Why not?

Because I normally wouldn’t  pick up this book.

And that’s exactly the problem.

Because WE NEED to hear these forgotten voices that have been so critical to shaping the Faith.

Much of the Church has been conditioned NOT to tune into the rich legacy unveiled in this new BMH book.

Join me for a special interview with the author of  Sacred Friendships,Dr. Robert Kellemen (co-author pictured below, Susan Ellis):

• Tell us a little bit about yourself. (How did you get from there to here.)

I’ve been married for twenty-eight years to my college sweetheart, Shirley. Shirley and I have two young adult children. Josh is twenty-four and married to Andi, and is in law school in Washington State. Marie is twenty-one and is a college senior at Purdue, majoring in chemistry, and lives at home with us in Crown Point, Indiana.

I graduated with my BA in Pastoral Ministry from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA. I earned my Th.M. in Theology and Biblical Counseling from Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, IN. I have my Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Kent State University. I’m also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC).

I pastored three churches in Ohio and Maryland. In two of those churches I was an Associate Pastor focused on counseling and equipping. I also have served as a Sr. Pastor.

For over a dozen years I was Chairman of the Master of Arts in Christian Counseling and Discipleship Department at Capital Bible Seminary. I am now the Professor-at-Large for that program.

I’m also the Director of the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network (BCSFN) for the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). Our vision is to equip people to use God’s Word to help God’s people to grow in Christlikeness.

In my role as Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries (www.rpmminstries.org) I write, speak, and consult about Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

In all my spare time, I coach high school wrestling, play in a men’s softball league, run daily, love sci-fi, and am a life-long die-hard Chicago Cubs fan. 

• What’s the “big idea” behind Sacred Friendships? What would you like readers to take away from it?

Far too often we build our models of ministry by ignoring over half the Christian world—women. The big idea of Sacred Friendships is to give voice to the voiceless by celebrating the legacy of Christian women and by applying that legacy to our ministries today.

We want readers, men and women, to learn from godly women of the faith how to be powerful spiritual friends. Readers will be enriched by the powerful stories of the heroic sisters of the Spirit to apply proven ways to help people find healing hope in the midst of deep pain. They’ll be empowered to help people to find God’s grace for their sins and God’s strength for their journey. 

• What motivated you to write Sacred Friendships? Why did you choose to write this book?

I’ve always been passionate about giving voice to the voiceless. When I started teaching about the history of Christian soul care, men and women would say, “I had never even heard of most of these women. Yet their lives are remarkable. Their stories teach me how to live and how to minister today.” Then these same students would say, “You have to get these amazing narratives out there so everyone can learn from them!”

So, we wrote Sacred Friendships to unbury the buried treasure of the riches of the history of women’s ministry. We wrote it to give the world the gift of the life stories of over fifty women of the faith.

G. K. Chesterton observes that history is democracy extended through time. History gives votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. It refuses to submit to those who merely happen to be walking around. Sacred Friendships gives vote and voice to our female forebears in the faith. It listens to their voices communicating the unique shapes and textures of their practice of soul care and spiritual direction.

• With all that’s going on in the world, why this book now? What’s unique about Sacred Friendships?

There are a few scattered books out there on the history of women in the church. There are a few books out there on women counseling women. Sacred Friendships is not just a history book. It’s not just a counseling/spiritual friendship book. Frankly, there’s not another book out there that applies the history of the legacy of godly women to life and ministry today.

Sacred Friendships is especially vital in our world today. We are so disconnected from one another. We sit by our computers . . . alone. We send quick text messages . . . without any depth.

People are hungry for profound relationships, for meaningful connections. But they have few examples showing how to connect to others in practical ways. Sacred Friendships provides over 50 concrete models that teach us how to be real and raw, how to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth, how to be a . . . sacred friend.

• Who should read Sacred Friendships?

