David Crowder Band has recently released a new CD with a recording of John Mark McMillan’s How He Loves, but Kim Walker recorded it live last year and I JUST LOVE the recording.  Check it out:

I saw this video today and thought it was awesome!  It’s a story of a woman who was being robbed and as she prayed for the would-be assailant, the whole situation changed.  Check it out >> CLICK HERE

I recently began reading this new book (A Million Miles…) by one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller.  It is another “memoir” or look into his life, primarily stemming from the experience of making one of his former memoirs (Blue Like Jazz) into a film.

Here’s how Miller starts the book:

IF YOU WATCHED a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you’d seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and wanted your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. Truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won’t make a story meaningful, it won’t make a life meaningful either. Here’s what I mean by that:

Here’s the Q&A with Bartley and Sarah from the final week of J&K2L8.  Pardon the audio difficulties with Sarah’s mic.

Enigmata Promo from Grace Church on Vimeo.

Men’s Discipleship Book of the Month is Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

Buy the audio here:  CLICK IT!

Check out the Crazy Love website: www.crazylovebook.com

Each year, in the weeks leading to Thanksgiving, Grace Community Church has held a canned food drive in support of Mississauga’s Eden Community Food Bank.

The Eden Food Bank is the primary source of food assistance in west Mississauga.  What began as a ministry of the Eden United Church in 1989 is now a significant, self-sustaining charitable organization serving literally hundreds of families each month.  In fact, in 2009, the average number of families being assisted each month is approximately 350, representing over 1000 individuals.  These numbers are up quite significantly from 2008.

On Friday, October 2, the Jr. and Sr. High students at Grace walked door-to-door through the community collecting canned and dry goods.  Additionally, regular attendees of Grace’s weekend services have also been dropping off canned goods at the Grace Centre.

On Sunday, October 4, Grace welcomed Ron Saito, Eden Food Bank’s president to its services.  Mr. Saito was interviewed by Grace’s Missions Director, Shannon Sawatsky.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been working my way through the book It.  No, not the Stephen King novel about the creepy Tim Curry clown.  The book by Pastor Craig Groeschel; It - How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It.

The book is an intriguing look at the reason some churches make an impact and grow, while others stagnate and/or struggle to survive. Here’s an excerpt from a chapter titled “Hearts Focussed Outward.”

It-free churches are often very friendly.  In fact, they can be so tight, so bonded, so close - to each other - they unintentionally overlook those they don’t know.  On the other hand, ministries with it remember that Jesus came for the outsiders.  He came for those who were lost.  Broken.  Hurting.  Disenfranchised.  Alone.  Overlooked.  Poor.  Jesus came for those whom religion rejected.  Many churches unwittingly focus inward and forget those who are the very purpose for Jesus’ coming, the very purpose for our being here on earth.  These churches are like a hospital which no longer accepts patients.  Or a soup kitchen which no longer feeds hungry people.  Or like Sponge Bob no longer wearing square pants.

So, what do you think?  Is the Grace community a community with it?  Or are we Sponge Bob sans square pants?