Authors Putting their Faith into Action

This past weekend, I had the opportunity along with Marc McCartney to interview some really gifted authors at the Christian Book Expo here in Dallas. The questions in our interviews focused on small group ministry and what it looks like to put our faith into action. Each author answered the questions with their particular message and passion in mind. The interviews will be posted online at SmallGroupExchange.com and Rightnow.org as free video training.

On Friday, our line-up was Max Lucado (see photo), Andy Crouch, Alex & Brett Harris, Sue Edwards, and Dawn Herzog Jewell. On Saturday: JI Packer, Kevin Leman, Jimmy Dorrell, Ron Hall, Denver Moore, Steven Arterburn, and Bill and Kathy Peel.

I helped with the Friday portion. It was great to hear from Andy Crouch about his passion to help others create culture rather than criticize it. He has some great insight in his book Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling. I was able to personally interview Alex and Brett Harris, authors of Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. These guys were exactly what I thought they would be- full of passion for this generation of teens and mature way beyond their years.

When Max Lucado walked in the room, he had a smile on his face and was genuinely interested in who we were and what we were doing. He talked about how God can use ordinary people for extraordinary purposes and he helped define what "missionary" means in our culture today. He remembered all of our names at the end. I think every Christian on the planet knows who Max Lucado is so it was definitely an honor for him to offer his wisdom to us.

I also loved meeting Dawn Herzog Jewell, author of Escaping the Devil's Bedroom: Sex Trafficking, Global Prostitution, and the Gospel's Transforming Power. She answered questions as to how people can get involved in the heavy topic of sex trafficking and how God gave her the passion to write on the topic and inform others.

We're really excited to have each of these authors on SmallGroupExchange.com and Rightnow.org.