Live Near Dallas? Check Out the Christian Book Expo

The first Christian Book Expo will be taking place March 19-22 at the Dallas Convention Center.  More than 200 authors – including Mary DeMuth, Nancy Rue, Lee Strobel, Beverly Lewis, Randy Alcorn, Max Lucado, and…uh, me – will be at the expo, taking part in panel discussions, seminars, book signings, and other events.  

On Friday night, come celebrate the year’s best in Christian literature and the transforming power of Christian books by attending the Christian Book Awards dinner on Thursday evening, prior to the start of the Christian Book Expo.  The 2009 winners of the Christian Book Awards, including the Christian Book of the Year will be announced, amidst an inspirational multi-media program featuring dozens of authors who will join us for this celebration.  The evening will include a full dinner and feature author readings, complimentary books, and an opportunity for author signings.  This event is a benefit for the Global Publishers Alliance , a foundation that equips Christian publishers in developing countries. 

Hourly events continue Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including the following Christianity Today Panel Discussions:

• What is the Gospel?  Our post-Christian culture loves spirituality but can be suspicious or ignorant of the historic Christian faith. We prefer a doit- yourself spirituality and a Jesus of our choosing to the good news offered in Scripture. Is there one gospel, or many? A panel of pastors and scholars shows why we can trust our Bibles—and how to separate the doctrinal wheat from the chaff.
• Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture.  A Christian consensus could once be pretty much assumed for Western culture, even if many people didn’t possess personal faith. That is no longer true. Christianity is today viewed as just one of many spiritual options—and often with suspicion. How do followers of Christ respond in both word and deed?
• The Emerging Church.  We hear much about the emerging church. But pinning down its beliefs and goals can be challenging indeed. What is the movement emerging from and where is it headed? How influential is the emerging church? Participants, observers, and critics examine this movement from all angles—biblical, theological, pastoral, and missional.
• Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does it Make? A Debate. The New Atheists usually make two charges against Christianity: (1) that it is untrue and (2) that it is harmful. A panel of Christian apologetics experts responds to an atheist critic with evidence from Scripture, science, and history about why the faith is both reasonable and good for the world.

There will also be events for children, evening worship celebrations, a Bible history display, and screenings of Collision, a documentary made of the debate between anti-theist Christopher Hitchens and Christian apologist Douglas Wilson. 

Second Tuesdays – Living Water International

A child dies every 15 seconds dues to the lack of clean water.  But, Living Water International has been working in 26 countries for the past 16 years, bringing water to 9.5 million people every day.

From its website:

Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst.

Access to clean water is the foundation for other forms of  development. Without easy access to water that is safe, countless hours are spent in water collection and household income is spent on purchasing water and medical treatment for water-related diseases. Safe, clean water removes the single heaviest burden from the lives of the poorest people in our world. Not having to deal with this daily crisis means time for school and work, life and health, and allows individuals and communities to plan for tomorrow. 

Living Water International lists many ways to take action and help provide pure, fresh water to those in need.  Monetary donations are one way, of course.  It costs an average of $0.98 per day to one person for one year.  The organization also provides media materials and ideas for fund raisers or “getting the word out.”  You can also volunteer to help both in the United States or be trained to get your hands dirty doing field work internationally.

Jacob and I are now taking a “$1 a day” challenge for the month – he’ll earn the money doing extra chores around the home, and I’ll match his earnings, and each night we will add gift to the giving jar, praying that our donation will quench the physical and spiritual thirst of two individuals.   

Garden Time… Almost!

I’ve started planning this year’s vegetable garden, and just placed an order with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  If you haven’t visited the Baker Creek site, you need to.  It boasts 1,275 varieties of open-pollinated seeds, pure, natural and non-GMO, from 70 countries, including some of the most unique, gorgeous veggies I’ve seen.  Come spring, I’ll be growing Green Zebra tomatoes, Rose Bianca eggplant, Dragon Tongue beans, and Sweet Chocolate peppers, as well as squash, peas, melons, and cucumbers from not only the United States, but India, Italy, France, and several other countries.  (Yes, I admit, I went a bit overboard – everyone I know will be getting seedlings for gifts, whether they want them or not!)

I’ve started setting up my shelves and mini-greenhouses and florescent lights, gathering soil and pots and heating mats.  I’m working on a planting schedule.  And, if I feel inspired, I’ll dig a path through the snow to the composter and take some out to defrost before sprouting time.  

So, what are heirloom seeds?  Generally speaking, to be an heirloom, a variety must be open pollinated and be at least fifty years old. This can include varieties that were passed down within a family or community or varieties developed by universities or breeders. However, they MUST be open pollinated. Seeds saved from an open pollinated plant will grow plants identical to the parents, with potential minor variations.

Not only are the vegetables delicious, but using heirloom seeds supports biodiversity, too.  Here are several articles and tips on the importance of heirlooms, starting seeds, and other resources.

Home Another Way Now Offered Through Crossings Book Club

If you’re a member of Crossings Book Club, or thinking of becoming a member, Home Another Way is now being offered as a selection.  If you’ve seen the catalog, feel free to ignore the misspelling of my name – I got a good chuckle from that!

“Tell me about the God you don’t believe in…”

“…because I might not believe in that God, either.”

On a message board I frequent, someone wrote this.  It resonated with me.  I think, often, we Christians meet people who would self-identify as atheists or agnostics, and we immediately dive into advanced apologetics, offering proofs and arguing doctrinal positions.  Or we focus on the consequence of unbelief.  But, as my pastor said today in his sermon, arguments rarely win converts; people believe because they have come face-to-face with the living Christ.  But they can’t believe in Him if they don’t know Him, and often their image of God is only that – a smudged and rumpled picture stained with yesterday’s greasy dinner.  I pray that I will have the opportunity to show those around me that the God they don’t believe in no way resembles the One who wants us to know Him.