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Post Published in October, 2009

Oct 22,2009, 2:00PM

New Book Compiled from Personal Journal of ALS Patient Featured in New York Times

A special interactive section on the New York Times website known as Healthguide Patient Voices features an interview with Beth Chilcoat, widow of David Chilcoat who died of ALS (a.k.a. as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2006. Beth's story is one of only six interviews conducted with ALS patients and family members for the Healthguide Patient Voices: ALS feature. Beth recently compiled the new book, NO...

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Oct 21,2009, 11:28AM

Facebook: Where the Future Church Hangs Out

By Audra Jennings

The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community A revolution is taking place, one profile at a time. Online social networks like Facebook and MySpace are connecting people like never before. With hundreds of millions of users, they're creating almost limitless potential to redefine our personal worlds. It's a movement that's changing...

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Oct 21,2009, 11:13AM

A Cringe-Free Plan for Talking About Your Faith

By Audra Jennings

Faith Path by Mark Mittelberg New study based on Mark Mittelberg's Choosing Your Faith reveals how non-Christians think and empowers believers to reach them Many Christians cringe at the thought of talking with non-Christians about faith. It's almost like trying to explain music to a deaf person or a painting to someone who is blind. But one important thing any Christian can ...

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Oct 21,2009, 11:07AM

The Last Word

By Audra Jennings

The Last Word by Kathy Herman In her second installment of the Sophie Trace Trilogy, Kathy Herman rolls Henderson, Kingsbury, and Blackstock into one with both suspense and spirituality

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Oct 21,2009, 10:55AM

A beautiful literary fantasy with deep spiritual resonance

By Audra Jennings

What would happen if all the world's weather was controlled by one man with a blue umbrella? If your mother had been killed by lightning, would you trust this man? This is the decision facing 10-year-old Zac Sparks in Mike Mason's new page-turning fantasy novel, The Blue Umbrella (David C Cook, October 2009). Probing the depths of good and evil, the first in Mason's series for 9 to 12 year olds is a superbly written children's story with deep spiritual resonance.

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Oct 21,2009, 10:24AM

Not Sure What to Say to a Grieving Person?

By Audra Jennings

When You Lose Someone You Love by Richard Exley Give the gift of comfort with the 20th anniversary edition of a classic There is nothing more devastating than the death of a loved one. And whether it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, or at the end of a long and painful illness, every death is experienced anew, a shocking loss that takes your breath away and leaves you disoriented ...

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Oct 21,2009, 10:05AM

What Will Your Ministry Look Like 25 Years After You’re Gone?

By Audra Jennings

The Longview by Roger Parrott Learn to value transformation over turn-around by extending your view Many of today's ministries suffer from a near-sighted vision. Too often leaders choose easy solutions over principled, long-term strategies. The results can be devastating, as ignored issues become full-blown crises, and small problems become big challenges. The Longview (Davi...

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Oct 20,2009, 12:24PM

New Conference Reaches Out to Help Women Struggling to Find Work

By Gina Adams

Speaker/singer Shannon Perry kicked off her new national women's conference this month entitled If The Shoe Fits. Perry decided to use the events to support Dress for Success, a worldwide charitable organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. After her first conference in the Houston area, Perry took over 200 pair of gently-worn shoes to the local Dress for Success affiliate.

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Oct 19,2009, 11:58AM

Not For Profit. Not For Prestige. For the Gospel.

By Tracy McCarter

When you imagine Jesus, who do you see? For millions of people, the first image that comes to mind is the version they saw in a movie. Films about Jesus have been, at times, wooden and boring, with the actor portraying him as an aimless drifter. At other times, he's a raving fanatic. Hollywood productions, in particular, have often featured a physically puny, helpless-looking Jesus. If Christians ...

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Oct 16,2009, 4:59PM

God Sightings helps Christians to see God as present and active in their everyday lives

By Audra Jennings

People are suggesting that they want more of God and less of the stuff that gets between them and their relationship with God. A recent Barna study revealed that 75% of Christians polled say they sense that "God is motivating people to stay [spiritually] connected but in different ways and through different types of experiences than in the past."

