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James 1:27 describes the purest form of religion as caring for the “orphan and the widow in their distress.” So we know that adoption and orphan-care are close to the heart of God.  At Family, we’ve committed our hearts and action to their cause. In fact, 10% of what we make goes to support our non-profit foundation, The James Fund who passionately lives out this “true religion” every single day. So every time you shop with us, you’re causing this good work to continue – and changing lives forever.

Fore more on The James Fund, click here.

an interview with Frank Peretti

Writers in the suspense/thriller genre are a unique breed. They weave words so you sense the tempo of each paragraph (and your heart rate) quickening toward crescendo; crafting stories with near-superhero ability. Frank Peretti is the quintessential suspense novelist. Like most superheroes, it took Frank awhile to discover his unique talent. But unlike them, he was far from alone in his journey…

Family Christian: Good afternoon Frank, why don’t you kick things off by telling us a little about your upbringing.

Frank Peretti: Well, I was born in Alberta, Canada. I was Canadian for a month or so and then my folks moved right down to Seattle. I was up in Canada just long enough to mess up my citizenship, so now I can’t run for president or anything…

FC: Oh, did you have aspirations for that?

Frank: Well, no, I wouldn’t know the first thing about that! (Laughs) My dad was an American citizen who grew up in Seattle, went up to Canada to work for the summer and met my mom who was a Canadian citizen. About a month or so after I was born they came [back] down to Seattle.

FC: So that’s where you grew up. Well now we know you didn’t want to be president, but you did have aspirations of becoming a musician…?

Frank: Yeah I did, that was clear back when I was just getting married. Man, I was between the ages of 19 and 22, right in there [somewhere]. I was starving (laughs), but yeah, I traveled with a couple of groups…

FC: And you played banjo for a band called Northern Cross, right?

Frank: Oh my, yeah! I’ve played [banjo] for over 30 years. I’m learning the guitar now, maybe that’s because I’m mellowing in my old age (laughs).  Well way back when I was first playing, [my wife] Barb wasn’t even old enough to come in and hear us play. We were playing in lounges and things and the banjo was my primary instrument. I actually played the bass too, come to think of it. Then we got out that group and traveled with a Christian ministry group called Living Waters for two years. I think that was the sum and total of my musical efforts. I tried to do some solo ministry and that bombed (laughs), so I ended up being a carpenter and a printer working in a print shop, doing whatever I could to make a living. The thing is, after all of those early years of just doing this and doing that, I didn’t really figure out that I was supposed to be a writer until I was pushing thirty.

Family: So how did you make that transition from musician and print shop worker to your first novel?

Frank: I think two significant things happened. Number one (I don’t remember the exact year, close to about 1982 or 83 but I remember where I was), I was at Deception Pass in Washington. Barb and I were on a little mini-vacation just to get away – we were so burnt out in ministry we didn’t know what to do. I had pastored a church with my dad for five years and we were just worn to a frazzle. I was kinda feeling like, well, here’s another thing I’ve failed at – I didn’t succeed at being a musician, didn’t succeed at being a carpenter and now I’ve kind of burned-out of the ministry. What am I supposed to do? I remember sitting on this bluff above the ocean just talking to the Lord and it was so clear, such a peace, such a joy, the Lord finally confirmed in my heart, “Frank you’re supposed to be a writer.” That’s what I’d always wanted to do. Through all this other stuff I was doing, I always went back to the writing, and it was writing that made me feel whole, complete. So, man! That was when I finally figured that out. Now the second thing that happened: I had started This Present Darkness, [but] I’d been pecking away at it for five years, so I just concentrated and got that book done. Then I went through the process of trying to get it published, which was long and tedious - about fourteen different publishers... and finally it got published in 1986 – 26 years ago… 26 years!

FC: Wow, so did you have other books in the works before that time?

Frank: I’d written screenplays mostly. I was trying to get something going in movies and television (laughs), but [those scripts are] still sitting in a drawer somewhere… Interestingly, back in 1983 I told a story to some junior high kids at a camp and the other camp folks and pastors said, “You should write that down and get it published.” And so I wrote and sent it to Crossway Books and that was The Door in the Dragon’s Throat which turned out to be the first of the Cooper Kids’ Adventures [Series]. So that was published and (I think) Escape from the Island of Aquarius before This Present Darkness. As a matter of fact, it was The Door in the Dragon’s Throat that kind of opened the door for This Present Darkness because Crossway turned that [proposal] down the first time. But they liked the kids’ books and that convinced them that I knew how to write. So they said “Could you send us that other idea you had?” I hadn’t even typed [This Present Darkness] up yet, it was still in rough draft form, so Barb and her mom and I got three typewriters going, typed that up and mailed it to them (that was back in the old days when you mailed things) and by cracky! They published it! (In a booming voice) And the rest is history.

I was working in a ski factory up until just about 1988, and I didn’t really become a full- time writer until Crossway decided they needed the sequel, so I started Piercing the Darkness. They asked me how long it was going to take, and so I told them “well it took me five years to do This Present Darkness,” so they said, “well how much do you need to live on?” (laughs) They gave me an advance to live on, so I knuckled down, finished Piercing and sent it to them. I remember my first day as a full-time writer. I got out of bed (I didn’t have to go to the ski factory!) and I turned on my very first computer: a Corona 4 megahertz computer with a big five-inch floppy drive. And so I wrote Piercing on that computer…

FC: What kind of computer did you write Illusion on?

Frank: I have a Mac! I’ve moved up in the world.

FC: After both of the Darkness books you wrote a book called Tilly which was quite a departure from the other two. What brought about that transition?

Frank: Wow, that’s a good question. Let’s see, I’ve got to turn back the pages of time here… Tilly had her beginning clear back before I was a published author. I was working odd jobs and thinking, Boy I’d like to do a movie or TV and so I came up with this story of Tilly. I realized I couldn’t do that [TV], but I did have a tape recorder, so I thought, I’ll write and produce a radio play. So I had this reel-to-reel tape recorder and I borrowed some microphones from my church. I was living in a 25-foot travel trailer at the time with Barb (laughs), so we hung sleeping bags and blankets up in the trailer to make a sound studio and I brought in actors (just people from my church), and we recorded this story. I managed to get it broadcasted on KCIS, the local radio station in Seattle at the time. From there we had a little bit of interest perked [so] then (they did, or I did, or someone) sent it down to Focus on the Family, and I remember someone told me that copies of Tilly (on little cassette tapes) were passing each other in the hallways at Focus... So they bought the rights to produce their own version for the radio and broadcasted it, and I think maybe they still are! That turned out to be one of their most popular broadcasts. Somewhere down the road [after that], I’ve got books out with Crossway and the radio show’s popular, so [my publisher] said “maybe we should come out with a book version” so then I wrote Tilly as a novel. So see, she had a history going way back before I wrote my other books but then became a book much later.