I love this question. First, anyone who loves riveting stories of victory snatched from the jaws of defeat should read Sacred Friendships. Susan and I like to think of our roles as “story-tellers”—we share stories from the lives of over 50 remarkable Christian women. If you like a good, true story, read Sacred Friendships.

Second, people might assume that Sacred Friendships is a book only for women. Not true. Susan and I like to say that Sacred Friendships is a gift to women and a gift from women.

As a gift to women, Sacred Friendships puts to rest the lie of Satan that women in church history have been second-class spiritual citizens! Just one example: the famous Church Fathers were mentored by the lesser-known but incredibly gifted Church Mothers. Sacred Friendships encourages and empowers women to realize that as bearers of God’s image they have equal worth, dignity, value, and giftedness as men have. Women young and mature need the message told by these stories—because the world surely is not the place to turn for validation of worth in Christ. 

As a gift from women, Sacred Friendships is for men and women—it’s for anyone who learns best by example. Men and women can read Sacred Friendships and glean life-changing skills to empathize with hurting people, to encouraging people with Christ’s sure hope, to exhort people by speaking the truth in love, and to equip people to tap into Christ’s resurrection power.

• How can people get in touch with you and how can they learn more about your ministry and about Sacred Friendships?

 I can be contacted by email at: rpm.ministries@gmail.com 

 A free sample chapter of Sacred Friendships is available at: http://bit.ly/1S1haj

To learn more about RPM Ministries, please visit: www.rpmministries.org

Sacred Friendships is on sale at 40% off for $12.99 at: http://bit.ly/MG1l5

Find out the answer to this question…

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? 

…and many more, including which TV game show I wish I could be on.

Plus win a free copy of The Fine Line.  All right here.

On July 14 our Church has the amazing opportunity of hosting Tony Morgan on his Killing Cockroaches Summer Tour.  (Other lucky cities are: Atlanta, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Nashville). In order to help our community better understand the purpose behind the tour I asked Tony 5 questions:

1. What’s the Big Idea behind Killing Cockroaches?

Back when I was a city manager, I heard a woman scream from the other side of the building. A few minutes later, she showed up in my office. She found a cockroach. For some reason, she thought this was a job for the “CEO” at city hall. I don’t know what possessed me, but I walked to the other side of the building and proceeded to kill the cockroach, with my my fancy, wingtip shoes.

Since then, there are days that I come home and I have that mopey or frustrated look on my face. My wife started to ask me, “Did you have to kill cockroaches today?” For us, it’s become a description of those days when I find myself responding to the urgent things in life rather than the focusing my time and energy on the responsibilities that have the biggest leadership impact.

2. Why the RV tour?

Well, the tour gives me an excuse to build a three-week vacation with my family around stops to talk with church leaders. I’d love to tell you the trip is more about equipping church leaders. Honestly, though, it’s more about the experience with my family. We have four kids ages 14, 11, 8 and 4. We probably aren’t going to have too many more opportunities like this where we can travel for three weeks and see parts of the country we’ve never visited before.

3. What will attendees walk away with?

We’re going to cover two critical topics. The first will be building teams and empowering leaders. Since churches live and die based on the capacity of their volunteers, this is always a challenging dialogue. The second topic is about helping churches find their focus. I’d love to help leaders understand why it’s so critical that they clarify their outreach, discipleship and communications strategy. Oh, and don’t worry, there is plenty of time built into the tour stops for Q&A.

4. What’s the next step for you “post” NewSpring Church?

Well, my family and I are still engaged at NewSpring Church, so it doesn’t really feel like it’s a “post” situation yet. Though we’re waiting for God to reveal our next assignment, I’m pretty confident it’s going to involve serving leaders and churches across the country and helping to spread great stories. That’s the stuff that energizes me and where I find the most fulfillment.

