Give a Personalized Book to Mom!

You can give your Mom or someone special a personally autographed copy of Waking Up Slowly. I have 200 special adhesive autograph plates that I am going to send out to purchasers of Waking Up Slowly for Mother’s Day gifts. What a unique gift for Mother’s Day to give her a personalized and autographed book! I will personalize and sign this adhesive plate and promptly mail it to you. And this offer is not just for Mother’s Day. You can grab a personalized copy for a birthday gift or any special occasion. Go out and buy a copy of Waking Up Slowly or order online now (this is on the honor system). Email me at dave@daveburchett.com and tell me where you bought it, how you want it signed and where you want it mailed. No receipts required. Simple. The cutoff date for Mother’s Day is May 8th or whenever I run out of plates. Don’t miss out on this unique
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The Worst Day Ever?

There is much written about Good Friday. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is incomprehensible to my puny human intellect. There is much written about Easter Sunday. Christians around the world rejoice and proclaim that “He is risen!”. But there is not nearly as much written about one of the saddest and most confusing days in history. The Saturday between the Friday horror of Jesus on the Cross and the Sunday mystery of the resurrection. Some churches do observe Holy Saturday but it was never a tradition in my faith upbringing. I have been thinking about what that day must have been like for those who dropped everything to follow Jesus. How crushing those events had to be. I imagine the fear they felt that they would also be killed. And for what? On Saturday they feared they had given their careers and their very souls for a false hope. I think in particular of Peter. I identify
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Even If…

Sometimes we wonder if God is still there. Sometimes we wonder if He really cares about what is happening in our lives. Sometimes we wonder if it will ever get any better. Those are questions that every honest follow of Jesus has wrestled with. My friend Bart Millard of MercyMe was pondering those questions when he wrote one of the most powerful songs from their amazing new record Lifer. I found it interesting that in the same time frame I was writing a chapter about doubt in my new book Waking Up Slowly. Bart can write in a stanza what it takes me hundreds of rambling words to say. But both of us experience the same struggle. We share the hope of grace. We write and sing about how our identity is not worldly success but who we are in Christ and who God says we are because of that relationship. You should be extremely grateful that Bart Millard is
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The Magic and Hope of Opening Day

In my mind there is no more special day in sports than Opening Day in baseball. The smell of freshly cut emerald green grass delights the senses. The base lines are painstakingly and perfectly defined by a grounds crew that is committed to perfection on this day. Red, white, and blue bunting give the ball park a festive World Series look. The players today act like little boys. On this day these athletes appear extra grateful that they are paid to play a kid’s game. Children skip school and parents do not care because memories are being made for both of them. The hot dogs taste like gourmet food. Souvenirs are treasures to be kept a lifetime. The atmosphere is magic. It is Opening Day and every team has hope. Each fan has dreams and they are hopefully, or perhaps hopelessly, optimistic. Last year’s disappointments are gone and the hope of a new season dawns for fifty thousand fans in
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Thanks to Barnes and Noble!

I am grateful that the Barnes and Noble Booksellers chain has embraced Waking Up Slowly and most of their stores should have copies in stock (if not they can order it promptly). I would like to support and thank them by encouraging you to drop by your local Barnes and Noble store and pick up a copy of Waking Up Slowly. I am offering a special deal and a fun promotion if you shop Barnes and Noble. Send me a picture of you and the book at your local Barnes and Noble. Be creative! I will have some unbiased judges (my wife and dog Maggie) pick one fun and creative pic to receive personalized copies of Waking Up Slowly, Stay and When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. Send your pic to dave@daveburchett.com, post it on Facebook and tag me or post on Instagram. Everyone who picks up a copy from Barnes and Noble stores or BN.com between now and
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Busyness is Not Next to Godliness!

(A sample chapter from Waking Up Slowly. Hope you enjoy!)  Jesus is coming soon. Look Busy. ~ Bumper Sticker I was thinking about the sad humor in that bumper sticker when I heard a thump. Then another thump. It was silent for a few moments so I went back to my writing. Thump! Okay, now I had to investigate. What I found was a beautiful male cardinal flying around one of our windows. He would hover near the window and then peck aggressively at the pane.   Thump! He fluttered around some more and then thumped the glass! The very focused bird stayed busy for several minutes repeating this odd behavior. Joni and I had admired a pair of cardinals nesting in a tree just over our back fence for several weeks, but this was new. I did some research and found that cardinals are very territorial. This beautiful bird apparently was seeing his own reflection in the window, and
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A Gentle Response to the Shack Attack

The movie The Shack has reunited a wave of debate, hand-wringing, defensiveness and condemnation in some circles. The book and the subsequent movie has been called dangerous, subversive and heretical by many critics. I didn’t know any of this when a friend told me that he really enjoyed the book and I should read it many years ago. Since I have a book addiction I soon was in possession. I finished The Shack and I thought it was a good read. I was challenged and touched by parts of the story.  And, to be honest, I was a bit unsettled by some of it. After finishing the book I did some research to find out what others were saying about the book. Some of the critiques were thoughtful. These writers pointed out where the book deviated from scripture. Some of the orthodox theological missteps were outlined in clear detail. I will stay away from the theological debate because that has been discussed by so many.
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