The Sparrow Media is a collaboration between me and you. It's me - writing about the latest and greatest going on in Christian media. If it's something I think is worth talking about, I'll be writing about it. It's also you - participating in giveaways and reading with an open mind and commenting with your own thoughts.
Contact The Sparrow Media
I love PR people! If you have something you'd like for me to introduce on my site, please email your pitch to: thesparrowmedia@ gmail.com You can also find me on Skype: TheSparrowMedia
It's absolutely no secret that I'm a fan of the band, Building 429. I have been since I heard their very first release on the radio years ago. I haven't been disappointed by any of their releases since! I am certainly excited for the announcement of their 2009 tour! (Dear Building 429, The next time you stop through Oklahoma (preferably Tulsa), please contact me. I would love to meet you!)
Building 429 has recently announced plans for the spring 2009 continuation of their “Truth, Hope & Love Tour.” Once again, GRAMMY nominee After Edmund will be accompanying the band alongside new EMI artist Above The Golden State and emerging female group, Kimber Rising.
With 30 dates on the calendar, the “Truth, Hope & Love Tour” will travel across the country from February-March of 2009. World Vision will continue to partner with the tour as they did with the successful fall 2008 Tour when Building 429 shared the stage with the new female-fronted band Addison Road and After Edmund.
“It has been a thrill to be a part of the ministry of Building 429 this last year,” says front man Jason Roy. “With the release of our new record, the success of the debut single, ‘End Of Me’ and fall tour, we now have the blessing of cranking up the bus and heading back out on the spring leg of the ‘Truth, Hope and Love Tour.’ In the fall, we saw thousands of children sponsored through World Vision and countless numbers of decisions for Christ, which was far above and beyond our expectations.”
Building 429 recently released their fourth self-titled studio album with INO Records on October 21. Their debut single “End Of Me” is currently climbing the radio charts, now in the Top 15 on CHR & AC Charts. The band’s second single “Always,” is scheduled to release this spring. It is a powerful ballad that Roy wrote following an encounter with a woman who shared her heartbreaking story about how her son’s life was taken away by his own father.
Roy explains, "There is a moment in each of our lives that will undoubtedly define our existence from that point on. The moment when, for the first time, we stare injustice in the face. When an innocent child is murdered, when a father walks out on a family, when life seems completely unfair. That moment undoubtedly brings us to our knees asking the question: ‘God, Where are you?’ This is the true story of two people who faced that very question and found peace in the storm in the truth of God with us."
Blind Ambition By Max Lucado “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.”Proverbs 18:12
Blind ambition. Success at all cost. Becoming a legend in one’s own time. Climbing the ladder to the top. King of the mountain. Top of the heap. “I did it my way.”
We make heroes out of people who are ambitious. We hold them up as models for our kids and put their pictures on the covers of our magazines.
And rightly so. The world would be in sad shape without people who dream of touching the heavens. Ambition is that grit in the soul which creates disenchantment with the ordinary and puts the dare into dreams.
But left unchecked it becomes an insatiable addiction to power and prestige; a roaring hunger for achievement that devours people as a lion devours an animal, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of relationships…
God won’t tolerate it… Blind ambition is a giant step away from God and one step closer to catastrophe.
It's been a whole week since I last posted. With the Presidential Inauguration happening a week ago, I've spent the better part of the week being really discouraged by bills being passed or reversed. I've used this past week to pray for our country - a county forgotten to be founded on a belief in God. While I realize many people are proud of our new President, please respect these are my thoughts and beliefs.
One thing I've focused a lot on is that God has plans for our life - plans much better than our own. My life is an extreme testament of this. It's all the reminder I need of that statement. While I may not like what is going on in our country right now, I live on God's promises and an understanding of a power beyond what the President can do. While I completely disagree with President Obama's ways of making the county "a better place", John F. Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." There's never a better time in our country to be a soldier of God than now.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours." -John 15:18-20
"And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."
Francesca Batti.... what? That's Francesca Battistelli. While it may take writing it down ten times to remember how to spell it (or even 10 minutes to learn how to pronounce it), she's flowing through the airwaves and making music history. She's this week's featured artist for Music Monday.
Armed with her passion for writing and hope for a hurting world, Francesca put pen to paper and crafted heartfelt, personal reflections on life and faith for what’s now her major-label debut, My Paper Heart. Inspired by everyone from the jazz greats her dad introduced her to as a kid, to contemporaries like John Mayer, Sara Bareilles and Nichole Nordeman, Francesca set out to write “soulful pop music that someone pops in the morning and says, ‘Now I can start my day, I feel encouraged.’”
