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Call me Crazy

Posted on Monday 8 May 2006 by Greg @ 1:20 pm
Filed under: Rants

People who just know me from my preaching think of me as a very intense, highly spastic kind of guy with veins and eyes that look like they are going to pop out of my skin and skull at any time. These people think of me as on-the-brink-of-crazy, a kind of pre insanity that, with the right circumstances, could go over the edge of Mt. Wacko pretty quickly.

Those who know me best know that the people on the outside are right.

I am spastic. I can’t keep my veins from poking out of my skin like normal people and the same baby blues that look like they are going to fire out of my eye sockets like cannonballs from the stage look the same way when I’m telling a story to a group of friends or when I’m playing "Tigers" or "Gorillas" with Jeremy and Kailey (don’t ask). Pretty much what you see is what you get with me.

Sometimes I feel like I’m going to go crazy. When I look around at the potential of teens and the church and the finances available to fulfill the Great Commission that are being used for other "stuff" I feel like I’m going to go insane. When I see the often cotton candy curriculum available for youth leaders to use with teenagers it pushes me to the brink of cuckoo. It’s so elemental it makes me mental.

That’s why I’m about to write a new book titled "Call me Crazy." The tentative sub-title is "big questions and weird experiences that turned me into a teenage Jesus freak." Basically, it’s kind of an autobiography of events of my life all before I got out of high school and the key life questions it answered (Who is God? Where did I come from? Can I be forgiven for any sin? etc). Each chapter revolves around one key story, one key question and one key Scripture. It’s kind of a biography meets theology meets devotional book.

The crazy things that God allowed me to experience before I graduated from high school drove me back to the Bible. Between the experience, the Spirit of God and the Scriptures, my philosophy and theology of life were hammered out before the tassel on my cap was moved.

So here’s my question. What do you think of the sub-title? Again it’s, "Call me crazy….big questions and weird experiences that turned me into a teenage Jesus freak" Is this a book that you would buy? Do you have any cover ideas? All input is welcome.

By the way the book comes out next summer through Tyndale and Focus on the Family.

Call me crazy…but I really need your help!

22 Comments for 'Call me Crazy'

On May 8, 2006 @ 1:55 pm john in texas said:

Well thanks to your temp. book title I now have 4 Non-Blonde’s "You Drive Me Crazy" running through my head. - - at least I think it was the 4 Non-Blondes. Anyway I get your eyeball and vein popping response to the use and view of teens in the Church. Whenever we have a youth lead service - worship and preaching - the response of the people is more of a "this isn’t a real service" – We teach and challenge these young people how to live a life for christ and want them to do so - but when they actually do – when they stand up in humility and bring the word and challenge the people they are not taken seriously. – We want youth to own their faith – we want youth to take the religion of mom and dad and accept it as their faith, but when they do the church does not view them as "real". – I think the book is a bad idea - a really bad idea — no just kidding – put your eyeballs back in – Is the book for youth, youth workers, parents or anybody you can get to drop $19.99? – Try this on "CALL ME CRAZY - a call to a crazy life" – its a winner - I want royalties baby! – Sounds like the book will both challenge and encourage teens. It may also serve as a good tool for parents as well as youth workers. Write away brother.

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On May 8, 2006 @ 2:24 pm Jenna said:

Greg, There is no question in my mind. I would most deffinately buy the book. Just give me the day it comes out and where I can get it. I like the title a lot, it fits you… -Jenna

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On May 8, 2006 @ 3:25 pm SONG4GOD said:

hey l0ser! : ) yeah i got that 4rm D2S I think that the book is a goog idea. I would buy it myself being a teen. I would spend $ 2 go and read ur book. So just blog a day and I will be ther buying it. ….till we meet again l0ser…. the one and only made by God gloriA

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On May 8, 2006 @ 3:25 pm Littlekbaker said:

I would buy it! for the cover, you could get a picture of someone (or you) looking really crazy or angry, with their veins popping out. Good luck on the book!

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On May 8, 2006 @ 4:01 pm Jenny said:

I would definitely buy it!

