We only have four more weeks of our study of The Blazing Center… What happens next is up to you!

Got a book recommendation or topic idea? Let us know! We’ve been doing DVD studies, which work well, but we’re definitely open to other suggestions! We’re looking for a shorter 5-6 week study this time to finish out the summer.

Post your suggestions and ideas as a comment on this post (BELOW).

Come to Project:Fracture this week for Lesson 2 of our current study, The Blazing Center, by John Piper. Now is a great time to join us, because we’re still at the beginning!

Study guides are $10! Didn’t pre-order? No problem… We still have four two more. Order now »

This week’s leader: Joel Kline
Snacks provided by: Laure Kline

We also have some great upcoming events! Check them out here »

We’re on Facebook and Twitter!

Come to Project:Fracture this week for session 1 of our new study, The Blazing Center, by John Piper. Now is a great time to join us, because we’re at the beginning of the study!

Study guides are $10, and we have a few extra, so if you didn’t preorder your copy, you can pick one up tomorrow!

This week’s leader: Ryan Smith

We also have some great upcoming events! Check them out here »

We’re on Facebook and Twitter!

As we near the end of our study and discussion of Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell and Don Golden, it’s time to begin the process of selecting a new study topic and book. We’ve selected three options, but we’d love to hear from you!

Comment on this post to vote for which book you’d like to read next… Or post another option (make sure to include a link)!

Option #1 – Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
by Francis Chan

“Sometimes I feel like when I make decisions that are remotely biblical, people who call themselves Christians are the first to criticize and say I’m crazy, that I’m taking the Bible too literally, or that I’m not thinking about my family’s well-being. . . When people gladly sacrifice their time or comfort or home, it is obvious that they trust in the promises of God. Why is it that the story of someone who has actually done what Jesus commands resonates deeply with us, but we then assume we could never do anything so radical or intense? Or why do we call it radical when, to Jesus, it is simply the way it is? The way it should be?” – From Amazon.com

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Option #2 – Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: Prayer for Ordinary Radicals
by Shane Claibourne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

“Prayer is not so much about convincing God to do what we want God to do as it is about convincing ourselves to do what God wants us to do.” –from the Introduction

Activists Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove show how prayer and action must go together. Their exposition of key Bible passages provides concrete examples of how a life of prayer fuels social engagement and the work of justice. Phrases like “give us this day our daily bread” and “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” take on new meaning when applied to feeding the hungry or advocating for international debt relief.

If you hope to see God change society, you must be an ordinary radical who prays–and then is ready to become the answer to your own prayers. – From Amazon.com

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Option #3 – Dangerous Faith: Growing in God and Service to the World
by Joel Vestal

“Today’s world is filled with stories of oppression, war, famine, and extreme poverty. For those who serve Jesus, our mandate is clear: Feed the hungry, free the oppressed, and offer light in dark places. Simply stated, we are the hands and feet of Christ’s ministry on earth. But such a call can feel overwhelming. Can each believer truly make a difference? Joel Vestal believes that not only is it possible to make a difference, it is essential. Dangerous Faith shares Joel’s extraordinary travels around the world and through human suffering. Joel’s stories and insights will challenge indifference and encourage readers to actively express their compassion. And as they engage with the world around them, they’ll find a deeper and richer walk with Christ.” – From Amazon.com

We’re beginning our new discussion of Rob Bell & Don Golden’s new book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians. For more information about the book, read our blog entry or check it out on Amazon. There’s also an audio download if you’re into that kind of thing!

Order your book by Friday, November 7, at 12:00 pm (that’s noon, people), and we’ll do our best to have a copy waiting for you at the next P:F meeting on Thursday, November 13, at 7:30 pm.

Feel free to pick up your own copy, but if we all order together from Amazon, we can avoid shipping charges. We won’t be reading the chapters aloud anymore, so you’ll want to buy the book this time.

Order your copy now »

The next book we’re going to tackle at Project:Fracture is the new book by Rob Bell and Don Golden, Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile.

Yes, it’s quite a mouthful.

It sounds a little scary.

So, what is it about?

“There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building.

Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty.

This is a book about those two numbers.

It’s a book about faith and fear, wealth and war, poverty, power, safety, terror, Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity.

It’s about empty empires and the truth that everybody’s a priest; it’s about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from.

It’s about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.” (From Zondervan’s blog)

When do we start?

We’ll start our discussion of the book on Thursday, November 13. I recommend that you read the first chapter before then, but if you don’t have time (or are sadly both illiterate and deaf), I’m sure you’ll catch on to the discussion quickly.

Purchase your copy of the book ($13.49) or audio download ($10.49) now!

Visit the official Jesus Wants to Save Christians website »

Two weeks ago, we began our new book, Deadly Viper Character Assassins, by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. Despite the tongue-in-cheek subtitle “a kung fu survival guide for integrity,” this study is anything but shallow.

Each chapter addresses a different integrity issue, what they call a “character assassin.” The first chapter dealt with “character creep,” the sneaky way that seemingly small integrity missteps can grow to become life-shattering, world-altering sins. Using the metaphor of the faulty rivets that broke and caused the sinking of the Titanic, Foster and Wilhite explain that success is often defined by the little things.

Nobody wakes up and decides to tank their lives and careers because of integrity issues. We don’t make an entry in our diary one day: “Dear Diary, today I plan to commit fraud which will eventuall lead to the demis of my career, a nervous breakdown, and ultimately jail.” Character creep happens subtly and slowly. It is a methodical process where small compromises and rationalizations lead to areas we never thought we would go. We drew lines in the sand and then subtly erased them.

Author Mike Foster is one of the co-founders of XXXChurch.com, a Christian website that aims to bring attention to our nation’s pornography problem as well as reach out to people who are struggling with porn addiction and those who call porn a career. If anyone knows what it is to fight for integrity, it is this guy.

Come to Project:Fracture on Thursdays to jump into the discussion.
(No prior reading is required; we read a chapter aloud at the beginning of each meeting.)