Pettis, who has spent a lifetime crafting finely-wrought, heart-touching songs, will share his music in the Signs of Life gallery on Nov. 13th, 2009 at 8:00pm

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door if any remain. To purchase, stop by 722 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence, KS; call 785-830-8030; or click here.

Pierce Pettis links:  myspace - website

Though Hendrix’s intended audience is children, I think anyone can appreciate this book.  I learned a lot from reading it about a man who is inextricably linked to the history of our area.

I find it commendable that Hendrix doesn’t talk down to his audience.  In fact, parents or teachers will have to explain certain words to students or, heaven forfend, they might need to look them up in a dictionary!

The caricaturistic images and bold calligraphy make John Brown appear larger than life, but the text portrays a real man with both wonderful and terrible qualities.  Hendrix describes a simple man who wants to take seriously Jesus’ admonition to love one another.  By desiring not just freedom for the black man, but equality, Brown went far beyond the general abolitionist sentiment of the day.  Brown’s fervor caused a massacre at Pottawatomie Creek, but his zeal for human equality exceeded even that of the celebrated abolitionist Frederick Douglass who noted “I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.”

We are in the planning stages at Signs of Life for an event tentatively titled Bleeding Kansas: Sights and Sounds to be held Oct 24th.  The day will feature a book signing by John Hendrix and exhibit of artwork from the book as well as music by Jed Marum who has worked on the soundtracks for film maker Kenneth Spurgeon’s Bleeding Kansas documentaries.  We will announce details of the events as they become available.

Oh, and another special thing about this one, it has a hole in it - from the front cover clear through the text.  Reminds me of a board book we used to read to the kids.  order here

It didn’t used to be that way, claims Ten Elshof in his new book I Told Me So: Self-deception and the Christian Life. Prior to the 20th century, self-deception was high on every theologian’s list of “thou shalt not”s, chiefly because it leads directly to much more serious sins such as unbelief. Today, however, what is most highly prized is authenticity. Being genuine, being yourself, is valued so much that no one is willing to think of himself as a phoney. Yet we are. We deceive ourselves all the time - remember those professors who can’t all be above average? So since we must be authentic at all costs, but we know we aren’t, we have to demote self-deception from our list of top sins.

Intrigued? That’s just the beginning. After revealing various strategies we use to conceal the truth from ourselves, Ten Elshof goes on to show how self-deception is not necessarily a bad thing. But of course we must be wise, and this book is an excellent way to begin acquiring the requisite discernment. Would I kid me?  order here

Teens age 13-18: Enter the Rayne Tour Series’ “Live Like a Rock Star” Sweepstakes today! Grand Prize: $850 night on the town, including dinner for 6 and limo service. First 200 entrants get a free copy of Always Watching.
Go here to enter.

No, better go here instead.

This was a very moving book for me. Yes, my wife and I are in the middle of the process of adopting two children, that certainly has a lot to do with it. But I think many people will find this book very moving, whether or not you’ve ever given much thought to adoption. This is not only about the recurring New Testament theme of being adopted into God’s family. And it is not only about adopting children into our own families. But it is about the interplay of the two and a call for Christians and churches to place a much higher priority on adoption than we have hitherto.

In saying “adoption is greater than the universe” Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist church in Minneapolis is not engaging in hyperbole. It is a saying worth trying to wrap our minds around. If you just have a few minutes, watch Piper’s video clip below. But if you have a few hours, read Moore’s book. It is important, and you will be greatly rewarded for the effort.

Written in 1977 by Orson Scott Card, the book gave its initial readers a sneak peak into the Internet, video games, laser guns, and other forms of technology that have become commonplace today. Well, maybe not so much laser guns … but you get the idea.

Whether you’re a sci-fi fan or not, we expect you’ll be engaged in Card’s exploration of such themes as the corrupting influence of power, human rights, and man’s capacity for both good and evil. Not to mention man’s capacity to fight alien hordes with laser guns.

Although punctuation could be considered a somewhat mundane or academic topic, Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss goes way beyond being a rulebook. Truss, an admitted stickler for accurate punctuation, looks at the decline of its proper use throughout our culture, remarking that, from the grocer to instant messenger, it appears the accepted rules for punctuation are either not learned or ignored by the general public. Truss takes a stand for written communication and the necessity of good punctuation, while demonstrating that the beauty and nuance of the English language are lost without those little marks that lead the reader to understand what the writer has intended. And in case you don’t get the humor, next time you’re in a restaurant beware of the panda that eats, shoots and leaves.

• National Merit Finalist
• Free State Valedictorian
• State Honor Band Member
• Compassion International Sponsor
• Grace Children’s Ministry Volunteer

And she loves smoothies at Signs of Life! So in honor of Lydia, we’re running a special on smoothies from 5/26/09 through 5/30/09. Click her smiling face to get the coupon!