There are two types of people in the world, those who will sit in a seat that’s not theirs at an event and those who won’t.

I am in the “won’t” category. If I have tickets for the nosebleed section at a concert, that’s where I sit. I can’t sneak down front and sit in better seats without constantly thinking the rightful owner of that seat is about to show up at any moment. And he’s probably an Ultimate Fighter with his concealed weapon permit.

Plus, when you get caught you have to pretend you didn’t know you’re $10 tickets didn’t permit you to sit on the front row. “Wait a second, this is row #1? Let me look at my ticket. Oh, would you look at that! I’m in row #1,000. Simple mistake on my part. Whoops!”

I can’t do it. I can’t be that guy, which is why I like the seating arrangement at most churches. No one has a ticket. Each Sunday morning is a seat free for all. And it all comes to a head when the pastor says one thing:

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The book “unchristian” sold approximately 12 bajillion copies. And it did, because it’s a great book.

Now Gabe Lyons has a new book out today called “The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America.”

I think you’ll really like it and when Gabe asked me if I wanted to give away a few copies, I of course said yes.

We’ll give away five copies today. Just answer the following question by the end of Tuesday, October 5th and we’ll pick 5 folks at random to receive a free book.

Here’s the question:

How many books do you read every year?

I can feel it coming in the air tonight! And I don’t mean Phil Collins or even Mike Tyson doing an odd punching dance to that hit song. (And quite frankly, you shouldn’t even get that reference.)

Every time the weather changes I do two things: 1. I smell candles at the Yankee Candle store. 2. I miss fall retreats.

I can’t really explain it, but there was something magical about going to a fall youth group retreat as a teen in Massachusetts. Something about it being cold and being able to see your breath feels holier than a Spring retreat. I simply find thick sweaters and items made of down to be more holy than tank tops or skorts.

And now that we’ve entered October, churches across the country are getting ready to take teenagers on fall retreats. In preparation for that, kind of in the same way that the Nashville airport uses country stars to give you public service announcements over the intercom, I thought I would give you a public service announcement today about fall retreats. (Next time you fly into Nashville, you’ll hear them. “This is Garth Brooks, please don’t pet police dogs, they will bite without mercy.)

Here are 19 things every fall retreat needs:

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The other day my friend tried to tell me she was “street.” She said this, because if you’ve met me, you know how hip hop I really am.

That’s just fact, son. (See I put “son” in there just to prove it. Word.)

She told me, “I went to a rap concert. I’ve been to a rap concert!”

“Really?” I said, “Maybe I was wrong, was it fun?”

“Yeah,” she said, “The concert was awesome. At one point the rapper came down to the front row and yelled to me, ‘Jesus is _____?’ And I yelled “Butter!”

At that point I knew she hadn’t been to a rap concert. She had been to a Christian rap concert. And in the past that was a completely different experience. Don’t get me wrong. I loved D-Boy and knew all the words to “Luv is a verb.” But historically, Christian rap has not been the most awesome rap out there.

That’s changing though.

Reach Records is consistently releasing some great Christian rap. Folks like LeCrae are forcing me to let go of my small minded, “too cool for Christian culture” thoughts.

He’s a solid rapper. He has a huge heart for Christ. His albums are great. And now there’s a new one called “Rehab.” You can take a listen to it on iTunes right here. You can hear three of the songs right here.

Instead of a traditional ad, Reach agreed to give out some great stuff to readers of Stuff Christians Like. CDs, vinyl record, t-shirts and hoodies are all up for grabs.

To enter, just answer this question in the comments on SCL by the end of the day Tuesday, October 5th. I’ll randomly pick 3 winners.

Here’s the question:

What is the last song or album you bought?

(I love a good post about prayer and I think you’ll dig this guest spot from Joel. Enjoy!)

In the past, Jon has talked about prayer shot blocks, that awkward moment where someone prays the opposite of what you are praying for. Example: Someone prays God will bless a bad dating relationship they are in and their friend prays right after instead that “God would give my friend patience and clarity about her relationship.”

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Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking during the Dave Ramsey Live event. If you go, follow me on Twitter and we’ll connect during one of the breaks.

I’ll also be at Catalyst next week. I can’t believe it’s here already. I love that conference. I can’t say enough about how amazing those three days are. From the speakers to the worship, it’s a surprisingly intimate time of celebrating God.

Here’s where you can find me:

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