Yesterday, I finished my first Skype session with a wonderful book club made up of really sharp and engaging teachers from Shelby schools in Birmingham, Alabama. It was my first attempt at Skyping with a small group and it went very well! If your book club, Bible study, or group is currently reading The Mockingbird Parables (or has plans in the future to read TMP), then let’sset upa Skype question and answersession! It is always so rewarding for me to have a chance to talk withpeople who havejourneyed through the book together.

If your group is interested, e-mail me at mockingbirdparables@gmail.com, tell me how many are in the group, and provide the dates/times that are convenient to you and we will do our best to set up a time to Skype!

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lent season. Work on my next book has me caught up with the idea of living more intentionally. I have written about it quite a bit here at the blog, but I wanted to share this wonderful reflection about Lent with you from Relevant Magazine; the author writes, “There is plenty of room for believers to love God more—room for us to be caught up in an infatuation with the Holy. Seasons like Lent provide space for us to intentionally do so.” You can check out the article here: http://bit.ly/i7nPhQ

I am particularly excited about this Friday’s “Five Good Answers” because it will feature a fellow Cincinnati writer, Jana Riess. If you haven’t read Jana’s work yet, well…you should. She writes a great blog at: http://blog.beliefnet.com/flunkingsainthood/ (join her conversation about what you are giving up for Lent this year) and she is also the author of several superb books. Along with blogging and writing (and her work as an acquisitions editor), Jana’s background provides a unique perspective on the landscape of American faith. This Friday, I will talk with her about her upcoming book Flunking Sainthood, her blog, and her opinions on what is happening in faith culture today. Don’t miss it!