5. Will any cockroaches be accompanying you on the tour (for the sake of props or snacks)?

Though there aren’t any immediate plans to have cockroaches on the tour, it wouldn’t surprise me if we have a few try to hitchhike in our vehicle. The cockroaches down here in South Carolina are huge. In fact, we may ditch the RV and just saddle up a few cockroaches instead. They’re big…and they’re also fast.

More about Tony, the tour, or the book.

The last of Podcast Week…

Episode 35 - Denver Interview

Commentary on the finer points of The Fine Line.

Download MP3 

Slicing through taboos…especially in the church.

My friend Brett Ullman, Director of Worlds Apart and internationally acclaimed speaker to youth, isn’t afraid to broach subjects that might not be welcomed by some.  

Brett Ullman speaks with courage and conviction on sensitive, current issues affecting youth including self-injury, suicide, substance abuse, sexuality, music and faith in our modern age.

I wanted you  to get a taste of Brett’s courageous style to be God’s man…no matter what other people think (a lesson that I need to be constantly reminded of).

Keep reading in order to learn more about Brett Ullman and Worlds Apart. Here’s the interview:

1. How did you get from there to here? I was a teacher in Toronto for 10 years while I was beginning my speaking career.  As a teacher, I was moved by the pressures that my students were under and wanted to make a difference in students lives on a broader scale. The requests for me to come speak grew to the point that a full-time commitment from me was needed.  I left teaching 3 years ago and love having the chance to speak to students across North America.
2. Please identify one of your leadership weaknesses that’s been exposed while in ministry? I think one of my many weaknesses has been Vision Bleeding. Andy Stanley wrote an amazing book called Visioning which is the first time I ever read the term vision bleeding and realized that it is something I struggle with. If I begin with 100% of my work day to work on the calling that God has given me I can do a lot of working towards those goal. The problem is that people then ask us to become part of something that is not part of the vision or calling we have. These things are probably good things but things that have to “bleed” or decrease your time you can put into your original vision. I am often asked to write weekly or monthly articles for youth magazines. I appreciate the opportunity but if I have to take 2-3 hours a week out of my work day to write those articles it means that I have less time to work on other things. This balance is one area that I have struggled in but am getting better at.  I have to really pick and choose what things I will do in a given week to make sure I get done the big things in my own ministry.
3. How have you closed that leadership gap? Coming from a background of teaching I had many skills that transferred over to my speaking but many areas did not. When I was younger I did not enjoy reading. I have since learned how important reading is.  I have been reading anything I can get my hands on dealing for leadership for the last few years. I presently just finished a 2 year leadership program called the Arrow Leadership Program (www.arrowleadership.org) which as been a great help to me and I plan on starting my Masters in Evangelism and Leadership from Wheaton in the Fall.
4. I applaud your vision for World’s Apart. What is your “God size” vision for it? Good question. I want to help people connect their ancient faith with their modern world. To break that down, I have created a media.culture.faith talk, a response to self injury talk and a dating talk and I am presently putting together a talk specifically to challenge men. My vision is for World’s Apart to be used as a catalyze to lead people to a deeper faith in Jesus and as a result to impact their world as He would like.
5. Give us the Big Idea (3-4 sentences) behind your breakthrough resource Your Story: The Wounding Embrace and why you made it?  My main talk is called Media.Faith.Culture and is a look at how to connect all of those things. About 5 years ago I added in one slide on Self-Injury (cutting, suicide etc) and the response was overwhelming. I began to receive hundreds of emails from students talking about their struggles. I had been reading Bill Hybels book “Holy Discontent” where he says if you have something you cannot stand then “feed” that discontent. So I did. I went to Amazon and bought every book I could find on Self Injury (about 30 books) From those readings and my conversations with about 500-1000 people who struggle with Self-Injury this talk grew. It is meant to be a practical look at this issue as well as a discussion about what to do if we or someone we love is struggling with Self Injury.

If you self-injure or know someone who struggles with this  I encourage you to click here for more information on how to work through the pain and enter into healing.

