One of the questions Matt and Hugh often received following the launch of that book was “Loved the book, but how do I get my community to do that?” The newly launched The Tangible Kingdom Prime is our effort to help small groups and churches do just that. It is an 8-week guide to creating missional and incarnational communities.

If you would like to receive a free copy of the Primer, please contact us at: books{AT} crmleaders.org. Please provide your name, the street mailing address you would like it delivered to (no P.O. Box please) and your email address. In the subject line, put Tangible Kingdom Primer Blog Copy.

Another student was talking about hurting himself because his life is too overwhelming. His mom is leaving him next week to go live in Mexico because there is no work here. He will live with his father who, over the course of fifteen years, has never spent more than a few consecutive days raising on his own.

I was told by an administrator that my job, in essence, was not to help kids learn how to love or respect each other (or themselves), but rather just to get them to mimic the right scholastic behaviors like a monkey.

Then I held Carina and things made sense. I wish I could invent a time machine specifically designed to take kids and parents back to the first hours of their life…so much love in a room ripe with hope and possibility.

Amidst the shouting and heckling of a world that is trying to keep us busy with lies, telling us that we are worthless, convincing us to make poor choices and to abandon the efforts toward becoming beautiful, God speaks clearly and quietly to remind us that through a weak and needy baby he would change humanity and ruin the plans of sin forever.

For this, I will never forget the day Carina was born, nor will I ever be able to forget what she did for me.

Thank you for being a friend who is willing to accept prank calls from 12 year olds and drive over just to scare the heck out of them!

And I think I’m gonna have to try Maya’s Uncle’s disciplinary actions! Making the kids where signs that say they’re stupid! That’s genius! As for dancing, I love the Mexican culture and its family centernedness. I remember dancing with my new grandma-in-law at our wedding. She was probably all of 4 foot 11 and seeing her and I dance was a sight to behold!

You are gonna love your baby girl. Boys are awesome, but there is just something special between that daddy/daughter relationship. As soon as she’s born, you are gonna bring her over here and watch Father of The Bride with Steve Martin. If it doesn’t make you cry, then you are not a man!

And yeah, thanks so much for scaring to heck outta Bekah and her friends. You failed to mention that the police were called by some neighbor around the corner where you parked your car and were looking for a stalker that fit your description….