(ht: cade)

this past week i received a free copy of shane claiborne’s book The Irresistable Revolution, however i already have and have read this book so, i’m making it available to you—the faithful reader. however, there is a catch. if you want to receive this book all you have to do is answer this simple bit of trivia and be the first to drop it in an email to me. i’ll contact the winner and ship you the book for free. deal?

alrighty… and the question is: “from the show ‘the office’, in the fax that Dwight received from “Future Dwight” what was he told not to do and why?”

good luck everyone, we’re all counting on you.

well, it looks like bell will be stirring the pot vigorously with this book… if he wasn’t deemed a heretic before this should certainly help tip the balance… and only because he used the word ’sex’. (he’s already been deemed a heretic by the people at slice… you know, the people that matter.)

looks like an interesting read… here’s a review and preview of the book that i found on amazon:

Starred Review. Bell raises the bar with this evocative follow-up to last year’s bestseller Velvet Elvis. “Is sex a picture of heaven?” he wonders. It’s all about God and sex and heaven, he says: “…they’re connected. And they can’t be separated. Where the one is you will always find the other.” Bell’s book isn’t a sex manual, an exploration of the differences between men and women or a marriage how-to, though all of that is here. Instead, it’s the story of God becoming human, of humans mirroring God and love made manifest in the chaos of our humanity. Sex God is about relationships revealed in a way that elevates the human condition and offers hope to those whose relationships are wounded. In Bell’s spare, somewhat oblique style, he addresses lust, respect, denial, risk, acceptance and more. His love for God and the Bible is clear, as is his ability to ask probing questions and offer answers that make readers think deeply about their own lives. He does a fine job using the Bible and real life to show that our physical relationships are really about spiritual relationships. This book joyfully ties, and then tightens, the knot between God and humankind.

i think my favorite part is the tagline at the end… “first church of christ, filmmaker”

alright, so i’ve never been tagged before but smulo got me so it’s time to oblige.  thanks john.

1* what’s the most fun work you’ve ever done, and why? (two sentences max)

honestly, it’d probably be the interim position that i’m in now. i’ve never had a more challenging and rewarding time in ministry in my entire life.

2* (a) Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (one sentence max)

this is a simple one, but i really wish i got to play sports with good friends like i did in high school and college.

(b) Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do but keep putting off? (one sentence max)

hmmm…. this is a tough one…. i’ve got nothin’

3* (a) What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max)

1- guitar because i’m tired of being jealous of good guitar players.
2- webdesign beacuse i’m tired of being jealous of good web designers.

(b) If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead who would it be and what would you hope to learn?

i’ve always been intrigued by ghandi—i would love to apprentice under ghandi.

4* (a) What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?

1- funny
2- outgoing
3- impulsive

(b) now list two more words that you wish described you?

1- patient
2- conscientious

5* What are your top 3 passions?

1- ministry
2- community (friendships/relationships)
3- reading/writing

6* Write and answer one more question that YOU would ask someone? (with answer in three sentences max)

Q- if you could change one thing about the church, what would you change?
A- that it would loosen up, stop taking itself so serious and start having some fun.

—
now it’s my turn…. i tag:

*glenn
*breeze
*michelle
*dada (this means you have to start your own blog!)
*tracy

here are a few articles i’ve been chewing on for the past couple of weeks that have certainly peaked my interest…

» Ripping MP3’s illegal, Grounds for Lawsuit ::: it seems the recording industry has begun declaring it illegal to take your CD’s and import them onto your computer… this constitutes an unauthorized copy. it looks to me as if they’re just trying to get people to stop buying CD’s altogether.

» A Business-model for Saving Souls ::: a look at Willow Creek’s methodology by the Chicago Tribune. it also gives a glancing look at the consumer-Christian mindset of church-shopping.

» Megachurches Add Local Economy to Their Mission

» A Force for Good ::: The new and liberal world of evangelical Christianity… a look at the Emerging Church. I still can’t completely figure out why the emerging church gets labelled in the “liberal” camp as if it is somehow the left-wing, counter-opposite of the Religious Right. Sure there are differences and reasons, but it can’t be broadly categorized in a fair way.

» Does Your Religion Dance? ::: Behold, the most dangerous issues facing modern faith: it’s inability to evolve, nakedly. Mark Morford is a op-ed columnest for the San Francisco Chronicle and often times presents a very interesting and controversial perspective on faith that certainly will either make you laugh, angry, or perplexed…

thanks miah for this horrendously real and all too fatal 2 hour, 1978 star wars holiday special video… after watching this you don’t have to wonder for too long why it has never resurfaced on air.

you should all fastforward to about the 2:40 mark for a good chuckle…

if you thought this was good and absolutely must see more of it, i’m told that you can actually find the entire 2 hours on youtube…

december 18, 2006 was the biggest day of the year on the ol’ blog as 649 people came on by… is this an anomaly, or just a picture of things to come for ‘07? i guess only time will tell…

maybe it had something to do with the post that day… who knows?

but one thing is for sure, the blog grew by leaps and bounds this year from averaging 100 at the beginning of the year to over 300 by the end of the year… thanks to you, the faithful reader for stopping by and participating in our conversations!

well, it’s been a very busy year in the blogosphere and it’s been a banner year comment wise on the ol’ blog as well.  so, without any further ado i give you the top 10 commented upon posts in thier respective order:

1. hanged! (50 comments)
2. christian celebrities (39 comments)
3. perfection, sinlessness, immortality (22 comments)
4. political ad (21 comments)
5. don’t let yourself go (18 comments)
6. a new national mission statement (18 comments)
7. jim wallis on the daily show ‘god’s politics’ (16 comments)
8. would jesus shop at wal-mart (15 comments)
9. heaven, hell and the scope of salvation (14 comments)
10. the un-world series (14 comments)
11. a political dichotomy (14 comments)
12. why buildings sit empty (14 comments)

and there you have it–the top ten…er, eleven twelve.

there are posts throughout the year that have stood out more than others, whether its people continuing to go back to them time and again, there’s a rather raucous debate/conversation, or they’ve happened upon them through search engines.  so, according to the statistics, i bring you the top 10 posts of the year:

1. christian celebrities (261 views)
2. bonhoeffer’s warning (197 views)
3. perfection, sinlessness, immortality (166 views)
4. political ad (159 views)
5. heaven, hell and the scope of savation (138 views)
6. don’t let yourself go (138 views)
7. why can’t we all just get along (125 views)
8. another one bites the dust (119 views)
9. church fire (114 views)
10. driscoll responds to his critics (108 views)

and there are the top 10 posts of 2006…

i saw these two amazing acoustic guitar players show their stuff the other night on letterman. rodrigo y gabriela are an interesting mix of classical guitar, mariachi, and cool beats. plus they’re just downright impressive…

click here