FC: Very interesting. You’ve been consistently keeping people on the edge of their seats with your suspense thrillers for years now. Tell us a little bit about your mindset for Illusion.

Frank: Any book [I write] is just a whole bunch of different ideas that fall together. I wanted to do a book that was relational – which would talk about the marriage relationship – that was kind of a metaphor or parable of the body of Christ and its longing to be with the Bridegroom, Jesus. Ya know, that whole pervasive spiritual longing to be reconciled to our Creator and to be right with things. So those were kind of the thematic elements. I created Mandy as a metaphor for a lost soul wandering around wondering who am I, where do I belong, why do I feel lost? And then there was the cool story-vehicle that I found: let’s use stage magicians, because then we can create this situation where Mandy is reverting in time through some kind of a weird inter-dimensional “timewarpy” thing that also enables her to make these incredible illusions. [Then] that opens up the opportunity to create mystery and suspense and good guys and bad guys and the chase at the end. So all of these things come together and finally form a story, but those are the essential ingredients I started out with.

FC: At the end of the book you make reference to the story being a lot about you and your wife. How much of Illusion is actually you and Barb?

Frank: Oh it’s woven through there! Mandy and Dane are their own characters, but boy-oh-boy yeah, as far as the spiritual journey and the emotion – really getting into the heart of the matter – I drew upon my own love and relationship with Barb. Mandy’s devotion to Dane, I modeled that after Barb’s devotion to me. And Dane’s (shall we say) awe at this wonderful woman that would love him and be so tenaciously devoted to him for 40 years, well that’s drawing upon my own feelings and experience. See, I’m 61 now and it’s interesting, you get to this age and you start looking back and reflecting on the journey you’ve been on. And that’s what Dane does. A lot of that happens in this book; Dane is looking back and reflecting on his journey and his relationship with Mandy over the years. So you don’t see a direct correlation between Barb and me with Dane and Mandy, but the content, the fiber, the grist, the experience from which the writer writes – that’s Barb and me.

FC: Have you ever approached a book and found it emotionally difficult to write?

Frank: Yeah, The Wounded Spirit is the first one that pops into my mind. That was a very difficult book because it was talking about all of the bullying and harassment I got growing up. Dealing with wounds that go way back, it was still kind of a cathartic experience for me because there’s all of this stuff in there [that] just lies in there all your life. So I started writing about it and I had to dredge all that up and start dealing with it. So that was a real tough book emotionally. Illusion wasn’t difficult emotionally, but it was emotional. I went through a lot of emotions writing that because I was reflecting on my own love for Barb and what that’s been all about. It’s a very, very human book. The Wounded Spirit was human too, but also very difficult.

FC: At certain points in your career various people have used your books as sort of “manuals” for dealing with the spiritual realm. How comfortable are you with that?

Frank: I’m not comfortable with that. That opens up this whole conundrum that (maybe other fiction writers haven’t run into, but for some strange reason I have, where at least in the realm of spiritual warfare) readers have a hard time distinguishing between fact and fiction. Maybe it’s because the books came out at a time when fiction was not a widespread genre in Christian publishing. Maybe Christians weren’t used to fiction being fiction! (laughs) But, I’ve had folks ask me, “Are you going to come out with a study guide to go with your Darkness books?” No, no! Study the Bible, don’t study these books. These are just an imaginative treatment on a theme, ya know, they’re just to paint a picture that inspires, uplifts and provides a fictional, imaginative model of what it could be like. Over the years, my books (as far as that goes) have been given a lot more credence than they should. I don’t think people should take them quite that seriously. They’re not a theological treatise; they were never intended to be. I find myself in awkward situations sometimes because people think I’m some great authority on spiritual warfare, but I’m not. I never have been.

FC: So, when you’re confronted with that, how do you respond?

Frank: When I wrote those books and afterward, I opened myself up to all kinds of people with all kinds of experiences, some real and some delusional. I’ve gotten letters and books and conversations from people with the most sordid stories of demonic, satanic abuse and all kinds of things. I’ve talked to some who are clearly in need of professional help, who have a serious problem but now they’ve attributed it all to demons. Ya know, the second coming, the rapture, there are certain topics out there that are just juicy; they’re appealing, there’s a certain fascination with things like that. Over the years, I’ve taken a much more balanced and sober view of all of this. I believe in the realities of what I’ve written about, but [I think] we can get a little too obsessed with it and start getting into realms that really aren’t healthy, I don’t like going there anymore. I tell people I’m not a specialist about spiritual warfare… it was 26 years ago I wrote that book. I would hope as any Christian should, that I’ve grown and I’ve gone through other seasons and lessons of my life, and that the Lord is leading me on to other things... That’s the interesting thing about it: you write this book that [becomes] so popular that it’s the book you are known for, and people are still picking up it up and enjoying it – which is fine with me, but then I have to make an adjustment because wow, I’m not there anymore! (laughs) So when I meet people in the bookstores and that’s what they’re all excited about, I still have to engage them in conversation and show my appreciation (of course!) for how they’re enjoying [This Present Darkness]. You can look at all of the books I’ve written over the years, and each book reflects a different place I was in my Christian walk. In The Oath, I was concerned about sin, how we were harboring sin and being cavalier about it. Then in The Visitation I wrote from my own frustrations with my ministry and with Christianity in general, how we can go through times of darkness and disillusionment but the Lord is still with us. I wrote Prophet to talk about my concern at how the gatekeepers of information can control what we think. I wrote Monster just to take a stab at evolution, and Illusion because I’m reflecting on how beautiful it is – the gift of marriage and the gift of love – and how it’s so sorely needed in our culture right now. I sure would like people to catch a spark when they read this book [and say] wow, I’d love for my love to be like that or I’d like to find a love like that, instead of all this flaky stuff going on. It would be nice to find something that really endures.

FC: Frank, we really appreciate you giving us grace to ask a question like that. Switching gears a bit, are you a book reader?

Frank: Oh yeah! Usually the pattern I fall into is reading fiction, to keep my own creative juices under discipline, keep learning. It’s the same way I learned how to play the banjo. I’d listen to other banjo players and pick up licks and see what they’re doing – that’s how I learned. I read other fiction readers and see what they’re doing, keep a good awareness of style and where fiction’s going. So I’m always learning. The other area of reading I do is usually whatever I’m interested in at the time, whatever God’s speaking to me about at the time. For example, right now I’m gravitating toward books that deal with church history, worship, where the church is now and where it’s going. I’ve got just a few pages left and I’ll be done with Where in the World is the Church? by Michael Horton. That was a good book because it shook me up in terms of the old “four wall syndrome.” [He talks about how sometimes] everything the church has to be within the four walls and we can’t touch the outside culture because that’s worldly. He’s just addressing hey, God made music, He made beauty, He made literature, and it’s to be created and used everywhere. We don’t want to get into a Christian ghetto where we stop engaging the culture and just come up with a Christian version of everything – staying within our four walls. So it’s a neat book anyway. And then I read Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley and that was good because it gave a whole history of the church, real nice read for a layman like me to go through there and see where the church has been. That really provides context for what I’m thinking about now because I’m struggling a lot with what the church is doing, where it’s going, so that’s where I feel God prodding, ya know? It’s like when I write a book I try to figure out, what’s God saying to me? What’s the subject for today, or this year? And The Church is [the current subject], so that’s what I’m reading now.

