Line, Kary Oberbrunner recalls attending a pastor’s conference where a speaker encouraged attendees to make services more relevant by hanging draperies, lighting candles, and turning on a fog machine. Oberbrunner’s work tackles the subject of relevance at a deeper level, one that goes beyond such externals as worship styles.

Oberbrunner defines relevance in terms of the parable of the Good Samaritan. To paraphrase Jesus’ question, which of the three men who saw the wounded traveler bleeding in the road was most relevant to him? Obviously, the one who stopped to help. The central challenge of relevance, as Oberbrunner sees it, lies in walking the line (hence the title) of being in the world yet not of the world. Oberbrunner posits two camps in today’s church: the Separatists, who try to remove themselves from any taint of culture and thereby isolate the church and render it irrelevant, and the Conformists, who are so thoroughly immersed in the culture that they become just like it and hence have nothing to offer it. He points to a third group, whom he calls Transformists, who walk the line between these to camps and thereby maintain relevance.

One of the refreshing things about The Fine Line is that Oberbrunner sidesteps the use of other buzzwords, such as “emergent” or “missional” — words which, themselves, have been so much bandied about that they’ve become as fuzzily defined as “relevant.” He doesn’t hesitate to endorse novel, outside-the-box methodologies, but not at the expense of the gospel or the truth of Scripture.

The Fine Line is well thought out, convincingly argued, and steps beyond theory with illustrations of real people in real churches really walking the fine line. It’s a challenge to every reader to bring Christ to our culture without trying to sell Him out.

Keep reading to find out how you can win a copy of The Fine Line.

Q&A with Kary Oberbrunner

In your discussion of the “Separatist” camp, you focus on the tendency to add extra-biblical rules to the commandments of Scripture. What kind of these rules do you see frequently?

It varies. I’ve seen it manifested in certain Bible versions, dress, music style, everthing down to you are less spiritual if you give your kids vaccines or eat non-organic food.

You provide examples, through the stories of people you’ve known, of what it looks like to be a “Transformist.” If I’m a member of the “Separatist” or “Conformist” camp, and I want to move towards being a transformist what’s the first thing I should do?

Do BOTH AND not EITHER OR.
For example…Be a student of the word AND a student of the world. Love God AND love people.
Read The Fine Line and the stories of Transformists from both the Bible and from our world today.

You also discuss how Christian media and Christianized products form a subculture separate from the world, one that hinders Christians from being relevant. Since the best use of Christian media (radio stations, publishing houses, TV shows, music, etc.) is obviously not to create an insular subculture, what do you think is its best use? In other words, if you owned a Christian radio station, for example, what kind of programming would you fill the day with?

I would do GOOD programming NOT just Christian programming.

Let me explain with a quote from The Fine Line:

“We need to be aware of things that might destroy us or things that aren’t lovely, beautiful, or noble (1 Corinthians 6:12; Philippians 4:8-9). But just because something isn’t patently Christian doesn’t mean we should avoid it. God may intend for “worldly” things to play a role in our holiness. It’s through wrestling over issues with him that we become stronger and sharper. That’s what life is about: exercising faith and being in dynamic relationship—not in a static religion.”

You make special mention of how the church today has largely lost touch with the arts. What are we missing by neglecting them?

Also from The Fine Line:

“In recent times, followers of Christ haven’t been known for leading the way in the exploration of the arts. But this is only a symptom, not the problem. Over time the church has devolved into a place of artistic bankruptcy. And when we fail to take the arts seriously we export an impoverished theology.
Artists inherently know this. For many of them, the church is the last place they would go in order to feel encouraged and supported in their craft. The arts get placed on the backburner because they don’t seem practical or, more sadly, because they’re too risky.
In all this, we must not forget the arts are God’s gift to us.  Beginning in the Old Testament, God purposed their use within the context of corporate worship.  They are tools meant that tap into the way we think and feel about God.  Shame on us if we’re too afraid to fuse the arts within our churches.
The Connected/Holistic worldview celebrates all of life, including the arts, as a potential means of glorifying God. Proponents are invited to explore, create, and incorporate all of who they are into their relationship with God.”

The Kary Oberbrunner [fun]Fact Sheet

If you could be on any TV game show which would it be?

Millionaire. My wife and I compete against each other all the time from the comfort of our living room.

In your opinion what is the most overrated superpower?

X ray vision. It’s only good if you work in the ER.

What word or phrase do you overuse the most?

Sweet.

What are you most proud of?

My 3 little kids. I love them.

If you could only do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

Create a countdown timer for people’s life span. I think it would help us all focus on eternal things.

What is your life verse?

Ephesians 5:16 “Redeem the Day.”