One of the first tracks Francesca wrote upon moving to Nashville, her first single “I’m Letting Go,” not only highlights Francesca’s expressive vocals but her overarching desire to encourage her peers not to settle for anything less than what God has for them.
“I’d just moved to Nashville, and I was sort of letting go of everything that someone can at 22 years old,” Francesca shares. “And it’s far better and different in more ways than I could’ve expected. There’s a line in the song that says ‘I feel like I’m falling/And that’s what it’s like to believe.’ Walking in faith is like free-falling, yet that’s the best place to be. But so many of us are afraid to do that.”
On the title track, Francesca tackles another universal fear—the fragility of the human heart. “This has been the hardest, scariest, most rewarding year of my life. I have known sorrow, and I have known joy,” she shares. “God has spoken quietly the words of His heart, and He has shown me colors in the grayest hues of winter. He has sung songs over me in solitude, and He has never let go of my fragile, paper heart. He knows every corner of it—the tattered, torn, and untouched places. He knows the songs that move it, the words that pierce it, and the people He uses to change it. I am forever safe in His hands.”
And while pouring out your heart doesn’t always come easy for some, the songwriting process has been both cathartic and fun for Francesca. Describing it as “the most fun she’s ever had professionally,” Francesca’s enthusiasm can’t help but find its way into her music. In fact, whether she’s talking about the spirited, funk-laden title track or the buoyant, accept-yourself-as-you-are anthem “Free to Be Me,” Francesca bookends her commentary with “I really love this song. It’s so much fun to sing.” And that pervasive joy, along with Francesca’s adventurous musicianship and relatable songwriting make My Paper Heart an impressive debut.
But even more important to Francesca than offering up a collection of catchy songs for the masses is speaking a message of truth and purpose.
“Ultimately, I want to be an encouragement as an artist and a fellow believer,” Francesca says. “The Lord has continually called me to do things that are outside my comfort zone, whether it was accompanying myself on guitar for the first time in front of seasoned players or packing up and moving to Nashville last year knowing hardly anybody. Still, He's never left me, and He constantly shows me that it's worth it. I have parents who pray and encourage me to be bold and to take bold steps for Christ. I don’t think that’s common enough in the Christian culture. We have these big dreams, but many aren’t willing to take the steps to go after them. Yet this is the moment. We’re not promised tomorrow. So today’s the day.”
Francesca Battistelli, the talented singer/songwriter who just released her debut project, My Paper Heart, with Fervent Records in July, has officially made radio history! According to R&R (Radio & Records), Battistelli is the most-added new artist in the history of Christian radio, thanks to her new single, "Free To Be Me."
Obtaining the most adds within the first week at radio's AC and CHR formats, "Free To Be Me" has achieved top airplay on 94 out of 118 reporting radio stations. This puts Battistelli in the elite company of Chris Tomlin's "Jesus Messiah," Casting Crown's "East to West," and "Spoken For" from MercyMe.
I hope you'll take a listen to Miss Battistelli's song, "I'm Letting Go," below and let me know what you think. For me, it's one of those songs I'd love to have playing when my alarm goes off - which coincidentally was her wish for the album. I haven't reacted to a song like that since Mandisa released "Only The World." You can hear more from Francesca Battistelli on her website.
Media jobs are hard on days like this. The MySpace page of Storyside:B announced in a blog today that bassist/piano member, Ron McClelland, has been taken home by our Lord.
Here's what the website says: Yesterday January 18 Ron passed away. He was on a cruise with his wife Rebecca and 88.1 The Promise out of Jacksonville FL. He was playing basketball and suddenly collapsed, and they were unable to revive him. We are all shocked and deeply saddened of our brother's passing. Please keep his family and wife Rebecca in your prayers. We will be setting up a donation fund to help offset the cost of the funeral and to help support Ron's family. God Bless StorySide : B
While Christian music fans across the world are in a little bit of shock right now, it is good to know that Ron is now with our Lord and Savior. He will always love, always smile, and never hurt again. While our hearts may need time to heal the loss of a great man, we can always rejoice that Ron is with God and wakes up to a much better place than we do on Earth.