FC: One last question: what do you do to relax?

Frank: (laughs) Well I’ll tell you, I go out and work in the yard. I hadn’t been out to work in awhile and the weather finally broke a little bit, we had a little sunshine. So I went out and spaded the garden, pulled weeds, worked on our water fountain a little bit, and boy that felt good. (In a booming voice) There’s something to be said for nice manual labor out in the sunshine! (laughs)

FC: Well Mr. Peretti, we are huge fans of your work, and we appreciate how you’ve always been a witness for Jesus.

Frank: Well, I appreciate that, ya know - I just want to let Jesus work through me. That’s the big lesson I’m working on from the Lord right now, “Frank, write from your heart and be honest.” There’s so many strains on the market ya know, write this, write that, this is what’s hot right now, and I’m dealing with what is God saying to me. What am I going to write about? What is from my heart and not just my wallet (laughs). I’m glad what I’ve written resonates with you.

*To purchase Illusion, click here. Just now discovering Frank for the first time? Consider picking up the Peretti Three-Pack of his bestsellers including This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness and Prophet right here for a great price!

Filled with gritty resolve and a special measure of God’s grace, Marvin Sapp’s newest record (and life) reminds us that we can defeat any obstacle through Christ.

FC: What was the biggest inspiration for I Win?

Marvin: I titled this CD I Win because I want to affirm for myself and for others that the winning is in the enduring. People have a perception that the winner is the one who crosses the finish line first – but I maintain that winning is not a destination but an attitude. I discovered the song I Win at a pastor’s conference a while ago – a young singer named Brittney A. Wright co-wrote and performed it. I was so very impressed by the song I asked her if she would allow me to record it, and a year and a half later I did.

Family Christian: To date, your live albums have been recorded in your hometown of Grand Rapids, MI. What led to choosing to record this album near Washington D.C.?

Marvin Sapp: I recorded the album near D.C. at Evangel Cathedral, simply because that was one of the first places I ever did a concert when I first started in the Gospel music industry some 22 years ago. I was in Commissioned and one of our first concerts was [there]. I’ve had a great relationship with that church for literally 22 years. As bad as I wanted to do the new recording in Grand Rapids where I’ve done all of my live recordings, it was just too close of a reminder of having buried my wife. She was always a part of my recordings because she managed my career. So, since I wasn’t going to do the recording in my city, the only place I could think to take it was to [the] family that’s not here, and that was Evangel Cathedral.

FC: Your Twitter page includes the quote “I’m a preacher that happens to sing, not a singer that happens to preach.” How do you balance these two distinct roles?

Marvin: I always say that I don’t balance, I prioritize. Because, when you try to balance or juggle, something inevitably is going to fall. The call on my life is to preach. I started preaching when I was 22 years of age, and that is what I prioritize. The music is an extension of my ministry, it is a gifting, but I keep it in its rightful place based on God’s call on my life. The gifts come without repentance. I’ve learned that you can be gifted and anointed and live like the devil. In order to be successful in your call, though, you have to tap into the Source. The only way that you can maintain being connected to the Source is you have to live a life that’s holy and acceptable in the sight of God. That’s one of the things we don’t talk about anymore in the church, and that’s trying to live holy. I challenge people who live close to me, next to me, with me that they have to learn to strive to live holy at all costs. Everything else springs forth from that.

FC: Your life took an unexpected turn in 2010 with the loss of your dear wife. How has that affected your approach to ministry/music?

Marvin: One of the blessings was that all of my contracts were negotiated by MaLinda already so it hasn’t affected my business at all. My booking office still does what it does. I’m still turning down a bunch of different dates… Opportunities are still there because we built a great staff so it hasn’t been difficult to move forward. Musically, I continue to record songs that I connect with because I know that those are the songs that will connect with people. MaLinda also laid out in great detail how things would move forward at our church, where she was the administrative pastor. So my approach in both ministry and music has been to adopt a motto that MaLinda had and said all the time:  “keep it moving.” That is what she wanted me to do.

FC: What helped you through that time?

Marvin: For me, prayer, praise and worship absolutely sustained me through the bereavement of my wife. I know I would not have been able to endure that great pain without God.

FC: What is your favorite moment/song on the record, and why?

Marvin: A standout moment was definitely the “Hymns Medley.” I grew up on hymns and my mom kinda taught me almost every hymn I know. When we were doing the recording, the “Hymns Medley” just happened. We were transitioning between songs and I just started singing hymns. At first, it wasn’t even supposed to go on the record. We were going to drop it and then the staff was like, “No, this is unbelievable. It’s gotta stay.” So, we just ended up putting it on the record - but I was just singing things I grew up listening to from traditional hymns to Andrae Crouch. And [so] we just went back and forth and people were blessed by it and I enjoyed doing it. Hopefully, people will love it when they hear it on the record.

FC: For all of the recognition you’ve received over the years – is there a specific honor that has meant the most to you? And if so, why?

Marvin: [laughing] The BET Award for Best Gospel Artist – because my kids were so excited about that! Honestly, every award and recognition is a very humbling experience.

Click here to experience the passionate Gospel-energy of I Win.

If the mark of authentic faith is being a light in the darkness, filmmakers Will Bakke, Michael Allen and Alex Carroll have flipped on a searchlight. When these twenty-something friends decided that what they “knew” about Jesus just wasn’t enough anymore, they set out to find answers to some tough questions, documenting the journey as they went. We caught up with Beware of Christians director Will Bakke to discuss their two illuminating films, how Riot Studios came to be, and what he believes is the hope for America…

Family Christian: To start us out, could you give us a brief synopsis about (your production company) Riot Studios?

Will Bakke: We actually formed Riot Studios shortly after completion of our film Beware of Christians. Once we finished the film we didn’t really know where it was going to take us – we [had actually] made it just for our friends and families, the community we’d grown up in and the colleges we were at, not having [realized] that there was such a unique voice in the movie – something that we were kind of gaining ground with. So we decided to start a production company called Riot Studios to basically funnel all of our projects through and to have a brand name behind it all. Riot was kinda the brainchild of Alex Carroll, Michael Allen and myself. We really wanted to create a platform where all different types of media could be showcased and people could see what Jesus was doing in our hearts; what He was bringing out of that passion for Him, whether it be in film making or music or whatever it was that we were doing. That all kind of came out of our relationship with Christ.

