Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O And on that farm he had . . . a dragon? The animals aren't happy that there's a dragon on the farm. But Old MacDonald likes his dragon . . . until it starts swallowing up the animals Can Old MacDonald save his farm before it's too late? Find out in this silly adaptation of the popular song.

When I came to preach and teach on the book of Nehemiah, a friend of mine -David Crawford-Bixby- suggested the word "Blueprint" and I've found it an illuminating suggestion. For not only was Nehemiah a capable project manager who must have dealt with some ancient version of the blueprint in his construction work, but the word itself forms a parable of how God dealt with him. As we shall see, the character of Nehemiah is at the heart of the book that bears his name. He is the orchestrator, the midwife, the warrior... but in all he does he seeks only to replicate the pattern given to him by God. So, finally, it is his integrity and faithfulness that shine through. He is God's blueprint, enshrined in Holy Scripture to encourage us to see just how it's done.

The Apostle Paul associated life ""in the Spirit"" with changes in the ""mind"" (Rom 8) and urged believers to be ""transformed"" by the renewing of their minds (Rom 12:2), ""and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."" (Eph 4:17-23). This book is a pastoral analysis of how that works. It seeks to look practically at the radical change envisaged in the New Testament. The word Paul uses repeatedly for ""mind"" is nous -"the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining; the intellectual faculty." What is it, "to be renewed in the spirit of your minds"? What does that "new self" look like, when "created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness""? This book claims that the language of the New Testament is not aspiration but experience.

During the 18th Century, or rather overlapping it somewhat, four radical voices spoke out in Bandon, County Cork, creating a strong impression that has continued to this day. Though each voice came from a (broadly) Christian context, they were sternly critical of the established Church, totally committed to social activism, and energetically engaged in bringing about change. In different ways they each paid dearly for their faith-stance. In this little book we examine the contribution of John WESLEY, William HAZLITT, Dean SWIFT and George FOX.

Soon to be a feature film, "The Late Bloomer" is the revealing, harrowing and often funny memoir of a celebrity journalist and former hotshot hockey player who discovers that he has been biochemically infused with a female hormone. On the surface, Ken Baker seemed a model man. He was a nationally ranked hockey goalie; a Hollywood correspondent for" People;" a guest-lister at celebrity parties; and girls came on to him. Inside, though, he didn't feel like the man he was supposed to be. Although attracted to women, Ken had little sex drive and thus even less of a sex life. To his anguish, he repeatedly found himself unable to perform sexually. And, regardless of strenuous workouts, his body struggled to build muscle, earning him the nickname "Pear" from his macho teammates. Physically, matters turned bizarre when he discovered that he was lactating. The testosterone-driven culture in which Ken grew up made it agonizingly difficult for him to seek help. But in time he discovered something that lifted years of pain, frustration, and confusion: a brain tumor was causing his body to be flooded with massive amounts of a female hormone, which was disabling his masculinity. Five hours of surgery accomplished what years of therapy, rumination, and denial could not -- and allowed Ken Baker to finally feel -- and function -- like a man. Now Ken's story comes to the screen in the feature film, T"he Late Bloomer," starring Academy Award-winner J.K. Simmons and Jane Lynch.

A "grace note" is a music notation that the individual performer has to interpret for himself. Isn't that amazing? Here's the main melody (the composer seemed to say), and sort the rest of it out for yourself! It's like a parable for how to do life. There are general broad principles to follow, like the Ten Commandments, but the real fun comes in the grace notes, the extra bits that you learn to play by feel. The New Testament word is Charis. In modern Greek it's the word for birthday present! Imagine that. Something you just don't deserve at all, but which is rather nice and makes you smile inside. This is a prayer journal: that is to say, it's a daily-collected random assortment of prayers, notes from books that I'm reading and reflections on my daily reading of the Bible. Some of these pieces made it into sermons, or even into magazine articles. Most languished in online blogs, until summoned into service into this little book of grace-notes. Hope you hear the song.

Building Community in Buildings takes us on a fascinating journey through workplaces large and small, old and new, traditional and contemporary, to explore the dynamic relationships between people and the structures in which they work. Noting that a child born today will spend 90 percent of his or her life inside, Jana Kemp and Ken Baker integrate insights from management and building design to reveal new understandings about workplace productivity and performance. Showcasing dozens of examples-from office buildings to libraries to hospitals-the authors highlight innovative practies that utilize space to promote creativity and collaboration, improve morale and motivation, and ensure employee health and safety. Featuring over a dozen photographs, practical recommendations, and the tools to conduct a workplace design survey in your own organization, Building Community in Buildings ultimately demonstrates that by investing in spaces that support people needs, companies will strengthen bottom-line results. Building Community in Buildings takes us on a fascinating journey through workplaces large and small, old and new, traditional and contemporary, to explore the dynamic relationships between people and the structures in which they work. Consider that in the 1950s, average North Americans spent approximately 50 percent of their time in buildings, compared to a child born today, who will spend 90 percent of his or her life inside. Clearly and increasingly, our social and cultural relationships are deeply influenced by the physical spaces in which they are created. Jana Kemp and Ken Baker integrate insights from management and building design to reveal new understandings about workplace productivity and performance. Showcasing dozens of examples-from the redesign of the Hood River Library in Oregon (with input from front-line employees) to the creation of open, naturally-lit spaces in Lockheed Building 157 (increasing employee productivity by 15%), the authors highlight innovative practices that utilize space to promote creativity and collaboration, improve morale and motivation, and ensure employee health and safety. They also explore the pros and cons of virtual workplaces, in which people are connected electronically but not physically, and trace the impact and influences of such trends as the green building movement. Featuring over a dozen photographs, practical recommendations, and the tools to conduct a workplace design survey in your own organization, Building Community in Buildings ultimately demonstrates that by investing in spaces that support people needs, companies will strengthen bottom-line results.