I'm proud of all that Ron's done for our world. Although we with human hearts wish it could have been a little bit longer, we must continue living proudly in our daily walks knowing we will all one day rejoice together in Heaven. This is not a goodbye. This is a see you soon, brother.
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
The Cure for Selfishness By Max Lucado “If there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind.” Philippians 2:2 NASB What’s the cure for selfishness?
Get your self out of your eye by getting your eye off your self. Quit staring at that little self, and focus on your great Savior.
A friend who is an Episcopalian minister explains the reason he closes his prayers with the sign of the cross. “The touching of my forehead and chest makes a capital ‘I.’ The gesture of touching first one shoulder, then the other, cuts the ‘I’ in half.”
Isn’t that a work of the Cross? A smaller “I” and a greater Christ? Don’t focus on yourself; focus on all that you have in Christ. Focus on the fellowship of the Spirit, the affection and compassion of heaven.
Building 429 - "End of Me"
(includes promo of the new album at the beginning - filmed last year)
What do the words Religious Freedom Day mean to you? Religious would be in the text of Religion meaning what faith one chooses to believe in - be it Christian, Baptist, LDS, Buddhism, etc. Freedom we are familiar with thanks to the Constitution and all those History classes we had to take in grade school. Day is of course meaning a singular day of the calendar year.
I would imagine it to be a day where you're entitled to celebrate what you believe in without persecution. Instead of focusing on our differences, we focus on the fact that we all have something/someone to believe in.
Each year, the President declares Jan. 16 to be Religious Freedom Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the 1786 passage of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In his declaration this year, outgoing President George W. Bush said there was no human freedom "more fundamental than the right to worship in accordance with one's conscience." According to Bush, the day celebrates "the first liberties enshrined in our Constitution's Bill of Rights, which guarantee the free exercise of religion for all Americans and prohibit an establishment of religion." "Our Nation was founded by people seeking haven from religious persecution, and the religious liberty they found here remains one of this land's greatest blessings," added Bush. "Though we may profess different creeds and worship in different manners and places, we respect each other's humanity and expression of faith."
In comes Jerry Rutherford, a Southwest Florida man and president of World Changers. For the past two years Jerry has been distributing free Bibles to high school students on Religious Freedom Day. In November, he routinely submitted his request to set up tables offering free Bibles to district students on Religious Freedom Day.
This year, Jerry was turned down by the district's superintendent. Jerry then appeared before the Collier County School Board on Thursday to ask for a reversal of the decision but received the same response.
"This rejection is a slap in the face," said Rutherford, according to Naples News. "The decision to deny access to community groups that are religious in nature is censorship and bias."
During the meeting with the district board, Rutherford cited the 1998 decision by a federal appeals court in Peck vs. The Upshur County School Board. The case upheld a West Virginia school district’s right to give out any outside materials both religious and non-religious in a passive manner one day a year. The Orlando-based Liberty Counsel also sent a letter on behalf of Rutherford to the board asking for the reversal of the decision. The Christian legal group had even offered to litigate the district’s position for free.
But the board said it would stand behind the decision made by Thompson.
Rutherford says it's unconstitutional that he has been barred from passing out Bibles when the district allows other community groups, like the military, to distribute literature to students.
"We're losing our religious freedoms and that is very scary to me," he said, according to WINK News.
Are we, in fact, losing our religious freedoms? I mean, we can't even seem to get religious freedom on a day that was designated to give us that religious freedom?!
Did you know that when my husband and I last visited the bookstore, Borders, that they had absolutely zero copies of any books that have anything to do with the Constitution?? Seriously - we asked. I have a feeling that it might be because so many people are currently trying to rewrite the Constitution and ignore what it really says. Does anyone out there really know what is written in the Constitution anyway (without googling)?
Ignoring the Constitution is the same to me as someone who picks and chooses which parts of the Bible will apply to them and which parts they feel they can't and won't apply to their life. There were 10 commandments - not 7. Ya know? The Constitution was written to be the foundation of our country - just as the Bible is to our faith. Despite how liberal or conservative you are, you have to respect that this country was founded on beliefs that God exists. "In God We Trust," right? I'm not saying that everyone who lives in our country should be forced to believe in God, but I don't think it's the right time to go rewriting the Constitution because you don't personally want a free Bible.