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On May 8, 2006 @ 4:34 pm james lotz said:

greg, i work at a ‘christian’ (i use that word loosely) bookstore and nothing bothers me more than new books. no offense to you or the people that write them, but there are way too many of them and it costs money to make them-the same money that could be advancing the Kingdom. the ‘christian’ bookstore i work at sells those stupid saint joseph statues and forces us to sell credit cards (one a week!). i dont know if it is that i am fed up with the company as a whole (why i still work there i dont know, but i am job hunting!) or maybe i’m fed up with all of the new books that are supposed to solve all of the problems that are out there. dont get me wrong, some books make big differences, but to be honest a lot of them say the same thing over and over (we have at least 10 da vinci code books to refute the movie/book). the money used to publish books could be used to advance the Kingdom, help world hunger, and/or ton of different things. i love the concept of D2S, as you pointed out at the gameday in columbus, Jesus gave the Great Commision, not the Good Suggestion and i really dont know if another book will help. sorry if this offended you it’s just that i work in the business and i see people buying the books but the majority of them dont do anything about it.

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On May 8, 2006 @ 5:58 pm elw351 said:

i would be most interested in your book along with your thought on, as you put it cotton candy curriculim. being one of the adult leaders in in a student ministry that haas been without a student pastor for over a year and with the blue hairs deciding our materials. i am up for suggestion in getting their buy in to grow the student ministry. we are starting an eteam and i have been rebelling and using some of the d2s but can’t seem to get a full swing. lou

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On May 8, 2006 @ 6:55 pm Some Body said:

sounds cool. I would buy it! (If I had more money) Just found out today that we are going to have baby #7!!!! (in Nov/Dec) i’ll be the 3rd of 7!!! Like the sub-title, very awesome!!!

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On May 8, 2006 @ 10:48 pm Laura Jackson-Rossi said:

Hey Greg: You may or may not remember me. We went to ACS together in Arvada. I was speaking to my mother the other day and she told me about your ministry and D2S, etc. I said to her, "I knew back in high school that Greg would for sure be doing something like this with his life." You had some kind of connection with God back then and you let Him guide your steps all these years and look how He has blessed you. The only true love is the one we share with God. He is the only one who can fill those empty nicks and crannies in the soul. With some of us it has taken a few rounds in the ring and a couple of knockouts for Him to get the message across. About the title… I know it would be a good hook to get readers. I would say ponder it a little longer and pray. FYI - If you haven’t already, check out the Christian band "Starfield". They are an amazing blessing to me. Hope to hear from you. Laura Jackson-Rossi

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On May 9, 2006 @ 2:24 am Paul said:

Hey, Greg, How about a picture of you looking out the window of your house (the crack in the door of a bathroom stall) with your eye wide open, like it’s bulging out, and a oh no! kinda grin on your face as your friend is about to make a big mistake and go to the wall, instead of the stall and the name of the book would look like it was scratched into the stall door. I have heard that story many times, and it was a eventful experience in your life. Oh, and yes I would buy it.

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On May 9, 2006 @ 7:07 am Greg said:

Hey Laura,

It’s been a long time. I’d love to reconnect! Guess what Starfield travels with our events and will be leading our worship next year. e-mail me at information@dare2share.org your contact info to my attention and I’ll get a hold of you. ACS…those were some crazy days, but they shaped me spiritually for the Lord. If it wasn’t for the legalism there it would have been a five star experience. But I have to give it 3.5 because of the hard core rules and regulations. But to be honest it was the lessons that I learned at ACS about sharing Jesus and knowing what you believe that comprises the core of Dare 2 Share (without the legalism!) Hope to talk to you soon!

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On May 9, 2006 @ 10:28 am Stephanie said:

I’d SO totally buy it! I’m a loser like that =)

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On May 9, 2006 @ 10:57 am bruthakurt said:

I like the idea that God has given you. I look forward to getting my hands on it and applying it to my youth group in Owensboro, Ky. We will see you soon in Nashville. Thanks for bringing D2S a little closer to us, we are 3 year veterans of St. Louis. Stay strong in the Lord!

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On May 9, 2006 @ 1:03 pm Katie said:

It sounds like an amazing book already. I know God is going to bless it whether anyone in the country will read it or not. It’s going to be amazing just because God is ordaining this vision in your mind. I will be praying for the book and the teens/ other people who will be reading it. That their hearts will be opened and God will use it to impact our generation. Thank-you for always speaking the truth even when it’s not all fuzzy and comfortable. You are being used in people’s lives every single day. God Bless, Katie

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On May 9, 2006 @ 8:02 pm imaginary friend said:

ummmm…maybe the background of the cover could be like a notebook paper design. and the title could be scribbled on there like actual handwriting. the "paper" could have drawings of the normal teenage doodles or whatever you liked to draw or do in highskool. thats all i could think of right now. laterz

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On May 9, 2006 @ 10:33 pm Sean said:

