I was among the first 1000 fans on Sonlight's Facebook page.

Rabbits, Elephants and Faith in Jesus

If you put two elephants in a room together with plenty of food and water, close the door, and come back in three years, if you’re lucky, you may have one baby elephant. But do the same thing with two rabbits and you’ll get 476 million baby rabbits.

In their new book, The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small is the New Big for Today’s Church, simple church planters Tony and Felicity Dale, with acclaimed researcher George Barna, use the rabbit illustration to show the pace at which the Christian faith can (and should) be growing—through a way of life that is explosive and transformational. Through observations supported by the Barna Group research, the Dales document how church all across the world is changing from being event-based to life and relationship-based.

The Rabbit and the Elephant explores the simple church phenomenon and the ideas and experiences behind its concept of every member ministry. You will learn how to incorporate spiritual growth and outreach into every aspect of your life, while discovering the key to 21st century evangelism.

You can order the book from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Rabbit-Elephant-Small-Todays-Church/dp/1414325533/ref=nosim?tag=thestarbree-20

F.M.Waves Spring 2009

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world

~Virgil A. Kraft

Spring means lots of travel for me and lots of work for Louise. Teaching Christian History and Church Planting in “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” (offered all over the USA) has me away for half of most weeks January through May. I am one of the most sought-after Perspectives instructors because of our Mongolia story and being one of the authors of the textbook, so my dance card fills quickly. Back in McKinleyville, Louise not only keeps hearth and home together, but works at a fever-pitch on her art to keep me stocked with the greeting cards that sell so well at classes. Check them out at: OrganicGreeting.com. Amazingly, amid all the chaos, everything gets done and our family seems to be doing better than ever. There is a God and He loves us!

It is funny how the teaching opportunities line themselves up. Fall seems to be all foreign travel and spring is mostly domestic. I taught in Columbia, Taiwan, British Columbia, Jamaica, Lebanon, and Texas (well, they think it’s a country!) during fall. Check out the photo albums. Just one story from Lebanon: I had the intense privilege of baptizing an Iranian girl, a Muslim follower of Jesus, in the Mediterranean. She had received numerous visitations in dreams from Isa (Jesus’ name in Arabic) and He discipled her. He appeared to her family as well. The entire family has followed her into the kingdom, and sent her to Lebanon for training. What an amazing God we work with!

Kid news

Molly is living with my parents in Atascadero and attending Cuesta College’s culinary school.

Melody and Luke are moving to Sacramento for work. Melody is already working there and Luke is interning with Caltrans, coordinating Perspectives, and finishing up school here. We will miss them.

Alice turned 18 today (March 1, 2009). She is looking for a car to attend college in San Luis Obispo.

Peter is navigating early adolescence with humor and . . . well, like Peter!

In His loving hands, Brian Hogan

Books that have me really excited!

A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide
Absolutely world-view shattering book! Every page a revelation. This will change our world!

The Shack
If you haven't read it yet, give up your resistance. I know that everyone keeps saying that you have to read this, and that's annoying --- but this time you really do!

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore
Welcome to real life in the Father's family. You always thought that this was what the deal was, but never found it in the organization. Welcome to the organism!

The Starfish and the Spider
How leaderless networks totally rock!

FINISHED!

I finally finished reading my book into a microphone ---- which means the entire audiobook is now available. You can download it from my podcast or buy a CD from me.

from:
A Holy Discontent’s Weblog
Thoughts of a rebel by nature, stolen by the Gospel
http://aholydiscontent.wordpress.com/


“There’s a Sheep in my Bathtub”
•November 22, 2008 • 2 Comments

I’m in the middle of a great book right now…check it out…

“There’s a Sheep in my Bathtub” - Birth of a Mongolian Church Planting Movement - by Brian Hogan

I met Brian about a year and a half ago in Dallas, Tx. He took my wife and I to lunch, and insisted I read the book, “The Shack”. So, he bought the book for me right there on the spot! He told me about this book he was writing about his time in Mongolia as a missionary with his family. I shrugged it off, and we exchanged emails. I bought his book a few weeks ago after he posted a Facebook comment about a discounted price. =) A week later he had a layover in Vegas, and we spent a few hours together. This man is brilliant. I’m halfway through the book, and it is incredible. Not only is it full of amazing stories of life overseas, but it fleshes out basic “Church Planting Movement” principles. Brian takes all of the things I just read about in David Garrison’s book, and shares how they naturally played out in Mongolia as they pursued equipping believers to make disciples. Brian was discipled by George Patterson, who wrote a foreword for this book. Read it. You can click on the book title above to go directly to amazon.com to read reviews, or buy it if you’d like. If you do, let me know what you think.