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Stuff Christians Like…….

sclbook“I don’t have any hard data on this, but I think that of all the major world religions, Christianity has the highest dork per capita ratio. Did I say that right? Is there a different metric we’re using to measure number of dorks that I should have referenced instead? Are we still rolling with the per capita ratio? It’s so hard to find good research on this topic.

But think about it, no one ever says, “You know who is cheesy? Muslims.” Rarely will you hear someone proclaim, “The Hindus are all uptight.” And when Buddhists are stereotyped they’re labeled as being “relaxed and peaceful.” Christianity though has a lockdown on dork status and you know what? I love it!”

This is the kind of thing that makes me love Jonathan’s writing & thoughts. You can read the rest of this post here

The website says this; “Jonathan Acuff’s Stuff Christians Like is your field guide to all things Christian. Like a satirical grenade, Acuff brings us the humor and honesty that galvanized 730,000 online readers from 209 countries in a new portable version. Welcome to the funny side of faith.” Stuff Christians Like

Its being published by Zondervan so i am hopeful that it will get good UK exposure or i might have to whinge and moan about it! I know my whinging and moaning goes largely unnoticed but thats a whole other blog post…….

Glo : Experience the Bible like never before…

This looks very good, though many “interactive, electronic Bibles” have looked great in the past & failed to really capture people’s imagination. Will this one be any different? Its due on the shelves in November, we shall see…

Fm Bookshops

Proof Bookshops Logo.aiIts been a very long time since i intentionally promoted my employers on my blog. I began working for Fm Bookshops in 2005 as the manager in our Ballymena branch, then moved sideways to take charge of the online shop. With that has came some responsibilities in design, p.r. and marketing which hopefully will continue to develop alongside all the other changes within the business.

We are an organisation in change with some things happening quicker than others but all in all it is a very exciting time for us. There are so may uncertainties within ‘Christian retailing’ right now so we do not take for granted how blessed we have been. A new premises in Portadown, a major facelift in our ballymena shop, a new accounts system and the online shop are just a few of the things we have been working through.

fb prof picOne of the most exciting things to arise over the last year has been the planning & discussions about ‘music’ and where the market was headed on cd sales. We take very seriously the fact that we are one of the UK’s largest Christian Booksellers and what that means across our 20 UK shops. At the beginning of Sept09 we changed all our music prices with the determination that we could begin to lead the way on music prices within Christian retailing. We know our customers love music, the sales have always reflected that but we LOVE music also, so we wanted to show that in the best way possible! Example; the new LEELAND album, Love is on the move is £7.93 in our shops, thats the best price you will find anywhere in the UK!

We admit that we have not gotten everything perfect so far but that is a difficulty with trying to maintain a large operation while making major changes at the same time. We really do appreciate our customers, they are what keeps us alive but we also appreciate the opportunity to sell & distribute ‘Christian product’ and especially Bibles. This is why we exist. This is why we are changing shape, trying to improve how we operate, so that we can continue to provide the Bibles, Books & music to you.

IBS-STL, NO immediate crisis

For Christian retail in the UK this is a huge deal, we watch nervously & wait to see what happens.
Here is the statement………..

“There have been a number of rumours circulating suggesting that IBS-STL U.K. is going into ‘liquidation’ or ‘administration’. I can confirm that the charity is neither in liquidation, nor in any form of administration.

A number of factors including the SAP implementation have caused STL Distribution serious Supply Chain difficulties, which have resulted in severe cash flow problems.

I met with a number of our key suppliers earlier this week in London to appraise them of the situation. In addition, the senior team have been seeking external help from our auditors to resolve the current problems.

Yesterday a meeting was held with the Charity’s bankers to discuss our ongoing cash requirements. We are facing significant challenges, but there is no immediate crisis within the Charity. We are working hard to overcome the current difficulties and return to a normal cash position as soon as possible. The Charity, its advisers, bankers and suppliers are working together towards a solution.

I reaffirm my commitment to support the UK Christian trade both in the retail and supply sectors. We continue to work hard as we want to give you the very highest possible levels of service. We remain committed to provide same day despatch, a wide range of resources to choose from, and a stock position that meets your needs. We highly value your on-going trade, support and trust, and pray that as we work together in the months ahead, our activities will continue to impact peoples lives for eternity.

Keith Danby
14.8.09″

Just Do Something Ch6

just-do-somethingIn the previous post i tried to focus on the point that DeYoung made in Ch5; ‘The will of God for our lives is that we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.’ He begins Ch6 by reiterating that point and adding that ‘the most important decision we face is the daily decision to live for Christ and die to self.’ Ch6 deals with how God speaks to us. To begin with, I am pretty much going to repeat the 5 main points DeYoung makes & copy what John has said in his post here.

1. God guides by His invisible providence at all times.
2. God can speak to His people in many different ways.
3. In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son .
4. God continues to speak to us by His Son through His Spirit in the Scriptures.
5. Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us, nor should we expect him to.

In most cases we will all agree on the first 4 points but its when we get to 5 that there will be some discussion amongst Christians! As DeYoung goes on to quickly explain the ‘ongoing debate’ about spiritual gifts i chuckled at one point made and could not help but think that it defined the whole debate about God’s will and how God speaks etc etc. After giving examples from both sides of the debate about spiritual gifts DeYoung quotes a ‘mature’ cessationist who, like many is quick to add that ‘God surprises us nonetheless.’

This kind of statement, in some ways defines my ‘religious heritage’ in so many ways. Men hold to beliefs and take a stand on certain issues. Issues that will divide congregations, ruin friendships and wreak havoc but yet often they need to admit that ‘God surprises us nonetheless.’ We sometimes need to admit that we do not really have all the answers & that we could be wrong. But then lets go back to the fifth point; “Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us, nor should we expect him to.”

Hebrews says this;
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

John’s Post & Gary’s Post



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