Here I sit in the airport in Nashville missing my lunch conference in Florida.

So, don't go to my conference here. Go to Thomas Hammond's instead.

I planned for a three hour time cushion, but, alas, Freedom Airlines (Delta's "problem child" partner) is slower than that. Check it out:

Update: The 6:50a.m. flight eventually departed at 1:30p.m., or almost 7 hours late

Sigh.

So, the bad news is that I won't make it for the pre-conference session. The good news is that I will make it to bring a main message tonight and I can post a very late "Friday is for Friends" here at the blog.

Here are some updates on some friends, old and new:

Tim Keller

Tim Keller's new book, The Reason for God, made number 18 on the New York Times Bestseller list.

You can read an interview with Tim in First Things and his profile in Newsweek (be sure to see his clarification of the Newsweek article here on the blog).

Journeys with Todd and Marty

Although it is not selling as well as Keller's book NYT bestseller (grin), Todd Wright and Marty Duren's new book is off to a good start.

I had lunch with Todd and Marty last week and then spoke at the evengelism conference hosted at Todd's church. Good guys.

Many of you know Marty as the former proprietary of the blog SBCOutpost. A few years ago, Marty's blog became a focal point for much of the SBC debate. He now blogs here.

Last summer, Marty made a conscience decision to focus less on issues of the SBC and more on missional issues relating to his local church. One result is the newly released book, Journeys: Transitioning Churches To Relevance, co-authored with Todd.

I read the book a while back and you will see my endoresment on the cover.

It is not a book for you if you are content with the same old thing. It is not for you if you think culture is an enemy to your church. It is not for you if you think change is unbiblical. A narrative written from the lab of pastoral practice, not from theoretical wishfulness, Journeys chronicles how God changed the hearts of two pastors who then were burdened to lead their churches to transition to be more effective in engaging their host cultures with the gospel. I encourage you to read it, digest it and allow God to prepare you for the journey that He has for you, and possibly for your church, as you strive to bring the gospel to those around you.

You can buy the book here.

Philip Nation

My former co-pastor and soon-to-be co-author, Philip Nation (see the book here) got some nice press from the Atlanta Jounral Consitution.

The new message theme: What would you do if you only had 31 days to live? (See http://www.31daystolive.com.)

Philip says that the original inspiration came from a similar campaign done by Life Church led by Craig Groeschel. And, there are a number of books being written about this subject and churches pursuing similar campaigns, including Kerry Shook's book, One Month to Live.

Lake Ridge is being planted in the 13th wealthiest county in the nation according to Forbe's magazine. It is a place where the houses are large but the souls seem empty. So Philip decided to offer a question that simply could not be escaped - what would you do if you only had 31 days to live? And he has asked it everywhere. Postcards, email blast, business cards, yard signs, local magazine ad, and even a digital billboard in the area's busiest shopping center - all driving people to the website and posing the question: 31 Days to Live.com - what would you do?

One of the unique facets to Lake Ridge's outreach campaign is that he invited a friend planting a church in San Diego to join in the fun. So, together with Jeff Langley's plant Cloudbreak Church, they are preaching the same topics during March, driving metro Atlantians and Southern Californians to the same viral website, sharing stories about people's answers, and talking about the lives that are being changed.

During March, they will roll out new stories, messages, and articles each week. Already, some great stories are out there. But the ultimate goal is to get the unchurched into environments where honest questions can be asked and hope can be given. So, they are pointing all of this to discussion groups to be formed out of the Sunday messages and website topics.
It seems like a great catalyst to get far-from-God people to think about the brevity of life and the need for something greater than themselves -- namely the Gospel.

Philip & Jeff - We are praying for you guys.

Larry Norman died last week


Larry Norman

I had the privilege of getting to know Larry while working on Perimeters of Light. We quoted him:

1970s A.D.: Larry Norman sang, "I want the people to know, That He saved my soul, But I still like to listen to the radio...They say that rock and roll is wrong...I know what's right, I know what's wrong and I don't confuse it: Why should the devil have all the good music...'Cause Jesus is the Rock and He rolled my blues away.�? He founded what became known as Contemporary Christian Music... and it is still controversial today.

The day before he died he wrote, "I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up... I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home..."

Larry was a pioneer for much of what became contemporary Christian music and greatly influenced what would become the contemporary church movement.

He stood for change and relevance, and like many who questioned what was alread settled, he was attacked by many who called themselves Christians.

He sang:

"I've been knocked down,
kick around,
some people scandalized my name...
But here I am... talking 'bout Jesus just the same.�?

Now he get's to meet the Jesus he loved.

He will be missed.

Update: The New York Times has an excellent obit on Larry posted this morning.

Shapevine

On Wednesday, I will be interviewed on ShapeVine by my friend Lance Ford.

Shapevine is billed as a "place for church planters, pastors, and leaders to bring their ideas, struggles, and experiences into a virtual online café for conversation and sharing."

It was started by former Globalnet Director, Lance Ford and Alan Hirsch, author of The Shaping of Things to Come and The Forgotten Ways.

They do on line training with a wide range of people like Leonard Sweet, Sally Morgenthaler, Michael Frost, Steve Sjogren, Neil Cole, Dan Kimball, Ron Martoia, etc.

The broadcasts are free (and they are live via video).

So come by for, "Lance Ford interviews Ed Stetzer, Wednesday, March 5, 2pm EST"

Church of God International Executive Committee

I have already written about my speaking engagement last week in Cleveland, TN. I was there to be a part of "Empowering 21st Century Pentecostal Leaders."

I was particularly blessed when the General Overseer of the Church of God, Dennis McGuire, and the International Executive Committee took me to dinner. These men are the elected leaders of an international body of seven million believers.

We talked about the challenges of connecting with young and innovative leaders, their church planting plans, and the future of the denomination. I was encouraged by their passion for the lost.

You can read some thoughts about the conference (from the attendees perspective) here.

Perry Noble

Perry and his glasses dropped by the blog to comment here. It appears I was not the only guy in the 1980s to own parachute pants.