The National Youth Workers Convention will be broadcast LIVE starting at 1pm today

ChurchMetrics.com a free web app from LifeChurch.tv is Live

Thomas Nelson needs 10,000 bloggers

Focus on the Family, letter predicting the future if Obama is elected

Local Church Marketing Labs, get involved

Live Teleseminar with Eric Bryant and Mark Batterson, Nov 3rd!

ooVoo = Free Video Chat Tool - perfect for web meetings of 5 or less

THINK. AGAIN. What is this?

The Catalyst ONE DAY events are limited attendance events in a more intimate setting with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. Friday, Oct 31st is the LAST DAY for Early Bird registration for the ONE DAY event Granger Community Church.

At Catalyst ONE DAY, you will receive practical direction and leadership principles that you can put into practice as soon as you get back to your church. Not only this, but there will be lots of time set aside for question and answer, interactive communication with two of the wisest and most experienced leaders in the Church.

DON'T MISS THE DEADLINE! Register Today for a mere $119, and take your leadership to the next level.

Also, you can still enter yourself in the drawing to WIN A FREE AMAZON KINDLE!

The right to vote is a calling card of American life, one that we often - usually - neglect to extol when it comes to listing ways in which we have it so good. But it's hard to think in terms of rights when much of the world doesn't have the "right" to vote. The beautiful thing about our democracy is that our votes really do count. Even if you vote strict party lines. Even if you don't know anything about the candidates. Even if your grandfather wasn't able to vote. Even if you can't read. Even if you're living on an Air Force Base in Kyrgyzstan.

I'm grateful that lines are going to be long next Tuesday because it means more of us are enjoying our privilege. However, if you don't consider it a privilege to stand in a 3-hour line, vote early. If you live in Georgia, this site will show you where you can vote prior to November 4. If you live outside Georgia, look on your Secretary of State's website for locations.

Here come the Holidays! It's getting colder, the leaves are falling, you've bought your plane tickets (or should have), and you're thinking about Christmas gifts.

If you're hip, you've heard of Advent Conspiracy and other sites that advocate spending less on Christmas to give more to those in need (you're hip if you read this blog, don't worry). The argument goes like this: we spend upwards of $400 Billion on Christmas gifts every year, with those often being things that we neither need nor want ("wow ... it's a matching ... yo-yo set ... again ... THANKS, Grandma!"). If we're supposed to be celebrating Jesus' birth, why don't we stop being consumeristic and instead use that money to serve the "least of these" - like Jesus wants anyway?

Well, what do you think? Are you going to join the conspiracy this year? If not, why not? If so, why so? An interesting twist on this question is the economy. Will not buying gifts be like punching our ailing economy in the throat? And if so, why does our economy depend on us buying cheap stuff like Barbie doll houses and text-to-speach software that find their way to the garbage bin or yard sale within a year? WWJD? thoughts?