Hot Links

The Blog: Learn more about Kary on his website.

The Book: Purchase The Fine Line here.

Enter to win a copy of The Fine Line by leaving a comment. Winner will be randomly selected on July 27th.

Mad Church Disease The Review

Before Anne Jackson wrote Mad Church Disease, she created an anonymous online survey and a website, madchurchdisease.com, to find out if burnout in ministry was a serious problem. Within days after the site was launched, she had already received so many responses that her provider shut down her email account because they thought she was sending spam.

As Jackson demonstrates through candid examples from her own life, backed by empirical research and “second opinions” from church leaders, burnout among church staff and volunteers is a significant and widespread problem. But Mad Church Disease (the title is based on similarities between how burnout and mad cow disease both progress) is not merely about what an awful problem burnout is. Most of the book is concerned with how to recover from burnout or prevent it in the first place.

Jackson identifies how burnout affects its victims physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally, and points out five principles of recovery to apply in each area. She also provides several “exam rooms” — pages of thought-provoking questions to help readers identify symptoms of burnout in their lives and take steps to counteract it. This is a book to be read with pen in hand, not half-asleep in bed at midnight.

You don’t have to be a pastor or lay leader to benefit from reading Mad Church Disease, either. For one thing, the recovery principles she recommends are things like taking responsibility and finding accountability, which, frankly, we should all probably be doing anyway. For another, given the statistics Jackson cites, odds are that somebody at your church needs your support in avoiding or coping with burnout. Even if you don’t feel you need this book for yourself (and even that might just be denial), you probably know someone who does.

Keep reading and find out how to win a copy of Mad Church Disease.

Q&A with Anne Jackson

Can you describe the outpouring of response you’ve had to the issue of burnout? Did it surprise you?

It’s been an interesting few months since Mad Church Disease released. Given the response the website had, it wasn’t too surprising that many people can relate to church burnout. The most surprising thing is that many people think they don’t need a book on burnout because they don’t think they’re burning out. Sadly, I ran for two years hard and fast in ministry and I wouldn’t have ever picked up a book on burnout either…but that’s the thing with burning out. You don’t know until it’s too late. So it’s my prayer that pastors will use this as a resource to prevent and identify burnout before it hits them…or their staff and volunteers.

What are some ways the average lay person can help support a pastor or church leader who is at risk of, or already experiencing, burnout?

Show grace. Show brokenness. Pray about ways to practically support them and help them carry their burdens. Pray for them. Take them to lunch. Offer to babysit so they can have a date night.

What led you to the “mad cow disease” comparison?

I was watching a documentary on Mad Cow Disease on the BBC network. Four characteristics of Mad Cow stood out to me as paralleling burnout in churches.

It goes unnoticed for a while.
It affects all areas of health (spiritual, relational, emotional and physical in humans)
It’s contagious
It ultimately leads to death. Maybe not physically in humans, but how many people’s dreams, marriages, ministries, purposes, faith has been harmed because of burnout?

How do you think we’ve gotten to the point where so many of our leaders are struggling with burnout? Is there something (or some things) that ought to be changed about the way we do church?

We have become increasingly a culture of convenience and self-reliance. When we rely on ourselves, we aren’t relying on God. When we work in our own strength – it’s limited. God’s strength is unlimited. We need to operate and rest in the fact His work will be done through us when we rely on him.

On a different topic, you have an amazing passion for missions. Where have your travels taken you and what advice do you have for someone who may be considering a short term mission trip?

In the last two years I’ve been to Uganda, The Dominican and India (Kolkata). In December, I’ll be heading to Ethiopia. And I daily live in Nashville. God doesn’t call us to go on a mission trip – he calls us to a life of living missionally. We are here to bring the Kingdom. Regardless of if it’s thousands of miles away or in our own backyard…our lives should always be in tune to loving others.

The Anne Jackson [fun]Fact Sheet

You’ve recently made a move to a new home. If someone was considering moving to Nashville what is the one thing that they need to know about?

You’ll never leave.

If you could have any occupation in the world what would it be?

I’d have to say I have it right now. Writing and traveling and speaking and getting to love people both near and far from God. Although I think one day I wouldn’t mind being a storm chaser.

What is the greatest cartoon of all time?

The Smurfs. Hands down.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Eating haggis and keeping it down. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

What is your life verse?

Ephesians 3. Or maybe Isaiah 58. Or Matthew 25. Or maybe all of them….

Hot Links

The Blog: You can find Anne Jackson at FlowerDust.net

The Book: Purchase Your copy of Mad Church Disease from Amazon

Enter to win a copy of Mad Church Disease by leaving a comment about burnout on this page. Winner will be randomly selected on July 24th.