Hey Greg! The title sounds great to me…although there has been some strange feedback regarding the word "freak" in regards to ministry, etc. I just remember following Tic’s comments about "Welcome to the freak show" at YS, there was an interesting dialogue about how the secular world interprets that term. Anyway…for what it’s worth, it still sounds good to me. Also just wanted to say thanks for your blog! I came here through my buddy Jason Raitz’s blog (I laughed my butt off at him putting his foot in his mouth on there!), but I am looking forward to learning more about you and D2S. I must admit I haven’t heard you speak as the "wild" Greg you refer to in your post. The only time I’ve heard you so far was at Sandy Richert’s memorial, and I thought you did such an amazing job of honoring your friend. It was an amazing service and what you wrote and said were an incredible testimony to her life and friendship. So, keep the posting coming! I look forward to reading more. -Sean Meade (the Stuck in the Middle guy!)

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On May 10, 2006 @ 12:04 am Adam said:

Great idea Greg. I’m pretty sure anyone who had been to d2s or anyone who has read your other books would buy it. I definately would. For the cover just have someone take a bunch of pictures of you doin crazy stuff and make a big collage. Is that how you spell collage? I’m talking about a group of pictures if you know what i mean? Get in a plane with a sky diving suit on and take a picture, get a picture of you skateboarding, on a dirtbike, paintballing, skiing, snowboarding, anything crazy like that then in the middle have a picture of you sharing the gospel with someone. A lot of people think we are more crazy for sharing the gospel than if we were to jump out of a plane. Can’t wait to read the book and we will be praying for it.

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On May 10, 2006 @ 6:41 pm just a loser said:

ya i think ur book is a great idea and i just wanted to say that im apart of one of those churches that has a cotton candy curriculum. our youth group has been trying to turn that around in the past few months (with Gods help of course, we sure do need it) but we have been going through the gospel journey and it has helped a lot and i think this book will also help.

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On May 11, 2006 @ 5:06 am JASON said:

greg i have an awesom idea for the cover pic. the pic is in a three section format with the cross on the far right or far left(ur choice), the world on the other far side(again ur choice which), and u in the middle only u have two pics of ur front side-one side ur facin the world with a crazed looked on ur face(or somethin to that effect) and the other ur facin the cross in a kneeling position(like ur praying). i think it would symbolize ur "call me crazy" rant. i would like to know what u think about this. i am getting ready to go to college to become a youth minister(God willing) and i completely agree with ur thoughts on the complacency of youth ministries these days. D2S rocks and i cant wait for game day. GO GOD!!!

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On May 11, 2006 @ 9:02 pm Becky said:

Hey Greg, I have not posted for awhile because my conputer has a virus.Anyways a cool subtitle would be the story of a chrsitian or a crazy lunatic for Jesus.For the cover pic I think the letters need to be bold and they should be in black.I also think it would be cool to put a cross somewhere.Anyways Greg you can email me because I love to write and I may be able to give you a few poems you could put in that book.The loser shirt still gets people confused.Anyways email me. losergirl4jesus@hotmail.com Becky from arizona

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On May 12, 2006 @ 9:40 pm Ashley Buckner said:

Great idea! I will totally go out and get that book! Just tell all of us Losers when it comes, The exact date) and we will storm the book stores. On the cover you need to have either a really crazy lookin’ picture of you with your veins bulging and eyeballs popping or some other eye catching cover. That way when I’m reading it people will look over and be like, "What in the world are you reading?" And I can say, "It’s a really good book written by the coolest crazy guy you’ll ever meet." Then I have the perfect oppertunity to let them borrow it and answer their questions later. Well, that’s my imput. L8r, Greg! Signing Off, Ashley

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On June 4, 2006 @ 8:25 am Carrie Evans said:

Love the idea! I think this is going to be one of your best books. The way you open the door to your life in your talks makes teens hunger to know more about what exactly happened to help you get to where you are today spiritually. I like the title too, although I do agree a little with an above comment about the term "freak" or even "Jesus freak" as being offensive to some. Maybe if you wanted a little more widespread appeal you could try "big questions and weird experiences that totally changed my life" (as a teen??)". I know many of my friends that do not believe in Him are totally turned off by and don’t get the whole "Jesus Freak" thing. I love it and the teens I know for the most part really do too, so I guess it depends on which audience you want to appeal to most

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Call me Crazy

Posted on Monday 8 May 2006 by Greg @ 1:20 pm
Filed under: Rants

22 Comments for 'Call me Crazy'

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Call me Crazy

Posted on Monday 8 May 2006 by Greg @ 1:20 pm Filed under: Rants

22 Comments for 'Call me Crazy'

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Posted on Monday 8 May 2006 by Greg @ 1:20 pm
Filed under: Rants