Beware of Christians trailer:

FC: That’s fantastic. So now, what led to your decision to make this film?

Will: It all started the summer before that actually with our first film that we made called One Nation Under God. So [that movie] was really the launch point for us to realize, “hey, OK, Will has the skill set to actually be able to make a film” and “I think we have an interesting enough topic to discuss” and really, we’d never seen a film like the one we wanted to make. We’d never seen a movie that didn’t try to paint the way life should be but rather painted life the way that it is. And so that’s kind of what we wanted to do, just put all of these topics that we struggled with in college and [in] following Christ out on the table and say, “what can we learn? How can we get past our own justifications to the way we want to live, and really look at Biblically how Jesus is calling us to live?”

FC: So how did you decide to take this journey in Europe?

Will: It all kind of came about when we were first talking about doing this movie (I forget which one of us said), “ya know, it’s hard to solve a problem when you’re sitting right in the middle of it.” And so that was kind of the idea: getting out of our comfort zone, getting out of our Christian routines, taking a step outside of that in order to look back and really see it from a new perspective. The movie was about the study of Christian habit and the way that we might have been saying one thing and then acting out a way that was completely contrary to the Gospel we were claiming. So Europe just happened to be our choice because (as the director) there was that journey aspect – we were going to be traveling from country to country. It really could have been anywhere in the world but Europe stuck out to us because they have a great train system. It’s very accessible to get through multiple countries, and that’s something that we wanted for the film, to experience a lot of different cultures and different perspectives. So Europe was the obvious choice in that sense.

FC: Some would say that the sort of post-modern Christian culture in Europe is kind of the parent of Christian culture in the U.S. As followers of Jesus, how did you adjust to the differences in the way they approach or live out faith?

Will: I think the word that sticks out to me (to be very honest) is refreshing. I had grown up in a Christian culture where everyone tends to stay comfortable on the surface-level of conversation when it comes to Jesus. No one likes to have the tough issues put in their face for them to deal with. So going to Europe, I mean, it’s like you said – it’s very post-Christian. People are much more willing to tell you flat-out that you’re an idiot for believing in Jesus if that’s what they believe. So we didn’t have try so hard to get past the layers down to what someone believed, they were very up-front about it from the beginning. Yeah, it’s scary how many people are not following Christ over there – a lot of them do not believe Jesus. But at the same time, the people we met who were claiming to follow Christ, you could see it in all parts of their lives because there was nothing in it for them to say that unless they truly meant it. So it’s scary at one point and then at the other it’s just very refreshing to see people be very honest about what they believe. I think it’s just easy for us in America to say one thing and maybe convince ourselves that that’s enough and totally live the opposite of the Gospel that we’re claiming. Then at the end of our lives we die and then, ya know, we never really got it. We’ve got this empty shell of a faith that doesn’t really cut it… isn’t very substantial.

FC: In the trailer for Beware of Christians there is a phrase that flashes across the screen that says “we are churched out.” What did you mean with that statement?

Will: I think church for us at that point in our lives had become almost another source of entertainment, or just an event. And I think especially in this culture with so many amazing speakers and authors, it’s like we go in order to be entertained or just to be fed information. For a lot of us, it all [just] stays up in our heads. We can think one thing, but the biggest problem in America is that we aren’t doing anything about it. We’re simply going to hear a nice sermon, agree with it, maybe feel some sort of conviction that day but we don’t ever put it into practice. So when we made this movie that’s how we felt, like we were being poured into mentally and had all these great questions, but our lives and our actions didn’t reflect that. And so I think that was the moment that we said we need to do something about that, we don’t want to just hear about Jesus but let it have zero effect on the way that we live out our lives.

FC: As a result of making this film you guys are now traveling around the U.S. to churches and universities playing this documentary for people. How are they responding to it?

Will: I think one of the coolest quotes is by a writer/activist named Ann Lamont who said “the most powerful sermon in the world is two words: me too.” And what’s cool about that is I feel like we share this movie with a lot of people who have never heard about it, what it’s about. They come in, they watch the film and it’s almost like this deep-exhale-breath-of-fresh-air at the very end where a lot of times they say, thank you so much, you put on film what I feel like I’ve been thinking for such a long time – as if it was frowned upon to ask these tough questions and to admit that we don’t have all the answers. And so with college students especially, we meet others just like us who were raised with the answers without ever really asking the questions themselves. So what’s cool is we begin a discussion with them to say, these are the most important questions you’ll ask yourself in your lifetime. We should be willing to seek after those answers and be willing to figure out what we truly believe about Jesus. So I think the words real, raw and refreshing all come to mind because they’re just seeing honesty and truth in a way that hasn’t been presented before. It’s somewhat because of the unique medium. Ya know, documentaries tend to not do so well at the box office or on DVD, but I feel like because the subject matter is so crucial, so serious, [and it’s] taken in sort of a light-hearted comedic way, I think people just love grabbing on to that because they realize that it is a discussion. It is tough, but there’s so much grace that’s extended when you’re willing to ask those questions. So the response has been overwhelming and incredible.

FC: When you guys are at a secular college or university, what would you say is the percentage of believers versus unbelievers in the audience?

Will: I would say probably somewhere around 75-85% are believers. I mean, obviously I can’t have any idea, but just from the amount of conversations that I’ve been able to have it seems about like that. I think most Christians are drawn to [the film] because of the subject matter whereas maybe a lot of non-Christians may be drawn to it by the title alone (laughs) or by the discussion they see coming afterward. We have plenty of atheist groups that come out to our screenings who want to debate with us and it’s actually kind of fun because I think they all have this perception of what we’re going to be like, then they see the movie and realize that we’re probably not the people they’re most mad at. We’re just willing to have a conversation; we don’t want to have an argument. We refuse to be enemies with anybody. Our calling is just to love other people and I think they see that through this film. That’s our agenda. Not to win an argument or force any sort of doctrine down anyone’s throats. We’re just simply here to talk about Jesus.

FC: So as Riot Studios, what is your end goal? What do you hope to accomplish through this?

Will: I think for us we want to begin the discussion and the thought-process that maybe the way Jesus called us to live our lives does not look like the American Christianity that we’ve been raised to know and maybe even love. I think that’s the biggest point that we can get out there, that Jesus calls us to something that’s so much bigger and so much better. And to be willing to ask those questions. I think that would probably be the second thing we would say is that we really, really just encourage kids to ask the tough questions and make those decisions for themselves. Don’t let this faith be your mom’s or your dad’s or pastor’s or anybody else’s other than your own because it’s just not going to mean as much (if anything at all) if you’re just believing it for any other reason than to truly yearn for that.