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Oct 16,2009, 4:56PM

New thriller examines real meaning of sacrifice

By Audra Jennings

Double Cross by James David Jordan From Suicide to Sacrifice In James David Jordan's new thriller, Double Cross, an ex-Secret Service agent deals with the truth about her past "The day my mother came back into my life began with a low December fog and a suicide." So begins James David Jordan's latest novel, Double Cross, which follows the exploits of Taylor Pasbury, a young ex-Secre...

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Oct 15,2009, 5:33PM

A Fresh Vision for the Muslim World

By Tracy McCarter

Ever since the Iran hostage crisis in the early 1980s, Americans have viewed the Muslim world with great mistrust and uneasiness. In the wake of 9/11, those feelings have turned to anger and fear. Politicians seem incapable of bridging the wide cultural gap that exists between the Middle East and the West, and a growing rivalry between Christians and Muslims feels like a slowly burning wick attached to a deadly stick of dynamite.

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Oct 14,2009, 10:35AM

Transforming the Valley of Grief

By Tracy McCarter

When Tom Mason's wife was diagnosed with liver cancer, he had only weeks to prepare for the coming waves of grief. After weeks of hospice care, a house packed with women bringing food and cleaning, planning for a funeral and burial and spending every possible moment with his family, Mason entered the valley of grief as a single man. He had lost forty pounds due to stress and anxiety. He was fearful and lonely, and he soon discovered that there was no real roadmap to guide him through the valley. The grief hit him like a tsunami.

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Oct 08,2009, 12:40PM

The Jesus Movie for the Next Generation

By Tracy McCarter

Jesus...No Greater Love The Jesus Movie for the Next Generation You know the story. You know the ending. Now know the heart of the Man. The truth of the gospel never changes. But Christianity has many faces. They reflect the customs and cultures and the beautiful diversity of the global church. They are lined with the wisdom of age and vibrant with the passion of youth. One gospel for all the w...

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Oct 08,2009, 10:13AM

Drama Company Offers Free Church Performance to Celebrate 25th Anniversary

By Gina Adams

To mark the 25th anniversary of Master's Image Productions, one of the foremost drama ministries in the country, founder Chuck Neighbors is offering a free performance of his newest production, "Not The Way I Heard It." Churches can simply log into the company's website at www.MastersImage.com to vie for the free offer. On January 4th, 2010 one church will be chosen at random to receive the special performance.

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Oct 08,2009, 10:06AM

Follow Me Out: Reflections from a Former Victim of Domestic Violence

By Gina Adams

Watching her on stage, no one knew that singer/actress/musical theater star Marie Barlow Martin was an abused spouse. But the reality is, domestic violence happens even in seemingly-stable Christian marriages. Now years later, re-married to producer/songwriter Gordy Martin, Marie has dedicated her talents to singing inspirational praise & worship music and helping women find the courage to tell their secrets. Here she shares her personal story:

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Oct 06,2009, 1:57PM

New Tool in the Fight Against Mental Illness

By WinePress Group

Have you or a friend been diagnosed with a mental illness? How should you feel? What does this mean? Will anyone look at you the same again? "Lord, I just found out I am a person with a mental illness." So begins the first of thirty-one poignant devotional thoughts compiled by Evelyn Geisler on coping with the diagnosis, treatment, and day-to-day challenges of living with mental diso...

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Oct 06,2009, 12:58PM

Seven Skills to Achieve the Life You Desire

By Tracy McCarter

Mike staggers into the emergency room, presenting what he believes are the classic signs of a heart attack. Soon his condition stabilizes, and the E. R. doctor sweeps into the room to assess Mike's problem. Mike is not having a heart attack, but the symptoms that brought him to the hospital have been caused by something...

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A blog about books, news and other forms of Christian media matter important to the faith community.