Peppermint-Filled Pinatas - Weird book title, hey?

Think that’s strange? Check out the description:

 ”A guide for overcoming the negative Christian stereotype by embracing the people Christians ‘love to hate.’”

But maybe the strangest thing of all is author Eric Bryant’s job title = Navigator at Mosaic Church of California.

What is Mosaic anyhow?

“The name of our community comes from the diversity of our members and from the symbolism of a broken and fragmented humanity which can become a work of beauty under the artful hands of God. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. Come to Mosaic, and discover how all the pieces can fit together!”

Keep reading in order to learn more about Eric and Mosaic. Here’s the interview:

1. How did you get from there to here? After college, my new wife and I helped plant a church in Seattle where we had 4 senior pastors the first 4 years.  We learned how not to plant a church.  In 1998, we moved to Los Angeles to volunteer at Mosaic so we could have an experience at a healthy church before going overseas.  Rather than staying 6 months as we planned, we have been here for 11 years.  I started as a volunteer in the parking lot then later worked with students before helping catalyze new venues across Los Angeles.  The last four years I have been serving as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic.  We realized we can reach the world from Los Angeles.
2. What’s the Big Idea behind Peppermint-Filled Pinatas? The book shares how to interact, serve, love, and influence homosexuals, Hindus, and the hard to reach.  Erwin’s books often deal with “why we do what we do” at Mosaic, but my book is more about “how we do what we do” in terms of developing meaningful relationships with people with whom we differ, disagree, and even dislike.  In many ways, it is my personal journey to discover ministry effectiveness (with some wins and many losses) in a pluralistic and diverse world.
3. Mosaic seems to be out in front of the pack. What is your specific calling as a church? We are simply trying to influence, serve, and reach Los Angeles.  Since Los Angeles continues to grow in diversity, ooze creativity, move quickly, and dabble in all things spiritual, we feel that if we are able to reach our friends, neighbors, and co-workers in this context, we can help others reach anyone.  In many ways, we see ourselves as part of the Research and Development arm of God’s Kingdom.  Some of what we are facing here now will be what the rest of the U.S. will face in the near future. We have the freedom and calling to experiment, fail, and try again for the sake of others. 
4. What are some God-sized dreams He’s placed in your heart that you have yet to see accomplished? We have unusual dreams at Mosaic.  We want to live by faith, be known by love, and be a voice of hope to our city.  We really, truly want to live out this vision.  When someone is in need in Los Angeles or Berkeley or near any of our gatherings, we want them to think that God can meet their needs through our community.  We want to become one of the most effective humanitarian organizations on the planet.  When someone desires to grow as a leader, we want her to connect to our community.  We dream of becoming one of the premier mentoring organizations in the world.  When Paramount needs a good film, we want them to hire our filmmakers or option one of our short films.  We want to become one of the most effective communities sought after for our creativity.  We want to produce the world’s greatest communicators, writers, and teachers.  We are catching a glimpse of these dreams through Awaken Humanity, Serve L.A., and even recently, one of our dancers became the lead dancer in one of Cirque de Soleil’s shows.  Stuff like that.
5. In the circles you run in, what does it mean to be in the world and not of it…to integrate Christ AND culture?  We cannot show the world God’s love if we do not truly love the people in our world. Too many believers see the world as our enemy.  One of the most important changes we can make to overcome this perception would be to create communities in which people are allowed to belong before they have to believe.  Rather than being considered and even treated as outsiders, we need to invite our family, co-workers, and neighbors into our lives and into our communities as friends.  As followers of Jesus, we have been “set apart” and “sent out.”  We are “set apart” in our behavior, and “sent out” in our relationships.  The more religious we become the more these ideas become reversed.  We end up being “set apart” in our relationships, and “sent out” from those we are to love and serve.   We are “set apart” in how we relate to others, not to whom we relate. As we help others transform their lives, we will transform the culture.

