~ Travis Stewart ~ Recently I was reading this article in Christianity Today and resonated with the words of the author J. R. Daniel Kirk, associate professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary: In the spring of my senior year in college, I was deeply immersed in the rhythms of Christian life. I was a leader in InterVarsity, participated regularly in a Bible study with other seminary-bound friends, set my Sundays aside for worship and rest, and read more ...

From the time the Harry Potter books first crossed the pond from England there has been both praise and disparagement of the books. Most of the criticism came from Christian voices raising concerns about the glorification of magic and the dangers of the occult. Now that the final book has been around for some time and before we see the arrival of the final two movies (the last book is being split into two films because of the density of content as well as Hollywood squeezing every last dime it can from the franchise) we can take a step back and think a little more critically about these ...

Craig Detweiler walks us through the 10 films nominated for Best Picture from 2009 and explores how they are built upon the foundations of drama—characters, stakes, and story arcs — and how you may catch a glimpse of Eden. CHARACTERS: The most memorable films revolve around fascinating characters. The Hurt Locker rises above all other movies about Iraq because of its focus on the soldiers. It takes us inside the experience of an Army bomb squad, especially Staff Sergeant William James. We walk a nail-biting mile in his shoes. How haunting to be drawn into the volatile battlefield of ...

~ by Travis Stewart ~ John Lynch is the teaching pastor at Open Door Fellowship in Phoenix, Arizona and a gifted speaker and communicator. As a part of the team at Leadership Catalyst he regularly brings the life-transforming message of grace through his speaking and writing. But beyond all of this John is a man who deeply understands and lives out grace. Recently during a Sunday morning service at ODF he brought to life the story of Jesus inviting Levi the tax collector into this life of grace and the resulting banquet in Levi's home... a banquet of grace that turned everything upside ...

~ by Margot Starbuck ~ About twelve minutes after enthusiastically posting “GOOD HAIR ROCKS!” on my Facebook page, I came to my senses and quickly deleted. I’d just enjoyed Chris Rock’s HBO documentary about the African-American hair product industry, Good Hair, and wanted to get the word out. As the comments started coming in, though, I realized that it wasn’t entirely clear, in cyberspace, whether I was announcing that Rock’s film rocked—which was my clever intention—or I that was touting the fact that smooth shiny bouncy hair sprung effortlessly out of my own ...

An Interview with Randall Goodgame ~ by Travis Stewart ~ Randall Goodgame is a singer, songwriter, husband, father, friend and follower of Jesus. He was written 17 songs recorded by Caedmon's Call, as well as songs for Jason Gray and Ginny Owens. Additionally, he has recorded four solo albums, including his most recent, Bluebird. He has graciously agreed to share his thoughts about his music and his faith journey with the readers of viaRenovo. Travis Stewart: I've ...