~ 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 ...

Precious 2009 • Rated R Directed by Lee Daniels Review by Craig Detweiler Precious is the most basic, extraordinary and humane film of 2009. After a summer of silliness, Precious arrives as a bracing alternative, powered by jolting performances from Mo’Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. It takes viewers inside the tragic life of a teen mother. It puts a face on poverty, abuse, and perseverance. Precious offers hard-earned hope amidst overwhelming odds. I had the privilege of seeing Precious on the night it won the Grand Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Lee ...

~ by Natalie Haynes ~ So you may not know this, but there is this entire sector of the blogging world that does nothing but blog about home design. They are called "design blogs." Mostly they blog about new things that they are trying in their homes, or neat things that they have seen done in other people's homes. These women are normally operating on a budget, so they are always concerned about that. They are also always concerned about making a home that is practical for their family, and inviting. One of the most famous design bloggers, The Inspired Room, is actually the wife of a ...

Ron Reed is a new contributor to viaRenovo. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge on film (far exceeding my own) and the worldview of an artist who seeks to live out his faith in all that he does. This is his first post here. Thanks for joining us Ron! ~ Travis Another edition of the Arts & Faith list of 100 spiritually significant films is gearing up and we'll announce the new hundred right around the time of the Academy Awards. Much fun! I put the ...

Andrew Peterson's music has constantly been in my iTunes rotation since I first heard him about 4 years ago. His lyrics resonate deeply with my experience of faith and his sense of hope bring hope to me. Recently, on his website www.rabbitroom.com he wrote of a love that surprises him with it's constancy. He has graciously allowed me to re-post it here. ~Travis The Pit of Despair, or, A New Lament by Andrew Peterson The oldest song on my new album is also the ...

The Barna group recently conducted a survey of Non-Christians between the ages of 16-29 on how they viewed evangelical Christians1. The results reflected much of what was seen in this video. Among other things we are seen as: Judgmental - 87% Hypocritical - 85% Old-Fashioned - 78% Out of touch with reality - 72% Insensitive to others - 70% Boring - 68% Confusing - 61% From a business perspective this is a public relations nightmare. From the perspective of ...