"If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag." -Author Unknown
I'll never forget the day I was browsing in the computer section at Best Buy and I ran into a gentleman telling me about how his Kindergartner was required to have a laptop for school! I was shocked! It was that moment I knew the Internet had a huge impact on our world. I couldn't fathom why a 5 year old would need their own computer, but apparently that's how schools roll these days. Soon after that day, the iPhone came out. Finally, people could have the Internet at their fingertips all hours of the day no matter where they were going.
Before this starts to sound like I'm anti-Internet for all, I would like to add that without it, it would be a lot harder for me (if not impossible) for me to reach all of you with these messages. Although I imagine, printed newspapers would be doing better business. While I'm not thrilled with the dependency of the Internet that people have, I have seen it used for really great things.
Jesus said, "“Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19).
The Internet simply could not make that any easier. Dozens of churches around the world agree and are planning to participate in a special missions trip that involves bringing Christ and His message to a huge community where the Gospel is not the most popular subject. So far, nearly 2,000 teens have signed up for the “Online Missions Trip” to bombard popular social networking sites with stories about God. The Online Missions Trip is a two week outreach campaign for teenagers and youth leaders to capitalize on the tremendous social opportunities that exist on the Internet and use it to share Christ with unsaved friends all over the world!
During the outreach, participants will upload videos and photos, post links, and use status updates to share what God is doing in their lives to online social outlets such as myspace.com, facebook.com, youtube.com, etc. Participants will also write notes, send messages, post blogs, create invitations to their youth group, and do other things that will help bring God up in a conversation online. It's a two week opportunity to bombard these social outlets with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Online conversations, however, are only the initial step. The goal is to eventually lead people into face-to-face discussions. Outreach events and new-believer follow-ups will start beginning on February 15 and will include a free four-part series from Lifechurch.tv, entitled “What’s Next?”
Here's a breakdown of what's happening:
Jan 11-31, 2009: Pre-trip training. Feb 1-14, 2009: Online Missions Trip! Feb 15, 2009: Outreach event/series and new-believer follow-up starts.
If you're interested in joining up and/or getting your church involved, there are fabulous resources on this site to help you. Are you already on Facebook? Add their facebook group and learn more!
Have you heard this story? A baby is born two days after her mother dies. And yes, I can totally hear all of your brains saying, "whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"
British ice skating coach, Jayne Soliman, collapsed due to a brain hemorrhage. She never regained consciousness and was pronounced brain dead shortly after. Two days later, a baby is born thanks to doctors who quickly decided to keep the mother on life support to give the infant a chance at life.
Aya Jayne Soliman was born by caesarean section at 26 weeks and weighed just 2lb and 11oz at birth. There's a smaller miracle in this story because British law states that a baby can be aborted up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
As well stated by Mike Judge, head of Communications at The Christian Institute in the United Kingdom, "The story illustrates that a baby in a womb is alive, and its life is precious."
Is that not the most beautiful story of 2009 thus far? Wow!
This is for all aspiring pastors and/or pastors who need church growth or don't understand why attendance is decreasing. Listen up! You need to stop what you're doing and head to the bookstore to purchase the book, "10 Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing" by Pastor Geoff Surratt.
It's a humorous yet painfully honest book on the ten most common mistakes pastors make that keep their churches from growing. Before diving into the top 10 mistakes, Surratt made sure to clarify that the purpose of the book is not to point out the flaws of fellow pastors, but to offer them perspective on what could be hindering their churches from growing.
But why is he qualified to “point out other people’s mistakes,” readers may ask. Because he admits that he has committed all ten of the mistakes highlighted in the book.
Although the book was written with pastors as the intended readers, Surratt contends the tips in his book can be helpful to any leader in the church.
The book Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing is scheduled to be released in May 2009 by Zondervan publishing company.
By the way, these are things I've heard of the book. If you're affiliated with the book, I'm letting you know I would love to have my own copy to review. ;)
I've been seeing a huge buzz lately over a band called Group 1 Crew. Their song, "Keys To The Kingdom," is in the top 10 songs played on Air1 radio. I thought I'd give them just a little more buzz this week and feature them on Music Monday.
A self-professed entertainer, a pop diva, and a bona fide producer: that’s the makeup of breakout urbansensation Group 1 Crew, three everyday Latinos who rose above their circumstances and the middle-of-the-road to become one of the most exciting aggregates in faith-based music.
Ordinary Dreamers, the trio’s anticipated second album for Fervent Records, shatters any and all preconceptions created by their out-of-the-box, Dove-winning debut, Group 1 Crew, to position itself asone of the most unordinary offerings of the moment—an amalgam of rhythm and rhyme that takes the best of urban pop and hip-hop and turns them upside down.