FC: Will, do you personally think that the church here in the West is in trouble?

Will: (sigh) Man that’s a good question. I… I think if I were to look at the trends of what has happened in Europe and then what happens in the United States… Well, I’ll say this, because the United States has seemed to take a similar path to Europe we’re just some years behind it, decades behind it, I’d say based on the evidence, yes – we’re in trouble. But I think especially from this generation with the amount of communication and connectivity there’s a different path that America’s churches are going to take. I think the word is going to get out fast enough that says, hey we’re not about a religion, we’re simply not about routine, we’re about a relationship with Jesus – and that’s what is going to turn the tide. I think in Europe it became so much about religion and routines that when life didn’t work out at times people were just giving up on religion because it didn’t follow through on what it promised – happiness or security or comfort or whatever. I think this generation and churches today, especially in America, are starting to learn how to push that it’s about Jesus and not about our own level of comfort. I hope that’s not too vague of an answer, but it’s a tough question so… (laughs).

FC: That’s what we’re here to do Will, make you cry and sweat. Kidding. So based on that (and maybe this question will help you summarize your last thought), in your estimation, what is the hope for our churches in the West?

Will: The hope is Jesus. In summing up that last question I’m not as worried about it because I believe that based on this generation and the new level of communication and connectivity, I think there’s so much hope – the name of Jesus and the grace of Jesus is spreading at a much faster rate than in generations before…

FC: That’s a great answer – actually both of them. So we’d like to talk a little about your other film, One Nation Under God. But let’s back up a second, just for reference, when did you create these films?

Will: We shot One Nation Under God in the summer of 2008 and premiered it just in Texas (just a couple showings) in the spring of 2009. And then we immediately left to film Beware of Christians in the summer of 2009 and premiered/released it in 2010.

FC: OK that helps. So, One Nation Under God sounds like it could be a political film. Is it?

Will: I don’t think it’s a political film. The idea was to say we’re one nation under God, but which “god” are we talking about here? Let’s go see what other people believe, and see which god they would say it was. In that film, four of us (Michael Allen and myself from Beware of Christians are in it and actually two other buddies of ours) road trip around the United States in order to ask people just two basic questions: “What do you think happens when you die?” And, “who do you think Jesus Christ was?” And so those questions ultimately lead to more questions… but a lot of it was about trying to figure out what do people believe in, (because everyone puts their faith in something) and that’s what we really wanted to get to. Is it the Christian God that we’ve been told is the God of America? And so the movie is pretty funny (laughs), we’re obviously more immature at this point (I think only 20 at the time we made this movie) and we end up crashing on peoples’ couches all over the country, which is amazing because it lends us to staying with Mormons, with Muslims, atheists, some hippies out in Portland, plenty of different religions and plenty of different people that put their faith in something other than what we have put our faith in. And so it debunks some stereotypes and gets the conversation rolling about why we believe the things we believe.

FC: So who is the god of the United States, or do we need to watch the film to find out?

Will: (laughs) I think by the end of the film you begin to realize the importance of asking the questions. Because as you see the movie go on, there are plenty of people that say that they believe in Jesus and then when we ask “how do you get to Heaven?” they say “I don’t really know, just be a good person and you get there.” So the movie kind of turns into this open discussion about the importance of asking those tough questions. If I had to answer your question about the god of America, I honestly couldn’t tell you (laugh). The interesting thing about the movie is, there wasn’t one person that we interviewed around the United States that didn’t know who Jesus claimed to have been – which is pretty cool. The bummer part about that is when asked how we get to Heaven, about 95% of those people said “just be a good person.” So there’s this disconnect about what people claim to believe, and then at the core what they actually believe and live out. So, not sure who the “god” is actually.

FC: OK, three part question: In either one of these adventures, did you ever feel like you were in a risky situation – physically, spiritually or potentially embarrassing?

Will: Wow, great question. OK, physical harm – ya know, we were driving my buddy’s Tahoe across the country and crossed 100,000 miles in it (laughs), so there was always an element of harm to our safety. Also, we used this website to basically find the place we were going to stay at every night. Real quick story, the first night we ended up staying with a stranger – this guy out of Huntington Beach who was Mormon. He gave us surfboards to go surfing that day, bought us pizza that night and that whole experience was amazing. The next night in Long Beach (and this is all in the movie) we ended up finding this lady who let us stay at her house. Turns out she was a sadomasochist and also a lesbian, so when we got into her house there was pornography all over the walls and it was like all this inappropriate stuff that freaked us out – so we really did fear for our safety at that point, what we just walked into. So that is probably the only moment we feared for our physical safety.

Spiritually, I think for me the night that sticks out (and it might be different for the guys) was this one night in North Carolina were we stayed with a family that was Muslim. When we got there (this is in the film as well), they ended up cooking us dinner and then we sat around their living room for about 4-5 hours just talking about the differences of what they believed and the Christian faith. At this point all I really knew about Jesus was what was told me growing up in the church so I had all these “ready-to-fire answers to some of life’s tough questions” but when I was actually put on the spot about how I knew they were true, I really didn’t have a response for them. It was great because they just totally debunked what the Muslims believe and what they stand for. At that point in my life (laughs sheepishly) the only exposure I had to them were the events of 9/11. So [in the film you see] their compassion as they walk us through what their beliefs are, just so kind and hospitable that I couldn’t help but honestly be shaken a little bit in what I believed. They seemed to have so much more knowledge about what they believed and seemed to have asked those tough questions for themselves, whereas I was at a point in my life where I hadn’t. So that was a moment for me. I don’t think that it really shook my faith enough to be able to leave God, but it definitely encouraged me to ask those tough questions for myself and really take my faith more seriously.

So embarrassing moment… I guess that it was that same time. When they asked me why I believed Jesus did all those things He said He did and I didn’t have any evidence for them other than the Bible – that was somewhat embarrassing – because I hadn’t really studied Scripture or what other religions even believed.

FC: Will, we really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us… one last question for you… How much coffee did it take for you to pull these adventures off? Didn’t you have a train ride in the movie that was like 17 days or something…?

Will: Oh, well none of us were really obsessed with coffee at that point but we really did consider calling up Red Bull to tell them how thankful we were that they existed. We’re the biggest Red Bull supporters solely because they got us through Europe (laughs). Even in the studio footage in Beware of Christians, when we’re sitting there with coffee mugs I’m pretty sure we’re drinking either Red Bull or Dr. Pepper, just to keep ourselves awake.

FC: Will, thank you again for your time, we really appreciate it a lot. We’re looking forward to seeing how Beware of Christians continues to do at Family Christian and obviously One Nation Under God as well.