Eric has three Peppermint audiobooks he’s offering to the first 3 people who read this post then email him at eric@mosaic.orgwith “PFP Audiobook” in the subheading.  He might also give away some free online resources to those who don’t win.  If I were you, I’d drop him a line and see what’s up.

Who hasn’t endorsed this new book by Billy Graham’s grandson? Here’s just one of them:

Tullian Tchividjian, one of today’s brightest young Christian leaders, makes a refreshing call for orthodoxy. He does not apologize for the Gospel; he wears it like a red badge of courage. Read this book to recover the faith once for all delivered to the saints in fresh, courageous terms.
– Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship and author of The Faith

I feel blessed to have received an advance copy  of Unfashionable.In the early chapters, I’ve been impressed with the blend of scholarship, vulnerability, and cultural  savvyness  in which this book is written. I believe Tullian’s message harmonizes well with where The Fine Line ends. No wonder Amazon pairs our books together. I encourage you to pick up this new work which gives ample rationale as to why Christ followers need to be different in the world in which they live.

Official Release date: April 21, 2009
Unfashionable—Making a Difference in the World by Being Different
By Tullian Tchividjian
Publisher: Multnomah Books, a division of Random House Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60142-085-5
SIZE: 5 x 8
PAGES: 224, Hardcover
PRICE: $17.99 US/ $19.99 CAN

My prayer for you today.

Ministry-minded.

Servant-heart.

We push these cliches around in the church world without even defining them. Because of this tendency, I vowed to refrain from ever using them. JUNK. I just did though. You see, Gabe Tavino is both of them…minus the cliches. And I’m going to define these words so you understand Gabe a little better.

Ministry minded = His life flows out of his relationship with Christ. He doesn’t compartmentalize his faith. Servant’s heart = He’s not in it for the applause. He puts others first regardless of the perks.

Keep reading in order to learn more about Gabe,  God’s Mac and his famous author wife Marla. Here’s the interview:

1. How did you get from there to here? I was blessed to be the first individual in my father’s family to achieve a college degree. That degree led our family through 11 moves (all in Ohio) and some nice corporate jobs. God showed me that making lots of money doesn’t bring satisfaction to life. I’ve personally come to an understanding that retirement is an American dream, but doesn’t have to be the finishing point for our efforts. Glorifying God should be our primary goal in everything. I’m thrilled to work from home now, assisting ministries with websites and graphic design, and being content with paying the bills and serving the clients God has given me.
2. What’s the Big Idea behind Digital Disciples? I work with lots of ministries around the world, utilizing technology to make the church go round. I sometimes feel like a hamster, spinning web magic as I speed the wheel faster and faster. We’re not called to DO. We’re called to BE. And the first thing we need to BE is a disciple of Christ. With as much excitement and anticipation that I’ve had in years, I have started forming a group of individuals in Columbus, OH. We focus on sharpening our talents with creativity and technology, and are offering that training for free to the public. Each session is concluded with a Bible study and time of prayer, with the goal of reaching our local community for Christ. I’m now eager to help start other groups in locations around the world.
3. What is God’s Mac and how has it connected you to unbelievers? God’s Mac is a podcast that consists of three segments in each episode. Technology review, an interview with a special guest, and concluding with discussing how God wants us to use technology. It started in August of 2006, and there are over 50 episodes now available online. I’ve been blessed with an awesome friend and co-host in Lee Love, and am happy with how it has encouraged the faith community. We’ve interacted with secular listeners and guests, even a few atheists. It’s my prayer that people see God through our discussions, but I’m more focused now on Digital Disciples and taking technology offline with personal interaction.
4. What are some God-sized dreams He’s placed in your heart that you have yet to see accomplished?This year God has started letting some dreams start to come true! I have a big desire to challenge the church to stop focusing on becoming like the world through our media and entertainment pursuits. Sure, we have to be great at what we do, but there is a shift back to service and discipleship that needs to take place. The church needs to once again leave the building, and as much as it hurts to say it, leave the internet and truly be social again. I am now speaking across the country about this, and am working on a book that I pray will hit the nail on the head. God is shaking the introvert out of me, that’s for sure!
5. In the circles you run in, what does it mean to be in the world and not of it…to integrate Christ AND culture?  I was once told by a friend that God couldn’t use the internet to reach people. Partially true, but mostly false. There is a shift going on where the church believes that it can do the work of the Lord virtually. I am sure the Spirit can move online as well as offline (I’ve witnessed it). But I’ve seen myself and so many other Christians get hooked with the online world, even becoming blind to the fact that God also wants them to have a life away from the desk. It’s time to physically wake up and not cop out of being bold for the Lord in our communities!