Produced by Christopher Stevens and Andy Anderson, Ordinary Dreamers is a snapshot of threevisionaries encouraging others to never be complacent with the status quo, but to continually pressforward and propel themselves towards the next plateau in their lives. Indeed, that’s a posture that Group 1 Crew—members Manwell, Blanca, and Pablo—have upheld since they first came together for Bible studies several years ago, a path to spiritual growth that eventually evolved into a promising career in music and ministry.
Granted, Group 1 Crew didn’t always have it all together as far as their own dreams and aspirations. Once a confused adolescent who’d much sooner get in trouble and roll with the wrong crowd than use his God-given gift to entertain, Manwell finally realized his potential when he gave Christ a shot. “I put the mic down as soon as I got saved, and for a year I just studied my Word and got into the Bible,” says Manwell, a former seminarian. “I figured, ‘I’ve got to know what I’m talking about.’ I can’t just be like a lot of artists who just regurgitate what they’ve heard.”
For her part, Blanca’s sole desire growing up was to be the next Mariah or Whitney. Since she had the pipes, she tried out for every talent show imaginable - yes, even American Idol - only to hit brick walls and become plagued by thoughts of insecurity.
“A lot of the times I feared I wouldn’t make it,” says Blanca, the group’s soulful leading lady. “I got the feeling that I wasn’t getting what I wanted, that I wasn’t moving forward. Once I got saved it was a big difference because God just showed me that he had a plan from the beginning. Everything just came together as soon as I started singing for him.”
Meanwhile, Pablo’s epiphany about a better tomorrow came, of all places, while working the cash register at his friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart. He was a musically inclined knob-turner since a young age, but he didn’t quite know how to turn his gifting into a living.
“One day it hit me,” says Pablo, a one-time music production student at Full Sail. “I wondered, ‘What if I do end up in Wal-Mart for the rest of my life?’ For some reason, I just let doubt come in and I was looking around at people who had been working there for 15-20 years. I was like, ‘I know that God has something more for me.’”
Today, on the verge of yet another breakthrough with Ordinary Dreamers, Group 1 Crew wants their combined testimonies and victories to be a catalyst for all the dreamers who happen upon the group’s music.
“It’s telling our fans, ‘There’s no difference between you and us,’” Blanca says. From the disc’s first downbeat to the last lingering note, Ordinary Dreamers is the stuff dreams are made of. From a musical standpoint, Group 1 Crew and their collaborators spared no expense in making a spellbinding follow-up, a tightly produced party that finds the trio having the time of their lives, while carving a niche of their own in music - Christian, mainstream, or otherwise.
Top-notch beatmaking is the bedrock of such numbers as “Movin’” and “Gimme That Funk,” two dizzying, multi-layered romps that see Manwell, Blanca, and Pablo serving as masters of ceremonies to some of the biggest party-starters of 2008. The celebration continues with the horn-dabbed “CriticalEmergency,” a song that wraps a serious message in a swath of disco, soul, pop/rock, and R&B. Shifting gears, thick guitar riffs and a plodding vibe punctuate “Keys to the Kingdom,” an uplifting piece that encourages listeners to lift up their heads and wait for the day when the sons of glory will be revealed. Elsewhere, the soaring “Closer” gives Blanca a chance to strut her stuff and get in touch with her inner pop songstress, while the easygoing, guitar-laced “Tonight” is as comforting and reassuring as a pop tune can get.
Not ones to shy away from experimentation, Group 1 Crew try their hand at new things with “iContact,” “I See You,” and “Live Out Loud.” In its own way, each composition is an indication of how much the trio has matured - no matter if the choice dressing is electro-pop, jazz-inflected urban stylings, or synthheavy techno funk.
But for all of its diversity and through-the-roof production values, Ordinary Dreamers is only a stepping stone for the threesome. From passion to passion, from glory to glory, Group 1 Crew hopes to continue to march onward and upward, seeking not earthly recognition but an even deeper understanding of what matters most.
“In the minute success that we have as a group, it’s never what you thought it’s going to be,” Manwell says. “So honestly I don’t think money is going to do it. I don’t think a Grammy is going to do it. I don’t think any of that is really going to hold water. It’s not like a pessimistic look. The reality in what I’ve seen is that true joy and fulfillment come when you’re on point with the Lord.”