Will: Thank you so much, we love you guys, what you’re doing. Anytime we can connect we really do appreciate it - it means a lot to us.

You can check out the team’s films here and here.

All Systems Go

Sure he stirs up some controversy, but Mark Driscoll’s sermons are consistently #1 on iTunes in Religion & Spirituality, with millions of downloads each year. The guy has one speed and it’s full tilt – pioneering ministries, new churches, the list goes on. In his newest book, NY Times’ bestseller Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship & Life Together, Mark shifts his approach to providing actionable answers for modern-day relationship questions. We recently caught up with Pastor Mark for his take on team-writing this book with his wife, how he fixed his neurotransmitters and more…

Family Christian: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today.

Mark Driscoll: Sure! You know, I worked in one of your stores long ago…

FC: So we’ve heard! In fact we’ve done a little research and apparently there are some outstanding issues that need to be addressed…

Mark: I’m not surprised.

FC: (laughs) No, we’re kidding. So you worked in a Seattle location we used to have, right?

Mark: Yes, it was a long time ago now. Gosh, maybe 14, 15 years ago. We were just in core-group phase of starting the church – there was an independent bookstore that got bought out and picked up [by Family Christian]. So yeah, I was planting the church and working there part time. It’s kinda how I built my theology library, to be honest with you. There was a really good used book section that I kind of managed and oversaw, so I used the discount to start my library.

FC: Oh, that’s fantastic. Okay, let’s jump right in. So up until your most recent book, they tended to cover topics from the deeper end of the theological pool (so to speak), but your new book is about marriage. What influenced that transition?

Mark: Yeah, I started the church when I was 25, so I’ve been pastoring Mars Hill for 15 years now. I was still a new Christian, still figuring out where I was at on a whole lot of issues. I didn’t become a Christian until I was 19 and I didn’t actually go to seminary and get a formal theological education until our church was quite large. So for those early years it was a lot of work, preaching, teaching, trying to study on my own and figure out just what I thought about things; to come to my own conclusions. So yeah, my writing reflected that. Also early-on, I was part of a young leaders movement that then morphed into the emerging church and such and I didn’t agree theologically with some things that were happening there, so I felt I needed to clarify: I love these people, but I disagree on these issues. Where I’m at right now is I’m still a pastor and I love being a pastor. I intend to spend my whole ministry career preaching and teaching in the local church. Most of my time is not spent untying theological knots [though], it’s spent helping hurting people. And so with [Real Marriage] I kinda said what I believe and then I wanted to talk about how those beliefs apply to life, making that theology really practical. So the marriage book was the first venture in that direction. I’m actually working on my next book which is going to be on identity in Christ. [It will address] who we are in Christ, how that impacts our relationships with God and people, and how we view ourselves and our sin. So my writing for the foreseeable future is still going to be rooted in deep theological convictions, but super, super practical, more like counseling sessions that I’d have with people.

FC: The books that you’ve written in the past have been welcomed with open arms by many, but have also brought some criticism to you as a pastor and author. How have you dealt with that?

Mark: I think for me the point of the book is to help people, so that’s why Grace and I wrote it. We’re really encouraged by the feedback that we’re getting: that it is practical and helpful. Like I said, there’s still a lot of Jesus, Bible and theology in there. I’m willing to endure some criticism from those who wish it was a theology of marriage. But I think there already are some really good books on a theology of marriage, so I didn’t feel that there was a need for another one of those. Quite frankly, there are also some good books on practical issues regarding marriage, and so we felt there was a need to contribute on some more modern issues, things that younger people are asking, also helping singles to think through their future. Ya know, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to win arguments with my critics, I’m an evangelist at heart. I want to see people meet Jesus. I want to see lives get changed. I want to see families be helped, marriages be saved. That’s why I’m still a local church pastor. I kind of expected [the criticism] to be honest with you. I think anytime you’re talking about gender and sex you’re really putting the hose on the bees’ nest to some degree. No matter what you say, there’s going to be some real controversy around that. But I think overall it’s been healthy and good. It’s forced discussion around certain things. [I’m] just trying to focus on reaching people, serving people, helping people – that’s really where the bulk of the energy’s gone. So I’m not reading a bunch of my critics or trying to respond to them. Trying not to get obsessed with that.

FC: Because this topic is different than what you’ve explored in the past, did you feel different while writing it? Obviously this was the first book you’ve written with Grace…

Mark: Yeah, it felt a little more… vulnerable. I think it’s easier for me to make a point and tell you what I believe, then not have to talk about who I am, sins I’ve committed, things I’m working through, ways I need to be sanctified by God’s grace. It’s a little more honest, humbling, risk-taking. I definitely felt that writing with Grace. She’s really brave in the book – sharing parts of her story that were difficult. Particularly when it’s your wife and you’re working with her – exposing her to criticism and the nit-picking of some – there’s some stress with that for sure.

FC: Were either of you surprised by the other one during this process – how you tackled certain topics? Or was it more like ‘we’ve encountered this in our marriage and practically written this book as we went along’ and now this was just the actual physical product?

Mark: [The two of us] had talked and worked through issues for a number of years, and then through counseling other people and helping (especially) ministry leaders, families, marriages… It felt like we’ve said this enough privately, it’s probably time to write it down publicly. But as we were working on the book the one thing that kinda snuck up on us – that we weren’t expecting – was the whole big idea of friendship. Once we hit that it was a really big concept for us – it’s been super helpful and really transforming in our marriage. That was the one thing we didn’t necessarily have nailed down as we sat down to write, it just kinda happened as we were hanging out, talking, praying and working on the project together. That big idea just kind of exploded: the idea of friendship in marriage.

FC: What is the main thing that you’re hoping people will walk away with from this book?

Mark: Well, for those who are single, we want them to take their singleness seriously and not settle for somebody who is not appropriate to be married to; not to settle for sin. Also, to look at their parents’ marriage – family of origin stuff – see if there’s anything that they need to learn from or reconsider, that has negatively affected them before they get into marriage. For those who are married, Grace and I really wanted couples to have deep, ongoing, grace-centered, loving conversations, and not to just settle for a functional marriage – ya know – good enough but not great. Our real goal was just to get couples to talk. Bloggers and critics and book reviewers can talk to one another, [but] really the goal is that husbands and wives would be the ones having the conversations.

FC: That’s awesome. Alright, we’re going to ask you some really personal questions now… What movie have you seen recently purely for entertainment, or because it had a really great message?

Mark: Oh boy, I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t seen a lot of films!

FC: …But you are the pastor that always talks about movies! Have you been watching less?