As I sign off, I wonder one thing about you…how have you integrated technology and evangelism. I’d like to know. Shoot me a comment below.

Aspire. 

According to Webster “Aspire” is all about: seeking to attain or accomplish a particular goal. But if you’re Dawn Nicole Baldwin there’s no seeking about it. She’s already done it!

With an impressive resume working with clients like Willow Creek Church and Big Idea (creators of Veggie Tales) Dawn has a passion for learning, stretching imaginations & making a difference. She’s currently focused on helping churches reach peoplemore effectively as founder & lead strategist of AspireOne

Keep reading in order to learn more about Dawn and AspireOne. Here’s the interview:

1. How did you get from here to there? I started my first business when I was 13, (selling customized locker illustrations to classmates) so I guess you can say I’ve always been an entrepreneur although my path is a bit nontraditional. My career started at a boutique ad agency but the hours required made it really challenging for a young mom with two small children, so I quickly launched out on my own. During this time I also volunteered heavily at Willow Creek Community Church in communications & after a few years I was offered a staff position leading the department. My husband, Keith, left the ad agency he worked with to take over my small roster of clients while I was at Willow. I’ve always been a huge fan of VeggieTales so when I was offered a position at Big Idea Productions, I leapt at the opportunity. Our little company was beginning to grow, so after spending two years with Bob & Larry, I left the vegetables to rejoin Keith at AspireOne in 2001. Over the past eight years I’ve been privileged to work with some incredibly talented people while pursuing my passions of writing and speaking. I absolutely love my team and the clients we partner with. Recently, I joined Jarbyco (a mobile communications startup) as a senior partner in addition to my role at AspireOne.
2. Give us the Big Idea behind AspireOne? The reason why we exist is to help churches reach people more effectively. There are so many that feel they are the community’s best kept secret or are battling misperceptions–not only of their church, but sometimes Christianty in general. Our passion is to help churches understand how to live out their unique purpose and communicate that with clarity.
3. I applaud your vision for AspireOne. What is your “God size” vision for it? Our God-sized vision is to enable churches at a deeper level and on a global scale. Helping churches not only understand marketplace best practices, but the unique purpose God has in mind for their specific church. This is beyond brand strategies, marketing tactics or convincing some not to imitate what other influential churches are doing. But helping each church realize their potential and connecting others to that vision.
4. Please identify one of your leadership weaknesses that’s been exposed while functioning as the Lead Strategist of AspireOne. It’s hard for me to believe that God would use me in the way it appears He might want to. Honestly, I’m humbled by some of the circles I’m invited to play in, and a lack of confidence can become exposed due to the absence of a pedigreed education or experience climbing a traditional corporate ladder. It’s caused me to hold back when I’ve needed to speak up or step forward because I’ve doubted my abilities.
5. How have you closed that leadership gap? It may sound trite, but I’ve been stretching my faith to trust God more & myself less. I’ve also been intentionally looking to surround myself with people who will be honest with me about what I can and can’t do and then balance our teams with talented people who complement those skills.

As I sign off, I wonder one thing about you…what are you aspiring to become. I’d like to know. Shoot me a comment below.