I had just a little time to recover from my Philippines trip before continuing with shows here in the US. Here’s a brief summary…

• First, I was off to Loveland, Colorado for a Family Dinner Comedy Night event.
• Next, I was off to northern California. I did the children’s programs for Crescent City Foursquare 75th anniversary.
• I went straight from California to travel across Arizona to be the motivational speakers for the three regional conferences of the Arizona Association of Student Councils.
• Then I went to Northeast Ohio to perform at the dedication event for Wildare United Methodist Church’s new building. 
• Finally, I went to Piqua in Central Ohio to partner with the Salvation Army for four performances at an outreach event.

It’s been a busy time. I’ve now got a little time off. Next I’ll be off to Illinois followed by multiple programs across Kentucky.

Rosie O’Donnell recently caused a controversy by saying Christian Extremists are as dangerous as Muslim Extremists. This led to other talk shows debating the topic by comparing the body counts of Christian and Muslim Extremists. When these people refer to “Christian Extremists,” they are  referring to groups like the KKK and people like those who bomb abortion clinics, and those idiots who picket soldier’s funerals.

From the beginning, this has bothered me. These groups are not Christian Extremists at all. Calling them “Christian Extremists” would be like calling me a “Vegetarian Extremist” because I eat vegetables and meat. Eating meat doesn’t make me an extreme form of a vegetarian. It makes me not a vegetarian at all. In the same way, when these groups hate and murder, they aren’t being “Christian Extremists.” Their actions are fundamentally opposed to the most basic principles of Christianity, showing that they are not Christians at all. (Or, at the very least, really messed-up Christians.)

The issue I have with this is that it gives the message that it’s only acceptable to be a ”moderate” Christian. It is wrong to really take it to an extreme. The Bible has a word for “moderate” Christianity. It’s “lukewarm” (Rev 3:16). The Bible also referred to this as “a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim 3:5). God has not called us to a moderate, socially acceptable Christianity.

So, what does Christianity look like when taken to extremes? A real Christian Extremist is someone who is saved by grace, loves God with all has and is, and loves his neighbor as himself. Someone who lives a life a radical obedience to God. A real Christian Extremist is not someone who hates, but someone who loves. Not someone who kills, but someone willing to die to himself.

Too often, I’ve settled for the moderate, watered-down, socially acceptable version of Christianity. I’ve decided I want to be a Christian Extremist.

So, how about you? Are you willing to settle for the moderate, watered-down version of faith that the world finds palatable, or do you want something more, an extreme, all-consuming relationship with God that impacts every area of life?

I have developed an online magic trick you can try now. Feel free to download the images if you’d like to use it on your own site. (A link to my site would be appreciated.)

The four symbols below represent some of the different ways people try to get to heaven. (Eastern Philosophies, Good Works, Knowledge, and Christianity.)

You had a choice each step of the way, but I know what you choose. Click here for the prediction!

The “Magic Vault” is the area of my website where I share magical object lessons you can use in your ministry. “The Vault” is now moving from it’s current home to the “Articles” section of my website.

You can still view all the contents of “The Vault” by coming to the “Articles” section of my website and choosing “The Vault” category from the right sidebar. With this change, you’ll be able to use the article search function to searc the vault. You can also recieve new additions to the vault through RSS.

I hope this change makes “The Vault” easier for you to use. Let me know what kinds of things you would like to see aded to the vault, or what else I can do make things better or easier for you.

Below is a link to the workshop notes from my balloon sculpture workshop. It includes information on where to get the materials you need, and some simple balloon sculptures you can do.

Balloon Sculpture Basics (PDF)

Update 9/15: Corrected link to PDF.