Mark: Oh no, I have two DVRs, so I watch a ton of TV. (Probably more TV than I should.) Ya know, Grace and I went to see (this is going to sound a little cheesy maybe, but) Courageous because she wanted to go see it. I liked the big idea of the movie, man, guys loving their families and standing up for justice. Even though it was a little predictable [of a] plotline I liked it, I thought it was cool. So there ya go, there’s the big shout out for Courageous. We went and saw the recent Mission Impossible movie too… It’s really time to put that series to rest (laughs) – they’ve cut everything they can out of it. I saw Moneyball on a flight recently and I really liked that because I’m a huge baseball fan. I thought it was one of the best baseball movies I’ve ever seen. [SPOILER] I liked the fact that he turned down the money to go to Boston so that he could stay near his daughter. I thought that was awesome.

FC: Music, what are you listening to?

Mark: Um, what am I listening to lately…? Hmmm… The Decemberists, old Social Distortion, let me pull up my iTunes player right here and I’ll tell you what’s recent. Interpol, Jimmy Eat World, some old Smiths (I guess I’m getting old), The Killers – but that’s my kids more. It’s always hard, ya know, my kids play all of this music too so I end up listening to theirs… I like The Forecast – this little band out of Chicago, I’ve been listening to them a lot.

FC: How old are your kids?

Mark: Five kids: 3 boys, 2 girls: ages kindergarten to freshman in high school… (pauses, still thinking about music). Ya know I’m also listening to a lot of the bands in Mars Hill. A lot of the stuff’s indy rock around here man, it’s all Death Cab for Cutie, Decemberists, Dustin Kensrue goes to the church so I end up listening to a lot of Thrice – I love Dustin a lot.

FC: We have reason to remember quite a few mentions in past sermons that you were “jacked up on Red Bull.” Is that still part of your repertoire?

Mark: I am aging in dog years – I mean, it’s brutal. At certain times in the church’s history I would preach 7 times a Sunday, across three locations. You know, I’d go for an hour and ten minutes a pop, really high velocity, and then we cut it down to 4 or 5 [services]. So I would leave the house Sunday morning at 7 AM and not get home until about 10 or 11 PM and then stay up until about 2 AM – and I did that for 15 years. To be honest with you, physically, that is not a good idea (laughs). So you start using caffeine and energy drinks to push you through. But then you start breaking your adrenal glands and your neurotransmitters, at least that’s what I found so, man, I have made some pretty serious dietary changes and [started] watching those energy levels. I’m 41; I don’t want to be one of those guys that burns himself out too early. So yeah, I’ve pulled back quite a bit. I preach twice usually on the Sundays I preach, and I’ve not touched an energy drink in a couple of years now.

FC: Good for you. Alright, one more question, what do you and Grace do to relax?

Mark: Ya know, this is going to sound simple, but I like to hold my wife’s hand, go for a walk and just visit with her. We do date night, we go out to dinner and we get our time together. Last week we were doing an event down in Orange County, so we went over to LA and spent a full day there – I took her shopping and we stayed overnight. So we do that kinda stuff, but I like just hanging out with Grace. Man, if I can just hold her hand and go for a walk for an hour, see how she’s doing… I’m enjoying that for sure.

FC: Mark, thanks so much for your time – it’s honestly so great talking with you.

Mark: No problem, thanks.

Click here to learn more or purchase Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship and Life Together.

Randall Wallace, the screen writer for the movies Braveheart, Pearl Harbor, Secretariat, and We Were Soldiers, is a master story-teller.  And he puts his skill to work beautifully in The Touch.  The Touch is a novella about a young surgeon, Andrew Jones, who has the rare, one-in-a-million surgical ability known in the medical world as “the touch” – hands that can work magic on the operating table.  But Andrew gives it all up when his fiancée dies in his arms following a tragic automobile accident.  As Andrew attempts to perform an emergency tracheotomy on his fiancée at the accident scene he later relates that he could “feel her life leave her body.”   Devastated and lacking confidence, he now works as a professor in a small medical school in the south.

The other main character in this book is Lara Blair, the high-powered, wealth and driven owner of a biomedical engineering company that is developing a surgical tool that will duplicate exactly the movement of a surgeon’s hands in complicated brain surgery procedures, eliminating or reducing the risk of failed surgical procedures.  Lara is on a quest to perfect her machine, and she needs Andrew to help her in the project.  Otherwise the project will be a failure.  But this would mean that Andrew must leave the comfortable confines of his self-imposed exile and step back into a world he is trying so hard to escape. 

The plot elements are intense enough to make the story move along quickly, and there are hidden surprises all along the way, but Randall Wallace’s primary artistic tool is great character development.  He masterfully involves the reader in the lives of the two main characters, and is careful not to clutter the landscape with too many sub-characters.  While they are there and play an important part in moving the story along in their supporting roles, they do not get in the way. 

The Touch is very much a love story, and, as such, will appeal primarily to women.  However, there are enough manly elements in the book that would make it appeal to the male reader as well.  And while Randall Wallace’s faith comes through strongly in his writing, it is not applied heavy-handedly.   As such, The Touch will be acceptable to the faith community, but also welcomed in the secular.  I highly recommend The Touch.

For more information about this book, click here.

In his newest book, How Do You Kill 11 Million People, Andy Andrews approaches the subject of integrity from a unique viewpoint – the killing of millions of Jews and others during the Nazi reign over Europe in World War II.  The answer to the question, how do you kill 11 million people, is simple: You lie to them.  The German people, and subsequently the Jewish people, were fed an elaborate series of lies.  The bigger the lie and the more consistently it was told, the more believable it became.  The end result was that 11 million Jews, vagrants, homosexuals, gypsies and other “undesirables” that the Third Reich determined should die, were complacently carted off to their deaths with barely a whisper.

The bottom line to this book is that we basically get the government we allow, and thus deserve.  We have become so use to our government officials lying as a matter of course that we have become to believe this is normal, acceptable behavior.  Andy points out that when we, the citizens, lie to Congress, it is called a felony.  When members of Congress lie to us, the citizens, it is called politics.  But it should not be that way.  We, the citizens, have a right to expect integrity from our elected servants.  And if we tolerate and elect those who will not, or cannot, tell the truth, then we are getting the government we deserve. 

 While a very short book, How Do You Kill 11 Million People is nevertheless an important work in a time when the truth is being distorted on both sides of the political aisle as a matter of course.

For more information on this book, click here.

John Eldredge’s newest book, Beautiful Outlaw, flies in the face of conventional wisdom.  A trip to the local art museum features pictures of Jesus looking sad and pensive; almost effeminate.  He certainly does not look like someone with whom we would choose to hang out.  But a careful reading of the Gospels paints a totally different picture of Jesus – a Jesus who was playful yet fierce, humble yet powerful, approachable yet shocking.  This is the Jesus that John Eldredge paints in Beautiful Outlaw.

