A few weeks ago, a publisher asked me a question:

“What new, undiscovered authors should we keep our eyes on? Who is somebody out there with a fresh voice we should be following up with?”

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(Some Guy is back with another guest post! I loved his Christmas one and think you’ll dig this one just as much. Point 1 was my favorite part. Enjoy!)

Improving your church directory – by Some Guy.

I don’t know how you folks at large churches keep track of each other, but we here at small churches like to use the church directory. The church directory is used more often than the phone book at our house. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I used the actual yellow pages, which are still dropped near our mailbox a few times a year. I try to make sure they stay stacked neatly next to the mailbox, but the raccoons like to knock them over.

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Sometimes people ask me how I come up with ideas for Stuff Christians Like. Here is the thought process I recently went through as I debated whether to write about Lady Gaga:

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I’ll be on the radio today at 4PM Central with Wally from Total Axxess, doing a new segment called “Dear Jon.” The segment is based on questions folks ask me and no question is off limits.

Here’s the link to listen to the show online: Total Axxess

Here’s the link to ask a question: Dear Jon

Send in some questions or call into the show and let’s talk!

Sometimes, hope hurts.

It shouldn’t. The phrase, “hope hurts” should be an oxymoron like “Lil Wayne gospel album.” But I promise you, it’s not.

Sometimes when you’re so deep in a season of hurt, you get used to the bad. You start to think you deserve it. You start to expect it and get comfortable with it and get numb to it. And like a creature that lives so far down on the bottom of the sea, you adapt to it. You cobble together little survival mechanisms that help you get through. You get by.

But hope is tenacious …

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In less than two weeks, my new book Quitter comes out. (The official release date is May 10 and you can get the audio book download free if you order the book before then on DaveRamsey.com).

I’m going to be in Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta and Orlando doing book signings/tweetups. I’d love for you to come out to see me and support the new book. In addition to the chance for us to hang out, we’re giving away $500 at each signing. You walk in, you side hug, you might win $500. Boom! It’s that easy. (Side hug is not a requirement to be entered for the $500.)

Here are the details. If you’re in Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta or Orlando, please stop by! It’s going to be a blast.

Wednesday May 11, 2011, Dallas Area

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Books-A-Million

3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway

Grapevine, TX 76051

972-539-0636

Thursday May 12, 2011 Nashville Area

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Barnes & Noble

1701 Mallory Lane

Brentwood, TN 37027

615-377-9979

Friday May 13, 2011 Atlanta Area

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Books-A-Million

Discover Mills

Lawrenceville, GA 30043

678-847-5115

Thursday May 19, 2011 Orlando Area

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Books-A-Million

200 North Entrance Road

Orlando-Sanford, FL 32771

407-328-4700

If you’ve ever posted a comment on Stuff Christians Like, then there’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve never mentioned before. Something I didn’t know about until last Christmas.

What is it?

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On any given Sunday, the phrase not the Al Pacino football movie, it’s OK to be late to church. To be the guy who waits until the crowd is standing up singing and sidles in or times his walk in to a prayer so everyone has their eyes closed.

But on Easter Sunday, my “gotta get to church on time” internal sensor goes to terror level red. And yesterday my somewhat silent anxiety about arriving on time was even higher than usual because we just moved. Yesterday was the first time we’ve ever driven to church from our new house. We don’t know the roads or the shortcuts or the most efficient routes. We didn’t even pre-game the drive or do a dry run the night before.

Although you might not share this same sense of anxiety I have, I promise there are at least 6 things that tend to conspire against us when it comes to getting to church on time on Easter:

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Tomorrow is Easter. Instead of a short Saturday question, I thought it might good to do a fill in the blank today.

So here it is, fill in this blank:

Easter is __________.

I’ll go first.

“Easter is a gift.”

And as I’ve written a number of times before, one of the movies that always makes me see that gift is “Man on Fire.” (Spoiler alert, I’m going to talk about the end of the movie.)

In Man on Fire, Denzel Washington plays the role of Creasy, an alcoholic black ops military man in Mexico City serving as a bodyguard for a little girl named Pita. Pita is a blonde sprite of a seven-year-old played by the ubiquitous Dakota Fanning. Throughout the first half of the film we watch as Creasy hits rock bottom, only to find a new reason to live in Pita.

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(A few weeks ago, John Crist wrote a really good guest post calling out the lies guys sometimes tell about lust and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It ignited a bajillion comment conversation. I got to grab coffee with him a few days after it came out and it was awesome to hear his story and learn more about his faith. He’s a professional comedian, he’s hilarious and he’s a master at finding ways to be funny without ever mocking. I’m a huge fan of John Crist. Here’s his new guest post. Enjoy!)

Ranking the Seven Deadly Sins – By John Crist

My girlfriend broke up with me three months ago. Since then, I’ve realized something profound about love.

If you love someone, let them go, if they come back…it’s only to pick up their dvds.

Truer words have never been spoken my friends.

Since the breakup, I’ve eaten out 21 meals per week. I’m at the point in life where a judge the value of fast food based on how heavy the bag is. Taco Bell’s five-pound box is awesome, and it only costs five bucks!

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