Pablo adds, “Now that we’re all living in that dream that we’ve all wanted to achieve, now it’s just become an even bigger dream, a bigger passion to use music as a stepping stone to advance the Kingdom and empower the generation that’s coming up behind us.”
And that kind of testimony, my friends, is why Group 1 Crew is the artist of the week at The Sparrow Media. If this song doesn't get you up and dancing - I don't know what will. ;)
The GMA Foundation (GMAF) will induct artists Michael W. Smith, Dolly Parton, Dr. Bobby Jones and The Dixie Hummingbirds along with music producer Lari Goss into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame on Feb. 2, 2009.
The GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will be held on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009 at The Richland Country Club in Nashville. The evening will begin at 6:30pm with a medallion ceremony and reception, followed by the induction ceremony and dinner which will begin at 7:30pm. Tickets are $150, and they can be reserved by calling 615-277-1366 through January 23 (while available).
The Imperials, featuring the original back-up singers for Elvis Presley and Hall of Fame members, will provide entertainment for the event.
I would love to dedicate every Monday to the Christian music industry. Music is what inspires me - even as a writer. There's not a day that goes by that I don't spend some time singing (way out of tune, I might add) worship or rockin out to some great Christian music. I think music deserves its own day at The Sparrow Media. :) If you are a Christian artist/band or know of someone who you think should be featured - even if it's just a favorite song - don't hesitate to email me and let me know. thesparrowmedia@gmail.com
The Gift of Choice By Max Lucado “I have chosen the way of truth; I have obeyed your laws.” Psalm 119:30
We can choose: a narrow gate or a wide gate (Matt. 7:13-14), a narrow road or a wide road (Matt. 7:13-14), the big crowd or the small crowd (Matt. 7:13-14).
We can choose to: build on a rock or sand (Matt. 7:24-27), serve God or riches (Matt. 6:24), be numbered among the sheep or the goats (Matt. 25:32-33).
God gives eternal choices, and these choices have eternal consequences. One of God’s greatest gifts? The gift of choice.
Thanks to the power of the Internet and hotel websites, you can easily browse amenities for a hotel of your choosing online. Will it have the hair dryer? The ironing board? The free shampoo? The free shuttle to the airport?
Before these amenities were available, there was the Gideon Bible. For the past 100 years, you've been guaranteed to find a Bible in your nightstand drawer. It's looking like The Gideon Bible will be around for another 100 years.
Gideons International is celebrating its 100th anniversary distributing Bibles and has begun efforts to hand out more Scriptures in the U.S. to boost a distribution rate that's remained relatively flat in recent years. Nearly 76.9 million Gideon Scriptures were given out in nearly 85 languages in 187 countries last year. Close to 1.5 billion Scriptures have been distributed since 1908, when the Gideons first began to place Bibles in hotel rooms. The first Gideon Bible was placed in a hotel room in Montana.
Since then, the nondenominational evangelical group run by businessmen has spread its tremendous reach, also giving out free Scriptures at hospitals, schools, prisons and in the military.
Around 1916, the group started distributing Bibles within hospitals, followed by the military, public schools, prisons and colleges and universities.
The Gideons have about 176,000 members, plus their wives, who distribute Scripture around the world, and their numbers have remained steady over the years. The group only allows for evangelical business and professional men to hand out Scripture to its targeted groups, although Gideons allow their wives to hand out Scripture as well in health care settings and in prisons for women.
Each Bible placed in a hotel room has the potential to reach up to 2,300 people in its estimated six-year life span. Research from the hotel industry says that approximately 25% of travelers read the Bibles in their hotel rooms.
I don't know why I am just learning about this, but I think it's an amazing project. Bible Across America is a one-of-a-kind, cross-country promotional tour honoring the 30th anniversary of the New International Version (NIV) translation, the most trusted, most read Bible available today.
The Bible is America's favorite book of all time. And because of its accuracy, clarity and literary quality, the NIV has become the most successful Bible translation of all time. Zondervan believes that a completely handwritten version of the NIV Bible by people from all across our country will help America rediscover the Bible in a fresh, new way. That's just what this project is about - America handwriting the Bible.
