Hey friends! Me and my wife our leaving this Tuesday for Spirit West Coast Monterey, the huge Christian music festival. The festival runs from July 1st through 3rd and it's at the Luguna Seca Raceway in beautiful Monterey. We'll have a booth on the main walkway to sell my new book, American Midnight. My co-author, Mike Lynch will be joining us too. It's going to be a ton of fun :)

Here are some of the bands that will be playing during the festival:
-Newsboys
-Jeremy Camp
-Third Day
-Jars of Clay
-Group One Crew
-Kutless
-Family Force 5
-Barlow Girl
-Hawk Nelson
-Sanctus Real
-O.C. Supertones
And about 30 other bands (Check out the complete list HERE)



If anyone happens to be going, stop by and say HI!  :)


I'll be back Sunday, so until then, have a wonderful week, and enjoy the Lord!

A satirical poem on our modern culture

I ran across this poem listening to a Ravi Zacharias message...it's a really powerful illustration of how far we've fallen in modern  times. 

Creed
by Steve Turner

 

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin

We believe everything is OK

as long as you don't hurt anyone

to the best of your definition of hurt,

and to the best of your knowledge.

 

We believe in sex before, during, and

after marriage.

We believe in the therapy of sin.

We believe that adultery is fun.

We believe that sodomy’s OK.

We believe that taboos are taboo.

 

We believe that everything's getting better

despite evidence to the contrary.

The evidence must be investigated

And you can prove anything with evidence.

 

We believe there's something in horoscopes

UFO's and bent spoons.

Jesus was a good man just like Buddha,

Mohammed, and ourselves.

He was a good moral teacher though we think

His good morals were bad.

 

We believe that all religions are basically the same-

at least the one that we read was.

They all believe in love and goodness.

They only differ on matters of creation,

sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.

 

We believe that after death comes the Nothing

Because when you ask the dead what happens

they say nothing.

If death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its

compulsory heaven for all

excepting perhaps

Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Kahn

 

We believe in Masters and Johnson

What's selected is average.

What's average is normal.

What's normal is good.

 

We believe in total disarmament.

We believe there are direct links between warfare and

bloodshed.

Americans should beat their guns into tractors .

And the Russians would be sure to follow.

 

We believe that man is essentially good.

It's only his behavior that lets him down.

This is the fault of society.

Society is the fault of conditions.

Conditions are the fault of society.

 

We believe that each man must find the truth that

is right for him.

Reality will adapt accordingly.

The universe will readjust.

History will alter.

We believe that there is no absolute truth

excepting the truth

that there is no absolute truth.

 

We believe in the rejection of creeds,

And the flowering of individual thought.

 

If chance be

the Father of all flesh,

disaster is his rainbow in the sky

and when you hear

 

State of Emergency!

Sniper Kills Ten!

Troops on Rampage!

Whites go Looting!

Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man

worshipping his maker.

Matt Mikalatos...a fellow blogger published by Tyndale

It's really cool to see a blogging friend turn into a success story. Matt Mikalatos was one of the first friends who started stopping by my blog. And I remember jumping over to his blog many times. And now, he has a very unique novel called Imaginary Jesus, and it's published by Tyndale.

Well, this is cool. It makes me wonder which of my other blogger friends will be announcing some great feat...KM Wilsher? Kat Heckenbach? Robert Treskillard? Logan Stewart? Chawna Schroeder? Christian Miles?...I could go on and on...there are so many great writing friends I have on this blog. And a good number I didn't mention are already published.

Having Matt as part of the blog tour is really special. It made me realize how beneficial blogging communities are. We are able to make friends with people all over the country--all over the world--who share are love for writing. When they have success, it spurs us on, and we get to share a little of their joy. When we have a success, we get to share it with the friends we've made through the blogosphere, and their enthusiasm and encouragement propels us onward in our writing adventures.

Well, back to Matt. I popped on over to Amazon to check out what the reviewers are saying...wow, out of 34 reviews, 25 are five star, and 7 are four stars. That's impressive!

In case you're wondering, Matt's blog is called "The Burning Hearts Revolution". Go check it out.  And over at the Tyndale website, they have a video interview up which is really cool. Check it out HERE.

