Destination One:  Join the 65+ age group at the Enchanted Springs Ranch in Borerne on Friday, July 13.  The church bus leaves at 3pm and returns at 10:30pm.  We'll tour the wild animal park, visit Old West Town, and have a fine BBQ brisket dinner while watching the play "Last Words -- A Western Yarn."  You have until July 9 to pay your registration fee of $35 for adults and $25 for kids 3-12.  Contact Marylou Draughon at 452-3851 or loubelld@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Destination Two:  Join the 20-34 age group at Pioneer Town in Wimberly on Saturday, July 21.  The church bus leaves at 9am and returns at 4pm.  Enjoy a BBQ lunch, volleyball, ping pong, pool, and swimming in the Blanco River.  There are two playgrounds for the kids.  You have until July 11 to pay your registration fee of $10 per person.  Contact Patty Waldo at 836-2054 or patty@waldos.net for more information.

Destination Three:  Join the 35-50 age group on Large Marge the Party Barge on Sunday, July 29, from 5:45-10:00pm!  Tour Lake Travis in style, swim, and enjoy a meal onboard!  Tell us what special dishes you're bringing to our pot luck meal!  You have until July 22 to pay your registration fee of $10 per person.  Contact Melinda Johnson at 310-0590 or melindaj@flash.net for more information by Evite.

Destination Four:  Join the 50-65 age group at the Rock Box Theater in Fredericksburg on Saturday, August 11.  The church bus leaves at 11am and returns at 9pm.  We'll enjoy lunch and shopping, and stay for the only professionally cast, live music show in the Texas Hill Country!  You have until July 8 to pay your registration fee of $28 for the evening show.  Contact Sheila Eveslage at 343-1318 or teveslage@earthlink.net for more information.

"C.S. Lewis described a kid named Eustace Clarence Scrubs.  When he first gets to Narnia he is completely overmatched because he has read all the wrong books.  He had read about grain elevators and fat kids doing exercises, but he didn't read books about heroism and courage, the timeless transcendental things.  And that's what we look for literature-wise."  Micheal Flaherty, Walden Media's president and co-founder, on what he looks for in books to adapt to film.

One of my favorite church leaders, Tim Keller, explains why churches need to be "missional."

Movies, Morality, and Ratings:  A Hard Look at Our Opinion of Films.

According to John Stackhouse, there are "four different understandings of creation held by Bible-believing, church-going Christians."

According to a report of a recent Gallup poll, confidence is waning for organized religion, with only 46 percent of respondents said they had either a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the church.  But the numbers are even bleaker for other American institutions.  Just 25 percent expressed confidence in the presidency, while a mere 14 percent say they trust Congress.

The next time you hear someone say that religious conviction diminishes scientific inquiry, remind them of Isaac Newton's religious side.

Test your memory with Beliefnet's matching game.

Why join a church?

In "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses," Richard Bauckham argues that the Gospels are based on eyewitness testimony, not "anonymous community traditions" as liberal skeptics have said.  Read an interview with him here.

Josiah Road is a new website to help young adults address ethical and public policy issues(article, website).  It's sponsored by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention.

There's more at my weblog, "Get Anchored," including the "Song of the Week" ("The Uncloudy Day" by Don Henley), a funny video of Bob Newhart offering sage advice, four biblical reasons to fast, and a summary and link to an important speech by Ed Stetzer at the Southern Baptist Convention.  Also, check out three posts of e-mail exchanges I had last week: Is there salvation apart from Christ; Why invite people to church; and a Common Ground "fasting project."  To keep up with the journal, sign up for e-mail updates or assign the feed to your news reader or Google Personalized Home Page.