Bible Across America is a 15,000-mile journey that will directly reach 90 cities in 44 states during the course of five months. The bus tour will launch from Zondervan's headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich. and will conclude in San Diego at the 2009 National Pastor's Convention. The tour will travel across the country in a luxury motorhome, generously donated by Spartan Motors, and will feature a traveling exhibit of NIV history, as well as writing stations and a video journal booth to chronicle people's experiences. They are currently making stops at churches, universities, retail stores, American landmarks and special events between September 30, 2008 and February 11, 2009. See how behind I am on this announcement? More than 31,000 people are being invited to contribute a verse to complete an entirely handwritten Bible - America's NIV.
Writers of America's NIV will pen a single verse on actual thin-stock Bible paper. Each verse and each page will be published together as a complete America's NIV Bible available in stores nationwide. The Bible will include an unprecedented index of 31,173 contributors, one for every verse of the Bible. Zondervan plans to create two original editions. One original transcript of America's NIV will be offered to the Smithsonian Institution and the second will be auctioned off to benefit the International Bible Society in support of their Bible translation and distribution efforts around the world.
If you wonder where the bus has been and where it's going, you can click here. Although I am honestly not sure if it's too late to request a stop, there's still a spot online to give it a try. Click here to request a stop in your area. Oh, and if you have nothing better to do, you can check out real time GPS tracking of the bus.
Franktown Rocks is a multiplayer online game known as a virtual world. It was designed for kids ages 6-12. Kids create a character and then walk around Franktown interacting with each other, playing games, making music, listening to songs, watching videos, and more. Some activities allow players to earn virtual money, called Franks, which can be used to buy clothing, accessories, house stuff, music instruments, and more for their character. It's a very safe site monitored by both human and electronic means. Although it's free to play at Franktown, they do offer a premium membership for players who wish to unlock more features. You can also purchase the Franks, but is not required to play.
January 10th is Free Membership day. Players can sign up for Franktown Rocks and get full access to all the membership features for FREE. For more information, please visit Franktown Rocks.
Zonderkidz™, the leading publisher of children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks, will release the first-ever full-text VeggieTales® Bible in February 2009, in partnership with Big Idea, Inc., an Entertainment Rights group company. The VeggieTales® Bible (retails for about $24.99, hardcover) invites children ages 8 and under to experience God’s Word using the backdrop of much-loved VeggieTales® characters, who remind them that “God made you special, and He loves you very much!”
Features of The VeggieTales® Bible include:
The full text of the New International Version (NIV): the most read, most trusted translation.
“Veggie Values”—210 lessons from the Bible that teach forgiveness, trusting in God, being helpful, and more.
32 pages retelling eight favorite Bible stories as told in the VeggieTales® videos in full-color comic book format.
“Book Introductions” that give readers important information about each book of the Bible.
"Remember This”- Highlights of 100 key verses of Scripture to remember.
A “Dictionary Concordance”-to help kids better understand key Bible words and concepts.
The VeggieTales® Bible is part of Big Idea’s comprehensive, multi-product “Values To Grow By” marketing campaign for spring 2009. Releasing simultaneously with the Bible will be the brand new Bible-story-based DVD adventure VeggieTales®: Abe and the Amazing Promise. Featuring a lesson in patience, Abe and the Amazing Promise is a Veggie-spun Bible classic that tells the story of Abraham and Sarah and their wait for a promised child. The DVD showcases nationally syndicated radio host “Delilah” as the voice of Sarah. This highly anticipated title is available for $14.99 SRP in Christian stores Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 and everywhere Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009.
As part of the strategic marketing initiatives for the new year, Big Idea will launch their “Values To Grow By” spring campaign beginning with the release of Abe and the Amazing Promise DVD February 7, plus three classic reissues of best selling Bible story-themed titles Rack, Shack and Benny, Josh and the Big Wall and Dave and the Giant Pickle. Each DVD will sport an exciting new look with a fresh cover design and a fun new VeggieTales® logo. The catalog titles will be re-promoted and re-packaged at $9.99 SRP.
Big Idea will also introduce the VeggieTales® “Values To Grow By Companion Guide” with extensive teaching resources for parents and children’s ministry leaders. The resource guide will consist of 12 Bible study sections with activities and lessons based on VeggieTales® Bible-story-themed DVDs and will be introduced at children’s pastor’s conferences and ministry events in early 2009 and available for purchase at bigidea.com and through Christian retailers.
Saturday, Jan 10th, Family Christian Stores will be hosting a Veggie Tales Movie event showing "Abe and the Amazing Promise" before its release in February. Find out more about this Veggie Tales event by clicking here.
Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," was handpicked by Barack Obama to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. It's a role that positions Mr. Warren to succeed Billy Graham as the nation's pre-eminent minister and reflects the generational changes in the evangelical Christian movement.
Mr. Obama's inauguration program, for Jan. 20, was announced Wednesday by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Celebrations.
Inauguration programs follow a traditional outline but also allow a president-elect to put his stamp on the proceedings and set the tone for his administration.
The choice of Mr. Warren, pastor of a megachurch in Orange County, Calif., is an outspoken opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage. In fact, his selection set off a round of criticism by gay rights groups angered by his support for California’s ban on same-sex marriages. But Mr. Warren has also been one of the most prominent evangelical leaders calling for Christians to expand their agenda and confront global problems like poverty, AIDS, climate change and genocide in Darfur.
There's a buzz in my community about a documentary called Crystal Darkness. Crystal Darkness is a 30-minutes gripping documentary underscoring the frightening truth about Meth's devastating attack on our youth and their families. The program is targeted for youth and their parents, but the message extends with conviction to an entire community and throughout our nation. If you are not yet aware of the seriousness of the Meth problem in our neighborhoods, then the images and stories shared in this film will prove to be both shocking and scary.
The story is told through the powerful testimonies of young people who have gone through the dark and lonely depths of Meth addiction. With heart wrenching and raw honesty, they speak to their generation with an unforgettable message of warning.
Join them as they courageously share the unimaginable gloom and sadness caused by their Meth use as they point with hope to a better choice and a new life--a drug-free life. The documentary is also available in a Spanish version titled, "Obscuridad Cristal" and features 25 new interviews and focuses on the impact of this drug on the Hispanic community.
On January 9th, 2007, the community of Northern Nevada fought back against Crystal Meth. In a historic and unprecedented event, the 30-minute documentary, Crystal Darkness, aired in a roadblock, which meant it was broadcast simultaneously on almost all stations in the area. The Crystal Darkness Campaign was a unique collaboration between the local media, schools, law enforcement, recovery specialists, faith organizations and the business community. Because of the publicity leading up to the airing of Crystal Darkness, it is believed by many to have been the most watched program in Northern Nevada history. The results of the historic airing will be realized for years to come and the campaign is just the beginning. However, the initial response was dramatic. One of the most significant positive effects of the campaign was that it brought the community together in the fight against Meth and now we are now completely mobilized to fight back to protect our youth and neighborhoods against this terrible drug.
Since the broadcast, Global Studio has been contacted by cities and states throughout the nation and is offering to assist other communities in hosting their own Crystal Darkness Campaign. On May 30th, 2007 Las Vegas launched their campaign and once again, the documentary ended up being the most watched program in that city’s history. In Las Vegas they also premiered the airing of a new Spanish version of Crystal Darkness and it was met with great enthusiasm.
Subsequent campaigns occurred with great success in Oregon, San Diego, Sacramento, New Mexico, El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and Arizona. There are now several dozen cities and states throughout the nation and beyond lining up for their events.
All Oklahomans, including churches, schools, civic groups and law enforcement can have an active investment in this historic methamphetamine awareness project. Crystal Darkness Oklahoma, co-chaired by Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry, begins with the airing of the half-hour documentary on all Oklahoma television stations, as well as radio and internet media. The documentary will feature testimonials graphically articulating the devastating impact meth has had on families and communities across the state. The air-date is tentatively set for Tuesday January 13, 2009.
Crystal Darkness campaigns have already been scheduled this year for in Sonora Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Central Valley California, and Washington State.
If you’re interested in learning more about how the Crystal Darkness documentary can impact your city, e-mail them at info@crystaldarkness.com or call at (775) 853-8333 for more information.
I had all intentions of launching this site on January 1st, but life happened and I ended up having to push back the date a little. The Sparrow Media is here now and I'm stoked to be sharing a brand new year with you!
The Sparrow Media will be your "in the know" site for what's happening in Christian media. You'll learn about the latest bands, books, and products for Christians as well as hearing about the latest Christian news I feel you should know about. Be sure to subscribe to The Sparrow Media either through feed or email and you'll always know about giveaways and contests. Comments are open for you to express your thoughts on what I write about around here. That also helps me know what you're interested in and I can give you more of what you want. The people on the other side of the things I mention here would also love to know what you think so be sure to leave comments when you feel the urge.
Thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to get to know all of you!
