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State Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

Other Recent Blog Entries:

A Sincere and Respectful Call for A Great Commandment Renewal
Thursday, June 24, 2010
As I have said earlier, I will do my best not to let disagreements define our relationships. I am praying that The Great Commandment Renewal will begin in me!

VBS Is a Blessing!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
As a pastor, I always felt that VBS was to be a major commitment on my part. I wanted to be in town, involved and engaged in the efforts of impacting the lives of children, youth and adults. It was not a chore for me, but rather it was a joy!

Taking the 'Stew' Out of Stewardship
Thursday, May 27, 2010
At first, I thought I had hurt his feelings. I mean this was a serious project, and maybe I was being a little too cute for my own good.

Newsweek has called Timothy Keller "a C.S. Lewis for the 21st century." This is a high compliment indeed. Keller seems to have some of the qualities of unique insightfulness characteristic of Lewis. He demonstrated some of those distinctives in his first book, The Reason for God.

His second book, The Prodigal God. is an equally thoughtful read. Using the famous Parable of the Prodigal Son as a platform to set forth his own perspectives about God's extravagant grace. Keller defines prodigal not as being wayward but extravagant. The younger son was wayward and, in a more subtle way, so was the elder brother. The father in the parable exemplified an extravagant grace so representative of God the Father. Therefore He is a Prodigal God.

Timothy Keller has become well known for helping to grow a thriving church, Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan. Today, some 6,000 people worship in the church. Keller has led the fellowship to start numerous churches in North America and around the world. His plans for the future call for more of these reproducing efforts

The Prodigal God is a very good book about grace and hope. You will see yourself in the writings of Keller and that is healthy. Younger sons, wayward sinners and elder brothers, self-righteous moral conformists, both need the extravagant grace of God. The Prodigal God seeks to share His extravagant grace to these kinds of people.