Gospel.com Blog

As those of us living in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving today (our friends in Canada celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October), we here at Gospel.com would like to encourage all of us—no matter where we live—to take time this week to reflect on the many things for which we should be thankful.

It might be easy to call these days “uncertain times,” especially when we focus on the temporal events and concerns that bombard us each day. But God is at work in our world, and if we take the time to “be still” and look for Him, we can see that handiwork.

Our prayer this Thanksgiving is that each of us might know the reality of a living Savior, that we might have the eyes to see where He is at work in our world, and that we might have the courage to get involved where we see Him working.

May you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving.

The day of Thanksgiving can mean a number of things for those of us in the United States. For some it’s the food. For others it’s centered on family. And still for others it’s all about football. Sports are everywhere in the United States and many Christians will find themselves huddled both around the table and television with equal earnest this Thursday.

So, if this thanksgiving weekend you or a loved one will be catching the kick-off in between bites of various meats and vegetables, we’d like to point you towards The Sports Spectrum. It’s a site that “seeks to highlight Christian athletes of all sports and levels to help motivate, encourage and inspire people in their faith through the exciting and challenging world of sports. You can read parts of their articles on coaches Lovie Smith and Steve Kragthorpe, as well as one about David Pollack. Sports Spectrum also publishes a half-time evangelism alternative called Power To Win!. Over the past decade, Power To Win! has:

• Attracted over 2 million viewers
• Been viewed at more than 40,000 outreach parties
• Resulted in over 50,000 decisions for Christ

Also, if you’re looking for a way to share the Good News with a sports lover, Good News & Crossway has sports themed tracts available here.

Perhaps your local sports team is interested in ministry. Word of Life Fellowship sends whole teams overseas to use their talents to reach youth with the Gospel.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we hope your team wins!

Each week, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

Past the Popcorn managing editor has been dying to talk about Enchanted for months, since seeing the first promotional screening in L.A. And now he’s not saying a lot about the movie for fear of spoiling it for others. But he does tell us that it achieves “something that’s a mix of Sound of Music mountaintop exhilaration, Cinderella wonder, and Aladdin fun. At the real-world level, it battles against cynical anti-romanticism, and at the fantasy level, it winkingly acknowledges that fairy tale solutions don’t function all that well in contemporary settings.” He gives it a rare, solid recommendation.

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When is it appropriate to ask God for help, and if we do, what kind of response should we expect? What is our role in solving our own problems, and what kind of role should we expect God to play?

A three-part devotional series on Delve Into Jesus explores these topics by looking at the New Testament letters as well as how Jesus responded to those in need during His ministry. The first devotional explores the necessity of asking God to help us. Part 2 looks at the role God expects us to play in solving our own problems. Finally, part 3 examines the role anxiety plays in letting us know that something is not quite right in the way we’re dealing with our problems.

Back to the Bible has a brand new website!

All of Back to the Bible’s classic content—including the Bible Minute daily devotional and the Back to the Bible radio broadcast—are still there, but are now easier to find and use. You can take a tour of the new site (PDF) to get a quick look at their many different devotionals, radio programs, Bible studies, and more.

If you’re not familiar with the broadcast ministry of Back to the Bible, now’s a great time to get to know them! Start with their website tour, or for a bit of holiday spirit, check out their special Thanksgiving message.

The status quo is never ‘”good enough.” And so, once a year, the staff of Hollywood Jesus gathers at Renton, Washington’s Harambee Church, for the Hollywood Jesus Annual Gathering—there to revisit HJ’s foundational goals, build bonds of fellowship, and hone skills in order to bring the best possible cultural insights to the web.

Better yet, the event is also open to readers, pastors, and writers from other publications! On tap for this year’s workshops—December 29 through 31—are writer and critic Jeffrey Overstreet, recently honored at the City of Angels Film Festival; Peter T. Chattaway, film critic for CT Movies and Books and Culture; Mike Gunn, Harambee pastor and co-founder of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church; James Harleman, Mars Hill pastor; author, animation scholar and educator Ken Priebe; Hollywood Jesus founder David Bruce; HJ Managing Editors Greg and Jenn Wright; and HJ Channel Editors Melinda Ledman and Maurice Broaddus.

That’s an impressive lineup of Christians on the cutting edge of faith and culture. If that sounds like something you’d like to participate in, you can read more about the Gathering and get registration info over at Hollywood Jesus.

Need some help getting into the Thanksgiving spirit this year? With Thanksgiving right around the corner, here are some holiday-themed resources from ministries in the Gospel.com community.

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Thanksgiving is coming. Do you feel thankful?

The Bible tells us to “always give thanks to God the Father for everything” (Ephesian 5:20). But what does that really mean—are we expected to literally say prayers of thanks to God as we go through the day? Prayer is a wonderful way to thank God… but what if there was a more tangible way to express our gratitude?

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Want to make a different in somebody’s life this holiday season? This Thanksgiving and Christmas, consider giving a gift that will make a real impact: volunteer!

If you thought that Christian service meant committing to years of overseas mission work, think again! ChristianVolunteering.org is a new site that can put you in touch with over 1,000 ministries and more than 2,000 volunteer and short-term missions opportunities. With so many opportunities, there’s almost certainly a niche that matches your skills and interests. Here’s just a few of the ways you can serve this holiday season:

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Gospel Communications is making plans for the 2008 Internet Ministry Conference, October 20-23, and we need your help.

We’ve partnered with a university professor to prepare a paper that we hope to present at the 2008 conference. In order to help his research, we’re conducting a survey that focuses on organizations that are involved in online ministry. At the end of the form you’ll have the option to participate further or remain anonymous.

If you can, please give us a hand and complete this short survey!