And since I haven't actually read his new book, go check out what my fellow CSFF blog tour members are saying about Imaginary Jesus. Do they agree with the Amazon reviewers wild acclamations? I'm heading off to find out for myself :)

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Valerie Comer
R. L. Copple
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

American Midnight is on Amazon now

Amazon finally listed my book! Yay :)

They still haven't uploaded the cover art, but at least it's up, HERE.

American Midnight is here!

Great news! My new book, American Midnight, published by Silver Leaf Books, is now available!

Available in Trade Paperback at:

-Barnes and Noble (best price!)

-Silver Leaf Books

-autographed copy (email me bjbstories@yahoo.com)
-Amazon

-Borders (Coming, date pending)

Availabe electronically on:

-Amazon Kindle

-The Nook

-Ipad

What’s the book about? Read the back cover:

At eighteen, Tania Peters still carries deep scars from her mother’s tragic death, and when she’s betrayed by someone close, pain and confusion threaten to swallow her whole.  But underneath all the hurt, she senses the hand of purpose on her life and finds hope in an exciting new political movement.

The Unity Party seems to offer everything —tolerance, compassion, and a plan to unite society. But not everyone sees the movement as good. Tania’s two brothers, Jeremy and Greg, have become bitter enemies over the ideals of the Party, and her father, a church pastor, fears that this promised “unity” is a threat to churches across the country.

Tania doesn’t share her father’s faith and sees no room for a loving God in the world she’s come to know. Instead, she gains strength from her rising celebrity within the Unity Party, finding friendship, acceptance, and even the first traces of romance. But none of these things can save her when her extremist brother plots to bring down the Unity Party in their home town of Midian.

Pitted between the Party’s utopian promises and the Christian friends and families who find themselves on the outside of this new American dream, Tania must choose between her long dormant faith in God and her future with the Party.

...But that one decision could cost her everything—including her life.

What are the reviewers saying...

"From Page One to The End, novelists Brandon Barr and Mike Lynch capture the readers’ attention and holds them spellbound! American Midnight is a gripping, beautifully-written story that will sometimes (literally!) leave you breathless. I’m adding this one to my ‘Keepers’ shelf!"

--Loree Lough, author of 74 award-winning novels, including the recently-released Tales of the Heart and Prevailing Love

"A modern mix of 1984 and The Hiding Place, American Midnight is thought-provoking and chilling, a clarion call for today's culture."

--Chawna Schroeder, Imagination Investigation

“This latest work from Brandon Barr and Mike Lynch fulfills their promise as authors.  AMERICAN MIDNIGHT is a big, panoramic novel rich with right questions for our era and with characters we can both cheer for and learn from.”

--Bruce McAllister, author of Dream Baby

''Barr and Lynch are the new dynamic duo of Christian Suspense! What Tim LaHaye and

Jerry Jenkins did for end times writing, Barr and Lynch surpass with American Midnight.  AM is a must read ripped out of today's headlines and masterfully blended with prophetic overtones. Each chapter takes us ever deeper into a web of intrigue...complex and artistically written.  Bible scholar or not Barr and Lynch provide us with not only a great read but also a story that will provoke you to move beyond what you thought was possible.''

--Lisa Collins, lcollinsauthor.blogspot.com

"Torn from tomorrow's headlines, American Midnight is a fast-paced ride with a touch of romance that is sure to hold you enthralled!"

--Amy Deardon, author of A Lever Long Enough

"A riveting political thriller. Barr and Lynch have crafted a convicting and timely tale that will entrance readers of various genres. Be sure to pick up this page-turner at your earliest opportunity...lest time run out all too soon.

--Melissa Meeks, Bibliophile's Retreat

"With conspiracies on every side, suspense, romance and more, American Midnight is a cautionary tale examining family and what it means to take a stand for God.  It handles some difficult questions, but the answers aren't always as neat and pat as we would like."

--Cathi Hassan, Cathi's Chatter

"American Midnight is a non-stop, compelling read. Several times I was running in the wake of the main character’s footsteps, crying with her and cheering her on."

--Paulette Harris, inspirational writer