John shows that, if you read between the lines, the Jesus of the Bible has an incredible sense of humor.  And why not?  Did he not invent humor?  For example, the incident right after Jesus’ resurrection where he appears on the road to two disciples and does not reveal himself until dinner that evening;  the very moment these two guys recognize Jesus, he basically says “See ya!” and disappears.  When you think about it, this is actually is very funny.  You have to think that Jesus might have disappeared and then reappeared elsewhere laughing hysterically – a real “Did you see the look on those guys’ face?” moment. 

Or what about the story of the Samaritan woman at the well?  This was an incredibly fascinating exchange that Jesus orchestrated.  Here is a Jewish rabbi stopping to talk alone with a Samaritan woman with a tarnished reputation.  And her responses to Jesus are, as John Eldredge puts it, downright snarky.  Her opening line to Jesus is the first century equivalent of standing with one hand on her hip and her head cocked to one side answering Jesus with, “What! You talkin’ to me?”  She boldly went toe to toe in a verbal sparing match with the Creator – and won.  Because, rather than reprimanding her for being so bold, Jesus rewards her by making her the very first person to whom he directly reveals his true identity. 

While the incident of Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple is always used to show Jesus’ boldness and anger at those who defile God’s holiness, John Eldredge points out the deliberateness of Jesus’ rage.  The Gospel of John says that Jesus made a whip out of cords.  This was not some instant flare-up of anger on Jesus’ part.  It took quite a while to fashion such a whip, and his actions in preparation for the cleansing were slow and deliberate.  Such actions are not the normal human response to anger.  They are the actions of a man driven by a holy zeal.

We sometimes think of Jesus as super-human, when in fact that is not what the Bible teaches at all.  We feel that it was easy for him to do the things he did simply because he was Jesus.  Yet we forget that Jesus was very much human.  It was not as if he was Rembrandt sitting in on a kindergarten finger painting session and pretending to be a beginner.  He was not faking it when he agonized in the garden over his upcoming crucifixion.  Nor was he faking it when he fell asleep in the bow of a ship, exhausted after a day of ministry.  Jesus had all of the human weaknesses that we experience, yet he conquered them all.  The Jesus that John Eldredge paints in Beautiful Outlaw is extremely human, yet still divine.  He laughed, cried, got angry, experienced frustration, died and rose again.  He is much more interesting and shocking than we ever imagined.  Jesus truly is the Beautiful Outlaw.

For more information on this book, click here.

After an unexpected and uncontrollable hiatus, Alabama rock group Rush of Fools is back with "We Once Were". Their third album is a hit from the get go with driving rhythms and heavy guitars. It's obvious from the lyrics and sound that the group is back with a lot to say. "We can't go back to what we were before because we were so changed by the events that occurred along the way," says guitarist Kevin Huguley, "...we learned how to count it all joy by writing songs in the midst of the storm...Had we not walked through so many trials in the past two years of our career, we would never have the songs that are on this record."

That feeling is carried through the twelve track album with an upbeat yet contemplative feel. Songs such as "A Civil War" and the last track "Inside and Outside" best reflect this with lyrics like "It's time to bow out of this race/ About time for me to be in last place/ I got myself in a civil war" and "I'm not over/ I'm not finished yet I've got a ways to go/ I'll be alright/ When it comes down to that moment when our dreams have lost their way/ I'll be alright".

"We Once Were" has a creative raw texture, almost an indie feel to it. A great example is track eleven "Help Our Unbelief" which starts out with an organ like a classic horror movie. Although somewhat short lived, still a unique sound you might not expect from the group.

It's obvious a ton of heart and thought went into this recording. Front man Wes Willis says "We gave this recording all of ourselves... We spent over a quarter of a year away from our families and friends on this one...The difference is night and day compared to the first two releases." Just about every song will be stuck between your ears because this album is so infectious. Rush of Fool's fans will love this latest release, not to mention all the new fans they're going to garner from this immediate classic.

Check out the album here: http://www.familychristian.com/we-once-were.html

By: Kevin Thorson

www.cmaddict.com

Most people around the world, including the majority of Christians, do not properly relate to God.  They relate to God out of a world-view of fear and are driven by the need to control their world.  This is the claim that Skye Jethani makes in his book, With: Reimaging the Way You Relate to God.

In this book, Jethani claims that most people relate to God in one of four ways.  The first way is Life Under God.  I this relationship, God needs to be appeased and His anger controlled through sacrifice or certain behavior patterns.  This was the prevalent religion of the ancient world, but still manifests itself today, even in many Christian circles.  God is depicted as being angry, and if not appeased will crush us in his wrath.  Thus, the seeker attempts to control God’s anger through service, sacrifice or other religious rituals. 

The second view of God is in a mindset called Life Over God.  In this mindset, God, if he exists at all, is a celestial watchmaker who wound up the universe and assigned certain laws, and then stepped back and to let it run on its own.  As long as we live within the laws, then everything works out fine.  The atheist and agnostic operate totally within the Love Over God mindset, believing that everything that happens is due to natural laws that have evolved over time.  But even Christians, including many Christian leaders, operate under this same assumption. They believe that God has put in place certain laws of leadership, or biblical principles, or universal rules of the game that, if followed, will guarantee success in ministry or business.

The third view of God is called Life From God. This viewpoint views God as a vending machine which, if manipulated correctly, gives us what we want or need.  This person serves God as long as their needs or wants are being met and assumes that, as long as God is happy and they live by the rules, all will go well with them.  In the end, they become bitter and disappointed when life deals them a bad hand, assuming that God did not live up to His end of the deal.

The forth and final view is called Life For God. These are the people who serve God largely through guilt and intimidation.  They feel that unless they are successful in doing good things for God, their lives are worthless.  Many sincere Christians live a life of constant activity and running, doing work for God because they believe that this is what is expected of them. And, sadly, many churches use, abuse and wear down these sincere but exhausted followers.

All four of these mindsets, Jethani claims, rather than removing the follower’s fear, actually accentuates it.  All four mindsets fail in their attempt to relate to God, and end up actually pushing the seeker further away from God and deeper into despair.   

After presenting these four prevalent views of relating to God, Jethani then presents what he believes to be the best and biblical mindset:  Life With God.  In this mindset, the fear of failure, the fear of death, the fear of not having enough, the fear of not pleasing God are removed. God is sought solely for the purpose of knowing and loving Him. When this happens, the Christian is free to do God’s will because God’s will is done out of a heart of gratitude and love, not a heart of fear.  Living Life With God allows the Christian to, as Tim Keller said in his book, King’s Cross, enter into the divine dance with the Trinity, moving in step with God rather than trying to go it alone.  This Life With God is a perfect harmony of faith, hope and love – a life of total dependence on the One who died for us to set us free, not to add to the weight of the demands of false religion.

Find the book here: http://www.familychristian.com/with-reimagining-the-way-you-relate-to-god.html